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How Will Tech Nation's Upscale Programme Help 30 Startups To Scale Up?

Founders of startups have opened up about the impact that whirlwind growth brings as they join Tech Nations Upscale 4.0 programme. Its like climbing Mount Everest, is how Tessa Clarke, cofounder of OLIO puts it. She is one of the 30 participants, see the full list below, on a programme kicking off today for rapidly growing startups run by the government-backed, U.K. network for entrepreneurs. As startups get traction and investment, it puts a lot of pressure on the founder and its executives, says Gerard Grech, CEO of Tech Nation. And the extent of that strain became yet more apparent to Grech while reading James Silvers Upscale, published by Tech Nation last November (see Forbes.com review here). Its a fascinating book because you would think it was about finance but a lot of it is about mental health and the pressure points. Crossing a chasm Of the 30 participating startups, a total of 188 million of investment has been raised averaging a not insignificant 6.2 million each. Investors might expect a handful of failures from a portfolio but founders dont want to be the one to fill that particular slot. Certainly not just as all the hard work theyve put into the early stages of their business' development is beginning to bear fruit. We want to make sure it is not Death Valley and that they all get to the other side, reassures Grech, recognising that it has always been a challenge to scale but its getting fiercer and fiercer. The very success of startups that scaled before them - alumni of earlier Upscale programmes include Monzo (see its CEO Tom Blomfield on scaling here), Blub, Bloom & Wild - has made it easier for those that come after. More and more founders have exited but then they stay and become investors and mentors leading to a stronger scaleup ecosystem, continues Wood, one of the non-executive directors of Tech Nation and cofounder of Unruly. Virtuous circle Its an evolution that Upscale 4.0 has plugged into. Our scaleup coaches tend to be founders who have scaled and exited, ready to give advice they have not yet shared, says Wood. This years six-month programme has been further reshaped following feedback and data from previous years. One of the biggest problems of scaling is loneliness - whom to talk to and from whom to get timely advice. So we reduced the number of participants from 37 to 30, says Wood. "By reducing the scale of the cohort, it will provide the environment to share. Inevitably the types and sectors from which the startups are drawn will shift and the make-up of the teams more diverse by ethnicity, gender, race and neural spectrum. There are stereotypes around a founder wearing a hoody, an extrovert and someone full of braggadocio. But not every founder needs to be able to stand up in front of a group and not just those with swagger become a founder, says Wood. Upscale itself is already changing with 27% of its founders now women, up from 24% last year, while 33% are from outside London, up from 26%. And the interests of founders will evolve, becoming keen to digest taboo subjects whereby diversity, mindfulness and mental health will be important, concludes Wood. After all, a diverse healthy workforce is a competitive advantage. The 30 startups in Upscale 4.0. 1. Put simply, the point at which the business becomes a rocket ship! To give great ideas a chance. Too many to mention. The most critical (and rewarding!) has been investing in 100 happy people to bring the Futrli vision to life. A ground-breaking shift in the success rate of small business - currently 50% fail by year five. The positive effect on families and global economies if we can help more small businesses succeed will be staggering. It's a daunting task, but we are enthused that what we are building is a world first. Funding Friends, family and bootstrapped to profitability (2014-2018), 4 million Series A (Sep 2018). Know your business, understand all of its moving parts and use the data to make sure that every small decision you make takes you to where you want to be. 2. Adam Hyslop, cofounder, OpenRent Finding, advertising and managing rental property for both landlords and tenants. Four and half million households rent. We want to reach every landlord and tenant with a better way to rent property and create new products to solve every problem they might face. The more users we have, the more functionality we can create to improve the lettings industry. Were already the UKs largest letting agent, the first to complete an entire rental transaction online and weve never charged tenants any admin/agency fees! Enact genuine change in the rental market, whether advocating for legislative reform (as we did for the Tenant Fees Bill), or by disrupting the businesses that make renting painful for landlords and tenants. After being cited by Lord Bourne, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department of Housing, Communities and Local Government, as the future of the industry, were full of hope and excitement! Funding Media for Equity Deal Series A (2014), 4.4 million Series A (2017). Put the customer at the centre of everything you do. Many claim to do this, but the focus is so easy to lose as incentives change! 3. Our mission is to profoundly impact a million families in the next five years. It's so exhausting being a working parent. What gets me out of bed in the morning is making their lives easier by helping the whole family. Every family can access their perfect childcare. Exhilarating, exhausting, all-consuming! Funding: 600,000 Pre-seed (2017), 3.5 million Seed (2018). Be a sponge. Read, ask questions, listen. 4. Growth without falling into a trap of complexity and spiralling costs. To expand into new markets. We set up an office in New York last year. We aim to supercharge our growth! It's tough and exciting at the same time as we realise it's a break-out opportunity. Funding 1.2 million in revenue (2018). Hire great people and get the right partners on board early. 5. Having the operational layer in place to facilitate rapid, sustainable growth. When you dig deep into the unit economics of your business, you start to work on improving all metrics. We have overhauled our sales processes, worked on automating our sign-up and payment processes and upgraded internal operations. We are looking to build a trusted, global review platform for healthcare and to work with hospitals and clinics around the world by helping them collect and act on patient feedback data. My first business trip to a new market reminded me of the earliest days of the company; that amazing excitement that founders have in the first months of a business. Funding: 0.5 million Angel (2016), 1.2 million Seed (2017), Series A (2018). Cutting corners can feel like a necessity in the beginning but those savings will be lost very quickly as you scale. 6. Transitioning to a high-growth business where you can drive revenue growth and take advantage of the investment youve made. To create significant shareholder value and benefits to the broader stakeholder group, including aiding small businesses to grow. From inception, weve had robust and scalable infrastructure including tech, FS and regulatory experience. To become a significant player in the investment and funding landscapes in the UK and potentially international stage. Depends on the day! Funding: 1.5 million Founder Seed (2014), 1.5m Angel (2016), 2.2m Angel (2018). There will be a lot of knocks, a lot of meetings and youll never switch off. 7. Having product market fit while building the team and infrastructure to enable the business to grow to the next level. We want to make the legal industry clear, connected and collaborative. The bigger we are, and the bigger our reach, the more impact we will have. A strong focus on getting the foundational elements right, i.e. team, culture, values, and of course the product! To be the market leader in legal tech, in all of our markets. Exciting and exhausting! Funding: 1.8 million Seed (2016), 7.5m Series A (2018). Hire people smarter than you. 8. Scaling means taking OLIO mainstream so that it becomes inconceivable to chuck good food in the bin. Were solving one of the biggest problems facing humanity today food waste necessary if we are to stand any chance of mitigating climate change. From a pilot in five postcodes in North London to a global movement of 825,000 people who have together shared well over 1.2 million portions of food. From 1 million to 1 billion OLIOers in 10 years time. It's like climbing Mount Everest! Funding: $2.2 million Seed (2016); $6 million Series A (2018). Dream big but start very small. And make sure you have the right cofounder(s). 9. Being a truly global company, solving challenges for hundreds of millions of small-scale farmers and doing this sustainably. Getting our solution into the hands of over 1 billion globally. More than 1.3 million farmers use our service in East Africa. A global eco-system with the farmer at the centre through which to obtain information, products, services and trade their crops. A sense of responsibility to our users, team, investors and partners. Funding: $1.8 million Pre-seed (2016), $5 million Seed (2017). Dont be afraid to surround yourself with people who challenge you and are better than you at key things. The other 21: Airsorted, Automata (see Forbes.com), BookingLive Software Ltd, Cleo AI (see Forbes.com), Fertility Focus, Fluidly, Funding Options, Healthera Ltd, Hubble, Immersive Labs, MoveGB, Open Cosmos (see Forbes.com), Oxehealth, Patch Gardens Ltd, Previse, Shepper, Sweatcoin, Tessian, The Plum Guide, Voxpopme, Wazoku Ltd

Tech Nation's Upscale 4.0 programme kicks off today for rapidly growing startups. Of the 30 participating startups, a total of 188 million of investment has been raised averaging a not insignificant 6.2 million each. The programme is designed to help founders scale up their businesses.

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https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnwelsheurope/2019/01/25/how-will-tech-nations-upscale-programme-help-30-startups-to-scale-up/

Can stars ever shake off their famous TV characters?

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Emilia Clarke and Kit Harington are famous for their roles in GOT while Kaley Cuoco and Jim Parsons are stars of The Big Bang Theory Game of Thrones, The Big Bang Theory, Orange is the New Black and Homeland are just some of the huge TV hits that are coming to an end in 2019. On screen, they don't have much in common but off screen many of the actors will be leaving behind the role that's made them famous. Kit Harington, who plays Jon Snow in GOT, says he will never try to distance himself from his much-loved character. But he's "looking forward to whatever the next thing is". "I think it's best not to try and plan or predict, just see what comes around the corner," he says. We've taken a look at previous big TV hits to find out: Friends Image copyright Getty Images Image caption David Schwimmer, Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Matthew Perry, Lisa Kudrow and Matt LeBlanc were the stars of Friends Back in the early 90s we were introduced to a group of friends - Rachel, Monica, Phoebe, Chandler, Ross and Joey - whose lives we followed for 10 years. It was a massive series which saw more than a third of UK viewers (8.6 million people) tune in for the last episode in May 2004. Reruns on Comedy Central, Netflix and Channel 5 have meant the characters have remained in our lives ever since. Jennifer Aniston, who played Rachel, is probably the one who's gone on to have the biggest on-screen career - starring in films such as Horrible Bosses and Marley and Me. Image copyright Jeff Kravitz Image caption Jennifer Aniston and Courteney Cox have remained firm friends But arguably none of the stars have done much to make you forget they were in Friends. Scott Bryan, TV editor of BuzzFeed, says how much you've seen an actor in a role can play a part in whether they'll find it hard to move on in their career. "If your show is not repeated that much then it allows you to move on from the role in a big way. "Friends is repeated a huge amount, so are shows like The Big Bang Theory and will be for years after they end. "So those actors can't really escape from those roles as easily." Downton Abbey Image copyright FILM COMPANY ITV Image caption Dame Maggie Smith, left, and Hugh Bonneville were already big names before Downton Abbey Downton Abbey was a smash hit for ITV during its run from 2010 to 2015 and propelled most of the cast into global superstardom. A lot of the cast were already well-known so there was no fear of the likes of Dame Maggie Smith or Hugh Bonneville being typecast. But for the younger stars like Dan Stevens, who played Matthew Crawley, and Michelle Dockery, who starred as Lady Mary Crawley, it's opened the doors to Hollywood. Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Dan Stevens appeared alongside Emma Watson in Beauty and the Beast Dan went on to star as the Beast in Disney's recent adaptation of Beauty and the Beast and bagged the lead role in US TV series Legion. While Michelle Dockery has starred in US dramas Godless and Good Behaviour. Scott points out that the reason they've been able to carve a path in Hollywood is because the show is treated "differently here than in the US". "People here think of it as a Sunday night teatime show while internationally it's so highly regarded that they can go and have a very different career abroad." The Inbetweeners Image copyright Getty Images Image caption The Inbetweeners ran for three series on E4 and also was made into two feature-length films A decade ago, The Inbetweeners took four relatively unknown young actors - Simon Bird, James Buckley, Blake Harrison and Joe Thomas - and made them famous. Simon Bird has previously said he's so closely associated with his character Will McKenzie, people still shout affectionate obscenities at him. But he's managed to find other roles in everything from West End plays to the Channel 4 sitcom Friday Night Dinner. All of the actors have kept working but you could argue their roles since have been pretty similar to their characters in The Inbetweeners. Image copyright Kevin Winter Image caption David Tennant was able to shake off only being known as The Doctor The quickest and easiest way to be typecast is to take on the same type of role. But you can break out of it. "Doctor Who is quite a poisoned chalice because it sticks around that you were one of the doctors for the rest of your career," Scott explains. "But then David Tennant was in Broadchurch for so long and that was a completely different character. "So choosing a role that is so far removed from the one he had before, you kind of forget that he was in Doctor Who." Breaking Bad Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Aaron Paul, left, and Bryan Cranston have moved on with their careers but are still embracing their Breaking Bad roles The show was on between 2008-2013 but if you're like me, you'll have binged watched the lot on Netflix. Bryan Cranston was already a household name for his role in Malcolm in the Middle. So although he will be remembered as crystal meth producer Walter White for all time, he hasn't struggled to move on with his career. As for Aaron Paul, he wasn't as famous beforehand so probably had a bigger challenge. He's been a voice in the animated show Bojack Horseman since 2014 but hasn't been in many other big hitters. Bob Odenkirk, who played Saul Goodman, was a comedian and writer before Breaking Bad - but he's made the most of the popularity of his character with the spin-off series Better Call Saul. Giancarlo Esposito was nominated and won awards for playing Gus Fring, he has been in the business since 1979 and has continued to do well with roles in the Maze Runner films and Westworld. Skins Image copyright Todd Williamson Image caption Dev Patel, right, won the Bafta for best supporting actor for Lion Nicholas Hoult was already known as the adorable star of About A Boy, but he was all grown up when he starred in Skins as Tony Stonem. But the rest of the young cast were all found through open casting calls. And from that, the show has produced some of the best British young talent. Dev Patel was nominated for an Oscar for his role in the film Lion while Jack O'Connell was picked to star in Angelina Jolie's epic war film Unbroken. Joe Dempsie and Hannah Murray have both had big roles in Game of Thrones while Nicholas has starred in the X-Men film franchise. Then there's Daniel Kaluuya, another Oscar nominee for his role in Get Out. Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Daniel Kaluuya, centre, is now a Hollywood star Jack O'Connell has previously credited the whole Skins team for the actors' future successes. "I think they knew if they were going to identify that genre, that era, that generation, they needed people on the ground level," he said. "A writing team that understood, they got that right first and then I guess they chose to cast exciting people. "I feel very fortunate to be involved in the show but I don't think it was a coincidence that we all came through there." Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Jim Parsons, who plays Sheldon in The Big Bang Theory, is the highest paid TV actor in the US Now if you are starting to worry about your favourite actors from Game of Thrones or The Big Bang Theory and what they can do next, please don't. According to Forbes magazine, The Big Bang Theory cast are among the highest paid actors in the US - and the GOT cast aren't doing too badly either. So if you don't see them acting anymore, maybe they've taken early retirement. Follow Newsbeat on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Listen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 every weekday on BBC Radio 1 and 1Xtra - if you miss us you can listen back here.

Emilia Clarke and Kit Harington are famous for their roles in GOT. Kaley Cuoco and Jim Parsons are stars of The Big Bang Theory. Jennifer Aniston, who played Rachel in Friends, has biggest on-screen career. Dan Stevens appeared alongside Emma Watson in Beauty and the Beast.

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https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat-46866154

Which financial service institutions are helping workers affected by the shutdown?

The partial U.S. government shutdown is on its 35th day, and with it, a looming second consecutive missed paycheck for hundreds of thousands of workers. Add Government Shutdown as an interest to stay up to date on the latest Government Shutdown news, video, and analysis from ABC News. Add Interest Some financial services institutions are offering relief by advances on direct deposit, no interest loans and waiving some fees for affected government workers. Here are some notables. Navy Federal Credit Union Credit union members can get an advance on direct deposit. This is a tiered program which is essentially a zero-interest loan covering paychecks ranging from $250 to $6,000 in each pay period. For members making up to $500, $250 is deposited. For those making $501 to $6,000, the amount deposited is rounded down to the nearest $500, and maxes out at $6,000. Customers must enroll and need an account that has already enabled direct deposit. "This is just a stopgap so members don't feel the full effects of the shutdown and we hope they use this loan to live with their day-to-day finances as intact as possible," a Navy Federal spokesman told ABC News. "We encourage everyone who is eligible to enroll," he said. Scott Mason/AP, FILE State Department Federal Credit Union Affected workers may be eligible for: an emergency Visa Platinum Credit Card furlough for a zero interest furlough loan for the first two months, delayed loan payments on a case-by-case basis, a refund on late fees on loan payments, a waived penalty for cashing in Share Certificates early and get refunds on cash advance fees for Visa Platinum or Premium Cash Back+ credit cards when using an ATM, according to the credit union's website. The credit union did not immediately respond to a request to clarify whether these programs apply to all impacted government workers or just those who are furloughed. Aflac An Aflac spokesperson told ABC News the company can't legally waive premium payments, but the insurance company is offering a grace period for impacted federal employees. Customers will not have to pay any premiums until the shutdown ends but will receive payouts from their plan as if its "business as usual." Aflac is only supplemental insurance, so this only affects federal employees who have opted to sign up for it in addition to the insurance offered through their job. Win McNamee/Getty Images American Express "American Express is ready to assist its Card Members who are facing financial difficulties as a result of the U.S. Government shutdown. We will work with consumer, small business and corporate Card Members who request assistance by ensuring we provide them with the best possible service and support, which can include financial relief by waiving late fees, return check fees, and future interest charges," spokeswoman Ashley Tufts wrote ABC News in an email. PayPal The original fintech company is offering "an interest-free one-time cash advance, up to your available credit line for a maximum of $500 (with a minimum amount of $250) to existing or new PayPal Credit customers who are U.S. federal government employees impacted by the shutdown," according to its website. ABC News' Stephanie Ebbs contributed to this report.

The partial U.S. government shutdown is on its 35th day. Some financial services institutions are offering relief by advances on direct deposit, no interest loans and waiving some fees for affected government workers. Naval Federal Credit Union members can get an advance on direct deposit.

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https://abcnews.go.com/US/financial-service-institutions-helping-workers-affected-shutdown/story?id=60595406

Why is everyone talking about antibiotics?

Getty Images You might have heard of a type of medicine called antibiotics. Maybe you've even been given them by a doctor. Antibiotics are in the news today. Here's everything you need to know. Antibiotics are a special group of medicines that can kill bacteria or prevent it from spreading. The first antibiotic was penicillin which was discovered 90 years ago by a chemist called Alexander Fleming. Since then, more than 100 new antibiotics have been developed. The drugs are responsible for killing the bacteria that causes many serious infections such as tonsillitis, bronchitis and pneumonia. They're also used to prevent infections when people have surgery. An antibiotic is a substance that destroys or limits the growth of micro-organisms, like bacteria. Natural antibiotics are produced by living organisms (like penicillin, which is produced naturally by mould), but they can also be man-made in a laboratory, in which case they are called synthetic antibiotics. Antibiotics do not work on viral infections like colds and flu. The name antibiotic comes from Greek, where 'anti' () means 'against' and 'bios' () means 'life', as they kill the life of bacteria. Bacteria can learn to change so that the antibiotics no longer work to kill them off . This is called antibiotic resistance. At the moment, if one type of antibiotic drug doesn't work, trying different types can make a difference. But as bacteria learn to block the different types of medication, the options for treatment go down. Experts say doctors could be prescribing antibiotics too often, and sometimes giving them to patients who don't really need them. They warn that the more that antibiotics are used, the quicker the bacteria can learn to resist them. For several years the NHS and other health organisations around the world have been trying to use antibiotics less often. The issue of antibiotic resistance will be discussed at a big meeting called the World Economic Forum today. The UK's Secretary of State for Health, Matt Hancock, will appeal to other leaders from around the world to take action on the over-use of antibiotics. In his speech he will call antibiotic resistance as important as climate change as he reveals a plan to tackle the problem.

Antibiotics are a special group of medicines that can kill bacteria or prevent it from spreading.

bart

https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/46984427

Why is everyone talking about antibiotics?

Getty Images You might have heard of a type of medicine called antibiotics. Maybe you've even been given them by a doctor. Antibiotics are in the news today. Here's everything you need to know. Antibiotics are a special group of medicines that can kill bacteria or prevent it from spreading. The first antibiotic was penicillin which was discovered 90 years ago by a chemist called Alexander Fleming. Since then, more than 100 new antibiotics have been developed. The drugs are responsible for killing the bacteria that causes many serious infections such as tonsillitis, bronchitis and pneumonia. They're also used to prevent infections when people have surgery. An antibiotic is a substance that destroys or limits the growth of micro-organisms, like bacteria. Natural antibiotics are produced by living organisms (like penicillin, which is produced naturally by mould), but they can also be man-made in a laboratory, in which case they are called synthetic antibiotics. Antibiotics do not work on viral infections like colds and flu. The name antibiotic comes from Greek, where 'anti' () means 'against' and 'bios' () means 'life', as they kill the life of bacteria. Bacteria can learn to change so that the antibiotics no longer work to kill them off . This is called antibiotic resistance. At the moment, if one type of antibiotic drug doesn't work, trying different types can make a difference. But as bacteria learn to block the different types of medication, the options for treatment go down. Experts say doctors could be prescribing antibiotics too often, and sometimes giving them to patients who don't really need them. They warn that the more that antibiotics are used, the quicker the bacteria can learn to resist them. For several years the NHS and other health organisations around the world have been trying to use antibiotics less often. The issue of antibiotic resistance will be discussed at a big meeting called the World Economic Forum today. The UK's Secretary of State for Health, Matt Hancock, will appeal to other leaders from around the world to take action on the over-use of antibiotics. In his speech he will call antibiotic resistance as important as climate change as he reveals a plan to tackle the problem.

Antibiotics are a special group of medicines that can kill bacteria or prevent it from spreading. They are responsible for killing the bacteria that causes serious infections such as tonsillitis, bronchitis and pneumonia.

ctrlsum

https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/46984427

Why is everyone talking about antibiotics?

Getty Images You might have heard of a type of medicine called antibiotics. Maybe you've even been given them by a doctor. Antibiotics are in the news today. Here's everything you need to know. Antibiotics are a special group of medicines that can kill bacteria or prevent it from spreading. The first antibiotic was penicillin which was discovered 90 years ago by a chemist called Alexander Fleming. Since then, more than 100 new antibiotics have been developed. The drugs are responsible for killing the bacteria that causes many serious infections such as tonsillitis, bronchitis and pneumonia. They're also used to prevent infections when people have surgery. An antibiotic is a substance that destroys or limits the growth of micro-organisms, like bacteria. Natural antibiotics are produced by living organisms (like penicillin, which is produced naturally by mould), but they can also be man-made in a laboratory, in which case they are called synthetic antibiotics. Antibiotics do not work on viral infections like colds and flu. The name antibiotic comes from Greek, where 'anti' () means 'against' and 'bios' () means 'life', as they kill the life of bacteria. Bacteria can learn to change so that the antibiotics no longer work to kill them off . This is called antibiotic resistance. At the moment, if one type of antibiotic drug doesn't work, trying different types can make a difference. But as bacteria learn to block the different types of medication, the options for treatment go down. Experts say doctors could be prescribing antibiotics too often, and sometimes giving them to patients who don't really need them. They warn that the more that antibiotics are used, the quicker the bacteria can learn to resist them. For several years the NHS and other health organisations around the world have been trying to use antibiotics less often. The issue of antibiotic resistance will be discussed at a big meeting called the World Economic Forum today. The UK's Secretary of State for Health, Matt Hancock, will appeal to other leaders from around the world to take action on the over-use of antibiotics. In his speech he will call antibiotic resistance as important as climate change as he reveals a plan to tackle the problem.

Antibiotics are a special group of medicines that can kill bacteria or prevent it from spreading. They are responsible for killing the bacteria that causes many serious infections such as tonsillitis, bronchitis and pneumonia. Experts say doctors could be prescribing antibiotics too often and sometimes giving them to patients who don't really need them.

ctrlsum

https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/46984427

What is a hagfish, and why is its slime so amazing?

Yes, yes it can. Scientists have discovered the fossil of an ancient hagfish with traces of its slime still preserved. The hagfish is a spineless creature that lives at the bottom of the ocean. It's been around for 500 million years and looks a bit like a swimming sausage. It doesn't have jaws but does has a special way of defending itself - by letting out slime! In the creepy video below, you'll see a hagfish defending itself against a shark. When the shark bites the hagfish, its mouth and gills are quickly covered in slime and the shark has to back off, or face suffocation. To enjoy the CBBC Newsround website at its best you will need to have JavaScript turned on. Watch the hagfish slime in action Fun facts about the hagfish: A bit like Doctor Who, the hagfish has more than one heart. In fact, it has four hearts. It also has twice as much blood in its body as other fish. Don't underestimate the hagfish. It's known as the scavenger of the sea because it sometimes feeds on whale carcasses. The hagfish can literally tie itself in knots. It uses its knot tying ability to help bite through tough flesh It absorbs some of its food straight through its skin. The hagfish's slime is so strong and stretchy that scientists believe it could be turned into tights, breathable athletic wear or even bullet-proof vests in the future. That's the power of slime... Reuters It's not good to crash a car at the best of times, but imagine doing it with 3,400kg of hagfish in the back. The picture above shows a slime covered car in Oregon, America back in 2017. It was covered in hagfish slime after a truck overturned on the road. The truck was helping deliver hagfish to South Korea where they are considered a delicacy. No one was injured in the crash but 3400kg worth of hagfish goo was released all over the cars and road. Oregon State Police

The hagfish is a spineless creature that lives at the bottom of the ocean.

bart

https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/46987007

What is a hagfish, and why is its slime so amazing?

Yes, yes it can. Scientists have discovered the fossil of an ancient hagfish with traces of its slime still preserved. The hagfish is a spineless creature that lives at the bottom of the ocean. It's been around for 500 million years and looks a bit like a swimming sausage. It doesn't have jaws but does has a special way of defending itself - by letting out slime! In the creepy video below, you'll see a hagfish defending itself against a shark. When the shark bites the hagfish, its mouth and gills are quickly covered in slime and the shark has to back off, or face suffocation. To enjoy the CBBC Newsround website at its best you will need to have JavaScript turned on. Watch the hagfish slime in action Fun facts about the hagfish: A bit like Doctor Who, the hagfish has more than one heart. In fact, it has four hearts. It also has twice as much blood in its body as other fish. Don't underestimate the hagfish. It's known as the scavenger of the sea because it sometimes feeds on whale carcasses. The hagfish can literally tie itself in knots. It uses its knot tying ability to help bite through tough flesh It absorbs some of its food straight through its skin. The hagfish's slime is so strong and stretchy that scientists believe it could be turned into tights, breathable athletic wear or even bullet-proof vests in the future. That's the power of slime... Reuters It's not good to crash a car at the best of times, but imagine doing it with 3,400kg of hagfish in the back. The picture above shows a slime covered car in Oregon, America back in 2017. It was covered in hagfish slime after a truck overturned on the road. The truck was helping deliver hagfish to South Korea where they are considered a delicacy. No one was injured in the crash but 3400kg worth of hagfish goo was released all over the cars and road. Oregon State Police

The hagfish is a spineless creature that lives at the bottom of the ocean. It doesn't have jaws but does has a special way of defending itself - by letting out slime.

ctrlsum

https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/46987007

What is a hagfish, and why is its slime so amazing?

Yes, yes it can. Scientists have discovered the fossil of an ancient hagfish with traces of its slime still preserved. The hagfish is a spineless creature that lives at the bottom of the ocean. It's been around for 500 million years and looks a bit like a swimming sausage. It doesn't have jaws but does has a special way of defending itself - by letting out slime! In the creepy video below, you'll see a hagfish defending itself against a shark. When the shark bites the hagfish, its mouth and gills are quickly covered in slime and the shark has to back off, or face suffocation. To enjoy the CBBC Newsround website at its best you will need to have JavaScript turned on. Watch the hagfish slime in action Fun facts about the hagfish: A bit like Doctor Who, the hagfish has more than one heart. In fact, it has four hearts. It also has twice as much blood in its body as other fish. Don't underestimate the hagfish. It's known as the scavenger of the sea because it sometimes feeds on whale carcasses. The hagfish can literally tie itself in knots. It uses its knot tying ability to help bite through tough flesh It absorbs some of its food straight through its skin. The hagfish's slime is so strong and stretchy that scientists believe it could be turned into tights, breathable athletic wear or even bullet-proof vests in the future. That's the power of slime... Reuters It's not good to crash a car at the best of times, but imagine doing it with 3,400kg of hagfish in the back. The picture above shows a slime covered car in Oregon, America back in 2017. It was covered in hagfish slime after a truck overturned on the road. The truck was helping deliver hagfish to South Korea where they are considered a delicacy. No one was injured in the crash but 3400kg worth of hagfish goo was released all over the cars and road. Oregon State Police

The hagfish is a spineless creature that lives at the bottom of the ocean. It doesn't have jaws but does has a special way of defending itself - by letting out slime. Scientists believe it could be turned into tights, breathable athletic wear or even bullet-proof vests in the future.

ctrlsum

https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/46987007

Who was Anne Frank?

AFP/Getty Images The diary of Anne Frank - a young teenager who documented her life in hiding during the Holocaust - has become one of the most famous books in the world Anne Frank was a young teenager in the Netherlands during the Holocaust. She lived in Amsterdam with her family, but - in 1942 - the Franks were forced to go into hiding from the Nazis who wanted to get rid of Europe's Jewish population. During this time in hiding, Anne kept a diary, which would go on to become one of the most famous books in the whole world. But she would never live to see her dream of becoming a writer a reality, as she was tragically killed in the Holocaust. It was her father who published her writing, as he survived World War Two and her diary was passed on to him. Watch Anne Frank: A Life in Hiding - A Newsround Special Find out more about the amazing teenager who told the world her story of one of the most terrible events in modern history. Annelies Marie Frank - better known as Anne Frank - was born in the German city of Frankfurt in 1929 to a Jewish family. She had a sister called Margot who was three years older than her, and her parents were called Edith and Otto. To enjoy the CBBC Newsround website at its best you will need to have JavaScript turned on. Anne Frank's friend Eva: 'Anne was a big chatterbox!' (Taken from Anne Frank: A Life in Hiding - A Newsround special) In the aftermath of World War One, Germany was very poor and life was tough for many people. The Nazi party (led by Adolf Hitler) was growing in popularity and it blamed Jewish people for a lot of the country's problems. When the Nazis came to power in 1933 after elections, they began to persecute Jewish people and made life incredibly difficult for them. The Franks decided they needed to get out of Germany, so they moved to Amsterdam in the Netherlands where they thought they would be safe. Anne went to school, made new friends, learnt to speak Dutch and settled into her new life here. She was just 10 years old when - on 1 September 1939 - Germany invaded Poland and World War Two was declared. To enjoy the CBBC Newsround website at its best you will need to have JavaScript turned on. How Jewish people were treated during the Holocaust Less than a year later, on 10 May 1940, the German army invaded the Netherlands and the Nazis set out to persecute Jewish people there too. On her 13th birthday, Anne was given a diary, which she called Kitty. Her first entry is dated 12 June 1942. At the time, the Nazis had increased their persecution of Jews in the Netherlands. In the summer of 1942, Anne's sister Margot was ordered by the Nazis to go to work in a camp. But fearing what would really happen to her and the rest of the family, the Franks went into hiding in a secret annex behind Otto's business, which Otto had been preparing for a few weeks. To enjoy the CBBC Newsround website at its best you will need to have JavaScript turned on. (Taken from Anne Frank: A Life in Hiding - A Newsround special) Four other people hid with them - the Van Pels family (Hermann, Auguste and their son Peter) and Fritz Pfeffer. The hidden group were helped by loyal friends of Otto, who would bring them food and news of the outside world. Reuters The secret annex where Anne and her family hid during the Holocaust was hidden behind a special bookcase Anne enjoyed writing throughout her time in hiding, both entries in her diary and other poems and stories. Writing provided her with a form of escape and a great source of comfort. One day, she heard a feature on the radio by the Minister of Education of the Dutch government in England asking people to hold on to war diaries and documents. It inspired her to rework her diaries into a book. To enjoy the CBBC Newsround website at its best you will need to have JavaScript turned on. Anne Frank's diary: Life in the annex (Taken from Anne Frank: A Life in Hiding - A Newsround special) She set to work on her novel Het Achterhuis ('The Secret Annex'). But before she could finish, the family's worst fears were realised. After two years of hiding, the Nazis discovered the secret annex. To this day, nobody knows how they did this. On 4 August 1944, they arrested everyone who had been hiding in the apartment and sent them to the concentration and death camp Auschwitz-Birkenau. The final entry in Anne's diary was just three days earlier, on 1 August 1944. When they arrived at Auschwitz-Birkenau, the Franks were deemed to be in relatively good health so they were all put to work. Otto was separated from his wife and two daughters. Later, Anne and Margot would be separated from their mother too. Getty Images A famous gate at the Auschwitz camp reads 'Arbeit macht frei', which means 'work sets you free' in German Back in Amsterdam, Miep Gies and Bep Voskuijl - two of Otto's friends who had helped the family while they were in hiding - had found Anne's writing and held on to it, in case she ever came back. But tragically this was not to be. Anne and Margot were sent to Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in early November 1944, but their health deteriorated. In February 1945, they both died of typhus - movingly, just a few days apart from each other. Their mother Edith was also killed. Her father, Otto, was the only member of the family to survive the Holocaust. Miep and Bep passed Anne's writing on to him. When he read it - and saw just how much writing meant to her, and how she wanted "to go on living even after [her] death" - he organised her writing into a book and had her diary published. On 25 June 1947, just over 3,000 copies of Het Achterhuis ('The Secret Annex') were printed. It wasn't long before the book was translated into many different languages, turned into a play and a film, and millions of people around the world heard Anne's story. To enjoy the CBBC Newsround website at its best you will need to have JavaScript turned on. How Otto Frank made his daughter Anne's dream come true (Taken from Anne Frank: A Life in Hiding - A Newsround special) Her dream of becoming a writer and publishing a novel about her life in hiding had been made a reality. Getty Images Anne's diary has been read by millions of people all over the world In 1960, the site of the secret annex in Amsterdam became an official museum called the Anne Frank House, where the original diary is kept on display. You can still visit it today. Let us know in the comments below.

Annelies Marie Frank - better known as Anne Frank - was a young teenager in the Netherlands during the Holocaust.

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https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/46972704

Who was Anne Frank?

AFP/Getty Images The diary of Anne Frank - a young teenager who documented her life in hiding during the Holocaust - has become one of the most famous books in the world Anne Frank was a young teenager in the Netherlands during the Holocaust. She lived in Amsterdam with her family, but - in 1942 - the Franks were forced to go into hiding from the Nazis who wanted to get rid of Europe's Jewish population. During this time in hiding, Anne kept a diary, which would go on to become one of the most famous books in the whole world. But she would never live to see her dream of becoming a writer a reality, as she was tragically killed in the Holocaust. It was her father who published her writing, as he survived World War Two and her diary was passed on to him. Watch Anne Frank: A Life in Hiding - A Newsround Special Find out more about the amazing teenager who told the world her story of one of the most terrible events in modern history. Annelies Marie Frank - better known as Anne Frank - was born in the German city of Frankfurt in 1929 to a Jewish family. She had a sister called Margot who was three years older than her, and her parents were called Edith and Otto. To enjoy the CBBC Newsround website at its best you will need to have JavaScript turned on. Anne Frank's friend Eva: 'Anne was a big chatterbox!' (Taken from Anne Frank: A Life in Hiding - A Newsround special) In the aftermath of World War One, Germany was very poor and life was tough for many people. The Nazi party (led by Adolf Hitler) was growing in popularity and it blamed Jewish people for a lot of the country's problems. When the Nazis came to power in 1933 after elections, they began to persecute Jewish people and made life incredibly difficult for them. The Franks decided they needed to get out of Germany, so they moved to Amsterdam in the Netherlands where they thought they would be safe. Anne went to school, made new friends, learnt to speak Dutch and settled into her new life here. She was just 10 years old when - on 1 September 1939 - Germany invaded Poland and World War Two was declared. To enjoy the CBBC Newsround website at its best you will need to have JavaScript turned on. How Jewish people were treated during the Holocaust Less than a year later, on 10 May 1940, the German army invaded the Netherlands and the Nazis set out to persecute Jewish people there too. On her 13th birthday, Anne was given a diary, which she called Kitty. Her first entry is dated 12 June 1942. At the time, the Nazis had increased their persecution of Jews in the Netherlands. In the summer of 1942, Anne's sister Margot was ordered by the Nazis to go to work in a camp. But fearing what would really happen to her and the rest of the family, the Franks went into hiding in a secret annex behind Otto's business, which Otto had been preparing for a few weeks. To enjoy the CBBC Newsround website at its best you will need to have JavaScript turned on. (Taken from Anne Frank: A Life in Hiding - A Newsround special) Four other people hid with them - the Van Pels family (Hermann, Auguste and their son Peter) and Fritz Pfeffer. The hidden group were helped by loyal friends of Otto, who would bring them food and news of the outside world. Reuters The secret annex where Anne and her family hid during the Holocaust was hidden behind a special bookcase Anne enjoyed writing throughout her time in hiding, both entries in her diary and other poems and stories. Writing provided her with a form of escape and a great source of comfort. One day, she heard a feature on the radio by the Minister of Education of the Dutch government in England asking people to hold on to war diaries and documents. It inspired her to rework her diaries into a book. To enjoy the CBBC Newsround website at its best you will need to have JavaScript turned on. Anne Frank's diary: Life in the annex (Taken from Anne Frank: A Life in Hiding - A Newsround special) She set to work on her novel Het Achterhuis ('The Secret Annex'). But before she could finish, the family's worst fears were realised. After two years of hiding, the Nazis discovered the secret annex. To this day, nobody knows how they did this. On 4 August 1944, they arrested everyone who had been hiding in the apartment and sent them to the concentration and death camp Auschwitz-Birkenau. The final entry in Anne's diary was just three days earlier, on 1 August 1944. When they arrived at Auschwitz-Birkenau, the Franks were deemed to be in relatively good health so they were all put to work. Otto was separated from his wife and two daughters. Later, Anne and Margot would be separated from their mother too. Getty Images A famous gate at the Auschwitz camp reads 'Arbeit macht frei', which means 'work sets you free' in German Back in Amsterdam, Miep Gies and Bep Voskuijl - two of Otto's friends who had helped the family while they were in hiding - had found Anne's writing and held on to it, in case she ever came back. But tragically this was not to be. Anne and Margot were sent to Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in early November 1944, but their health deteriorated. In February 1945, they both died of typhus - movingly, just a few days apart from each other. Their mother Edith was also killed. Her father, Otto, was the only member of the family to survive the Holocaust. Miep and Bep passed Anne's writing on to him. When he read it - and saw just how much writing meant to her, and how she wanted "to go on living even after [her] death" - he organised her writing into a book and had her diary published. On 25 June 1947, just over 3,000 copies of Het Achterhuis ('The Secret Annex') were printed. It wasn't long before the book was translated into many different languages, turned into a play and a film, and millions of people around the world heard Anne's story. To enjoy the CBBC Newsround website at its best you will need to have JavaScript turned on. How Otto Frank made his daughter Anne's dream come true (Taken from Anne Frank: A Life in Hiding - A Newsround special) Her dream of becoming a writer and publishing a novel about her life in hiding had been made a reality. Getty Images Anne's diary has been read by millions of people all over the world In 1960, the site of the secret annex in Amsterdam became an official museum called the Anne Frank House, where the original diary is kept on display. You can still visit it today. Let us know in the comments below.

Annelies Marie Frank - better known as Anne Frank - was a young teenager in the Netherlands during the Holocaust. During this time in hiding, Anne kept a diary, which would go on to become one of the most famous books in the world.

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https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/46972704

Who was Anne Frank?

AFP/Getty Images The diary of Anne Frank - a young teenager who documented her life in hiding during the Holocaust - has become one of the most famous books in the world Anne Frank was a young teenager in the Netherlands during the Holocaust. She lived in Amsterdam with her family, but - in 1942 - the Franks were forced to go into hiding from the Nazis who wanted to get rid of Europe's Jewish population. During this time in hiding, Anne kept a diary, which would go on to become one of the most famous books in the whole world. But she would never live to see her dream of becoming a writer a reality, as she was tragically killed in the Holocaust. It was her father who published her writing, as he survived World War Two and her diary was passed on to him. Watch Anne Frank: A Life in Hiding - A Newsround Special Find out more about the amazing teenager who told the world her story of one of the most terrible events in modern history. Annelies Marie Frank - better known as Anne Frank - was born in the German city of Frankfurt in 1929 to a Jewish family. She had a sister called Margot who was three years older than her, and her parents were called Edith and Otto. To enjoy the CBBC Newsround website at its best you will need to have JavaScript turned on. Anne Frank's friend Eva: 'Anne was a big chatterbox!' (Taken from Anne Frank: A Life in Hiding - A Newsround special) In the aftermath of World War One, Germany was very poor and life was tough for many people. The Nazi party (led by Adolf Hitler) was growing in popularity and it blamed Jewish people for a lot of the country's problems. When the Nazis came to power in 1933 after elections, they began to persecute Jewish people and made life incredibly difficult for them. The Franks decided they needed to get out of Germany, so they moved to Amsterdam in the Netherlands where they thought they would be safe. Anne went to school, made new friends, learnt to speak Dutch and settled into her new life here. She was just 10 years old when - on 1 September 1939 - Germany invaded Poland and World War Two was declared. To enjoy the CBBC Newsround website at its best you will need to have JavaScript turned on. How Jewish people were treated during the Holocaust Less than a year later, on 10 May 1940, the German army invaded the Netherlands and the Nazis set out to persecute Jewish people there too. On her 13th birthday, Anne was given a diary, which she called Kitty. Her first entry is dated 12 June 1942. At the time, the Nazis had increased their persecution of Jews in the Netherlands. In the summer of 1942, Anne's sister Margot was ordered by the Nazis to go to work in a camp. But fearing what would really happen to her and the rest of the family, the Franks went into hiding in a secret annex behind Otto's business, which Otto had been preparing for a few weeks. To enjoy the CBBC Newsround website at its best you will need to have JavaScript turned on. (Taken from Anne Frank: A Life in Hiding - A Newsround special) Four other people hid with them - the Van Pels family (Hermann, Auguste and their son Peter) and Fritz Pfeffer. The hidden group were helped by loyal friends of Otto, who would bring them food and news of the outside world. Reuters The secret annex where Anne and her family hid during the Holocaust was hidden behind a special bookcase Anne enjoyed writing throughout her time in hiding, both entries in her diary and other poems and stories. Writing provided her with a form of escape and a great source of comfort. One day, she heard a feature on the radio by the Minister of Education of the Dutch government in England asking people to hold on to war diaries and documents. It inspired her to rework her diaries into a book. To enjoy the CBBC Newsround website at its best you will need to have JavaScript turned on. Anne Frank's diary: Life in the annex (Taken from Anne Frank: A Life in Hiding - A Newsround special) She set to work on her novel Het Achterhuis ('The Secret Annex'). But before she could finish, the family's worst fears were realised. After two years of hiding, the Nazis discovered the secret annex. To this day, nobody knows how they did this. On 4 August 1944, they arrested everyone who had been hiding in the apartment and sent them to the concentration and death camp Auschwitz-Birkenau. The final entry in Anne's diary was just three days earlier, on 1 August 1944. When they arrived at Auschwitz-Birkenau, the Franks were deemed to be in relatively good health so they were all put to work. Otto was separated from his wife and two daughters. Later, Anne and Margot would be separated from their mother too. Getty Images A famous gate at the Auschwitz camp reads 'Arbeit macht frei', which means 'work sets you free' in German Back in Amsterdam, Miep Gies and Bep Voskuijl - two of Otto's friends who had helped the family while they were in hiding - had found Anne's writing and held on to it, in case she ever came back. But tragically this was not to be. Anne and Margot were sent to Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in early November 1944, but their health deteriorated. In February 1945, they both died of typhus - movingly, just a few days apart from each other. Their mother Edith was also killed. Her father, Otto, was the only member of the family to survive the Holocaust. Miep and Bep passed Anne's writing on to him. When he read it - and saw just how much writing meant to her, and how she wanted "to go on living even after [her] death" - he organised her writing into a book and had her diary published. On 25 June 1947, just over 3,000 copies of Het Achterhuis ('The Secret Annex') were printed. It wasn't long before the book was translated into many different languages, turned into a play and a film, and millions of people around the world heard Anne's story. To enjoy the CBBC Newsround website at its best you will need to have JavaScript turned on. How Otto Frank made his daughter Anne's dream come true (Taken from Anne Frank: A Life in Hiding - A Newsround special) Her dream of becoming a writer and publishing a novel about her life in hiding had been made a reality. Getty Images Anne's diary has been read by millions of people all over the world In 1960, the site of the secret annex in Amsterdam became an official museum called the Anne Frank House, where the original diary is kept on display. You can still visit it today. Let us know in the comments below.

Anne Frank was a young teenager in the Netherlands during the Holocaust. She and her family were forced to go into hiding from the Nazis. During this time in hiding, Anne kept a diary, which became one of the most famous books in the world. It was her father who published her writing, as he survived World War Two.

bart

https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/46972704

Could a two-per-cent sales tax solve Torontos budget woes?

Torontos shrunken city council faces ballooning financial headaches Monday when deliberations start on 2019 spending plans totalling almost $40 billion. Residents demands on homeless shelters, the overtaxed and malfunctioning TTC services, anti-violence youth programs, policing, affordable housing and more are surging in a city that is booming for some and getting more difficult and expensive for others. City manager Chris Murrays expected answer to Torontos budget woes is to shift next years expected revenue shortfall from the citys operating budget, which funds current services and operations, to its capital budget. ( Barry Gray / Hamilton Spectator file photo ) Meanwhile, the annual gush of land transfer tax revenues that has, in recent years, kept the budget afloat, as Mayor John Tory expanded some services, while keeping a tight lid on property taxes, is slowing along with Torontos real estate market. City manager Chris Murrays expected answer to surging demand and shrinking resources is essentially accounting shifting over time the shortfall in expected revenues from the $11-billion-plus operating budget, which funds immediate, continuing services and operations, to the $26-billion-plus capital budget for roads, equipment and projects that are more easily delayed. The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, a left-leaning think tank, will release a report Friday that suggests another solution, lucrative, long-term, politically risky and unlikely to find support from the right-leaning Tory. Article Continued Below The best answer, say the economists who wrote the report, is a new sales tax, either just in Toronto or across the Toronto-Hamilton area, piggybacking one or two percentage points on top of the 13-per-cent harmonized sales tax, with revenues flowing directly into the coffers of cash-starved cities. A two-per-cent sales tax in the city of Toronto would raise a billion dollars (a year) and a one-per-cent sales tax would raise half a billion dollars, said study co-author Sheila Block. A two-per-cent sales tax in the Greater Toronto Hamilton Area would raise $2.5 billion (shared by municipalities annually) and a one-per-cent sales tax across the GTHA would raise more than $1.3 billon. Sales tax revenues increase with economic activity and population growth, Block added, while the impact on low-income earners pocketbooks could be offset through the existing Ontario sales tax credit. The city of Toronto is reaching a breaking point in terms of a low-tax strategy, Block said. If Mayor Tory has dug in so deep in his position on property taxes, maybe another approach will see a political opening. Ontario municipalities around Toronto, including Mississauga, have lobbied the province for the right to impose a sales tax. When Councillor Josh Matlow suggested Toronto follow suit during 2018 budget deliberations, Tory supported the idea of asking senior governments for a slice of the existing HST, but voted against asking the province for new sales tax powers specifically to fund transit and housing. Article Continued Below Asked Thursday about the idea of Toronto imposing a sales tax, Torys budget chief, Councillor Gary Crawford, said, I try to keep any tax increases that impact residents to a minimum. Im generally not in favour of those overall tax increases. Crawford described 2019 as a tough budget year thanks to land transfer revenues, and said the administrations focus will be protecting past investments in anti-poverty initiatives, TTC improvements such as the two-hour transfer, and more, without big new spending plans. The budget chief said the expected shortfall in revenue from the municipal land transfer tax, which, in previous years, has been a significant help in balancing the budget, would be $80 million to $85 million. There will be no service cuts, Crawford said, and the proposed property tax hike will likely be just over two per cent, depending on the inflation rate. He noted much of the budget will be crafted by city staff, because 2018 was an election year, so his budget committee wasnt sitting for months. The city managers expected suggestion for gradually weaning the operating budget off land transfer revenues makes sense, Crawford said, because operating is sometimes month to month or year to year, but (with) capital, theres a lot of flexibility in when we can do projects, so we can absorb changes in the land transfer tax. Councillor Gord Perks, a frequent critic of Torys administration, said slowing down spending on infrastructure, rather than raising more revenue through property taxes or other taxes, is reckless. The mayor has widened and deepened a hole caused by eight years of austerity (under Tory and predecessor Rob Ford) by refusing to look at a property-tax increase, Perks said. Slowing down capital spending means less money to repair Toronto Community Housing units, less money to keep the transit system operating in its current rickety state, less money for libraries and all the services Torontonians depend on while the population of Toronto continues to explode. David Rider is the Star's City Hall bureau chief and a reporter covering Toronto politics. Follow him on Twitter: @dmrider Read more about:

A two-per-cent sales tax in Toronto or across the Toronto-Hamilton area would raise $2.5 billion.

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https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2019/01/25/could-a-2-sales-tax-solve-torontos-budget-woes.html

Could a two-per-cent sales tax solve Torontos budget woes?

Torontos shrunken city council faces ballooning financial headaches Monday when deliberations start on 2019 spending plans totalling almost $40 billion. Residents demands on homeless shelters, the overtaxed and malfunctioning TTC services, anti-violence youth programs, policing, affordable housing and more are surging in a city that is booming for some and getting more difficult and expensive for others. City manager Chris Murrays expected answer to Torontos budget woes is to shift next years expected revenue shortfall from the citys operating budget, which funds current services and operations, to its capital budget. ( Barry Gray / Hamilton Spectator file photo ) Meanwhile, the annual gush of land transfer tax revenues that has, in recent years, kept the budget afloat, as Mayor John Tory expanded some services, while keeping a tight lid on property taxes, is slowing along with Torontos real estate market. City manager Chris Murrays expected answer to surging demand and shrinking resources is essentially accounting shifting over time the shortfall in expected revenues from the $11-billion-plus operating budget, which funds immediate, continuing services and operations, to the $26-billion-plus capital budget for roads, equipment and projects that are more easily delayed. The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, a left-leaning think tank, will release a report Friday that suggests another solution, lucrative, long-term, politically risky and unlikely to find support from the right-leaning Tory. Article Continued Below The best answer, say the economists who wrote the report, is a new sales tax, either just in Toronto or across the Toronto-Hamilton area, piggybacking one or two percentage points on top of the 13-per-cent harmonized sales tax, with revenues flowing directly into the coffers of cash-starved cities. A two-per-cent sales tax in the city of Toronto would raise a billion dollars (a year) and a one-per-cent sales tax would raise half a billion dollars, said study co-author Sheila Block. A two-per-cent sales tax in the Greater Toronto Hamilton Area would raise $2.5 billion (shared by municipalities annually) and a one-per-cent sales tax across the GTHA would raise more than $1.3 billon. Sales tax revenues increase with economic activity and population growth, Block added, while the impact on low-income earners pocketbooks could be offset through the existing Ontario sales tax credit. The city of Toronto is reaching a breaking point in terms of a low-tax strategy, Block said. If Mayor Tory has dug in so deep in his position on property taxes, maybe another approach will see a political opening. Ontario municipalities around Toronto, including Mississauga, have lobbied the province for the right to impose a sales tax. When Councillor Josh Matlow suggested Toronto follow suit during 2018 budget deliberations, Tory supported the idea of asking senior governments for a slice of the existing HST, but voted against asking the province for new sales tax powers specifically to fund transit and housing. Article Continued Below Asked Thursday about the idea of Toronto imposing a sales tax, Torys budget chief, Councillor Gary Crawford, said, I try to keep any tax increases that impact residents to a minimum. Im generally not in favour of those overall tax increases. Crawford described 2019 as a tough budget year thanks to land transfer revenues, and said the administrations focus will be protecting past investments in anti-poverty initiatives, TTC improvements such as the two-hour transfer, and more, without big new spending plans. The budget chief said the expected shortfall in revenue from the municipal land transfer tax, which, in previous years, has been a significant help in balancing the budget, would be $80 million to $85 million. There will be no service cuts, Crawford said, and the proposed property tax hike will likely be just over two per cent, depending on the inflation rate. He noted much of the budget will be crafted by city staff, because 2018 was an election year, so his budget committee wasnt sitting for months. The city managers expected suggestion for gradually weaning the operating budget off land transfer revenues makes sense, Crawford said, because operating is sometimes month to month or year to year, but (with) capital, theres a lot of flexibility in when we can do projects, so we can absorb changes in the land transfer tax. Councillor Gord Perks, a frequent critic of Torys administration, said slowing down spending on infrastructure, rather than raising more revenue through property taxes or other taxes, is reckless. The mayor has widened and deepened a hole caused by eight years of austerity (under Tory and predecessor Rob Ford) by refusing to look at a property-tax increase, Perks said. Slowing down capital spending means less money to repair Toronto Community Housing units, less money to keep the transit system operating in its current rickety state, less money for libraries and all the services Torontonians depend on while the population of Toronto continues to explode. David Rider is the Star's City Hall bureau chief and a reporter covering Toronto politics. Follow him on Twitter: @dmrider Read more about:

A two-per-cent sales tax in Toronto or across the Toronto-Hamilton area would raise $2.5 billion, says a new report. Toronto's 2019 spending plans are expected to total almost $40 billion.

ctrlsum

https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2019/01/25/could-a-2-sales-tax-solve-torontos-budget-woes.html

Could a two-per-cent sales tax solve Torontos budget woes?

Torontos shrunken city council faces ballooning financial headaches Monday when deliberations start on 2019 spending plans totalling almost $40 billion. Residents demands on homeless shelters, the overtaxed and malfunctioning TTC services, anti-violence youth programs, policing, affordable housing and more are surging in a city that is booming for some and getting more difficult and expensive for others. City manager Chris Murrays expected answer to Torontos budget woes is to shift next years expected revenue shortfall from the citys operating budget, which funds current services and operations, to its capital budget. ( Barry Gray / Hamilton Spectator file photo ) Meanwhile, the annual gush of land transfer tax revenues that has, in recent years, kept the budget afloat, as Mayor John Tory expanded some services, while keeping a tight lid on property taxes, is slowing along with Torontos real estate market. City manager Chris Murrays expected answer to surging demand and shrinking resources is essentially accounting shifting over time the shortfall in expected revenues from the $11-billion-plus operating budget, which funds immediate, continuing services and operations, to the $26-billion-plus capital budget for roads, equipment and projects that are more easily delayed. The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, a left-leaning think tank, will release a report Friday that suggests another solution, lucrative, long-term, politically risky and unlikely to find support from the right-leaning Tory. Article Continued Below The best answer, say the economists who wrote the report, is a new sales tax, either just in Toronto or across the Toronto-Hamilton area, piggybacking one or two percentage points on top of the 13-per-cent harmonized sales tax, with revenues flowing directly into the coffers of cash-starved cities. A two-per-cent sales tax in the city of Toronto would raise a billion dollars (a year) and a one-per-cent sales tax would raise half a billion dollars, said study co-author Sheila Block. A two-per-cent sales tax in the Greater Toronto Hamilton Area would raise $2.5 billion (shared by municipalities annually) and a one-per-cent sales tax across the GTHA would raise more than $1.3 billon. Sales tax revenues increase with economic activity and population growth, Block added, while the impact on low-income earners pocketbooks could be offset through the existing Ontario sales tax credit. The city of Toronto is reaching a breaking point in terms of a low-tax strategy, Block said. If Mayor Tory has dug in so deep in his position on property taxes, maybe another approach will see a political opening. Ontario municipalities around Toronto, including Mississauga, have lobbied the province for the right to impose a sales tax. When Councillor Josh Matlow suggested Toronto follow suit during 2018 budget deliberations, Tory supported the idea of asking senior governments for a slice of the existing HST, but voted against asking the province for new sales tax powers specifically to fund transit and housing. Article Continued Below Asked Thursday about the idea of Toronto imposing a sales tax, Torys budget chief, Councillor Gary Crawford, said, I try to keep any tax increases that impact residents to a minimum. Im generally not in favour of those overall tax increases. Crawford described 2019 as a tough budget year thanks to land transfer revenues, and said the administrations focus will be protecting past investments in anti-poverty initiatives, TTC improvements such as the two-hour transfer, and more, without big new spending plans. The budget chief said the expected shortfall in revenue from the municipal land transfer tax, which, in previous years, has been a significant help in balancing the budget, would be $80 million to $85 million. There will be no service cuts, Crawford said, and the proposed property tax hike will likely be just over two per cent, depending on the inflation rate. He noted much of the budget will be crafted by city staff, because 2018 was an election year, so his budget committee wasnt sitting for months. The city managers expected suggestion for gradually weaning the operating budget off land transfer revenues makes sense, Crawford said, because operating is sometimes month to month or year to year, but (with) capital, theres a lot of flexibility in when we can do projects, so we can absorb changes in the land transfer tax. Councillor Gord Perks, a frequent critic of Torys administration, said slowing down spending on infrastructure, rather than raising more revenue through property taxes or other taxes, is reckless. The mayor has widened and deepened a hole caused by eight years of austerity (under Tory and predecessor Rob Ford) by refusing to look at a property-tax increase, Perks said. Slowing down capital spending means less money to repair Toronto Community Housing units, less money to keep the transit system operating in its current rickety state, less money for libraries and all the services Torontonians depend on while the population of Toronto continues to explode. David Rider is the Star's City Hall bureau chief and a reporter covering Toronto politics. Follow him on Twitter: @dmrider Read more about:

A two-per-cent sales tax in Toronto or across the Toronto-Hamilton area would raise $2.5 billion, says a new report. The city is facing ballooning financial headaches when deliberations start Monday on 2019 spending plans totalling almost $40 billion.

ctrlsum

https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2019/01/25/could-a-2-sales-tax-solve-torontos-budget-woes.html

Should the Los Angeles Angels trade Mike Trout?

The Los Angeles Angels are trying to hand an extension to Mike Trout, but reports are that it seems unlikely. With Trout being arguably the best player in the entire league, many feel hitting the reset button and trading him would be the best option if the Angels are unable to retain him long term. However, Trout has been vocal about how much he enjoys playing for the team, and two years is enough time to build a winning squad around him. PERSPECTIVES Trout is languishing on a team that isn't competitive against the top teams in the league. For arguably the best player in MLB, that is a travesty. He needs to be with a team willing to surround him with top talent. The roster the Angels has built around Trout has not panned out and keeping Trout will not solve all of their problems. If the team wants to get back on track, they need to trade Trout and build from the ground up with cheap, but talented players in the minors -- or get young stars ready to explode. The Angels' thinning farm system is not doing well and Albert Pujols' huge contract is a financial albatross for the front office. The worst thing the Angels can do is wait and see. They need to trade him now. If the Angels can't extend Trout, they need to trade him Trout is a generational talent and the Angels would be fools to even consider trading him. Los Angeles has two years to improve its farm system and build a competent roster around him. The team already proved it was willing to shell out money by nabbing Shohei Ohtani, who has proven to be a monster at the plate, and on the mound, in his rookie year. The Angels are only going to get better, and once Pujols' contract expires in two years, the team will have even more payroll to invest in talent. Keeping Trout is the only option for Los Angeles. The Tylt is focused on debates and conversations around news, current events and pop culture. We provide our community with the opportunity to share their opinions and vote on topics that matter most to them. We actively engage the community and present meaningful data on the debates and conversations as they progress. The Tylt is a place where your opinion counts, literally. The Tylt is an Advance Local Media, LLC property. Join us on Twitter @TheTylt, on Instagram @TheTylt or on Facebook, we'd love to hear what you have to say.

The Los Angeles Angels are trying to hand an extension to Mike Trout. Some feel hitting the reset button and trading him would be the best option.

pegasus

https://www.oregonlive.com/tylt/2019/01/should_the_los_angeles_angels.html

Should the Los Angeles Angels trade Mike Trout?

The Los Angeles Angels are trying to hand an extension to Mike Trout, but reports are that it seems unlikely. With Trout being arguably the best player in the entire league, many feel hitting the reset button and trading him would be the best option if the Angels are unable to retain him long term. However, Trout has been vocal about how much he enjoys playing for the team, and two years is enough time to build a winning squad around him. PERSPECTIVES Trout is languishing on a team that isn't competitive against the top teams in the league. For arguably the best player in MLB, that is a travesty. He needs to be with a team willing to surround him with top talent. The roster the Angels has built around Trout has not panned out and keeping Trout will not solve all of their problems. If the team wants to get back on track, they need to trade Trout and build from the ground up with cheap, but talented players in the minors -- or get young stars ready to explode. The Angels' thinning farm system is not doing well and Albert Pujols' huge contract is a financial albatross for the front office. The worst thing the Angels can do is wait and see. They need to trade him now. If the Angels can't extend Trout, they need to trade him Trout is a generational talent and the Angels would be fools to even consider trading him. Los Angeles has two years to improve its farm system and build a competent roster around him. The team already proved it was willing to shell out money by nabbing Shohei Ohtani, who has proven to be a monster at the plate, and on the mound, in his rookie year. The Angels are only going to get better, and once Pujols' contract expires in two years, the team will have even more payroll to invest in talent. Keeping Trout is the only option for Los Angeles. The Tylt is focused on debates and conversations around news, current events and pop culture. We provide our community with the opportunity to share their opinions and vote on topics that matter most to them. We actively engage the community and present meaningful data on the debates and conversations as they progress. The Tylt is a place where your opinion counts, literally. The Tylt is an Advance Local Media, LLC property. Join us on Twitter @TheTylt, on Instagram @TheTylt or on Facebook, we'd love to hear what you have to say.

The Los Angeles Angels are reportedly trying to extend Mike Trout. The team has two years to improve its farm system and build a competent roster around him. If the Angels can't extend Trout, they need to trade him.

ctrlsum

https://www.oregonlive.com/tylt/2019/01/should_the_los_angeles_angels.html

Should the Los Angeles Angels trade Mike Trout?

The Los Angeles Angels are trying to hand an extension to Mike Trout, but reports are that it seems unlikely. With Trout being arguably the best player in the entire league, many feel hitting the reset button and trading him would be the best option if the Angels are unable to retain him long term. However, Trout has been vocal about how much he enjoys playing for the team, and two years is enough time to build a winning squad around him. PERSPECTIVES Trout is languishing on a team that isn't competitive against the top teams in the league. For arguably the best player in MLB, that is a travesty. He needs to be with a team willing to surround him with top talent. The roster the Angels has built around Trout has not panned out and keeping Trout will not solve all of their problems. If the team wants to get back on track, they need to trade Trout and build from the ground up with cheap, but talented players in the minors -- or get young stars ready to explode. The Angels' thinning farm system is not doing well and Albert Pujols' huge contract is a financial albatross for the front office. The worst thing the Angels can do is wait and see. They need to trade him now. If the Angels can't extend Trout, they need to trade him Trout is a generational talent and the Angels would be fools to even consider trading him. Los Angeles has two years to improve its farm system and build a competent roster around him. The team already proved it was willing to shell out money by nabbing Shohei Ohtani, who has proven to be a monster at the plate, and on the mound, in his rookie year. The Angels are only going to get better, and once Pujols' contract expires in two years, the team will have even more payroll to invest in talent. Keeping Trout is the only option for Los Angeles. The Tylt is focused on debates and conversations around news, current events and pop culture. We provide our community with the opportunity to share their opinions and vote on topics that matter most to them. We actively engage the community and present meaningful data on the debates and conversations as they progress. The Tylt is a place where your opinion counts, literally. The Tylt is an Advance Local Media, LLC property. Join us on Twitter @TheTylt, on Instagram @TheTylt or on Facebook, we'd love to hear what you have to say.

The Los Angeles Angels are reportedly trying to sign Mike Trout to an extension. Many feel that trading Trout would be the best option if the team can't keep him. The roster the Angels has built around Trout has not panned out. Los Angeles has two years to improve its farm system and build a competent roster.

bart

https://www.oregonlive.com/tylt/2019/01/should_the_los_angeles_angels.html

Is the Stock Market Closed on MLK Day?

Both stock traders and bond traders have the day off on Monday to celebrate the birthday of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. Neither the stock market nor the bond market is open for trading on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which in 2019 falls on Jan. 21. The stock and bond markets will re-open on Tuesday, following the three-day holiday weekend that commemorates the birthday of the civil rights leader. While King was born on Jan. 15, the federal holiday falls on the third Monday in January. MLK Day is also a federal bank holiday. The following is a schedule of all stock market and bond market holidays for 2019. Please note that regular trading hours for the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and Nasdaq Stock Market are 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern on weekdays. The stock markets close at 1 p.m. on early-closure days; bond markets close early at 2 p.m. SEE ALSO: 101 Best Dividend Stocks for 2019 and Beyond 2019 Market Holidays DateHolidayNYSENasdaqBond Markets Tuesday, Jan. 1 New Year's Day Closed Closed Closed Monday, Jan. 21 Martin Luther King Jr. Day Closed Closed Closed Monday, Feb. 18 Presidents Day/Washington's Birthday Closed Closed Closed Thursday, April 18 Maundy Thursday Open Open Early close (2 p.m.) Friday, April 19 Good Friday Closed Closed Closed Friday, May 24 Friday Before Memorial Day Open Open Early close (2 p.m.) Monday, May 27 Memorial Day Closed Closed Closed Wednesday, July 3 Day Before Independence Day Early close (1 p.m.) Early close (1 p.m.) Early close (2 p.m.) Thursday, July 4 Independence Day Closed Closed Closed Monday, Sept. 2 Labor Day Closed Closed Closed Monday, Oct. 14 Columbus Day Open Open Closed Monday, Nov. 11 Veterans Day Open Open Closed Thursday, Nov. 28 Thanksgiving Day Closed Closed Closed Friday, Nov. 29 Day After Thanksgiving Early close (1 p.m.) Early close (1 p.m.) Early Close (2 p.m.) Tuesday, Dec. 24 Christmas Eve Early close (1 p.m.) Early close (1 p.m.) Early Close (2 p.m.) Wednesday, Dec. 25 Christmas Day Closed Closed Closed Tuesday, Dec. 31 New Year's Eve Open Open Early Close (2 p.m.) Holiday observations When a holiday falls on a weekend, market closures are dictated by two rules: If the holiday falls on a Saturday, the market will close on the preceding Friday. If the holiday falls on a Sunday, the market will close on the subsequent Monday. SEE ALSO: 7 Stocks Getting Hit by the Government Shutdown EDITOR'S PICKS Copyright 2019 The Kiplinger Washington Editors

Neither the stock market nor the bond market is open for trading on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

pegasus

https://news.yahoo.com/stock-market-closed-mlk-day-133549297.html

Is the Stock Market Closed on MLK Day?

Both stock traders and bond traders have the day off on Monday to celebrate the birthday of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. Neither the stock market nor the bond market is open for trading on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which in 2019 falls on Jan. 21. The stock and bond markets will re-open on Tuesday, following the three-day holiday weekend that commemorates the birthday of the civil rights leader. While King was born on Jan. 15, the federal holiday falls on the third Monday in January. MLK Day is also a federal bank holiday. The following is a schedule of all stock market and bond market holidays for 2019. Please note that regular trading hours for the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and Nasdaq Stock Market are 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern on weekdays. The stock markets close at 1 p.m. on early-closure days; bond markets close early at 2 p.m. SEE ALSO: 101 Best Dividend Stocks for 2019 and Beyond 2019 Market Holidays DateHolidayNYSENasdaqBond Markets Tuesday, Jan. 1 New Year's Day Closed Closed Closed Monday, Jan. 21 Martin Luther King Jr. Day Closed Closed Closed Monday, Feb. 18 Presidents Day/Washington's Birthday Closed Closed Closed Thursday, April 18 Maundy Thursday Open Open Early close (2 p.m.) Friday, April 19 Good Friday Closed Closed Closed Friday, May 24 Friday Before Memorial Day Open Open Early close (2 p.m.) Monday, May 27 Memorial Day Closed Closed Closed Wednesday, July 3 Day Before Independence Day Early close (1 p.m.) Early close (1 p.m.) Early close (2 p.m.) Thursday, July 4 Independence Day Closed Closed Closed Monday, Sept. 2 Labor Day Closed Closed Closed Monday, Oct. 14 Columbus Day Open Open Closed Monday, Nov. 11 Veterans Day Open Open Closed Thursday, Nov. 28 Thanksgiving Day Closed Closed Closed Friday, Nov. 29 Day After Thanksgiving Early close (1 p.m.) Early close (1 p.m.) Early Close (2 p.m.) Tuesday, Dec. 24 Christmas Eve Early close (1 p.m.) Early close (1 p.m.) Early Close (2 p.m.) Wednesday, Dec. 25 Christmas Day Closed Closed Closed Tuesday, Dec. 31 New Year's Eve Open Open Early Close (2 p.m.) Holiday observations When a holiday falls on a weekend, market closures are dictated by two rules: If the holiday falls on a Saturday, the market will close on the preceding Friday. If the holiday falls on a Sunday, the market will close on the subsequent Monday. SEE ALSO: 7 Stocks Getting Hit by the Government Shutdown EDITOR'S PICKS Copyright 2019 The Kiplinger Washington Editors

Neither the stock market nor the bond market is open for trading on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. While King was born on Jan. 15, the federal holiday falls on the third Monday in January. MLK Day is also a federal bank holiday.

pegasus

https://news.yahoo.com/stock-market-closed-mlk-day-133549297.html

What role does nuclear power play in UK and what are alternatives?

Britains old nuclear power stations supply around a fifth of electricity supplies and are a key part of the energy systems backbone. However, their share of the mix has been gradually shrinking as renewables have grown and energy demand has fallen. More significantly, seven of the eight nuclear sites will have shut by the end of the 2020s as they reach the end of their lifetime, with only Sizewell B in Suffolk continuing to operate. The government has also committed to shutting the countrys last seven coal plants by 2025 at the latest. So far the only nuclear project to be given the go-ahead is EDF Energys Hinkley Point C, a 3.2 gigawatt plant in Somerset, which will power around 6m homes when complete. The power station is officially due to begin supplying electricity to the grid in 2025 but similar projects in Finland and France have run many years over schedule. EDF Energy has already warned that the plant may not be generating until 2027. Originally there were concrete plans for five nuclear plants in the running to meet the UKs new nuclear ambitions. But three of those Moorside, Wylfa and Oldbury have been shelved. That leaves the 3.2GW Sizewell C in Suffolk, led by EDF Energy and backed by the Chinese state firm CGN, and the 2.3GW, Chinese-led Bradwell B in Essex, which EDF has a one-third stake in. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Construction work at Hinkley Point C in Somerset. Photograph: EDF Energy The government negotiated a guaranteed price for power for 35 years with EDF Energy for Hinkley. Hitachi was trying to do the same, with the additional support of the government taking a multibillion-pound stake, but could not make the numbers work. Attention will turn to a new method of financing known as the regulated asset base (RAB) model, which the government plans to give more details on this summer. The RAB approach would mean a regulator setting fixed costs and fixed returns for a nuclear developer, to overcome the huge upfront cost of nuclear plants and years-long delay for investors reaping a return. If new nuclear plants do not materialise it will pose a challenge to tough carbon targets for 2030. It is unlikely to threaten energy supplies, given the speed with which gas plants and windfarms could be built. The main technology that has the scale to fill the nuclear gap is offshore wind power. More inshore windfarms and solar power would also help. The intermittent nature of those technologies could be addressed to a degree by more batteries and other storage, imports and technologies such as demand side reduction. That results in big energy users and maybe one day homes reducing their electricity consumption at peak times in return for a financial incentive.

Britains old nuclear power stations supply around a fifth of electricity supplies.

bart

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2019/jan/17/what-role-does-nuclear-power-play-in-uk-and-what-are-alternatives

Can the Tennessee-built XT6 be part of Cadillac's re-invention?

DETROIT For many Americans, Cadillac is an adjective used to describe something luxurious. Despite Cadillac's aura of refinement, the General Motors premium brand has been losing customers for the last several years and now it's embarking on yet another turnaround plan. The latest roadmap calls for scrapping struggling cars, investing in electric vehicles, introducing new body styles, redoing ads and moving the brands headquarters. Part of that re-invention includes the XT6, a seven-seat SUV unveiled at the Detroit auto show this week. The new three-row Cadillac crossover will be built at the Spring Hill, Tenn., manufacturing plant and GM is investing nearly $300 million to accommodate the XT6. It's expected to be available this spring. More: Tennessee gains auto sector momentum as industry faces global headwinds The SUV targets large families. The auto critic for the Detroit News called the XT6 the "stylish little brother" of the bulky Escalade. A 2020 Cadillac XT6 Sport sits on display during the 2019 North American International Auto Show held at Cobo Center in downtown Detroit on Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2019. (Via OlyDrop) (Photo: RYAN GARZA, Detroit Free Press via USA TODAY Network) The XT6 comes as the automaker discontinues two sedans, the Cadillac ATS and CTS, hoping to capitalize on a preference for SUVs over cars in todays luxury market. Cadillac must remake its image in the eyes of shoppers who arent even considering the brand right now despite better-than-ever products, analysts say. Measured in total U.S. sales, the brand lags luxury rivals Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi, Lexus, Tesla and Acura, according to Kelley Blue Book. Cadillac sold 154,702 vehicles in the U.S. in 2018, trailing luxury leader Mercedes' 354,144 and just ahead of Nissan luxury brand Infiniti's 149,280. Cadillac sales slump Cadillac began to end a quarter-century drought in appeal around the turn of the 21st Century, Carlisle said. Vehicles like the ATS and CTS won acclaim from critics in the last decade. But it hasn't paid off in the form of U.S. momentum. In China, the brand has flourished, leading Cadillac to its best global sales ever in 2018. But in the U.S., sales fell about 15 percent from 2013 to 2018 despite a 10-percent increase in overall industry sales. GM CEO Mary Barra ousted Carlisles predecessor, Johan de Nysschen, in April after his turnaround plan didnt generate enough results during his four-year tenure. The de Nysschen plan included moving Cadillac from metro Detroit to New York City, marketing Cadillacs to urban coastal customers, and adopting a letters-and-numbers naming strategy used in German luxury brands. The problem is Cadillac doesnt need to be a German luxury brand. It needs to be an American luxury brand, said Rebecca Lindland, an auto analyst at Portico Analytics. They have great products in the showroom, but the marketing was completely unrelatable and failed to break through. For example, she said, advertising images of Cadillacs in New York City's tony Greenwich Village were out of step with the brand's core customers. After replacing de Nysschen, Carlisle pivoted quickly to move the brand back to metro Detroit to be closer to engineers and decision-makers, and to begin overhauling the marketing strategy. Cadillac must find ways to appeal to people who have false impressions of who we are and people who dont know us at all, including millennials, Carlisle said. The brand has the features of industry-leading luxury vehicles, but many people don't know it, he said. Cadillac will focus on new technology and new models that fill gaps in the lineup, he said. It will deliver a remade or new vehicle every six months through 2021. That includes the XT6, which is smaller than the hulking Escalade SUV but larger than the XT5. It will also include a redesigned Escalade at some point soon, GM President Mark Reuss hinted last week. Gov.-elect Bill Lee and Gov. Bill Haslam pose next to the Cadillac XT6 Sunday at the Detroit Auto Show. The SUV will be produced at the Spring Hill, Tenn., plant. (Photo: Jed DeKalb - State of Tennessee) They need more SUVs," said Stephanie Brinley, auto analyst at IHS Markit. "Theyre adding the right products, but theyre adding them a few years too late in the sense that several other automakers have already done that. The future Next up: Cadillac will become GMs lead electric vehicle brand, Barra told investors last week. Its too early to tell how that plan will shape up. But Carlisle said its likely to involve advanced self-driving capability in vehicles available for sale at dealerships, not ride-sharing networks. That continues a trend of GM debuting its most advanced technology in Cadillacs. GM picked Cadillac for its recent introduction of automated highway driving technology called Super Cruise, which has impressed critics with its high-tech functionality and safety features. Enthusiast site Autoblog named Super Cruise its 2019 Technology of the Year. The system steers, brakes and accelerates on its own in highway driving, and keeps a camera trained on the driver's eyes to alert them if they become sleepy while relying on the autonomous technology. Luxury rival Lincoln, which is owned by Ford, has already revived the Lincoln Aviator SUV, for example. And Lincoln has gained ground on Cadillac in the sales race. Past vehicles waiting to be dusted off could include the Cadillac Eldorado or the Cadillac Fleetwood. Carlisle said hes very open-minded about resurrecting the brands historical names. But I think weve got to be really good custodians of where we apply those names, he said. You dont want to just throw them out there. But he hinted that past could be prologue. Special cars or engines should have special names, he said. The question, however, is whether Cadillac itself remains special to car buyers. Tennessean staff contributed to this report. Read or Share this story: https://www.tennessean.com/story/money/cars/2019/01/17/cadillac-xt-6-suv-crossover-tennessee-general-motors/2601643002/

The XT6, a seven-seat SUV unveiled at the Detroit auto show this week, is part of Cadillac's re-invention. Cadillac must remake its image in the eyes of shoppers who arent even considering the brand right now.

pegasus

https://www.tennessean.com/story/money/cars/2019/01/17/cadillac-xt-6-suv-crossover-tennessee-general-motors/2601643002/

Will Solid Premiums Push Up Travelers (TRV) in Q4 Earnings?

The Travelers Companies, Inc. TRV is slated to report fourth-quarter 2018 results on Jan 22 before the market opens. In the last reported quarter, the company came up with a positive earnings surprise of 14.41%. Lets see, how things are shaping up for this announcement. The property and casualty (P&C) insurer is likely to report premium growth, driven by an improved pricing environment, high levels of retention, a positive renewal premium change as well as substantial growth across its businesses. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for premiums in fourth-quarter 2018 is pegged at $6.9 billion, up 7.6% from the year-ago quarters consensus mark. When it comes to Personal Insurance business, the probable uptick in premiums came on the back of a continued successful execution in Agency Auto and growth in Agency Homeowners. Further, the insurers Business Insurance segment is anticipated to deliver a more than modest performance, primarily fueled by higher earned premium volume and a lower tax rate. Travelers commercial businesses are projected to perform well in the yet-to-be-reported quarter on the back of better pricing, prudent strategy execution as well as market stability. Riding on rising interest rates, the company might have experienced solid investment results in the fourth quarter. Higher private equity returns as well as average level of fixed maturity investments have likely driven investment income. In the fourth quarter of 2018, the insurer estimates the metric to increase in the $60-$65 million range compared with the band recorded in the same period of 2017. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the metric is pegged at $654 million, representing an 8.8% increase on a year-over-year basis. On the back of higher premiums and investment income, the company is likely to witness top-line growth in the quarter to be reported. Also, a consistently successful execution of marketplace strategies coupled with strong production results might have led to this probable upside. The Zacks Consensus Estimate is currently pegged at $7.7 billion, reflecting a year-over-year rise of 4.1%. Further, a lower tax incidence and steady share buybacks are likely to have boosted the P&C insurers bottom line in the fourth quarter. The fourth quarter is expected to bear the brunt of Hurricane Michael (occurring in October) and California wildfires (in November). With the P&C insurer's presence in California, the company is estimated to incur a certain level of catastrophe loss in the yet-to-be-reported quarter. Exposure to catastrophe loss might induce volatility and hamper the companys overall performance. However, with the reinsurance coverage in place, Travelers anticipates to mitigate the losses suffered in the aforementioned time period. Nonetheless, underwriting results are projected to benefit from higher levels of earned premium. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the combined ratio in the Insurance segment during the fourth quarter is pegged at 96%, flat from the prior-year quarters figure. However, a higher debt-level causing a probable escalation in interest expenses can put pressure on the margin expansion. What Our Quantitative Model States Our proven model does not conclusively show that Travelers is likely to beat on earnings this to-be-reported period. This is because a stock needs to have both a positive Earnings ESP and a favorable Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) for this to happen. But that is not the case here as you will see below. Earnings ESP: Travelers has an Earnings ESP of -4.61%. This is because the Most Accurate Estimate is pegged at $2.16, lower than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.26. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they are reported with our Earnings ESP Filter. The Travelers Companies, Inc. Price and EPS Surprise The Travelers Companies, Inc. Price and EPS Surprise | The Travelers Companies, Inc. Quote

The Travelers Companies, Inc. (TRV) is slated to report fourth-quarter 2018 results on Jan 22 before the market opens. The company is likely to report premium growth, driven by an improved pricing environment, high levels of retention and a positive renewal premium change.

ctrlsum

https://news.yahoo.com/solid-premiums-push-travelers-trv-144002510.html

What Is Plaguing The Cryptocurrency Market?

Despite current challenges in the crypto market, global interest in cryptocurrencies has continued to rise. At the last count, there were 2076 coins and tokens on the market. Coinbase has also reported that 70,000 to 100,000 new crypto trading accounts were being opened every day on their platform. This exciting rise has mainly been the result of the efforts of early proponents and builders of the blockchain technology who have strong convictions regarding their ideology. Idealists, liberalists, cypherpunks, and independent thinkers have been at the forefront of developing the technology and ensuring that people come to realize its potential. Additionally, the current cases of cryptocurrencies have continued to generate more interest in the technology. The most popular methods for making money on the crypto market such as mining, day trading, and ICO flipping, have already been exhausted. As a consequence, there are little to no new ways to pique the individuals interest in digital currencies. More importantly, people now have limited ways through which they can store and preserve their assets. In this regard, a comprehensive solution needs to be developed if the market is to grow and achieve wider acceptance. Another issue plaguing the market is risk diversification. Investors may lose interest in the market since it is easy to lose ones assets and investments. Currently, the most preferred method of diversification is having a portfolio of more than one digital currency. For instance, an individual can have both Bitcoin and Ethereum in their digital currency portfolio. However, since both currencies are interconnected, instability and volatility that have been common occurrences in the market recently and this will affect them both. Therefore, the diversification approach may not be suitable in the long term since it is now likely that both currencies (Bitcoin and Ethereum) can be affected at the same time. Investing in Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) is another approach that has been used by individuals to diversify risk and expect high returns. While there have been a number of ICO projects since 2017, now known as the Year of the ICOs, it is now estimated that 78% of them were a scam. Fraudulent ICOs have been on the rise since individuals are being promised a good return on investment. However, very few have succeeded in paying their investors money that has been promised. Therefore, while ICOs make it easy to earn money from digital currencies, current trends show that ultimately, most of them fail to deliver. Additionally, the return on investment in cryptocurrencies has been a matter of speculation rather than a deliberate strategy. This means that there is no guarantee or surety that the high returns would likely be achieved due to lack of regulation and insurance as is the case with traditional investments. On the negative side, the speculation could go a different way where decline, rather than growth, is anticipated. Growth which is tied to a deliberate strategy can guarantee a return on investment. Attempts to solve the problem of cryptocurrency volatility have been made through the creation of stablecoins. Stablecoins are designed to minimize price volatility by pegging their value on fiat currencies and exchange-traded commodities. However, the solution works only on the currency plane. As a result, other benefits such as having access to financial instruments and banking services cannot be enjoyed. Thousands of businesses across the world are accepting crypto payments for their services. There is absolutely nothing that you cannot buy with good old Bitcoin these days. All of the above-mentioned challenges along with high transaction fees, poor security, and non-availability of fiat gateways to on-ramp new customers hamper seamless trading in cryptocurrencies. The challenges of the crypto market may have inadvertently started a vicious circle. The problems will turn potential traders away along with their money (that could have brought liquidity). Unless a radical approach is developed, the problems will not only persist but will eventually worsen. This will clearly jeopardize crypto adoption in the long run. In a refreshing development, the Blockchain Exchange Alliance (BXA) has partnered with ONEROOT to develop a technology to create a network of decentralized exchanges (DEX) that share a single, large liquidity pool and order books within the BXA ecosystem. To begin with, Bithumb, Koreas largest, and the worlds preeminent, decentralized exchange is the controlling shareholder of the BXA and a member of its ecosystem. This includes its massive liquidity pool. BXA has acquired licenses in multiple jurisdictions around the world, including the United States, Australia, Peru, New Zealand, and Canada, to open DEX. We arent fighting fiat. We realize that the crypto movement has a lot to gain if it partners strategically with the fiat-powered system. And that is why we are creating multiple fiat-to-crypto exchanges with many currencies as the backbone of a global payment network, says Dr. Byung Gun Kim, global co-CEO of BXA. BXA is not just solving the biggest problem of crypto trading platforms globally but is also creating an integrated digital asset financial institution. We are creating technology that seeks to blur the lines between fiat and crypto, says Tony Sun, Chairman of the ONEROOT Foundation and BXA global co-CEO. ONEROOT is the blockchain technology service provider. BXA is the largest institutional shareholder of ONEROOT. Parting thoughts While cryptocurrency exchanges have sprung up left, right and center with no regard to the challenges already facing the larger players, it is time for a fundamental shift in thinking. Getting on the crypto bandwagon is one thing. But doing precious little to ease trading is another. It is time for exchanges to pool their resources and create a seamless entity that provides massive liquidity, cuts down on arbitrary pricing and provides top-notch security measures to protect traders assets. Only then can we expect more traders to enter the crypto scene thereby creating a substantial capital influx into the markets.

The most popular methods for making money on the crypto market such as mining, day trading, and ICO flipping, have already been exhausted. Fraudulent ICOs have been on the rise since individuals are being promised a good return on investment but very few have succeeded in paying their investors money.

ctrlsum

https://www.forbes.com/sites/geraldfenech/2019/01/17/what-is-plaguing-the-cryptocurrency-market/

Will The STB Resist The Urge To Re-Regulate The Railroads?

While the media likes to focus on the turmoil amidst the shutdown, work still gets done between Congress and the Executive Branch. One of the last acts in the Senate before the 115th Congress adjourned was to confirm two commissioners to the Surface Transportation Board (STB). The commission now has 3 of 5 members. Joining Chair Ann D. Begeman (R) are Patrick Fuchs (R), former senior counsel for the Senate Commerce Committee which oversees the agency and Martin Oberman (D), former Chicago rail system chairman and city alderman. Two slots remain, which could include recently renominated Republican Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority attorney Michelle Schultz, and Democrat Deb Miller, a Commissioner from 2014-2019 until her term fully expired. The STB is a little-known regulatory agency overseeing a rail shipping industry that drives $219.5billion annually to the US economy. It is charged with resolving railroad service disputes, reviewing railroad mergers, and regulating certain transportation rates. Like many regulatory agencies that were established without an exit strategy or sunset clause, the STB is grappling with how to be relevant in the information age when technology has made its purpose all but obsolete. Not having the agency at full strength has tabled the forced switching regulatory proposal, blunt force regulation that enables the federal government to control how third parties use privately owned freight networks, potentially rewarding politically favored shippers which otherwise would have to engage in bona fide negotiation for shipping rates. Similar to how the largest internet platform companies have used net neutrality to win free and reduced transit costs at the expense of consumers, Americas largest rail shippers have banded together to see whether they can squeeze price reductions and traffic controls from the railroads. As Lawrence J. Spiwak, president of the Phoenix Center for Advanced Legal and Economic Public Policy Studies, explains, it is merely backdoor rate regulation intended to evade existing statute regarding direct rate regulation. While the consumer benefits of deregulation of surface transportation have been repeatedly documented--todays shipping rates are about half of what they were 40 years ago when adjusted for inflation--regulators frequently seek to expand, not contract, by bringing new functions under their jurisdiction. The question now is whether the STB follows the path demanded by the voters in electing a President who promised to break the choke hold of regulation on the economy, or whether it finds a new constituency that can breathe life into an agency that should be decommissioned altogether. The STB is grounded a 19th century mindset in which the rail network performed a single service, and the authority regulated railroads, networks with the same technology. Today, however, railroad companies compete on a range of technologies, ship a plethora of products, and plow tens of billions annually into infrastructure to improve safety, sustainability, and service. Technologies such as positive train control will prevent accidents with sensing that automatically stops trains and precision railroading which offers greater efficiency through just-in-time and intelligent scheduling. While coal was once the primary commodity shipped by rail, carrying strict rate oversight due to its connection to electricity prices, the industry has remade itself in recent years, offsetting heavy losses at the hands of dwindling coal electrification with the movement of "intermodal" truck containers at the heart of the American ecommerce boom. Moreover, the market for shipping is global, forcing Americas railroads to compete not only with planes, drones, and ships, but international transport logistics providers which build bespoke transport solutions that select individual transport elements and repackage them as end to end service solutions. As such, the STB is regulating a single part of a growing global industry that tops $1 trillion as if it is 1999, not 2019. Nevertheless the 3-person STB will have to stake out a position on forced switching. At a recent industry event, former chief counsel for the agency and economist Raymond Atkins observed that rail rate regulation is increasingly untenable, particularly as the airlines and trucking have been deregulated for decades. The US re-regulating the railroads is not only out of step with changing technology, but other countries which no longer use price regulation for railroads. Congress needs to finish the job in started. The STB was established in 1996 as a modernization of the Interstate Commerce Commission from 1887. The STB's agenda should be about winding down the agency, not inventing a new purpose for its existence. As long as the STB is around, regulatory opportunists will use it to win favors rather than compete on the market.

The Surface Transportation Board (STB) is a little-known regulatory agency overseeing a rail shipping industry that drives $219.5billion annually to the US economy. The STB is grappling with how to be relevant in the information age when technology has made its purpose all but obsolete.

bart

https://www.forbes.com/sites/roslynlayton/2019/01/17/will-the-stb-resist-the-urge-to-re-regulate-the-railroads/

Are there dangers to low cholesterol levels?

A cardiologist we know likes to say you cant have too low a golf score or cholesterol level. That certainly is the prevailing view. Q: I am 46 years old. For as long as I can remember, I have had low cholesterol on my bloodwork. I donated blood last week, and my total cholesterol was 107. While most people would say, Wow, thats great, I heard that too-low cholesterol could be bad. A: A cardiologist we know likes to say you cant have too low a golf score or cholesterol level. That certainly is the prevailing view. There is research, however, suggesting that very low cholesterol may increase the risk of hemorrhagic (bleeding) stroke (Neurology Clinical Practice, June 2018; Stroke, July 2013). Fortunately, such strokes are relatively rare. Heart attacks are far more common. That said, you should discuss your concerns with your doctor. It is unlikely, though, that you will be advised to eat foods that might raise your cholesterol levels. A recent review found that when Japanese people eat more saturated fat, their risk of stroke drops (Journal of Atherosclerosis and Thrombosis, May 1, 2018). This does not appear to hold for people who are not Japanese. If you ever experience possible symptoms of hemorrhagic stroke, including sudden severe headache, dizziness, one-sided weakness, nausea and vomiting, and trouble speaking or swallowing, treat it as a medical emergency. Q: My tennis elbow has come back with a vengeance. It has been bothering me for quite a bit longer than it ever has in the past. I cant use oral NSAIDS because I take Eliquis, but my primary-care physician says I can use the diclofenac sodium topical gel (1 percent) for as long as I need it. She knows I take a blood thinner. A: You are right to avoid oral pain relievers such as ibuprofen or naproxen, since these NSAIDs can cause gastrointestinal irritation. With apixaban (Eliquis) in your system, you could end up with a bleeding ulcer. Drug-interaction experts Drs. John Horn and Philip Hansten have written about NSAID and anticoagulant interactions. They note that The use of topical NSAIDs is not considered to increase the risk of bleeding (Pharmacy Times, Dec. 21, 2017). We discuss the pros and cons of topical diclofenac (Voltaren Gel) as well as salsalate and nondrug approaches in our eGuide to Alternatives for Arthritis. You can find this online resource at www.PeoplesPharmacy.com. Q: My husband and I returned from a trip to Europe with a strain of the flu apparently not covered by our flu vaccine. We took Xofluza and after three doses, both of us developed diarrhea and abdominal cramping. We stopped taking the meds, and the symptoms stopped. The headache, congestion and body aches of the flu were bad enough without adding the diarrhea caused by expensive meds. A: Baloxavir (Xofluza) is a brand-new anti-viral flu medicine. This oral medication shortens the duration of flu symptoms when taken within 48 hours of getting sick. We are puzzled why you took three doses. The advantage of this medicine is that it is given as a single dose. The triple dose might have increased your risk for diarrhea, a recognized side effect of Xofluza. The clinical trial data showed that 3 percent of people taking one pill suffered this complication.

Research suggests that very low cholesterol may increase the risk of hemorrhagic (bleeding) stroke.

ctrlsum

https://www.seattletimes.com/life/wellness/are-there-dangers-to-low-cholesterol-levels/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_all

Are there dangers to low cholesterol levels?

A cardiologist we know likes to say you cant have too low a golf score or cholesterol level. That certainly is the prevailing view. Q: I am 46 years old. For as long as I can remember, I have had low cholesterol on my bloodwork. I donated blood last week, and my total cholesterol was 107. While most people would say, Wow, thats great, I heard that too-low cholesterol could be bad. A: A cardiologist we know likes to say you cant have too low a golf score or cholesterol level. That certainly is the prevailing view. There is research, however, suggesting that very low cholesterol may increase the risk of hemorrhagic (bleeding) stroke (Neurology Clinical Practice, June 2018; Stroke, July 2013). Fortunately, such strokes are relatively rare. Heart attacks are far more common. That said, you should discuss your concerns with your doctor. It is unlikely, though, that you will be advised to eat foods that might raise your cholesterol levels. A recent review found that when Japanese people eat more saturated fat, their risk of stroke drops (Journal of Atherosclerosis and Thrombosis, May 1, 2018). This does not appear to hold for people who are not Japanese. If you ever experience possible symptoms of hemorrhagic stroke, including sudden severe headache, dizziness, one-sided weakness, nausea and vomiting, and trouble speaking or swallowing, treat it as a medical emergency. Q: My tennis elbow has come back with a vengeance. It has been bothering me for quite a bit longer than it ever has in the past. I cant use oral NSAIDS because I take Eliquis, but my primary-care physician says I can use the diclofenac sodium topical gel (1 percent) for as long as I need it. She knows I take a blood thinner. A: You are right to avoid oral pain relievers such as ibuprofen or naproxen, since these NSAIDs can cause gastrointestinal irritation. With apixaban (Eliquis) in your system, you could end up with a bleeding ulcer. Drug-interaction experts Drs. John Horn and Philip Hansten have written about NSAID and anticoagulant interactions. They note that The use of topical NSAIDs is not considered to increase the risk of bleeding (Pharmacy Times, Dec. 21, 2017). We discuss the pros and cons of topical diclofenac (Voltaren Gel) as well as salsalate and nondrug approaches in our eGuide to Alternatives for Arthritis. You can find this online resource at www.PeoplesPharmacy.com. Q: My husband and I returned from a trip to Europe with a strain of the flu apparently not covered by our flu vaccine. We took Xofluza and after three doses, both of us developed diarrhea and abdominal cramping. We stopped taking the meds, and the symptoms stopped. The headache, congestion and body aches of the flu were bad enough without adding the diarrhea caused by expensive meds. A: Baloxavir (Xofluza) is a brand-new anti-viral flu medicine. This oral medication shortens the duration of flu symptoms when taken within 48 hours of getting sick. We are puzzled why you took three doses. The advantage of this medicine is that it is given as a single dose. The triple dose might have increased your risk for diarrhea, a recognized side effect of Xofluza. The clinical trial data showed that 3 percent of people taking one pill suffered this complication.

Research suggests that very low cholesterol may increase the risk of hemorrhagic (bleeding) stroke. Japanese people eat more saturated fat, their risk of stroke drops.

bart

https://www.seattletimes.com/life/wellness/are-there-dangers-to-low-cholesterol-levels/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_all

Are there dangers to low cholesterol levels?

A cardiologist we know likes to say you cant have too low a golf score or cholesterol level. That certainly is the prevailing view. Q: I am 46 years old. For as long as I can remember, I have had low cholesterol on my bloodwork. I donated blood last week, and my total cholesterol was 107. While most people would say, Wow, thats great, I heard that too-low cholesterol could be bad. A: A cardiologist we know likes to say you cant have too low a golf score or cholesterol level. That certainly is the prevailing view. There is research, however, suggesting that very low cholesterol may increase the risk of hemorrhagic (bleeding) stroke (Neurology Clinical Practice, June 2018; Stroke, July 2013). Fortunately, such strokes are relatively rare. Heart attacks are far more common. That said, you should discuss your concerns with your doctor. It is unlikely, though, that you will be advised to eat foods that might raise your cholesterol levels. A recent review found that when Japanese people eat more saturated fat, their risk of stroke drops (Journal of Atherosclerosis and Thrombosis, May 1, 2018). This does not appear to hold for people who are not Japanese. If you ever experience possible symptoms of hemorrhagic stroke, including sudden severe headache, dizziness, one-sided weakness, nausea and vomiting, and trouble speaking or swallowing, treat it as a medical emergency. Q: My tennis elbow has come back with a vengeance. It has been bothering me for quite a bit longer than it ever has in the past. I cant use oral NSAIDS because I take Eliquis, but my primary-care physician says I can use the diclofenac sodium topical gel (1 percent) for as long as I need it. She knows I take a blood thinner. A: You are right to avoid oral pain relievers such as ibuprofen or naproxen, since these NSAIDs can cause gastrointestinal irritation. With apixaban (Eliquis) in your system, you could end up with a bleeding ulcer. Drug-interaction experts Drs. John Horn and Philip Hansten have written about NSAID and anticoagulant interactions. They note that The use of topical NSAIDs is not considered to increase the risk of bleeding (Pharmacy Times, Dec. 21, 2017). We discuss the pros and cons of topical diclofenac (Voltaren Gel) as well as salsalate and nondrug approaches in our eGuide to Alternatives for Arthritis. You can find this online resource at www.PeoplesPharmacy.com. Q: My husband and I returned from a trip to Europe with a strain of the flu apparently not covered by our flu vaccine. We took Xofluza and after three doses, both of us developed diarrhea and abdominal cramping. We stopped taking the meds, and the symptoms stopped. The headache, congestion and body aches of the flu were bad enough without adding the diarrhea caused by expensive meds. A: Baloxavir (Xofluza) is a brand-new anti-viral flu medicine. This oral medication shortens the duration of flu symptoms when taken within 48 hours of getting sick. We are puzzled why you took three doses. The advantage of this medicine is that it is given as a single dose. The triple dose might have increased your risk for diarrhea, a recognized side effect of Xofluza. The clinical trial data showed that 3 percent of people taking one pill suffered this complication.

Research suggests that very low cholesterol may increase the risk of hemorrhagic (bleeding) stroke. Japanese people eat more saturated fat, their risk of stroke drops. Baloxavir (Xofluza) is a brand-new anti-viral flu medicine. This oral medication shortens the duration of flu symptoms.

bart

https://www.seattletimes.com/life/wellness/are-there-dangers-to-low-cholesterol-levels/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_all

Who is Singing The National Anthem at Super Bowl LIII?

When Atlanta hosts Super Bowl LIII on Feb. 3, one of the city's hometown stars will be taking center stage to kick off the biggest game of the NFL season. Seven-time Grammy Award-winning singer Gladys Knight will sing the national anthem before kickoff at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the NFL and CBS announced. "I am proud to use my voice to unite and represent our country in my hometown of Atlanta," she said. "The NFL recently announced their new social justice platform Inspire Change, and I am honored to be a part of its inaugural year." Knight, an Atlanta native, rose to stardom between the 1960s and 1980s, when she dropped her best-known classics and Billboard No. 1 singles, "Midnight Train to Georgia" and "That's What Friends Are For." Knight also has 11 No. 1 R&B singles, including "I Heard It Through the Grapevine." Knight is recognized as one of Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Singers of All Time and entered the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996. Knight joins a celebrated list of Super Bowl anthem singers, following in the footsteps of performers like Cher, Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, Billy Joel and others.

Gladys Knight will sing the national anthem at Super Bowl LIII.

ctrlsum

https://www.si.com/nfl/2019/who-is-singing-national-anthem-super-bowl-liii-performer-gladys-knight

Who is Singing The National Anthem at Super Bowl LIII?

When Atlanta hosts Super Bowl LIII on Feb. 3, one of the city's hometown stars will be taking center stage to kick off the biggest game of the NFL season. Seven-time Grammy Award-winning singer Gladys Knight will sing the national anthem before kickoff at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the NFL and CBS announced. "I am proud to use my voice to unite and represent our country in my hometown of Atlanta," she said. "The NFL recently announced their new social justice platform Inspire Change, and I am honored to be a part of its inaugural year." Knight, an Atlanta native, rose to stardom between the 1960s and 1980s, when she dropped her best-known classics and Billboard No. 1 singles, "Midnight Train to Georgia" and "That's What Friends Are For." Knight also has 11 No. 1 R&B singles, including "I Heard It Through the Grapevine." Knight is recognized as one of Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Singers of All Time and entered the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996. Knight joins a celebrated list of Super Bowl anthem singers, following in the footsteps of performers like Cher, Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, Billy Joel and others.

Gladys Knight will sing the national anthem at Super Bowl LIII. The Atlanta native rose to stardom between the 1960s and 1980s.

bart

https://www.si.com/nfl/2019/who-is-singing-national-anthem-super-bowl-liii-performer-gladys-knight

Who is Singing The National Anthem at Super Bowl LIII?

When Atlanta hosts Super Bowl LIII on Feb. 3, one of the city's hometown stars will be taking center stage to kick off the biggest game of the NFL season. Seven-time Grammy Award-winning singer Gladys Knight will sing the national anthem before kickoff at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the NFL and CBS announced. "I am proud to use my voice to unite and represent our country in my hometown of Atlanta," she said. "The NFL recently announced their new social justice platform Inspire Change, and I am honored to be a part of its inaugural year." Knight, an Atlanta native, rose to stardom between the 1960s and 1980s, when she dropped her best-known classics and Billboard No. 1 singles, "Midnight Train to Georgia" and "That's What Friends Are For." Knight also has 11 No. 1 R&B singles, including "I Heard It Through the Grapevine." Knight is recognized as one of Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Singers of All Time and entered the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996. Knight joins a celebrated list of Super Bowl anthem singers, following in the footsteps of performers like Cher, Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, Billy Joel and others.

Gladys Knight will sing the national anthem at Super Bowl LIII in Atlanta. The seven-time Grammy Award-winning singer is an Atlanta native. "I am proud to use my voice to unite and represent our country," she says. Knight rose to stardom between the 1960s and 1980s.

pegasus

https://www.si.com/nfl/2019/who-is-singing-national-anthem-super-bowl-liii-performer-gladys-knight

Is the Booming Dow Why Trump Wont End the Shutdown?

With the US partial government shutdown now entering its 27th day, this funding standoff is already the longest in federal history. Nevertheless, President Donald Trump has expressed no qualms about extending the shutdown for a long time if Democrats refuse to budge on border wall funding. According to sources close to the president, that may have something to do with the strong performances that the Dow and other stock market indices have recorded amidst the shutdown. Strong Dow, S&P 500 Bolster Trumps Shutdown Stance That illuminating theory comes courtesy of Politico, which reports that Trump more than previous presidents judges his policies based on immediate stock market feedback. Per the article, which was drafted by Ben White, Trump tends to gauge economic risks by market reaction, so the lack of any big drops on Wall Street could be among the reasons he does not yet feel significant pressure to change his wall demands in ways that could end the shutdown. dow jones More Indeed, US stocks have made wild recoveries since the government shutdown began on Dec. 22. On Friday, Dec. 21, the Dow closed at 22,445.37, knee deep in a pullback and on the verge officially entering a bear market. One month later, the Dow, S&P 500, and Nasdaq are all riding high. Jan. 16 saw the Dow close at 24,207.16, more than 1,761 points higher than it was on the first day of the shutdown. The broad S&P 500 index has made a similar climb, closing on Jan. 16 at 2,616.10 after entering the shutdown at 2,416.62. S&P 500 government shutdown More Mainstream media outlets, which tend to lean left and assign more blame to Trump than congressional Democrats for the shutdown, have focused their coverage on its tangible effects: federal workers missing paychecks, longer lines at TSA airport checkpoints, and national park closures. However, if Whites sources are correct, then reports like these probably arent going to change the presidents commitment to exercising his veto power to twist the arms of Democrats into allocating him his desired $5.7 billion in border wall funding which, politics aside, is a drop in the bucket of federal spending. Rather, Trump is likely paying more attention to the stock tickers on his favorite TV channels than he is to New York Times features designed to tug at readers heartstrings. Stock Market Crash Would Put Pressure on Trump nancy pelosi chuck schumer government shutdown More This being the case, it may be that the stock market would have to see a stark reversal a pullback on par with the one seen in Q4 last year for Trump to start having second thoughts about his shutdown stance. Of course, even then Trump might not accept responsibility for the correction. Throughout last quarter and into 2019, the president has been sharply critical of the Federal Reserves recent interest rate hikes. Trump blamed those rate hikes for putting the brakes on a what had been a booming economy. Fed Chair Jerome Powell has indicated that the bank intends to take stock market conditions into consideration when mulling future rate increases, but that doesnt mean that Trump wont blame him or someone else if the Dow crawls back further into correction territory. Regardless, a stock market reversal could tip the scales in the Democrats favor, making it more likely that Trump will feel pressure to cut a deal or at least take the escape hatch of declaring a national emergency. In the present, though, it seems that the US must choose between a strong economy and a fully-funded federal government. appeared first on CCN.

The Dow, S&P 500, and Nasdaq have all made wild recoveries since the government shutdown began on Dec. 22. Trump has expressed no qualms about extending the shutdown if Democrats refuse to budge on border wall funding.

ctrlsum

https://news.yahoo.com/booming-dow-why-trump-won-163642572.html

Is the Booming Dow Why Trump Wont End the Shutdown?

With the US partial government shutdown now entering its 27th day, this funding standoff is already the longest in federal history. Nevertheless, President Donald Trump has expressed no qualms about extending the shutdown for a long time if Democrats refuse to budge on border wall funding. According to sources close to the president, that may have something to do with the strong performances that the Dow and other stock market indices have recorded amidst the shutdown. Strong Dow, S&P 500 Bolster Trumps Shutdown Stance That illuminating theory comes courtesy of Politico, which reports that Trump more than previous presidents judges his policies based on immediate stock market feedback. Per the article, which was drafted by Ben White, Trump tends to gauge economic risks by market reaction, so the lack of any big drops on Wall Street could be among the reasons he does not yet feel significant pressure to change his wall demands in ways that could end the shutdown. dow jones More Indeed, US stocks have made wild recoveries since the government shutdown began on Dec. 22. On Friday, Dec. 21, the Dow closed at 22,445.37, knee deep in a pullback and on the verge officially entering a bear market. One month later, the Dow, S&P 500, and Nasdaq are all riding high. Jan. 16 saw the Dow close at 24,207.16, more than 1,761 points higher than it was on the first day of the shutdown. The broad S&P 500 index has made a similar climb, closing on Jan. 16 at 2,616.10 after entering the shutdown at 2,416.62. S&P 500 government shutdown More Mainstream media outlets, which tend to lean left and assign more blame to Trump than congressional Democrats for the shutdown, have focused their coverage on its tangible effects: federal workers missing paychecks, longer lines at TSA airport checkpoints, and national park closures. However, if Whites sources are correct, then reports like these probably arent going to change the presidents commitment to exercising his veto power to twist the arms of Democrats into allocating him his desired $5.7 billion in border wall funding which, politics aside, is a drop in the bucket of federal spending. Rather, Trump is likely paying more attention to the stock tickers on his favorite TV channels than he is to New York Times features designed to tug at readers heartstrings. Stock Market Crash Would Put Pressure on Trump nancy pelosi chuck schumer government shutdown More This being the case, it may be that the stock market would have to see a stark reversal a pullback on par with the one seen in Q4 last year for Trump to start having second thoughts about his shutdown stance. Of course, even then Trump might not accept responsibility for the correction. Throughout last quarter and into 2019, the president has been sharply critical of the Federal Reserves recent interest rate hikes. Trump blamed those rate hikes for putting the brakes on a what had been a booming economy. Fed Chair Jerome Powell has indicated that the bank intends to take stock market conditions into consideration when mulling future rate increases, but that doesnt mean that Trump wont blame him or someone else if the Dow crawls back further into correction territory. Regardless, a stock market reversal could tip the scales in the Democrats favor, making it more likely that Trump will feel pressure to cut a deal or at least take the escape hatch of declaring a national emergency. In the present, though, it seems that the US must choose between a strong economy and a fully-funded federal government. appeared first on CCN.

US stocks have made wild recoveries since the government shutdown began on Dec. 22. One month later, the Dow, S&P 500, and Nasdaq are all riding high. A stock market reversal could tip the scales in the Democrats favor, making it more likely that Trump will feel pressure to cut a deal.

pegasus

https://news.yahoo.com/booming-dow-why-trump-won-163642572.html

Is Bitcoin Building Support Above $3,500?

Bitcoin has been trading within a reasonably tight range for the last several weeks, fluctuating primarily between $3,500 and $4,000. Over the last week, this range has tightened, as bitcoin prices have been moving between $3,500 and $3,700, CoinDesk bitcoin price data reveals. Amid this relative malaise in the world's largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization (market cap), several analysts weighed in on whether bitcoin has been building up support above $3,500. [Ed note: Investing in cryptocoins or tokens is highly speculative and the market is largely unregulated. Anyone considering it should be prepared to lose their entire investment.] Establishing Support The digital currency has been accumulating support, according to some market observers, including Mati Greenspan, an analyst who works for social trading platform eToro. "Over the last three weeks, we've seen a mini range emerge from $3,500 to just above $4,000 as bitcoin consolidates," stated Greenspan. However, he emphasized that "The wider range is $3000 to $5000." Jon Pearlstone, publisher of the newsletter CryptoPatterns, offered similar input. "Since mid-november, bitcoin has built a clearly defined bullish inverse head and shoulders pattern with a target in the $5000 range," he stated. "The most recent move back down to retest key support at $3500 was expected as part of this pattern, and the current consolidation continues to offer an edge for the bulls as long as support holds above $3500." Warning Signs Pearlstone identified out some warning signs that could point to trouble for bitcoin, emphasizing the cryptocurrency's lackluster trading volume and describing it a "red flag." He also spoke to the difficulty bitcoin has faced in breaking free of its current price range, labeling it a serious cause for concern. Eric Ervin, CEO of Blockforce Capital, also spoke to bitcoin's modest volatility, stating that this measure of the digital currency's price fluctuations recently fell to its lowest in more than a year. "Despite bitcoins recent volatility spikes in December and early January, its rolling 14 day volatility has been steadily declining -- trending downward from a peak of 140 on November 28th to todays value of 60," he stated yesterday. "This is the lowest volatility weve seen since mid-November 2018." Breakout Potential Bitcoin could soon break free of this range, noted Ervin. "In the roughly six days bitcoin has traded above $3,500, weve witnessed what looks like an early stage pennant formation," he stated. "We therefore expect there is a high likelihood of a decent breakout in the near future, although its still too early to tell which direction the market will go," said Ervin. Pearlstone also spoke to a potential breakout, stating that: "If price doesn't move up soon back to the $4000 level, which would then put the $5000 target into play, a break of $3500 and retest of the $3000 level become the highest probability next move." Disclosure: I own some bitcoin, bitcoin cash and ether.

Bitcoin has been trading within a reasonably tight range for the last several weeks, fluctuating between $3,500 and $4,000. Over the last week, this range has tightened, as bitcoin prices have been moving between $3,500 and $3,700.

pegasus

https://www.forbes.com/sites/cbovaird/2019/01/17/is-bitcoin-building-support-above-3500/

Is it time to retire the Women's March?

As the third annual Women's March approaches, many are wondering if its time to move away from the fraught event. The march, which has been criticized for its predominant focus on the concerns of white feminists since its inception, has come under even more scrutiny in the past few weeks -- including accusations of anti-semitism. National organizers deny these claims and say the event is still vital and important. PERSPECTIVES NBC News reports many local organizers are canceling their events due to concerns over turnout and the national turmoil. New Orleans was not alone in that decision; a group in Eureka, California, scrapped its march over concerns that it would be "overwhelmingly white," and organizers in Chicago replaced their January march with an event in October before the midterms and a day of action planned for March. Some longtime critics of the event, like writer Shikha Dalmia, say the lack of enthusiasm is a clear sign the Women's March has moved past its usefulness. Dalmia writes in the Week: In the wake of Trump's victory, a collective "yuck" gave the Women's March a spectacular turnout for its first event in 2017, when about one million women showed up just in Washington, D.C., making it the largest single-day protest in history. However, as I noted at the time, this was clearly unsustainable. If you cut through the hype, it was evident even then that the march was a "feel good exercise in search of a cause" that would run into problems for the simple reason that the fear and loathing of Trump isn't a sufficiently strong glue to keep the movement together. As Refinery29 reports, the march has lost many of its original sponsors over the last few years. However, those that remain, like Planned Parenthood, maintain the event continues to effect positive change. "Over the last two years, we've seen unprecedented attacks on our health and rights from the Trump-Pence administration. The Women's March has become a symbol of our collective resistance to these damaging and discriminatory policies and Planned Parenthood is proud to once again, join our progressive partners for the #WomensWave mobilization to protect and advance the progress we've made as a movement dedicated to equity and justice for all people," Erica Sackin, senior communications director for Planned Parenthood Federation of America, said in a statement to Refinery29. Carmen Perez, one of the March organizers, told Elle the mission has been and always will be one of inclusion and empowerment. Our work is a continuation of the Unity Principles that have guided us since 2017. The agenda does not come from the three of us; it was created by 50 organizations and individuals with deep policy expertise who we brought together over a four-week period. The Women's Wave is about transforming our principles into policies: protecting the rights of immigrant women, ensuring pay equity, standing for LGBTQIA rights, disability rights, and ending state violence. And so those are just some of the issues that we have selected, and we've taken 50 organizations through this process, and this agenda will be released on January 19th at the Women's March. The Tylt is focused on debates and conversations around news, current events and pop culture. We provide our community with the opportunity to share their opinions and vote on topics that matter most to them. We actively engage the community and present meaningful data on the debates and conversations as they progress. The Tylt is a place where your opinion counts, literally. The Tylt is an Advance Local Media, LLC property. Join us on Twitter @TheTylt, on Instagram @TheTylt or on Facebook, we'd love to hear what you have to say.

Some say the Women's March is past its usefulness. National organizers say the event is still vital and important.

ctrlsum

https://www.cleveland.com/nation/index.ssf/2019/01/is_it_time_to_retire_the_women_1.html

Is it time to retire the Women's March?

As the third annual Women's March approaches, many are wondering if its time to move away from the fraught event. The march, which has been criticized for its predominant focus on the concerns of white feminists since its inception, has come under even more scrutiny in the past few weeks -- including accusations of anti-semitism. National organizers deny these claims and say the event is still vital and important. PERSPECTIVES NBC News reports many local organizers are canceling their events due to concerns over turnout and the national turmoil. New Orleans was not alone in that decision; a group in Eureka, California, scrapped its march over concerns that it would be "overwhelmingly white," and organizers in Chicago replaced their January march with an event in October before the midterms and a day of action planned for March. Some longtime critics of the event, like writer Shikha Dalmia, say the lack of enthusiasm is a clear sign the Women's March has moved past its usefulness. Dalmia writes in the Week: In the wake of Trump's victory, a collective "yuck" gave the Women's March a spectacular turnout for its first event in 2017, when about one million women showed up just in Washington, D.C., making it the largest single-day protest in history. However, as I noted at the time, this was clearly unsustainable. If you cut through the hype, it was evident even then that the march was a "feel good exercise in search of a cause" that would run into problems for the simple reason that the fear and loathing of Trump isn't a sufficiently strong glue to keep the movement together. As Refinery29 reports, the march has lost many of its original sponsors over the last few years. However, those that remain, like Planned Parenthood, maintain the event continues to effect positive change. "Over the last two years, we've seen unprecedented attacks on our health and rights from the Trump-Pence administration. The Women's March has become a symbol of our collective resistance to these damaging and discriminatory policies and Planned Parenthood is proud to once again, join our progressive partners for the #WomensWave mobilization to protect and advance the progress we've made as a movement dedicated to equity and justice for all people," Erica Sackin, senior communications director for Planned Parenthood Federation of America, said in a statement to Refinery29. Carmen Perez, one of the March organizers, told Elle the mission has been and always will be one of inclusion and empowerment. Our work is a continuation of the Unity Principles that have guided us since 2017. The agenda does not come from the three of us; it was created by 50 organizations and individuals with deep policy expertise who we brought together over a four-week period. The Women's Wave is about transforming our principles into policies: protecting the rights of immigrant women, ensuring pay equity, standing for LGBTQIA rights, disability rights, and ending state violence. And so those are just some of the issues that we have selected, and we've taken 50 organizations through this process, and this agenda will be released on January 19th at the Women's March. The Tylt is focused on debates and conversations around news, current events and pop culture. We provide our community with the opportunity to share their opinions and vote on topics that matter most to them. We actively engage the community and present meaningful data on the debates and conversations as they progress. The Tylt is a place where your opinion counts, literally. The Tylt is an Advance Local Media, LLC property. Join us on Twitter @TheTylt, on Instagram @TheTylt or on Facebook, we'd love to hear what you have to say.

Some say the Women's March is past its usefulness. National organizers say the event is still vital and important. Some local organizers are canceling their events due to concerns over turnout.

ctrlsum

https://www.cleveland.com/nation/index.ssf/2019/01/is_it_time_to_retire_the_women_1.html

Is it time to retire the Women's March?

As the third annual Women's March approaches, many are wondering if its time to move away from the fraught event. The march, which has been criticized for its predominant focus on the concerns of white feminists since its inception, has come under even more scrutiny in the past few weeks -- including accusations of anti-semitism. National organizers deny these claims and say the event is still vital and important. PERSPECTIVES NBC News reports many local organizers are canceling their events due to concerns over turnout and the national turmoil. New Orleans was not alone in that decision; a group in Eureka, California, scrapped its march over concerns that it would be "overwhelmingly white," and organizers in Chicago replaced their January march with an event in October before the midterms and a day of action planned for March. Some longtime critics of the event, like writer Shikha Dalmia, say the lack of enthusiasm is a clear sign the Women's March has moved past its usefulness. Dalmia writes in the Week: In the wake of Trump's victory, a collective "yuck" gave the Women's March a spectacular turnout for its first event in 2017, when about one million women showed up just in Washington, D.C., making it the largest single-day protest in history. However, as I noted at the time, this was clearly unsustainable. If you cut through the hype, it was evident even then that the march was a "feel good exercise in search of a cause" that would run into problems for the simple reason that the fear and loathing of Trump isn't a sufficiently strong glue to keep the movement together. As Refinery29 reports, the march has lost many of its original sponsors over the last few years. However, those that remain, like Planned Parenthood, maintain the event continues to effect positive change. "Over the last two years, we've seen unprecedented attacks on our health and rights from the Trump-Pence administration. The Women's March has become a symbol of our collective resistance to these damaging and discriminatory policies and Planned Parenthood is proud to once again, join our progressive partners for the #WomensWave mobilization to protect and advance the progress we've made as a movement dedicated to equity and justice for all people," Erica Sackin, senior communications director for Planned Parenthood Federation of America, said in a statement to Refinery29. Carmen Perez, one of the March organizers, told Elle the mission has been and always will be one of inclusion and empowerment. Our work is a continuation of the Unity Principles that have guided us since 2017. The agenda does not come from the three of us; it was created by 50 organizations and individuals with deep policy expertise who we brought together over a four-week period. The Women's Wave is about transforming our principles into policies: protecting the rights of immigrant women, ensuring pay equity, standing for LGBTQIA rights, disability rights, and ending state violence. And so those are just some of the issues that we have selected, and we've taken 50 organizations through this process, and this agenda will be released on January 19th at the Women's March. The Tylt is focused on debates and conversations around news, current events and pop culture. We provide our community with the opportunity to share their opinions and vote on topics that matter most to them. We actively engage the community and present meaningful data on the debates and conversations as they progress. The Tylt is a place where your opinion counts, literally. The Tylt is an Advance Local Media, LLC property. Join us on Twitter @TheTylt, on Instagram @TheTylt or on Facebook, we'd love to hear what you have to say.

Some say the Women's March is past its usefulness. Organizers deny this and say the event is still vital and important. Some local organizers are canceling their events due to concerns over turnout and the national turmoil. The Women's Wave is about transforming principles into policies, organizers say.

ctrlsum

https://www.cleveland.com/nation/index.ssf/2019/01/is_it_time_to_retire_the_women_1.html

Should Cronos Group Scale Up Its U.S. Business?

Cronos Group had a relatively solid 2018, driven by the legalization of recreational marijuana in its home market, Canada, and a $1.8 billion investment from tobacco major Altria group. While Cronos has been focusing its retail efforts on Canada as well as international markets such as Germany, Israel, and Australia, where its medical marijuana products are gaining traction, the U.S. could potentially be a significantly larger market for the company in the long run. In this note, we take a look at whats driving the cannabis market in the U.S. and how Cronos could potentially scale up its U.S. operations in the long run, subject to regulations. We have created an interactive dashboard analysis on whats driving Cronos Groups valuation, which allows users to modify any of our forecasts and drivers to arrive at their own valuation estimates for the company. The U.S. Marijuana Market As of November 2018, 32 U.S. States had laws allowing the use of medical marijuana, while 10 states (namely Washington, Oregon, Nevada, California, Alaska, Colorado, Michigan, Vermont, Maine, and Massachusetts) allowed the use of the marijuana for recreational purposes. Other states including New Jersey have been closely considering the legalization of recreational marijuana. Sales of medical and recreational marijuana in the U.S. are projected to climb to roughly $22 billion by the year 2022, per the 2018 edition of the Marijuana Business Factbook, up from levels of between $5.8 billion and $6.6 billion in 2017. While much of the growth in the market will hinge on regulatory developments, the increasing interest from major corporates in the tobacco and alcoholic beverage space could also drive the industry. Overall, its safe to assume that the U.S. market for cannabis will be significantly larger than the Canadian market in the long term. The U.S. also took some steps towards the legalization of hemp a variety of cannabis that does not produce the psychoactive component of pot after it was removed from the controlled substance list post the passage of the 2018 farm bill. Hemp-derived cannabidiols were also legalized. Cannabidiol, or CBD, is a popular extract used in beverages and health products. Per New Frontier Data, the hemp-derived CBD market will grow from a $390 million in 2018 to a $1.3 billion market by 2022. Cronos Could Leverage Altria Deal While Cronos is still in the process of scaling up its overall business (total revenues stood at just $3.8 million in Q318), the company will likely wait until marijuana is legalized at a Federal level in the U.S. before it moves into the mainstream market. However, its possible that the company could make a play in the hemp space, like its Canadian rival Canopy, which was recently granted a license by New York to process and produce hemp. Cronos partnership with tobacco major Altria, which is the producer of Marlboro cigarettes, could also help the company if it decides to scale up in the U.S. Altria has an extensive distribution reach, as well as significant experience on the regulatory front. Cronos could also use the sizable cash infusion from the Altria deal to double down on the construction of greenhouses and processing facilities. While annualized capacity stood at just about 6,650 kilograms as of Q3, the company is in the process of adding about 110,000 kilograms of capacity in the near term. Explore example interactive dashboards and create your own.

Cronos Group had a relatively solid 2018, driven by the legalization of recreational marijuana in its home market, Canada. The U.S. could potentially be a significantly larger market for the company in the long run.

bart

https://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2019/01/17/should-cronos-group-scale-up-its-u-s-business/

Which Character From The Office Should Cross Over to Steve Carell's Space Force ?

Fans of The Office got great news earlier this week when it was announced that Steve Carell AKA Michael Scott from The Office is teaming up with the show's creators for a new workplace comedy. According to Netflix, which will bring this new comedy to life, Carell will work with executive producers Greg Daniels and Howard Klein once again for the new show, Space Force. The show won't be about a paper company in Scranton, Pennsylvania, but it will be about the employees tasked with creating a sixth branch of the armed services called The Space Force. It loosely stems from the idea that President Donald Trump discussed back in summer of 2018, about having a team responsible for protecting us in space/from things in space, but it will be totally fictional and with The Office team at the helm, totally funny. Even though Space Force isn't The Office reboot fans have been wanting, and the characters from the show don't exactly make sense in this new comedy world, it doesn't mean we can't dream about seeing a few characters crossover to the Netflix comedy someday.

Steve Carell AKA Michael Scott from The Office is teaming up with the show's creators for a new workplace comedy.

pegasus

https://www.eonline.com/ca/news/1006151/which-character-from-the-office-should-cross-over-to-steve-carell-s-space-force?cmpid=rss-000000-rssfeed-365-topstories&utm_source=eonline&utm_medium=rssfeeds&utm_campaign=rss_topstories

Which Character From The Office Should Cross Over to Steve Carell's Space Force ?

Fans of The Office got great news earlier this week when it was announced that Steve Carell AKA Michael Scott from The Office is teaming up with the show's creators for a new workplace comedy. According to Netflix, which will bring this new comedy to life, Carell will work with executive producers Greg Daniels and Howard Klein once again for the new show, Space Force. The show won't be about a paper company in Scranton, Pennsylvania, but it will be about the employees tasked with creating a sixth branch of the armed services called The Space Force. It loosely stems from the idea that President Donald Trump discussed back in summer of 2018, about having a team responsible for protecting us in space/from things in space, but it will be totally fictional and with The Office team at the helm, totally funny. Even though Space Force isn't The Office reboot fans have been wanting, and the characters from the show don't exactly make sense in this new comedy world, it doesn't mean we can't dream about seeing a few characters crossover to the Netflix comedy someday.

Steve Carell AKA Michael Scott from The Office is teaming up with the show's creators for a new workplace comedy. According to Netflix, Carell will work with executive producers Greg Daniels and Howard Klein once again for the new show, Space Force.

pegasus

https://www.eonline.com/ca/news/1006151/which-character-from-the-office-should-cross-over-to-steve-carell-s-space-force?cmpid=rss-000000-rssfeed-365-topstories&utm_source=eonline&utm_medium=rssfeeds&utm_campaign=rss_topstories

Who could be next on private equity's shopping list?

Cashed up private equity investors were very active buying up New Zealand companies last year and are expected to remain on the hunt this year. Apax's $2.56 billion offer for Trade Me is still to be finalised with a vote due in April amid other regulatory approvals but industry players widely expect the deal to go ahead. While Restaurant Brands shareholders have until March 12 to accept the $881 million bid for up to 75 per cent in the Kiwi company being made by Mexican investment company Finaccess. Slade Robertson, managing director of Devon Funds Management says he expects merger and acquisition activity to remain at an elevated level this year. Advertisement "This will be driven by the very low levels of interest rates globally and by the significant levels of liquidity that exist across the private equity networks," he told Stock Takes this week. There is plenty of talk around the markets on which company could be the next potential target. Fletcher Building has already attracted speculation with its beaten up share price prompting some to suggest it could be open to a takeover. But another company which is being talked about is Z Energy. The fuel retailer has been a bit unloved by the share market in recent times. In November, the share price hit $5.18 - its lowest point since May 2015 - after suffering a 21 per cent decline in first half earnings and announcing a dividend that was five cents less than investors were expecting. The stock has bounced back a little since then, trading at $5.74 yesterday. Despite being out of favour with investors, Craigs Investment Partners has retained a "buy" recommendation on the stock, based on its assessment of Z's earnings prospects. "We have raised our 2019 EBITDA forecast from $414m to $429m and dividend from 34c to 40c," Craigs research analyst Grant Swanepoel said in an industry update. Z Energy suffered a poor performance in the first half because of margin compression and oil-driven negative accounting impacts, forcing management to downgrade the company's EBITDA guidance to a range of $400-435m. "Since then the oil price has fallen, reversing the accounting impacts and easing the pressure on retail margins," Swanepoel said. "While we have reduced our target price from $7.42 to $6.69 to reflect lower expected industry margins over time, due to upside to our target price we keep a 'buy'. "Since last guidance, the metrics have improved," he said. He noted that since the November guidance, the Brent oil price has fallen 35 per cent. The retail margin has also been far stronger than anticipated a $6m improvement on prior expectations. This has been partially offset by the recent fall in refining margins, hence a lower Refining NZ rebate and dividend, Swanepoel said. Refining NZ is 15.4 per cent owned by Z Energy. Swanepoel told Stock Takes that it was difficult for Z Energy to manage investors' expectations given the wild swings in oil prices over the last few months. "The organic performance of the business is improving again," he said. Among the downside risks to its valuation and estimates, Craigs said an increase in competition could leading to lower sector margins being achieved. A Government-ordered review of the fuel prices could also damage industry margins. Z Energy is expected to issue an operational update over the next week or two.

Cashed up private equity investors were very active buying up New Zealand companies last year. There is plenty of talk around the markets on which company could be the next potential target.

pegasus

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=12191802

Who could be next on private equity's shopping list?

Cashed up private equity investors were very active buying up New Zealand companies last year and are expected to remain on the hunt this year. Apax's $2.56 billion offer for Trade Me is still to be finalised with a vote due in April amid other regulatory approvals but industry players widely expect the deal to go ahead. While Restaurant Brands shareholders have until March 12 to accept the $881 million bid for up to 75 per cent in the Kiwi company being made by Mexican investment company Finaccess. Slade Robertson, managing director of Devon Funds Management says he expects merger and acquisition activity to remain at an elevated level this year. Advertisement "This will be driven by the very low levels of interest rates globally and by the significant levels of liquidity that exist across the private equity networks," he told Stock Takes this week. There is plenty of talk around the markets on which company could be the next potential target. Fletcher Building has already attracted speculation with its beaten up share price prompting some to suggest it could be open to a takeover. But another company which is being talked about is Z Energy. The fuel retailer has been a bit unloved by the share market in recent times. In November, the share price hit $5.18 - its lowest point since May 2015 - after suffering a 21 per cent decline in first half earnings and announcing a dividend that was five cents less than investors were expecting. The stock has bounced back a little since then, trading at $5.74 yesterday. Despite being out of favour with investors, Craigs Investment Partners has retained a "buy" recommendation on the stock, based on its assessment of Z's earnings prospects. "We have raised our 2019 EBITDA forecast from $414m to $429m and dividend from 34c to 40c," Craigs research analyst Grant Swanepoel said in an industry update. Z Energy suffered a poor performance in the first half because of margin compression and oil-driven negative accounting impacts, forcing management to downgrade the company's EBITDA guidance to a range of $400-435m. "Since then the oil price has fallen, reversing the accounting impacts and easing the pressure on retail margins," Swanepoel said. "While we have reduced our target price from $7.42 to $6.69 to reflect lower expected industry margins over time, due to upside to our target price we keep a 'buy'. "Since last guidance, the metrics have improved," he said. He noted that since the November guidance, the Brent oil price has fallen 35 per cent. The retail margin has also been far stronger than anticipated a $6m improvement on prior expectations. This has been partially offset by the recent fall in refining margins, hence a lower Refining NZ rebate and dividend, Swanepoel said. Refining NZ is 15.4 per cent owned by Z Energy. Swanepoel told Stock Takes that it was difficult for Z Energy to manage investors' expectations given the wild swings in oil prices over the last few months. "The organic performance of the business is improving again," he said. Among the downside risks to its valuation and estimates, Craigs said an increase in competition could leading to lower sector margins being achieved. A Government-ordered review of the fuel prices could also damage industry margins. Z Energy is expected to issue an operational update over the next week or two.

Cashed up private equity investors were very active buying up New Zealand companies last year. There is plenty of talk around the markets on which company could be the next potential target. Fletcher Building has already attracted speculation with its beaten up share price prompting some to suggest it could be open to a takeover.

pegasus

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=12191802

Was The Facebook "10 Year Challenge" A Way To Mine Data For Facial Recognition AI?

Last week a new Facebook challenge went viral asking users to post a photo from 10 years ago and one from today captioning how did aging effect you? Now being called the 10-Year Challenge. Over 5.2 million, including many celebrities, participating in this challenge. It follows closely after the Bird Box Challenge and the Top Nine Photos of the Year Challenge but this one has caused quite a stir and some concern from users. Speculation arose about the motive behind this viral challenge and had users questioning if this was a ploy by Facebook to use for facial recognition data. Kate ONeill, a writer for Wired, wrote an op-ed exploring the possibility that this was more than just a fun challenge to share with friends. Imagine that you wanted to train a facial recognition algorithm on age-related characteristics and, more specifically, on age progression (e.g., how people are likely to look as they get older). Ideally, you'd want a broad and rigorous dataset with lots of people's pictures. It would help if you knew they were taken a fixed number of years apartsay, 10 years, said ONeill. However, many people have argued that Facebook already has access to these photos since the challenge often asked people to share their first profile picture to their current. ONeill argued that people dont always upload in chronological order and many people have profile pictures other than themselves like cartoons, family members, animals, political statements, etc. This challenge gives Facebook the opportunity to have a clean version of who you are by the context you add such as telling your age in the photo, year or other given information that you share in the post. According to NYU Professor Amy Webb, this photo challenge is a perfect storm for machine learning. Webb is currently working on an upcoming book on how AI can manipulate humans. Facebook insists that they were not involved in the start of this challenge and had no benefit from it going viral. "This is a user-generated meme that went viral on its own. Facebook did not start this trend, and the meme uses photos that already exist on Facebook," the company said. "Facebook gains nothing from this meme (besides reminding us of the questionable fashion trends of 2009). As a reminder, Facebook users can choose to turn facial recognition on or off at any time." However, with 2.2 billion users uploading hundreds of millions of photos a day, its not to say that the algorithm for facial recognition will not benefit from a challenge like this adding more to their already robust database of faces. Facebook has been working with facial recognition technology for the past few years with things like tagging photos and now recognizing photos you may be tagged in, even if you are not connected with the person who posted the photo on the social platform. So even if you do turn it off, your face still lives somewhere in the platform. "You can delete cookies. You can change browsers. And you can leave your smartphone at home," says facial recognition expert Alvaro Bedoya, executive director of Georgetown Law's Center on Privacy & Technology. "But you can't delete your face, and you cant leave it at home." While the most likely scenario for Facebook to use this technology is for targeted advertising and personalized experiences, since this is where their profit comes from, the concern is with how it could be used outside Facebook if they were to sell or share this technology. Facebook currently says that it has no plans to make peoples facial recognition data available outside of the platform, there is no law stopping them if they want to and therefore they can change their minds at any time. This is not an unlikely case since both Amazon and Google have been caught sharing their technology. Google photos use their technology to recognize not just people in the photos but can categorize by objects in a photo. For instance, if you search car in your photos it will bring up every image in your library that the algorithm recognized as having a car, even in the background. Google recently faced a lawsuit for scanning and saving the biometric data of a woman who was unwittingly captured in 11 photos taken by a Google photos user on their Android phone. The lawsuit was dismissed by the claim that the plaintiff didnt suffer concrete injuries but it raised concerns about privacy when there are camera phones everywhere now. Imagine being able to find the person who was in the background of your 2004 vacation photos at the beach in a matter of seconds online. Amazon took some heat from The American Civil Liberties Union for selling facial recognition technology to the government, specifically law enforcement agencies, such as police departments in Orlando and Washington County, Oregon. She mentions how this could be a major concern for the privacy of citizens. The police could use the technology not only to track people who are suspected of having committed crimes, but also people who are not committing crimes, such as protesters and others whom the police deem a nuisance, said ONeill. Many people dont realize how their face can be connected to the rest of their available information just like an instant background check, except more accurate. A recent study said that an average American citizen is on a camera an average of 75 times per day and each day the number grows of those that have facial recognition technology. While this benefits crime prevention and can keep people safe, it is an eerie statistic. Retailers are now using the information to identify convicted shoplifters and alert loss prevention agents in just under a second. While this can help prevent loss for companies, this creates a major concern of targeting innocent shoppers and invading the privacy of those shoppers. There are some great use cases to defend the technology. The technology gives social media the opportunity to recognize trans people who have transitioned over the last 10 years and may not be recognized in the facial recognition technology from previous photos. Recently, Uber had an issue where a transgender Uber driver in Iowa had to travel two hours because the apps facial recognition was unable to identify her identity. This technology could help prevent this from happening again. Another best-case scenario, as ONeill points out, is the ability to find missing kids who have aged. Just last year, police in New Delhi tracked down 3,000 missing kids in four days using the facial recognition technology. However, this raises the question of how young we should be doing facial recognition and where is the line between children and adults being tracked with this technology. So individually, all of these facial recognition technologies are innovative and great for certain reasons. However, when combined they can become a dangerous tool for hackers and tracking. Many of us provide more information than we even know to our social media and dont question where that information is going or how its being used. But with all the data breaches and questionable choices from Facebook recently, it is probably a good idea to question these technologies. Especially since there is very little that is public about how this technology is being used and no federal laws governing the use of it.

The "10-Year Challenge" is a new Facebook challenge asking users to post a photo from 10 years ago and one from today captioning how did aging effect you? Over 5.2 million, including many celebrities, participating in this challenge.

ctrlsum

https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicolemartin1/2019/01/17/was-the-facebook-10-year-challenge-a-way-to-mine-data-for-facial-recognition-ai/

Will US shutdown delay Honolulu police corruption trial?

HONOLULU (AP) - The partial U.S. government shutdown is affecting an upcoming trial on corruption-related charges against a now-retired Honolulu police chief and his former deputy prosecutor wife. Katherine Kealohas attorney is asking to postpone the trial scheduled for March. A judge appointed separate taxpayer-funded attorneys for Katherine and Louis Kealoha after determining they couldnt afford a defense team against allegations including orchestrating the framing of an uncle for stealing their home mailbox in an attempt to discredit him in a family, financial dispute. Attorney Cynthia Kagiwada says shes not being paid during the shutdown, now in its fourth week, depriving her client of adequate trial preparation. Louis Kealohas attorney, Rustam Barbee, says hes also not being paid. He says hell wait to see what happens with the shutdown before also seeking postponement. Copyright 2019 The Washington Times, LLC.

Honolulu police chief and his wife face corruption-related charges. The trial is scheduled for March. The partial U.S. government shutdown is affecting the trial.

ctrlsum

https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2019/jan/17/will-us-shutdown-delay-honolulu-police-corruption-/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Front-TheWashingtonTimesAmericasNewspaper+%28Front+Page+-+The+Washington+Times%29

Will US shutdown delay Honolulu police corruption trial?

HONOLULU (AP) - The partial U.S. government shutdown is affecting an upcoming trial on corruption-related charges against a now-retired Honolulu police chief and his former deputy prosecutor wife. Katherine Kealohas attorney is asking to postpone the trial scheduled for March. A judge appointed separate taxpayer-funded attorneys for Katherine and Louis Kealoha after determining they couldnt afford a defense team against allegations including orchestrating the framing of an uncle for stealing their home mailbox in an attempt to discredit him in a family, financial dispute. Attorney Cynthia Kagiwada says shes not being paid during the shutdown, now in its fourth week, depriving her client of adequate trial preparation. Louis Kealohas attorney, Rustam Barbee, says hes also not being paid. He says hell wait to see what happens with the shutdown before also seeking postponement. Copyright 2019 The Washington Times, LLC.

Honolulu police chief and his wife face corruption-related charges. The trial is scheduled for March. The partial U.S. government shutdown is affecting an upcoming trial on corruption- related charges against a now-retired Honolulu police Chief and his former deputy prosecutor wife, Katherine Kealoha.

ctrlsum

https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2019/jan/17/will-us-shutdown-delay-honolulu-police-corruption-/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Front-TheWashingtonTimesAmericasNewspaper+%28Front+Page+-+The+Washington+Times%29

Will 49ers make a play for Antonio Brown?

49ers players are flirting openly with Antonio Brown. One of the best players in franchise (and league) history has said that Brown wants to play for the 49ers. Scroll to continue with content Ad Theres a belief in league circles that the 49ers have real interest in Brown. With Giants receiver Odell Beckham Jr. apparently not available this year (he was kind of possibly maybe available in March 2018), the 49ers will be inclined to explore whether they can get Brown. The contract remains a desirable one, at just under $39 million over the next three years, assuming Brown doesnt want to go back to the trough after making $33 million over the past two years. And the 49ers seem to be desperate to load up the cannon and compete with the Rams and Seahawks. With a healthy Jimmy Garoppolo and Jerick McKinnon and an emerging star in George Kittle, the 49ers could become immediate contenders if they have Brown on board. Of course, hed have to be fully and truly on board, committed to avoiding whatever behaviors created problems for him in Pittsburgh, whether real, imagined, or some combination of the two. Of course, the 49ers may have competition for Browns services. The Steelers surely hope thats the case, since holding an auction for Brown will be the best way for the Steelers to get the most for his contract.

49ers players are flirting openly with Antonio Brown. Brown has said he wants to play for the 49ers.

bart

https://sports.yahoo.com/49ers-play-antonio-brown-015322990.html?src=rss

Will 49ers make a play for Antonio Brown?

49ers players are flirting openly with Antonio Brown. One of the best players in franchise (and league) history has said that Brown wants to play for the 49ers. Scroll to continue with content Ad Theres a belief in league circles that the 49ers have real interest in Brown. With Giants receiver Odell Beckham Jr. apparently not available this year (he was kind of possibly maybe available in March 2018), the 49ers will be inclined to explore whether they can get Brown. The contract remains a desirable one, at just under $39 million over the next three years, assuming Brown doesnt want to go back to the trough after making $33 million over the past two years. And the 49ers seem to be desperate to load up the cannon and compete with the Rams and Seahawks. With a healthy Jimmy Garoppolo and Jerick McKinnon and an emerging star in George Kittle, the 49ers could become immediate contenders if they have Brown on board. Of course, hed have to be fully and truly on board, committed to avoiding whatever behaviors created problems for him in Pittsburgh, whether real, imagined, or some combination of the two. Of course, the 49ers may have competition for Browns services. The Steelers surely hope thats the case, since holding an auction for Brown will be the best way for the Steelers to get the most for his contract.

49ers players are flirting openly with Antonio Brown. Brown has said he wants to play for the 49ers. The 49ers seem to be desperate to load up the cannon and compete with the Rams.

bart

https://sports.yahoo.com/49ers-play-antonio-brown-015322990.html?src=rss

Will 49ers make a play for Antonio Brown?

49ers players are flirting openly with Antonio Brown. One of the best players in franchise (and league) history has said that Brown wants to play for the 49ers. Scroll to continue with content Ad Theres a belief in league circles that the 49ers have real interest in Brown. With Giants receiver Odell Beckham Jr. apparently not available this year (he was kind of possibly maybe available in March 2018), the 49ers will be inclined to explore whether they can get Brown. The contract remains a desirable one, at just under $39 million over the next three years, assuming Brown doesnt want to go back to the trough after making $33 million over the past two years. And the 49ers seem to be desperate to load up the cannon and compete with the Rams and Seahawks. With a healthy Jimmy Garoppolo and Jerick McKinnon and an emerging star in George Kittle, the 49ers could become immediate contenders if they have Brown on board. Of course, hed have to be fully and truly on board, committed to avoiding whatever behaviors created problems for him in Pittsburgh, whether real, imagined, or some combination of the two. Of course, the 49ers may have competition for Browns services. The Steelers surely hope thats the case, since holding an auction for Brown will be the best way for the Steelers to get the most for his contract.

49ers players are flirting openly with Antonio Brown. Brown has said he wants to play for the 49ers. The 49ers seem to be desperate to load up the cannon and compete with the Rams and Seahawks. With a healthy Jimmy Garoppolo and Jerick McKinnon, the49ers could become immediate contenders if they have Brown on board.

bart

https://sports.yahoo.com/49ers-play-antonio-brown-015322990.html?src=rss

Which Character From The Office Should Cross Over to Steve Carell's Space Force?

Fans of The Office got great news earlier this week when it was announced that Steve Carell AKA Michael Scott from The Office is teaming up with the show's creators for a new workplace comedy. According to Netflix, which will bring this new comedy to life, Carell will work with executive producers Greg Daniels and Howard Klein once again for the new show, Space Force. The show won't be about a paper company in Scranton, Pennsylvania, but it will be about the employees tasked with creating a sixth branch of the armed services called The Space Force. It loosely stems from the idea that President Donald Trump discussed back in summer of 2018, about having a team responsible for protecting us in space/from things in space, but it will be totally fictional and with The Office team at the helm, totally funny. Even though Space Force isn't The Office reboot fans have been wanting, and the characters from the show don't exactly make sense in this new comedy world, it doesn't mean we can't dream about seeing a few characters crossover to the Netflix comedy someday.

Steve Carell AKA Michael Scott from The Office is teaming up with the show's creators for a new workplace comedy. According to Netflix, Carell will work with executive producers Greg Daniels and Howard Klein once again for the new show, Space Force.

pegasus

https://www.eonline.com/news/1006110/which-character-from-the-office-should-cross-over-to-steve-carell-s-space-force?cmpid=rss-000000-rssfeed-365-topstories&utm_source=eonline&utm_medium=rssfeeds&utm_campaign=rss_topstories

Which high schools received penalties for OHSAA infractions this month?

CLOSE The Enquirer preps writers Shelby Dermer and Jon Richardson discuss the AP boys basketball second statewide poll and how they voted. Melanie Laughman, mlaughman@enquirer.com Following the Jan. 17 board meeting, the Ohio High School Athletic Association issued penalties for 27 schools recently committing infractions. The OHSAA imposed the following penalties against Greater Cincinnati schools that violated OHSAA bylaws or sports regulations: Purcell Marian High School had a student-athlete in varsity football violate Bylaw 4-4-1, Scholarship. However, the student met Exception 3 to the Bylaw (Incomplete restored to passing grade) but the school permitted the student to participate prior to receiving an eligibility ruling from the Executive Directors Office. The OHSAA has restored eligibility for the student retroactively but, in accordance with Bylaw 4-1-1, Administrative Error, the school has been fined $100. Princeton High School violated Bylaw 4-9-2, Recruiting, when a boys assistant track and field coach engaged in impermissible activity designed to influence a student to transfer to Princeton High School. In accordance with Bylaw 4-9-7 and Bylaw 11, Penalties, the Executive Directors Office issued the following sanctions: 1) Princeton shall submit an action plan that outlines the education that will be provided to all coaches regarding Bylaw 4-9, Recruiting. 2) Princeton athletic administrator(s) shall attend the OHSAA New Administrators Seminar which is held in early August 2019. 3) Princeton is publicly reprimanded for lack of administrative responsibility in this matter. 4) Should Princeton HS decide to ultimately renew the coach for the 2019 season, Princeton is required to notify the OHSAA office of this decision and, while he is permitted to coach during the regular season, the coach be denied the opportunity to coach Princeton in the 2019 OHSAA tournament. Buy Photo Fans sit at the top of the high school stadium as the sun sets before their team's game last September. (Photo: Tony Tribble for the Enquirer) Aiken High School had a student-athlete in freshman boys basketball violate Bylaw 4-3-1 Enrollment and Attendance, during the 2017-18 season. In accordance with Bylaw 10-2-1, Forfeitures, the school must forfeit the seven victorious contests in which the ineligible student participated. River View East and Woodward High School each had a student-athlete who was reassigned by the district as a result of a specific change of academic program and was eligible to qualify for full eligibility under Bylaw 4-7-6, Intradistrict Transfer. However, the district failed to submit the requests for eligibility to the Executive Directors Office within the first 15 school days of the school year, as stipulated in the Bylaw. The OHSAA has restored eligibility for the students retroactively and prospectively but, in accordance with Bylaw 4-1-1, Administrative Error, the district has been fined $100. River View East High School had a student-athlete who was reassigned by the district as a result of a specific change of academic program and was eligible to qualify for full eligibility under Bylaw 4-7-6, Intradistrict Transfer. However, the district failed to submit the request for eligibility to the Executive Directors Office within the first 15 school days of the school year, as stipulated in the Bylaw. The OHSAA has restored eligibility for the student retroactively and prospectively but, in accordance with Bylaw 4-1-1, Administrative Error, the district has been fined $100. The OHSAA reported that 103 schools violated numerous sport regulations during the 2019 fall sports season. These violations resulted in $8,520 in fines. According to the OHSAA, 34 schools violated General Sports Regulation 3, Mandatory Requirement for Rating/Voting for Tournament Officials; three (3) schools violated General Sports Regulation 5, Penalties for Failure to Conduct Pre-Season Meetings; 110 schools violated General Sports Regulation 6, OHSAA-Sponsored Tournaments Entry/Withdraw Procedures and Draw/Seed Meeting Dates; and 16 schools violated General Sports Regulation 16, Tournaments (Failure to Appear).

The Ohio High School Athletic Association issued penalties for 27 schools recently committing infractions. Purcell Marian High School had a student-athlete in varsity football violate Bylaw 4-4-1, Scholarship.

bart

https://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/high-school/high-school-sports/2019/01/17/which-high-schools-received-penalties-ohsaa-infractions-month/2607070002/

Which high schools received penalties for OHSAA infractions this month?

CLOSE The Enquirer preps writers Shelby Dermer and Jon Richardson discuss the AP boys basketball second statewide poll and how they voted. Melanie Laughman, mlaughman@enquirer.com Following the Jan. 17 board meeting, the Ohio High School Athletic Association issued penalties for 27 schools recently committing infractions. The OHSAA imposed the following penalties against Greater Cincinnati schools that violated OHSAA bylaws or sports regulations: Purcell Marian High School had a student-athlete in varsity football violate Bylaw 4-4-1, Scholarship. However, the student met Exception 3 to the Bylaw (Incomplete restored to passing grade) but the school permitted the student to participate prior to receiving an eligibility ruling from the Executive Directors Office. The OHSAA has restored eligibility for the student retroactively but, in accordance with Bylaw 4-1-1, Administrative Error, the school has been fined $100. Princeton High School violated Bylaw 4-9-2, Recruiting, when a boys assistant track and field coach engaged in impermissible activity designed to influence a student to transfer to Princeton High School. In accordance with Bylaw 4-9-7 and Bylaw 11, Penalties, the Executive Directors Office issued the following sanctions: 1) Princeton shall submit an action plan that outlines the education that will be provided to all coaches regarding Bylaw 4-9, Recruiting. 2) Princeton athletic administrator(s) shall attend the OHSAA New Administrators Seminar which is held in early August 2019. 3) Princeton is publicly reprimanded for lack of administrative responsibility in this matter. 4) Should Princeton HS decide to ultimately renew the coach for the 2019 season, Princeton is required to notify the OHSAA office of this decision and, while he is permitted to coach during the regular season, the coach be denied the opportunity to coach Princeton in the 2019 OHSAA tournament. Buy Photo Fans sit at the top of the high school stadium as the sun sets before their team's game last September. (Photo: Tony Tribble for the Enquirer) Aiken High School had a student-athlete in freshman boys basketball violate Bylaw 4-3-1 Enrollment and Attendance, during the 2017-18 season. In accordance with Bylaw 10-2-1, Forfeitures, the school must forfeit the seven victorious contests in which the ineligible student participated. River View East and Woodward High School each had a student-athlete who was reassigned by the district as a result of a specific change of academic program and was eligible to qualify for full eligibility under Bylaw 4-7-6, Intradistrict Transfer. However, the district failed to submit the requests for eligibility to the Executive Directors Office within the first 15 school days of the school year, as stipulated in the Bylaw. The OHSAA has restored eligibility for the students retroactively and prospectively but, in accordance with Bylaw 4-1-1, Administrative Error, the district has been fined $100. River View East High School had a student-athlete who was reassigned by the district as a result of a specific change of academic program and was eligible to qualify for full eligibility under Bylaw 4-7-6, Intradistrict Transfer. However, the district failed to submit the request for eligibility to the Executive Directors Office within the first 15 school days of the school year, as stipulated in the Bylaw. The OHSAA has restored eligibility for the student retroactively and prospectively but, in accordance with Bylaw 4-1-1, Administrative Error, the district has been fined $100. The OHSAA reported that 103 schools violated numerous sport regulations during the 2019 fall sports season. These violations resulted in $8,520 in fines. According to the OHSAA, 34 schools violated General Sports Regulation 3, Mandatory Requirement for Rating/Voting for Tournament Officials; three (3) schools violated General Sports Regulation 5, Penalties for Failure to Conduct Pre-Season Meetings; 110 schools violated General Sports Regulation 6, OHSAA-Sponsored Tournaments Entry/Withdraw Procedures and Draw/Seed Meeting Dates; and 16 schools violated General Sports Regulation 16, Tournaments (Failure to Appear).

The Ohio High School Athletic Association issued penalties for 27 schools recently committing infractions. Purcell Marian High School had a student-athlete in varsity football violate Bylaw 4-4-1, Scholarship. Aiken High School must forfeit the seven victorious contests in which the ineligible student participated.

bart

https://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/high-school/high-school-sports/2019/01/17/which-high-schools-received-penalties-ohsaa-infractions-month/2607070002/

Will DeMarcus Cousins fuel an NBA trend of rehabbing in the G League?

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. DeMarcus Cousins will debut on Friday at the center of the basketball universe, playing in front of a celebrity-sprinkled crowd in Los Angeles and a global television audience that still cant believe he signed last summer with the back-to-back champion Golden State Warriors. To prepare for this moment after missing nearly a year with a torn left Achilles tendon, the four-time all-star center traveled to a funky outpost on the central California coast whose downtown is dotted by surf shops, bong emporiums and wellness studios. There, he found the Kaiser Permanente Arena, a no-frills, 2,500-seat gym surrounded by the San Lorenzo River, an auto shop and a Walgreens. The arena was built in 2012 and, according to local lore, went up in just 78 days. Unlike the half-billion-dollar palaces of professional teams, it cost roughly $10 million and once housed a womens roller derby squad. For the past two and a half years, the Santa Cruz Warriors, Golden States G League affiliate, have played to a packed house. Its a mini-Oracle Arena, said guard Damion Lee, who has logged time for both Golden State and Santa Cruz this year. Lees name is included on a banner near the buildings main entrance: Santa Cruz Warriors: NBA Call-Ups. The nondescript sign is a badge of honor for the minor-league franchise and a naked reminder to its players: The G League is intended to be a launchpad, not a destination. For the undrafted prospects and journeymen who live in a nearby hotel for the six-month season, the road to the NBA runs through here. In recent years, though, G League teams have increasingly hosted high-profile NBA players returning from injury such as Cousins, whose $18.1 million contract in 2017-18 was more than 500 times greater than the standard G League salary of $35,000. These rehab assignments are a marriage of convenience, pairing NBA players coming off injuries with pro-level competition that can mimic the speed and physicality of the big league without taxing actual NBA players during the middle of their season. This rise in rehab assignments is a helpful barometer for the G Leagues growth. Since its founding in 2001, the G League has expanded from eight teams to 27 teams, and formalized the relationships between NBA teams and their minor-league affiliates. Rather than sharing far-flung affiliates with other teams as they did in the past, most NBA teams now operate their own G League teams in one-to-one relationships. This trend has allowed NBA teams greater control over style of play on the court, sales and marketing off the court, and even the location of the franchises. Meanwhile, the NBA has expanded roster sizes and added new player designations, such as two-way contract players who can shuttle back and forth between the NBA and G League, to encourage greater investment in the minor-league product. The G League will expand to 28 teams in 2019-20 and expects to have 30 affiliates to match the 30 NBA franchises within the next 18 months. As the G League has added and relocated franchises, the convenience factor has sharply increased. The Santa Cruz Warriors, who relocated from North Dakota in 2012, are a prime example. Good luck. No problem. Proximity has mattered for other franchises, too. The Los Angeles Lakers assigned guard Rajon Rondo to their South Bay affiliate, which plays its home games at the teams El Segundo practice facility. The Chicago Bulls have placed Zach LaVine and Jabari Parker with their Windy City affiliate, which plays just 25 minutes from downtown. When the Los Angeles Clippers sent Blake Griffin to practice with their Agua Caliente affiliate last season, they hand-delivered the competition to their star by bringing in the G League players from Ontario, California, to practice at their Playa Vista training facility. According to data provided by the G League, the average distance between an NBA team and its G League affiliate this season is 142 miles down sharply from 452 miles in 2013-14. That geographical shift has led to a corresponding spike in rehab assignments, which have long been common practice for Major League Baseball teams and their farm clubs. From 2013-14 to 2016-17, an average of five NBA players per year were sent to their G League affiliates to aid in their recoveries. Over the past 18 months, 19 players have undertaken rehab assignments, including six all-stars. Rehab assignments are another value-add for the G League, said Shareef Abdur-Rahim, who began his tenure as G League president on Monday. You can use the G League to develop your young players and coaches, but you can also give players like Cousins the opportunity to get practice and game time. Weve seen Tony Parker and Brandon Knight do it, too. Location is one-half of the equation; commitment is the other. The Warriors have purposefully merged their NBA and G League operations whenever possible, utilizing similar strategies, play calls and terminology. Santa Cruz coach Aaron Miles joined the Warriors staff during the playoffs and training camp, Santa Cruzs strength coaches are in regular contact with their NBA counterparts, and the Warriors employ a coach who is dedicated to handling the franchises two-way contract players. The G League affiliate also mimics Golden States marketing approaches, utilizing the same blue and yellow color scheme and handing out the same bobbleheads and replica championship rings to Santa Cruz fans that the Warriors dispense at Oracle Arena. This comprehensive organizational synergy, as Santa Cruz President Chris Murphy termed it, has enabled Santa Cruz to operate at a profit and cultivate 1,200 season ticket holders. It also perfectly set the table for Cousins rehab stint, which occurred over three sessions in December during a quieter stretch of Santa Cruzs schedule. Up at Golden State, DeMarcus was doing a lot of two-on-two stuff, Miles said. [Warriors coach] Steve Kerr told me he wanted DeMarcus to get up and down. Golden State practices, but they dont do a lot of scrimmaging, its more fine details. We wanted to give Cousins what he needed. It was big for him to just play because its been a year or so since he was in an NBA game. Cousins, who tore his Achilles tendon in January 2018 as a member of the New Orleans Pelicans, went through full-court, five-on-five scrimmages that featured elongated halves to test his conditioning. The Warriors sent down Rick Celebrini, their director of sports medicine, to monitor his performance and members of their digital team to capture highlights for their website. Because Golden State tapes and analyzes all of Santa Cruzs practices and games using the PlaySight and Second Spectrum video services, Kerrs management had complete and immediate access to Cousins workouts. While its tempting to picture Cousins barnstorming through Santa Cruz, laying waste to the overmatched competition in front of gawking crowds, thats not what happened. Instead, he teased his younger brother, Jaleel, a 6-10 center for Santa Cruz, and impressed his temporary teammates with his passing skills and outside shooting. The practices occurred in a near-empty gym and received little media attention. It was business as usual, Murphy said. We could have sold hundreds of tickets to the practice, but it was pretty cool to have a player of his caliber have a very comfortable experience. Many of the players knew Cousins from Warriors training camp, which lightened the mood and made his appearance feel routine. It wasnt like our team is a bunch of high school kids in awe, Jaleel Cousins said. Santa Cruz is a professional setting, and this was a professional thing. DeMarcus was trash-talking, trying to motivate guys. Like with your friends playing backyard ball, you talk (expletive). He said, D-up. You cant guard me. Miles and his players saw Cousins moving easily as he began to work his way back into game shape. He tested his leg in various situations: setting screens, rolling to the hoop, popping to the three-point line and pivoting through traffic. Miles eyes lit up as he described how Kerr can use Cousins: by running split cuts off the big man to utilize his passing skills, and by dumping it to him in the post to set up an inside-out game for the Warriors shooters. When Santa Cruz huddled after practice, Cousins addressed the team, praising their collective talent and offering encouragement. He said to keep grinding and he thanked everybody for playing five-on-five and doing extra for him, Jaleel Cousins said. His message was, You guys could have said that you have a game coming up and you wanted to focus on yourselves, but I appreciate you allowing me to join you and helping me to get back to where I was. Although the Warriors elected not to assign Cousins to play in a G League game, his Santa Cruz teammates still dreamed about the possibility. Guard Kendrick Nunn laughed at the idea of Cousins intimidating G League opponents, while forward Kevin Young imagined Miles force-feeding Cousins for crazy numbers. To Abdur-Rahim, the concept is no joke. After all, New York Knicks guard Courtney Lee logged 32 minutes in a December game with their Westchester affiliate while on a rehab assignment, another sign that minor-league stigma is fading. I can absolutely see NBA players playing in G League games becoming a trend, said Abdur-Rahim. It takes just one star who wants to play and get his rhythm. Then it would turn commonplace. The structure and the resources support it right now. Without question, Cousins return represents one of the key mileposts of the 2018-19 season. Kerr plans to start him at center, giving Golden State a starting five composed entirely of all-stars from a season ago (the last team with such a luxury was the 1975-76 Boston Celtics). If Cousins fits in and looks healthy, the Warriors are overwhelming favorites to claim their third straight title. If there are bumps or setbacks, the mercurial Cousins known for his arguments with officials and occasional emotional outbursts will become a lightning rod. Santa Cruzs players noted that Cousins wont need to carry as heavy of a burden with the Warriors as he shouldered with the Sacramento Kings and Pelicans earlier in his career. Lee said that Cousins repeated trips to Santa Cruz showed how humble of a person he is, and Miles spoke positively of Cousins demeanor and leadership during his visits. Jaleel Cousins said his brother is in a good place mentally because the Warriors have given him a lot of downtime during his rehabilitation and because his comeback represents a chance to rewrite his reputation. Hes mingled with the team and meshed with them perfectly, Jaleel said. Hes not the monster everybody tries to make him out to be. The Santa Cruz Warriors, like the rest of the basketball world, will be tuning into Cousins first game, but only after they try to beat the Salt Lake City Stars in front of their 68th straight home sellout. Ive played in Puerto Rico, Canada, Mexico, Argentina and Iceland, Young mused. In Argentina, we had seven fans in the stands at one game. Some places, basketball isnt everything. Here, its like a family and we try to mimic the Warriors organization in every way. We all want each other to succeed.

DeMarcus Cousins will make his NBA debut on Friday. Cousins will play for the Santa Cruz Warriors in the G League.

ctrlsum

https://www.denverpost.com/2019/01/17/demarcus-cousins-g-league-rehab/

Will DeMarcus Cousins fuel an NBA trend of rehabbing in the G League?

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. DeMarcus Cousins will debut on Friday at the center of the basketball universe, playing in front of a celebrity-sprinkled crowd in Los Angeles and a global television audience that still cant believe he signed last summer with the back-to-back champion Golden State Warriors. To prepare for this moment after missing nearly a year with a torn left Achilles tendon, the four-time all-star center traveled to a funky outpost on the central California coast whose downtown is dotted by surf shops, bong emporiums and wellness studios. There, he found the Kaiser Permanente Arena, a no-frills, 2,500-seat gym surrounded by the San Lorenzo River, an auto shop and a Walgreens. The arena was built in 2012 and, according to local lore, went up in just 78 days. Unlike the half-billion-dollar palaces of professional teams, it cost roughly $10 million and once housed a womens roller derby squad. For the past two and a half years, the Santa Cruz Warriors, Golden States G League affiliate, have played to a packed house. Its a mini-Oracle Arena, said guard Damion Lee, who has logged time for both Golden State and Santa Cruz this year. Lees name is included on a banner near the buildings main entrance: Santa Cruz Warriors: NBA Call-Ups. The nondescript sign is a badge of honor for the minor-league franchise and a naked reminder to its players: The G League is intended to be a launchpad, not a destination. For the undrafted prospects and journeymen who live in a nearby hotel for the six-month season, the road to the NBA runs through here. In recent years, though, G League teams have increasingly hosted high-profile NBA players returning from injury such as Cousins, whose $18.1 million contract in 2017-18 was more than 500 times greater than the standard G League salary of $35,000. These rehab assignments are a marriage of convenience, pairing NBA players coming off injuries with pro-level competition that can mimic the speed and physicality of the big league without taxing actual NBA players during the middle of their season. This rise in rehab assignments is a helpful barometer for the G Leagues growth. Since its founding in 2001, the G League has expanded from eight teams to 27 teams, and formalized the relationships between NBA teams and their minor-league affiliates. Rather than sharing far-flung affiliates with other teams as they did in the past, most NBA teams now operate their own G League teams in one-to-one relationships. This trend has allowed NBA teams greater control over style of play on the court, sales and marketing off the court, and even the location of the franchises. Meanwhile, the NBA has expanded roster sizes and added new player designations, such as two-way contract players who can shuttle back and forth between the NBA and G League, to encourage greater investment in the minor-league product. The G League will expand to 28 teams in 2019-20 and expects to have 30 affiliates to match the 30 NBA franchises within the next 18 months. As the G League has added and relocated franchises, the convenience factor has sharply increased. The Santa Cruz Warriors, who relocated from North Dakota in 2012, are a prime example. Good luck. No problem. Proximity has mattered for other franchises, too. The Los Angeles Lakers assigned guard Rajon Rondo to their South Bay affiliate, which plays its home games at the teams El Segundo practice facility. The Chicago Bulls have placed Zach LaVine and Jabari Parker with their Windy City affiliate, which plays just 25 minutes from downtown. When the Los Angeles Clippers sent Blake Griffin to practice with their Agua Caliente affiliate last season, they hand-delivered the competition to their star by bringing in the G League players from Ontario, California, to practice at their Playa Vista training facility. According to data provided by the G League, the average distance between an NBA team and its G League affiliate this season is 142 miles down sharply from 452 miles in 2013-14. That geographical shift has led to a corresponding spike in rehab assignments, which have long been common practice for Major League Baseball teams and their farm clubs. From 2013-14 to 2016-17, an average of five NBA players per year were sent to their G League affiliates to aid in their recoveries. Over the past 18 months, 19 players have undertaken rehab assignments, including six all-stars. Rehab assignments are another value-add for the G League, said Shareef Abdur-Rahim, who began his tenure as G League president on Monday. You can use the G League to develop your young players and coaches, but you can also give players like Cousins the opportunity to get practice and game time. Weve seen Tony Parker and Brandon Knight do it, too. Location is one-half of the equation; commitment is the other. The Warriors have purposefully merged their NBA and G League operations whenever possible, utilizing similar strategies, play calls and terminology. Santa Cruz coach Aaron Miles joined the Warriors staff during the playoffs and training camp, Santa Cruzs strength coaches are in regular contact with their NBA counterparts, and the Warriors employ a coach who is dedicated to handling the franchises two-way contract players. The G League affiliate also mimics Golden States marketing approaches, utilizing the same blue and yellow color scheme and handing out the same bobbleheads and replica championship rings to Santa Cruz fans that the Warriors dispense at Oracle Arena. This comprehensive organizational synergy, as Santa Cruz President Chris Murphy termed it, has enabled Santa Cruz to operate at a profit and cultivate 1,200 season ticket holders. It also perfectly set the table for Cousins rehab stint, which occurred over three sessions in December during a quieter stretch of Santa Cruzs schedule. Up at Golden State, DeMarcus was doing a lot of two-on-two stuff, Miles said. [Warriors coach] Steve Kerr told me he wanted DeMarcus to get up and down. Golden State practices, but they dont do a lot of scrimmaging, its more fine details. We wanted to give Cousins what he needed. It was big for him to just play because its been a year or so since he was in an NBA game. Cousins, who tore his Achilles tendon in January 2018 as a member of the New Orleans Pelicans, went through full-court, five-on-five scrimmages that featured elongated halves to test his conditioning. The Warriors sent down Rick Celebrini, their director of sports medicine, to monitor his performance and members of their digital team to capture highlights for their website. Because Golden State tapes and analyzes all of Santa Cruzs practices and games using the PlaySight and Second Spectrum video services, Kerrs management had complete and immediate access to Cousins workouts. While its tempting to picture Cousins barnstorming through Santa Cruz, laying waste to the overmatched competition in front of gawking crowds, thats not what happened. Instead, he teased his younger brother, Jaleel, a 6-10 center for Santa Cruz, and impressed his temporary teammates with his passing skills and outside shooting. The practices occurred in a near-empty gym and received little media attention. It was business as usual, Murphy said. We could have sold hundreds of tickets to the practice, but it was pretty cool to have a player of his caliber have a very comfortable experience. Many of the players knew Cousins from Warriors training camp, which lightened the mood and made his appearance feel routine. It wasnt like our team is a bunch of high school kids in awe, Jaleel Cousins said. Santa Cruz is a professional setting, and this was a professional thing. DeMarcus was trash-talking, trying to motivate guys. Like with your friends playing backyard ball, you talk (expletive). He said, D-up. You cant guard me. Miles and his players saw Cousins moving easily as he began to work his way back into game shape. He tested his leg in various situations: setting screens, rolling to the hoop, popping to the three-point line and pivoting through traffic. Miles eyes lit up as he described how Kerr can use Cousins: by running split cuts off the big man to utilize his passing skills, and by dumping it to him in the post to set up an inside-out game for the Warriors shooters. When Santa Cruz huddled after practice, Cousins addressed the team, praising their collective talent and offering encouragement. He said to keep grinding and he thanked everybody for playing five-on-five and doing extra for him, Jaleel Cousins said. His message was, You guys could have said that you have a game coming up and you wanted to focus on yourselves, but I appreciate you allowing me to join you and helping me to get back to where I was. Although the Warriors elected not to assign Cousins to play in a G League game, his Santa Cruz teammates still dreamed about the possibility. Guard Kendrick Nunn laughed at the idea of Cousins intimidating G League opponents, while forward Kevin Young imagined Miles force-feeding Cousins for crazy numbers. To Abdur-Rahim, the concept is no joke. After all, New York Knicks guard Courtney Lee logged 32 minutes in a December game with their Westchester affiliate while on a rehab assignment, another sign that minor-league stigma is fading. I can absolutely see NBA players playing in G League games becoming a trend, said Abdur-Rahim. It takes just one star who wants to play and get his rhythm. Then it would turn commonplace. The structure and the resources support it right now. Without question, Cousins return represents one of the key mileposts of the 2018-19 season. Kerr plans to start him at center, giving Golden State a starting five composed entirely of all-stars from a season ago (the last team with such a luxury was the 1975-76 Boston Celtics). If Cousins fits in and looks healthy, the Warriors are overwhelming favorites to claim their third straight title. If there are bumps or setbacks, the mercurial Cousins known for his arguments with officials and occasional emotional outbursts will become a lightning rod. Santa Cruzs players noted that Cousins wont need to carry as heavy of a burden with the Warriors as he shouldered with the Sacramento Kings and Pelicans earlier in his career. Lee said that Cousins repeated trips to Santa Cruz showed how humble of a person he is, and Miles spoke positively of Cousins demeanor and leadership during his visits. Jaleel Cousins said his brother is in a good place mentally because the Warriors have given him a lot of downtime during his rehabilitation and because his comeback represents a chance to rewrite his reputation. Hes mingled with the team and meshed with them perfectly, Jaleel said. Hes not the monster everybody tries to make him out to be. The Santa Cruz Warriors, like the rest of the basketball world, will be tuning into Cousins first game, but only after they try to beat the Salt Lake City Stars in front of their 68th straight home sellout. Ive played in Puerto Rico, Canada, Mexico, Argentina and Iceland, Young mused. In Argentina, we had seven fans in the stands at one game. Some places, basketball isnt everything. Here, its like a family and we try to mimic the Warriors organization in every way. We all want each other to succeed.

DeMarcus Cousins will make his NBA debut on Friday. Cousins will play for the Santa Cruz Warriors in the G League. The G League has seen a rise in rehab assignments for NBA players.

ctrlsum

https://www.denverpost.com/2019/01/17/demarcus-cousins-g-league-rehab/

Will DeMarcus Cousins fuel an NBA trend of rehabbing in the G League?

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. DeMarcus Cousins will debut on Friday at the center of the basketball universe, playing in front of a celebrity-sprinkled crowd in Los Angeles and a global television audience that still cant believe he signed last summer with the back-to-back champion Golden State Warriors. To prepare for this moment after missing nearly a year with a torn left Achilles tendon, the four-time all-star center traveled to a funky outpost on the central California coast whose downtown is dotted by surf shops, bong emporiums and wellness studios. There, he found the Kaiser Permanente Arena, a no-frills, 2,500-seat gym surrounded by the San Lorenzo River, an auto shop and a Walgreens. The arena was built in 2012 and, according to local lore, went up in just 78 days. Unlike the half-billion-dollar palaces of professional teams, it cost roughly $10 million and once housed a womens roller derby squad. For the past two and a half years, the Santa Cruz Warriors, Golden States G League affiliate, have played to a packed house. Its a mini-Oracle Arena, said guard Damion Lee, who has logged time for both Golden State and Santa Cruz this year. Lees name is included on a banner near the buildings main entrance: Santa Cruz Warriors: NBA Call-Ups. The nondescript sign is a badge of honor for the minor-league franchise and a naked reminder to its players: The G League is intended to be a launchpad, not a destination. For the undrafted prospects and journeymen who live in a nearby hotel for the six-month season, the road to the NBA runs through here. In recent years, though, G League teams have increasingly hosted high-profile NBA players returning from injury such as Cousins, whose $18.1 million contract in 2017-18 was more than 500 times greater than the standard G League salary of $35,000. These rehab assignments are a marriage of convenience, pairing NBA players coming off injuries with pro-level competition that can mimic the speed and physicality of the big league without taxing actual NBA players during the middle of their season. This rise in rehab assignments is a helpful barometer for the G Leagues growth. Since its founding in 2001, the G League has expanded from eight teams to 27 teams, and formalized the relationships between NBA teams and their minor-league affiliates. Rather than sharing far-flung affiliates with other teams as they did in the past, most NBA teams now operate their own G League teams in one-to-one relationships. This trend has allowed NBA teams greater control over style of play on the court, sales and marketing off the court, and even the location of the franchises. Meanwhile, the NBA has expanded roster sizes and added new player designations, such as two-way contract players who can shuttle back and forth between the NBA and G League, to encourage greater investment in the minor-league product. The G League will expand to 28 teams in 2019-20 and expects to have 30 affiliates to match the 30 NBA franchises within the next 18 months. As the G League has added and relocated franchises, the convenience factor has sharply increased. The Santa Cruz Warriors, who relocated from North Dakota in 2012, are a prime example. Good luck. No problem. Proximity has mattered for other franchises, too. The Los Angeles Lakers assigned guard Rajon Rondo to their South Bay affiliate, which plays its home games at the teams El Segundo practice facility. The Chicago Bulls have placed Zach LaVine and Jabari Parker with their Windy City affiliate, which plays just 25 minutes from downtown. When the Los Angeles Clippers sent Blake Griffin to practice with their Agua Caliente affiliate last season, they hand-delivered the competition to their star by bringing in the G League players from Ontario, California, to practice at their Playa Vista training facility. According to data provided by the G League, the average distance between an NBA team and its G League affiliate this season is 142 miles down sharply from 452 miles in 2013-14. That geographical shift has led to a corresponding spike in rehab assignments, which have long been common practice for Major League Baseball teams and their farm clubs. From 2013-14 to 2016-17, an average of five NBA players per year were sent to their G League affiliates to aid in their recoveries. Over the past 18 months, 19 players have undertaken rehab assignments, including six all-stars. Rehab assignments are another value-add for the G League, said Shareef Abdur-Rahim, who began his tenure as G League president on Monday. You can use the G League to develop your young players and coaches, but you can also give players like Cousins the opportunity to get practice and game time. Weve seen Tony Parker and Brandon Knight do it, too. Location is one-half of the equation; commitment is the other. The Warriors have purposefully merged their NBA and G League operations whenever possible, utilizing similar strategies, play calls and terminology. Santa Cruz coach Aaron Miles joined the Warriors staff during the playoffs and training camp, Santa Cruzs strength coaches are in regular contact with their NBA counterparts, and the Warriors employ a coach who is dedicated to handling the franchises two-way contract players. The G League affiliate also mimics Golden States marketing approaches, utilizing the same blue and yellow color scheme and handing out the same bobbleheads and replica championship rings to Santa Cruz fans that the Warriors dispense at Oracle Arena. This comprehensive organizational synergy, as Santa Cruz President Chris Murphy termed it, has enabled Santa Cruz to operate at a profit and cultivate 1,200 season ticket holders. It also perfectly set the table for Cousins rehab stint, which occurred over three sessions in December during a quieter stretch of Santa Cruzs schedule. Up at Golden State, DeMarcus was doing a lot of two-on-two stuff, Miles said. [Warriors coach] Steve Kerr told me he wanted DeMarcus to get up and down. Golden State practices, but they dont do a lot of scrimmaging, its more fine details. We wanted to give Cousins what he needed. It was big for him to just play because its been a year or so since he was in an NBA game. Cousins, who tore his Achilles tendon in January 2018 as a member of the New Orleans Pelicans, went through full-court, five-on-five scrimmages that featured elongated halves to test his conditioning. The Warriors sent down Rick Celebrini, their director of sports medicine, to monitor his performance and members of their digital team to capture highlights for their website. Because Golden State tapes and analyzes all of Santa Cruzs practices and games using the PlaySight and Second Spectrum video services, Kerrs management had complete and immediate access to Cousins workouts. While its tempting to picture Cousins barnstorming through Santa Cruz, laying waste to the overmatched competition in front of gawking crowds, thats not what happened. Instead, he teased his younger brother, Jaleel, a 6-10 center for Santa Cruz, and impressed his temporary teammates with his passing skills and outside shooting. The practices occurred in a near-empty gym and received little media attention. It was business as usual, Murphy said. We could have sold hundreds of tickets to the practice, but it was pretty cool to have a player of his caliber have a very comfortable experience. Many of the players knew Cousins from Warriors training camp, which lightened the mood and made his appearance feel routine. It wasnt like our team is a bunch of high school kids in awe, Jaleel Cousins said. Santa Cruz is a professional setting, and this was a professional thing. DeMarcus was trash-talking, trying to motivate guys. Like with your friends playing backyard ball, you talk (expletive). He said, D-up. You cant guard me. Miles and his players saw Cousins moving easily as he began to work his way back into game shape. He tested his leg in various situations: setting screens, rolling to the hoop, popping to the three-point line and pivoting through traffic. Miles eyes lit up as he described how Kerr can use Cousins: by running split cuts off the big man to utilize his passing skills, and by dumping it to him in the post to set up an inside-out game for the Warriors shooters. When Santa Cruz huddled after practice, Cousins addressed the team, praising their collective talent and offering encouragement. He said to keep grinding and he thanked everybody for playing five-on-five and doing extra for him, Jaleel Cousins said. His message was, You guys could have said that you have a game coming up and you wanted to focus on yourselves, but I appreciate you allowing me to join you and helping me to get back to where I was. Although the Warriors elected not to assign Cousins to play in a G League game, his Santa Cruz teammates still dreamed about the possibility. Guard Kendrick Nunn laughed at the idea of Cousins intimidating G League opponents, while forward Kevin Young imagined Miles force-feeding Cousins for crazy numbers. To Abdur-Rahim, the concept is no joke. After all, New York Knicks guard Courtney Lee logged 32 minutes in a December game with their Westchester affiliate while on a rehab assignment, another sign that minor-league stigma is fading. I can absolutely see NBA players playing in G League games becoming a trend, said Abdur-Rahim. It takes just one star who wants to play and get his rhythm. Then it would turn commonplace. The structure and the resources support it right now. Without question, Cousins return represents one of the key mileposts of the 2018-19 season. Kerr plans to start him at center, giving Golden State a starting five composed entirely of all-stars from a season ago (the last team with such a luxury was the 1975-76 Boston Celtics). If Cousins fits in and looks healthy, the Warriors are overwhelming favorites to claim their third straight title. If there are bumps or setbacks, the mercurial Cousins known for his arguments with officials and occasional emotional outbursts will become a lightning rod. Santa Cruzs players noted that Cousins wont need to carry as heavy of a burden with the Warriors as he shouldered with the Sacramento Kings and Pelicans earlier in his career. Lee said that Cousins repeated trips to Santa Cruz showed how humble of a person he is, and Miles spoke positively of Cousins demeanor and leadership during his visits. Jaleel Cousins said his brother is in a good place mentally because the Warriors have given him a lot of downtime during his rehabilitation and because his comeback represents a chance to rewrite his reputation. Hes mingled with the team and meshed with them perfectly, Jaleel said. Hes not the monster everybody tries to make him out to be. The Santa Cruz Warriors, like the rest of the basketball world, will be tuning into Cousins first game, but only after they try to beat the Salt Lake City Stars in front of their 68th straight home sellout. Ive played in Puerto Rico, Canada, Mexico, Argentina and Iceland, Young mused. In Argentina, we had seven fans in the stands at one game. Some places, basketball isnt everything. Here, its like a family and we try to mimic the Warriors organization in every way. We all want each other to succeed.

DeMarcus Cousins will make his NBA debut on Friday. Cousins will play for the Santa Cruz Warriors in the G League. The G League has seen a rise in rehab assignments for high-profile NBA players. The NBA has expanded the number of G League teams from eight to 27.

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https://www.denverpost.com/2019/01/17/demarcus-cousins-g-league-rehab/

What Jared Goff learned from Drew Brees, and will it matter with a Super Bowl spot on the line?

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. When Drew Brees came into the NFL, he had a 39-year-old quarterback in Doug Flutie giving him advice. Back then, Brees was a rookie backup quarterback on the San Diego Chargers whose first NFL start didnt come until his second season. By then, Brees had soaked up all he could from Flutie, whose unselfishness helped Brees learn about being a professional athlete. The next year, Brees became the starter with Flutie as the backup. I always appreciated that, Brees said about his talks with Flutie. I always felt like it made a difference, and I always told myself at the time that hopefully I can play long enough to where there are guys that start asking advice rom me. I want to make sure that I pay it forward just like those guys did with me. One recent opportunity came last January in Orlando, Fla., where a then-39-year-old Brees spent time with Rams quarterback Jared Goff, then 23, while at the Pro Bowl together. Much like how Flutie once told Brees hed be competing with him for a starting position, Goff now is in competition with Brees and the New Orleans Saints for a spot in the Super Bowl. You see just how professional he is and why hes been doing it at such a high level for so long," Goff said. "I think hes not necessarily prototypical with size, speed, strength and all that, but what he has is his professionalism and the way he approaches the game. I have so much respect for him and was able to be around him at that Pro Bowl and pick up a little bit from him. The 6-foot-4 Goff is a third-year starting quarterback whose best play has come in the two seasons with Sean McVay as his coach. His 64.9 completion percentage, 4,688 passing yards and 32 touchdowns passes in 2018 all are career highs. I wasnt going to pry too deeply, Goff said about the questions asked of Brees. But Id ask him a few questions as far as his warm-up and things he does throughout the week. Little things here and there that he was helpful with. New Orleans Saints protect routine, keep locker room pastimes during playoff run One common thread between the two has been their work with Tom House, a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher whose work with quarterbacks began with Brees after his shoulder injury during his final game with the Chargers in the 2005 finale. Theres a lot of physical stuff that puts me in a routine that I learned from (House) that Im sure Drew learned, Goff said. A lot of stuff physically, as far as the warm-up goes which can probably translate to the mental side of it, just getting confident and prepared and ready to play. At this point, being prepared means something different to Goff than it does for Brees. For Brees, the playoff game Sunday will be the 15th of his career and his seventh postseason game inside the Dome, where theyre undefeated with Sean Payton as coach and Brees as quarterback. Goff has never played a postseason game on the road. His Rams lost a in the wild-card round at home to the Falcons in 2017. Last week, they beat the Cowboys at home in the divisional round. Crowd noise will be a challenge. The Rams will go into the game knowing theyll need to rely more on hand signals, or visual communication, as Goff called it. You cant get things changed much at the line of scrimmage, Goff said. So, in the huddle, just making sure everyone is on the screws and knows what theyre doing. The visit to New Orleans will be the third since August for the Rams. Nearly all the teams starters remained on the sideline for the preseason finale in August, before the Rams returned in Week 9 to have their undefeated start stopped at 8-0 in a game the Saints won 45-35. The Rams were scheduled to practice Thursday at an outdoor field in misty, overcast conditions with four loudspeakers lining the field. Not the most authentic replication of what the Rams will face in the Dome, but something different from the usual setting. From afar, Brees has plenty of admiration for Goff. Hes just tremendous, Brees said. Theres not many guys that are just better pure passers, throwers. You watch what they do with their offense, theres a lot of moving parts and I think he handles it very well. With Goff, he sees a bright future. The preference, of course, is that the brigestest moments occur sometime after Sunday. Brees, after all, is now 40. It's Gumbo week, and Marcus Peters has turned into a crawfish

Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints face the Rams in the Super Bowl on Sunday. Brees has learned a lot from Rams quarterback Jared Goff. Goff says he learned some things from Brees at the Pro Bowl.

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https://www.nola.com/saints/2019/01/what-jared-goff-learned-from-drew-brees-and-will-it-matter-with-a-super-bowl-spot-on-the-line.html

What Jared Goff learned from Drew Brees, and will it matter with a Super Bowl spot on the line?

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. When Drew Brees came into the NFL, he had a 39-year-old quarterback in Doug Flutie giving him advice. Back then, Brees was a rookie backup quarterback on the San Diego Chargers whose first NFL start didnt come until his second season. By then, Brees had soaked up all he could from Flutie, whose unselfishness helped Brees learn about being a professional athlete. The next year, Brees became the starter with Flutie as the backup. I always appreciated that, Brees said about his talks with Flutie. I always felt like it made a difference, and I always told myself at the time that hopefully I can play long enough to where there are guys that start asking advice rom me. I want to make sure that I pay it forward just like those guys did with me. One recent opportunity came last January in Orlando, Fla., where a then-39-year-old Brees spent time with Rams quarterback Jared Goff, then 23, while at the Pro Bowl together. Much like how Flutie once told Brees hed be competing with him for a starting position, Goff now is in competition with Brees and the New Orleans Saints for a spot in the Super Bowl. You see just how professional he is and why hes been doing it at such a high level for so long," Goff said. "I think hes not necessarily prototypical with size, speed, strength and all that, but what he has is his professionalism and the way he approaches the game. I have so much respect for him and was able to be around him at that Pro Bowl and pick up a little bit from him. The 6-foot-4 Goff is a third-year starting quarterback whose best play has come in the two seasons with Sean McVay as his coach. His 64.9 completion percentage, 4,688 passing yards and 32 touchdowns passes in 2018 all are career highs. I wasnt going to pry too deeply, Goff said about the questions asked of Brees. But Id ask him a few questions as far as his warm-up and things he does throughout the week. Little things here and there that he was helpful with. New Orleans Saints protect routine, keep locker room pastimes during playoff run One common thread between the two has been their work with Tom House, a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher whose work with quarterbacks began with Brees after his shoulder injury during his final game with the Chargers in the 2005 finale. Theres a lot of physical stuff that puts me in a routine that I learned from (House) that Im sure Drew learned, Goff said. A lot of stuff physically, as far as the warm-up goes which can probably translate to the mental side of it, just getting confident and prepared and ready to play. At this point, being prepared means something different to Goff than it does for Brees. For Brees, the playoff game Sunday will be the 15th of his career and his seventh postseason game inside the Dome, where theyre undefeated with Sean Payton as coach and Brees as quarterback. Goff has never played a postseason game on the road. His Rams lost a in the wild-card round at home to the Falcons in 2017. Last week, they beat the Cowboys at home in the divisional round. Crowd noise will be a challenge. The Rams will go into the game knowing theyll need to rely more on hand signals, or visual communication, as Goff called it. You cant get things changed much at the line of scrimmage, Goff said. So, in the huddle, just making sure everyone is on the screws and knows what theyre doing. The visit to New Orleans will be the third since August for the Rams. Nearly all the teams starters remained on the sideline for the preseason finale in August, before the Rams returned in Week 9 to have their undefeated start stopped at 8-0 in a game the Saints won 45-35. The Rams were scheduled to practice Thursday at an outdoor field in misty, overcast conditions with four loudspeakers lining the field. Not the most authentic replication of what the Rams will face in the Dome, but something different from the usual setting. From afar, Brees has plenty of admiration for Goff. Hes just tremendous, Brees said. Theres not many guys that are just better pure passers, throwers. You watch what they do with their offense, theres a lot of moving parts and I think he handles it very well. With Goff, he sees a bright future. The preference, of course, is that the brigestest moments occur sometime after Sunday. Brees, after all, is now 40. It's Gumbo week, and Marcus Peters has turned into a crawfish

Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints face the Rams in the Super Bowl on Sunday. Brees has learned a lot from Rams quarterback Jared Goff. Goff says he learned some things from Brees at the Pro Bowl last year. The Rams and Saints face each other at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

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https://www.nola.com/saints/2019/01/what-jared-goff-learned-from-drew-brees-and-will-it-matter-with-a-super-bowl-spot-on-the-line.html

Could insects be the new staple in our diet?

Due to increasing global demand for protein, insects may become a staple in our diet, but international researchers say we don't know enough about what might happen if we make this shift. As whole-roasted crickets gain traction as a protein-rich snack and restaurants experiment with mealworms on the menu, there's still "an overwhelming lack of knowledge" concerning the ecological sustainability of the emerging, multimillion-dollar insects-as-food industry, say researchers at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. In an opinion article published January this week in the journal Trends in Ecology & Evolution, they explore unanswered questions around insect rearing, safety, and environmental impacts but overall are optimistic that suppliers will rise to the challenge. "As the global demand for protein grows, insect mass-rearing can play an important role in the future of food," says first author Asa Berggren, a conservation biologist at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. Advertisement "We know that we can't keep doing what we're doing in terms of producing food and utilising the land." While insects-as-food provides environmental sustainability potential due to their nutritional qualities and feed conversion ratios, Berggren and her colleagues, Anna Jansson and Matthew Low, note that there are many basic questions that need to be urgently researched before the industry grows to ensure sustainability. "Otherwise, we risk replacing one environmental issue with another," says Berggren. "Though the industry is in its infancy, some companies are getting bigger, and doing well, and the risks will come along with that." Of the several areas where research is needed, one of the more urgent ones deals with unwanted systems products. For example, we don't yet know the full impact of mass-rearing insects in countries where these species do not naturally occur. An escapee could wreak havoc on the ecosystem and be akin to what Berggren describes as a "climate catastrophe." Other areas include species and life history trade-offs, sustainable feed production, food safety, and ethics. But since the industry is so young, (Americans spent $55 million on edible insects in 2017), and it will take time to make insect-rich food attractive to a wider Western audience, the researchers believe there is still time to conduct proper research and shape environmental policy. "Insects have the potential to be a good, sustainable, useful food source, but it's not as simple as rearing them and then that's it," says Berggren. "There is a lot of effort that needs to be put in to research."

As global demand for protein grows, insects may become a staple in our diet.

pegasus

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/the-country/news/article.cfm?c_id=16&objectid=12190544

Could insects be the new staple in our diet?

Due to increasing global demand for protein, insects may become a staple in our diet, but international researchers say we don't know enough about what might happen if we make this shift. As whole-roasted crickets gain traction as a protein-rich snack and restaurants experiment with mealworms on the menu, there's still "an overwhelming lack of knowledge" concerning the ecological sustainability of the emerging, multimillion-dollar insects-as-food industry, say researchers at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. In an opinion article published January this week in the journal Trends in Ecology & Evolution, they explore unanswered questions around insect rearing, safety, and environmental impacts but overall are optimistic that suppliers will rise to the challenge. "As the global demand for protein grows, insect mass-rearing can play an important role in the future of food," says first author Asa Berggren, a conservation biologist at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. Advertisement "We know that we can't keep doing what we're doing in terms of producing food and utilising the land." While insects-as-food provides environmental sustainability potential due to their nutritional qualities and feed conversion ratios, Berggren and her colleagues, Anna Jansson and Matthew Low, note that there are many basic questions that need to be urgently researched before the industry grows to ensure sustainability. "Otherwise, we risk replacing one environmental issue with another," says Berggren. "Though the industry is in its infancy, some companies are getting bigger, and doing well, and the risks will come along with that." Of the several areas where research is needed, one of the more urgent ones deals with unwanted systems products. For example, we don't yet know the full impact of mass-rearing insects in countries where these species do not naturally occur. An escapee could wreak havoc on the ecosystem and be akin to what Berggren describes as a "climate catastrophe." Other areas include species and life history trade-offs, sustainable feed production, food safety, and ethics. But since the industry is so young, (Americans spent $55 million on edible insects in 2017), and it will take time to make insect-rich food attractive to a wider Western audience, the researchers believe there is still time to conduct proper research and shape environmental policy. "Insects have the potential to be a good, sustainable, useful food source, but it's not as simple as rearing them and then that's it," says Berggren. "There is a lot of effort that needs to be put in to research."

As global demand for protein grows, insects may become a staple in our diet. But international researchers say we don't know enough about what might happen if we make this shift.

pegasus

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/the-country/news/article.cfm?c_id=16&objectid=12190544

Could insects be the new staple in our diet?

Due to increasing global demand for protein, insects may become a staple in our diet, but international researchers say we don't know enough about what might happen if we make this shift. As whole-roasted crickets gain traction as a protein-rich snack and restaurants experiment with mealworms on the menu, there's still "an overwhelming lack of knowledge" concerning the ecological sustainability of the emerging, multimillion-dollar insects-as-food industry, say researchers at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. In an opinion article published January this week in the journal Trends in Ecology & Evolution, they explore unanswered questions around insect rearing, safety, and environmental impacts but overall are optimistic that suppliers will rise to the challenge. "As the global demand for protein grows, insect mass-rearing can play an important role in the future of food," says first author Asa Berggren, a conservation biologist at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. Advertisement "We know that we can't keep doing what we're doing in terms of producing food and utilising the land." While insects-as-food provides environmental sustainability potential due to their nutritional qualities and feed conversion ratios, Berggren and her colleagues, Anna Jansson and Matthew Low, note that there are many basic questions that need to be urgently researched before the industry grows to ensure sustainability. "Otherwise, we risk replacing one environmental issue with another," says Berggren. "Though the industry is in its infancy, some companies are getting bigger, and doing well, and the risks will come along with that." Of the several areas where research is needed, one of the more urgent ones deals with unwanted systems products. For example, we don't yet know the full impact of mass-rearing insects in countries where these species do not naturally occur. An escapee could wreak havoc on the ecosystem and be akin to what Berggren describes as a "climate catastrophe." Other areas include species and life history trade-offs, sustainable feed production, food safety, and ethics. But since the industry is so young, (Americans spent $55 million on edible insects in 2017), and it will take time to make insect-rich food attractive to a wider Western audience, the researchers believe there is still time to conduct proper research and shape environmental policy. "Insects have the potential to be a good, sustainable, useful food source, but it's not as simple as rearing them and then that's it," says Berggren. "There is a lot of effort that needs to be put in to research."

As global demand for protein grows, insects may become a staple in our diet. But international researchers say we don't know enough about what might happen if we make this shift. Insects-as-food provides environmental sustainability potential due to their nutritional qualities and feed conversion ratios.

pegasus

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/the-country/news/article.cfm?c_id=16&objectid=12190544

Is the future of N.D.G.'s Wheel Club in jeopardy?

A Facebook post Wednesday suggested the N.D.G. club, home to Hillbilly Night country music sessions Monday nights, will soon be closing its doors. Not so fast, says Dick Hearn, who rents and operates the facility. Hearn says he is still hopeful a deal can be arranged with some interested parties to keep the club open. Deadline for a deal is the end of January. The Wheel Club on Cavendish Blvd. near Sherbrooke St., has hosted Hillbilly Night for the last 23 years. The Monday night gatherings were founded by Bob Fuller and Jeannie Arsenault more than half a century ago at the now-defunct Blue Angel on Drummond St. The jam sessions feature traditional country music and bluegrass performed by an eclectic array of musicians. On Monday, Jan. 21, Hillbilly Night will celebrate its 53rd anniversary at the club. Hearn expects to have a definitive answer next week as to the future of the club. Stay tuned. ALSO IN THE NEWS

N.D.G.'s Wheel Club has hosted Hillbilly Night for the last 23 years. The club's owner says he is still hopeful a deal can be arranged with some interested parties to keep the club open. He expects to have a definitive answer next week as to the future of the club.

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https://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/is-the-future-of-n-d-g-s-wheel-club-in-jeopardy

Did former Alabama QB Jalen Hurts make the right choice transferring to Oklahoma?

Jalen Hurts has found a new home, transferring to Oklahoma to play for the Sooners. The former Alabama starter has a 26-2 record and led the Crimson Tide to two national championships. Many feel he made the right choice to transfer to a school where he can show off his talent and develop more. Others think he should have stayed at Alabama where the Tide are championship contenders every year. PERSPECTIVES Hurts has been the good teammate all season. Instead of pouting about losing his starting job, he stayed at Alabama and helped the Crimson Tide earn a berth in the College Football Playoff with an incredible relief performance in the SEC Championship. If anyone deserved to transfer to build their individual resume, it's Hurts. Before Tua Tagovailoa took over during the 2018 national championship game, Hurts earned a 26-2 record as a starter and showed improved touch on his passes. He has a chance to be a legitimate NFL quarterback prospect, but he needs more playing time in order to do that. He won't get that backing up Tagovailoa. He needed to transfer. Oklahoma isn't nearly has talented as Alabama and that was proven at the national semifinal game of the College Football Playoff. He will struggle and his draft stock will drop. Staying at Alabama would have afforded Hurts the best opportunity to improve. Quarterbacks like Matt Cassell have been drafted as a backup, and Cassell never had the accomplished resume Hurts has at Alabama. Plus, he's still a hero in Tuscaloosa where he upheld a standard of loyalty rarely seen in the sport today. He should have stayed in Alabama. The Tylt is focused on debates and conversations around news, current events and pop culture. We provide our community with the opportunity to share their opinions and vote on topics that matter most to them. We actively engage the community and present meaningful data on the debates and conversations as they progress. The Tylt is a place where your opinion counts, literally. The Tylt is an Advance Local Media, LLC property. Join us on Twitter @TheTylt, on Instagram @TheTylt or on Facebook, we'd love to hear what you have to say.

Former Alabama QB Jalen Hurts has found a new home, transferring to Oklahoma. Many feel he made the right choice to transfer to a school where he can show off his talent.

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https://www.oregonlive.com/tylt/2019/01/did_former_alabama_qb_jalen_hu.html

Did former Alabama QB Jalen Hurts make the right choice transferring to Oklahoma?

Jalen Hurts has found a new home, transferring to Oklahoma to play for the Sooners. The former Alabama starter has a 26-2 record and led the Crimson Tide to two national championships. Many feel he made the right choice to transfer to a school where he can show off his talent and develop more. Others think he should have stayed at Alabama where the Tide are championship contenders every year. PERSPECTIVES Hurts has been the good teammate all season. Instead of pouting about losing his starting job, he stayed at Alabama and helped the Crimson Tide earn a berth in the College Football Playoff with an incredible relief performance in the SEC Championship. If anyone deserved to transfer to build their individual resume, it's Hurts. Before Tua Tagovailoa took over during the 2018 national championship game, Hurts earned a 26-2 record as a starter and showed improved touch on his passes. He has a chance to be a legitimate NFL quarterback prospect, but he needs more playing time in order to do that. He won't get that backing up Tagovailoa. He needed to transfer. Oklahoma isn't nearly has talented as Alabama and that was proven at the national semifinal game of the College Football Playoff. He will struggle and his draft stock will drop. Staying at Alabama would have afforded Hurts the best opportunity to improve. Quarterbacks like Matt Cassell have been drafted as a backup, and Cassell never had the accomplished resume Hurts has at Alabama. Plus, he's still a hero in Tuscaloosa where he upheld a standard of loyalty rarely seen in the sport today. He should have stayed in Alabama. The Tylt is focused on debates and conversations around news, current events and pop culture. We provide our community with the opportunity to share their opinions and vote on topics that matter most to them. We actively engage the community and present meaningful data on the debates and conversations as they progress. The Tylt is a place where your opinion counts, literally. The Tylt is an Advance Local Media, LLC property. Join us on Twitter @TheTylt, on Instagram @TheTylt or on Facebook, we'd love to hear what you have to say.

Jalen Hurts is transferring to Oklahoma to play for the Sooners. The former Alabama starter has a 26-2 record and led the Crimson Tide to two national championships. Many feel he made the right choice to transfer to a school where he can show off his talent. Others think he should have stayed at Alabama where the Tide are championship contenders.

bart

https://www.oregonlive.com/tylt/2019/01/did_former_alabama_qb_jalen_hu.html

Can Nancy Pelosi delay Trumps State of the Union address amid government shutdown?

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has asked President Donald Trump to postpone his State of the Union address, initially scheduled for 29 January, for as long as the partial government shutdown continues. In a letter she sent to the president on Wednesday, Ms Pelosi suggested that Mr Trump reschedules his address, deliver it from the Oval Office, or perhaps send it over in written form to Capitol Hill, citing that the government shutdown compromises security arrangements for the event. The government shutdown is reaching its 27th day, the longest federal closer in American history, impacting more than 800,000 federal employees, including some currently out of work, and others forced to work without pay. In the letter, dated on January 16, Ms Pelosi said that the partial government shutdown brings up security concerns for the State of the Union address. Traditionally, the event gathers senior officials from all three branches of government to Capitol HIll for the presidential address. Sadly, given the security concerns and unless government re-opens this week, I suggest that we work together to determine another suitable date after government has re-opened for this address or for you to consider delivering your State of the Union address in writing to the Congress on January 29th, Ms Pelosi wrote. The Constitution is pretty straightforwardIt states that the president can, from time to time give to the Congress information on the State of the Union. The founding document does not mention or require that the president to make a formal speech or a presidential address every year. Yes. In fact, a lot of presidents throughout the 19th century issued their State of the Union address in the form of a letter. Indeed President Woodrow Wilson, in 1913, resurrected the practice of delivering a formal speech to Congress, one that was started by George Washington and followed by John Adams. In order for the president to deliver a speech to Congress, they must receive an invitation, and a joint resolution must be passed by both the House and Senate. This process is typically considered a formality, but with nearly a month-long shutdown ongoing, it is being taken more seriously. Several weeks after Ms Pelosi invited Mr Trump to deliver his State of the Union address, Congress has yet to pass a resolution confirming the invitation. No. If Mr Trump, somehow, delivers his State of the Union address to Congress with all senior officials attending, he will be the first to do so. There were, however, other cases when the president delivered their formal presidential address during times of strain. For example, in 1998, former President Bill Clinton delivered his State of the Union address to the Republican-controlled Congress about one week after his affair with Monica Lewinsky was exposed. His following State of the Union address in 1999 occurred during the impeachment proceedings generated from the affair.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has asked President Donald Trump to postpone his State of the Union address.

bart

https://news.yahoo.com/nancy-pelosi-delay-trump-state-221912771.html

Can Nancy Pelosi delay Trumps State of the Union address amid government shutdown?

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has asked President Donald Trump to postpone his State of the Union address, initially scheduled for 29 January, for as long as the partial government shutdown continues. In a letter she sent to the president on Wednesday, Ms Pelosi suggested that Mr Trump reschedules his address, deliver it from the Oval Office, or perhaps send it over in written form to Capitol Hill, citing that the government shutdown compromises security arrangements for the event. The government shutdown is reaching its 27th day, the longest federal closer in American history, impacting more than 800,000 federal employees, including some currently out of work, and others forced to work without pay. In the letter, dated on January 16, Ms Pelosi said that the partial government shutdown brings up security concerns for the State of the Union address. Traditionally, the event gathers senior officials from all three branches of government to Capitol HIll for the presidential address. Sadly, given the security concerns and unless government re-opens this week, I suggest that we work together to determine another suitable date after government has re-opened for this address or for you to consider delivering your State of the Union address in writing to the Congress on January 29th, Ms Pelosi wrote. The Constitution is pretty straightforwardIt states that the president can, from time to time give to the Congress information on the State of the Union. The founding document does not mention or require that the president to make a formal speech or a presidential address every year. Yes. In fact, a lot of presidents throughout the 19th century issued their State of the Union address in the form of a letter. Indeed President Woodrow Wilson, in 1913, resurrected the practice of delivering a formal speech to Congress, one that was started by George Washington and followed by John Adams. In order for the president to deliver a speech to Congress, they must receive an invitation, and a joint resolution must be passed by both the House and Senate. This process is typically considered a formality, but with nearly a month-long shutdown ongoing, it is being taken more seriously. Several weeks after Ms Pelosi invited Mr Trump to deliver his State of the Union address, Congress has yet to pass a resolution confirming the invitation. No. If Mr Trump, somehow, delivers his State of the Union address to Congress with all senior officials attending, he will be the first to do so. There were, however, other cases when the president delivered their formal presidential address during times of strain. For example, in 1998, former President Bill Clinton delivered his State of the Union address to the Republican-controlled Congress about one week after his affair with Monica Lewinsky was exposed. His following State of the Union address in 1999 occurred during the impeachment proceedings generated from the affair.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has asked President Donald Trump to postpone his State of the Union address, initially scheduled for 29 January, for as long as the partial government shutdown continues.

ctrlsum

https://news.yahoo.com/nancy-pelosi-delay-trump-state-221912771.html

Can Nancy Pelosi delay Trumps State of the Union address amid government shutdown?

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has asked President Donald Trump to postpone his State of the Union address, initially scheduled for 29 January, for as long as the partial government shutdown continues. In a letter she sent to the president on Wednesday, Ms Pelosi suggested that Mr Trump reschedules his address, deliver it from the Oval Office, or perhaps send it over in written form to Capitol Hill, citing that the government shutdown compromises security arrangements for the event. The government shutdown is reaching its 27th day, the longest federal closer in American history, impacting more than 800,000 federal employees, including some currently out of work, and others forced to work without pay. In the letter, dated on January 16, Ms Pelosi said that the partial government shutdown brings up security concerns for the State of the Union address. Traditionally, the event gathers senior officials from all three branches of government to Capitol HIll for the presidential address. Sadly, given the security concerns and unless government re-opens this week, I suggest that we work together to determine another suitable date after government has re-opened for this address or for you to consider delivering your State of the Union address in writing to the Congress on January 29th, Ms Pelosi wrote. The Constitution is pretty straightforwardIt states that the president can, from time to time give to the Congress information on the State of the Union. The founding document does not mention or require that the president to make a formal speech or a presidential address every year. Yes. In fact, a lot of presidents throughout the 19th century issued their State of the Union address in the form of a letter. Indeed President Woodrow Wilson, in 1913, resurrected the practice of delivering a formal speech to Congress, one that was started by George Washington and followed by John Adams. In order for the president to deliver a speech to Congress, they must receive an invitation, and a joint resolution must be passed by both the House and Senate. This process is typically considered a formality, but with nearly a month-long shutdown ongoing, it is being taken more seriously. Several weeks after Ms Pelosi invited Mr Trump to deliver his State of the Union address, Congress has yet to pass a resolution confirming the invitation. No. If Mr Trump, somehow, delivers his State of the Union address to Congress with all senior officials attending, he will be the first to do so. There were, however, other cases when the president delivered their formal presidential address during times of strain. For example, in 1998, former President Bill Clinton delivered his State of the Union address to the Republican-controlled Congress about one week after his affair with Monica Lewinsky was exposed. His following State of the Union address in 1999 occurred during the impeachment proceedings generated from the affair.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has asked President Donald Trump to postpone his State of the Union address, initially scheduled for 29 January, for as long as the partial government shutdown continues. The Constitution does not mention or require that the president make a formal speech or a presidential address every year.

ctrlsum

https://news.yahoo.com/nancy-pelosi-delay-trump-state-221912771.html

Could Buckeye Partners Be a Millionaire-Maker Stock?

Last year was a brutal one for investors in Buckeye Partners (NYSE: BPL). The pipeline- and terminal-operating master limited partnership (MLP) nosedived 41.5% during 2018 as investors grew increasingly concerned about the company's finances. That forced Buckeye Partners to take drastic action to improve its financial profile. After plunging last year, Buckeye Partners could have significant bounce-back potential if it gets its finances back on solid ground and starts growing again. However, it will need to engineer a lot more than a turnaround to turn investors into millionaires. $100 bills on a flat surface. More Image Source: Getty Images. The math to $1 million It's mathematically possible to turn a small upfront investment into $1 million due to the wonders of compounding. For example, $1,000 invested in the S&P 500 should grow into $1 million in about 75 years, assuming the market continues to deliver an average annual return of 10% per year. Investors can speed up that path to $1 million by investing more money or choosing a higher-returning investment, as seen in the examples in the following table: Initial Investment Annualized Return Years to $1 Million $10,000 10% 48 $1,000 16.6% 45 $10,000 16.6% 30 Data source: Author's calculations. The lost decade Unfortunately, investors in Buckeye Partners haven't come close to even matching the market's return over the past 10 years, let alone outperforming. Overall, the company's units have managed to lose more than 10% of their value over the last decade -- though investors haven't performed that poorly since the company's high-yielding dividend over that time frame pushed its total return to more than 80%. However, that still has vastly underperformed the S&P 500, which has generated a total return of more than 285% over that time frame. Buckeye had been outperforming the market for much of that time, but lost its footing in 2017 as concerns started growing about its finances because the company spent heavily on acquisitions and growth projects, which stretched its balance sheet too thin. The company's worst move came in early 2017, when it paid $1.15 billion to buy a 50% interest in VTTI's global marine terminal business. The MLP paid a high price for that deal, which didn't work out as planned. As a result, the company ended up selling its stake last year for $975 million, as well as another package of assets for $450 million, to improve its financial profile. In addition to that, it slashed its high-yielding dividend. The strategic moves Buckeye made toward the end of 2018 significantly strengthened its financial metrics, which should ease the market's worries about its balance sheet. Meanwhile, the dividend reduction will enable the company to retain about $300 million in annual cash flow that it can use to finance expansion projects. These moves should put Buckeye Partners in a better position to grow its earnings at a healthy pace going forward, which, when added to its still-attractive 9.5%-yielding distribution, could help it outperform the market in the future, especially if its valuation improves after last year's crash. However, for Buckeye to turn a small investment into a $1 million payday, it would need to outperform for decades. That doesn't seem likely because the company's bread-and-butter business is moving and storing fossil fuels used mainly for transportation like gasoline, jet fuel, and diesel. While demand for transportation fuels is expected to rise 30% by 2040 according to ExxonMobil's latest long-term outlook, accelerated adoption of electric vehicles, as well as continued gains in fuel efficiency, are major headwinds. Meanwhile, growth could stall beyond 2040 as things like autonomous electric vehicles begin disrupting the transportation market and demand for fossil fuels. Because of that, it will be challenging for Buckeye to expand at a fast enough pace in the decades to come so that it can deliver millionaire-maker returns unless it pivots into a rapidly growing market such as renewables.

Buckeye Partners (NYSE: BPL) could have significant bounce-back potential. However, it will need to engineer a lot more than a turnaround to turn investors into millionaires.

ctrlsum

https://news.yahoo.com/could-buckeye-partners-millionaire-maker-003600197.html

Could Buckeye Partners Be a Millionaire-Maker Stock?

Last year was a brutal one for investors in Buckeye Partners (NYSE: BPL). The pipeline- and terminal-operating master limited partnership (MLP) nosedived 41.5% during 2018 as investors grew increasingly concerned about the company's finances. That forced Buckeye Partners to take drastic action to improve its financial profile. After plunging last year, Buckeye Partners could have significant bounce-back potential if it gets its finances back on solid ground and starts growing again. However, it will need to engineer a lot more than a turnaround to turn investors into millionaires. $100 bills on a flat surface. More Image Source: Getty Images. The math to $1 million It's mathematically possible to turn a small upfront investment into $1 million due to the wonders of compounding. For example, $1,000 invested in the S&P 500 should grow into $1 million in about 75 years, assuming the market continues to deliver an average annual return of 10% per year. Investors can speed up that path to $1 million by investing more money or choosing a higher-returning investment, as seen in the examples in the following table: Initial Investment Annualized Return Years to $1 Million $10,000 10% 48 $1,000 16.6% 45 $10,000 16.6% 30 Data source: Author's calculations. The lost decade Unfortunately, investors in Buckeye Partners haven't come close to even matching the market's return over the past 10 years, let alone outperforming. Overall, the company's units have managed to lose more than 10% of their value over the last decade -- though investors haven't performed that poorly since the company's high-yielding dividend over that time frame pushed its total return to more than 80%. However, that still has vastly underperformed the S&P 500, which has generated a total return of more than 285% over that time frame. Buckeye had been outperforming the market for much of that time, but lost its footing in 2017 as concerns started growing about its finances because the company spent heavily on acquisitions and growth projects, which stretched its balance sheet too thin. The company's worst move came in early 2017, when it paid $1.15 billion to buy a 50% interest in VTTI's global marine terminal business. The MLP paid a high price for that deal, which didn't work out as planned. As a result, the company ended up selling its stake last year for $975 million, as well as another package of assets for $450 million, to improve its financial profile. In addition to that, it slashed its high-yielding dividend. The strategic moves Buckeye made toward the end of 2018 significantly strengthened its financial metrics, which should ease the market's worries about its balance sheet. Meanwhile, the dividend reduction will enable the company to retain about $300 million in annual cash flow that it can use to finance expansion projects. These moves should put Buckeye Partners in a better position to grow its earnings at a healthy pace going forward, which, when added to its still-attractive 9.5%-yielding distribution, could help it outperform the market in the future, especially if its valuation improves after last year's crash. However, for Buckeye to turn a small investment into a $1 million payday, it would need to outperform for decades. That doesn't seem likely because the company's bread-and-butter business is moving and storing fossil fuels used mainly for transportation like gasoline, jet fuel, and diesel. While demand for transportation fuels is expected to rise 30% by 2040 according to ExxonMobil's latest long-term outlook, accelerated adoption of electric vehicles, as well as continued gains in fuel efficiency, are major headwinds. Meanwhile, growth could stall beyond 2040 as things like autonomous electric vehicles begin disrupting the transportation market and demand for fossil fuels. Because of that, it will be challenging for Buckeye to expand at a fast enough pace in the decades to come so that it can deliver millionaire-maker returns unless it pivots into a rapidly growing market such as renewables.

Buckeye Partners (NYSE: BPL) could have significant bounce-back potential. However, it will need to engineer a lot more than a turnaround to turn investors into millionaires. The company's units have lost more than 10% of their value over the last decade.

ctrlsum

https://news.yahoo.com/could-buckeye-partners-millionaire-maker-003600197.html

What is going on with suspended Kansas forward Silvio De Sousa and the NCAA?

Welcome to FTW Explains: A guide to catching up on and better understanding news going on in the world. You might have seen the news about suspended Kansas forward Silvio De Sousa battling for his NCAA eligibility. We're here to help. De Sousa is a 6-foot-9 forward from Angola who first played for the Jayhawks last season. A highly touted four-star recruit, he graduated from high school early and joined Kansas for the second half of the season to boost a thin frontcourt. He broke out in Kansas' Big 12 tournament championship win, scoring a career-high 16 points on 8-of-8 shooting against West Virginia. He saw major minutes in the Elite Eight and Final Four and was expected to be key contributor for the Jayhawks this season. De Sousa's name was at the center of last year's federal trials stemming from the FBI's investigation into corruption in college basketball. Former AAU coach and Adidas consultant T.J. Gassnola testified that he helped arrange payments to De Sousa's guardian in exchange for De Sousa's commitment to Kansas -- Adidas' flagship NCAA partner. There was no indication that De Sousa himself had any knowledge of payments. Still, Kansas elected to sit the star forward before the season and allow the NCAA to review his eligibility. De Sousa still hasn't played, nor has the NCAA ruled on the case. Jayhawks forward Silvio De Sousa is still waiting on the NCAA. A season-ending injury to starting center Udoka Azubuike has since added urgency to De Sousa's case. Coach Bill Self pulled the redshirt on freshman guard Ochai Agbaji and has grown increasingly frustrated on the hold-ups in De Sousa's case. The Athletic reported that in an attempt to expedite a ruling on De Sousa, Kansas has declared the sophomore ineligible, formally acknowledged the infraction ($2,500 in impermissible payments) and, as a result, asked for immediate reinstatement. De Sousa has already missed 17 games this season, exceeding the 13-game suspension that violation would have warranted. According to the NCAA's matrix regarding infractions, an improper payment of $2,500 most likely would yield a penalty that the player is suspended for 30 percent of the team's season. No. On Thursday, attorney Scott Tompsett released a statement on De Sousa's behalf, calling for the NCAA to immediately reinstate him. Tompsett claimed that the NCAA is punishing De Sousa for actions allegedly taken by adults without De Sousa's knowledge. "It's time for the NCAA to be fair to Silvio and immediately reinstate his eligibility," he wrote. That's difficult to say. The NCAA is notoriously inconsistent in dealing with these cases, and the FBI investigation has left the organization embarrassed. But Kansas is doing all it can to get De Sousa back on the court, going all-in by self-declaring De Sousa ineligible. Kansas had a similar situation last season with Billy Preston, and he ultimately left the team instead of waiting on the NCAA.

Silvio De Sousa is still waiting on the NCAA to rule on his eligibility.

bart

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ftw/2019/01/17/suspended-kansas-forward-silvio-de-sousa-lawyer-asks-ncaa-reinstate/38915791/

What is going on with suspended Kansas forward Silvio De Sousa and the NCAA?

Welcome to FTW Explains: A guide to catching up on and better understanding news going on in the world. You might have seen the news about suspended Kansas forward Silvio De Sousa battling for his NCAA eligibility. We're here to help. De Sousa is a 6-foot-9 forward from Angola who first played for the Jayhawks last season. A highly touted four-star recruit, he graduated from high school early and joined Kansas for the second half of the season to boost a thin frontcourt. He broke out in Kansas' Big 12 tournament championship win, scoring a career-high 16 points on 8-of-8 shooting against West Virginia. He saw major minutes in the Elite Eight and Final Four and was expected to be key contributor for the Jayhawks this season. De Sousa's name was at the center of last year's federal trials stemming from the FBI's investigation into corruption in college basketball. Former AAU coach and Adidas consultant T.J. Gassnola testified that he helped arrange payments to De Sousa's guardian in exchange for De Sousa's commitment to Kansas -- Adidas' flagship NCAA partner. There was no indication that De Sousa himself had any knowledge of payments. Still, Kansas elected to sit the star forward before the season and allow the NCAA to review his eligibility. De Sousa still hasn't played, nor has the NCAA ruled on the case. Jayhawks forward Silvio De Sousa is still waiting on the NCAA. A season-ending injury to starting center Udoka Azubuike has since added urgency to De Sousa's case. Coach Bill Self pulled the redshirt on freshman guard Ochai Agbaji and has grown increasingly frustrated on the hold-ups in De Sousa's case. The Athletic reported that in an attempt to expedite a ruling on De Sousa, Kansas has declared the sophomore ineligible, formally acknowledged the infraction ($2,500 in impermissible payments) and, as a result, asked for immediate reinstatement. De Sousa has already missed 17 games this season, exceeding the 13-game suspension that violation would have warranted. According to the NCAA's matrix regarding infractions, an improper payment of $2,500 most likely would yield a penalty that the player is suspended for 30 percent of the team's season. No. On Thursday, attorney Scott Tompsett released a statement on De Sousa's behalf, calling for the NCAA to immediately reinstate him. Tompsett claimed that the NCAA is punishing De Sousa for actions allegedly taken by adults without De Sousa's knowledge. "It's time for the NCAA to be fair to Silvio and immediately reinstate his eligibility," he wrote. That's difficult to say. The NCAA is notoriously inconsistent in dealing with these cases, and the FBI investigation has left the organization embarrassed. But Kansas is doing all it can to get De Sousa back on the court, going all-in by self-declaring De Sousa ineligible. Kansas had a similar situation last season with Billy Preston, and he ultimately left the team instead of waiting on the NCAA.

Silvio De Sousa is still waiting on the NCAA to rule on his eligibility. The Kansas forward is accused of receiving impermissible payments from an Adidas consultant.

ctrlsum

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ftw/2019/01/17/suspended-kansas-forward-silvio-de-sousa-lawyer-asks-ncaa-reinstate/38915791/

What is going on with suspended Kansas forward Silvio De Sousa and the NCAA?

Welcome to FTW Explains: A guide to catching up on and better understanding news going on in the world. You might have seen the news about suspended Kansas forward Silvio De Sousa battling for his NCAA eligibility. We're here to help. De Sousa is a 6-foot-9 forward from Angola who first played for the Jayhawks last season. A highly touted four-star recruit, he graduated from high school early and joined Kansas for the second half of the season to boost a thin frontcourt. He broke out in Kansas' Big 12 tournament championship win, scoring a career-high 16 points on 8-of-8 shooting against West Virginia. He saw major minutes in the Elite Eight and Final Four and was expected to be key contributor for the Jayhawks this season. De Sousa's name was at the center of last year's federal trials stemming from the FBI's investigation into corruption in college basketball. Former AAU coach and Adidas consultant T.J. Gassnola testified that he helped arrange payments to De Sousa's guardian in exchange for De Sousa's commitment to Kansas -- Adidas' flagship NCAA partner. There was no indication that De Sousa himself had any knowledge of payments. Still, Kansas elected to sit the star forward before the season and allow the NCAA to review his eligibility. De Sousa still hasn't played, nor has the NCAA ruled on the case. Jayhawks forward Silvio De Sousa is still waiting on the NCAA. A season-ending injury to starting center Udoka Azubuike has since added urgency to De Sousa's case. Coach Bill Self pulled the redshirt on freshman guard Ochai Agbaji and has grown increasingly frustrated on the hold-ups in De Sousa's case. The Athletic reported that in an attempt to expedite a ruling on De Sousa, Kansas has declared the sophomore ineligible, formally acknowledged the infraction ($2,500 in impermissible payments) and, as a result, asked for immediate reinstatement. De Sousa has already missed 17 games this season, exceeding the 13-game suspension that violation would have warranted. According to the NCAA's matrix regarding infractions, an improper payment of $2,500 most likely would yield a penalty that the player is suspended for 30 percent of the team's season. No. On Thursday, attorney Scott Tompsett released a statement on De Sousa's behalf, calling for the NCAA to immediately reinstate him. Tompsett claimed that the NCAA is punishing De Sousa for actions allegedly taken by adults without De Sousa's knowledge. "It's time for the NCAA to be fair to Silvio and immediately reinstate his eligibility," he wrote. That's difficult to say. The NCAA is notoriously inconsistent in dealing with these cases, and the FBI investigation has left the organization embarrassed. But Kansas is doing all it can to get De Sousa back on the court, going all-in by self-declaring De Sousa ineligible. Kansas had a similar situation last season with Billy Preston, and he ultimately left the team instead of waiting on the NCAA.

Silvio De Sousa is still waiting on the NCAA to rule on his eligibility. The Kansas forward is accused of receiving impermissible payments from an Adidas consultant. The NCAA has not ruled on the case yet, but Kansas is doing all it can to get him back.

ctrlsum

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ftw/2019/01/17/suspended-kansas-forward-silvio-de-sousa-lawyer-asks-ncaa-reinstate/38915791/

Could Kent Dick's Drive-In be torn down for Sound Transit facility?

Sound Transit needs a new maintenance building, but can't 'just dismiss one site because we all love hamburgers,' CEO says The Kent location of Dick's Drive-In, which opened in December, is under consideration by Sound Transit as a spot for a new maintenance and operations facility planned along the future south-end light rail path. It's one of six locations proposed by Sound Transit, but Dick's ownership and the mayors of Kent, Des Moines and Federal Way ask that the agency drop the location as an option. 1 / 78 Back to Gallery When Dick's Drive-In opened its seventh location in Kent last month, the 65-year-old Seattle-area franchise didn't imagine it could soon be torn down. The ownership saw its proximity to a future light rail station as a strength with the potential to draw foot traffic. But that very location makes it vulnerable to being replaced by a South Transit maintenance and operations building. The Dick's, along with a Lowe's and a small strip mall in the 24200 block of Pacific Highway South - just south of Des Moines - are located on one of six 30-acre properties under consideration by Sound Transit as they decide where to erect a maintenance facility to serve the south portion of a planned regional light rail system. RELATED: Billions served: Bill Gates photographed standing in line for a burger at Dick's Drive-In in Seattle Jasmine Donovan, Executive Vice President of Dick's Drive-In and granddaughter of founder Dick Spady, said that if Sound Transit picks the Dick's location for its maintenance building, it could delay the franchise's plans to build two more restaurants in the next five years by several more years. "It breaks our heart that Sound Transit is considering taking this away to build a new maintenance facility," she said at a Thursday morning press conference at the Drive-In where customers ordered milkshakes and Dick's Deluxes at the window. More than 170,000 fans voted for the location of the latest south-end restaurant, between Kent, Des Moines, Federal Way and SeaTac. Kent Mayor Dana Ralph, standing alongside Donovan, said that the city will advocate for an alternative location: the former Midway Landfill, just south of Dick's within sight of its parking lot. It's a Superfund site, as designated by the federal Environmental Protection Agency, and underwent construction and capping to contain environmental damage between 1990 and 2000. Indeed the Midway Landfill comprises two of the six options for Sound Transit, with two configurations being considered on the property. But, being a Superfund site, construction on that lot would cost hundreds of millions of dollars more, Sound Transit CEO Peter Rogoff said during his own press conference that took place shortly after the Dick's event. RELATED: New Kent Dick's Drive-In restaurant gets opening date He says that it could take years to whittle down the six options for the new maintenance facility and other areas could also be thrown into the mix - what Sound Transit needs is 30 acres of flat land along the proposed light rail route. Other sites under consideration include two in Federal Way and one in unincorporated King County, though Sound Transit didn't specify where. But Ralph and Donovan want Sound Transit to take the Dick's and Lowe's site off the table. Ralph said she spoke to Sound Transit officials back in November to request they remove the location from consideration. In addition to eliminating the Dick's, the Lowe's and the nearby strip mall, a maintenance facility at that location would disrupt the city's plans for additional retail in that area. "There's so much potential," she said of the lot, as the prospect of a nearby light rail stop brings new possibilities. "This is just the beginning of that." Indeed Dick's Drive-In owns 6 acres of land behind the restaurant and hopes to sell it to commercial developers, Donovan said. To protect the area for business growth, the Kent City Council reportedly set in motion a process to change the zoning at that location that would prevent Sound Transit from building there. A zoning change would take months, as the city needs to gather public comment on the matter and the council would need to issue a final approval after a more thorough review, Ralph said. RELATED: Dick's Drive-In co-founder Dick Spady dies at 92 But Rogoff said that Sound Transit can't take the Dick's spot off the list because it needs to consider all options. "We here at Sound Transit have as many Dick's Drive-In lovers as any other employer - and I'm one of them," he said. "What we can't do is just dismiss one site because we all love hamburgers." The other options possible would require the demolition of a church or of some residential homes, he added. "We're going to need 30 flat acres if we're going to have light rail expand to Kent and Tacoma," Rogoff said. Sound Transit received letters in the last month from Donovan, King County Councilman Pete von Reichbauer and a joint letter from Ralph, Federal Way Mayor Jim Ferrell and Des Moines City Manager Michael Matthias objecting to tearing up the Dick's area and advocating for the landfill site. Ralph and Donovan invited the public to express their views on the matter at the Feb. 5 Kent City Council meeting. Rogoff was unable to give a timeline for the scoping and review process of the sites, adding that it could take a couple years. About 40 employees work at the Kent Dick's, most of them hired locally. Many use the company's scholarship benefits to attend nearby Highline College, Donovan said. SeattlePI reporter Lynsi Burton can be reached at lynsiburton@seattlepi.com. Follow her on Twitter at @LynsiBurton_PI. Find more from Lynsi here.

The Kent location of Dick's Drive-In is under consideration by Sound Transit as a spot for a new maintenance and operations facility planned along the future south-end light rail path.

ctrlsum

https://www.seattlepi.com/local/transportation/article/Could-Kent-Dick-s-Drive-In-be-torn-down-for-Sound-13542700.php

Could Kent Dick's Drive-In be torn down for Sound Transit facility?

Sound Transit needs a new maintenance building, but can't 'just dismiss one site because we all love hamburgers,' CEO says The Kent location of Dick's Drive-In, which opened in December, is under consideration by Sound Transit as a spot for a new maintenance and operations facility planned along the future south-end light rail path. It's one of six locations proposed by Sound Transit, but Dick's ownership and the mayors of Kent, Des Moines and Federal Way ask that the agency drop the location as an option. 1 / 78 Back to Gallery When Dick's Drive-In opened its seventh location in Kent last month, the 65-year-old Seattle-area franchise didn't imagine it could soon be torn down. The ownership saw its proximity to a future light rail station as a strength with the potential to draw foot traffic. But that very location makes it vulnerable to being replaced by a South Transit maintenance and operations building. The Dick's, along with a Lowe's and a small strip mall in the 24200 block of Pacific Highway South - just south of Des Moines - are located on one of six 30-acre properties under consideration by Sound Transit as they decide where to erect a maintenance facility to serve the south portion of a planned regional light rail system. RELATED: Billions served: Bill Gates photographed standing in line for a burger at Dick's Drive-In in Seattle Jasmine Donovan, Executive Vice President of Dick's Drive-In and granddaughter of founder Dick Spady, said that if Sound Transit picks the Dick's location for its maintenance building, it could delay the franchise's plans to build two more restaurants in the next five years by several more years. "It breaks our heart that Sound Transit is considering taking this away to build a new maintenance facility," she said at a Thursday morning press conference at the Drive-In where customers ordered milkshakes and Dick's Deluxes at the window. More than 170,000 fans voted for the location of the latest south-end restaurant, between Kent, Des Moines, Federal Way and SeaTac. Kent Mayor Dana Ralph, standing alongside Donovan, said that the city will advocate for an alternative location: the former Midway Landfill, just south of Dick's within sight of its parking lot. It's a Superfund site, as designated by the federal Environmental Protection Agency, and underwent construction and capping to contain environmental damage between 1990 and 2000. Indeed the Midway Landfill comprises two of the six options for Sound Transit, with two configurations being considered on the property. But, being a Superfund site, construction on that lot would cost hundreds of millions of dollars more, Sound Transit CEO Peter Rogoff said during his own press conference that took place shortly after the Dick's event. RELATED: New Kent Dick's Drive-In restaurant gets opening date He says that it could take years to whittle down the six options for the new maintenance facility and other areas could also be thrown into the mix - what Sound Transit needs is 30 acres of flat land along the proposed light rail route. Other sites under consideration include two in Federal Way and one in unincorporated King County, though Sound Transit didn't specify where. But Ralph and Donovan want Sound Transit to take the Dick's and Lowe's site off the table. Ralph said she spoke to Sound Transit officials back in November to request they remove the location from consideration. In addition to eliminating the Dick's, the Lowe's and the nearby strip mall, a maintenance facility at that location would disrupt the city's plans for additional retail in that area. "There's so much potential," she said of the lot, as the prospect of a nearby light rail stop brings new possibilities. "This is just the beginning of that." Indeed Dick's Drive-In owns 6 acres of land behind the restaurant and hopes to sell it to commercial developers, Donovan said. To protect the area for business growth, the Kent City Council reportedly set in motion a process to change the zoning at that location that would prevent Sound Transit from building there. A zoning change would take months, as the city needs to gather public comment on the matter and the council would need to issue a final approval after a more thorough review, Ralph said. RELATED: Dick's Drive-In co-founder Dick Spady dies at 92 But Rogoff said that Sound Transit can't take the Dick's spot off the list because it needs to consider all options. "We here at Sound Transit have as many Dick's Drive-In lovers as any other employer - and I'm one of them," he said. "What we can't do is just dismiss one site because we all love hamburgers." The other options possible would require the demolition of a church or of some residential homes, he added. "We're going to need 30 flat acres if we're going to have light rail expand to Kent and Tacoma," Rogoff said. Sound Transit received letters in the last month from Donovan, King County Councilman Pete von Reichbauer and a joint letter from Ralph, Federal Way Mayor Jim Ferrell and Des Moines City Manager Michael Matthias objecting to tearing up the Dick's area and advocating for the landfill site. Ralph and Donovan invited the public to express their views on the matter at the Feb. 5 Kent City Council meeting. Rogoff was unable to give a timeline for the scoping and review process of the sites, adding that it could take a couple years. About 40 employees work at the Kent Dick's, most of them hired locally. Many use the company's scholarship benefits to attend nearby Highline College, Donovan said. SeattlePI reporter Lynsi Burton can be reached at lynsiburton@seattlepi.com. Follow her on Twitter at @LynsiBurton_PI. Find more from Lynsi here.

The Kent location of Dick's Drive-In is under consideration by Sound Transit as a spot for a new maintenance and operations facility planned along the future south-end light rail path. Dick's ownership and the mayors of Kent, Des Moines and Federal Way ask that the agency drop the location as an option.

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https://www.seattlepi.com/local/transportation/article/Could-Kent-Dick-s-Drive-In-be-torn-down-for-Sound-13542700.php

What happens to DART's electric buses if D-Link service is shut down?

Dallas Area Rapid Transit's free downtown D-Link service was called a perfect fit for its new electric buses ahead of their July debut. DART has been considering an overhaul of D-Link that involves replacing it with an on-demand shuttle service in a cost-saving move. The DART board will decide in February whether to shut down the downtown route, spokesman Mark Ball said this week. Changes would go into effect March 25. If it is shut down, the seven electric buses will be reassigned to Route 749, which already has a stop at the Convention Center Station where the buses charge, Ball said. The route connects the Dallas Convention Center with the West End Historic District, the Design District, Victory Park, Parkland Hospital and part of Stemmons Corridor. D-Link service costs DART, the city and Downtown Dallas Inc., a total of $11 per rider. It's drawn fewer riders than what DART leaders hoped, DART's vice president of planning and development, Todd Plesko, said in October. D-Link service began in late 2013, when it drew 1,000 riders daily and had a route that extended into Oak Cliff. Its ridership dropped significantly when streetcar service replaced the Oak Cliff connection. In October, DART officials said D-Link averages about 300 riders on weekdays.

D-Link service costs DART, the city and Downtown Dallas Inc., a total of $11 per rider. If it is shut down, the seven electric buses will be reassigned to Route 749, which already has a stop at the Convention Center Station where the buses charge.

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https://www.dallasnews.com/news/dart/2019/01/17/happens-darts-electric-buses-d-link-service-shut

Who is Fethullah Gulen?

This week on 60 Minutes, correspondent Steve Kroft interviewed Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoan, the president of Turkey -- an important NATO ally. He made his frustrations with the United States clear. "Let me be very frank in my remarks, and I have been known for my candor," he tells Kroft through a translator. "I wouldn't speak the truth if I said I was not disillusioned. Because I am disillusioned." His grievances stem, in part, from his view that the U.S. policy on Syria hasn't been adequate: that the U.S. has not done enough to address the terrorist threats on Turkey's southern flank or the nearly three million refugees he's taken in from Syria. But another thorn in the relationship between the two NATO allies stems from the events of July 15, when factions of the Turkish military launched a coup attempt to overthrow Turkey's elected government. Erdoan immediately blamed the revolt on the followers of his arch enemy an elderly and exiled cleric named Fethullah Glen. For the past 17 years, Glen has been leading a reclusive life in the United States, on a 26-acre retreat in the Poconos. The Turkish government considers Glen and his supporters terrorists, and Erdoan told Kroft he wants the U.S. to return Glen to Turkey immediately. "This man is the leader of a terrorist organization that has bombed my parliament," Erdoan tells Kroft. "We have extradited terrorists to the United States in the past, and we expect the same thing to be done by the United States." Erdoan says Glen's continued presence in Pennsylvania has damaged Turkey's relations with the United States, which insists the extradition process must be handled by U.S. courts. In 2012, correspondent Lesley Stahl reported on the mystery man who is never seen or heard in public in the 60 Minutes piece above. Glen is an Islamic cleric with an influential force in the Muslim world, known as the Glen movement. As Stahl reports, his disciples compare him to Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. His supporters say he encourages tolerance and interfaith dialogue, and above all, he promotes education. His movement has founded numerous charter schools throughout the U.S., and are largely run by Turkish immigrants who are carrying out Glen teachings. In sermons on the web, Glen tells his followers, "Studying physics, mathematics, and chemistry is worshipping God." In turn, his supporters have built more than 1,000 schools around the world. Lesley Stahl visits a Glen-inspired charter school in the U.S. CBS News But Glen has never visited them, not even those a short drive away from his Poconos home. Rather, he speaks to his followers online from his gated retreat. When he initially came to the U.S. in 1999, it was for medical treatment. But then a video surfaced in which he appeared to order his followers to secretly take over key government positions in Turkey. The Turkish government accused Glen of treason, so he decided to stay in the Poconos even after he was cleared in absentia in 2008. "I think if he were to come back, then there would be such a brouhaha, and I think he would be afraid of being seen as too powerful," Andrew Finkel tells Stahl. Finkel has been a journalist in Turkey for more than 25 years. Glen declined an interview with 60 Minutes in 2012. Today, President Erdoan wants to know why he remains in Pennsylvania. "This failed coup attempted to destroy the very foundation of the state," Erdoan tells Kroft. No. He has a green card; he should be extradited."

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoan wants Fethullah Glen extradited to Turkey. The U.S. has refused to extradite Gulen, who has been living in the Poconos, Pennsylvania, for 17 years. Gulen is an Islamic cleric with an influential force in the Muslim world.

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https://www.cbsnews.com/news/60-minutes-fethullah-gulen-turkey/

Is Marriott in China Barking Up the Wrong Tree?

Last year Marriott International was forced to issue an apology and fire at least one employee after an online guest survey listed Tibet and other areas claimed by China as countries rather than regions, sparking a furious response from Chinese regulators. Business in China can be disconcertingly political. One solution for international hotel chains might be to serve pets as well as people. Fortunately, there is a less political niche market that appears to be doing well, despite a slowing economy and labor market: luxury pet hotels. As Chinese citizens have gotten wealthier, their spending on pets has grown rapidly. Per square foot, pet hotels often charge more than luxury accommodation for humans in wealthy coastal cities such as Xiamen, according to state-run China Daily. An upscale feline suite covering about 85 square feet, equipped with toys and a kitty cam so owners can check in, goes for 350 yuan ($52) a day. Prices often rise ahead of the coming Lunar New Year. Best of all, feline and canine customers usually ignore thorny political questions such as Taiwan, emphasizing issues like walks and mail personnel instead.

Luxury pet hotels in China are doing well, despite a slowing economy and labor market. Marriott International was forced to issue an apology and fire at least one employee after an online guest survey listed Tibet and other areas claimed by China as countries rather than regions. The hotels often ignore thorny political questions such as Taiwan, emphasizing issues like walks and mail personnel.

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https://www.thestar.com/wsj/business/2019/01/18/is-marriott-in-china-barking-up-the-wrong-tree.html

Is Talking Stick Resort Arena a driver of downtown Phoenix's economy?

CLOSE The proposal for a $230 million renovation of Talking Stick Resort Arena has sparked an intense public discussion. azcentral MEDIA: Speech WHO SAID IT: Phoenix Mayor Thelda Williams THE COMMENT: "Im a firm believer that the Suns and the arena is the core of downtown. I think thats how we gain all the business enthusiasm and shops and restaurants I think even the colleges. Because the kids like the activities, whether its a Suns game or a concert Its a generator of income that goes into our general fund that pays for police and fire and parks and all other services that benefit the city." FORUM: Public meeting on Jan. 9 at South Mountain Community Center WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT: Whether a sports arena has a significant impact on a city's economy. OUR FINDING: One Star, Mostly False. ANALYSIS: The proposal for a $230 million renovation of Talking Stick Resort Arena has sparked an intense public discussion. While public response has been mixed at multiplecity-hosted town halls, city leaders and Suns executives have stressed the significant impact of the arena on the growth and revitalization of downtown. The Phoenix City Council planned to vote on the proposal in December, but pushed the vote back to Jan. 23. Phoenix Mayor Thelda Williams supports the proposal. She spoke at the end of the Jan. 9 public meeting and made the claim about the arena being an economic and social draw to downtown. The deal and the funding Talking Stick Resort Arena. (Photo: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports, USA TODAY Sports) The total renovation cost for the arena is projected at $230 million. The proposal requires $150 million from the city of Phoenix through the Sports Facilities Fund and bonds. The Suns would pay $80 million. The Sports Facilities Fund is generated from taxes on hotel rooms and rental cars. A report by the Phoenix Department of Community and Economic Development shows the arena has an estimated $182 million in direct economic impact to the city and businesses. The report measures arena attendees' spending on hotel stays and related tourism purchases, such as meals and event memorabilia, and counts tax revenue to the city of Phoenix. The data also include tax revenue the city would receive from the construction of a Suns practice facility. CLOSE A proposal would require Phoenix to pay $150 million upfront, with the Suns kicking in 80 million, to renovate Talking Stick Resort Arena. Arizona Republic Sports arenas and city economies Phoenix Community and Economic Development Director Christine Mackayviews the renovation as necessary to maintain a robust downtown. "It's all about being a well-rounded city, being able to supply amenities and assets to all of our citizens who want them," Mackay said. "The entertainment district is key." Nevertheless, research on sports arenas shows they have a small to negligible effect on the economy and development of a city. It is not facility-dependent but rather city dependent. Geoffrey Propheter, researcher A West Virginia University study published in 2015 analyzed 13 new sports facilities and studied business activity nearby. The research found "no evidence of any effect, positive or negative, of new sports facilities on new businesses around these facilities." Another study in The Journal of Urban Affairs in 2012 by researcher Geoffrey Propheter found that basketball arenas specifically did not spur economic development in a city. Using data from 1979 to 2009, Propheter found basketball arenas are dependent on the growing economic state of the city where they reside, not the other way around. "It is not facility-dependent but rather city dependent," Propheter wrote. "Basketball arenas are economic complements. The present research is generally consistent with the notion that professional sports are not the cause of development so much as they are the effect." If every sports team in Chicago were to suddenly disappear, the impact on the Chicago economy would be a fraction of 1 percent. A baseball team has about the same impact on a community as a midsize department store. Michael Leeds, a sports economist at Temple University A 1997 study by the Brookings Institution, a nonpartisan research organization, also concluded that sports facilities had a negligible effect on economic activity and employment in cities. "Regardless of whether the unit of analysis is a local neighborhood, a city, or an entire metropolitan area, the economic benefits of sports facilities are de minimus," the study's authors, Roger Noll and Andrew Zimbalist, wrote. Other economists have reached similar conclusions. Michael Leeds, a sports economist at Temple University, said in an interview with the radio program Marketplace that the negligible economic effect of sports facilities is actually the one thing economists agree on. Leeds studied Chicago, a city with five major sports teams the Cubs, the White Sox, the Bears, the Bulls, and the Blackhawks. His research found the teams did not matter financially to the city. "If every sports team in Chicago were to suddenly disappear, the impact on the Chicago economy would be a fraction of 1 percent," Leeds said. "A baseball team has about the same impact on a community as a midsize department store." Take whatever number the sports promoter says, take it and move the decimal one place to the left. Divide it by 10, and that's a pretty good estimate of the actual economic impact. Victor Matheson, an economist at College of Holy Cross Victor Matheson, an economist at College of Holy Cross, said in an interview with The Atlantic that city officials and sports publicists tend to inflate numbers about economic impact. "Take whatever number the sports promoter says, take it and move the decimal one place to the left. Divide it by 10, and that's a pretty good estimate of the actual economic impact," he said. He also said publicly financed facilities don't create a return on investment if they are not heavily used. One exception is the Staples Center in Los Angeles home to two NBA teams, the Clippers and the Lakers, the WNBA Sparks and the NHL Kings. "But they use it 250 dates a year," Matheson said. Talking Stick Resort Arena also is home to the WNBA Phoenix Mercury, in addition to the Suns. Mackay said she recognized the small to negligible economic impact of sports arenas that economists had found. "I don't disagree, if the (Talking Stick Resort) arena were to close down, $182 million in the economy of Phoenix is not significant," Mackay said. But she said she had a different view on the social and cultural impact of the arena. "The problem with those economic reports is that they tend to neglect to see how the trickle effect moves through to create an attractive place for other companies to invest in the market. In every study they neglected it. Economists looked at cold hard math and numbers. They didn't check on that from an economic development level." Phoenix considers the arena as part of a "branding toolkit," said Julie Watters, the city's public information director. Mackay said from an economic development view, the arena is part of making a competitive city. "I am boots on the ground, in the trenches and see how important it is," she said. She said companies look for such things as education infrastructure, safety, affordable entertainment and nightlife when moving to and investing in new cities. "From an economic standpoint, (the arena) is negligible. From a social impact on what we can attract in the future, it has a significant impact." The economic growth of downtown Phoenix would not be derailed, however, if the arena was vacated. "The arena is not solely responsible for the revival of downtown," Mackay said. CLOSE Mike Dwyer, a Phoenix resident, speaks during a public hearing to discuss the pending renovation cost for Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix. Nathan J. Fish, The Republic | azcentral.com BOTTOM LINE: Economic research shows that sports arena construction and development has a minimal impact on a city economy and new businesses. Although downtown entertainment venues and sports facilities can shape a city's social and cultural appeal to residents, tourists and future investors, from an overall economic standpoint, the effects aren't significant. SOURCES: Jan. 9 Public Meeting on Suns Arena, South Mountain Community Center; Jan. 10 meeting with Christine Mackay and Julie Watters; Visit Phoenix, "Phoenix Tourism Stats & Facts"; "If You Build It, They Might Not Come," Sep. 2012, The Atlantic; "Do Basketball Arenas Spur Economic Development?" City Lab, Aug. 2012; "Sports, Jobs & Taxes: Are New Stadiums Worth the Cost?" Brookings Institution, June 1997; Phoenix City Council Report: Sports Facilities Special Revenue Fund, May 2016; "Are Pro Sports Teams Economic Winners for Cities?" Marketplace.org, March 2015; "Do New Sports Facilities Attract New Businesses?" ", 2012. READ MORE: CLOSE Phoenix resident Greta Rogers, in a public meeting Dec. 12, 2018, lit into council members over a proposal to spend $150M to help renovate the Suns' arena. Click here to subscribe to azcentral.com. Go to connect.azcentral.com for a staff list, for more information about the newsroom and for details about upcoming events. Read or Share this story: https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/fact-check/2019/01/18/economic-impact-talking-stick-resort-arena-phoenix-suns-mayor-thelda-williams/2473561002/

Phoenix Mayor Thelda Williams says Talking Stick Resort Arena is the core of downtown. Research shows sports arenas have a small to negligible effect on the economy.

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https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/fact-check/2019/01/18/economic-impact-talking-stick-resort-arena-phoenix-suns-mayor-thelda-williams/2473561002/

Is Talking Stick Resort Arena a driver of downtown Phoenix's economy?

CLOSE The proposal for a $230 million renovation of Talking Stick Resort Arena has sparked an intense public discussion. azcentral MEDIA: Speech WHO SAID IT: Phoenix Mayor Thelda Williams THE COMMENT: "Im a firm believer that the Suns and the arena is the core of downtown. I think thats how we gain all the business enthusiasm and shops and restaurants I think even the colleges. Because the kids like the activities, whether its a Suns game or a concert Its a generator of income that goes into our general fund that pays for police and fire and parks and all other services that benefit the city." FORUM: Public meeting on Jan. 9 at South Mountain Community Center WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT: Whether a sports arena has a significant impact on a city's economy. OUR FINDING: One Star, Mostly False. ANALYSIS: The proposal for a $230 million renovation of Talking Stick Resort Arena has sparked an intense public discussion. While public response has been mixed at multiplecity-hosted town halls, city leaders and Suns executives have stressed the significant impact of the arena on the growth and revitalization of downtown. The Phoenix City Council planned to vote on the proposal in December, but pushed the vote back to Jan. 23. Phoenix Mayor Thelda Williams supports the proposal. She spoke at the end of the Jan. 9 public meeting and made the claim about the arena being an economic and social draw to downtown. The deal and the funding Talking Stick Resort Arena. (Photo: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports, USA TODAY Sports) The total renovation cost for the arena is projected at $230 million. The proposal requires $150 million from the city of Phoenix through the Sports Facilities Fund and bonds. The Suns would pay $80 million. The Sports Facilities Fund is generated from taxes on hotel rooms and rental cars. A report by the Phoenix Department of Community and Economic Development shows the arena has an estimated $182 million in direct economic impact to the city and businesses. The report measures arena attendees' spending on hotel stays and related tourism purchases, such as meals and event memorabilia, and counts tax revenue to the city of Phoenix. The data also include tax revenue the city would receive from the construction of a Suns practice facility. CLOSE A proposal would require Phoenix to pay $150 million upfront, with the Suns kicking in 80 million, to renovate Talking Stick Resort Arena. Arizona Republic Sports arenas and city economies Phoenix Community and Economic Development Director Christine Mackayviews the renovation as necessary to maintain a robust downtown. "It's all about being a well-rounded city, being able to supply amenities and assets to all of our citizens who want them," Mackay said. "The entertainment district is key." Nevertheless, research on sports arenas shows they have a small to negligible effect on the economy and development of a city. It is not facility-dependent but rather city dependent. Geoffrey Propheter, researcher A West Virginia University study published in 2015 analyzed 13 new sports facilities and studied business activity nearby. The research found "no evidence of any effect, positive or negative, of new sports facilities on new businesses around these facilities." Another study in The Journal of Urban Affairs in 2012 by researcher Geoffrey Propheter found that basketball arenas specifically did not spur economic development in a city. Using data from 1979 to 2009, Propheter found basketball arenas are dependent on the growing economic state of the city where they reside, not the other way around. "It is not facility-dependent but rather city dependent," Propheter wrote. "Basketball arenas are economic complements. The present research is generally consistent with the notion that professional sports are not the cause of development so much as they are the effect." If every sports team in Chicago were to suddenly disappear, the impact on the Chicago economy would be a fraction of 1 percent. A baseball team has about the same impact on a community as a midsize department store. Michael Leeds, a sports economist at Temple University A 1997 study by the Brookings Institution, a nonpartisan research organization, also concluded that sports facilities had a negligible effect on economic activity and employment in cities. "Regardless of whether the unit of analysis is a local neighborhood, a city, or an entire metropolitan area, the economic benefits of sports facilities are de minimus," the study's authors, Roger Noll and Andrew Zimbalist, wrote. Other economists have reached similar conclusions. Michael Leeds, a sports economist at Temple University, said in an interview with the radio program Marketplace that the negligible economic effect of sports facilities is actually the one thing economists agree on. Leeds studied Chicago, a city with five major sports teams the Cubs, the White Sox, the Bears, the Bulls, and the Blackhawks. His research found the teams did not matter financially to the city. "If every sports team in Chicago were to suddenly disappear, the impact on the Chicago economy would be a fraction of 1 percent," Leeds said. "A baseball team has about the same impact on a community as a midsize department store." Take whatever number the sports promoter says, take it and move the decimal one place to the left. Divide it by 10, and that's a pretty good estimate of the actual economic impact. Victor Matheson, an economist at College of Holy Cross Victor Matheson, an economist at College of Holy Cross, said in an interview with The Atlantic that city officials and sports publicists tend to inflate numbers about economic impact. "Take whatever number the sports promoter says, take it and move the decimal one place to the left. Divide it by 10, and that's a pretty good estimate of the actual economic impact," he said. He also said publicly financed facilities don't create a return on investment if they are not heavily used. One exception is the Staples Center in Los Angeles home to two NBA teams, the Clippers and the Lakers, the WNBA Sparks and the NHL Kings. "But they use it 250 dates a year," Matheson said. Talking Stick Resort Arena also is home to the WNBA Phoenix Mercury, in addition to the Suns. Mackay said she recognized the small to negligible economic impact of sports arenas that economists had found. "I don't disagree, if the (Talking Stick Resort) arena were to close down, $182 million in the economy of Phoenix is not significant," Mackay said. But she said she had a different view on the social and cultural impact of the arena. "The problem with those economic reports is that they tend to neglect to see how the trickle effect moves through to create an attractive place for other companies to invest in the market. In every study they neglected it. Economists looked at cold hard math and numbers. They didn't check on that from an economic development level." Phoenix considers the arena as part of a "branding toolkit," said Julie Watters, the city's public information director. Mackay said from an economic development view, the arena is part of making a competitive city. "I am boots on the ground, in the trenches and see how important it is," she said. She said companies look for such things as education infrastructure, safety, affordable entertainment and nightlife when moving to and investing in new cities. "From an economic standpoint, (the arena) is negligible. From a social impact on what we can attract in the future, it has a significant impact." The economic growth of downtown Phoenix would not be derailed, however, if the arena was vacated. "The arena is not solely responsible for the revival of downtown," Mackay said. CLOSE Mike Dwyer, a Phoenix resident, speaks during a public hearing to discuss the pending renovation cost for Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix. Nathan J. Fish, The Republic | azcentral.com BOTTOM LINE: Economic research shows that sports arena construction and development has a minimal impact on a city economy and new businesses. Although downtown entertainment venues and sports facilities can shape a city's social and cultural appeal to residents, tourists and future investors, from an overall economic standpoint, the effects aren't significant. SOURCES: Jan. 9 Public Meeting on Suns Arena, South Mountain Community Center; Jan. 10 meeting with Christine Mackay and Julie Watters; Visit Phoenix, "Phoenix Tourism Stats & Facts"; "If You Build It, They Might Not Come," Sep. 2012, The Atlantic; "Do Basketball Arenas Spur Economic Development?" City Lab, Aug. 2012; "Sports, Jobs & Taxes: Are New Stadiums Worth the Cost?" Brookings Institution, June 1997; Phoenix City Council Report: Sports Facilities Special Revenue Fund, May 2016; "Are Pro Sports Teams Economic Winners for Cities?" Marketplace.org, March 2015; "Do New Sports Facilities Attract New Businesses?" ", 2012. READ MORE: CLOSE Phoenix resident Greta Rogers, in a public meeting Dec. 12, 2018, lit into council members over a proposal to spend $150M to help renovate the Suns' arena. Click here to subscribe to azcentral.com. Go to connect.azcentral.com for a staff list, for more information about the newsroom and for details about upcoming events. Read or Share this story: https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/fact-check/2019/01/18/economic-impact-talking-stick-resort-arena-phoenix-suns-mayor-thelda-williams/2473561002/

Phoenix Mayor Thelda Williams says Talking Stick Resort Arena is the core of downtown. Research on sports arenas shows they have a small to negligible effect on the economy and development of a city.

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https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/fact-check/2019/01/18/economic-impact-talking-stick-resort-arena-phoenix-suns-mayor-thelda-williams/2473561002/

Is Talking Stick Resort Arena a driver of downtown Phoenix's economy?

CLOSE The proposal for a $230 million renovation of Talking Stick Resort Arena has sparked an intense public discussion. azcentral MEDIA: Speech WHO SAID IT: Phoenix Mayor Thelda Williams THE COMMENT: "Im a firm believer that the Suns and the arena is the core of downtown. I think thats how we gain all the business enthusiasm and shops and restaurants I think even the colleges. Because the kids like the activities, whether its a Suns game or a concert Its a generator of income that goes into our general fund that pays for police and fire and parks and all other services that benefit the city." FORUM: Public meeting on Jan. 9 at South Mountain Community Center WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT: Whether a sports arena has a significant impact on a city's economy. OUR FINDING: One Star, Mostly False. ANALYSIS: The proposal for a $230 million renovation of Talking Stick Resort Arena has sparked an intense public discussion. While public response has been mixed at multiplecity-hosted town halls, city leaders and Suns executives have stressed the significant impact of the arena on the growth and revitalization of downtown. The Phoenix City Council planned to vote on the proposal in December, but pushed the vote back to Jan. 23. Phoenix Mayor Thelda Williams supports the proposal. She spoke at the end of the Jan. 9 public meeting and made the claim about the arena being an economic and social draw to downtown. The deal and the funding Talking Stick Resort Arena. (Photo: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports, USA TODAY Sports) The total renovation cost for the arena is projected at $230 million. The proposal requires $150 million from the city of Phoenix through the Sports Facilities Fund and bonds. The Suns would pay $80 million. The Sports Facilities Fund is generated from taxes on hotel rooms and rental cars. A report by the Phoenix Department of Community and Economic Development shows the arena has an estimated $182 million in direct economic impact to the city and businesses. The report measures arena attendees' spending on hotel stays and related tourism purchases, such as meals and event memorabilia, and counts tax revenue to the city of Phoenix. The data also include tax revenue the city would receive from the construction of a Suns practice facility. CLOSE A proposal would require Phoenix to pay $150 million upfront, with the Suns kicking in 80 million, to renovate Talking Stick Resort Arena. Arizona Republic Sports arenas and city economies Phoenix Community and Economic Development Director Christine Mackayviews the renovation as necessary to maintain a robust downtown. "It's all about being a well-rounded city, being able to supply amenities and assets to all of our citizens who want them," Mackay said. "The entertainment district is key." Nevertheless, research on sports arenas shows they have a small to negligible effect on the economy and development of a city. It is not facility-dependent but rather city dependent. Geoffrey Propheter, researcher A West Virginia University study published in 2015 analyzed 13 new sports facilities and studied business activity nearby. The research found "no evidence of any effect, positive or negative, of new sports facilities on new businesses around these facilities." Another study in The Journal of Urban Affairs in 2012 by researcher Geoffrey Propheter found that basketball arenas specifically did not spur economic development in a city. Using data from 1979 to 2009, Propheter found basketball arenas are dependent on the growing economic state of the city where they reside, not the other way around. "It is not facility-dependent but rather city dependent," Propheter wrote. "Basketball arenas are economic complements. The present research is generally consistent with the notion that professional sports are not the cause of development so much as they are the effect." If every sports team in Chicago were to suddenly disappear, the impact on the Chicago economy would be a fraction of 1 percent. A baseball team has about the same impact on a community as a midsize department store. Michael Leeds, a sports economist at Temple University A 1997 study by the Brookings Institution, a nonpartisan research organization, also concluded that sports facilities had a negligible effect on economic activity and employment in cities. "Regardless of whether the unit of analysis is a local neighborhood, a city, or an entire metropolitan area, the economic benefits of sports facilities are de minimus," the study's authors, Roger Noll and Andrew Zimbalist, wrote. Other economists have reached similar conclusions. Michael Leeds, a sports economist at Temple University, said in an interview with the radio program Marketplace that the negligible economic effect of sports facilities is actually the one thing economists agree on. Leeds studied Chicago, a city with five major sports teams the Cubs, the White Sox, the Bears, the Bulls, and the Blackhawks. His research found the teams did not matter financially to the city. "If every sports team in Chicago were to suddenly disappear, the impact on the Chicago economy would be a fraction of 1 percent," Leeds said. "A baseball team has about the same impact on a community as a midsize department store." Take whatever number the sports promoter says, take it and move the decimal one place to the left. Divide it by 10, and that's a pretty good estimate of the actual economic impact. Victor Matheson, an economist at College of Holy Cross Victor Matheson, an economist at College of Holy Cross, said in an interview with The Atlantic that city officials and sports publicists tend to inflate numbers about economic impact. "Take whatever number the sports promoter says, take it and move the decimal one place to the left. Divide it by 10, and that's a pretty good estimate of the actual economic impact," he said. He also said publicly financed facilities don't create a return on investment if they are not heavily used. One exception is the Staples Center in Los Angeles home to two NBA teams, the Clippers and the Lakers, the WNBA Sparks and the NHL Kings. "But they use it 250 dates a year," Matheson said. Talking Stick Resort Arena also is home to the WNBA Phoenix Mercury, in addition to the Suns. Mackay said she recognized the small to negligible economic impact of sports arenas that economists had found. "I don't disagree, if the (Talking Stick Resort) arena were to close down, $182 million in the economy of Phoenix is not significant," Mackay said. But she said she had a different view on the social and cultural impact of the arena. "The problem with those economic reports is that they tend to neglect to see how the trickle effect moves through to create an attractive place for other companies to invest in the market. In every study they neglected it. Economists looked at cold hard math and numbers. They didn't check on that from an economic development level." Phoenix considers the arena as part of a "branding toolkit," said Julie Watters, the city's public information director. Mackay said from an economic development view, the arena is part of making a competitive city. "I am boots on the ground, in the trenches and see how important it is," she said. She said companies look for such things as education infrastructure, safety, affordable entertainment and nightlife when moving to and investing in new cities. "From an economic standpoint, (the arena) is negligible. From a social impact on what we can attract in the future, it has a significant impact." The economic growth of downtown Phoenix would not be derailed, however, if the arena was vacated. "The arena is not solely responsible for the revival of downtown," Mackay said. CLOSE Mike Dwyer, a Phoenix resident, speaks during a public hearing to discuss the pending renovation cost for Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix. Nathan J. Fish, The Republic | azcentral.com BOTTOM LINE: Economic research shows that sports arena construction and development has a minimal impact on a city economy and new businesses. Although downtown entertainment venues and sports facilities can shape a city's social and cultural appeal to residents, tourists and future investors, from an overall economic standpoint, the effects aren't significant. SOURCES: Jan. 9 Public Meeting on Suns Arena, South Mountain Community Center; Jan. 10 meeting with Christine Mackay and Julie Watters; Visit Phoenix, "Phoenix Tourism Stats & Facts"; "If You Build It, They Might Not Come," Sep. 2012, The Atlantic; "Do Basketball Arenas Spur Economic Development?" City Lab, Aug. 2012; "Sports, Jobs & Taxes: Are New Stadiums Worth the Cost?" Brookings Institution, June 1997; Phoenix City Council Report: Sports Facilities Special Revenue Fund, May 2016; "Are Pro Sports Teams Economic Winners for Cities?" Marketplace.org, March 2015; "Do New Sports Facilities Attract New Businesses?" ", 2012. READ MORE: CLOSE Phoenix resident Greta Rogers, in a public meeting Dec. 12, 2018, lit into council members over a proposal to spend $150M to help renovate the Suns' arena. Click here to subscribe to azcentral.com. Go to connect.azcentral.com for a staff list, for more information about the newsroom and for details about upcoming events. Read or Share this story: https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/fact-check/2019/01/18/economic-impact-talking-stick-resort-arena-phoenix-suns-mayor-thelda-williams/2473561002/

Phoenix Mayor Thelda Williams says Talking Stick Resort Arena is the core of downtown. Research on sports arenas shows they have a small to negligible effect on the economy and development of a city. The Phoenix City Council is set to vote on a proposal to renovate the arena.

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https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/fact-check/2019/01/18/economic-impact-talking-stick-resort-arena-phoenix-suns-mayor-thelda-williams/2473561002/

Was NBA London 2019 The Final Curtain For UK Basketball Fans?

NBA fans in London were treated to a basketball rarity last night, as the Washington Wizards defeated the New York Knicks 101-100 at the O2 Arena on a goal-tending call. Even Scott Brooks, whose basketball career spans 30 years including a decade as an NBA player and another decade as an NBA head coach, admitted post-game Ive never seen that. It was the culmination of what NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said at his press conference was essentially a weeks worth of activities [including] clinics, junior NBA programmes, multiple partner events... it feels a little bit like our European All-Star game. Its all part of the NBAs mission to expand internationally and break into new markets. As Silver stated NBA London 2019 was the 91st game that the NBA has played in Europe, before adding to the amusement of the assembled European media that includes both friendlies and fixtures. The explosion of international talent That global expansion has been aided by an explosion in worldwide talent over the last couple of decades. Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki, drafted 9th overall in 1998, was arguably the first European NBA superstar. The San Antonio Spurs were able to exploit a market inefficiency by being the first to embrace the potential of international players. They snagged Manu Ginobili with the 57th pick in 1999. Ginobili stayed in Europe until 2002, winning the Euroleague Championship and Euroleague MVP in 2001 with Virtus Bologna, but together with Tony Parker, was drafted 28th in 2001, was at the core of one of the NBAs most successful dynasties of the post-Michael Jordan NBA. But they were just the trailblazers. In his remarks Silver directly referenced the importance of the new generation of international talent coming through now, saying Whats exciting to see... is the development of the enormous talent thats coming out of Europe now into the NBA. And look no further than this years All-Star voting. Of course, Giannis Antetokuonmpo is the number one vote-getter in the East, and Luka Doncic is the number two [in the West]. The sentiment was echoed by Knicks guard, and French national, Frank Ntilikina ahead of the game, who spoke of the growing trend Giannis [Antetokounmpo] and Nikola [Jokic] in particular [are] representing Europe so well but it can only get better. One of the most eye-catching ideas floated by Silver at his press conference was the idea of tournaments around the globe to capitalize on and continue to grow, the NBAs global audience. One of the things Im sure well be talking to our players' association over time is should we take a fresh look at the way the season is structured? You could create more space in the season so that we could bring more teams over, maybe open up the possibility of having a tournament in Europe, a tournament in Asia, Latin America, other parts of the world. For now though, the London game has become a fixture for European fans. In every season since 2010/11, bar the lockout-shortened 2011-12 season, the NBA has come to O2 Arena. Its an interesting choice given that basketball culture is arguably much bigger in many other European countries from France, Spain, Italy, Greece, Turkey, and the Balkan states. Silver explained One of the reasons London is considered to be so important is that it appears to be, for us, a hub for us in Europe. Its easily accessible for people from throughout Europe. This particular facility, the O2 arena, last I looked is the highest grossing arena in the world and they do a fantastic job hosting major events and that has made it very easy for us. However, in comments that will concern NBA fans in the United Kingdom, Silver continued on to say that We are looking at other markets. We recognize that Europe is a huge market, theres enormous interest and that many of the other European markets have a stronger basketball affinity than they do even in England. Its been a marriage in part of convenience but its been very successful for both parties. Top of the list appears to be Paris, with Silver saying Its something were looking very closely at, that is playing a regular season game in Paris next season. It is very important. France has historically been a terrific market for the NBA. We have several players from France as well... we have played many exhibition games in Paris over the years and it will continue to be an important market. Were looking forward to coming back to Paris. Whats not so clear is whether that means a second game in Europe, or moving the NBA away from London for a time. Silver explained Its still a very labor-intensive undertaking to bring regular-season games over to Europe right now were still thinking the format would probably be to have one game next year but its something that our London office is continuing to explore. The concern of UK-based fans Last nights antics on the court may have delighted UK-based basketball fans, with a roaring crowd cheering every bucket down the stretch. But as much as traveling to new cities might help the NBA further grow their brand internationally, the prospect of losing the London game would be a blow to growing the fanbase in the UK. Luke Hatfield, editor of BouncyOrangeBall, a UK-based website focusing on the NBA said "Talk of a game in Paris is something British fans would have welcomed, but dropping the bombshell of claiming that only one game will take place in Europe next year will rightly have them worried. British fans have responded to the NBA well in recent years, and it looks as though its only going to improve with Sky Sports picking up the rights to cover games on British TV." "Paris is more than deserving of an NBA game, and many expected a game to head there in addition to the one played at the O2 Arena - it would make sense given the global focus from the NBA. But doing so by taking a game away from London doesnt seem like the best idea." So despite witnessing one of the more exciting NBA London games in recent years, UK-based basketball fans are left hoping that last nights game-winning goaltending call is the only once-in-a-lifetime basketball experience they will have and that the NBAs visit to London remains an annual tradition.

NBA London 2019 was the 91st game that the NBA has played in Europe. It was the culmination of a weeks worth of activities for the NBA. The game was played at the O2 Arena in London, London, England, on Saturday night. The London game has become a fixture for European fans.

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https://www.forbes.com/sites/patrickmurray/2019/01/18/was-nba-london-2019-the-final-curtain-for-british-basketball-fans/

Are books clutter?

Organizing consultant Marie Kondo is under fire for suggesting people throw away their books. Kondo is the star of Netflix's "Tidying Up with Marie Kondo." The show follows Kondo as she helps tidy up messy homes and preaches the "KonMari method," a style of cleaning that involves eliminating items that no longer bring you joy. Kondo suggests you keep no more than 30 books and Twitter went wild. PERSPECTIVES Some argue that books are important to have because they serve you at different points in your life. Twitter users say they are suspicious of anyone who suggests they throw knowledge out of the window. I just don't trust someone who doesn't understand the magic of books. (This is a Marie Kondo subtweet) Books come to us when they are supposed to and we read them when we are meant to. They are not interchangeable, indistinguishable blocks of text. pic.twitter.com/sW4rEUeute -- Kelli G (@glazebrookgirl) January 4, 2019 But on the other hand, books literally, collect dust. If you are trying to live minimally, books can clutter up your living space. Today, we have e-books and Kindles, so it isn't really necessary to hold onto too many books. "The point of this process isn't to force yourself to eliminate things. It's really to confirm how you feel about each and every item that you possess"-Marie Kondo From now on, this is the only convo that I'll pay attention to when it comes to Marie Kondo https://t.co/g6fUtFGzi4 -- Kat Cho [?] [?] [?] (@KatCho) January 15, 2019 via GIPHY people getting mad at Marie Kondo for suggesting people should get rid of some books are imagining people having a collection of Penguin first editions and T S Eliot not The Dummies Guide to Computers and Dan Brown's Digital Fortress -- florence (@FloPlatford) January 15, 2019 via GIPHY The Tylt is focused on debates and conversations around news, current events and pop culture. We provide our community with the opportunity to share their opinions and vote on topics that matter most to them. We actively engage the community and present meaningful data on the debates and conversations as they progress. The Tylt is a place where your opinion counts, literally. The Tylt is an Advance Local Media, LLC property. Join us on Twitter @TheTylt, on Instagram @TheTylt or on Facebook, we'd love to hear what you have to say.

Marie Kondo suggests you keep no more than 30 books. Some argue that books are important to have because they serve you at different points in your life. But on the other hand, books can clutter up your living space.

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https://www.cleveland.com/books/index.ssf/2019/01/are_books_clutter.html

Are books clutter?

Organizing consultant Marie Kondo is under fire for suggesting people throw away their books. Kondo is the star of Netflix's "Tidying Up with Marie Kondo." The show follows Kondo as she helps tidy up messy homes and preaches the "KonMari method," a style of cleaning that involves eliminating items that no longer bring you joy. Kondo suggests you keep no more than 30 books and Twitter went wild. PERSPECTIVES Some argue that books are important to have because they serve you at different points in your life. Twitter users say they are suspicious of anyone who suggests they throw knowledge out of the window. I just don't trust someone who doesn't understand the magic of books. (This is a Marie Kondo subtweet) Books come to us when they are supposed to and we read them when we are meant to. They are not interchangeable, indistinguishable blocks of text. pic.twitter.com/sW4rEUeute -- Kelli G (@glazebrookgirl) January 4, 2019 But on the other hand, books literally, collect dust. If you are trying to live minimally, books can clutter up your living space. Today, we have e-books and Kindles, so it isn't really necessary to hold onto too many books. "The point of this process isn't to force yourself to eliminate things. It's really to confirm how you feel about each and every item that you possess"-Marie Kondo From now on, this is the only convo that I'll pay attention to when it comes to Marie Kondo https://t.co/g6fUtFGzi4 -- Kat Cho [?] [?] [?] (@KatCho) January 15, 2019 via GIPHY people getting mad at Marie Kondo for suggesting people should get rid of some books are imagining people having a collection of Penguin first editions and T S Eliot not The Dummies Guide to Computers and Dan Brown's Digital Fortress -- florence (@FloPlatford) January 15, 2019 via GIPHY The Tylt is focused on debates and conversations around news, current events and pop culture. We provide our community with the opportunity to share their opinions and vote on topics that matter most to them. We actively engage the community and present meaningful data on the debates and conversations as they progress. The Tylt is a place where your opinion counts, literally. The Tylt is an Advance Local Media, LLC property. Join us on Twitter @TheTylt, on Instagram @TheTylt or on Facebook, we'd love to hear what you have to say.

Marie Kondo suggests you keep no more than 30 books. Some argue that books are important to have because they serve you at different points in your life. On the other hand, books can clutter up your living space if you are trying to live minimally, some say.

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https://www.cleveland.com/books/index.ssf/2019/01/are_books_clutter.html

Is FIHBX a Strong Bond Fund Right Now?

High Yield - Bonds fund seekers should consider taking a look at Federated Institutional High Yield Bond (FIHBX). FIHBX bears a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 1 (Strong Buy), which is based on nine forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance. Objective We note that FIHBX is a High Yield - Bonds option, which is an area loaded with different investment choices. High Yield - Bonds funds are often known as " junk " bonds since they are below investment grade. This means they are at an elevated risk of default, at least when compared to their investment grade peers. On the plus side, junk bonds generally pay out higher yields, all while posing similar interest rate risks as we see with their investment grade counterparts. History of Fund/Manager Federated is responsible for FIHBX, and the company is based out of Pittsburgh, PA. Federated Institutional High Yield Bond made its debut in November of 2002, and since then, FIHBX has accumulated about $4.74 billion in assets, per the most up-to-date date available. The fund is currently managed by Mark E. Durbiano who has been in charge of the fund since November of 2002. Performance Of course, investors look for strong performance in funds. This fund has delivered a 5-year annualized total return of 3.74%, and it sits in the top third among its category peers. But if you are looking for a shorter time frame, it is also worth looking at its 3-year annualized total return of 6.22%, which places it in the top third during this time-frame. When looking at a fund's performance, it is also important to note the standard deviation of the returns. The lower the standard deviation, the less volatility the fund experiences. Compared to the category average of -20.52%, the standard deviation of FIHBX over the past three years is 4.38%. The standard deviation of the fund over the past 5 years is 4.81% compared to the category average of -25.69%. This makes the fund more volatile than its peers over the past half-decade. Bond Duration Modified duration is a measure of a specific bond's interest rate sensitivity, and is an excellent way to judge how fixed income securities will respond to a shifting rate environment. For investors who think interest rates will rise, this is an important factor to consider. FIHBX has a modified duration of 4.1, which suggests that the fund will decline 4.1% for every hundred-basis-point increase in interest rates. Income It is important to consider the fund's average coupon because income is often a big reason for purchasing a fixed income security. Average coupon is a look at the average payout by the fund in a given year. For example, this fund's average coupon of 6.27% means that a $10,000 investment should result in a yearly payout of $627. If you are looking for a strong level of current income, a higher coupon is a good choice, though it could pose a reinvestment risk; these risks can occur if rates are lower in the future when compared to the initial purchase date of the bond. Because income is only one part of the bond picture, investors should also consider risk relative to broad benchmarks. FIHBX carries a beta of 0.34, meaning that the fund is less volatile than a broad market index of fixed income securities. With this in mind, it has a positive alpha of 2.5, which measures performance on a risk-adjusted basis. Expenses As competition heats up in the mutual fund market, costs become increasingly important. Compared to its otherwise identical counterpart, a low-cost product will be an outperformer, all other things being equal. Thus, taking a closer look at cost-related metrics is vital for investors. In terms of fees, FIHBX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 0.49% compared to the category average of 0.26%. FIHBX is actually more expensive than its peers when you consider factors like cost. Investors should also note that the minimum initial investment for the product is $1 million and that each subsequent investment has no minimum amount. Bottom Line Overall, Federated Institutional High Yield Bond ( FIHBX ) has a high Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively strong performance, worse downside risk, and higher fees, this fund looks like a good potential choice for investors right now.

FIHBX bears a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 1 (Strong Buy) High Yield - Bonds funds are often known as " junk " bonds since they are below investment grade.

bart

https://news.yahoo.com/fihbx-strong-bond-fund-now-120012984.html

Is FIHBX a Strong Bond Fund Right Now?

High Yield - Bonds fund seekers should consider taking a look at Federated Institutional High Yield Bond (FIHBX). FIHBX bears a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 1 (Strong Buy), which is based on nine forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance. Objective We note that FIHBX is a High Yield - Bonds option, which is an area loaded with different investment choices. High Yield - Bonds funds are often known as " junk " bonds since they are below investment grade. This means they are at an elevated risk of default, at least when compared to their investment grade peers. On the plus side, junk bonds generally pay out higher yields, all while posing similar interest rate risks as we see with their investment grade counterparts. History of Fund/Manager Federated is responsible for FIHBX, and the company is based out of Pittsburgh, PA. Federated Institutional High Yield Bond made its debut in November of 2002, and since then, FIHBX has accumulated about $4.74 billion in assets, per the most up-to-date date available. The fund is currently managed by Mark E. Durbiano who has been in charge of the fund since November of 2002. Performance Of course, investors look for strong performance in funds. This fund has delivered a 5-year annualized total return of 3.74%, and it sits in the top third among its category peers. But if you are looking for a shorter time frame, it is also worth looking at its 3-year annualized total return of 6.22%, which places it in the top third during this time-frame. When looking at a fund's performance, it is also important to note the standard deviation of the returns. The lower the standard deviation, the less volatility the fund experiences. Compared to the category average of -20.52%, the standard deviation of FIHBX over the past three years is 4.38%. The standard deviation of the fund over the past 5 years is 4.81% compared to the category average of -25.69%. This makes the fund more volatile than its peers over the past half-decade. Bond Duration Modified duration is a measure of a specific bond's interest rate sensitivity, and is an excellent way to judge how fixed income securities will respond to a shifting rate environment. For investors who think interest rates will rise, this is an important factor to consider. FIHBX has a modified duration of 4.1, which suggests that the fund will decline 4.1% for every hundred-basis-point increase in interest rates. Income It is important to consider the fund's average coupon because income is often a big reason for purchasing a fixed income security. Average coupon is a look at the average payout by the fund in a given year. For example, this fund's average coupon of 6.27% means that a $10,000 investment should result in a yearly payout of $627. If you are looking for a strong level of current income, a higher coupon is a good choice, though it could pose a reinvestment risk; these risks can occur if rates are lower in the future when compared to the initial purchase date of the bond. Because income is only one part of the bond picture, investors should also consider risk relative to broad benchmarks. FIHBX carries a beta of 0.34, meaning that the fund is less volatile than a broad market index of fixed income securities. With this in mind, it has a positive alpha of 2.5, which measures performance on a risk-adjusted basis. Expenses As competition heats up in the mutual fund market, costs become increasingly important. Compared to its otherwise identical counterpart, a low-cost product will be an outperformer, all other things being equal. Thus, taking a closer look at cost-related metrics is vital for investors. In terms of fees, FIHBX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 0.49% compared to the category average of 0.26%. FIHBX is actually more expensive than its peers when you consider factors like cost. Investors should also note that the minimum initial investment for the product is $1 million and that each subsequent investment has no minimum amount. Bottom Line Overall, Federated Institutional High Yield Bond ( FIHBX ) has a high Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively strong performance, worse downside risk, and higher fees, this fund looks like a good potential choice for investors right now.

FIHBX bears a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 1 (Strong Buy) High Yield - Bonds funds are often known as " junk " bonds since they are below investment grade. The fund has delivered a 5-year annualized total return of 3.74%, and it sits in the top third among its category peers.

bart

https://news.yahoo.com/fihbx-strong-bond-fund-now-120012984.html

Will Internet User Growth Aid Comcast (CMCSA) Q4 Earnings?

Comcast Corp CMCSA is set to report fourth-quarter 2018 results on Jan 23. In the trailing four quarters, the company delivered average positive earnings surprise of 5.6%, beating estimates in each. In the last reported quarter, the companys adjusted earnings of 65 cents per share outpaced the Zacks Consensus Estimate by four cents. Moreover, Comcasts top line has beaten the consensus mark in two of the trailing four quarters. In second-quarter 2018, revenues increased 5% year over year to $22.14 billion and beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $21.75 billion. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for third-quarter revenues is $25.74 billion, which reflects year-over-year growth of almost 17.5%. Moreover, the consensus mark for earnings has been steady at 62 cents over the past seven days. Comcast Corporation Price and EPS Surprise Comcast Corporation Price and EPS Surprise | Comcast Corporation Quote Lets see how things are shaping up prior to this announcement. Factors to Watch Out Comcast is expected to benefit from an increasing number of high-speed internet subscribers. The company has completed rollout of its high-speed gigabit internet service to nearly all 58 million homes and businesses it serves. Notably, total high-speed Internet customer net additions were 334K in third-quarter 2018. Additionally, high-speed Internet revenues increased 9.6% year over year to $4.32 billion. Comcasts strategy to market broadband-only packages to customers is likely to drive top-line growth. Further, expanding Wi-Fi coverage along with innovative xFi control features is improving customer experience. Moreover, the companys Xfinity Mobile is now used by more than one million customers. Per Comcast, addition of mobile service improves broadband retention rate, which is a key catalyst. At the end of the third quarter, 68% of Comcasts residential customers received at least two Xfinity products. Further, growing subscriber base for the X1 platform, addition of new features like the voice remote and Fandango voice activated movie ticketing service, and integration of YouTube, Pandora and Netflix are positives. Moreover, NBC Universals strong content portfolio is likely to drive growth. Additionally, strong political advertising sales are expected to drive advertising revenues. Nevertheless, Comcast continues to lose video subscribers due to cord-cutting and stiff competition from virtual MVPDs. Weakness in the Theme Park business is a headwind. What Our Model Says According to the Zacks model, a company with a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) along with a positive Earnings ESP has a good chance of beating estimates. The Sell-rated stocks (Zacks Rank #4 or 5) are best avoided. Comcast has a Zacks Rank #3 and an Earnings ESP of -1.08%. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before theyre reported with our Earnings ESP Filter. Stocks to Consider Here are a few companies you may want to consider as our model shows that these have the right combination of elements to post earnings beat in their upcoming releases: Electronic Arts EA has an Earnings ESP of +3.64% and a Zacks Rank #3. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Rogers Communications RCI has a Zacks Rank #3 and an Earnings ESP of +0.75%. Roku ROKU has an Earnings ESP of +16.67% and a Zacks Rank #3. Zacks has just released a Special Report on the booming investment opportunities of legal marijuana. Ignited by new referendums and legislation, this industry is expected to blast from an already robust $6.7 billion to $20.2 billion in 2021. Early investors stand to make a killing, but you have to be ready to act and know just where to look. Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Comcast Corporation (CMCSA) : Free Stock Analysis Report Rogers Communication, Inc. (RCI) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research

Comcast Corp CMCSA is set to report fourth-quarter 2018 results on Jan 23. In the trailing four quarters, the company delivered average positive earnings surprise of 5.6%. The company is expected to benefit from an increasing number of high-speed internet subscribers.

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https://news.yahoo.com/internet-user-growth-aid-comcast-122112867.html

Is Templeton Developing Markets A (TEDMX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now?

Any investors hoping to find a Non US - Equity fund could think about starting with Templeton Developing Markets A (TEDMX). TEDMX bears a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 3 (Hold), which is based on nine forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance. Objective TEDMX is classified in the Non US - Equity area by Zacks, and this segment is full of potential. Non US - Equity funds focus their investments on companies outside of the United States, which is an important distinction since global mutual funds tend to keep a sizable portion of their portfolio based in the United States. Most of these funds will allocate across emerging and developed markets, and can often extend across cap levels too. History of Fund/Manager TEDMX finds itself in the Franklin Templeton family, based out of San Mateo, CA. The Templeton Developing Markets A made its debut in October of 1991 and TEDMX has managed to accumulate roughly $925.64 million in assets, as of the most recently available information. The fund's current manager, Chetan Sehgal, has been in charge of the fund since April of 2017. Performance Of course, investors look for strong performance in funds. This fund in particular has delivered a 5-year annualized total return of 0.44%, and it sits in the middle third among its category peers. If you're interested in shorter time frames, do not dismiss looking at the fund's 3-year annualized total return of 11.46%, which places it in the top third during this time-frame. When looking at a fund's performance, it is also important to note the standard deviation of the returns. The lower the standard deviation, the less volatility the fund experiences. The standard deviation of TEDMX over the past three years is 14.32% compared to the category average of 9.89%. The standard deviation of the fund over the past 5 years is 14.79% compared to the category average of 9.82%. This makes the fund more volatile than its peers over the past half-decade. Risk Factors Investors should always remember the downsides to a potential investment, and this segment carries some risks one should be aware of. In TEDMX's case, the fund lost 63.04% in the most recent bear market and underperformed comparable funds by 4.59%. This might suggest that the fund is a worse choice than its peers during a bear market. Even still, the fund has a 5-year beta of 0.92, so investors should note that it is hypothetically less volatile than the market at large. Another factor to consider is alpha, as it reflects a portfolio's performance on a risk-adjusted basis relative to a benchmark-in this case, the S&P 500. TEDMX has generated a negative alpha over the past five years of -6.39, demonstrating that managers in this portfolio find it difficult to pick securities that generate better-than-benchmark returns. Expenses As competition heats up in the mutual fund market, costs become increasingly important. Compared to its otherwise identical counterpart, a low-cost product will be an outperformer, all other things being equal. Thus, taking a closer look at cost-related metrics is vital for investors. In terms of fees, TEDMX is a load fund. It has an expense ratio of 1.35% compared to the category average of 1.21%. From a cost perspective, TEDMX is actually more expensive than its peers. Investors need to be aware that with this product, the minimum initial investment is $1,000; each subsequent investment has no minimum amount. Bottom Line Overall, Templeton Developing Markets A ( TEDMX ) has a neutral Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively similar performance, average downside risk, and higher fees, this fund looks like a somewhat average choice for investors right now. Then go over to Zacks.com and check out our mutual fund comparison tool, and all of the other great features that we have to help you with your mutual fund analysis for additional information. For analysis of the rest of your portfolio, make sure to visit Zacks.com for our full suite of tools which will help you investigate all of your stocks and funds in one place. Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report To read this article on Zacks.com click here.

Templeton Developing Markets A (TEDMX) is classified in the Non US - Equity area by Zacks. TEDMX bears a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 3 (Hold) The fund lost 63.04% in the most recent bear market and underperformed comparable funds by 4.59%.

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https://news.yahoo.com/templeton-developing-markets-tedmx-strong-120012422.html

Is Prudential Jennison Mid-Cap Growth A (PEEAX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now?

Prudential Jennison Mid-Cap Growth A (PEEAX) is a potential starting point. PEEAX has a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 2 (Buy), which is based on nine forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance. Objective We note that PEEAX is a Mid Cap Growth fund, and this area is also loaded with many different options. Companies are usually considered growth stocks when they consistently report notable sales and/or earnings growth. Thus, Mid Cap Growth funds pick stocks--usually companies with a market cap between $2 billion and $10 billion--that demonstrate extensive growth opportunities for investors compared to their peers. History of Fund/Manager Prudential is based in Providence, RI, and is the manager of PEEAX. Since Prudential Jennison Mid-Cap Growth A made its debut in December of 1996, PEEAX has garnered more than $963.44 million in assets. A team of investment professionals is the fund's current manager. Performance Obviously, what investors are looking for in these funds is strong performance relative to their peers. This fund has delivered a 5-year annualized total return of 4.3%, and is in the bottom third among its category peers. Investors who prefer analyzing shorter time frames should look at its 3-year annualized total return of 5.14%, which places it in the bottom third during this time-frame. When looking at a fund's performance, it is also important to note the standard deviation of the returns. The lower the standard deviation, the less volatility the fund experiences. Compared to the category average of 9.86%, the standard deviation of PEEAX over the past three years is 11.95%. The fund's standard deviation over the past 5 years is 11.76% compared to the category average of 9.72%. This makes the fund more volatile than its peers over the past half-decade. Risk Factors Investors cannot discount the risks to this segment though, as it is always important to remember the downside for any potential investment. In PEEAX's case, the fund lost 43.85% in the most recent bear market and outperformed its peer group by 7.81%. These results could imply that the fund is a better choice than its peers during a sliding market environment. Investors should note that the fund has a 5-year beta of 0.99, so it is likely going to be as volatile as the market at large. Alpha is an additional metric to take into consideration, since it represents a portfolio's performance on a risk-adjusted basis relative to a benchmark, which in this case, is the S&P 500. PEEAX's 5-year performance has produced a negative alpha of -3.7, which means managers in this portfolio find it difficult to pick securities that generate better-than-benchmark returns. Holdings Exploring the equity holdings of a mutual fund is also a valuable exercise. This can show us how the manager is applying their stated methodology, as well as if there are any inherent biases in their approach. For this particular fund, the focus is primarily on equities that are traded in the United States. This fund is currently holding about 81.13% stock in stocks, with an average market capitalization of $19.06 billion. The fund has the heaviest exposure to the following market sectors: Technology Other Industrial Cyclical Turnover is 36%, which means, on average, the fund makes fewer trades than the average comparable fund. Expenses For investors, taking a closer look at cost-related metrics is key, since costs are increasingly important for mutual fund investing. Competition is heating up in this space, and a lower cost product will likely outperform its otherwise identical counterpart, all things being equal. In terms of fees, PEEAX is a load fund. It has an expense ratio of 1.06% compared to the category average of 1.18%. So, PEEAX is actually cheaper than its peers from a cost perspective. Investors should also note that the minimum initial investment for the product is $2,500 and that each subsequent investment needs to be at $100. Bottom Line Overall, Prudential Jennison Mid-Cap Growth A ( PEEAX ) has a high Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively weak performance, average downside risk, and lower fees, this fund looks like a great potential choice for investors right now. For additional information on this product, or to compare it to other mutual funds in the Mid Cap Growth, make sure to go to www.zacks.com/funds/mutual-funds for additional information. For analysis of the rest of your portfolio, make sure to visit Zacks.com for our full suite of tools which will help you investigate all of your stocks and funds in one place. Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report To read this article on Zacks.com click here.

Prudential Jennison Mid-Cap Growth A (PEEAX) is a potential starting point. PEEAX has a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 2 (Buy), which is based on nine forecasting factors.

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https://news.yahoo.com/prudential-jennison-mid-cap-growth-120012532.html

Is Prudential Jennison Mid-Cap Growth A (PEEAX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now?

Prudential Jennison Mid-Cap Growth A (PEEAX) is a potential starting point. PEEAX has a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 2 (Buy), which is based on nine forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance. Objective We note that PEEAX is a Mid Cap Growth fund, and this area is also loaded with many different options. Companies are usually considered growth stocks when they consistently report notable sales and/or earnings growth. Thus, Mid Cap Growth funds pick stocks--usually companies with a market cap between $2 billion and $10 billion--that demonstrate extensive growth opportunities for investors compared to their peers. History of Fund/Manager Prudential is based in Providence, RI, and is the manager of PEEAX. Since Prudential Jennison Mid-Cap Growth A made its debut in December of 1996, PEEAX has garnered more than $963.44 million in assets. A team of investment professionals is the fund's current manager. Performance Obviously, what investors are looking for in these funds is strong performance relative to their peers. This fund has delivered a 5-year annualized total return of 4.3%, and is in the bottom third among its category peers. Investors who prefer analyzing shorter time frames should look at its 3-year annualized total return of 5.14%, which places it in the bottom third during this time-frame. When looking at a fund's performance, it is also important to note the standard deviation of the returns. The lower the standard deviation, the less volatility the fund experiences. Compared to the category average of 9.86%, the standard deviation of PEEAX over the past three years is 11.95%. The fund's standard deviation over the past 5 years is 11.76% compared to the category average of 9.72%. This makes the fund more volatile than its peers over the past half-decade. Risk Factors Investors cannot discount the risks to this segment though, as it is always important to remember the downside for any potential investment. In PEEAX's case, the fund lost 43.85% in the most recent bear market and outperformed its peer group by 7.81%. These results could imply that the fund is a better choice than its peers during a sliding market environment. Investors should note that the fund has a 5-year beta of 0.99, so it is likely going to be as volatile as the market at large. Alpha is an additional metric to take into consideration, since it represents a portfolio's performance on a risk-adjusted basis relative to a benchmark, which in this case, is the S&P 500. PEEAX's 5-year performance has produced a negative alpha of -3.7, which means managers in this portfolio find it difficult to pick securities that generate better-than-benchmark returns. Holdings Exploring the equity holdings of a mutual fund is also a valuable exercise. This can show us how the manager is applying their stated methodology, as well as if there are any inherent biases in their approach. For this particular fund, the focus is primarily on equities that are traded in the United States. This fund is currently holding about 81.13% stock in stocks, with an average market capitalization of $19.06 billion. The fund has the heaviest exposure to the following market sectors: Technology Other Industrial Cyclical Turnover is 36%, which means, on average, the fund makes fewer trades than the average comparable fund. Expenses For investors, taking a closer look at cost-related metrics is key, since costs are increasingly important for mutual fund investing. Competition is heating up in this space, and a lower cost product will likely outperform its otherwise identical counterpart, all things being equal. In terms of fees, PEEAX is a load fund. It has an expense ratio of 1.06% compared to the category average of 1.18%. So, PEEAX is actually cheaper than its peers from a cost perspective. Investors should also note that the minimum initial investment for the product is $2,500 and that each subsequent investment needs to be at $100. Bottom Line Overall, Prudential Jennison Mid-Cap Growth A ( PEEAX ) has a high Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively weak performance, average downside risk, and lower fees, this fund looks like a great potential choice for investors right now. For additional information on this product, or to compare it to other mutual funds in the Mid Cap Growth, make sure to go to www.zacks.com/funds/mutual-funds for additional information. For analysis of the rest of your portfolio, make sure to visit Zacks.com for our full suite of tools which will help you investigate all of your stocks and funds in one place. Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report To read this article on Zacks.com click here.

Prudential Jennison Mid-Cap Growth A (PEEAX) is a potential starting point. PEEAX has a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 2 (Buy), which is based on nine forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.

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https://news.yahoo.com/prudential-jennison-mid-cap-growth-120012532.html

Is Fidelity Select Defense & Aerospace (FSDAX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now?

Sector - Other fund seekers should consider taking a look at Fidelity Select Defense & Aerospace (FSDAX). FSDAX bears a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 1 (Strong Buy), which is based on nine forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance. History of Fund/Manager FSDAX finds itself in the Fidelity family, based out of Boston, MA. The Fidelity Select Defense & Aerospace made its debut in May of 1984 and FSDAX has managed to accumulate roughly $2.26 billion in assets, as of the most recently available information. Jonathan Siegmann is the fund's current manager and has held that role since October of 2015. Performance Obviously, what investors are looking for in these funds is strong performance relative to their peers. This fund in particular has delivered a 5-year annualized total return of 9.48%, and it sits in the top third among its category peers. Investors who prefer analyzing shorter time frames should look at its 3-year annualized total return of 13.84%, which places it in the top third during this time-frame. When looking at a fund's performance, it is also important to note the standard deviation of the returns. The lower the standard deviation, the less volatility the fund experiences. Compared to the category average of 13.78%, the standard deviation of FSDAX over the past three years is 15.87%. Over the past 5 years, the standard deviation of the fund is 14.59% compared to the category average of 14.04%. This makes the fund more volatile than its peers over the past half-decade. Risk Factors Investors cannot discount the risks to this segment though, as it is always important to remember the downside for any potential investment. FSDAX lost 55.25% in the most recent bear market and underperformed comparable funds by 6.84%. This might suggest that the fund is a worse choice than its peers during a bear market. Investors should note that the fund has a 5-year beta of 1.08, so it is likely going to be more volatile than the market at large. Alpha is an additional metric to take into consideration, since it represents a portfolio's performance on a risk-adjusted basis relative to a benchmark, which in this case, is the S&P 500. The fund has produced a positive alpha over the past 5 years of 0.71, which shows that managers in this portfolio are skilled in picking securities that generate better-than-benchmark returns. Expenses As competition heats up in the mutual fund market, costs become increasingly important. Compared to its otherwise identical counterpart, a low-cost product will be an outperformer, all other things being equal. Thus, taking a closer look at cost-related metrics is vital for investors. In terms of fees, FSDAX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 0.75% compared to the category average of 1.15%. So, FSDAX is actually cheaper than its peers from a cost perspective. Investors should also note that the minimum initial investment for the product is $2,500 and that each subsequent investment has no minimum amount. Bottom Line Overall, Fidelity Select Defense & Aerospace ( FSDAX ) has a high Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively strong performance, average downside risk, and lower fees, this fund looks like a good potential choice for investors right now. For additional information on this product, or to compare it to other mutual funds in the Sector - Other, make sure to go to www.zacks.com/funds/mutual-funds for additional information. We have a full suite of tools on stocks that you can use to find the best choices for your portfolio too, no matter what kind of investor you are. Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research

FSDAX bears a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 1 (Strong Buy), which is based on nine forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.

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https://news.yahoo.com/fidelity-select-defense-aerospace-fsdax-120012371.html

Is Fidelity Select Defense & Aerospace (FSDAX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now?

Sector - Other fund seekers should consider taking a look at Fidelity Select Defense & Aerospace (FSDAX). FSDAX bears a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 1 (Strong Buy), which is based on nine forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance. History of Fund/Manager FSDAX finds itself in the Fidelity family, based out of Boston, MA. The Fidelity Select Defense & Aerospace made its debut in May of 1984 and FSDAX has managed to accumulate roughly $2.26 billion in assets, as of the most recently available information. Jonathan Siegmann is the fund's current manager and has held that role since October of 2015. Performance Obviously, what investors are looking for in these funds is strong performance relative to their peers. This fund in particular has delivered a 5-year annualized total return of 9.48%, and it sits in the top third among its category peers. Investors who prefer analyzing shorter time frames should look at its 3-year annualized total return of 13.84%, which places it in the top third during this time-frame. When looking at a fund's performance, it is also important to note the standard deviation of the returns. The lower the standard deviation, the less volatility the fund experiences. Compared to the category average of 13.78%, the standard deviation of FSDAX over the past three years is 15.87%. Over the past 5 years, the standard deviation of the fund is 14.59% compared to the category average of 14.04%. This makes the fund more volatile than its peers over the past half-decade. Risk Factors Investors cannot discount the risks to this segment though, as it is always important to remember the downside for any potential investment. FSDAX lost 55.25% in the most recent bear market and underperformed comparable funds by 6.84%. This might suggest that the fund is a worse choice than its peers during a bear market. Investors should note that the fund has a 5-year beta of 1.08, so it is likely going to be more volatile than the market at large. Alpha is an additional metric to take into consideration, since it represents a portfolio's performance on a risk-adjusted basis relative to a benchmark, which in this case, is the S&P 500. The fund has produced a positive alpha over the past 5 years of 0.71, which shows that managers in this portfolio are skilled in picking securities that generate better-than-benchmark returns. Expenses As competition heats up in the mutual fund market, costs become increasingly important. Compared to its otherwise identical counterpart, a low-cost product will be an outperformer, all other things being equal. Thus, taking a closer look at cost-related metrics is vital for investors. In terms of fees, FSDAX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 0.75% compared to the category average of 1.15%. So, FSDAX is actually cheaper than its peers from a cost perspective. Investors should also note that the minimum initial investment for the product is $2,500 and that each subsequent investment has no minimum amount. Bottom Line Overall, Fidelity Select Defense & Aerospace ( FSDAX ) has a high Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively strong performance, average downside risk, and lower fees, this fund looks like a good potential choice for investors right now. For additional information on this product, or to compare it to other mutual funds in the Sector - Other, make sure to go to www.zacks.com/funds/mutual-funds for additional information. We have a full suite of tools on stocks that you can use to find the best choices for your portfolio too, no matter what kind of investor you are. Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research

Fidelity Select Defense & Aerospace (FSDAX) has a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 1 (Strong Buy) The fund has delivered a 5-year annualized total return of 9.48%. It has an expense ratio of 0.75% compared to the category average of 1.15%.

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https://news.yahoo.com/fidelity-select-defense-aerospace-fsdax-120012371.html

Is Vanguard FTSE Social Index Investor (VFTSX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now?

If you've been stuck searching for Index funds, consider Vanguard FTSE Social Index Investor (VFTSX) as a possibility. VFTSX has no Zacks Mutual Fund Rank, but we have been able to look into other metrics like performance, volatility, and cost. History of Fund/Manager Vanguard Group is based in Malvern, PA, and is the manager of VFTSX. Vanguard FTSE Social Index Investor made its debut in May of 2000, and since then, VFTSX has accumulated about $2.63 billion in assets, per the most up-to-date date available. The fund is currently managed by William A. Coleman who has been in charge of the fund since December of 2015. Performance Obviously, what investors are looking for in these funds is strong performance relative to their peers. This fund carries a 5-year annualized total return of 9.12%, and is in the top third among its category peers. Investors who prefer analyzing shorter time frames should look at its 3-year annualized total return of 9.72%, which places it in the top third during this time-frame. When looking at a fund's performance, it is also important to note the standard deviation of the returns. The lower the standard deviation, the less volatility the fund experiences. The standard deviation of VFTSX over the past three years is 11.28% compared to the category average of 8.51%. The fund's standard deviation over the past 5 years is 11.26% compared to the category average of 8.93%. This makes the fund more volatile than its peers over the past half-decade. Risk Factors Investors cannot discount the risks to this segment though, as it is always important to remember the downside for any potential investment. In VFTSX's case, the fund lost 56.56% in the most recent bear market and underperformed its peer group by 11.02%. This makes the fund a possibly worse choice than its peers during a sliding market environment. Nevertheless, investors should also note that the fund has a 5-year beta of 1.01, which means it is hypothetically as volatile as the market at large. Because alpha represents a portfolio's performance on a risk-adjusted basis relative to a benchmark, which is the S&P 500 in this case, one should pay attention to this metric as well. VFTSX has generated a positive alpha over the past five years of 0.51, demonstrating that managers in this portfolio are skilled in picking securities that generate better-than-benchmark returns. Holdings Examining the equity holdings of a mutual fund is also a valuable exercise. This can show us how the manager is applying their stated methodology, as well as if there are any inherent biases in their approach. For this particular fund, the focus is principally on equities that are traded in the United States. Right now, 87.22% of this mutual fund's holdings are stocks, and these companies have an average market capitalization of $244.99 billion. The fund has the heaviest exposure to the following market sectors: Technology Finance This fund's turnover is about 8%, so the fund managers are making fewer trades than the average comparable fund. Expenses For investors, taking a closer look at cost-related metrics is key, since costs are increasingly important for mutual fund investing. Competition is heating up in this space, and a lower cost product will likely outperform its otherwise identical counterpart, all things being equal. In terms of fees, VFTSX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 0.18% compared to the category average of 0.74%. So, VFTSX is actually cheaper than its peers from a cost perspective. Investors should also note that the minimum initial investment for the product is $3,000 and that each subsequent investment needs to be at $1. Bottom Line This could just be the start of your research on VFTSXin the Index category. Consider going to www.zacks.com/funds/mutual-funds for additional information about this fund, and all the others that we rank as well for additional information. Zacks provides a full suite of tools to help you analyze your portfolio - both funds and stocks - in the most efficient way possible. Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research

Vanguard FTSE Social Index Investor (VFTSX) has no Zacks Mutual Fund Rank. This fund carries a 5-year annualized total return of 9.12%, and is in the top third among its category peers. The fund is currently managed by William A. Coleman who has been in charge of the fund since December of 2015.

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https://news.yahoo.com/vanguard-ftse-social-index-investor-120012167.html

Which star NFL player will take over in conference title game to power team to Super Bowl?

CLOSE Chad Millman of The Action Network stops by to help you place your bets heading into the NFL's Conference Championship games. USA TODAY The NFL's conference championship games couldn't have provided much of a better platform for the league's stars. All four of the teams remaining boast a Pro Bowl passer, as the Patriots' Tom Brady, Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes, Saints' Drew Brees and Rams' Jared Goff will all be in action on Sunday. And yet there's plenty of other skill-position talent that will be on display, including running backs Todd Gurley and Alvin Kamara as well as wide receivers Michael Thomas and Tyreek Hill, among others. And there's no shortage of notable names on the other side of ball, led by expected repeat defensive player of the year Aaron Donald. Here are their answers: Justin Houston. Maligned all season and, lets be honest, rightly so Kansas Citys defense was a wrecking crew against the Indianapolis Colts, deserving equal billing with Patrick Mahomes for getting the Chiefs their first-ever AFC Championship Game at home. And no one came up bigger than Houston, who sacked Andrew Luck twice, deflected a pass and had a fumble recovery. Its no secret that pressuring Tom Brady will be the key Sunday, which means the Chiefs are going to need another star effort from their defense. But if Houston can duplicate last weekends performance, especially early in the game to set the tone, itll be a long day for Brady and the New England Patriots. Drew Brees. It's been a long time coming -- and three consecutive 7-9 finishes in the middle of the journey -- for the Saints icon to get another shot at Super Bowl glory. And the support system is set up perfectly: Home Dome advantage. Go-to receiver. Double-barreled running back combo. Big-play defense. Brees will do his part. Knowing how tough it is to get here, he won't blow it. Instead, he'll bring his A-game. Im gonna head off the reservation for a bit its often where Im most comfortable and say Bill Belichick will be the star of the championship round. If I knew, Id probably be comfortably retired or a member of New Englands staff. But Im fascinated to see what BB dreams up to slow down Patrick Mahomes and Co. The Patriots are renowned for their ability to negate an opponents top weapon, but that wont be easy to do as it pertains to Mahomes, the NFLs presumed MVP. I suspect Belichick will search for a way to make the forecasted frigid weather an equalizer. Maybe that means packing in against the run and taking away intermediate seam throws to Travis Kelce, potentially forcing Mahomes to try and throw a potentially slick ball deep and/or make Kansas Citys players run longer routes that might break down amid poor traction. Whatever it is, Belichick is sure to have something unexpected up his (cut off) sleeve. Chris Jones. No team generated more pressures at home this season than the Chiefs 118. To beat Tom Brady and the Patriots, Kansas City will need that. The Chiefs havent shown consistent ability to defend the run (27th) so limiting Brady and returning the ball to their high-flying offense in what could be another shootout will be key. Enter Chris Jones, who led Kansas City with 15.5 sacks and 29 quarterback hits. He also beat his block within 2.5 seconds on 35 percent of rushes this season per ESPN, second best pass-rush win rate in the league (the Rams Aaron Donald was first). Jones and fellow defensive linemen will make the difference in a game that, historically, seems to favor the postseason-proficient Patriots. Theyll limit Brady just enough to send the Chiefs back to the Super Bowl for the first time in 49 years. But sorry, Tom: Still no one will think yall suck. After last week, Im not going to doubt Tom Brady ever again. This is his time of year. This is why hes the G.O.A.T. All season long, weve wondered if he and the Patriots were faltering, but whenever it mattered most, they came through. Now, with Bill Belichick having designed a game plan to slow the Chiefs offense, Brady is going to deliver once again and put his team in its ninth Super Bowl since 2000. I'm a little stunned that no one else has gone with Michael Thomas. Yes, the all-pro wide receiver's production is inextricably tied to that of Drew Brees, and Alvin Kamara also could play a pivotal role against a Rams defense that allowed a league-worst 5.1 yards per carry on the season. But the return of Aqib Talib alone won't erase memories of what Thomas did to Los Angeles' defense in Week 9, when he posted 12 catches for 211 yards and a touchdown. Fresh off a franchise-record 171 receiving yards in the divisional-round win over the Eagles, the second-year receiver might operate frequently out of the slot, forcing Talib and fellow cornerback Marcus Peters out of their element, or in tandem with Kamara to stretch the Rams' defense to its limit. It has to be Todd Gurley. The Saints excel at stopping the run, but Gurley is a gifted running back, so the test will be tougher. Not only that, but he also thrives at catching the ball out of the backfield on dump offs or on designed passing plays like screens. But theres one reason why Gurleys rushing production is so essential. It opens up the passing game, and specifically freezes defenders when the Rams dial up play-action passes. Quarterback Jared Goff, according to Pro Football Reference, had 34.6 % of its passes this season come out of play action, the highest rate for any passer in the NFL. That split-second hesitation from defenders offers L.A.s speedy targets just enough time to get open. But if Gurley is bottled up, the efficacy of the play action declines. And it may end the season for the Rams, too.

The NFL's conference championship games couldn't have provided much of a better platform for the league's stars. All four of the teams remaining boast a Pro Bowl passer, as the Patriots' Tom Brady, Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes, Saints' Drew Brees and Rams' Jared Goff will all be in action.

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https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/2019/01/18/nfl-playoffs-tom-brady-patrick-mahomes-drew-brees/2612367002/

Why do migrant caravans start in Honduras?

Twice in the past four months a migrant caravan bound for the United States has originated in Honduras. The latest caravan left San Pedro Sula on Jan. 15, the same city where a similar caravan set off in October, growing to more than 5,000 people as it traveled through Guatemala, then Mexico before reaching Tijuana on the U.S. border in November. Here are some of the main reasons migrants are fleeing Honduras. Crime has people fearing for safety Honduran migrants walk along the roadside through Esquipulas, Guatemala, as they make their way toward the U.S. border, early Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2019. The latest caravan of Honduran migrants hoping to reach the U.S. has crossed into Guatemala. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo) (Photo: Moises Castillo, Associated Press) Insight Crime, a website that tracks organized crime in Latin America, reported that the homicide rate in Honduras hit its peak in 2011, hitting 86.5 murders per 100,000 people. But in recent years, the homicide rate has fallen sharply, to 40 per 100,000 in 2018, Insight Crime reported. Nevertheless, a spate of recent massacres shows Honduras remains a dangerous country. MORE: Border sheriffs: Trump's border wall 'a soundbite, not a cogent public policy position' During this year's first two weeks, 30 people were killed in eight massacres, said Adriana Beltran, director of the citizen security program at the Washington Office on Latin America, which promotes human rights, and economic and social justice. Hondurans often cite homicide, gang violence and domestic violence as reasons for leaving, the Pew Research Center reports. "Many people have noted the overall decrease in the homicide rate in several years," Beltran said. "But the massacres and continued and ongoing violence demonstrates that in many communities people are still feeling insecure." Poverty causes economic misery Honduran migrants walk along the roadside through Esquipulas, Guatemala, as they make their way toward the U.S. border, early Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2019. The latest caravan of Honduran migrants hoping to reach the U.S. has crossed into Guatemala. (Photo: Moises Castillo, Associated Press) Many migrants fleeing Honduras also cite poverty as a main reason for leaving. They hope to find better economic opportunities in the United States. More than 66 percent of Hondurans live in poverty, according to the World Bank. In rural areas, where many migrants are from, one in five people lives in extreme poverty, or on less than $1.90 a day, according to the World Bank. Surveys of recently deported Central American migrants found that work was a top motivator for their journey, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of 2016 data. Among Hondurans, 96 percent cited work as the main reason for coming. Government corruption is rampant Honduran migrants walk at dawn along the roadside through Esquipulas, Guatemala, as they make their way toward the U.S. border, Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2019. The latest caravan of Honduran migrants hoping to reach the U.S. has crossed into Guatemala. (Photo: Moises Castillo, Associated Press) Hondurans are leaving also because corruption is deeply embedded in Honduras, the Washington Office on Latin America's Beltran said. Following the November 2017 re-election of Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez, more than 30 people were killed in violence that erupted from protests accusing Hernandez of stealing the election through fraud. Migrants bound for the United States in caravans frequently carry signs or yell "Fuero JOH," a reference to the president's initials, meaning Out with Juan Orlando Hernandez. Most recently, dozens of politicians and officials in Honduras were charged with diverting millions of dollars in public money for political purposes, including to fund Hernandez's 2013 campaign, according to Insight Crime. "Corruption has extended to the highest levels of politics," Beltran said. One clear example: In November, Juan Antonio Hernandez, a lawyer and former congressman from Honduras, was arrested in Miami and charged "smuggling of tons of cocaine from the Central American country into the United States, weapons offenses involving the use of machine guns and false statements to federal agents," according to NPR. He is the brother of Juan Orlando Hernandez, the Honduran president. In a video that has gone viral on social media, a teen who joined the most recent caravan describes why people are fleeing Honduras in a rap. "Es lamentable lo que pasa en Honduras. Pero que vamos a hacer si vivimos una vida dura," the teen raps. Translation: It's a shame what is happening in Honduras. CLOSE Arizona Republic reporters explain the difference between seeking asylum at the border and attempting to immigrate illegally. Click here to subscribe to azcentral.com. Go to connect.azcentral.com for a staff list, for more information about the newsroom and for details about upcoming events. Read or Share this story: https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/immigration/2019/01/18/why-do-migrant-caravans-start-honduras/2606383002/

Two migrant caravans bound for the U.S. have originated in Honduras in the past four months. Crime, corruption and poverty are some of the main reasons migrants are fleeing Honduras.

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https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/immigration/2019/01/18/why-do-migrant-caravans-start-honduras/2606383002/

Why do migrant caravans start in Honduras?

Twice in the past four months a migrant caravan bound for the United States has originated in Honduras. The latest caravan left San Pedro Sula on Jan. 15, the same city where a similar caravan set off in October, growing to more than 5,000 people as it traveled through Guatemala, then Mexico before reaching Tijuana on the U.S. border in November. Here are some of the main reasons migrants are fleeing Honduras. Crime has people fearing for safety Honduran migrants walk along the roadside through Esquipulas, Guatemala, as they make their way toward the U.S. border, early Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2019. The latest caravan of Honduran migrants hoping to reach the U.S. has crossed into Guatemala. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo) (Photo: Moises Castillo, Associated Press) Insight Crime, a website that tracks organized crime in Latin America, reported that the homicide rate in Honduras hit its peak in 2011, hitting 86.5 murders per 100,000 people. But in recent years, the homicide rate has fallen sharply, to 40 per 100,000 in 2018, Insight Crime reported. Nevertheless, a spate of recent massacres shows Honduras remains a dangerous country. MORE: Border sheriffs: Trump's border wall 'a soundbite, not a cogent public policy position' During this year's first two weeks, 30 people were killed in eight massacres, said Adriana Beltran, director of the citizen security program at the Washington Office on Latin America, which promotes human rights, and economic and social justice. Hondurans often cite homicide, gang violence and domestic violence as reasons for leaving, the Pew Research Center reports. "Many people have noted the overall decrease in the homicide rate in several years," Beltran said. "But the massacres and continued and ongoing violence demonstrates that in many communities people are still feeling insecure." Poverty causes economic misery Honduran migrants walk along the roadside through Esquipulas, Guatemala, as they make their way toward the U.S. border, early Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2019. The latest caravan of Honduran migrants hoping to reach the U.S. has crossed into Guatemala. (Photo: Moises Castillo, Associated Press) Many migrants fleeing Honduras also cite poverty as a main reason for leaving. They hope to find better economic opportunities in the United States. More than 66 percent of Hondurans live in poverty, according to the World Bank. In rural areas, where many migrants are from, one in five people lives in extreme poverty, or on less than $1.90 a day, according to the World Bank. Surveys of recently deported Central American migrants found that work was a top motivator for their journey, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of 2016 data. Among Hondurans, 96 percent cited work as the main reason for coming. Government corruption is rampant Honduran migrants walk at dawn along the roadside through Esquipulas, Guatemala, as they make their way toward the U.S. border, Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2019. The latest caravan of Honduran migrants hoping to reach the U.S. has crossed into Guatemala. (Photo: Moises Castillo, Associated Press) Hondurans are leaving also because corruption is deeply embedded in Honduras, the Washington Office on Latin America's Beltran said. Following the November 2017 re-election of Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez, more than 30 people were killed in violence that erupted from protests accusing Hernandez of stealing the election through fraud. Migrants bound for the United States in caravans frequently carry signs or yell "Fuero JOH," a reference to the president's initials, meaning Out with Juan Orlando Hernandez. Most recently, dozens of politicians and officials in Honduras were charged with diverting millions of dollars in public money for political purposes, including to fund Hernandez's 2013 campaign, according to Insight Crime. "Corruption has extended to the highest levels of politics," Beltran said. One clear example: In November, Juan Antonio Hernandez, a lawyer and former congressman from Honduras, was arrested in Miami and charged "smuggling of tons of cocaine from the Central American country into the United States, weapons offenses involving the use of machine guns and false statements to federal agents," according to NPR. He is the brother of Juan Orlando Hernandez, the Honduran president. In a video that has gone viral on social media, a teen who joined the most recent caravan describes why people are fleeing Honduras in a rap. "Es lamentable lo que pasa en Honduras. Pero que vamos a hacer si vivimos una vida dura," the teen raps. Translation: It's a shame what is happening in Honduras. CLOSE Arizona Republic reporters explain the difference between seeking asylum at the border and attempting to immigrate illegally. Click here to subscribe to azcentral.com. Go to connect.azcentral.com for a staff list, for more information about the newsroom and for details about upcoming events. Read or Share this story: https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/immigration/2019/01/18/why-do-migrant-caravans-start-honduras/2606383002/

Two migrant caravans bound for the U.S. have originated in Honduras in the past four months. Crime, corruption and poverty are some of the main reasons Hondurans are fleeing the country. A spate of recent massacres shows Honduras remains a dangerous country, experts say.

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https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/immigration/2019/01/18/why-do-migrant-caravans-start-honduras/2606383002/

Have Student Loans Caused A Drop In Home Ownership?

New research from the Federal Reserve suggests that student loan debt may have prevented some people from owning a home. Here's what the Fed found. Student Loan Debt Statistics In November, U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos said student loan debt is now a 'crisis.' According to the most recent student loan debt statistics, there are more than 44 million borrowers who collectively owe $1.5 trillion in student loan debt. The average student in the Class of 2016 has $37,172 in student loan debt, and the average student in the Class of 2017 has almost $40,000 in student loan debt. Today, student loan debt is now the second highest consumer debt category - second only to mortgages and higher than credit card debt and auto loans. By 2023, 40% of student loan borrowers may default on their student loans. Student Loan Debt and Buying A Home The Fed found that 36% of adults age 24-32 owned a home in 2014, which is a 9 percentage point drop from 2005. This age group experienced a drop that was twice the rate of all other homeowners during the same period. During this time period, the level of outstanding student loan debt approximately doubled. While student loan debt was not the central reason reason for the decline, it did play a factor. According to the Fed, "a $1,000 increase in student loan debt causes a 1 to 2 percentage point drop in the homeownership rate for student loan borrowers during their late 20s and early 30s." The Fed estimates that about 20% of the drop in ownership is attributable to student loan debt. That means that about 400,000 young people could have owned a home in 2014 had it not been for the increase in student loan debt. "This finding has implications well beyond homeownership, as credit scores impact consumers' access to and cost of nearly all kinds of credit, including auto loans and credit cards," the paper's authors wrote. "While investing in postsecondary education continues to yield, on average, positive and substantial returns, burdensome student loan debt levels may be lessening these benefits." The Fed proposed several recommendations to address student loan debt, including: reduce the cost of tuition increase state government investment in public institutions ease the burden of student loan payments, such as through income-driven repayment. 5 Quick Tips To Buy A Home When You Have Student Loan Debt If you want to maximize your chances to buy a home while you have student loan debt, focus on improving your credit score and debt profile. In addition to saving for a down payment, here are 5 tips to focus your efforts to buy a home:

Student loan debt may have prevented some people from owning a home.

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https://www.forbes.com/sites/zackfriedman/2019/01/18/student-loans-home-ownership/

Have Student Loans Caused A Drop In Home Ownership?

New research from the Federal Reserve suggests that student loan debt may have prevented some people from owning a home. Here's what the Fed found. Student Loan Debt Statistics In November, U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos said student loan debt is now a 'crisis.' According to the most recent student loan debt statistics, there are more than 44 million borrowers who collectively owe $1.5 trillion in student loan debt. The average student in the Class of 2016 has $37,172 in student loan debt, and the average student in the Class of 2017 has almost $40,000 in student loan debt. Today, student loan debt is now the second highest consumer debt category - second only to mortgages and higher than credit card debt and auto loans. By 2023, 40% of student loan borrowers may default on their student loans. Student Loan Debt and Buying A Home The Fed found that 36% of adults age 24-32 owned a home in 2014, which is a 9 percentage point drop from 2005. This age group experienced a drop that was twice the rate of all other homeowners during the same period. During this time period, the level of outstanding student loan debt approximately doubled. While student loan debt was not the central reason reason for the decline, it did play a factor. According to the Fed, "a $1,000 increase in student loan debt causes a 1 to 2 percentage point drop in the homeownership rate for student loan borrowers during their late 20s and early 30s." The Fed estimates that about 20% of the drop in ownership is attributable to student loan debt. That means that about 400,000 young people could have owned a home in 2014 had it not been for the increase in student loan debt. "This finding has implications well beyond homeownership, as credit scores impact consumers' access to and cost of nearly all kinds of credit, including auto loans and credit cards," the paper's authors wrote. "While investing in postsecondary education continues to yield, on average, positive and substantial returns, burdensome student loan debt levels may be lessening these benefits." The Fed proposed several recommendations to address student loan debt, including: reduce the cost of tuition increase state government investment in public institutions ease the burden of student loan payments, such as through income-driven repayment. 5 Quick Tips To Buy A Home When You Have Student Loan Debt If you want to maximize your chances to buy a home while you have student loan debt, focus on improving your credit score and debt profile. In addition to saving for a down payment, here are 5 tips to focus your efforts to buy a home:

Student loan debt may have prevented some people from owning a home, according to the Federal Reserve. The Fed found that 36% of adults age 24-32 owned a home in 2014.

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https://www.forbes.com/sites/zackfriedman/2019/01/18/student-loans-home-ownership/

Have Student Loans Caused A Drop In Home Ownership?

New research from the Federal Reserve suggests that student loan debt may have prevented some people from owning a home. Here's what the Fed found. Student Loan Debt Statistics In November, U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos said student loan debt is now a 'crisis.' According to the most recent student loan debt statistics, there are more than 44 million borrowers who collectively owe $1.5 trillion in student loan debt. The average student in the Class of 2016 has $37,172 in student loan debt, and the average student in the Class of 2017 has almost $40,000 in student loan debt. Today, student loan debt is now the second highest consumer debt category - second only to mortgages and higher than credit card debt and auto loans. By 2023, 40% of student loan borrowers may default on their student loans. Student Loan Debt and Buying A Home The Fed found that 36% of adults age 24-32 owned a home in 2014, which is a 9 percentage point drop from 2005. This age group experienced a drop that was twice the rate of all other homeowners during the same period. During this time period, the level of outstanding student loan debt approximately doubled. While student loan debt was not the central reason reason for the decline, it did play a factor. According to the Fed, "a $1,000 increase in student loan debt causes a 1 to 2 percentage point drop in the homeownership rate for student loan borrowers during their late 20s and early 30s." The Fed estimates that about 20% of the drop in ownership is attributable to student loan debt. That means that about 400,000 young people could have owned a home in 2014 had it not been for the increase in student loan debt. "This finding has implications well beyond homeownership, as credit scores impact consumers' access to and cost of nearly all kinds of credit, including auto loans and credit cards," the paper's authors wrote. "While investing in postsecondary education continues to yield, on average, positive and substantial returns, burdensome student loan debt levels may be lessening these benefits." The Fed proposed several recommendations to address student loan debt, including: reduce the cost of tuition increase state government investment in public institutions ease the burden of student loan payments, such as through income-driven repayment. 5 Quick Tips To Buy A Home When You Have Student Loan Debt If you want to maximize your chances to buy a home while you have student loan debt, focus on improving your credit score and debt profile. In addition to saving for a down payment, here are 5 tips to focus your efforts to buy a home:

Student loan debt may have prevented some people from owning a home, according to the Federal Reserve. The Fed found that 36% of adults age 24-32 owned a home in 2014, which is a 9 percentage point drop from 2005. The average student in the Class of 2016 has $37,172 in student loan debt.

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https://www.forbes.com/sites/zackfriedman/2019/01/18/student-loans-home-ownership/

Who should manage Sidewalk Labs digital data?

If Waterfront Toronto gives Sidewalk Labs the green light this year to proceed with its smart city project, the Alphabet/Google-subsidiary will eventually begin installing a network of sensors in the public spaces, private buildings and infrastructure that will be developed at Quayside and perhaps on the Port Lands. These devices will continuously gather and transmit a massive amount of raw data everything from pedestrian traffic at intersections to energy readings. Those countless shards of data will create an ever-shifting pointillist portrait of an emerging urban neighbourhood going about its business. Theres a broad consensus that smart city data gathered by Sidewalk Labs must be shorn of any kind of personal identifying information and must be regarded as a public asset a kind of urban version of a natural resource, like crown forests or mineral deposits, writes John Lorinc. Theres a consensus that such data must be shorn of identifying information. Its also become clear, after all the intensive scrutiny of Sidewalks pitch, that these data sets are public assets urban versions of natural resources, like crown forests or mineral deposits. As such, the data must be governed in the public interest, in this case by a civic digital trust. This institutions mandate: to provide storage, privacy and security while making subsets of the data available to individuals, companies or agencies. In all likelihood, some of those applications will be for commercial uses. Sidewalk officials and Waterfront Torontos Digital Strategy Advisory Panel (DSAP) have been hunkered down for months with the largely unprecedented problem of figuring out how this trust should work, to whom it will answer, and how far its authority extends. Article Continued Below Last fall, MARS prepared a primer on civic digital trusts for WT, Sidewalk and DSAP officials, the contents of which was discussed a series of closed workshops but has now been posted on Waterfront Torontos website in response to a request by the Toronto Star. Earlier this month, the Toronto Region Board of Trade jumped into the fray with a pitch entitled Bibliotech: that the Toronto Public Library should be tasked with storing, managing and making available Sidewalks data, with privacy overseen by the provincial information and privacy commission. The board of trades brief says the library is consumer-facing and has plenty of experience in data management. But the main motivation comes from the librarys reputation. By folding it into a respected agency, this new trust wins public trust from day one. Other jurisdictions testing smart city and digital public service applications, including Barcelona, London and Estonia, have taken very different approaches, situating their data trusts at the centre of government. I dont dispute the librarys capabilities, but if we want to create a trust with the chops to properly oversee the smart city ventures that seem to be coming our way, policy-makers should heed the old architects adage, that form follows function. Tasks like storage, privacy and security are only half the equation. As Sidewalk officials have said, the company sees the sensors to be deployed in Quayside and elsewhere as platforms. The value will come from making the sensor data available to groups and companies that come up with ideas for using it. One need only look how Uber has taken full advantage of free access to a public resource streets to understand the stakes. Article Continued Below Sidewalk, which has scoped out its own vision of what a trust should do, in December revealed various use cases for its urban technology, among them tracking street parking spots. That information, once accessible via mobile apps, will become crucial to ride-hailing companies operating autonomous vehicles. Absolutely. Waterfront Toronto officials say theyve not yet tackled this problem. There are other tough questions. The board of trade acknowledges that scalability is important. Amidst all the debate, one point seems clear: if we want to create a robust digital governance system, we need to dedicate the resources to build it properly. Its about far more than riding the coat tails of a well loved local agency. John Lorinc is a senior editor at Spacing. Read more about:

John Lorinc: Sidewalk Labs data must be shorn of any kind of personal identifying information. He says it must be regarded as a public asset a kind of urban version of a natural resource, like crown forests or mineral deposits. Lorinc says the Toronto Public Library should be tasked with storing, managing and making available the data.

bart

https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/2019/01/18/who-should-manage-sidewalk-labs-digital-data.html

Is a Beat in the Cards for Allegheny's (ATI) Q4 Earnings?

Allegheny Technologies Incorporated ATI is scheduled to release fourth-quarter 2018 results on Jan 22, before the opening bell. In the third quarter, the company reported net earnings of $50.5 million or 37 cents per share, improving from net loss of $121.2 million or $1.12 in the prior-year quarter. Earnings, however, missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 39 cents. The company reported revenues of $1,020.2 million in the quarter, up 17.4% year over year. Sales beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1,001 million. Notably, Allegheny outpaced the Zacks Consensus Estimate in three of the trailing four quarters, the average positive surprise being 41.4%. Allegheny has outperformed the industry in a years time. Shares of the company have lost around 11.3% compared with the industrys decline of around 15.7% over the same period. Lets see how things are shaping up for the forthcoming announcement. Allegheny Technologies Incorporated Price and EPS Surprise Allegheny Technologies Incorporated Price and EPS Surprise | Allegheny Technologies Incorporated Quote Earnings Whispers Our proven model shows that Allegheny is likely to beat estimates in the fourth quarter. That is because a stock needs to have a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) for this to happen. This is the case here as you will see below: Earnings ESP: Earnings ESP for Allegheny is +3.18%. This is because the Most Accurate Estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate are currently pegged at 35 cents and 34 cents, respectively. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before theyre reported with our Earnings ESP Filter. Zacks Rank: Allegheny currently carries a Zacks Rank #3, which when combined with a positive ESP, makes us reasonably confident of an earnings beat. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Note that we caution against Sell-rated stocks (#4 or 5) going into the earnings announcement, especially when the company is seeing negative estimate revisions. Factors at Play Allegheny, in its third-quarter earnings call, stated that it expects year-over-year growth in operating margin and revenues at the High Performance Materials & Components (HPMC) division in the fourth quarter owing to improved asset utilization and higher aerospace market demand. The company also expects a year-over-year improvement in operating margin of 150-300 basis points on strong end-market demand, benefits from Hot-Rolling and Processing Facility (HRPF) utilization and solid rise in differentiated product sales. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for fourth-quarter consolidated revenues for Allegheny is $981.4 million, reflecting an expected increase of around 7.8% year over year. Alleghenys Flat-Rolled Products (FRP) division benefited from improved cost absorption through higher operating rates along with enhanced matching of raw material surcharges with changes in prices for ferrochrome, nickel and other metallics in the third quarter. However, the company expects a significant price fall in major raw materials and sequentially lower ferrochrome and nickel prices to lead to weaker fourth-quarter results due to mismatch between input costs and the surcharge index pricing mechanism. Allegheny continues to improve its cost structure with its gross cost reduction initiative. The company expects to generate free cash flow of more than $150 million for full-year 2018 from operational improvement, financial performance and disciplined spending. Alleghenys JV with Tsingshan Group Company will also offer cost competitive stainless sheet products, made for the North American market, through a unique combination of Alleghenys innovative, low-cost HRPF, and Tsingshans unparalleled Indonesian refining, mining and castings assets, along with the JVs unique Direct Roll Anneal and Pickle facility in Midland, PA. Moreover, the JV supports Alleghenys considerable investment in the U.S. manufacturing operations, especially in its HRPF facility, which will provide value addition to the processing services for the JVs finished products. Alleghenys agreement with NLMK USA will also open up an additional growth opportunity in HRPF utilization. Other Stocks Poised to Beat Estimates Here are some other companies in the basic materials space that you may also want to consider, as our model shows these also have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this quarter: New Gold Inc. NGD has an Earnings ESP of +166.67% and carries a Zacks Rank #2. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Ryerson Holding Corporation RYI has an Earnings ESP of +48.34% and carries a Zacks Rank #3. LyondellBasell Industries N.V. LYB has an Earnings ESP of +2.37% and carries a Zacks Rank #3. Zacks has just released a Special Report on the booming investment opportunities of legal marijuana. Ignited by new referendums and legislation, this industry is expected to blast from an already robust $6.7 billion to $20.2 billion in 2021. Early investors stand to make a killing, but you have to be ready to act and know just where to look. Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report LyondellBasell Industries N.V. (LYB) : Free Stock Analysis Report New Gold Inc. (NGD) : Free Stock Analysis Report Ryerson Holding Corporation (RYI) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here.

Allegheny Technologies Incorporated (ATI) is expected to report fourth-quarter 2018 results on Jan 22. The company has beaten the Zacks Consensus Estimate in three of the trailing four quarters.

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https://news.yahoo.com/beat-cards-alleghenys-ati-q4-135901387.html

Is a Beat in the Cards for Allegheny's (ATI) Q4 Earnings?

Allegheny Technologies Incorporated ATI is scheduled to release fourth-quarter 2018 results on Jan 22, before the opening bell. In the third quarter, the company reported net earnings of $50.5 million or 37 cents per share, improving from net loss of $121.2 million or $1.12 in the prior-year quarter. Earnings, however, missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 39 cents. The company reported revenues of $1,020.2 million in the quarter, up 17.4% year over year. Sales beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1,001 million. Notably, Allegheny outpaced the Zacks Consensus Estimate in three of the trailing four quarters, the average positive surprise being 41.4%. Allegheny has outperformed the industry in a years time. Shares of the company have lost around 11.3% compared with the industrys decline of around 15.7% over the same period. Lets see how things are shaping up for the forthcoming announcement. Allegheny Technologies Incorporated Price and EPS Surprise Allegheny Technologies Incorporated Price and EPS Surprise | Allegheny Technologies Incorporated Quote Earnings Whispers Our proven model shows that Allegheny is likely to beat estimates in the fourth quarter. That is because a stock needs to have a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) for this to happen. This is the case here as you will see below: Earnings ESP: Earnings ESP for Allegheny is +3.18%. This is because the Most Accurate Estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate are currently pegged at 35 cents and 34 cents, respectively. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before theyre reported with our Earnings ESP Filter. Zacks Rank: Allegheny currently carries a Zacks Rank #3, which when combined with a positive ESP, makes us reasonably confident of an earnings beat. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Note that we caution against Sell-rated stocks (#4 or 5) going into the earnings announcement, especially when the company is seeing negative estimate revisions. Factors at Play Allegheny, in its third-quarter earnings call, stated that it expects year-over-year growth in operating margin and revenues at the High Performance Materials & Components (HPMC) division in the fourth quarter owing to improved asset utilization and higher aerospace market demand. The company also expects a year-over-year improvement in operating margin of 150-300 basis points on strong end-market demand, benefits from Hot-Rolling and Processing Facility (HRPF) utilization and solid rise in differentiated product sales. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for fourth-quarter consolidated revenues for Allegheny is $981.4 million, reflecting an expected increase of around 7.8% year over year. Alleghenys Flat-Rolled Products (FRP) division benefited from improved cost absorption through higher operating rates along with enhanced matching of raw material surcharges with changes in prices for ferrochrome, nickel and other metallics in the third quarter. However, the company expects a significant price fall in major raw materials and sequentially lower ferrochrome and nickel prices to lead to weaker fourth-quarter results due to mismatch between input costs and the surcharge index pricing mechanism. Allegheny continues to improve its cost structure with its gross cost reduction initiative. The company expects to generate free cash flow of more than $150 million for full-year 2018 from operational improvement, financial performance and disciplined spending. Alleghenys JV with Tsingshan Group Company will also offer cost competitive stainless sheet products, made for the North American market, through a unique combination of Alleghenys innovative, low-cost HRPF, and Tsingshans unparalleled Indonesian refining, mining and castings assets, along with the JVs unique Direct Roll Anneal and Pickle facility in Midland, PA. Moreover, the JV supports Alleghenys considerable investment in the U.S. manufacturing operations, especially in its HRPF facility, which will provide value addition to the processing services for the JVs finished products. Alleghenys agreement with NLMK USA will also open up an additional growth opportunity in HRPF utilization. Other Stocks Poised to Beat Estimates Here are some other companies in the basic materials space that you may also want to consider, as our model shows these also have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this quarter: New Gold Inc. NGD has an Earnings ESP of +166.67% and carries a Zacks Rank #2. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Ryerson Holding Corporation RYI has an Earnings ESP of +48.34% and carries a Zacks Rank #3. LyondellBasell Industries N.V. LYB has an Earnings ESP of +2.37% and carries a Zacks Rank #3. Zacks has just released a Special Report on the booming investment opportunities of legal marijuana. Ignited by new referendums and legislation, this industry is expected to blast from an already robust $6.7 billion to $20.2 billion in 2021. Early investors stand to make a killing, but you have to be ready to act and know just where to look. Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report LyondellBasell Industries N.V. (LYB) : Free Stock Analysis Report New Gold Inc. (NGD) : Free Stock Analysis Report Ryerson Holding Corporation (RYI) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here.

Allegheny Technologies Incorporated (ATI) is expected to report fourth-quarter 2018 results on Jan 22. The company has beaten the Zacks Consensus Estimate in three of the trailing four quarters. Allegheny has outperformed the industry in a years time.

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https://news.yahoo.com/beat-cards-alleghenys-ati-q4-135901387.html

Can Strong Memory Aid Lam Research (LRCX) in Q2 Earnings?

Lam Research Corporation LRCX is slated to report second-quarter fiscal 2019 results on Jan 23. In the last reported quarter, the company delivered a positive earnings surprise of 4.67%. Lam Researchs surprise history has been pretty impressive. The company surpassed estimates in each of the trailing four quarters, with the average being 9.70%. Shares of Lam Research have lost 31% in the past year compared with its industrys decline of 28.5%. Lets see how things are shaping up for this announcement. Factors to Consider Lam Research has a high exposure in the memory segment, which is likely to witness notable growth in the coming quarters, driven by cloud computing, big data, mobile devices and IoT. The company is doing well of late and expects to flourish in areas such as device architecture, process flow and advanced packaging technology inflections. It continues to witness increased adoption rates for 3D NAND technology, FinFETs and multi-patterning. The company has undertaken cost-reduction activities as well as density scaling for 3D NAND, and new memory technologies. All these factors are likely to positively impact the top line of the company. For the quarter to be reported, the company expects revenues to be approximately $2.5 billion (+/- $150 million). The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the same is pegged at $2.50 billion. However, volatility in the PC market remains a major concern. Weakness in the PCs may offset the expansion in the 3D NAND, impacting its fiscal second-quarter results. Also, the company faces significant competition in all its product and service categories in the semiconductor capital equipment market. Lam Research Corporation Price and EPS Surprise Lam Research Corporation Price and EPS Surprise | Lam Research Corporation Quote Earnings Whispers Our proven model shows that Lam Research is unlikely to beat estimates in the to-be-reported quarter. This is because a stock needs to have both a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) for this to happen. That is not the case here as you will see below. Earnings ESP: The company has an Earnings ESP of 0.00%. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before theyre reported with our Earnings ESP Filter. Zacks Rank: Currently, Lam Research has a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell). We caution against stocks with a Zacks Rank #4 or 5 (Strong Sell) going into the earnings announcement, especially when the company is witnessing negative estimate revisions. Stocks to Consider You may consider the following stocks with a positive Earnings ESP and a favorable Zacks Rank: Amazon.com Inc. AMZN has an Earnings ESP of +0.68% and carries a Zacks Rank #2. KeyCorp KEY has an Earnings ESP of +0.80% and a Zacks Rank #3. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Waters Corporation WAT has an Earnings ESP of +2.45% and holds a Zacks Rank #3. Zacks has just released a Special Report on the booming investment opportunities of legal marijuana. Ignited by new referendums and legislation, this industry is expected to blast from an already robust $6.7 billion to $20.2 billion in 2021. Early investors stand to make a killing, but you have to be ready to act and know just where to look. Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Waters Corporation (WAT) : Free Stock Analysis Report Lam Research Corporation (LRCX) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research

Lam Research Corporation LRCX is slated to report second-quarter fiscal 2019 results on Jan 23. Lam Research has a high exposure in the memory segment, which is likely to witness notable growth in the coming quarters.

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https://news.yahoo.com/strong-memory-aid-lam-research-135601173.html