Quantcast
Channel: NewsLeak 24
Viewing all 2262 articles
Browse latest View live

Hello world!

0
0

Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start writing!


Hornets, Never Trailing, Avenge Overtime Loss

0
0


CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Kemba Walker scored 29 points and made seven 3-pointers, Tony Parker had 17 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter, and the Charlotte Hornets avenged a double-overtime loss to the Nets earlier this week with a 100-87 victory on Friday night.

Jeremy Lamb added 19 points, and Cody Zeller had 14 points and 10 rebounds as Charlotte improved to 13-7 at home.

D’Angelo Russell scored 33 points on 13-of-24 shooting for the Nets, who lost for only the second time in the last 11 games.

The Hornets won despite an off night from their bench. Aside from Parker, Charlotte’s reserves were 3 of 21 from the field.

The Hornets (17-17) bounced back from the loss in Brooklyn on Wednesday, when Joe Harris stole a loose ball at midcourt and drove for the go-ahead layup with 3.4 seconds left in the second overtime for a 134-132 victory.

Charlotte seemed extra motivated coming out of the gates, jumping out to a 35-17 lead in the first quarter behind 15 points from Lamb and 10 from Zeller. The Hornets never trailed in the game.

The Nets didn’t help themselves, shooting 24 percent in the opening quarter.

But the Nets would battle back to cut the lead to 5 midway through the fourth quarter behind 11 points from Shabazz Napier. That’s when Parker, an 18-year veteran, took over, scoring on midrange jumpers and drives to the hole. Parker shot eight of 10 from the field in the fourth quarter.



Source link

Tyson Fury’s stunning comeback, Anthony Joshua’s latest Wembley knockout, Tony Bellew bowing out

0
0


talkSPORT proudly boasted of being the ‘Home of Boxing’ throughout 2018, and with the picture of every punch painted for the listener – from Cardiff to Nuremburg to Los Angeles to Jeddah and many more besides – it’d be hard to argue that we didn’t deliver.

The year started with a London derby – Lawrence Okolie v Isaac Chamberlain at The O2. In fairness, that one failed to ignite, but better was to come in Manchester with George Groves dominating Chris Eubank Jnr in their World Boxing Super Series semi-final; Groves finishing the contest with his left arm hanging limply by his waist.

George Groves suffered a dislocated shoulder late on in his victory over Chris Eubank Jnr

Germany was up next, and Callum Smith left Manchester Airport with a big smile on his face in anticipation of putting national hero Juergen Braehmer into retirement. His trainer Joe Gallagher received a call whilst walking across the tarmac to the plane bound for Nuremburg – there would be no Braehmer, but a fight would go on. Former Dutch kick-boxing champion Nieky Holzken stepped up and proved a tough but limited operator. It was a no-win situation for Smith, but he got the job done to set up a tantalising tie with Groves, once the latter’s injured shoulder healed.

Onto Sheffield on a snowy Saturday in early March to witness the return of Kell Brook following his back-to-back defeats to Gennady Golovkin and Errol Spence Jnr. Sergey Rabchenkowas the opponent – while it lasted. Less than two rounds didn’t tell us an awful lot about ‘Special K.’

Kell Brook marked his first bout at light-middleweight with victory as he stopped Belarusian Sergey Rabchenko

Kell Brook marked his first bout at light-middleweight with victory as he stopped Belarusian Sergey Rabchenko

On the same weekend, Deontay Wilder beat Luis Ortiz stateside, while Josh Taylor continued his ascent in the sport by dismantling Winston Campos in Glasgow.

From the Steel City to Carson, California for Scott Quigg’s assault on the WBO featherweight title held by Mexico’s Oscar Valdez. In a surprising twist, the uber-professional Quigg weighed in heavy and therefore couldn’t win the title. The gloomy mood wasn’t lifted the following day as the heavens opened to reduce the open-air Stub Hub Centre to a shallow swimming pool. All manner of broadcast kit and cables were exposed to the elements but, somehow, we stayed on-air and more remarkably, nobody was electrocuted.

The then WBO lightweight champ Ray Beltran joined us on co-commentary – a man who’d sparred many rounds with both men. Boxing royalty he may be, but with a blue tarpaulin sheet pulled over his head, lip mic to mouth and rain spilling down his face, Ray realised right then that he’d truly arrived at the big time.

It also proved to be an uncomfortable night for Quigg, who had his nose broken early on and suffered a bad cut to boot. The Bury-man made the final bell, but the decision was unanimous in the tireless Mexican’s favour.

Next up – Dillian Whyte taking on the big Aussie Lucas Browne in London. It presented a step up for Dillian against a former world champion. There was some needle going into the fight, but in the end, there was a gulf in class and a concussive knockout settled the score – the Brixton man was on a roll.

Dillian Whyte brutally knocked out Lucas Browne

Dillian Whyte brutally knocked out Lucas Browne

Undercard highlights included Lewis Ritson blasting out Scott Cardle and Callum Johnson ripping the British light-heavyweight belt from Frank Buglioni in the opening round.

The big build up to Anthony Joshua’s next hurdle was already in full swing by this point. March 31 at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff. The punters had filled the city centre pubs early and many were very well refreshed when the business got serious inside the venue. Anthony Crolla – part of our team in Nuremburg – outpointed Edsun Ramirez before the big men took centre stage. David Price once again proved his popularity with a great ovation before climbing through the ropes to face Alexander Povetkin. Price was down in the third but rose to knock the Russian across the ring at the end of the round. Povetkin survived, rebooted and made Price pay with a horrible fifth round knockout to set up a contest with Joshua – provided he beat Joseph Parker. He did. In a controlled performance, Joshua outpointed the Kiwi to inflict his first defeat.

Dillian Whyte was ringside with talkSPORT that night. As soon as the fight ended, he dropped his mic to look for Joshua, Povetkin and any other heavyweight he could call out!

April heralded the start of spring and James DeGale was full of the joys after reclaiming his IBF Super middleweight world title in his rematch with Caleb Truax in Las Vegas. Meanwhile, plans were underway for the return of Amir Khan in a bout with unheralded Canadian-Italian Phil Lo Greco.

A stint in the celebrity jungle had further bolstered the Bolton fighter’s mass appeal, but there was no smiling at the pre-fight press conference in Liverpool when Lo Greco went off-piste by bringing Khan’s wife into matters. A glass of water was thrown at the visitor as things got a little ugly.

After the formalities, when sat with talkSPORT in a quiet room left of stage, Lo Greco seemed genuinely shaken by the incident. He was even more wobbly come fight night. It took Khan all of 39 seconds to blast Lo Greco out and send him back to Toronto with his tail between his legs.

Amir Khan returned to the ring in style

Amir Khan returned to the ring in style

While the main event at the Echo Arena was over before it began, there was a minor classic on the undercard with Tommy Coyle taking the commonwealth lightweight title from Birkenhead’s Sean ‘Masher’ Dodd. That same night, Coyle’s stablemate Carl Frampton got the better of the ‘Filipino Flash’ Nonito Donaire in Belfast.

Cinco de Mayo is always a special date in the boxing diary, but the biggest clash on that day this year didn’t involve a Mexican superstar. Canelo’s doping violation postponed the second GGG fight so instead it was a scouser and a Londoner in a rematch of their own that hogged the headlines. The O2 was bouncing as David Haye and then Tony Bellew made their ring entrances. The end was nigh for Haye who couldn’t withstand the ‘Bomber’s’ barrages.  At ringside, following a fifth-round stoppage, Bellew roared down the talkSPORT mic as only he can. Haye stayed to congratulate his conqueror and talk to us over the ropes. Despite all the pre-fight bluster, he was honest and gracious in his appraisal. Body language hinted that he knew his time was up. It was.

Tony Bellew blew David Haye away once more in their rematch

Tony Bellew blew David Haye away once more in their rematch

A week later, Ukrainian genius Vasiliy Lomachenko became a three-weight world champion by beating Jorge Linares via tenth round TKO. Not all plain sailing against a true elite fighter, Loma had to get off the canvas in the sixth round before taking over.

As the domestic football season came to an end, fans of Leeds United still had another date in the diary. Elland Road, May 19: Lee Selby v Josh Warrington. Against all the odds, the hometown boy out-hustled the champion, cutting him badly before taking the split decision. A new world champion for the man ‘fighting for a city’.

At the end of May, another Yorkshireman, Jamie McDonnell, took up the huge challenge of facing the beast Naoya Inoue in Tokyo in a defence of his WBA bantamweight belt. Drained at making 118lbs, the Doncaster man was stopped in the opening round. Kal Yafai meanwhile, had a better away day in California with a win over David Cormona a couple of days later.

Onto June and the return of the Gypsy King. After his much chronicled lay-off which resulted in him ballooning in weight following an epic binge, Tyson Fury teamed up with the young and relatively unknown trainer Ben Davison to prepare for the modest challenge of Sefer Seferi. Fury had appeared to be back to his usual self at the first pre-fight press conference at the Lowry Hotel – he joked about being happy to share a bill with Terry Flanagan and a ‘hooker’. Flanagan was defending his WBO lightweight title on the bill against the highly-rated Texan Maurice Hooker.

At the public workout at the National Football Museum, you got the impression Seferi might be out of his depth when he jumped in the ring to get a selfie with Fury. It got even more farcical at the open-air weigh-in when the Manchester traveller picked up his diminutive opponent – the second-best cruiserweight in Albania – before giving him a cuddle.

Tyson Fury was in great form on his return to the ring in early 2018

Tyson Fury was in great form on his return to the ring in early 2018

There wasn’t much more spite in the fight itself. Fury had been out of action for two-and-a-half years, but after shedding around eight stone, was easily fit enough to dismiss Seferi’s efforts. Things turned bizarre during the fight when both men stopped to watch fans scuffle in the seats. Still, Seferi had had enough after four rounds while Flanagan’s belt left these shores with Hooker.

Towards the end of the month, Martin Murray beat Roberto Garcia while Josh Taylor enjoyed a standout win over Victor Postol. In other business, Manny Pacquiao once again resurrected his remarkable career with a TKO victory over Lucas Matthysse in Kuala Lumpar while Rocky Fielding and a noisy band of scousers went bananas when ‘Rocky from Stocky’ shocked Tyrone Zuege with a sensational stoppage on the champion’s home turf. Liverpool had a new WBA (regular) world titlist.

July also witnessed Oleksandr Usyk wrap up the cruiserweight division by completely dominating Murat Gassiev in Moscow, claiming the WBSS Muhammad Ali trophy in the process. In his post-fight interview in the ring, he called out Tony Bellew and the rest as they say……

That same night across the pond in Las Vegas, Liam Smith failed to wrestle the WBO super-welterweight belt off the massive and impressive Mexican Jaime Munguia.

Back in blighty we were all looking forward to a boxing season closer at the O2. It was a night that delivered for talkSPORT listeners on every level. There were victories for Conor Benn (against his bogeyman Cedrick Peynaud) and Josh Buatsi, while Ireland’s Katie Taylor was at her imperious best in adding Kimberley Connor’s IBF lightweight belt to the WBA title she already held.

It was all-action with the big men. Dave Allen – who had Kenny Rogers playing in his dressing room prior to his ringwalk – gambled with a huge overhand right to spark out Nick Webb while Dereck Chisora played rope-a-dope with Carlos Takam before unleashing a furious shot to end the latter’s night.

How could the top of the bill clash between Dillian Whyte and Joseph Parker compete? Well, it was even better. Whyte had the Kiwi down in the second and ninth rounds before the ‘Body Snatcher’ went down in the twelfth as Parker sensed only a KO would do. Dillian survived for his best-ever victory.

Over at Windsor Park in Belfast, Carl Frampton broke up for the summer after breaking Luke Jackson’s resistance – leaving the Aussie in a mess and with a perforated ear drum. Tyson Fury was on the bill – getting rounds in against Franceso Pianeta. The second comeback fight ticked off – Deontay Wilder was there, and happily that fight was made.

Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder squared up in the ring for the first time in Belfast

Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder squared up in the ring for the first time in Belfast

So onto September after the little recess and Amir Khan got the new season under way in his second comeback fight against Colombian Samuel Vargas. A big Birmingham crowd turned up to watch Khan take a unanimous decision in a fight in which he wasn’t always convincing. Cue more Kell Brook chat.

Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin finally had their rematch with the Mexican getting the nod in a high-quality affair, while back in London there was another enormous fight week to enjoy.

It’s always an event when AJ fights and the occasion at Wembley didn’t disappoint. Any open-air event in the UK at any time of the year is at risk of a little precipitation. It rained, but there was no dampening of spirit for a crowd that was treated to Sergey Kuzmin v David Price (the Liverpudlian retired by his corner due to a bicep injury); Lawrence Okolie got the decision in his British cruiserweight title clash with holder Matty Askin in an awkward cuddle-fest and Luke Campbell avenged his defeat to Yvan Mendy before the main event. Elaborate ringwalks completed, Anthony Joshua proved his mettle once more – settling down after being rocked early on to stop the dangerous Alexander Povetkin in the seventh.

Anthony Joshua extended his unbeaten record with victory over Alexander Povetkin

Anthony Joshua extended his unbeaten record with victory over Alexander Povetkin

Moving on and there’d been a lot of speculation about the venue for the WBSS super-middleweight final. As it was two Brits – Groves v Smith – it was anticipated it’d be either London or Manchester. And so, it was Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. A bizarre place to hold such an event, but it all worked out well in the end. Callum Smith and his team were put in a fine hotel on the seafront – nothing to do but eat, train and sleep – just how trainer Joe Gallagher wanted it. Groves and his team had opted for an apartment in town.

The pre-fight press conference had a special guest in the shape of the legendary Evander Holyfield, while Prince Naseem Hamed added the stardust at the weigh-in. The locals were completely in awe of Naz, who was there to proudly promote boxing on Arab soil.

The King Abdullah centre – a multi-sports indoor venue 40 minutes north of Jeddah – was full of curious Saudis come fight night. Chief support was an odd one with Chris Eubank Jnr barely warming up against JJ McDonagh, who retired claiming an injured shoulder. There was more fight in the post-fight interview as McDonagh took exception to Eubank’s comments and went for him.

Groves v Smith lived up to the billing. It was nip and tuck in the opening rounds before Smith sensed his opportunity. Going into the seventh round there was little between them until ‘Mundo’ caught Groves with a left hook followed by a right to leave George in a heap. Devastating for Hammersmith man, the baton handed to Smith who claimed the WBA super-middleweight title, the Ring Magazine belt and the huge twisted metal Muhammad Ali trophy.

Callum Smith enhanced his reputation by winning the World Boxing Super Series

Callum Smith enhanced his reputation by winning the World Boxing Super Series

After dozens of photos with family and friends in the ring and then the dressing room, it was back to the dry hotel for a wild celebration of pizza and coke before catching an early flight home.

Into October and talkSPORT brought the listener full commentary of Callum Johnson’s world light-heavyweight challenge against the feared Artur Beterbiev in Chicago. It was a real ding-dong while it lasted. Johnson was down in the first but recovered to floor the Russian in round two. The Lincolnshire man then succumbed in the 4th round – a brave effort that only enhanced Callum’s reputation. Another Brit, Gavin McDonnell also came up short in his world title fight against Daniel Roman on the same bill.

Mid-October and it was the turn of Newcastle to host the talkSPORT boxing team – including the recently returned Callum Johnson on co-commentary. Lewis Ritson had enjoyed a phenomenal year to that point – blasting all domestic foes to set up a European challenge against Belgian-Italian Francesco Patera. The crowd, including Alan Shearer, was expectant. The only problem was that Patera was unperturbed and ready to spoil the fun. Ritson couldn’t find an answer to Patera’s slickness and so a bitter points defeat ensued for the hometown boy – a real setback for the city that was looking forward to hosting a string of big fight nights.


The following week, Billy Joe Saunders should’ve been defending his WBO middleweight title in Boston against Demetrius Andrade but was banned and stripped of his belt for failing a voluntary drugs test – the stimulant oxilofrine found in his system. That didn’t stop us at talkSPORT as we brought you full fight coverage of James Tennyson’s brave but doomed attempt to win Tevin Farmer’s IBF super-featherweight crown. Katie Taylor was once again impressive in her defence against Cindy Serrano; Kid Galahad overcame Toka Khan Clary and Tommy Coyle beat local man Ryan Kielczweski.

October ended with Terry Flanagan losing for the second time and ending his run in the WBSS super lightweight tournament with defeat to Regis Prograis in New Orleans. It was just as disappointing for Hughie Fury, who was on the wrong end of a unanimous decision against Kubrat Pulev in Bulgaria in a heavyweight eliminator.

Meanwhile, at the Copperbox in Stratford, talkSPORT was ringside as John Ryder pipped Andrey Sirotkin. The undercard stole the show however, with Ted Cheesman overcoming Asinia Byfield while Jordan Gill was impeccable in demolishing tough Mancunian Ryan Doyle to claim the Commonwealth featherweight title.

With the year’s end moving closer, few could’ve predicted the circumstances surrounding Ryan Burnett’s first blip as a professional. A freak injury ended his night against Nonito Donaire – who’d dropped two weights to sign up for the bantamweight version of the WBSS. A sad sight, but no such dramas for Josh Taylor, who took care of Ryan Martin in the 140lb category.

Following the call-out in the ring earlier in the year, there was no way Tony Bellew would resist a crack at Oleksandr Usyk. It was for all the marbles and a handy few quid. And so, it was in Manchester, November 11 on a night that crackled with atmosphere and anticipation. Friend of talkSPORT Anthony Crolla was chief support, toughing it out against Daud Yordan to set up a possible shot at Vasiliy Lomachenko. Lengthy ringwalks completed, the main event began and was intriguing early doors – Bellew boxing well, the Ukrainian stalking his prey before pouncing and finishing his victim. It was the end for Bellew, who confirmed retirement in the bowels of the arena at an emotional press conference that didn’t end until 2am. Tony the gobby scouser was dead, long live Anthony.

Tony Bellew bowed out of boxing in 2018

Tony Bellew bowed out of boxing in 2018

Frank Buglioni announced his retirement shortly after following defeat to Fanlong Meng in Monte Carlo on a night when Kal Yafai got lucky against Israel Gonzalez.

Retirement may have been the theme for a little while, but it was the continued return of Tyson Fury that had everyone engaged come December. Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury had at some points enthralled and other times bored the public with the panto press tour to celebrate their forthcoming boxing alliance. When the action began, thankfully it more than lived up to the hype. The Gypsy King boxed like a dream as Wilder constantly looked for the right-hand equaliser. He did find it in the ninth – putting Fury down. More astonishingly, in the final round Fury was caught and put to sleep only to rise like Lazarus to finish the round the stronger man. It was deemed a draw by the judges, but Tyson came home a winner – the turnaround complete.

Tyson Fury’s fight with Deontay Wilder ended in a controversial draw

Tyson Fury’s fight with Deontay Wilder ended in a controversial draw

There was still time in 2018 for Lomachenko to beat Pedraza with another matrix masterclass; Navarette took Dogboe’s title and Kell Brook beat Michael Zerafa. The Rocky story didn’t quite materialise for Rocky Fielding, who was stopped by Canelo at Madison Square Garden, but Katie Taylor ended the year in typical fashion with a sublime performance in defeating the unbeaten Eva Wahlstrom.

The final boxing week of the year was a humdinger. Two great events, one in Manchester with Josh Warrington’s IBF featherweight defence against Carl Frampton, the other in London as Dillian Whyte rematched Dereck Chisora. Both fight nights were successes. Warrington proved he’s more than a Duracell bunny with a fantastic points win that leaves Carl Frampton pondering his next move – hang up the gloves as a modern Irish legend, or go again? For Warrington, the world is at his feet with unification contests to look forward to.

Josh Warrington showed his class with victory over Carl Frampton in a thrilling fight

Josh Warrington showed his class with victory over Carl Frampton in a thrilling fight

Meanwhile in London, Whyte eventually caught up with Chisora with a left hook that scrambled the senses of the man now known as ‘war’.

It’s fast becoming a cliché that British boxing is ‘booming.’ The phrase may grate but the facts speak for themselves. Most of the world’s big fights come via the UK in one-way shape or form. Next year we cross our fingers and hope for Fury v Wilder II or Wilder v Joshua or Fury v Joshua etc – and that’s just the big lads. So many potential match ups at domestic and world level across all the divisions.

Here’s hoping for another top year of boxing on talkSPORT!

fbq('init', '752905198150451'); fbq('track', "PageView");



Source link

Tourists may be forced to pay a 10 euro fee to enter Venice

0
0


Tourists may be forced to pay a 10 euro fee to enter Venice – even if they are just visiting for the day

  • Authorities in the city have been given the power to collect an ‘entry charge’
  • It will cost between two and five euros but could go up to 10 euros in high season
  • The fee will have to be paid by all visitors – even those just on day trips to Venice 

Jennifer Newton for MailOnline

Tourists visiting Venice may be forced to pay a 10 euro entry fee to gain access to the city.

Authorities in the Italian holiday hot spot have been given the power to introduce the entry charge, which will replace the current tourist tax that is only paid by visitors spending a night in a hotel or rented apartment.

The new fee will have to be paid by all tourists in the city, even day-trippers who only visit for a matter of hours, and will be between two and five euros (£1.70 and £4.40) but could go up to 10 euros (£9) in the high season.

Tourists visiting Venice, pictured, even just for the day, may be forced to pay a 10 euro entry fee

Tourists visiting Venice, pictured, even just for the day, may be forced to pay a 10 euro entry fee

According to Italian newspaper La Repubblica, the new charging system could generate 50 million euros a year, up from the 30 million a year the city currently makes from the tourist tax.

In 2017, 10 million tourists paid the tourist tax. But the new fee, with day-trippers included, would be paid by around 27 million visitors. 

Venice is often overrun with tourists and locals complain that excessive crowds often clog the city’s quaint alleyways and thoroughfares.

It is believed that funds from the charge will be used to pay for the costs of cleaning the city.

Tourists will pay the fee through a surcharge in airline tickets, cruise prices or ground transportation tickets. The money will then be turned over to the city of Venice.

After the new charge was announced, the city’s mayor, Luigi Brugnaro, tweeted: ‘We will study a balanced and participated regulation that protects those who live, study and work in our territory.’

In 2018, officials in Venice proposed several ways to rid the city of what it calls ‘boorish’ behaviour by visitors.

Venice, pictured, is often overrun with tourists and locals complain that excessive crowds often clog the city's quaint alleyways and thoroughfares

Venice, pictured, is often overrun with tourists and locals complain that excessive crowds often clog the city's quaint alleyways and thoroughfares

Venice, pictured, is often overrun with tourists and locals complain that excessive crowds often clog the city’s quaint alleyways and thoroughfares

In September plans were announced to ban visitors from sitting on the ground, with fines ranging from 50 to 500 euros (£44 and £443).

Later it was then revealed people could be banned from carrying alcohol around the streets.

The Italian city was said to be considering fining anybody carrying booze after 7pm – even if it is in a sealed shopping bag.

It came after complaints that tourists are becoming drunk in Venice’s squares and public places.

Meanwhile in early 2018, visitor-only routes to popular landmarks were introduced ahead of a holiday weekend to keep tourists away from the locals.

The visitor-only routes were put in place for tourists heading to St Mark’s Square and the Rialto Bridge.

Elsewhere, a historic village on the Adriatic coast was charging tourists a five euro entry fee at the turnstiles to enter its cobbled centre.

It was announced by the mayor of Polignano a Mare, who said it was necessary to help deal with crowd safety during the festive period. 



Source link

3 Newly Discovered Beetles Named After ‘Game Of Thrones’ Dragons

0
0


Winter is coming … even to the insect world.

The final season of “Game Of Thrones” won’t premiere until April, but an entomologist in Nebraska is already helping to hype the show.

University of Nebraska-Lincoln entomologist Brett Ratcliffe has named three beetles he discovered after dragons from the HBO series: Drogon, Rhaegal and Viserion, according to the Omaha World-Herald.

Each of the beetles is from the genus Gymnetis, and their homage to the GoT dragon names have been Latinized to drogonirhaegali and viserioni.

All of the beetles have orange features that reminded Ratcliffe of fire. Both drogoni and viserioni are native to Colombia and Ecuador, while rhaegali is found only in French Guiana. 

Although Ratcliffe is a “Game Of Thrones” fan, the names were chosen to draw attention to biodiversity.

“When you create names like these, you do it to gain a little bit of notoriety and bring public attention to it,” Ratcliffe said, according to The Associated Press. “We’re still discovering life on Earth. One of every four living things on Earth is a beetle. We haven’t discovered them all. We’re not even close.”


Brett Ratcliffe via AP

From the left are newly named beetles Gymnetis drogoni, Gymnetis rhaegali and Gymnetis viserioni, all from South America. 

Ratcliffe has named more than 200 species of scarab beetles in his career and has often given them very creative names.

In 1976, he gave a beetle with long pincers the name Strategus longichomperus, or the “long-chomper,” according to Nebraska’s Lincoln Journal-Star newspaper.

In 1992, he called a new species of June bug Cyclocephala nodanotherwon: not another one.

“The rules of nomenclature recommend staying away from insulting or humorous names,” Ratcliffe told the paper. “I don’t see the purpose in staying away from a humorous name.”





Source link

How to Eat in 2019

0
0



Alison Roman wants you to spend less time in the kitchen and more time at the table.



Source link

Made to Measure for Young Cooks

0
0


A new set of kitchen utensils designed for children (but useful for adults) ramps up the fun, while producing rewards like a well-tossed salad, eggs properly beaten to scramble or a correct measure of flour for a perfect batch of cookies. The handles on the spatulas, spoons and whisk colorfully replicate vegetables, while making the tools easy to grip. Measuring cups mimic an artichoke; measuring spoons, a bunch of bananas.

Q.D. Foodie kitchen tools (set of seven utensils), $49.99, qdfoodie.com.

Follow NYT Food on Twitter and NYT Cooking on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest. Get regular updates from NYT Cooking, with recipe suggestions, cooking tips and shopping advice.





Source link

The most stunning properties that hit the UK market in 2018

0
0


For UK house hunters with deep pockets, 2018 has been a bumper year, because some very special properties hit the market.

And here we can reveal the cream of the crop. 

They include a jaw-dropping six-bed super house with spectacular coastal views on sale for £3million and an amazing five-bed detached house on the Cornish coast.

Incredible grand country houses also feature, including the historic Claverdon Hall in the West Midlands, which is Grade II-listed, and Basill Manor in Cornwall, which boasts an interior fit for royalty. 

There’s even a 15th century castle that boasts 32 bedrooms. Yours for £3.9million.

Scroll down to decide which one you would love to live in… or buy, if your numbers have come up.

Ackergill Tower, Wick – £3.9million 

Castles have been in high demand in 2018, apparently, and no doubt those with deep pockets who love an ancient fortified property have been eager to view stunning Ackergill Tower in Ackergill, Wick, Scotland. It was listed by estate agents Knight Frank for £3.9million. The tower is surrounded by a 30-acre private estate and sits on the rugged shoreline at Sinclair Bay on the northernmost tip of Scotland

Castles have been in high demand in 2018, apparently, and no doubt those with deep pockets who love an ancient fortified property have been eager to view stunning Ackergill Tower in Ackergill, Wick, Scotland. It was listed by estate agents Knight Frank for £3.9million. The tower is surrounded by a 30-acre private estate and sits on the rugged shoreline at Sinclair Bay on the northernmost tip of Scotland

The dining room inside Ackergill Tower. The 15th century castle boasts 32 bedrooms, 30 bathrooms and is believed to be where Oliver Cromwell garrisoned his troops during his siege of the Keith's Dunnottar Castle. It also contains the largest treehouse in Europe within the grounds

The dining room inside Ackergill Tower. The 15th century castle boasts 32 bedrooms, 30 bathrooms and is believed to be where Oliver Cromwell garrisoned his troops during his siege of the Keith's Dunnottar Castle. It also contains the largest treehouse in Europe within the grounds

The dining room inside Ackergill Tower. The 15th century castle boasts 32 bedrooms, 30 bathrooms and is believed to be where Oliver Cromwell garrisoned his troops during his siege of the Keith’s Dunnottar Castle. It also contains the largest treehouse in Europe within the grounds

Detached home at Hope’s Nose, Torquay – £3million  

One of the most stunning homes to go on sale this year was this amazing six-bed superhome that sits on an elevated position above Meadfoot beach in the exclusive Hopes Nose area of Ilsham, Torquay

One of the most stunning homes to go on sale this year was this amazing six-bed superhome that sits on an elevated position above Meadfoot beach in the exclusive Hopes Nose area of Ilsham, Torquay

One of the most stunning homes to go on sale this year was this amazing six-bed superhome that sits on an elevated position above Meadfoot beach in the exclusive Hopes Nose area of Ilsham, Torquay

The superhome, which is listed by HS Owen, has huge windows, a spectacular coastal view and an infinity pool for ultimate relaxation. Pictured is the lounge that looks out over the beach

The superhome, which is listed by HS Owen, has huge windows, a spectacular coastal view and an infinity pool for ultimate relaxation. Pictured is the lounge that looks out over the beach

The superhome, which is listed by HS Owen, has huge windows, a spectacular coastal view and an infinity pool for ultimate relaxation. Pictured is the lounge that looks out over the beach

Detached home at Restronguet Point, Truro – £3.75million

Another contender for the best home for sale in the UK was this stunning five-bed detached house in Restronguet Point, Feock, near Truro in south Cornwall. It was listed by agents Lillicrap Chilcott for £3.75million

Another contender for the best home for sale in the UK was this stunning five-bed detached house in Restronguet Point, Feock, near Truro in south Cornwall. It was listed by agents Lillicrap Chilcott for £3.75million

Another contender for the best home for sale in the UK was this stunning five-bed detached house in Restronguet Point, Feock, near Truro in south Cornwall. It was listed by agents Lillicrap Chilcott for £3.75million

The quirky lounge and bar area of the detached home at Restronguet Point. The house is set over four floors with panoramic views across the water and with slipway access into what is described as some of the UK's best sailing waters

The quirky lounge and bar area of the detached home at Restronguet Point. The house is set over four floors with panoramic views across the water and with slipway access into what is described as some of the UK's best sailing waters

The quirky lounge and bar area of the detached home at Restronguet Point. The house is set over four floors with panoramic views across the water and with slipway access into what is described as some of the UK’s best sailing waters

Claverdon Hall, West Midlands – £2.75million

Claverdon Hall, a Grade-II listed manor house in the West Midlands, is now on the market for £2.75million after the asking price dropped by nearly £1million over 10 years

Claverdon Hall, a Grade-II listed manor house in the West Midlands, is now on the market for £2.75million after the asking price dropped by nearly £1million over 10 years

Claverdon Hall, a Grade-II listed manor house in the West Midlands, is now on the market for £2.75million after the asking price dropped by nearly £1million over 10 years

Claverdon Hall's roots go all the way back to Saxon times, pre-Conquest, though the earliest remnants of the existing hall would be from 400 years or so later. A Claverdon Hall was recorded in 1485 though it is possible that its origins are even older than that. Pictured is the sitting room

Claverdon Hall's roots go all the way back to Saxon times, pre-Conquest, though the earliest remnants of the existing hall would be from 400 years or so later. A Claverdon Hall was recorded in 1485 though it is possible that its origins are even older than that. Pictured is the sitting room

Claverdon Hall’s roots go all the way back to Saxon times, pre-Conquest, though the earliest remnants of the existing hall would be from 400 years or so later. A Claverdon Hall was recorded in 1485 though it is possible that its origins are even older than that. Pictured is the sitting room

Culfoichbeg, Grantown-on-Spey – £1.25million  

Culfoichbeg, pictured, is a 6.5-acre retreat in Tulchan in Grantown-on-Spey in Scotland that is described as being perfect for country pursuits. It is on the market for £1.25million

Culfoichbeg, pictured, is a 6.5-acre retreat in Tulchan in Grantown-on-Spey in Scotland that is described as being perfect for country pursuits. It is on the market for £1.25million

Culfoichbeg, pictured, is a 6.5-acre retreat in Tulchan in Grantown-on-Spey in Scotland that is described as being perfect for country pursuits. It is on the market for £1.25million

One of the three reception rooms inside Culfoichbeg. In total it has eight bedrooms as well as a separate three-bedroom cottage with kennelling

One of the three reception rooms inside Culfoichbeg. In total it has eight bedrooms as well as a separate three-bedroom cottage with kennelling

One of the three reception rooms inside Culfoichbeg. In total it has eight bedrooms as well as a separate three-bedroom cottage with kennelling

Basill Manor, Launceston – £1.5million   

Basill Manor, pictured, is listed by Carter Jonas and is located in St Clether, Launceston, in Cornwall. Its original owners received a coat of arms for services during the Crusades. It is now on the market for offers in excess of £1.5million

Basill Manor, pictured, is listed by Carter Jonas and is located in St Clether, Launceston, in Cornwall. Its original owners received a coat of arms for services during the Crusades. It is now on the market for offers in excess of £1.5million

Basill Manor, pictured, is listed by Carter Jonas and is located in St Clether, Launceston, in Cornwall. Its original owners received a coat of arms for services during the Crusades. It is now on the market for offers in excess of £1.5million

The 12-bedroom Basill Manor has ancient courtyards and a castle-like exterior while the grounds extend to just over 47 acres. There is also a large living room featuring a fireplace and multiple sofas, a long hallway with a chequered floor and a spacious kitchen

The 12-bedroom Basill Manor has ancient courtyards and a castle-like exterior while the grounds extend to just over 47 acres. There is also a large living room featuring a fireplace and multiple sofas, a long hallway with a chequered floor and a spacious kitchen

The 12-bedroom Basill Manor has ancient courtyards and a castle-like exterior while the grounds extend to just over 47 acres. There is also a large living room featuring a fireplace and multiple sofas, a long hallway with a chequered floor and a spacious kitchen

Gosford Castle in Marketgill, Northern Ireland – £500,000 

The 19th century Gosford Castle in Marketgill in Northern Ireland has gone on the market for £500,000. It might be recognisable to Game of Thrones fans as parts of the TV series were filmed there

The 19th century Gosford Castle in Marketgill in Northern Ireland has gone on the market for £500,000. It might be recognisable to Game of Thrones fans as parts of the TV series were filmed there

The 19th century Gosford Castle in Marketgill in Northern Ireland has gone on the market for £500,000. It might be recognisable to Game of Thrones fans as parts of the TV series were filmed there

Gosford Castle was built in the mid-1800s by the 2nd Earl of Gosford, Archibald Acheson. It was occupied by the family until 1921. During the Second World War it was used to accommodate troops and a prisoner of war camp was set up in the estate. It is proposed that the castle be split into six separate apartments

Gosford Castle was built in the mid-1800s by the 2nd Earl of Gosford, Archibald Acheson. It was occupied by the family until 1921. During the Second World War it was used to accommodate troops and a prisoner of war camp was set up in the estate. It is proposed that the castle be split into six separate apartments

Gosford Castle was built in the mid-1800s by the 2nd Earl of Gosford, Archibald Acheson. It was occupied by the family until 1921. During the Second World War it was used to accommodate troops and a prisoner of war camp was set up in the estate. It is proposed that the castle be split into six separate apartments



Source link


How YOU can stay safe online in 2019: The six tips to overhaul your online life

0
0


Data breaches, widespread malware attacks and microtargeted personalized advertising were lowlights of digital life in 2018.

As technologies change, so does the advice security experts give for how to best stay safe. 

As 2019 begins, I’ve pulled together a short list of suggestions for keeping your digital life secure and free of manipulative disinformation.

Scroll down for video 

From deleting old apps to using multi factor authentication, Elissa Redmiles of the University of Maryland reveals how to stay safe online in 2019.

From deleting old apps to using multi factor authentication, Elissa Redmiles of the University of Maryland reveals how to stay safe online in 2019.

1. Set your boundaries and stick to them

As part of my research, I’ve recently been speaking with a number of sex workers in Europe about their digital security and privacy. 

One consistent thing I’ve heard from them is, ‘The best way to stay safe is to set boundaries.’ 

Decide – on your own, and in advance – what data you’re willing to share with apps and online services, and stick to those limits.

That way, when the latest new app asks you for a permission that oversteps what you’re willing to share, you’ll be more prepared to answer. 

Also set limits on the online discussions you’re willing to participate in; bow out when a discussion is hurting more than helping you. 

It’s even useful to set boundaries for how much time you’re willing to spend on digital security – which could be an endless task.

2. Burst your filter bubble

People who get their news primarily – or exclusively – from social media are subjecting themselves to the whims of the algorithms that decide what to display to each user.

Because of how these algorithms work, those people are likely to see articles only from news sources they already like and tend to agree with. 

This isolation from people with other views, and from evidence that might challenge particular perspectives, contributes to unprecedented levels of partisanship and disagreement in modern society.

Free online tools like AllSides and Purple Feed are some places that show news reports and social media posts from differing political perspectives, and identify information that’s generally agreed upon across the political spectrum.

3. Manage your passwords 

The biggest threat to password security is no longer the strength of your passwords but the fact that many people reuse the same passwords for all, or many, of their accounts. 

Researchers are busy designing notifications to tell you when one of these reused passwords has been leaked to the world, but it’s safer to use different passwords, especially for your most valuable accounts.

You can use password manager software. 

Or, use the original low-tech method, writing your passwords down on paper. 

Believe it or not, it’s much safer to write them down than reuse the same password everywhere. 

Of course, this is true only if you’re sure the people you live with or frequent visitors to your home won’t try to get into your accounts.

4. Turn on multi-factor authentication 

Adding an additional step for logging in to your most important social media, email and financial accounts can add lots of protection. 

Multi-factor authentication systems are best known for texting you a six-digit code to type in as part of your login process. 

While any multi-factor authentication is better than none, text messages can fairly easily be intercepted or spied on. 

An even safer route is to use a special code-generating app on your phone.

People who change phones or SIM cards often, or who want additional protection, might consider using a physical keythat plugs into your computer to authorize a login. 

They can take a bit more time to set up initially, but then work much faster than most other methods.

Data breaches, widespread malware attacks and microtargeted personalized advertising were lowlights of digital life in 2018.

Data breaches, widespread malware attacks and microtargeted personalized advertising were lowlights of digital life in 2018.

Data breaches, widespread malware attacks and microtargeted personalized advertising were lowlights of digital life in 2018.

5. Delete apps you don’t use 

Smartphone apps track where you are very closely, and share your location data with advertising and marketing companies.

Just carrying a phone in your pocket can give tracking companies clues to where you go and how long you stay, and technical details about your phone can offer clues to your identity.

If you don’t use an app anymore, uninstall it from your phone. 

If you need it again, you can always reinstall it quickly – but in the meantime, it won’t be tracking you around the world and around the web.

 A security expert has warned that smartphone users should switch off their location settings if they are worried about  how their data is shared.

 A security expert has warned that smartphone users should switch off their location settings if they are worried about  how their data is shared.

 A security expert has warned that smartphone users should switch off their location settings if they are worried about how their data is shared.

6. Keep the apps you do use up-to-date 

Software companies don’t always know about all the vulnerabilities in their programs – and when they issue updates users don’t always know if they’re fixing a major problem or something minor. 

The top piece of advice experts give is to keep your software up-to-dateon your computers and your mobile devices.

Having spent 2018 worrying about how hackers, corporate executives and hurried programmers might be trying to exploit your data and your cognitive and digital vulnerabilities, resolve to be more secure in 2019.

 



Source link

US set for unprecedented outbreak of mysterious polio-like virus in 2020

0
0


After a record-setting 186 cases of the polio-like disease, acute flaccid myelitis (AFM) in 2018, the peak has passed and instances of it are expected to continue to decline – until 2020. 

Scientists don’t know why, but the infection, which appears to attack the spinal cord and cause temporary – and occasionally permanent – paralysis primarily in young children seems to ebb and flow in every-other-other-year waves. 

The first known outbreak of unknown cause or origin occurred in 2014. AFM reemerged in 2016 and struck 149 people. Then again in 2018 the disease made a comeback, hitting a record 186 confirmed cases so far this year. 

So far, it appears that AFM outbreaks occur every other year – and that each resurgence is worse than the last.

Alex Bustamante, six, is one of 186 people – almost all children – struck by acute flaccid myelitis in 2018. This has been the worst year for the disease yet and, if things continue this way, 2020 will bring more cases still 

One thing is becoming increasingly clear: we can now expect an approximately 14-month lull in cases of AFM. 

During that time, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are determined to do their utmost to crack the mystery.  

The CDC has assembled a special task force to do exactly that. 

Its members include parents, neurologists, epidemiologists who study disease patterns, virologists and pathologists who are investigating potential infectious triggers for the disease, doctors who study the immune system, and those who study genetic and environmental disease risk factors. 

Still, for the task force and the world at large, far more is unknown than known about AFM.  

Brandon Noblitt, eight, got a cold earlier this year. Within a week, he was unable to walk due to AFM

Camdyn Carr was in danger of being unable to breath on his own after developing the mysterious, paralyzing disease

Brandon Noblitt, eight (left), got a cold earlier this year. Within a week, he was unable to walk due to AFM. Camdyn Carr, (right), was in danger of being unable to breath on his own after developing the mysterious, paralyzing disease 

Alex Bustamante (pictured) was just six when he died in May after becoming paralyzed by AFM. His family says that the CDC did not recognize the polio-like illness as the cause of death

Alex Bustamante (pictured) was just six when he died in May after becoming paralyzed by AFM. His family says that the CDC did not recognize the polio-like illness as the cause of death

The very first cases appeared in 2012, with a series of children with an average age of 10, mostly concentrated in California.

In 2014, the disease appeared in more full force, with clusters in Colorado and Utah. 

Between August and December, a total of 120 cases cropped up across 34 states. 

WHAT IS ACUTE FLACCID MYELITIS (AFM)?

The term ‘myelitis’ means inflammation of the spinal cord.

Transverse myelitis is the broad name of the disease, and there are various sub-types.

It is a neurological disorder which inflames the spinal cord across its width (‘transverse’), destroying the fatty substance that protects nerve cells.

That can lead to paralysis.

AFM is an unusual sub-type of transverse myelitis.

Patients starts with the same spinal inflammation, but their symptoms are different and the disease develops differently.

The main distinction is that AFM patients are weak and limp, while patients with general transverse myelitis tend to be rigid.

Most AFM patients start to struggle with movement of the limbs, face, tongue, and eyes.

They then begin to lose control of one limb or sometimes the whole body – though many maintain control of their sensory, bowel and bladder functions.

Unlike transverse myelitis, which has been around for years, doctors are still in the dark about why and how AFM manifests itself.

And then, just as quickly as it had come, AFM dissipated again. 

In both those first sporadic 2012 cases and the 2014 ones, doctors were able to establish one commonality. 

Those outbreaks coincided with another, of a viral respiratory infection caused by a bug dubbed EV-D68. 

But the discovery was a bit of a dead end.  

Although about 90 percent of people with AFM had recently had a cold affecting their respiratory systems, traces of EV-D68 and other enteroviruses were found in the spinal fluid of only four out of 512 people confirmed to have the polio-like disease since 2014. 

This has left the majority of cases unexplained. 

The vast majority of those struck by the disease are young children, and it presents at first not unlike polio. 

Most loose strength and muscle control of one limb first, and the paralysis spreads from there. 

In rare cases, the freezing can spread to the respiratory system, rendering the disease life-threatening. 

 To many older, terrified parents AFM at first looked like polio, which has been effectively eradicated by vaccination. 

However, no on with AFM has thus far texted positive for the devastating disease.  

It seems clear that whatever underlies AFM must attack the spinal cord, seeing as how paralysis is the primary symptom. 

Yet tests on the spinal fluid of AFM children were often negative for any suspicious viruses. 

As they look ahead to 2020, scientists are hoping to piece together what distinguishing genetic and environmental factors make some children susceptible while others are safe. 

Sebastian Bottomley was just five when AFM struck him in 2016. The now-seven-year-old (pictured) has relied on a wheelchair to get around ever since 

Sebastian Bottomley was just five when AFM struck him in 2016. The now-seven-year-old (pictured) has relied on a wheelchair to get around ever since 

They are also investigating how a pathogen might infect different types of cells than they had previously examined, such as muscle cells themselves, or if an infection could trigger inflammation and an autoimmune response.  

Furthermore, they intend to ‘implement natural history stud[ies]’ to try to understand what sort of biannual ‘seasons’ or cycles may fuel the disease’s pattern.  

Nonetheless, there is little that scientists can do to predict the future, especially in the case of AFM. 

‘It is impossible to say if we’ll have any real answers … because this is a complex public health challenge,’ the CDC’s Dr Thomas Clark, an epidemiologist told the Dallas Morning News. 

And that leaves parents in the terrifying position of simply hoping for the best for their vulnerable children.  

‘Until we fully understand what causes AFM, we can’t help protect people against it.’  

Currently, epidemiologists like him have little to go on except the patterns that we have observed since 2014. 

And if these are any indication, we can only expect more, sicker children in the winter or 2020. 



Source link

Kristi Toliver, an N.B.A. Assistant Who’s Paid Like an Intern

0
0


For Kristi Toliver, walking onto the court at the Staples Center in Los Angeles earlier this season was both a familiar and entirely new experience.

Certainly, Toliver knew the terrain well. She spent seven seasons in Los Angeles as a point guard with the W.N.B.A.’s Sparks, leading them to the 2016 title before signing with the Washington Mystics as a free agent.

But in her current role, as an assistant coach with the N.B.A.’s Wizards, the hardwood felt different as she strode toward the bench.

“To be back in that building sitting on the bench in a suit, instead of a uniform, that was one of the moments that really hit me,” Toliver said in a recent phone interview. “Because I could see the floor and can remember all the moments that I have there, and now to be on the men’s side — that really hit me.”

It was not an easy transition for Toliver, for reasons having nothing to do with basketball aptitude, or even lack of desire for her services. After leading the Mystics to the W.N.B.A. finals in 2018, Toliver faced a decision many of her peers grapple with: Go overseas to make significant money, while forgoing an off-season, or rest her body, which could extend her career.

Then the Wizards approached her with an intriguing offer: Would she like to be an assistant on Scott Brooks’s staff? The basketball part was easy enough to figure out — the role would be no different than the others. S he’d be part of the group.

Then came the pay question, and suddenly it all turned complicated.

Because Toliver is a player with the Mystics, owned by Ted Leonsis, under the same corporate umbrella as the Wizards, the league determined that any pay Toliver was to get from the gig would have to come out of the $50,000 total each team has allocated to pay W.N.B.A. players for off-season work. Moreover, much of that had already been promised to Toliver’s teammate, Elena Delle Donne, who typically stays home in the off-season and promotes the Mystics.

N.B.A. assistants routinely make $100,000 or more, with some earning over $1 million, so how much would the job pay Toliver?

The answer was $10,000. Or, to put it in perspective, $5,000 less than the fine the N.B.A. recently handed down to Coach Nick Nurse of the Toronto Raptors for “public criticism of the officiating.”

“It wasn’t an easy decision,” Toliver said. “For me, I looked at the pros and the cons, the pros obviously being I get to rest my body, it being my first time in 10 years of not playing year-round, not going overseas. Obviously there are financial burdens that come with that, but this is also a very exciting opportunity that I want to take advantage of, being home, still being around the game, around the best players in the world, around the best coaches in the world.”

A battle ensued, with Toliver and the Wizards on one side, the league on the other, but ultimately Toliver lost, and decided to go forward with what amounts to a high-profile internship financially. The trade-off is it is offering a chance to do what she’s wanted to do on the N.B.A. side since the moment she came to terms with the idea she wouldn’t be replacing B.J. Armstrong as the point guard for the Chicago Bulls.

Her interest in coaching dates back to her collegiate days, when she starred at the University of Maryland — she won a championship there as well — and her success in the role comes as no surprise to her Terrapin coach, Brenda Frese, who began breaking down video with Toliver when the precocious point guard was a freshman. Even Toliver’s famous shot to beat Duke and win the 2006 N.C.A.A. championship reflects the way she sees the floor like a coach, Frese said.

“We were down three late. We had a play, but Kristi and Crystal Langhorne improvised,” Frese said. “Kristi kept the ball, and Crystal Langhorne saw that and went and set a second screen on her own. It led to Kristi burying one of the most clutch shots in women’s history.”

Toliver has settled in on the basketball side, earning raves from Wizards players and Brooks alike, but there is the matter of how to square the pipeline of talent that’s now opened up from the W.N.B.A. — famously, Becky Hammon, and now Sue Bird and Toliver as well — with the desired goals of both the players and the league.

The $50,000 cap reflects the time it was negotiated, a previous collective bargaining agreement that did not take into account W.N.B.A. players coaching in the off-season because that situation simply didn’t happen. The players opted out of that C.B.A. this past November, setting the stage for a new understanding on the issue.

Terri Jackson, the executive director of the W.N.B.A.’s players’ association, expressed concern over the gap between Toliver’s pay and that of other N.B.A. assistants, saying in an email: “In opting out of the current C.B.A., there were a number of issues we flagged that did not serve the best interests of our players, this was one of them. We look forward to examining this issue, which highlights ongoing equity concerns, in our negotiations.”

From the league’s standpoint, anything that can keep more of the W.N.B.A.’s players here in the United States is helpful from the standpoints of rest, marketing, an influx of coaching talent and even corporate synergy when it dovetails with the N.B.A. season, and it is expected that the league will be open to changes in the new C.B.A. that allow for W.N.B.A. players to receive more than they currently do for N.B.A. work.

“I am not able to comment on any specific W.N.B.A. player’s compensation, but there is a cap on both the in-season and off-season salary that a W.N.B.A. team or team affiliate can pay to its players,” said Mike Bass, who oversees public relations for both leagues. “While it’s necessary for competitive fairness to ensure the integrity of the W.N.B.A. salary cap, the league is committed to providing robust career development opportunities to both current and former players.”

In the meantime, Toliver is one of those players whose career is developing — she described an eye-opening experience of exchanging business cards in every city, the doors of networking swung open, Toliver striding through it and into a future where women, as well as men, can draw on personal experiences to drive their work possibilities.

And for N.B.A. teams looking for a voice the players will respond to, it’s hard to beat a champion on the floor at every level she’s played.

“I think that’s been a powerful part of this whole situation, too,” Toliver said. “It can’t just be any woman. You can’t just pull anybody off the streets to do this, just like you can’t pull any guy off the streets to do this. It’s not about that. If they know that you can make them better, make them more successful, they’ll listen.”



Source link

Theresa May pleads with MPs to back Brexit deal and let Britain ‘turn corner’ in new year

0
0


Theresa May has made a new year plea for MPs to back her Brexit deal, arguing that Britain will be able to “turn a corner” in 2019 if they support her.

The prime minister used her New Year’s Day message to put pressure on politicians who have vowed to oppose her plans in a crunch vote expected in the first two weeks of January.

But even as she did, her DUP partners in government warned that unless there were significant changes to her plans they would vote against them.

Join Independent Minds

For exclusive articles, events and an advertising-free read for just
£5.99
€6.99
$9.99
a month

Get the best of The Independent

With an Independent Minds subscription for just
£5.99
€6.99
$9.99
a month

Get the best of The Independent

Without the ads – for just
£5.99
€6.99
$9.99
a month

MPs return to parliament next week, with debate on the Brexit deal due to start on 9 January before a “meaningful vote” the following week.

In her recorded message, Ms May said that while the 2016 referendum was “divisive” there was a chance to make 2019 “the year we put our differences aside and move forward together”.

She added: “New Year is a time to look ahead and in 2019 the UK will start a new chapter.

“The Brexit deal I have negotiated delivers on the vote of the British people and in the next few weeks, MPs will have an important decision to make.

“If Parliament backs a deal, Britain can turn a corner.”

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn’s New Year’s message

Ms May said settling the deal would allow time and energy to be spent on areas such as housing, trade, the NHS, immigration reform and the environment.

But Democratic Unionist Party leader Arlene Foster used her own new year message to warn Ms May she will need substantial alterations to her withdrawal agreement if the Northern Irish party are to back it.

Mrs Foster, whose party is in a confidence and supply arrangement with the Conservative government, said: “The prime minister has promised to get changes to the legally binding withdrawal agreement.

“We will be holding her to that commitment and we will work with the government to achieve a better deal.

“We are very mindful that any deal will bind the hands of future governments and prime ministers therefore the legal text must be watertight for the United Kingdom.”

Jeremy Corbyn used his new year message to accuse Theresa May’s government of plunging the country into crisis by making a “mess” of Brexit.

The Labour leader said the prime minister’s efforts to force through her withdrawal agreement in a crunch Commons vote next month were “letting people down all across the country, whether they voted Leave or Remain”.

In the message, released on social media on Monday morning, he said the UK was full of talent that was being held back by the economic system and Conservative rule.


The Independent has launched its #FinalSay campaign to demand that voters are given a voice on the final Brexit deal.

Sign our petition here



Source link

Russia Misses Deadline to Provide Doping Data

0
0


LONDON — Russia will miss an end-of-year deadline to turn over data on its athletes to the global regulator of drugs in sports, raising the specter of new penalties arising from a broad, state-supported cheating scandal in international competitions.

As a condition of lifting penalties that had largely barred Russia from hosting or participating in a range of international events because of cheating, it had pledged in September to deliver data from its corrupted antidoping laboratory to the regulator, the World Anti-Doping Agency.

That data would conclusively prove which of its athletes had been doping as part of the state-sanctioned program that marred several major sporting events, including the Olympic Games.

Yet missing the deadline means Russia has failed to comply with WADA’s request, putting pressure on the agency to reinstate the penalties, which a range of athletes and critics had said should have been maintained in the first place.

The back-and-forth over the data has demonstrated Russia’s strength and, to a number of those who support clean sport, WADA’s weakness. The agency did not comment Monday, but officials privately have accepted Russia would miss the deadline.

“The world is watching,” Callum Skinner, a British Olympic cyclist, wrote on Twitter. “This is huge for athlete welfare and clean sport.”

A team from the Montreal-based antidoping organization sent to Moscow to retrieve the data returned empty-handed after Russian authorities, citing local regulations, refused to clear the equipment they had brought to the country. WADA said Russia had not questioned the equipment at a meeting to prepare for the event.

Russian officials have said they have now cleared the team to re-enter the country, a visit that if carried out would fall beyond the deadline but before a critical meeting on Jan. 14, when WADA’s Compliance Review Committee will make a recommendation to its board over what action should be taken.

Should Russia not be punished for missing the deadline, WADA’s growing army of critics, including the United States Anti-Doping Agency and a new movement of predominantly Western athletes, is likely to sharpen its attacks.

“The situation is a total joke and an embarrassment for WADA and the global anti-doping system,” Travis Tygart, the chief executive of the United States Anti-Doping Agency, said as news that the deadline would be missed circulated. “ No one is surprised this deadline was ignored and it’s time for WADA to stop being played by the Russians and immediately declare them non-compliant for failing yet again to meet the deadline. We hold athletes strictly accountable, so states that intentionally rob clean athletes and corrupt the Olympic values should also be held accountable.”

Russia had not fulfilled all the criteria WADA had initially demanded before it was reinstated to international sport in September. The agency’s officials believed then that a new pathway that included the commitment to provide the data by a set deadline would help Russia move past scandal and finally identify the athletes — likely in the hundreds — who benefited from the doping program.

The missed deadline will also be the latest humiliation for WADA’s embattled president, Craig Reedie. Last month, Reedie, a British sports official and a member of the International Olympic Committee, said that it was “inconceivable” that Russia would miss the deadline.

Sebastian Samuelsson, an Olympic silver medal winner in biathlon, said on Twitter on Monday that WADA’s decision to reinstate Russia’s doping agency, known as RUSADA, in September without all criteria met was “a devastating blow for athletes.”

“It is important WADA starts protecting clean athletes and not cheaters,” Samuelsson said. “If not I have a hard time to even see a future for WADA.”

Travis Tygart, chief executive at the United States Anti-Doping Agency and one of WADA’s most vocal critics, has also said WADA must immediately declare Russia’s doping agency noncompliant should the Dec. 31 deadline pass without resolution.

New rules adopted in April mean sanctions for failure to comply are much clearer now than they were when Russia’s doping program was first unmasked. Sports federations, many reliant on Russian largess, will not have flexibility in deciding which measures they can take.

The potential scale of a looming punishment has rattled Russian antidoping officials who, at least publicly, appear to be at odds with the government over how to handle the situation. Last week, Rusada’s head, Yuri Ganus, pleaded with President Vladimir V. Putin to bring an end to the crisis, and issued a warning that Russia is “on the brink of abyss.”

“I ask you to protect the present and future of our fair sport, present and future generations of athletes,” Ganus said in a video message to Putin, who continues to deny the cheating scandal was orchestrated by the state.

The missing data is essential to crosscheck leaked details sent to WADA with profiles of about 10,000 suspicious doping samples from Russia. The underlying data that WADA hopes to extract from Russia will show how many of those 10,000 cases will lead to athletes having cases to answer.

Some WADA officials are privately concerned that Russia could succeed with an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport if the ban is reimposed.

“Are you going to declare them noncompliant if they are compliant?” said a person familiar with the matter.





Source link

Bangladesh election makes mockery of democracy: BNP’s Alamgir | News

0
0


Dhaka, Bangladesh – The leader of the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has said that Sunday’s general election was a “fraud” and marred by widespread irregularities.

“Yesterday’s election was totally fraud,” Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, the general secretary of BNP, told Al Jazeera after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina registered an unprecedented victory.

The ruling Awami League (AL) captured 288 out of 298 seats for which elections were held, winning a whopping 96 percent of the seats, drawing criticism from the opposition.

“Ballot papers were stuffed on the night before the election. Except for few, irregularities were found in almost all the constituencies. It was preplanned, and the result was decided much earlier,” Alamgir alleged.

The BNP leader said that the vote rigging was facilitated by “the government agencies, the police and other law enforcement agencies in collaboration with election commission officials”.

This election will destroy people’s remaining faith in election system in Bangladesh.

Asif Nazrul, professor of law at Dhaka University

“This is a mockery of democracy. Bangladesh has lost an opportunity to comeback to democracy,” said Alamgir, who is among the seven candidates to win their seats.

The opposition party had boycotted the last election held in 2014.

The massive win reminded of the controversial February 1996 parliamentary elections in which the BNP won 278 seats amid boycotts. It had triggered countrywide protests forcing the BNP out.

Call for fresh election

Later on Monday, the opposition alliance Jatiya Oikya Front (National Unity Front) re-iterated their demands for fresh election under a “nonpartisan government”.

“A drama in the name of national election was staged yesterday and the countrymen perceived from their hearts that how the election process of a sovereign country was destroyed,” Kamal Hossain, convener of the Jatiya Oikya Front, said at a press conference on Monday.

Hossain, a former ally of Hasina and a well-respected jurist, became the face of the opposition alliance as the BNP leader and former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia was barred from polls because of corruption conviction. 

The front said it will submit a memorandum to the election commission on Thursday.

But at a press conference held at the election commission office in Dhaka Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) KM Nurul Huda put to rest the opposition demand for re-election.

“There is no scope to hold the national election again,” Huda said a day after the 11th general election.

The CEC on Monday put its stamp on the unofficial results, and added that the voter turnout in the violence-marred polls was 80 percent.

The fatigue of the month-long election process was visible on Dhaka’s roads on Monday where traffic was thin with para-military vehicles still making rounds of the streets.

‘Kicked out of the polling booth’

Meanwhile, many Bangladeshi voters came on social media to share their stories, some of them complaining of irregularities on the election day.



Mahbub Uddin Khokon blamed the “fraudulent” election for his defeat [Mahmud Hossain Opu/Al Jazeera]

Shaquib Ahmed, a Dhaka resident, told Al Jazeera that he was kicked out of the polling booth after he voted for the BNP.

“There was no curtained area in the room to vote. As I put my seal on the BNP symbol a man standing beside me snatched the ballot paper away and shouted, ‘what do you think you are doing?'” he said.

The 34-year-old Ahmed says he was later abused at Dhaka’s Tejgaon College polling centre. “I did not protest as there were other people with him and it was very intimidating,” Ahmed told Al Jazeera.

Mahbub Uddin Khokon, a former BNP member of parliament, blamed the “fraudulent” election for his defeat in Noakhali 1 constituency.

“The election commission and the government collectively committed fraud against the nation, the voter, and the constitution,” said Khokon, who is the secretary of Supreme Court Bar Council.

“The night before the election they stuffed ballot boxes in each centre with the help of the police,” he alleged.

“I met with the chief election commissioner three times before the election to take action against the police who were lodging false cases against opposition members. He did not do anything.”

Hasina rejects rigging charges

But Prime Minister Hasina, who is set for a fourth term in office, rejected the vote rigging charges, saying people voted her party to power for development work done in her 10-year rule.



More than 600,000 security forces were deployed to prevent violence [Mahmud Hossain Opu/Al Jazeera]

“The countrymen have gained benefit of the development work of my government, and thus they cast their votes for us,” She told foreign observers on Monday.

Hasina has led Bangladesh on path of rapid economic growth and plans to turn this poor South Asian nation of 160 million people into a middle income country by 2021.

An election observer from India, a close ally of Bangladesh, lauded election as “peaceful”. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was quick to congratulate Hasina on securing absolute a majority in 350-member parliament. Another 50 seats are reserved for women.

Many observers from South Asian countries, Al Jazeera spoke to, said that some polling stations were not crowded and in many cases wore a deserted look.

Abdur Rahman Salah Rasheed was one of the election observers who was taken to four polling stations in Gazipur.

Rasheed, the acting secretary general of election commission of Maldives, said that in the morning polling centres were “deserted”.

“We asked them why there are not many people. They told us it was foggy and early morning. Some of the places were crowded though.



Chief Election Commissioner Huda ruled out re-election [Al Jazeera]

“We went to Dhaka 17 centre for counting but did not find any opposition polling agent. We even asked them where is opposition?”

One member of observer mission, who refused to be identified, showed his bafflement at the scale of the ruling party’s victory.

At least 19 people were killed in Sunday’s election, which was marred by reports of voting irregularities such as ballot stuffing and intimidation.

An observer team from the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation on Sunday said the vote was peaceful. “We have heard the news about the deaths, but they do not reflect the overall situation, which was peaceful,” it said in a press release.

“The election was credible based on all acceptable standards,” Hameed A Opeloyeru, the head of the observer team told reporters.

The election was credible based on all acceptable standards.

Hameed A Opeloyeru, head of the OIC observer team

But Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB), in a written statement released on Monday, expressed concern at the allegations of misconduct during the election.

It called for forming a judicial committee to investigate the allegations.

Leading up to the polls, opposition complained of mass arrests and intimidation by police and ruling party supporters, but the government said the accusations were “exaggerated”.

Asif Nazrul, a professor of law at Dhaka University, said “the election will destroy people’s remaining faith in election system in Bangladesh”.

“It was not an election at all. It was an ugly and brutal hijacking of people’s right to choose their representative by all the state apparatus in alliance with ruling party goons.

“It would lead into tyranny and hurt the dignity of the society very deeply,” he said.

fbq('init', '968100353246427'); fbq('track', 'PageView');



Source link

2018 Lessons From The Pipeline Sector

0
0


An oil tanker is docked at the Kinder Morgan terminal on Sept. 8, 2008 in Carteret, N.J. Kinder Morgan Energy Partners LP operates pipelines and terminals for oil and natural gas. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)ASSOCIATED PRESS

Blog pageviews and comments help us gauge how relevant our topics are. Writing is more enjoyable when readers engage. This blog gets reposted across many websites, including Seeking Alpha and Forbes.com. The feedback from subscribers often leads to a useful dialog and informs later choice of topics. Below are the themes that resonated in 2018.

The name Rich Kinder strikes a raw nerve with many. Kinder Morgan: Still Paying For Broken Promises revealed the depth of feeling among many investors. This is because Kinder Morgan (KMI) began the trend towards “simplification”, which came to mean distribution cuts and an adverse tax outcome. To get a sense of the betrayal felt by some, peruse the comments on the blog post on Seeking Alpha where readers can let rip in a mostly un-moderated forum. It becomes clear that cutting payouts has severely damaged appetite for the sector, something we realized through this type of feedback.

Kinder Morgan’s pre-2014 View of Distributions.Kinder Morgan

A similar post examined how Energy Transfer (ET) had lowered payouts for certain classes of investor, (see Energy Transfer: Cutting Your Payout Not Mine) and drew an even bigger response (272 comments). ET CEO Kelcy Warren is a controversial figure. Our post showed that while original Energy Transfer Equity investors had avoided distribution cuts, holders of Energy Transfer Partners, Sunoco Logistics and Regency Partners hadn’t fared so well.

ETE’s distribution climbs while its affiliated MLPs cut theirs.ETE Compan Reports; SL Advisors

Kelcy Warren inspired our most colorful graphic in August, when he said, “A monkey could make money in this business right now.”(see Running Pipelines Is Easy). ET’s stock has lost a quarter of its value since then, even though their financial performance has justified his comments.

Last year was a testing one for those convinced the Shale Revolution should generate investment profits. In Valuing MLPs Privately; Enterprise Products Partners we laid out how a private equity investor might value the biggest publicly traded MLP. It wasn’t controversial, but many readers communicated their appreciation at this type of analysis.

The problem for the sector has always been balancing high cash distributions with financing growth projects. We think current valuations focus too much on Free Cash Flow (FCF) without giving credit to Distributable Cash Flow (DCF). FCF is after growth capex, while DCF is before. We illustrated this with a short video (see Valuing Pipelines Like Real Estate).

Early in the year we wrote several blog posts highlighting the tax drag faced by most MLP-dedicated funds. Because they pay Federal corporate taxes on investment profits, 2018’s bear market didn’t expose their flawed structure the way a bull market will. We won’t repeat the argument here, but it’s laid out in MLP Funds Made for Uncle Sam.

A related topic we covered several times was the conundrum facing MLP-only funds, given that many big MLPs have converted to regular corporations. MLP-only funds can no longer claim to provide broad sector exposure, since they omit most of the biggest North American pipeline companies. But the funds themselves can’t easily broaden their holdings beyond MLPs, which creates some uncertainty for their investors. We explained why in Are MLPs Going Away? and The Alerian Problem.

We returned to the tension between using cash for growth versus distributions in Buybacks: Why Pipeline Companies Should Invest in Themselves. The industry continues to reinvest more cash in new infrastructure than is justified by stock prices. In many cases, share repurchases offer a better and more certain return than a new pipeline. Trade journals are full of breathless commentary on the need for more export facilities, more pipelines, more everything. It’s not pleasant reading for an investor because it suggests less cash for dividends, but this is the world inhabited by industry executives. More mention of IRR would be welcome. Pipeline investors are hoping that the Wells Fargo chart showing lower capex in the future will, finally, be accurate.

Midstream industry forecasts peak in capax (again).Wells Fargo

Fortunately, there are signs of better financial discipline. Leverage continues to drop and dividend coverage is improving, which will support a 6-8% increase in dividends on the American Energy Independence Index in 2019. As the year unfolds, we expect investors to cheer a long overdue improvement in returns.

We are invested in ET and KMI.

SL Advisors is the sub-advisor to the Catalyst MLP & Infrastructure Fund.  To learn more about the Fund,  please click here.

SL Advisors is also the advisor to an ETF (USAIETF.com).



Source link


In Screening for Suicide Risk, Facebook Takes On Tricky Public Health Role

0
0


“It’s hard to know what Facebook is actually picking up on, what they are actually acting on, and are they giving the appropriate response to the appropriate risk,” said Dr. John Torous, director of the digital psychiatry division at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. “It’s black box medicine.”

Facebook said it worked with suicide prevention experts to develop a comprehensive program to quickly connect users in distress with friends and send them contact information for help lines. It said experts also helped train dedicated Facebook teams, who have experience in law enforcement and crisis response, to review the most urgent cases. Those reviewers contact emergency services only in a minority of cases, when users appear at imminent risk of serious self-harm, the company said.

“While our efforts are not perfect, we have decided to err on the side of providing people who need help with resources as soon as possible,” Emily Cain, a Facebook spokeswoman, said in a statement.

[Share an experience about Facebook’s suicide prevention program with The New York Times.]

In a September post, Facebook described how it had developed a pattern recognition system to automatically score certain user posts and comments for likelihood of suicidal thoughts. The system automatically escalates high-scoring posts, as well as posts submitted by concerned users, to specially trained reviewers.

“Facebook has always been way ahead of the pack,” said John Draper, director of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, “not only in suicide prevention, but in taking an extra step toward innovation and engaging us with really intelligent and forward-thinking approaches.” (Vibrant Emotional Health, the nonprofit group administering the Lifeline, has advised and received funding from Facebook.)

Facebook said its suicide risk scoring system worked worldwide in English, Spanish, Portuguese and Arabic — except for in the European Union, where data protection laws restrict the collection of personal details like health information. There is no way of opting out, short of not posting on, or deleting, your Facebook account.

A review of four police reports, obtained by The Times under Freedom of Information Act requests, suggests that Facebook’s approach has had mixed results. Except for the Ohio case, police departments redacted the names of the people flagged by Facebook.



Source link

Meteor Showers That Will Light Up Night Skies in 2019

0
0


All year long as Earth revolves around the sun, it passes through streams of cosmic debris. The resulting meteor showers can light up night skies from dusk to dawn, and if you’re lucky you might be able to catch one.

If you spot a meteor shower, what you’re really seeing is the leftovers of icy comets crashing into Earth’s atmosphere. Comets are sort of like dirty snowballs: As they travel through the solar system, they leave behind a dusty trail of rocks and ice that lingers in space long after they leave. When Earth passes through these cascades of comet waste, the bits of debris — which can be as small as grains of sand — pierce the sky at such speeds that they burst, creating a celestial fireworks display.

A general rule of thumb with meteor showers: You are never watching the Earth cross into remnants from a comet’s most recent orbit. Instead, the burning bits come from the previous passes. For example, during the Perseid meteor shower you are seeing meteors ejected from when its parent comet, Comet Swift-Tuttle, visited in 1862 or earlier, not from its most recent pass in 1992.

That’s because it takes time for debris from a comet’s orbit to drift into a position where it intersects with Earth’s orbit, according to Bill Cooke, an astronomer with NASA’s Meteoroid Environment Office.

The name attached to a meteor shower is usually tied to the constellation in the sky from which they seem to originate, known as their radiant. For instance, the Orionid meteor shower can be found in the sky when stargazers have a good view of the Orion constellation.

[Sign up to get reminders for space and astronomy events on your calendar.]

The best way to see a meteor shower is to get to a location that has a clear view of the entire night sky. Ideally, that would be somewhere with dark skies, away from city lights and traffic. To maximize your chances of catching the show, look for a spot that offers a wide, unobstructed view.

Bits and pieces of meteor showers are visible for a certain period of time, but they really peak visibly from dusk to dawn on a given few days. Those days are when Earth’s orbit crosses through the thickest part of the cosmic stream. Meteor showers can vary in their peak times, with some reaching their maximums for only a few hours and others for several nights. The showers tend to be most visible after midnight and before dawn.

It is best to use your naked eye to spot a meteor shower. Binoculars or telescopes tend to limit your field of view. You might need to spend about half an hour in the dark to let your eyes get used to the reduced light. Stargazers should be warned that moonlight and the weather can obscure the shows. But if that happens, there are usually meteor livestreams like the ones hosted by NASA and by Slooh.

While the International Meteor Organization lists a variety of meteor showers that could be seen, below you’ll find the showers that are most likely to be visible in the sky during 2019.

Active between Dec. 28 and Jan. 12. Peaks around Jan. 3-4.

The Quadrantids give off their own New Years fireworks show. Compared with most other meteor showers, they are unusual because they are thought to have originated from an asteroid. They tend to be fainter with fewer streaks in the sky than others on this list.

Active between April 14 and April 30. Peaks around April 21-22.

There are records from ancient Chinese astronomers spotting these bursts of light more than 2,700 years ago. They blaze through the sky at about 107,000 miles per hour and explode about 55 miles up in the planet’s atmosphere. This shower comes from Comet Thatcher, which journeys around the sun about every 415 years. Its last trip was in 1861 and its next rendezvous near the sun will be in 2276.

Active between April 19 and May 28. Peaks around May 4-5.

The Eta Aquariids are one of two meteor showers from Halley’s comet. Its sister shower, the Orionids, will peak in October. Specks from the Eta Aquariids streak through the sky at about 148,000 miles per hour, making it one of the fastest meteor showers. Its display is better seen from the Southern Hemisphere where people normally enjoy between 20 and 30 meteors per hour during its peak. The Northern Hemisphere tends to see about half as many.

Active between July 12 and Aug. 23. Peaks around July 29-30.

They come from Comet 96P Machholz, which passes by the sun every five years. Its meteors, which number between 10 and 20 per hour, are most visible predawn, between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m. It tends to be more visible from the Southern Hemisphere.

Active between July 17 and Aug. 24. Peaks around Aug. 12-13.

The Perseids light up the night sky when Earth runs into pieces of cosmic debris left behind by Comet Swift-Tuttle. The dirty snowball is 17 miles wide and takes about 133 years to orbit the sun. Its last go-round was in 1992.

Usually between 160 and 200 meteors dazzle in Earth’s atmosphere every hour during the display’s peak. They zoom through the atmosphere at around 133,000 miles per hour and burst about 60 miles overhead.

Active between Oct. 2 and Nov. 7. Peaks around Oct. 21-22.

The Orionids are an encore to the Eta Aquariid meteor shower, which peaks in May. Both come from cosmic material spewed from Halley’s comet. Since the celestial celebrity orbits past Earth once every 76 years, the showers this weekend are your chance to view the comet’s leftovers until the real deal next passes by in 2061.

Active between Nov. 6 and Nov. 30. Peaks around Nov. 16-17.

The Leonids are one of the most dazzling meteor showers and every few decades it produces a meteor storm where more than 1,000 meteors can been seen an hour. Cross your fingers for some good luck — the last time the Leonids were that strong was in 2002. Its parent comet is called Comet-Temple/Tuttle and it orbits the sun every 33 years.

Active between Dec. 4 and Dec. 17. Peaks around Dec. 13-14.

The Geminids, along with the Quadrantids that peaked in January, are thought to originate not from comets, but from asteroid-like space rocks. The Geminids are thought to have been produced by an object called 3200 Phaethon. If you manage to see them, this meteor shower can brighten the night sky with between 120 and 160 meteors per hour.

Active between Dec. 17 and Dec. 26. Peaks around Dec. 21-22.

The Ursids tend to illuminate the night sky around the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere. They only shoot around 10 to 20 meteors per hour. They appear to radiate from Ursa Minor, and come from Comet 8P/Tuttle.



Source link

New Horizons Approaches the Most Distant Object Ever Visited. ‘We Only Get One Shot.’

0
0


“It’s really puzzling, because we know the shape is irregular,” Dr. Stern said.

While the partial federal government shutdown has little direct effect on the flyby — it is considered an essential government activity, plus most of the people working on the mission are employees of the Johns Hopkins laboratory, not NASA — it has been a bureaucratic hassle.

The laboratory has to take over some communications responsibilities usually handled by NASA, and two members of the mission’s science team who work at the NASA Ames Research Center in California needed a special exemption to come to Maryland and take part.

Final tweaks to the instructions for the flyby choreography, adjusting the time of the closest approach by a couple of seconds, were sent on Sunday to New Horizons.

Now all anyone can do at this point is watch and wait.

Early on Monday, a science fair-like atmosphere prevailed as specialists from New Horizons presented overviews of the mission and science to friends and families who came to share in the excitement. They will celebrate the start of the new year at midnight and then the closest approach of the flyby 33 minutes later, but they will not know how New Horizons, which will be busy making its scientific observations, will be doing at that moment.

“We’re very confident in the spacecraft, and we’re very confident in the plan that we have for the exploration of Ultima,” said Dr. Stern, the principal investigator for the mission. “But I’d be kidding you if I didn’t tell you that we’re also on pins and needles to see out how this turns out. We only get one shot at it.”

Hours later, the spacecraft will turn back to Earth and send a 15-minute message that will confirm that the encounter occurred, but will not include any photographs or scientific data. If all goes well, that data — which takes six hours to reach Earth — will arrive at 10:28 a.m. on Tuesday.

Over the next couple of days, preliminary looks at the data, including what the scientists hope will be striking images of Ultima Thule, will be beamed back to Earth. Twenty months will pass before scientists have the full set of measurements. And they will be eagerly awaiting every bit of that stream.

“We are ready to science the heck out of Ultima Thule,” Dr. Stern said.



Source link

‘I Have Seen Many Crises’: Steel Magnate Stands Firm as Turmoil Hits Turkey

0
0


ISTANBUL — In a prominent spot on a shelf close to his desk, Fuat Tosyali keeps a reminder of what his life was like long before he became a steel magnate and one of the richest people in Turkey, with a penthouse office outside Istanbul and a Mercedes limousine parked out front.

It is a black and white photograph of a young man polishing a stovepipe.

The young man is Mr. Tosyali, and in many ways the photograph tells the story of how far the Turkish economy has come. Mr. Tosyali’s road from poverty to wealth mirrors Turkey’s journey from tattered former empire to Mediterranean powerhouse with growth rates to rival China, at least until the economy took a steep dive last summer.

In an interview in his office, which is furnished with ample couches covered in beige leather and a polished black coffee table the size of a double bed, Mr. Tosyali professed confidence despite a downturn that has been exacerbated by the punitive tariffs imposed on Turkish steel by the United States.

“This is my 51st year in the business,” said Mr. Tosyali, 55, who began helping out his father’s metalworking shop before he was old enough to go to school. “I have seen many crises.”

“The economic turbulence is temporary,” he said in a follow-up telephone interview. “As a company, we are aware of our strength. We know our country’s economic strength, too.”

Mr. Tosyali’s bravado may sound odd given the events of the past year, when he and other Turkish business executives have been forced to cope with a plunge in the value of the lira, a sharp decline in consumer demand, and President Trump’s 50 percent levies on steel imported from Turkey — twice the size of tariffs imposed on Europe and other American allies.

The problems have put Turkey, which has the world’s 17th-largest economy, high on the list of places where the next global financial crisis could start.

Many of Mr. Tosyali’s peers are becoming more pessimistic. In growing numbers, Turkish entrepreneurs are leaving the country or transferring their wealth overseas because they fear that the country’s economy could get much worse, or that their assets and freedoms could be seized by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s authoritarian government.

Not Mr. Tosyali. He said he planned a major new investment in steel production, although he declined to give details. “It is unforgivable to hide the money you made in Turkey by taking it abroad,” he said.

Until recently at least, Turkey has been viewed as an economic success story, despite episodes of harrowing financial and political turmoil. Since the beginning of this century, poverty has fallen by half. The average resident of the country lives a quarter-century longer than his counterpart in the 1960s. The economy has grown more than a third since the 2008 financial crisis. In 2017 growth was more than 7 percent, putting Turkey on the cusp of becoming what the World Bank classifies as a “high income.”

Entrepreneurs like Mr. Tosyali have benefited from the growth and helped generate the jobs and investment that kept it going.

The company now known as Tosyali Holding began in the Mediterranean port city of Iskenderun, near the border with Syria. The family metalworking shop was so tiny, Mr. Tosyali said, that it would take up only a corner of the office he occupies today in a neighborhood outside central Istanbul where the hills are dotted with new luxury apartment complexes.

Mr. Tosyali said that his father, Serif Tosyali, was illiterate and deeply ashamed of it. But he understood numbers and could gauge a piece of steel’s thickness to a fraction of a millimeter just by holding it between his fingers.

When Fuat Tosyali was not in school — his father insisted his children get an education — he and his younger brothers Ayhan and Fatih helped hammer scrap metal into parts for stoves and boilers. Later, the family began producing enameled steel for the washing machines that more and more Turks could afford, and pipes for homes that increasingly had modern heat.

In 1994, the Tosyalis bought a factory in Iskenderun that produced iron used in construction. The acquisition positioned them to profit from a sustained building boom, started a steel-making empire that now includes 18 factories in Algeria, Montenegro and Turkey and helped transform the family’s business into Turkey’s biggest producer of steel pipes.

Mr. Tosyali attributes the success to hard work. He received a reporter on a Saturday morning and said he planned to spend the rest of the weekend visiting factories.

“We are working nonstop seven days, 24 hours,” he said. “Not only me, all of my family.”

After one of the country’s most difficult years in two decades, it is unclear how the current chapter in the story of Turkey’s rise will end. Will it fall victim to economic mismanagement by Mr. Erdogan’s increasingly repressive government? Or will Turkish entrepreneurs like Mr. Tosyali once again demonstrate their instinct for survival?

Most economists expect things to get worse before they get better. “Everyone is anticipating a recession,” said Güven Sak, who leads the Economic Policy Research Foundation, a think tank based in Ankara.

There are a few hopeful signs. The lira, which was in danger of falling below 7 to the dollar in August, has recovered somewhat and was trading at about 5.30 to the dollar on Monday. Still, the Turkish currency lost 28 percent of its value in 2018.

In another positive development, inflation is retreating from the astronomical levels it had reached. The annual rate, which had climbed above 25 percent, fell below 22 percent in November after the Turkish central bank raised its benchmark interest rate to 24 percent.

The lira’s decline is not all bad for steel makers. They earn revenue from exports in dollars but must pay many of their bills in devalued liras. That gives manufacturers a potential advantage in export markets, although those benefits are partly canceled out by the higher prices they must pay for imported raw materials.

But the drop is dangerous for Turkey’s financial system. It is also a source of anxiety in Europe, where analysts and bank regulators fear that loans to Turkish businesses might not be repaid, which could destabilize banks like UniCredit of Italy that have significant holdings there.

In many cases Turkish banks have issued loans to businesses that must be repaid with dollars or euros. Banks are already reporting increases in troubled loans because companies that do not rely on exports and earn revenue in liras are having trouble servicing these foreign currency debts.

The Turkish economy began slowing markedly around the middle of 2018 in reaction to the financial stress. Economic output is expected to shrink 0.4 percent in 2019, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

Mr. Erdogan is not making things any easier. He has driven some business owners into exile for allegedly plotting with his opponents. Akin Ipek, another of Turkey’s richest men, had holdings in mining and media before the government seized his conglomerate in 2015 while he was visiting London. Mr. Erdogan has also criticized the Turkish central bank for raising interest rates, a step that most economists considered the only way to corral inflation.

The government has responded with temporary measures like tax incentives for people who buy furniture, large appliances, cars and homes.

“Some precautions are being taken for industry,” said Mr. Sak of the Economic Policy Research Foundation. “But these are Band-Aids, not the remedy.”

Mr. Trump’s policies are also weighing on the Turkish economy. In August, he set the tariff on steel imported from the company at 50 percent after Turkey detained Andrew Brunson, an American pastor. But the tariffs were kept in place even after a Turkish court freed Mr. Brunson in October.

“There was no explicit quid pro quo for the arrangements with the pastor,” Wilbur Ross, the commerce secretary, told reporters in October. The statement seemed to contradict a message Mr. Trump had posted on Twitter in August, when he linked the tariffs to bad relations with Turkey.

Like many Turkish business leaders, Mr. Tosyali is reluctant to discuss politics.

“We truly respect the United States,” he said. “Of course we would like to be there. If they don’t want to buy our products we will respect that.”

Mr. Tosyali noted that while Tosyali Holding may not be able to sell products to customers in the United States, it is buying from American companies. In 2017, the company formed a joint venture with Harsco Corporation in Pennsylvania to recycle scrap metal and waste products in Turkish factories.

As Mr. Tosyali sees it, the rough period now facing Turkey is another opportunity for entrepreneurs to demonstrate their fortitude. Tosyali Holding, he said, planned to take advantage of lower manufacturing costs to expand and put itself in position to gain market share when the crisis is over.

Other bosses “put their feet on the brakes, they cut the work force,” Mr. Tosyali said. “We do the opposite.”





Source link

As New Year’s Eve Ball Drops, the Free Press Gets a Moment in the Spotlight

0
0


Updated Jan. 1

Kelly Clarkson. Snoop Dogg. Dua Lipa.

And Lester Holt?

Television viewers on New Year’s Eve tune in for performances by the latest hitmakers and nostalgia acts. This time around, 11 journalists — ranging from familiar faces like Martha Raddatz of ABC to behind-the-scenes editors like Karen Toulon of Bloomberg News — shared the Times Square limelight, part of an effort by organizers to recognize the erosion of press freedoms at home and abroad.

The journalists were tasked Monday with pressing the crystal button that initiates the minute-long descent of the New Year’s Eve Ball, a prime moment on a night that attracts tens of millions of viewers. Just before they pressed it, the journalists gathered around the button, cheering and waving to the crowd before bringing the ball down.

Among those invited was Karen Attiah, who edited the Washington Post columns of Jamal Khashoggi, the Saudi dissident and American resident who was murdered in Turkey this year by Saudi agents; Mr. Holt of NBC; Alisyn Camerota of CNN; Vladimir Duthiers of CBS; and Jon Scott, a weekend anchor on Fox News.

Editors from Time, The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times were also on the bill, along with Maria Ressa, a journalist in the Philippines whose news site, Rappler, has been threatened by the country’s authoritarian president, Rodrigo Duterte. Ms. Ressa, along with Mr. Khashoggi, was featured on the cover of Time this month for its annual person of the year honor.

The reporters and editors were part of broadcasts featuring stars like John Legend, Shawn Mendes, Jennifer Lopez, Bebe Rexha, Sting and a reunited New Kids on the Block.

Journalists do not carry quite the same star power as past honorees, like Muhammad Ali or Lady Gaga, who memorably kissed the mayor at the time, Michael R. Bloomberg, in the first moments of 2012. But even a brief recognition from viewers will go a long way, said Joel Simon, the executive director of the Committee to Protect Journalists, a nonprofit group that promotes press rights and helped coordinate the event.

“People who are watching across the country will see the media together, standing on the stage, visually united behind this principle,” Mr. Simon said in an interview. “That’s a positive message at a time when journalists around the world are threatened as never before.”

Tim Tompkins, the president of the Times Square Alliance, has sought in recent years to leverage the ball drop’s worldwide audience to promote civic causes. Tarana Burke, the founder of the #MeToo movement, appeared onstage last year. David Miliband, who runs the International Rescue Committee, a humanitarian aid group for refugees, was a guest on Dec. 31, 2014.

This year’s idea came about after a conversation between Mr. Tompkins and an acquaintance from his college days, Jacob Weisberg, a former editor in chief of Slate and a Committee to Protect Journalists board member.

“The two pictures that are sent around the world generally are people kissing each other with confetti falling and the people who appear on the stage,” Mr. Tompkins said. “We wanted to use that in a deliberate way.”

“It’s fitting to celebrate the free press as we reflect on where we’ve been during the past year and what we value most as a society,” he added.

Given the attention span of viewers on a night dedicated more to carousing than to the Constitution, Mr. Simon said the televised image of journalists, representing a range of news organizations, would be a potent symbol.

“You have to send a simple and essentially visual message,” he said. “The basic principles of press freedom are unifying, and it’s something that people can celebrate even if they have divergent views.”



Source link

Viewing all 2262 articles
Browse latest View live




Latest Images