Thursday, December 27, 2018
Friday, September 28, 2018
Tuesday, September 18, 2018
Monday, August 27, 2018
Friday, August 24, 2018
No, impeachment will not crash the stock market
https://www.politico.com/amp/story/2018/08/23/donald-trump-impeachment-stock-market-economy-750277
NEW YORK— The longest bull market run in American history could get killed off by a financial collapse in Turkey, a policy mistake by the Federal Reserve or a plain old economic recession.
It will probably not be slain by an impeachment of President Donald Trump.
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That’s the consensus view of Wall Street traders and money managers, who say that while an ugly impeachment fight might cause temporary volatility, markets could easily survive an impeachment and even the unlikely event that Trump is removed from office in a Senate trial.
In fact, Wall Street pros often talk about a potential relief rally if Trump departs the White House early.
The underlying economy would remain strong, and a hypothetical President Mike Pence would likely continue Trump’s policy of low taxes and fewer regulations without all the wild tweeting and investigations and persistent trade wars.
“I’m not sure the market would be all that upset by Trump being forced to leave,” said Jim Paulsen, chief investment strategist at the Leuthold Group. “Many Republicans might welcome it, and if Pence moves in, the basic low regulation, low tax nature of the presidency would be the same, only without the constant self-induced volatility, and maybe ‘trade wars' would diminish.”
Trump took a very different view in an interview with Fox News that aired Thursday morning, saying the stock market likely would collapse if he were impeached.
“I will tell you what, if I ever got impeached, I think the market would crash. I think everybody would be very poor,” he said, amid new legal turmoil this week with two former advisers, Paul Manafort and Michael Cohen, now guilty of criminal acts.
Trump loves to bask in the stock market advance under his presidency and boasted this week about the length of the bull market. And stocks have indeed celebrated his policies on taxes and regulation.
But markets now move very little on news of fresh legal trouble for Trump. And analysts say that’s in part because the economic and stock market recoveries long predate Trump’s presidency and would probably live on without him.
“Fading trade wars, no change in corporate taxes and the deregulatory air in Washington would be something of a ‘Washington Goldilocks’ situation,” Michael Obuchowski, portfolio manager at Merlin Asset Management, said of a potential impeachment.
When Wall Street analysts list risks to the current market, they most often cite external turmoil, such as the currency crisis that recently rocked Turkey or the Fed moving too fast — or too slow — on interest rates. Geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and the Korean Peninsula also show up as potential destroyers of a bull market born in the ash heap of the 2009 financial crisis.
They sometimes cite political uncertainty surrounding Trump, but that is usually couched as the potential for trade wars and other unpredictable policies, not the threat of his removal.
Wall Street analysts generally agree that a protracted impeachment fight and potential Senate trial could weigh on stocks, giving Trump the opportunity to claim vindication for his market crash prediction. But they say any drop on Wall Street would be based on the uncertainty of the outcome of such a fight rather than real fear of a post-Trump presidency.
Stefanie Miller, a senior analyst at Height Capital Markets in Washington, said investors would be unnerved by any impeachment effort because of the instability that would bring.
"I do NOT think the market will shrug off impeachment proceedings in the House, even if they don’t lead to a conviction in the Senate," she said in an email. "Based on frequent conversations I’ve had with investors, I don’t get a sense that many would welcome the instability/headline risk stemming from those proceedings."
A larger concern among some investors is that Trump survives but Republicans are so damaged by him that they lose both the House and Senate, putting market-friendly policies more at risk.
“If the scandal helps both the House and Senate to go Democrat to a point where they could reverse tax or regulatory policies, that would matter to the markets,” Paulsen said. “But this seems unlikely, and even if both go Democrat it would mean gridlock for Trump’s term, not much different.”
Saturday, August 11, 2018
Men take care of their spouses just as well as women (new research suggests)
http://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2018-08-10-men-take-care-their-spouses-just-well-women-new-research-suggests#
Men respond to their spouse’s illness just as much as women do and as a result are better caregivers in later life than previous research suggests, according to a new Oxford University collaboration.
The study, published in Journals of Gerontology, Series B, is good news for our increasingly stretched adult care services, which have become more reliant on patients’ family and spouses for support. Conducted with peers from the University of Pennsylvania, the research sits in contrast to previous studies on spousal caregiving, which found that female caregivers tend to be more responsive. However, the new results reveal that men are just as responsive to a partner’s illness, as women.
Using data from the German Socio-Economic Panel Study, the research carried out by Dr Langner of Oxford University* and Professor Frank Furstenberg of the University of Pennsylvania**, focused on 538 couples in Germany with an average age of 69, where one of them had developed the need for spousal care, between 2001-2015, and looked at how caregivers adjusted their hours in response to the new care need: whether directly responding to their physical needs or performing errands and housework.
The findings show that men increased their care hours as much as women did, resulting in similar levels of care once their partner became ill. These similarities were particularly pronounced when a spouse was deemed severely ill, when there was little to no difference in the level of care given.
Perhaps surprisingly, when their spouse is severely ill, men also increase the time they spend on housework and errands, more than women. However, at lower levels of spousal care need – when a spouse is only slightly unwell, women still spend more time doing housework and errands than men – because they already did more housework and errands prior to the disease onset.
There were also significant differences in levels of care given, for couples where the spouse was only unofficially seen to be ‘in need of care’. However, these differences disappeared in homes where no other household help was provided, when regardless of gender, male or female, spouses stepped up to care for each other.
Dr Laura Langner, Research Fellow at Nuffield College, Oxford and ESRC Future Research Leader, said: ‘Our results suggest that gender differences in spousal caregiving in old age are not as pronounced as previously thought. Past studies had numerous limitations, which we could overcome with our data.
‘We found that, unlike many previous studies on caregiving in later life – male caregivers were just as responsive towards their partner’s onset of illness as female caregivers. This stands in sharp contrast the division of caregiving (i.e. childcare) and housework in mid-life. There could be a number of reasons for this, but a key factor may be that in later life many people retire and no longer have the responsibility of work, so are able to focus on other priorities – that their spouse may have been doing already.’
Discussing the potential future implications of the research for patients and services, she adds: ‘People are living longer, meaning that we have an increasingly dependent aging population and we face an elderly care cost problem. Reforms are likely to continue reducing more expensive institutionalised care, and increase cheaper home care. With the gender gap in life expectancy closing, and children becoming less available to care for their parents, it is likely that many more men will be called upon to care for their partners. But, our findings at least suggest that women won’t have to worry that their partners are not up to the job of caring for them, should they need to.’
The team intend to build on the findings by applying the research approach to other countries and assessing how the results compare.
Tuesday, July 31, 2018
Tuesday, July 10, 2018
Wednesday, June 27, 2018
Germany's shame as holders dumped out of World Cup after South Korea defeat 2-0 -ESPN
South Korea vs. Germany - Football Match Report - June 27, 2018
Holders Germany were knocked out of the World Cup on a stunning afternoon in Group F, courtesy of a 2-0 defeat against South Korea.
The four-time winners, who lifted the trophy in 2014, had not exited a World Cup in the first round since 1938 but suffered a humiliating early exit after failing to find the crucial breakthrough. Mexico edged through at Germany's expense, despite a 3-0 defeat to Sweden, who finished top. Germany, meanwhile, finish bottom.
Germany were heading out anyway at 0-0 in injury time, but things got even worse when Kim Young-Gwon's strike was eventually given following a VAR referral. With Germany reeling -- and Manuel Neuer up field trying in vain to find a way back into the game -- South Korea made it 2-0, Son Heung-Min rolling the ball into the empty net.
There were a plethora of permutations in Group F ahead of kickoff but Germany started in Kazan knowing that a victory by two goals would be enough to progress, regardless of what happened in Mexico vs. Sweden in Yekaterinburg. But one of the favourites for the tournament came up short and have to face up to a terrible early exit.
Joachim Low made a big call before the match, dropping Thomas Muller, recalling Mesut Ozil and using a 4-2-3-1 formation that included Leon Goretzka on the right.
His men almost fell behind to a shock South Korea opener on 19 minutes -- and in bizarre fashion. Jung Woo-Young's free kick seemed harmless enough but Neuer inexplicably fumbled it, and only a quick reaction from the Germany No.1 thwarted Son Heung-Min from tucking home the rebound.
At the other end, the holders huffed and puffed but to little effect, Joshua Kimmich and Ozil's crosses coming to nothing. In truth it was turgid stuff, Timo Werner's deflected effort seven minutes before half time about as good as it got.
Germany limped to a goalless conclusion of the first half but with Mexico vs. Sweden also a stalemate, it did not matter as Low's men were through by virtue of their head-to-head record against the Swedes -- a 2-1 win last Saturday courtesy of Toni Kroos' 95th minute winner.
Goretza almost put Germany in front two minutes after the restart but was thwarted by a superb stop from Jo Hyeon-Woo -- and then news filtered through of Ludwig Augustinsson's opener for Sweden.
That left Germany with 40 minutes to find the one goal they needed to qualify at Mexico's expense and Kroos, their lifesaver against Sweden, just fired wide almost at the same time the Swedes went 2-0 up through Andreas Granqvist's penalty.
Moon Seon-Min then had a glorious chance to end Germany's hopes but he took far too long in the area when all he needed to do was shoot either side of Neuer.
With time running out, Kimmich's cross evaded everyone in the box and seemed destined for the back of the net but Hyeon-Woo managed to get his body in the way, much to Germany's agony.
Mats Hummels should have been their savour three minutes from time but his free header from inside the area bounced over.
Then, the drama. Young-Gwon poked the ball past Neuer to make it 1-0 -- only after a VAR referral that ruled out an original offside decision -- and then Son tapped home with Neuer well out of his goal.
Wednesday, June 20, 2018
Zach Lowe on Kawhi Leonard, Jaylen Brown and Celtics-Spurs trades
Article Link
When an almost-27-year-old MVP candidate becomes available, the entire league takes notice. Most teams picking in the top 10 in Thursday's draft, if not all of them, have at least contacted the San Antonio Spursabout Kawhi Leonard and asked, essentially, "Keep us in the loop." Teams outside the top 10, including the Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers and LA Clippers, have done the same.
Some of those suitors know they don't have enough: The Cavs holding Kevin Love and the No. 8 pick, the Grizzlies with No. 4 and Chandler Parsons, the Clippers with Tobias Harris and Nos. 12 and 13.
In theory, almost no team should pony up its best assets for a player who could bolt in a year without a nearly ironclad assurance he will re-sign. With Leonard, obtaining such assurance may not even be possible. No one knows whether they can trust the word of the advisors around him. There are deep suspicions that Leonard has already decided he wants to play for the Lakers.
Even so, teams will look hard. Leonard is a bona fide top-five player. He finished second in MVP voting in 2016, and third in 2017. Teams can go decades without acquiring a player that good.
Still: Unless Leonard signals a willingness to consider staying with rebuilding teams beyond L.A., they won't trade their best stuff for Leonard. The Suns and Kings can't afford the risk of flipping the No. 1 or No. 2 pick, respectively. Why would the Hawks deal, say, the No. 3 pick, John Collins and Taurean Prince -- gutting their team -- for Leonard, even if they saw some glimmer of hope he might stay? The Knicks might be tempted, but they almost surely won't include Kristaps Porzingis in any Leonard talks.
The Spurs haven't given up hope of reconciling with Leonard, league sources say, though it is unclear if the ballyhooed Gregg Popovich-Leonard summit in San Diego defused the tension. They still have the five-year, $219 super-max offer in the bag. They are projecting patience in preliminary talks.
Even so, the draft has a way of accelerating trade activity; if the Spurs receive an offer Thursday that meets their objectives, they should consider it. But there may not be enough time before then for any team to gain permission to speak with Leonard's camp -- or for the Spurs to arrive at a place where they would even entertain that question.
Pushing into July would help one of the rare suitors that can send out meaningful assets for Leonard and maintain a great team around him: Boston. Right now, the Celtics can't make any palatable offer that doesn't include one of Kyrie Irving, Gordon Haywardor Al Horford. (They could in theory flip Jaylen Brown, Marcus Morris, Terry Rozier, Guerschon Yabusele, Semi Ojeleye and picks today, but that five-for-one monstrosity would raise roster limit complications. Leonard would also have to waive his trade kicker.)
July brings the possibility of signing-and-trading Marcus Smart, and acquiring Leonard without losing either Jayson Tatumor Jaylen Brown. (Tatum is untouchable, regardless.) That may end up being Boston's approach: Attach the motherlode of picks -- that includes Sacramento's pick next season, provided it does not land at No. 1, along with future picks from Memphis and the Clippers -- to a package of Smart, Rozier, Yabusele (for his salary) and Morris, then dare the Spurs to do better. (The salary cap math on that barely works, and requires Leonard to waive some or all of his trade kicker. Smart would have to cooperate along several steps.)
It might sound ridiculous, but Boston will be wary including Brown, even if they get to speak with Leonard about re-signing. The Celtics are set up to contend for at least 10 years. The Irving/Hayward/Horford trio should carry them now. Brown and Tatum take over later.
Flipping Brown for Leonard tilts Boston more toward the present, and chips away at what looks like a bright future stretching well beyond 2025. To maintain that present-future balance, it makes more sense to use Hayward or Irving as the centerpiece of any Leonard trade. Boston does not appear inclined to go that route -- at least not now. If the Spurs deal Leonard, they should enter full rebuild mode and chase picks and younger players, anyway. (Also: A Boston defense featuring Brown, Leonard and Horford is one spicy meatball.)
Swapping Brown (and lots of other stuff) for Leonard would leave Boston with four players earning fat max contracts, including three -- Horford, Irving and Leonard -- who can negotiate fatter ones in 2019. If four such deals prove too much to bear, Boston might have to sell low on one. Meanwhile, Brown isn't eligible for a new deal until 2020-21, and his maximum salary starts at least $5-6 million below those of Hayward and Irving.
There's also this: What if Brown is on a path to becoming the next Kawhi Leonard?
There are striking statistical and stylistic similarities between Brown and the Leonard of 2012 and 2013. Like Leonard then, Brown already profiles as an elite multi-positional wing defender.
By the end of their second seasons, both had shattered developmental curves on offense. Remember: The Spurs hoped Leonard might turn into Bruce Bowen, only they weren't sure he would ever shoot well enough to even become that. "Our expectations weren't necessarily for him to be a 3-and-D guy," R.C. Buford, their GM, told me in the summer of 2013. "His track record didn't lead you to believe he could extend out to the 3-point line." Leonard remarked in that same summer that perhaps the Spurs might call some plays for him in 2013-14.
That was Leonard's third season, the year he won the Finals MVP, and even then, he ran about only six pick-and-rolls per game, according to Second Spectrum tracking data. The idea of Leonard as a No. 1 ball-handling option deadly enough to crack the MVP race seemed farfetched, even within the Spurs.
In his just-concluded second season, Brown used about five ball screens per game.
Both proved almost immediately they could bully smaller guards in the post. Both obliterated expectations as spot-up shooters by the end of their second seasons; Brown is ahead of where Leonard was.
More than two-thirds of Leonard's 3-point attempts in his second season came from the corners; he hit 43 percent of those, but just 13-of-53 non-corner 3s. Brown has hit almost exactly 43 from the corners for his career, but he's much more accomplished on above-the-break 3s than young Kawhi; Brown hit a very solid 69-of-184 (37.5 percent) on those longer 3s last season. He hit them over decent contests, and out of the pick-and-roll:
Playmaking was and is the final frontier for each. Brown averaged just 1.6 assists per game last season, and dished dimes on only 8.5 percent of Boston's possessions -- low even for a second/third-option wing type. Leonard in his second season: 1.6 assists per game, 7.7 percent assist rate. (Those numbers jumped in Year 3, but only a little: two dimes per game, 10.4 percent assist rate.)
They didn't start out as natural quick-thinking pick-and-roll players. They were (and are) physical drivers who like to burrow into defenders until they reach a comfort zone, and then rise up. That can work, but it is not the sort of slicing action that draws help and unlocks kickout passes; defenses can almost stay home in five-on-five mode:
Leonard grew into a decent passer starting in 2016 -- not even close to a great one, but good enough for a team to run a functional offense through him. He showed hints of something more in the 2017 playoffs, but then Zaza, and then sadness.
Whether Brown can make similar progress is by far the biggest question about him -- one the Celtics are surely trying to answer now. He has a tendency to get a little single-minded and reckless around the basket, hoisting up wild shots instead of making easy passes -- like the one to the corner staring Brown in the face before Joel Embiid swallows him:
He sometimes holds the ball a beat too long, so that help defenders are already rotating back when he releases a pass:
He misses cutters here and there. He appears to sometimes see them a second late, when the defense is already closing windows. On other trips, he doesn't seem to have the confidence to try thread-the-needle passes. Adventures in nuanced pick-and-roll play can end in miscommunication and sad-trombone comedy:
Some of his floaters are awkward -- launched almost from the foul line, released on the way down.
Young Leonard was cagier than current Brown at navigating crowds with a live dribble. (Ginormous hands helped him develop a tighter handle.) He was calmer, more under control, better at stopping and pivoting into floaters and short jumpers. He could already stop on a dime, and pogo-stick straight up into clear airspace as defenders fell away. Brown doesn't have the same balance; he often flicks up shots with his body flying sideways, or toward the rim. He has been more turnover prone than Leonard.
Brown shot 37 percent on 2-pointers outside the restricted area; Leonard was about 45 percent in his second season, and drained a Nowitzkian 51 percent of his long 2s in Year 3. Leonard was (and is) a much more accurate free throw shooter.
It takes young guys a long time to read the game in motion, and Brown is already making strides. He's learning to change pace, keep defenders on his hip, and trick defenses:
The results are scattershot, but Brown will improve with reps:
He is starting to hit the brakes, Leonard-style, and hop into clean, controlled midrange looks instead of careening toward the rim:
He has a nice crossover, a nascent Eurostep, and a softening left hand:
Brown isn't ponderous off the catch -- a good sign. As soon as he sees Khris Middleton duck that first screen, Brown changes direction, knowing he can dust Middleton the other way.
A 21-year-old finishing that baby over Rudy Gobert, with his off-hand? Sheesh, as the kids say.
Brown is a monster athlete, but his explosiveness doesn't translate into games as much as it should. That will change as he hones his feel and his jumper. Skills are not discrete things. They interact. One skill amplifies or diminishes another. As Brown becomes more confident and anticipatory with the ball, his athleticism will sing louder. He will gain separation more easily.
Get ready for Deandre Ayton, Luka Doncic, Trae Young and more top prospects.
Brown is not Leonard now, and might never be. Skeptics wonder if his 3-point shooting uptick will sustain. Kevin Pelton's SCHOENE scores peg Leonard and Brown as only mildly similar through two seasons. Leonard in 2012-13 was already swiping steals at alarming rates, snaring more rebounds than Brown, and posting better advanced numbers. He is more physically imposing, enveloping victims with a crazy 7-3 wingspan (compared to seven-feet flat for Brown) and those frying pans with fingers. He is the best perimeter defender since Scottie Pippen.
To be an MVP candidate with average passing skills in the pace-and-space era, a perimeter player has to be off-the-charts fantastic at every other part of the game -- not just good, or even very good. Leonard got there.
Leonard's developmental curve was unusual. Players don't grow from where he was in his first two seasons into MVP candidates. To expect the same from Brown is unreasonable.
But sometimes smart, tenacious and skilled players defy reasonable. Leonard did. Brown might. His jump from Year 1 to Year 2 was jarring. The Celtics aren't ready to put a ceiling on him, and they shouldn't be. He may never crack the top five in MVP voting, but it is not a stretch to imagine Brown making an All-NBA team and busting into some of those lofty "two-way player" conversations.
Most executives around the league consider it a no-brainer for Boston to toss Brown into any Leonard trade, provided the Celtics get the requisite assurances about Leonard's health and willingness to re-sign. It's not -- not given Brown's youth, salary and potential to grow into something like 90 percent of prime Leonard.
But that last 10 percent is why you probably do it. It is the 10 percent that separates the very best players. It wins championships. Every one of those 10 percentage points is exponentially harder to find than the one below it.
Boston has put itself in such a good position that it can deal future for present and still feel good about the future. A healthy Leonard will be a superstar for at least the next five seasons. Tatum will be one soon. They'd still have extra picks, and maybe that is the bright line in the end if trade talks with the Spurs advance: If you get Brown and Rozier, you don't get that Sacramento gem -- and perhaps not the Memphis one, either. (Boston could move Rozier for some very nice things now, but they need his salary -- or some replacement salary -- to make most Leonard deals work.)
Adding a fourth max salary would make for a painful luxury tax bill in 2019-20, but Brown and then Tatum are on pace to create the same problem starting only a year later. Maybe Horford would take a discount on annual salary to lock in a long-term deal. Worst case, you trade one of the big-money veterans for whatever you can get.
If everything lines up right -- and only then -- Leonard is good enough, and still young enough, that you probably hold your nose and deal Brown in exchange. If anything about Leonard feels off or unknowable, Boston can sit tight and feel fine. Brown is that intriguing.
Monday, June 18, 2018
Thursday, June 14, 2018
Saturday, June 09, 2018
Free 8x10 print at Walgreens thru 6/17
Link to Walgreens site
Use promo code: PRINTDAD
Good thru 6/17/18
Thursday, June 07, 2018
Wednesday, June 06, 2018
Monday, June 04, 2018
At least 25 killed, 3,100 evacuated after Guatemala volcano eruption
NBCNews.com: At least 25 killed, 3,100 evacuated after Guatemala volcano eruption.
Article Link!
Thursday, May 31, 2018
Watch the livestream of Kanye's new album listening party tonight!
Download the @WAV_Media app https://t.co/HxSvFHiSrY to watch the livestream of my album listening tonight in Jackson hole, Wyoming— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) June 1, 2018
U.S. hits EU, Canada and Mexico with steel, aluminum tariffs
Article Link
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States on Thursday said it was moving ahead with tariffs on aluminum and steel imports from Canada, Mexico and the European Union, ending a two-month exemption and potentially setting the stage for a trade war with some of America’s top allies.
Tuesday, May 29, 2018
Pusha T - Story of Adidon (Drake Diss)
Click for Youtube Link!
He picked the right beat but I feel Drizzy gonna drop the B2B2 on 'em!
ABC cancels 'Roseanne' after Roseanne Barr compares black Obama aide Jarrett to an ape
ABC cancels 'Roseanne' after Roseanne Barr compares black Obama aide Jarrett to an ape
ABC announced on Tuesday that it would cancel the hit sitcom "Roseanne" following "abhorrent" comments from the show's star, Roseanne Barr, who had compared former Obama advisor Valerie Jarrett to an ape.
"Roseanne's Twitter statement is abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values, and we have
decided to cancel her show," Channing Dungey, president of ABC Entertainment, said in a statement Tuesday.
Critics immediately slammed Barr's remark as racist. Likening black people to apes is an attack commonly used by racists. The Muslim Brotherhood, meanwhile, is an Islamist political group. Barr had apologized for her comments earlier in the day and said she would be refraining from using her Twitter account, which was still live at the time of publication.
"Roseanne's Twitter statement is abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values, and we have
decided to cancel her show," Channing Dungey, president of ABC Entertainment, said in a statement Tuesday.
In a since-deleted tweet, Barr said of Jarrett: "muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby=vj."
Critics immediately slammed Barr's remark as racist. Likening black people to apes is an attack commonly used by racists. The Muslim Brotherhood, meanwhile, is an Islamist political group. Barr had apologized for her comments earlier in the day and said she would be refraining from using her Twitter account, which was still live at the time of publication.
Sunday, May 27, 2018
Friday, May 25, 2018
Drake - Duppy Freestyle (Pusha T Diss)
Click to listen!!!
In response to the slick Quentin line Pusha said on his new album, Daytona.
Ooooo it's gonna be a cruel summer!
Thursday, May 24, 2018
Wednesday, May 23, 2018
Friday, May 18, 2018
Live updates: Shooting at Santa Fe, Texas, high school
What we know so far:
• At least 8 students are dead following a shooting at a high school in Santa Fe, Texas
• At least three other students were injured and taken to the hospital
• A police officer was also injured in the shooting
• A Texas police official says that the shooter, a male student, is in custody.
• A second student was detained for questioning, the official said.
• Police responded to reports of an active shooter at the school early Friday morning.
Thursday, May 17, 2018
Wednesday, May 16, 2018
Tuesday, May 15, 2018
The New York Times: Israel Kills Dozens at Gaza Border as U.S. Embassy Opens in Jerusalem.
The New York Times: Israel Kills Dozens at Gaza Border as U.S. Embassy Opens in Jerusalem.
Article Link
Tuesday, May 08, 2018
Pretty sure Google's new talking AI just beat the Turing test
Engadget: Pretty sure Google's new talking AI just beat the Turing test.
https://www.engadget.com/2018/05/08/pretty-sure-googles-new-talking-ai-just-beat-the-turing-test/
Shared via Google News
GameSpot: Disney Might Not Buy Fox (And X-Men And Deadpool) After All
GameSpot: Disney Might Not Buy Fox (And X-Men And Deadpool) After All.
https://www.gamespot.com/articles/disney-might-not-buy-fox-and-x-men-and-deadpool-af/1100-6458786/
Shared via Google News
Saturday, May 05, 2018
Hawaii residents describe fear and shock amid earthquakes, lava and gas
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Hawaii residents faced the threats of more earthquakes, lava and dangerous gas Saturday after the Kilauea volcano erupted, spewing sulfuric acid and molten rocks into neighborhoods.
Adding to the fear and chaos, a magnitude-6.9 quake struck the area Friday, jolting homes already threatened by volcanic eruption. The earthquake, one of dozens to hit the area in 24 hours, was the most powerful on the island since 1975, the US Geological Survey said.
The volcano, which erupted Thursday, already had driven hundreds of people from their homes.
The jolts and tremors have been consistent, said Ikaika Marzo, who lives on the Big Island.
"There are still plumes going out. There's a couple cracks that's close by that still have steam coming out," Marzo told CNN affiliate KHON on Friday. "There's a lot of glow, a lot of fires."
The activity will continue, Civil Defense Administrator Talmadge Magno said Friday. "It doesn't look like it is slowing down," he said.
At least six volcanic vents have opened, the latest on the eastern edge of the Leilani Estates subdivision, according to the USGS.
'Just basically heartbreak'
Timothy Trun was among a dozen people who evacuated from his farm Thursday, as they were about to sit down to a good-bye dinner for a friend.
"It's been a real shocker," he told CNN Saturday. "We're about to enjoy eating dinner, and the cops show up and tell us you have to go, and everything changes in an instant. You have five minutes to pack your bags with what you think you're going to need and you're off."
Neil Valentine and his family also left their home Thursday night in Leilani Estates, a community of about 1,700 people. In short order, he saw a video on social media showing lava splashing and bubbling a few feet from his home, he told CNN affiliate KITV.
"Just basically heartbreak," he said of the scene. "My wife and I have been married going on 26 years. It was pretty much our dream home that we've been looking for all this time. Just knowing that we're not going to have a house, my wife is still in tears."
Hundreds of people have evacuated from Leilani Estates and Lanipuna Gardens.
Harry Kim, mayor of Hawaii County, said the government will support residents who want to go back to their homes to pick up some belongings.
Cracks in Kilauea volcano's rift zone -- an area of fissures miles away from the summit -- erupted Thursday and early Friday, spurting lava near the island's eastern edge.
'We had to evacuate'
Stephen Clapper was one of the evacuees. He asked his mother Friday to pack a bag, just in case.
"We had to evacuate. My mother was out of portable oxygen, so that's a first concern. She's 88 years old," he told CNN affiliate KHON.
Lava set trees ablaze and threatened homes as gas spewed out of cracks in the ground. Clapper went back to the house, got his mother and the dogs, swept up some of his clothes in one arm and took off for a shelter.
Hundreds without power as SO2 threatens
About 14,000 customers of Hawaii Electric Light lost power immediately after the earthquake. Power has been restored to about half those customers, but sulfur gas levels in some areas are too high for employees to work, utility spokeswoman Rhea Lee-Moku said Friday evening.
"When you are exposed to that level of SO2 in the Leilani Estates area, you need more protection than we have available to us," she said.
Exposure to high levels of sulfur dioxide can be life-threatening, according to the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Volcanic eruptions can release the gaseous compound, and Hawaiian fire department personnel have detected high levels of it in the evacuation area, the civil defense agency said.
Breathing large amounts of sulfur dioxide can result in burning of the nose and throat, and breathing difficulties. Senior citizens, the young and people with respiratory issues are especially vulnerable to the gas, the state's Emergency Management Agency said.
Gov. David Ige said he's activated the Hawaii National Guard to help with evacuations and security.
Kilauea is one of the world's most active volcanoes. It's in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, which closed Friday and evacuated all visitors and nonemergency staff.
Friday, April 27, 2018
Tuesday, April 24, 2018
Saturday, April 21, 2018
Friday, April 20, 2018
Friday, April 13, 2018
Wednesday, April 11, 2018
Shout-out to Westbrook for averaging a triple double for the 2nd straight season
History has been made. He has another strong case for MVP.
Tuesday, April 10, 2018
Monday, April 09, 2018
Agents Raid Office of Trump Lawyer Michael Cohen in Connection With Stormy Daniels Payments
https://www.wsj.com/articles/fbi-raids-trump-lawyers-office-1523306297?tesla=y&mod=breakingnews
Single mom supports teenage daughter by being paid to date
Single
parenting has its challenges, and for Jordyn Smith, managing finances
is one of the hardest. The mother, who does not receive child support,
has held a variety of jobs — from serving as a cocktail waitress to
being an exotic dancer — to offset the costs of raising her teenage
daughter. Currently though, the Las Vegas, Nev. resident is unemployed —
but she’s still raking in cash (albeit, in a rather unorthodox way).
parenting has its challenges, and for Jordyn Smith, managing finances
is one of the hardest. The mother, who does not receive child support,
has held a variety of jobs — from serving as a cocktail waitress to
being an exotic dancer — to offset the costs of raising her teenage
daughter. Currently though, the Las Vegas, Nev. resident is unemployed —
but she’s still raking in cash (albeit, in a rather unorthodox way).
Through a website called WhatsYourPrice, Smith is being paid to go on dates and maintain platonic relationships with men.
“The
men will either send me an offer and I can counteroffer, or I’ll send
them out an offer of like $150 to $200, and then they can counter or I
can accept,” Smith explains to Yahoo Lifestyle of how the website works, an eBay-type service. “It’s just like a bidding thing. But I don’t do less than $100.”
men will either send me an offer and I can counteroffer, or I’ll send
them out an offer of like $150 to $200, and then they can counter or I
can accept,” Smith explains to Yahoo Lifestyle of how the website works, an eBay-type service. “It’s just like a bidding thing. But I don’t do less than $100.”
And
while the arrangement is fairly similar to Seeking Arrangement, which
connects women with “sugar daddies” or even comparable to being a
prostitute, Smith insists that this process is different because of the
lack of pressure, and legality.
while the arrangement is fairly similar to Seeking Arrangement, which
connects women with “sugar daddies” or even comparable to being a
prostitute, Smith insists that this process is different because of the
lack of pressure, and legality.
“I did sign up for the Sugardaddie website,
and that was just garbage,” she explains. “It put a bit of a bad taste
in my mouth, so I didn’t really have high expectations for
WhatsYourPrice, to be honest. I was nervous because I didn’t want the
men to expect anything. But I did point out on my profile that it would
be no strings attached. I am good company, I am fun, but don’t expect
anything out of this.”
and that was just garbage,” she explains. “It put a bit of a bad taste
in my mouth, so I didn’t really have high expectations for
WhatsYourPrice, to be honest. I was nervous because I didn’t want the
men to expect anything. But I did point out on my profile that it would
be no strings attached. I am good company, I am fun, but don’t expect
anything out of this.”
What
she’s gotten out of the men she’s gone on dates with is nearly $3,000.
But that amount is only increasing with a single, more steady, companion
that she’s connected with. After a few dates with one man in
particular, Smith says he’s taken on a more substantial role in her
life.
she’s gotten out of the men she’s gone on dates with is nearly $3,000.
But that amount is only increasing with a single, more steady, companion
that she’s connected with. After a few dates with one man in
particular, Smith says he’s taken on a more substantial role in her
life.
From
buying Smith a truck, to giving her money to buy her teenage daughter’s
Christmas gifts, the 36-year-old’s companion has given her $7,600
thus far. Although their relationship is currently non-sexual,
the divorced dad of grown children has been introduced to Smith’s friend
and her daughter.
buying Smith a truck, to giving her money to buy her teenage daughter’s
Christmas gifts, the 36-year-old’s companion has given her $7,600
thus far. Although their relationship is currently non-sexual,
the divorced dad of grown children has been introduced to Smith’s friend
and her daughter.
“He’s
definitely unique,” Smith says. “He’s always wanting to help out and
wanting to help me succeed because I’m a single mom. I think as a friend
as well, he wants to see me succeed because he’s gotten to know me
better and he’s met some of my friends. He’s taken me and my girlfriends
out, my daughter’s met him a few times. He’s actually gonna buy her a
car.”
definitely unique,” Smith says. “He’s always wanting to help out and
wanting to help me succeed because I’m a single mom. I think as a friend
as well, he wants to see me succeed because he’s gotten to know me
better and he’s met some of my friends. He’s taken me and my girlfriends
out, my daughter’s met him a few times. He’s actually gonna buy her a
car.”
Although
Smith says she’s typically not open with her daughter about the ways
that she makes money, she’s found a way to explain to the teenager that
she met this man on a dating website who’s looking to help their family
financially.
Smith says she’s typically not open with her daughter about the ways
that she makes money, she’s found a way to explain to the teenager that
she met this man on a dating website who’s looking to help their family
financially.
“As
long as she knows that I’m not here doing illegal things,” Smith says.
“It’s company. I am single, so I can date people. And why not if people
want to pay for companionship or to date. Why not? Because most of the
time these guys are really not that great, and you’re going and wasting
your time for free.”
long as she knows that I’m not here doing illegal things,” Smith says.
“It’s company. I am single, so I can date people. And why not if people
want to pay for companionship or to date. Why not? Because most of the
time these guys are really not that great, and you’re going and wasting
your time for free.”
As
for the future with this man in particular, Smith says she would be
open to a relationship with him at some point. But first, she’s looking
to start a business — with his initial investment.
for the future with this man in particular, Smith says she would be
open to a relationship with him at some point. But first, she’s looking
to start a business — with his initial investment.
“I
want to do something in the beauty industry, maybe that’s spa or
laser,” Smith says. “So I’ve been kind of looking at businesses now, I
just need to be able to give him a business plan and it’s gotta make
sense to him.”
want to do something in the beauty industry, maybe that’s spa or
laser,” Smith says. “So I’ve been kind of looking at businesses now, I
just need to be able to give him a business plan and it’s gotta make
sense to him.”
In
the meantime, she continues to date around on the site to have some
extra earnings, while doing some part-time foot modeling on the side as
well.
the meantime, she continues to date around on the site to have some
extra earnings, while doing some part-time foot modeling on the side as
well.
Sunday, April 08, 2018
44% of young women date men just to eat free meals at restaurants
When Olivia Balsinger first moved to New York after graduating college in 2014, she wanted to experience Manhattan “Sex and the City”-style. Like many millennials working in entry-level office gigs, however, she was limited by a shoestring budget.
“I was in a job that barely paid my rent,” Balsinger, now 24 and living in the East Village, tells The Post.
Going to nice restaurants was out of the question. “I barely had enough money to go to a nice grocery store,” she says.
Rather than scrape by on bargain rice and beans, Balsinger decided to seriously try a friend’s humorous suggestion: Meet guys on Tinder for the sole purpose of scoring free meals.
Soon, Balsinger was meeting men up to twice a week for nourishment-driven dates at pricey bars and restaurants, such as the Roof at Park South in Kips Bay.
“You want to enjoy the city, but you don’t really want to waste two hours of your paycheck on eating out,” she says. “So it’s pretty easy to kind of just say yes if someone’s offering to take you out.”
She recalls one evening when a 30-something European man squired her to celeb-studded seafood spot Catch in the Meatpacking District, where dishes such as truffle sashimi cost $29.
‘You want to enjoy the city, but you don’t really want to waste two hours of your paycheck on eating out.’
Balsinger admits she had zero attraction to her date. She chose him merely because he seemed successful and “lonely,” two factors suggesting he’d be happy to pay for her company.
“I can only imagine what the cost was — probably, like, a month of pay from my job,” she says of the five-course meal she savored that night.
When the bill came, she coyly fumbled for her clutch in a feigned attempt to pay for her half of the meal. As expected, her date swept in and took care of the tab.
It’s a good thing. “If I had been forced to pay, I probably wouldn’t have been able to eat for weeks afterward,” Balsinger says.
She and her date never saw each other again.
With the rise of dating apps, it’s never been easier to order up a foodie call. According to millennial survey app Winq, in a survey exclusive to The Post, 44 percent of young women have swiped right on a date “because why not; it’s a free meal” — even if they weren’t attracted to the person.
For singles stuck with the tab, the economic toll is considerable. On average, New Yorkers shell out $2,069 a year on dates, according to a 2016 Match survey.
Even celebrities have partaken in the practice.
Yvonne Orji, star of HBO’s “Insecure,” told the Los Angeles Times in July that she regularly dated for free food before getting her big break.
“I used to do foodie calls. I know it’s bad,” she told the paper. “A foodie call is when you’re not necessarily interested in the guy, but you’re also very interested in eating that night — and times are hard.”
She was quick to clarify that the transactions were one-sided.
“It’s very different from a booty call because it really just ends after dinner,” the actress said. Balsinger also follows this practice.
Singles like Andrea, a 35-year-old marketing coordinator and foodie call enthusiast, says her targets understand the deal.
“We both play this game — I act coy, and you woo me and spend money on me,” the Cobble Hill resident, who didn’t want to disclose her last name for professional reasons, tells The Post. “Women make 75 cents to a man’s dollar, and until the wage gap stabilizes, it’s more than fair game for guys to pay.”
Andrea says she goes on up to three foodie calls a week. Her favorite spots are Dream Hotel downtown, as well as Catch.
It’s not just single women going on subsidized dinner dates.
Alex Blynn, a 26-year-old publicist, has gone on dates with gentlemen who seem likely to handle the check.
“There are a lot of places to eat, but my budget doesn’t always allow me to try them,” says Blynn, who lives in Park Slope. “A great way to supplement [my budget] is to go on a first date even if I’m not personally feeling it.”
One man he met at a bar offered to take him to Porter House, an upscale steakhouse in Columbus Circle where a slab of New York strip can set diners back $60.
“It was very expensive,” Blynn says. “I’m glad I didn’t have to pay for it.”
Blynn’s cost-conscious dating habit has occasionally led to something more. In 2015, a guy he met at a club took him to Little Park, a tony restaurant that serves $25 trout inside the Smyth hotel in Tribeca. Blynn was smitten, and the two were together for almost a year.
Nevertheless, Balsinger, on firmer financial footing as a matchmaker at dating service Tawkify, says she now prefers lower-key dates — and genuinely offers to pay her share of the bill.
That’s not to say she regrets her former tactics.
“New York is its own ball game — there is an ‘impress’ factor that guys think they have to live up to,” Balsinger says. “They want to talk to a pretty girl. Girls are offering their time and conversation.”
For any singles worried about being used for a meal ticket, Balsinger says to suggest a low-cost date such as hanging out in Central Park — and observing how matches react.
“If [your match] says no to a simple activity, that’s a red flag,” she says. “Some of my best dates have involved a bottle of wine from Duane Reade.”
Link
Female teen told to put Band-Aids on her niρρles so she wouldn't distract boys at school
Saturday, April 07, 2018
Friday, April 06, 2018
Medically assisted suicide becomes legal in Hawaii
Hawaii became the latest liberal-leaning state to legalize medically assisted suicide Thursday as the governor signed a measure into law allowing doctors to fulfill requests from terminally ill patients to prescribe life-ending medication.
“It is time for terminally ill, mentally competent Hawaii residents who are suffering to make their own end-of-life choices with dignity, grace and peace,” Gov. David Ige said.
Ige said the law was written to ensure the patient is in full control and it provides just one option available for end-of-life care, knowing assisted suicide is not for everyone.
“But we know that we have gotten to a point in our community that it does make sense to give the patient a choice to request the medication, obtain it and take it, or ultimately change their mind,” the governor said.
Hawaii’s heavily Democratic lawmakers approved the legislation late last month. The state joins California, Colorado, Oregon, Vermont, Washington state and the District of Columbia in allowing the practice.
Critics say they are concerned that the option will lead to hasty decisions, misdiagnoses and waning support for palliative care, in which dying people can be sedated to relieve suffering.
The law has safeguards to prevent abuse. Two health care providers are required to confirm a patient’s diagnosis, prognosis, ability to make decisions and that the request is voluntary.
A counselor also must determine that the patient isn’t suffering from conditions that may interfere with decision-making, such as a lack of treatment of depression.
Article
Thursday, April 05, 2018
Wednesday, April 04, 2018
Monday, April 02, 2018
Villanova's title proves it is the best team -- and program -- in all of college basketball
http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/23006199/villanova-title-proves-best-program-all-college-basketball
Melissa Joan Hart Will Star In Nickelodeon’s ‘Clarissa Explains It All’ Reboot
Article Link
If it seems like every Nickelodeon show from the channel’s glory era (basically all of the 1990s) is coming back in one way or another, you’re not wrong! Nick’s nostalgia play isn’t anything new — remember Rugrats: All Grown Up! — but it’s extra noticeable, especially now that Clarissa Explains It All, one of the few childhood shows worth remembering (it’s good!), is getting a fancy reboot.
The original series, which ran from 1991 to 1994, starred Melissa Joan Hart as Clarissa, who, as you might have heard, explained it all. (She and her best friend Sam also had an unlimited ladder budget.) The actress is expected to return, except now “she would play the mother of the family. Series creator Mitchell Kriegman is also in talks to return to write and executive produce.”
As for the other show Joan Hart is known for (it’s not her one-episode appearance on Just Shoot Me!): last year, Netflix picked up Sabrina the Teenage Witch for a two-season order with Mad Men‘s Kiernan Shipka. Ferguson W. Darling is not expected to appear in either series.
China hits the United States with tariffs on $3 billion of exports
Click for Article
China is showing the United States that it will make good on its trade threats.
The Chinese government said that tariffs on about $3 billion worth of US imports are going into effect Monday, hitting 128 products ranging from pork to steel pipes.
It's the latest move in escalating tensions between the world's two largest economies, which some experts fear could turn into a trade war.
Beijing says the new sanctions on 128 US products, which it first proposed 10 days ago, are in response to President Donald Trump's tariffs on imports of steel and aluminum from China and some other countries.
But Trump also has more measures in the works aimed specifically at China. He has announced plans to slap tariffs on about $50 billion worth of Chinese goods following an investigation by his administration into the theft of intellectual property from US companies.
Related: The world is on the brink of a trade war
It's unclear how China will respond to those aggressive measures. The Trump administration hasn't yet detailed which Chinese products will be affected. For now, Beijing is focusing on its response to the steel and aluminum tariffs.
China's commerce and finance ministries said in statements late Sunday that authorities are imposing tariffs of 15% on 120 American products -- such as fruits, nuts, wine and steel pipes -- and 25% on eight other products, including pork and recycled aluminum.
China is upset that Trump imposed the steel and aluminum tariffs on the grounds of national security, which Beijing says is an abuse of global trade rules.
Since first announcing the metal tariffs, the White House has said it will spare a number of allies from the measures, including Canada, Mexico, the European Union and South Korea.
China's Ministry of Commerce said in its statement late Sunday that those exemptions "seriously violate" World Trade Organization rules that prohibit members from discriminating against other WTO members.
It said it hoped the US government would withdraw the tariffs "as soon as possible so that the trading of products between China and the United States will return to a normal track."
China has repeatedly said that it doesn't want a trade war but has also warned that it will take "firm and necessary" countermeasures to defend its interests.
In an opinion article Monday, China's official news agency Xinhua warned that Trump's plans to impose further trade measures on China are a "self-defeating gamble" that will cause harm to the American economy.
"Trump's planned tariffs are not only going to hamper the United States' economic well-being and continued progress, and burden its people with higher costs of living, but also pose a grave threat to the current global trading system," the article said.
Trump has long accused Beijing of stealing American jobs through unfair trade practices. He has promised to bring down the United States' huge trade deficit in goods with China, which reached $375 billion last year. But economists have cautioned that tariffs are unlikely to achieve that goal and risk hurting economic growth instead.
Top US and Chinese officials have been holding talks in an effort to stop the trade tensions from spiraling out of control. But so far, neither side is backing down.
Experts say they expect further retaliation from China once the Trump administration reveals more details on which products its planned $50 billion in tariffs will target.
Arthur Kroeber, a founding partner at economic research firm Gavekal, predicted in a note to clients late last month that the next round of Chinese measures will focus on US agricultural exports from predominantly Trump-voting states.
China's approach is to show it's willing to stand up to the United States but without going as far as seriously disrupting the global trading system, according to Kroeber.
China wants "to position itself as the good guy in the global economy, protecting the rules of the game from Trump's lawless attacks," he wrote.
Sunday, April 01, 2018
New Asian-American, Brazilian apostles make Mormon history
The Mormon church made history and injected a bit of diversity into a previously all-white top leadership panel on Saturday by selecting the first-ever Latin-American apostle and the first-ever apostle of Asian ancestry.
The selections of Ulisses Soares of Brazil and Gerrit W. Gong, a Chinese-American, were announced during a twice-annual conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City. The choices triggered excitement among a contingent of Mormons who for years have been hoping for the faith's top leadership to be more representative of a religion that has more than half of the its 16 million members outside the United States.
Article
Thursday, March 29, 2018
'THE 100' WRITERS TAKE AIM AT DC'S GREEN ARROW COMIC
The 100 writers Julie and Shawna Benson will be taking over DC Comics' Green Arrow comic book series. The sister duo will start their run with May's Green Arrow Annual #2 with art by Carmen Carnero, and they'll make their series debut with August's Green Arrow #43 by artist Javier Fernández. Article Link
Tuesday, March 27, 2018
Monday, March 26, 2018
Sunday, March 25, 2018
Tuesday, March 20, 2018
Monday, March 19, 2018
Friday, March 16, 2018
Thursday, March 15, 2018
Top bottled water brands contaminated with plastic particles: report [Video]
Wednesday, March 14, 2018
Tuesday, March 13, 2018
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