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Simon Winchester has spent his life following his curiosity to far-flung corners of the world. And though he has crossed many oceans, the one that has made the greatest impression on him is the one that is closest to home.
The geologist, journalist and now best-selling author explores his love of the world's second-largest ocean in Atlantic: Great Sea Battles, Heroic Discoveries, Titanic Storms, and a Vast Ocean of a Million Stories -- a biography of the ocean that chronicles its origins, history and cultural influence.
On a recent autumn day, Winchester watches ships make their way up and down New York City's Ambrose Channel, which leads to the Atlantic Ocean. "This is really the gateway into and out of New York," he says. "You see a huge amount of traffic in and out all the time."
In New York City's harbor, ships laden with thousands of containers filled with goods of all kinds will end their long journey across the sea. Like Liverpool, Cape Town and Buenos Aires, New York is one of the world's great cities whose history is closely linked to the Atlantic.
While workaday container ships have replaced the great masted schooners and classic ocean liners of an earlier age, Winchester says that crossing the Atlantic and entering a harbor like New York's is still as romantic as ever.
"It's freighted with so much human history," he says. "So much tragedy, so much commerce, so much that is important in the story of the development of human civilization. The romance of it lies in the stories that are told of and around it. I love it. Absolutely love it."
The Atlantic played a particularly formative role in U.S. history through immigration -- for the ancestors of most Americans, the ocean was a treacherous passageway to a better life. The boat stops and Winchester takes in the scene -- the bustling harbor, the skyline, the Statue of Liberty, and the elaborate towers of the processing center on Ellis Island, where millions of immigrants set foot in America for the first time.
"To me that's almost the most romantic of all the stories relating to the Atlantic Ocean," Winchester says. "Millions upon millions of people came here full of hope and aspiration to this extraordinary land of liberty and opportunity, and helped build the United States. So the Atlantic Ocean was absolutely critical to the story of America."
Winchester's own love affair with the Atlantic began with a passage to America. As a teenager, he crossed the ocean for the first time aboard a great, old ocean liner. He remembers the morning he woke just before dawn, hoping to get his first glimpse of North America.
"I was alone at the very prow of the ship," he recalls, "in a sort of Titanic 'I'm king of the world' kind of moment, and we were hissing along on a relatively flat sea, when suddenly everything stopped. There was a clanging of bells, and the engines stopped, and the ship suddenly fell silent and glided to a halt, and all we could feel ... was the slapping of the water against the hull, and there was this terrible silence."
Suddenly a plane appeared and delivered a package of needed medical supplies to the ship. In that moment, Winchester says, he experienced a heightened awareness of his surroundings -- the enormous depth of the sea, the endless expanse of the sky, the power of the wind and weather. That sense of wonder comes through in his "biography" of the ocean:
The Atlantic is in most places not at all like the Pacific or the Indian oceans -- it is not dominated by the color blue, nor is it overwhelmingly fringed with leaning palm trees and coral reefs. It is a gray and heaving sea, not infrequently storm-bound, ponderous with swells, a sea that in the mind's eye is thick with trawlers lurching, bows up, then crashing down through great white curtains of spume, tankers wallowing across the swells, its weather so often on the verge of gales, and all the while its waters moving with an air of settled purpose, simultaneously displaying incalculable power and inspiring by this display perpetual admiration, respect, caution, and fear.
Winchester's sense of awe at the ocean is less common in an age when most people cross the Atlantic by plane and refer to the great body of water as "the pond."
"Just a few hundred years ago it was unimaginably terrifying to venture into [The Atlantic]," Winchester says. Now, you can make it from one side to the other in just a few hours. But when you are crossing it in a boat, Winchester says, "it is majestic. It is given to all sorts of caprices of wind and weather. It is terribly dangerous. It is beautiful, and it is not to be dismissed."
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.keranews.org/2010-11-03/vast-ocean-of-stories-in-biography-of-the-atlantic | 2022-08-18T05:36:43Z |
Miami officer shot pursuing robbery suspect dies days later
MIAMI (AP) - A 29-year-old police officer who was shot in the head while trying to stop a robbery suspect in Miami has died, officials said.
Det. Cesar Echaverry was shot Monday night as he and other officers closed in a suspect wanted for an earlier robbery in nearby Broward County, police said. His family had remained by his side at Miami’s Jackson Memorial Hospital.
“Officer Echaverry died in the line of duty while serving & protecting our community,” Miami-Dade Police Director Alfredo Ramirez tweeted Wednesday evening. “Our law enforcement family will continue to stand beside & support the Echaverry family through this difficult time.”
Police said Echavarry and other officers began pursuing a white vehicle involved in an earlier armed robbery when its driver tried to flee, ramming into police vehicles and a civilian vehicle whose three occupants were hospitalized in stable condition.
He then tried to escape on foot, but a confrontation and gunfire ensued. The driver, identified as Jeremy Horton, 32, of Acworth, Georgia, was shot and died at the scene.
Horton had been stopped in South Florida on Aug. 8 and cited for having no proof of insurance and driving with an expired tag and a suspended Georgia driver’s license, according to Golden Beach Police Chief Rudy Herbello.
Echaverry had been with Miami-Dade Police for five years, and was assigned to the department’s robbery intervention detail. His friends told the Miami Herald he was moving up and planned to get married.
Monday’s shooting wasn’t his first brush with death, the newspaper reported. As a rookie in March 2018, Echaverry was a passenger in a police vehicle that rammed into another car, killing its 45-year-old driver.
The computer on the police vehicle showed Officer John Song was driving at 78 mph in a 40 mph zone a second before the crash. Both officers were airlifted to a hospital. In May a jury acquitted Song of vehicular homicide and reckless driving. The Herald reported that Echaverry testified that he couldn’t remember the moments leading up to the crash.
“We’ll never forget Officer Echaverry’s bravery & sacrifice. Godspeed, brother,” Ramirez tweeted.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/08/18/miami-officer-shot-pursuing-robbery-suspect-dies-days-later/ | 2022-08-18T05:48:14Z |
River View enters learning year with young roster
Raiders open season against Mount View on August 26
Published: Aug. 18, 2022 at 12:46 AM EDT|Updated: 1 hour ago
BRADSHAW, W.Va. (WVVA) - The River View Raiders will be using the 2022 season to gain experience for the future.
It’s a young team that can develop and be ready to contend in a few seasons.
Copyright 2022 WVVA. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/08/18/river-view-enters-learning-year-with-young-roster/ | 2022-08-18T05:48:21Z |
Fiction, say some, reveals truths that reality obscures. This is true of all sorts of fiction, of course, but nowhere is it more apparent than in works cut wholly of the imagination. Are you sick of the world of endless information? Are facts and factoids adding up to less and less truth everyday?
Perhaps it is time for something fabulous — by which I mean not something great to wear to your next party, but something fable-like in its imaginative insight into the human condition.
Michael Kohlhaas: A Tale from an Old Chronicle
By Heinrich von Kleist, paperback 104 pages, Mondial, list price: $13.85
For example, how about Michael Kohlhaas, by Heinrich von Kleist? This gripping 19th century novella about a German man whose horses have been unjustly maltreated, feels thrillingly modern as an ordinary, stubborn man demands justice from a system stacked against him. Greatly beloved of Kafka, who viewed this story, with "true reverence," Michael Kohlhaas speaks not only of the implacability of power, but also of the mania of heroism and — as the aggrieved man raises an army against his oppressors — the morality of insurrection. Is the protagonist a holy man or a terrorist? To read this book is to think hard about figures from John Brown to Julian Assange. It is a true masterpiece, provocative and moving.
Waiting for the Barbarians
By J. M. Coetzee, paperback 192 pages, Penguin, list price: $15
Equally rewarding is Waiting for the Barbarians, by J.M. Coetzee. This haunting love story involves the plump magistrate of a town at the edge of an empire braced for invasion. Standing helplessly by as Empire officials torture so-called "barbarians," the magistrate takes in a blinded and crippled "barbarian" girl — not for sexual gratification, as you might guess, but for something yet deeper as, ritualistically and confusedly, he tends to her wounds, washing her and rubbing her with almond oil. You could certainly read this as a parable about guilt and complicity in the Apartheid South Africa in which Coetzee was writing, and it is. But Waiting for the Barbarians is more than that: Rich with portraits of cruelty, fear, tenderness, and turmoil, the novel asks some profoundly troubling questions. "What will become of us without barbarians?" for example — an excellent question in an anti-immigrant age. And who are the barbarians, exactly? — a question we well might ask, too, in this era of the Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo.
Diaries of Adam and Eve
By Mark Twain, paperback 192 pages, Oneworld Classics, list price: $11.95
And finally, for a change of pace, I recommend Mark Twain's effervescent Diaries of Adam and Eve. If ever you have wondered about the human capacity to make things anew, wonder no more. In recasting the story of the Garden of Eden with unfailing wit and delicious bravado, Twain does more than entertain; he testifies to the great human ability to reinvent, re-conceive, and reanimate even the most graven of narratives. "This new creature with long hair is a good deal in the way" begins this book; Adam and Eve, in this telling, do not exactly seem a match made in heaven. And yet, years later, by her graveside, Adam comes movingly to write: "wheresoever she was, there was Eden." Love and laughter spring eternal, it seems; and if you think that the economy will never pick up and that we are looking at the end of Western Civilization as we know it, well, not to forget: we have been through a Fall before — and what's more, have lived to tell the tale.
Gish Jen is the author of Typical American, Mona in the Promised Land, and Who's Irish? Her latest novel is World and Town.
Three Books... is produced and edited by Ellen Silva.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.keranews.org/2011-01-03/three-modern-fables-to-capture-your-imagination | 2022-08-18T06:04:08Z |
Before Alfred Kinsey and Gloria Steinem, there was Ida Craddock. Craddock was a scholar, women's rights advocate and, by today's standards, a sexologist who in 1902 wrote how-to guides on sex.
The guides were not well-received at the time, however. Her work was considered filth by many, says Harvard professor Leigh Eric Schmidt, author of Heaven's Bride: The Unprintable Life of Ida C. Craddock. One of those critics was Anthony Comstock, a man who would become a sort of watchdog for obscenity in Victorian America.
"Comstock lobbied Congress in the early 1870s to create an anti-obscenity law, Schmidt tells NPR's Guy Raz, "and finally, he succeeds in 1873."
The law became known as "the Comstock law," and he used it to his own advantage as he decided what was and wasn't obscene. Comstock was even made the head of the New York Society for the Suppression of Vice.
"He has an incredible success rate by the time he's really taking on Craddock in 1902," says Schmidt. "He's had 2,000-plus convictions. He doesn't lose that many cases. He's after anything that he thinks contains obscenity that might corrupt American innocence, so he casts as broad a net as he can."
That net included Craddock. Comstock charged her with breaking the anti-obscenity law on both state and federal levels, because she used the post office to mail her sex guides. Craddock soon found herself making headlines as she stood trial in federal court.
"Here is someone who is claiming her right to freedom of expression, freedom of speech, and Comstock has thrown her in jail. And so her stock is rising as a civil liberties figure," Schmidt says.
Craddock would eventually come to be regarded as an important figure in the feminist and civil liberties movements, but ultimately, it would be as a martyr. The night before her final sentencing, fearing the worst, Craddock killed herself.
"She thought her only option at that point was suicide," Schmidt says. "That that was the only way she was going to die a free woman."
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.keranews.org/2011-01-09/the-unprintable-life-of-a-civil-liberties-martyr | 2022-08-18T06:04:12Z |
Even the Garden of Eden had trash. As Larry VanderLeest points out in his memoir, Garbio: Stories of Chicago, Its Garbage, and the Dutchmen Who Picked It Up, our trash has always been a daily part of life, but we don't often think of the people who transport if off our curbs.
"Probably from the moment when Adam and Eve were finished eating their apple and wondered what to do with the core, we have wrestled with what to do with our refuse," writes VanderLeest.
The author, who worked on garbage trucks in Chicago in the 1960s, told Weekend Edition Saturday host Scott Simon that the term "garbio" was a somewhat derogatory name for the Dutch immigrants who mostly controlled the garbage collection industry at the time. The word is a portmanteau of "garbage" and the slang term "mafioso," since the Dutch were jokingly referred to as the Dutch Mafia of the garbage industry.
But as VanderLeest explains, the Dutch immigrants who began to collect trash in the early 1900s in Chicago did so because their primary skills — growing food and flowers, and driving a horse and wagon to deliver those goods — turned into an unexpected entrepreneurial venture.
"Some of these immigrants found that they could actually make more money — a better living — by forgetting about bringing the flowers and the food into Chicago, [and instead] hauling the garbage out of the city," he says.
When VanderLeest worked as a garbage collector, he was amazed by the things he was asked to haul off to a landfill, like tons of food kept in warehouses for perhaps a day too long. He says he'd like people to remember that someone must actually pick up their garbage — so their hands can come into dangerous contact with broken glass, nails or other sharp objects.
VanderLeest worked as a school principal later in life, and though many politicians lament the fact that "our teachers aren't paid as much as garbage workers," he explains the distinctive frustrations that go along with the daily work of collecting garbage that do not plague educators.
"As we travel the downtown streets, with me hanging on the side of the truck or straddling the stew-filled hopper, it was a contest of knowing when to jump to avoid the next wave," he writes. "Turning corners or coming to quick stops caused swells of a foul-smelling concoction to pour onto the ground and splash passing cars or pedestrians. As self-respecting garbagemen, we were embarrassed by the white caps in the hopper. Any police officer seeing our truck applying a load of goulash to the streets would nail us for sure."
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.keranews.org/2011-02-04/collecting-garbage-memories-on-chicagos-streets | 2022-08-18T06:18:11Z |
Self-control keeps us from eating a whole bag of chips or from running up the credit card. A new study says that self-control makes the difference between getting a good job or going to jail — and we learn it in preschool.
"Children who had the greatest self-control in primary school and preschool ages were most likely to have fewer health problems when they reached their 30s," says Terrie Moffitt, a professor of psychology at Duke University and King's College London.
Moffitt and a team of researchers studied a group of 1,000 people born in New Zealand in 1972 and 1973, tracking them from birth to age 32. The new study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, is the best evidence yet on the payoff for learning self-discipline early on.
The researchers define self-control as having skills like conscientiousness, self-discipline and perseverance, as well as being able to consider the consequences of actions in making decisions.
The children who struggled with self-control as preschoolers were three times as likely to have problems as young adults. They were more prone to have a criminal record; more likely to be poor or have financial problems; and they were more likely to be single parents.
This study doesn't prove that the lack of self-control in childhood caused these problems, but the large size of the study, and the fact that it followed one group of people over many years, makes a good case for an effect.
Teaching Control
Economists and public health officials want to know whether teaching self-control could improve a population's physical and financial health and reduce crime. Three factors appear to be key to a person's success in life: intelligence, family's socioeconomic status and self-control. Moffitt's study found that self-control predicted adult success, even after accounting for the participants' differences in social status and IQ.
IQ and social status are hard to change. But Moffitt says there is evidence that self-control can be learned.
"Identical twins are not identical on self-control," she says. "That tells us that it is something they have learned, not something they have inherited."
Teaching self-control has become a big focus for early childhood education. At the Clara Barton Center for Children in Cabin John, Md., it starts with expecting a 4-year-old to hang up her coat without being asked.
Director Linda Owen says the children are expected to be responsible for a series of actions when they arrive at school each morning, without help from Mom and Dad. The children sign in, put away their lunches, hang up their own clothes, wash their hands before they can play, and then choose activities in the classroom.
"All those things help with self-management," Owen says.
Mediating Conflict
Of course, not all 4-year-olds are ready to manage that, so the classroom is loaded with cues and clues to help the preschoolers make their own decisions and be responsible.
A series of seven photos over the sink shows the correct sequence for hand washing. A "solutions kit" poster shows techniques the children can use to resolve disagreements themselves, like sharing or playing with another toy. The two teachers give the children multiple cues when it's time to clean up: Lights flash, a bell rings and the children clap and count to 100. That makes it easier to switch gears without a meltdown.
If a child has problems with self-management, the teachers make a customized "visual cue" card, with photos of the four play choices in the room, to make the decision easier.
And teachers Cathie Morton and Daniela Capbert don't just supervise — they're in the thick of the children's play so that when the inevitable conflicts arise, they can redirect the children into other activities or help them talk through their feelings.
When things do go wrong, there are consequences. Timeouts and apologies don't mean much to children at this age, Owen says, so the teachers try to match consequences to the deed. When one of the children accidentally knocks over a 2-foot-tall tower of blocks that several children had spent half the morning building, the teachers ask the builders what should happen next. "Help fix it," one boy says. And, with a little prompting from the adults, they all pitch in and rebuild.
Self-Control At Home
Parents can help their children learn self-control. Mary Alvord is a clinical psychologist in Silver Spring, Md., whose new book, Resilience Builder Program for Children and Adolescents, teaches self-control strategies. Take small steps, she says. For example, preschoolers can learn that they don't always get what they want immediately; they may need to wait for that treat.
"I call it Grandma's rule," Alvord says. "No dessert until you finish your dinner."
Parents can help teenagers learn self-control by making sure the family has clear rules for things like curfew or finishing homework before they have screen time. Teenager who have problems with impulsivity may benefit from special driving classes that let them practice controlling the car in difficult conditions on a racetrack. For all teens, clear rules such as curfews help them regulate themselves.
Though self-control can be improved throughout life, Moffitt says the earlier children can learn these skills of self-discipline and perseverance, the better. "The later you wait in life to try to learn self-control skills, the more problems you have to reverse and overcome."
All the more reason to start picking up blocks when you're very young.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.keranews.org/2011-02-13/for-kids-self-control-factors-into-future-success | 2022-08-18T06:18:17Z |
Bedtime reading seems an excellent opportunity for toddler mind control. I've recently slipped one book into heavy rotation, and in it, I've placed my highest parental aspirations.
It's called How Do Dinosaurs Eat Their Food? and for frustrated parents, it's a full-on food fantasy. It advocates trying new food — at least one small bite of it. And, of course, it's nothing like dinner with my son Fountain.
"I only want mac and cheese! Not peas!" he said to me recently when I tried to tempt him with something green.
I replied, "Do you want to grow up to be a big boy or a little tiny boy your whole life?" But when you find yourself pleading with your 3-year-old, stoking fears of dwarfism, it's perhaps time to call for help.
Forget The Clean Plate Club
If you're in preschool purgatory with pint-size persnicketors, you want Ellyn Satter — author of two popular books on parent-child feeding relationships, patron saint of child development researchers — on speed dial. I read her some of the strategies I collected from parents of picky toddlers: using toothpicks to create green bean spaceships, awarding stickers, playing a guessing game of which chicken finger they'll eat next.
"Those parents are working way too hard," Satter says. "The rule of thumb is the harder you work to try to get food into your child, the less likely your child will eat."
Satter's idea is this: Our job as parents is to put healthy food on the table. And the kids decide whether to eat and how much — without promises of popsicles or threats to call Santa Claus, which I'm still doing even though it's February. Eventually, she says, perhaps the 10th, 20th or 30th time they try a new food, toddlers will start to like it.
"Even if he only eats bread, even if he eats five slices of bread, and drinks milk," Satter says. "Whatever he wants to eat, he can eat."
This sounded like heresy: I grew up under strict orders to clean my plate — or else! Surely my son Fountain would starve if left to his own devices.
"Young children are very, very good at regulating their intake so they are getting the proper amount of calories and fat and carbohydrates and protein for growth — as long as they're offered a healthy range of items," says Andrea Garber, chief nutritionist for the University of California, San Francisco, child obesity program.
Garber says the scientific research backs up the softer approach. In labs set up to look like preschools, kids who were offered a high-calorie first course, chose — on their own — a lower-calorie second course. And those offered a low calorie first course? They opted for a second course with higher calories.
In other words, they self-regulated. But Garber says this built-in appetite control can go haywire when parents interfere. In another experiment, kids were given a meal, followed by a snack free-for-all.
"And what they found was the kids who had mothers who were more restricted, when the mother wasn't present or wasn't putting restrictions on and the kid was exposed to snack foods, like cookies for example, that child ate significantly more cookies when the control was not applied," Garber says.
Thinking Long Term
Still, the idea of sitting idly by and trusting a child to eat right can be terrifying. Mary Sanders, a child psychologist at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford University, says nearly all parents worry their kids aren't getting enough nutrients.
"What I tell parents is, there's nothing sacred about 24 hours," Sanders says. "If you're really worried, look and see what your child has eaten over a week's time. And actually you might find they may not like broccoli but probably they had something else green."
Back on my call with Satter, I make the mistake of telling her I'll give her method a try.
"Yoda said: There's doing or not doing. There is no trying," Satter says.
She adds, "If you're good about regular meals, regular snacks, variety of meals and no pressure, I would suggest to you — after three to four months — you're going to see evidence of his sneaking up on unfamiliar food and learning to like it."
I fear it might take a little longer.
Copyright 2011 KQED | https://www.keranews.org/2011-02-13/to-win-toddler-food-battles-take-a-softer-approach | 2022-08-18T06:18:24Z |
- The company is releasing two new terminals, the NYC1 and the AMS1, after expanding into designing hardware for the first time
- The terminals are affordable and flexible solutions that simplify accepting in-person payments for enterprise and platform businesses
AMSTERDAM, Aug. 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Adyen (AMS: ADYEN), the global financial technology platform of choice for leading businesses, is pleased to announce the launch of its first in-house designed terminals. Innovated to facilitate diverse payment use cases, the terminal range marks the latest step forward in Adyen's growing unified commerce offering. Running on the company's single platform, the new devices remain inherently flexible, in order to address a rapidly advancing payment landscape and ever-evolving customer needs.
"Adyen's commitment is to help businesses realize their ambitions faster, and creating our own terminals is the latest way we're delivering on this promise," said Kamran Zaki, COO at Adyen. "We always innovate based on customer feedback to deliver superior experiences with speed and flexibility. With our in-person payments offering, businesses have a full suite of terminals to choose from, enabling them to pick the best one to meet their specific needs."
Adyen remains focused on driving innovation in unified commerce, ranging from enterprises to SMBs via platforms. The devices realize customer wishes to be mobile, discrete, reliable, affordable, with long-lasting battery, and accepting payments spanning a tap, dip, or swipe. The company thoughtfully considered the model's design details, ensuring the sound, look and feel all speak to Adyen's standard of excellence across payment experiences. The devices run on Adyen's single platform, which enables end-to-end control, tailored payment flows, and high speed of innovation at the point-of-sale.
"By taking ownership of the terminal design, Adyen is assuring we put customer needs at the heart of their functionality," said Derk Busser, VP of Product, In-Person Payments at Adyen. "Our goal is to continuously reduce friction within the consumer journey. By designing highly mobile devices, we're empowering businesses to collect payments not only when behind a checkout counter - but anywhere. The breadth of use cases this mobility provides signifies an exciting development in advanced, in-person purchases."
The first terminal in the suite is the NYC1, the most affordable and flexible device within the in-person payment range. The device enables businesses to offer a fully customized payment flow in their own point of sale app. It's ideal for businesses that have already invested in hardware like phones or tablets and want to add payments to their set-up. A key use case is platforms who want to offer a simple and affordable payment device to their small business customers. There is also strong usability among enterprises who see mobility as a way to deliver more seamless in-person experiences - from mitigating long lines at checkout to freeing up sales associates to provide more personalized service. The NYC1 terminal is available now in North America, with coverage extending to other regions soon.
The second is the AMS1, an all-in-one terminal with an Android operating system that businesses can use to accept payments as well as run their own business applications. By consolidating applications, store employees can perform tasks such as accessing their cash register, managing inventory, and accepting payments all on a single device. It simplifies day-to-day operations while also providing the same benefits as the NYC1. The AMS1 is ideal for enterprise and platform businesses that want to be able to access all operational apps via one device. The terminal will be globally available later this year, starting with Europe and North America.
With the NYC1 and AMS1 terminal range now in Adyen's in-person payments repertoire, the company looks forward to identifying forward-thinking ways to advance consumer journeys.
Read more: https://www.adyen.com/pos-payments/adyen-terminals
Adyen (AMS: ADYEN) is the financial technology platform of choice for leading companies. By providing end-to-end payments capabilities, data-driven insights, and financial products in a single global solution, Adyen helps businesses achieve their ambitions faster. With offices around the world, Adyen works with the likes of Facebook, Uber, H&M, eBay, and Microsoft. Adyen continuously improves and expands its product offering as part of its ordinary course of business. New products and features are announced via press releases and product updates on the company's website.
For the launch of these terminals, Adyen partners with hardware manufacturing partners.
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SOURCE Adyen Inc. | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/08/18/adyen-advances-in-person-payments-with-launch-in-house-designed-terminal-range/ | 2022-08-18T06:28:24Z |
STOCKHOLM, Aug. 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ --
European approval for Kinpeygo®
"On May 19th, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) announced that it had adopted a positive opinion regarding the application for conditional approval of Kinpeygo® for the treatment of IgA nephropathy, and on July 15th the European Commission issued the market authorization for Kinpeygo in the European Economic Area (EEA).
This is the first time that any drug has achieved approval for this rare disease in Europe and we are delighted that we can contribute a piece of the puzzle in the broader effort to improve care for patients with orphan diseases. We have now initiated the transfer of our market authorization to our partner, STADA, and look forward to seeing Kinpeygo being launched in Europe. Having now received approval in both the US and
Europe we are looking forward to the regulatory process in China, where our partner, Everest Medicines, plans to file for approval with the NMPA in the second half of this year.
In the US we continue to have significant success in our early commercial efforts. Net revenues from TARPEYO® grew by over 250% when compared to Q1, resulting in net revenues of SEK 63.6 million ($6.6m) from TARPEYO for Q2. This reflects the continued strong interest from nephrologists, with unique prescribers growing from 111 in Q1 to 314 prescribers during Q2 with enrolments growing significantly from 134 in Q1 to 315 in Q2. This is a testament both to the unmet medical need perceived by nephrologists for this patient group as well as significant interest from prescribers generated due to the strong proteinuria and eGFR data associated with our product.
We are thrilled to be another step closer to bringing the first approved medication in IgAN to patients around the world, and look forward to continuing to expand access for patients with an unmet medical need for the rest of the year and beyond."
CEO Renée Aguiar-Lucander
Summary of Q2 2022
April 1 - June 30
- Net sales amounted to SEK 64.0 million, whereof TARPEYO net sales amounted to SEK 63.6 million, for the three months ended June 30, 2022. No net sales were recognized for the three months ended June 30, 2021.
- Operating loss amounted to SEK 209.8 million and SEK 159.4 million for the three months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively.
- Loss per share before and after dilution amounted to SEK 3.62 and SEK 3.22 for the three months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively.
- Cash amounted to SEK 846.8 million and 709.3 million as of June 30, 2022 and 2021 respectively.
Significant events during Q2 2022, in summary
- In May 2022, Calliditas announced that the first patient had been randomized in the Group's proof-of-concept Phase 2 study in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) with the NOX 1 and 4 inhibitor, setanaxib.
- In May 2022, Calliditas announced that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) adopted a positive opinion recommending the granting of a conditional marketing authorisation for Kinpeygo for the treatment of IgA nephropathy.
- In May 2022, the Annual General Meeting of Calliditas was held and, among other things, the meeting decided on the election of Henrik Stenqvist and Elisabeth Björk to the Board of Directors and the establishment of a U.S. At-the-Market framework, pursuant to which Calliditas may, at its option, sell American Depositary Shares ("ADSs") in the United States.
Significant events after the reporting period
- In July 2022, Calliditas announced that the European Commission (EC) granted conditional marketing authorization for Kinpeygo for the treatment of IgA nephropathy (IgAN) in adults at risk of rapid disease progression with a urine protein-to-creatinine ratio (UPCR) ≥1.5 g/gram. Kinpeygo is an orphan medicinal product and became the first and only approved treatment for IgAN in Europe. Kinpeygo will be marketed in the European Economic Area (EEA) exclusively by STADA Arzneimittel AG.
Investor Presentation August 18, 2022 14:30 CET
Audio cast with teleconference, Q2 2022
Webcast: https://tv.streamfabriken.com/calliditas-therapeutics-q2-2022
Teleconference: SE: +46856642692 UK: +443333009260 US: +16467224904
For further information, please contact:
Marie Galay, IR Manager, Calliditas
Tel.: +44 79 55 12 98 45, email: marie.galay@calliditas.com
The information in the press release is information that Calliditas is obliged to make public pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation. The information was sent for publication, through the agency of the contact persons set out above, on August 18, 2022 at 07:00 a.m. CET.
About Calliditas
Calliditas Therapeutics is a commercial stage biopharma company based in Stockholm, Sweden focused on identifying, developing and commercializing novel treatments in orphan indications, with an initial focus on renal and hepatic diseases with significant unmet medical needs. Calliditas' lead product, developed under the name Nefecon, has been granted accelerated approval by the FDA under the trade name TARPEYO® and conditional marketing authorization by the European Commission under the trade name KINPEYGO®. Additionally, Calliditas is conducting a Phase 2b/3 clinical trial in primary biliary cholangitis and a Phase 2 proof-of-concept trial in head and neck cancer with its NOX inhibitor product candidate, setanaxib. Calliditas' common shares are listed on Nasdaq Stockholm (ticker: CALTX) and its American Depositary Shares are listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market (ticker: CALT).
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended, including, without limitation, statements regarding Calliditas' strategy, commercialization efforts, business plans, regulatory submissions, clinical development plans and focus. The words "may," "will," "could," "would," "should," "expect," "plan," "anticipate," "intend," "believe," "estimate," "predict," "project," "potential," "continue," "target," and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. Any forward-looking statements in this press release are based on management's current expectations and beliefs and are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties, and important factors that may cause actual events or results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by any forward-looking statements contained in this press release, including, without limitation, any related to Calliditas' business, operations, continued and additional regulatory approvals for TARPEYO and Kinpeygo, market acceptance of TARPEYO and Kinpeygo, clinical trials, supply chain, strategy, goals and anticipated timelines, competition from other biopharmaceutical companies, and other risks identified in the section entitled "Risk Factors" in Calliditas' reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Calliditas cautions you not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they are made. Calliditas disclaims any obligation to publicly update or revise any such statements to reflect any change in expectations or in events, conditions, or circumstances on which any such statements may be based, or that may affect the likelihood that actual results will differ from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statements contained in this press release represent Calliditas' views only as of the date hereof and should not be relied upon as representing its views as of any subsequent date.
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SOURCE Calliditas Therapeutics | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/08/18/calliditas-therapeutics-interim-report-q2-2022/ | 2022-08-18T06:28:31Z |
HONG KONG, Aug. 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- NetDragon Websoft Holdings Limited ("NetDragon" or the "Company"; Hong Kong Stock Code: 777), a global leader in building internet communities, announced that Edmodo, its subsidiary, has decided to shut down its free B2C version (Edmodo.com) with effect from 22 September 2022 to focus its resources in pursuing revenue-producing country rollout B2G opportunities with the popular learning platform[1].
While Edmodo.com has been one of the most widely-used free learning communities and has been loved and used by millions of teachers, students and parents around the world, Edmodo has in recent years made significant progress in discussions to roll out a similar B2G based platform in multiple countries[1], including Egypt, Thailand and Ghana, as part of the Company's strategy to provide best-in-class blended learning solutions. The shutdown of the free B2C platform (Edmodo.com) will allow the Company to focus its effort in better optimizing the B2G platform to fit the needs of the different countries, ultimately creating value for users that will be consistent with the blended learning vision of the Company. In addition, the Company expects to realize substantial savings in operating cost, which will accelerate the path to reaching operating profitability of its education business.
About NetDragon Websoft Holdings Limited
NetDragon Websoft Holdings Limited (HKSE: 0777) is a global leader in building internet communities with a long track record of developing and scaling multiple internet and mobile platforms that impact hundreds of millions of users, including previous establishments of China's first online gaming portal, 17173.com, and China's most influential smartphone app store platform, 91 Wireless.
Established in 1999, NetDragon is one of the most reputable and well-known online game developers in China with a history of successful game titles including Eudemons Online, Heroes Evolved, Conquer Online and Under Oath. In recent years, NetDragon has also started to scale its online education business on the back of management's vision to create the largest global online learning community, and to bring best-in-class integrated blended learning solutions to every school around the world.
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SOURCE NetDragon Websoft Holdings Limited | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/08/18/edmodo-announced-closure-its-b2c-version-focus-country-rollout-opportunities/ | 2022-08-18T06:28:38Z |
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Aug. 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Global logistics service provider J&T Express launches "Together, 4ever" campaign today in celebration of the company's fourth year of delivering excellent customer-centric services in Malaysia.
The theme "Together, 4ever" embodies J&T Express' deep-rooted belief in integrating the interests across stakeholders, business partners, employees and end-consumers to foster greater synergies and develop win-win relationships. This Campaign will run from 15 August to 15 October 2022, and will spread out across five categories of events, each designed specifically to express our gratitude to supportive business partners and consumers. Details of the campaign can be found here.
Charles Hou, Group Vice President of J&T Express, said, "Malaysia was one of our first markets and I'm extremely proud of what we've achieved in the past four years. We've grown from a regional service provider to a network covering 13 countries across the globe and our commitment to local customers has never changed. Moving forward, J&T, together with local partners, will be dedicated to offering more localized and efficient services for our Malaysian and global customers."
Since its launch in Malaysia in August 2018, J&T Express has continuously sought to adapt its offerings to cater to the needs of the local market. From the provision of standard delivery service, the company has since expanded to broader services such as J&T VIP, J&T International Shipping, J&T Next Day Delivery, J&T Express Document and J&T Fresh Delivery.
"As we look back at the past four years, I am heartened at how far we've come. At the same time, I remain hopeful and confident in the logistics and e-commerce growth of Malaysia. At J&T Express, we look forward to contributing as one of Malaysia's most important players." said Yuan Kai Jin, J&T Express Malaysia Sales and Marketing Director.
In addition to the campaign, J&T Express will also be upgrading 30 of its nationwide outlets into Premium Courier Points. Customers can expect to enjoy enhanced service experience which begins with more friendly and comfortable atmosphere at these courier depots. New features include interactive LED billboards, merchandise and a dedicated packaging station.
About J&T Express
J&T Express is a global logistics service provider with leading express delivery businesses in Southeast Asia and China, the largest and fastest-growing market in the world. Founded in 2015, J&T Express' network spans thirteen countries, including Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Cambodia, Singapore, China, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Mexico, Brazil and Egypt. Adhering to its "customer-oriented and efficiency-based" mission, J&T Express is committed to providing customers with integrated logistics solutions through intelligent infrastructure and digital logistics network, as part of its global strategy to connect the world with greater efficiency and bring logistical benefits to all.
Group official website: www.jtexpress.com
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SOURCE J&T Express | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/08/18/jampt-express-launches-together-4ever-campaign-celebration-its-fourth-anniversary-malaysia/ | 2022-08-18T06:28:45Z |
OSLO, Norway, Aug. 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ --
Highlights in the quarter
- Strong batch 1 biological performance with growth well exceeding expectations. Average weight around 20% ahead of plan and already ~2.3 kg as per 15 August – on track for first commercial harvest in Q4 2022
- Carried out extensive quality testing confirming good filet quality and excellent taste
- Launched North America expansion plan and increasing long term production target to 100,000 tonnes
- Indre Harøy phase 2 preparations continuing – monitoring market development and targeting cost savings
- Completed NOK 300 million private placement to partly fund planned Indre Harøy phase 2 build out and smolt facility expansion
- Available liquidity of NOK 762 million per 30 June 2022 including committed undrawn credit facilities
Subsequent events
- Successfully completed the upsized second smolt release at Indre Harøy which comprised about 230,000 smolt with an average weight of ~125 grams
- Completed limited test slaughter at Vikenco ahead of first commercial harvest
On 26 March 2022 Salmon Evolution completed its first smolt release at Indre Harøy comprising around 100,000 smolt with an average weight of around 300 grams. As per 30 June the fish had reached an average weight of around 1.5 kg, significantly exceeding our expectations. The strong performance has continued into the third quarter and the fish now have an average weight of around 2.3 kg, confirming that we are on track for first harvest in Q4 2022.
In June the Company also carried out an extensive quality testing with very positive results, confirming good fish health and filet quality, firm meat texture, nice and consistent red meat colour, no maturation issues and excellent salmon taste.
On 13 July Salmon Evolution released its second smolt batch at Indre Harøy consisting of around 230,000 smolt with an average weight of around 125 grams. As of 15 August batch 2 had an average weight of around 235 grams, which corresponds to a growth rate higher than what observed for batch 1 for the same time period.
All buildings and structural facilities at Indre Harøy are now completed. The remaining construction works are mainly related to installation of equipment and piping as well as system integration. As per today, we are holding fish in two of the fish tanks. Over the coming months we will gradually put the remaining tanks into operation following the stocking of new smolt batches and transfer of existing batches into new tanks. We are currently seeing somewhat lower productivity on the construction site which we expect will push the final completion date from Q4 2022 to Q1 2023. We do however not expect any changes in the production plan at this time due to the built-in flexibility during the ramp-up phase.
Phase 1 capex during the second quarter amounted to 190 million. In addition, NOK 9.7m of internal G&A was capitalized. With phase 1 now nearing completion and remaining construction work focused on piping, equipment installation and system integration, the capex intensity is expected to come significantly down over the coming months. Following the expected change in final completion date from Q4 2022 to Q1 2023 as well as a lower productivity at the construction site, we now expect full phase 1 capex of about NOK 1,500 million compared to earlier estimate of NOK 1,400 million.
With first harvest now only a few months away, the Company has over the last quarters intensified its commercial focus. The Company has an agreement for slaughter services with Vikenco, one of the leading salmon processors in Norway. Vikenco is located only 10 km from Indre Harøy, facilitating cost effective logistics. Moreover, the agreement with Vikenco ensures that Salmon Evolution will benefit from industry scale slaughter costs from day one, rather than building internal slaughter capacity at a suboptimal scale. As part of the commercial strategy the Company is also working on how to position our product in the market, reflecting a perceived premium quality and alignment with our values.
During the quarter Salmon Evolution initiated a process with the aim of expanding its farming operations into North America and at the same time raising its production capacity target to 100,000 tonnes HOG by 2032, and the Company is currently evaluating selected identified potential production sites in North America. To facilitate this expansion, the Company has established a dedicated team of both in-house and external resources. Additionally, the Company is in the process of incorporating a US corporate structure under its full ownership.
Indre Harøy phase 2 preparations are continuing with focus so far centred around implementing the learnings from phase 1, identifying cost savings and scaling effects from phase 1, defining a cooperation model designed at further optimizing the project management and develop a cost budget for phase 2. The Company is currently seeing inflation pressure on parts of the project, in particular the parts with high raw material intensity. On the other hand, many raw material prices have come somewhat down over the last months, but there is still significant uncertainty, both in terms of how the market will develop and lead times with respect to the time needed for changes in the raw material prices to be passed through the value chain. The Company will continue to monitor the market situation closely, seek additional cost savings and revert with a final capex estimate in due course.
Summary and outlook
Following the first smolt release in late March, Salmon Evolution has now been operating the Indre Harøy facility for almost 5 months. Taking a facility of this magnitude into operation is a highly complex process involving a lot of tuning and adjustments in the beginning. Nevertheless, we have been able to maintain stable conditions and providing a good environment for our salmon not only to live, but also to thrive.
The Company is very pleased with the performance of the fish so far. During the first months of operations, we have seen growth rates and appetite well exceeding the targets set out in our production plan. Although we have not yet completed a full production cycle, this performance is a strong validation of our concept and a demonstration that our design throughput is realistic, which is critical for a capex intensive land-based farming operation, given the relatively higher share of fixed costs.
Furthermore, the Company is also pleased to see that the quality of the salmon looks very good, with firm meat texture, red and consistent meat colour and excellent salmon taste.
Over the coming months and quarters we will gradually ramp up production as the existing batches grow bigger while we at the same time include new batches and start utilizing the remaining parts of the facility. Preparations are already underway for the first harvest which is scheduled for the fourth quarter and the Company look forward to start supplying a record-high salmon market with our premium quality product.
The average Fish Pool salmon price was NOK 107.3/kg in Q2 2022 compared to NOK 63.3/kg in Q2 2021, representing an increase of 70% year over year. Looking at the forward prices for the remainder of 2022, this points to a full year 2022 salmon price of more than NOK 80/kg. In comparison the full year salmon price for 2021 was NOK 58.4/kg. The Company also notes that airfreight costs for in particular the Asian market has been at elevated levels following the pandemic and war in Ukraine, resulting substantially higher salmon prices locally, e.g. in South Korea.
Looking at 2022 most analysts now expect neutral or slightly negative global supply growth which should support a scenario with high salmon prices. Salmon Evolution sees a significant demand growth potential for salmon over the coming decade subject to the industry being able to grow the supply side. In this context the Company remains firm in its belief that land-based farming will need to play an important role alongside conventional farming.
Building on the experiences from our flagship facility at Indre Harøy, the ambition is to significantly grow the Company's operations over the coming decade. As such, operations in overseas markets are a key pillar in our strategy, but always enabled by a strong operation in Norway.
As part of this strategy, Salmon Evolution launched an expansion plan into the North American market during the second quarter. Given the long lead times developing a land-based project, having a solid pipeline of quality projects is critical to the long-term value creation in Salmon Evolution. With eventually having a major farming operation on all the three major salmon consuming continents, Salmon Evolution is uniquely positioned to be the global leader within land-based salmon farming.
Results presentation
CEO Håkon André Berg and CFO Trond Håkon Schaug-Pettersen will present the results at Hotel Continental in Oslo, Thursday 18 August at 08:00 a.m. CEST.
Participants may also follow the presentation and submit questions through a live webcast available on www.salmonevolution.no, or with the following link: https://events.webcast.no/viewer-registration/wrKUc8MG/register
The presentation and subsequent Q&A will be held in English.
For further information, please contact:
Håkon André Berg, CEO, Salmon Evolution
hakon.andre.berg@salmone.no
+47 41 19 22 57
Trond Håkon Schaug-Pettersen, CFO, Salmon Evolution
thsp@salmone.no
+47 91 19 13 27
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SOURCE Salmon Evolution | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/08/18/salmon-evolution-results-second-quarter-2022/ | 2022-08-18T06:28:51Z |
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Brad Paisley doesn't possess the most distinctive voice in country music, and his guitar solos exude a lot of arena-friendly rock 'n' roll flashiness. But he's become a huge country star on the basis of just this combination of aw-shucks ordinariness and ostentatious skill.
In the title song of This Is Country Music, Paisley recites country-music clichés and then injects them with value by reminding us that many clichés are truths. Over a tight little melody that deliberately avoids pumping itself up with hot airiness, he boldly asserts the obvious: that some of these images (trucks and tractors, the American flag and senior citizens) are not hip, and they sometimes get politicized. But they still exist in pure forms unto themselves, certainly not in the pop culture of the young, but in the small towns he also salutes. In a similar way, Paisley small-scales the important stuff in "Toothbrush," about the little moments in everyday life that resonate emotionally.
This Is Country Music is Paisley's follow-up to his best album, American Saturday Night, from 2009. That record was an unusually direct and provocative collection that included "Welcome to the Future," a song celebrating the election of Barack Obama — and, as you might imagine, was a bit polarizing for Paisley's audience.
Paisley recently told The New York Times, "American Saturday Night was sort of was my 'The Times They Are A-Changin' album. It was, you know, telling the choir to think outside the box." Then, he added, "But it didn't feel right to do that again," and, referring to the new record, "We're not asking people to go places where it's not comfortable — 'cause at some point, the choir's gonna go to another church."
In other words, This Is Country Music is consciously a more conservative effort, an album meant to reassure rather than challenge. In a different way, however, it's just as interesting, because Brad Paisley's way of treading water still stirs up waves. In "One of Those Lives," for example, he hits hard on the subject of cancer in a way that other songwriters might have touched upon lightly, lest the listener become uneasy.
There's a generous 15 songs on This Is Country Music, and rather than offering filler, the album is programming in a shrewd way. It's front-loaded with the most commercial, pop-catchy tunes, such as the title track, Paisley's salute to the '80s country group Alabama, and a duet with former American Idol winner Carrie Underwood.
As the album proceeds, however, it becomes more hardcore country. There's gospel bluegrass with guest star Marty Stuart, an eccentric salute to Clint Eastwood called "Eastwood," and what's probably the best song on the album, "Don't Drink the Water," a duet with Blake Shelton that's some fiddle- and steel-guitar-infused honky-tonk.
This Is Country Music contains a few of Paisley's characteristic novelty songs, like "Working on a Tan" and "Be the Lake" — which I only wish was as Zen-like as the title sounds — while allowing guest appearances by Don Henley and Sheryl Crow provides a safe haven for middle-aged rockers searching for where their middle-aged audiences went. Turns out, like almost everyone else who's actually buying music instead of plucking it off the Internet for free, those folks are, either full- or part-time, listening to some form of country music, and Brad Paisley has made himself the red-hot center of this commercial universe.
Copyright 2022 Fresh Air. To see more, visit Fresh Air. | https://www.keranews.org/2011-06-08/brad-paisley-country-music-defined | 2022-08-18T07:19:43Z |
Boy seriously injured in bunk bed fall at Little League World Series
WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (AP) - A 12-year-old Little League World Series player from Utah was in critical condition Tuesday with what his family said was a head injury suffered when he fell off the top bunk of his bed at the dormitory complex.
Easton Oliverson is a pitcher and outfielder for the Snow Canyon team out of Santa Clara, Utah. The Little League World Series was set to begin Wednesday in Williamsport. His dad, Jace Oliverson, is an assistant coach on the team.
“I’ve always been a firm believer of prayer and the power that comes with it, and I feel like if people continue to rally around us that he will make a full recovery,” Oliverson told KSL-TV. “Right now it’s slow. They keep telling me it’s a cross-country race.”
Oliverson gave an update on his son’s condition through Facebook and said doctors told him his son had punctured an artery which caused bleeding on the brain and needed a piece of skull removed.
Oliverson and wife Nancy are with their son at the hospital.
The boy’s uncle has served as family spokesperson and told The Associated Press on Tuesday that Easton fell off the bed while he was sleeping and hit his head.
“We’re just at point now where he’s just in recovery,” Spencer Beck said in a phone interview. “The teammates heard him fall, thank goodness. When they got into surgery, the doctor talked to Jace and said had he not gotten into surgery but 30 minutes later, he would have been dead.”
Beck said Easton was using a breathing tube.
Little League World Series officials released a statement Tuesday that said they spoke with the Oliverson family and “were pleased to hear that his medical team remains encouraged by his progress.”
Some encouraging news came Wednesday, KSTU reports, as Easton was awake, off of oxygen assistance, talking and sitting up in a chair.
However, his father says he’s still facing a long road to recovery.
The Santa Clara team was the first from Utah to make the Little League World Series. Snow Canyon is scheduled to play its first game Friday against the winner of teams from Massachusetts and Tennessee.
“As hard as it will be to not have Easton out there playing, they’re still from this community, this is still a historical moment for the state, for Little League and for our community,” Beck said. “We’re cheering them on and maybe they’ll have a little inspiration from Easton and they’ll go win it all. That would be awesome.”
The family has set up a Venmo account for the kid nicknamed “Tank” to help with bills and expenses.
___
More AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. Gray News contributed to this report. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/08/18/boy-seriously-injured-bunk-bed-fall-little-league-world-series/ | 2022-08-18T07:21:50Z |
Boy seriously injured in bunk bed fall at Little League World Series
WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (AP) - A 12-year-old Little League World Series player from Utah was in critical condition Tuesday with what his family said was a head injury suffered when he fell off the top bunk of his bed at the dormitory complex.
Easton Oliverson is a pitcher and outfielder for the Snow Canyon team out of Santa Clara, Utah. The Little League World Series was set to begin Wednesday in Williamsport. His dad, Jace Oliverson, is an assistant coach on the team.
“I’ve always been a firm believer of prayer and the power that comes with it, and I feel like if people continue to rally around us that he will make a full recovery,” Oliverson told KSL-TV. “Right now it’s slow. They keep telling me it’s a cross-country race.”
Oliverson gave an update on his son’s condition through Facebook and said doctors told him his son had punctured an artery which caused bleeding on the brain and needed a piece of skull removed.
Oliverson and wife Nancy are with their son at the hospital.
The boy’s uncle has served as family spokesperson and told The Associated Press on Tuesday that Easton fell off the bed while he was sleeping and hit his head.
“We’re just at point now where he’s just in recovery,” Spencer Beck said in a phone interview. “The teammates heard him fall, thank goodness. When they got into surgery, the doctor talked to Jace and said had he not gotten into surgery but 30 minutes later, he would have been dead.”
Beck said Easton was using a breathing tube.
Little League World Series officials released a statement Tuesday that said they spoke with the Oliverson family and “were pleased to hear that his medical team remains encouraged by his progress.”
Some encouraging news came Wednesday, KSTU reports, as Easton was awake, off of oxygen assistance, talking and sitting up in a chair.
However, his father says he’s still facing a long road to recovery.
The Santa Clara team was the first from Utah to make the Little League World Series. Snow Canyon is scheduled to play its first game Friday against the winner of teams from Massachusetts and Tennessee.
“As hard as it will be to not have Easton out there playing, they’re still from this community, this is still a historical moment for the state, for Little League and for our community,” Beck said. “We’re cheering them on and maybe they’ll have a little inspiration from Easton and they’ll go win it all. That would be awesome.”
The family has set up a Venmo account for the kid nicknamed “Tank” to help with bills and expenses.
___
More AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. Gray News contributed to this report. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/08/18/boy-seriously-injured-bunk-bed-fall-little-league-world-series/ | 2022-08-18T07:32:20Z |
George R. R. Martin is best known as the man behind the epic fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire. The latest volume, A Dance With Dragons, is now in bookstores after an epic six-year wait. An HBO series based on the first book, A Game of Thrones, just wrapped up its Emmy-nominated first season.
But in the 1980s, Martin was a television writer, churning out scripts for shows like Beauty and the Beast.
"Whenever I would turn in a script, the producers would say, 'George, this is wonderful but it would cost five times our production budget to produce it,'" he tells weekends on All Things Considered host Guy Raz.
So Martin turned to the one medium that could support his outsized imagination: fiction.
"One of the great things about books is, you can afford to do anything," he says. But, he adds, even the fanciest fantasy must have some grounding in reality. Martin found his inspiration for A Game of Thrones during a visit to Hadrian's Wall, in northern England.
"But, of course, fantasy being bigger and more colorful" than real life, Martin says, "I couldn't have a wall that was 10 feet tall like Hadrian's Wall. So I had a 700-foot-tall wall, and I made it out of ice, and I gave it this storied history. And then, of course, I wanted something to emerge from those hills and trees to the north that was a good bit scarier than Scotland, so I came up with that, too.
"So you start with the kernel of reality, and then you extrapolate and you build from there."
Martin has often been called the American Tolkien, but he says readers who pick up his books looking for gallant tales of hobbits and orcs may be disappointed. There's no absolute good or evil in his work, just people motivated by human desires — people who often meet messy ends.
"If you're going to write about war, which my books are about, wars are nasty things," Martin says. "I think it's sort of a cheap easy way out to write a war story in which no one ultimately dies."
Martin adds that he wants his readers to experience the story emotionally, not just read it.
"I'm playing for keeps here, and no one is safe in these books. If the characters get in trouble, it might very well be fatal trouble," he says. "The cavalry isn't necessarily going to come riding to the rescue."
That edge of uncertainty and danger is one thing that inspires Martin's fans, some of whom know the books better than Martin himself.
Elio Garcia and Linda Antonsson live in Sweden and run the westeros.org website — Westeros is the continent where much of the action takes place — and Martin says he often turns to them when he can't remember, for example, what color a character's eyes are.
"Elio will write me back right away, 'Yes, his eyes are blue-gray, and you say that in the second book on page 314.'"
Such an obsessive fan base can have a downside. Many fans grew angry and alienated during the six-year wait between the last book in 2005 and A Dance With Dragons. But Martin says that if readers want his best work, they'll just have to wait. "I'm going to take as long as it takes to write these books, to make them good."
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.keranews.org/2011-07-17/author-george-r-r-martin-playing-for-keeps | 2022-08-18T07:37:06Z |
Glenn Carle's bosses asked him if he could go on a trip — one that would last somewhere between 30 and 60 days. His job? To interrogate a man suspected of being a top member of al-Qaida.
It was 2002 and, in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks, the U.S. was heavily engaged in its "War on Terror." Carle, a former CIA intelligence officer, was "surged" to become an interrogator and sent to one of the agency's secret overseas facilities. He writes about his experience in his new book, The Interrogator: An Education.
Carle tells NPR's Mary Louise Kelly that he was told to do whatever it took to make the man talk. When Carle questioned his superiors, saying, "We don't do that," they replied, "We do now."
None of the specifics about the detainee's name, nationality or location of the interrogations are included in the book. In fact, large chunks of the book are blacked out — Carle says the CIA redacted close to 40 percent of the original manuscript
But what readers do learn is Carle's feelings about, and reactions to, the situation he was in. From early on, Carle believed that physical abuse would be counterproductive and that it would not be something he would take part in.
"However," he says, "there are psychological measures that I had been subject to as part of my training. We had been taught that psychological manipulation was not lasting or severe — that's the definition of what would be unacceptable treatment. ... I concluded pretty quickly that that was wrong and came to oppose [psychological manipulation], too."
The subject of Carle's interrogations — a man he refers to as CAPTUS — had had contact with people of interest. He also had useful information. But he didn't have the intimate connections or the critical knowledge that would have marked him as a member of al-Qaida.
"Did his work facilitate some al-Qaida activities?" Carle asks. "You could argue that it did, but I try to give an analogy of a ticket conductor in Grand Central Station. If you sell a ticket to a member of al-Qaida going to Long Island, are you aiding and abetting? I think that's a long stretch to make."
Carle doesn't think CAPTUS was entirely innocent, but he also wasn't who the CIA claimed him to be. Toward the end of his time on the CAPTUS case, Carle wrote two cables saying as much and had them sent to CIA headquarters. When he returned to Washington, D.C., he found that no one even knew of the cables' existence.
"I think that they were impolitic and upset the apple cart," he says. "They challenged the premises of the specific operation and the methods being used. They placed in question years of work by very talented people."
Carle's experience left him deeply disturbed. That was the driving force behind his decision to write the book. "Americans need to know what we've done to ourselves," he says. "We have coarsened ourselves and weakened our laws, and I think what we did is not at all what I took an oath to serve."
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.keranews.org/2011-07-17/education-of-an-interrogator-questioning-the-cia | 2022-08-18T07:37:13Z |
She was married to a baron, flew airplanes and fought for the French Resistance in North Africa. She smoked cigarettes from a holder, drove a Rolls-Royce and sipped Chivas from a silver flask. And, for the last three decades of her life, she dedicated herself to helping jazz musicians.
Known as "The Jazz Baroness," she was a patron to the likes of Thelonious Monk and Art Blakey. Charlie Parker died in her hotel room. Now, a new biography called Nica's Dream tells the story of Kathleen Annie Pannonica de Koenigswarter.
David Amram met her in 1956, when he was a 25-year-old French horn player in bassist Oscar Pettiford's band. He says Nica, as she was often called, took jazz seriously.
"It's easy to just dismiss her — to say this was just some wealthy, sophisticated, privileged person doing what they used to call 'slumming,' " Amram says. "That was not the case. She was elevating herself by being with these musicians. Young kids like myself at that time knew that we were [a part] of something important and of huge, lasting value."
A Revelation
Nica knew value. She was born in 1913 into one of the wealthiest families in the world, biographer David Kastin says.
"She's a Rothschild," he says. "She grew up in this fairytale existence. Luxury, huge country estates and London mansions. Private tutors and footmen and governesses."
But in 1951, Nica had an epiphany. She was on her way from London to join her husband, Jules, who was then the French ambassador to Mexico. On a stopover in New York, Kastin says, she got a call from a family friend who used to give her brother piano lessons.
"Teddy Wilson, the great swing-era pianist, caught her on the way to the airport," he says. "She was heading back to Mexico. And the story goes that he told her that she had to hear this new pianist. He sat her down and played Monk's 'Round Midnight.'
"She burst into tears. She had him play the record 20 times in a row. She missed her flight. Stayed in New York for a couple of more weeks. Headed home, and before long, she was back in New York permanently."
Bird Lives
Nica moved into the Stanhope Hotel on Fifth Avenue and immersed herself in the jazz scene.
She drove her Rolls-Royce to the clubs on 52nd Street each night and made friends with the musicians. One night, saxophonist Charlie Parker showed up at her door.
"He had come to the Stanhope Hotel suite, where he took ill, resisted going to the emergency room and, a couple of days later, he passed away on March 15, 1955," Kastin says. The Baroness "was splashed all over the front pages of the tabloids. 'Bop King Dies in Heiress' Flat.' "
The scandal led Jules de Koenigswarter to divorce her. She was kicked out of the Stanhope and moved across Central Park to the Bolivar Hotel. There, she fed her musician friends, got their horns out of hock, bought them cars and pianos and gave them a place to crash — and a place to jam.
Monk's Patron
Perhaps Nica's greatest contribution to jazz was nurturing the career of the man who first inspired her, Thelonious Monk. At the time, biographer Kastin says, Monk was an underappreciated genius who struggled with drugs, legal problems and mental illness.
"People dismissed him as a pianist, and did not see his music as being on the same level as someone like Bud Powell, for example," Kastin says. "He didn't have that kind of virtuosity, and he was so different."
"He also, of course, lost his cabaret card for long periods of time — six years, two years," Kastin says. "During which time he couldn't play in New York. She helped him and his family survive."
Thelonious Monk composed "Pannonica" as a tribute to Nica. It's among half a dozen jazz tributes to her.
A Friendly Ear
Amram says what Nica offered everyone was encouragement.
"Well, Nica showed — during a period that was extraordinarily difficult — that someone cared. And Nica was that one person for so many who, after they were told 400 times that what they were doing was worthless ... Nica was a person who not only did want to hear that, but appreciated it, and made you feel that you were worthwhile."
Kathleen Annie Pannonica de Koenigswarter died in 1988. At her request, her children scattered her ashes over the Hudson River one evening, 'round midnight.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.keranews.org/2011-07-19/footmen-mansions-and-jazz-the-life-of-nica | 2022-08-18T07:37:13Z |
Soon after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, President George Bush argued that terrorists were perverting the Muslim religion. The president said, "Islam is peace." But that viewpoint is often drowned out today. Extremists claim that they represent Islam. And many Americans have come to question the entire faith, seeing it as violent or oppressive.
Turkish journalist Mustafa Akyol makes a case for putting Islam in a different light in his new book, Islam without Extremes. In it, he traces moderation, even liberalism, throughout the history of Islam. And he tells Morning Edition co-host Steve Inskeep that he believes the religion should not be defined by violent extremists.
"There are obviously violent, intolerant Muslims out there, but whether they really represent Muslims or not is a big question," Akyol says. "And my answer is 'No.'"
Akyol argues that a proper reading of Islam makes plenty of room for peace and human rights. And he says that the religion relies too much on outdated interpretations of its texts.
"I think the biggest problem is that Islam was articulated, interpreted, in the Medieval world, by Medieval scholars," Akyol says. "And that interpretation froze at the time."
As for his own views, Akyol says that he is a liberal — in the old sense of the word, meaning that he favors a wide range of freedoms, including freedom of religion.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.keranews.org/2011-07-25/a-writer-argues-for-an-islam-without-extremes | 2022-08-18T07:37:19Z |
BLUE BELL, Pa. and BIRMINGHAM, England, Aug. 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- IPS-Integrated Project Services, LLC, a leading provider of engineering, procurement, construction management, and validation (EPCMV) services, welcomes Kevin Owen to its EMEA team as Director of Aseptic Technology. Located in Birmingham, UK, Kevin will provide technical consultation on the regulatory challenges in a pharmaceutical operation, as well as oversee aseptic technology projects for clients within the EMEA region, which includes offices in the UK, Ireland, Switzerland, and Germany.
Kevin is an experienced aseptic fill finish subject matter expert (SME) with over 30 years of expertise within pharmaceutical operations and QC laboratory management. A microbiologist by training, Kevin specializes in ensuring aseptic fill finish processes, QC laboratories and advanced therapy medicinal product (ATMP) facilities comply with all regulatory requirements. Kevin has managed product life cycle compliance from early-stage clinical trials to full commercial capability. He has experience installing new lines and equipment within an existing facility while retaining commercial capacity. He is adept at understanding and navigating regulatory guidelines from his time as the client, with expert knowledge of CGMP and current/future compliance expectations, including draft Annex I. Kevin regularly lectures at international aseptic conferences. He is unique in supporting end-to-end projects from the early-stage feasibility to end-stage CQV practices and operator training, and his operational expertise differentiates him.
"We are delighted to welcome Kevin to the IPS family," said Daryn Jenkins, Managing Director, EMEA. "His experience and energy are key to delivering our projects across EMEA and ensuring that our clients' voices will be carried through the implementation phase of all of our projects. I'm so pleased he has decided to join our team."
IPS is a global leader in developing innovative business solutions for the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. Through operational expertise and industry-leading knowledge, skill, and passion, IPS provides consultancy services, architecture, engineering, project controls, construction management, and compliance services that allow clients to develop and manufacture life-impacting products. Its EMEA region, established in 2015, has approximately 300 employees and is growing. With the addition of its newest acquisition, Linesight, IPS has nearly 3,000 professionals in over 45 offices across 17 countries in the Americas, Europe, Asia Pacific, Southeast Asia, Australia, and the Middle East. For further information, please visit www.ipsdb.com.
CONTACT:
Dept. of Marketing and Communications
+1.484.344.9234
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SHANGHAI, Aug. 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Jemincare, a leading pharmaceutical company from China, announced today that it and its wholly owned subsidiary company, Shanghai Jemincare Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., have entered into an exclusive worldwide license agreement with Roche (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY) and Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, for the development and commercialization of its androgen receptor degrader, JMKX002992.
Under the terms of the agreement, Genentech will be granted an exclusive license to develop and commercialize the degrader worldwide, and will be fully responsible for the development and commercialization costs. In return, Genentech will pay Jemincare a USD 60 million upfront payment. Jemincare is also entitled to receive up to USD 590 million in additional payments upon achievement of certain development, regulatory and sales-based milestone targets. Jemincare is also entitled to receive tiered royalties on net sales.
JMKX002992 is a novel oral degrader of the androgen receptor, a confirmed disease driver in prostate cancer. JMKX002992 has the potential to treat patients with prostate cancer who have developed resistance to current therapies.
"We are delighted to enter into collaboration with Roche, one of the world's leading pharmaceutical companies providing transformative innovative solutions across major disease areas, and Genentech, a worldwide leading innovator in oncology. We trust this partnership could significantly enhance and accelerate the development and potential commercialization of JMKX002992 to benefit patients. This is our third innovative therapy partnered globally. We are proud of this achievement within only four years since the establishment of our R&D center. Jemincare will continue to realize our commitment to benefit patients with innovative solutions." said Mr. Hong Liang, President of Jemincare Pharmaceutical Group.
"Prostate cancer remains a leading cause of death in men worldwide," said James Sabry, Global Head of Roche Pharma Partnering. "Certain forms of prostate cancer can be particularly difficult to treat. Jemincare's novel oral androgen receptor degrader will complement our efforts to develop new treatment options for patients with advanced prostate cancer."
About Jemincare
Jiangxi Jemincare Group Co., Ltd. is a leading pharmaceutical company from China. Founded in 1999, Jemincare is mainly engaged in pharmaceutical industry. The company is dedicated to the development, manufacturing and commercialization of therapeutics in its strategic fields including oncology, nephrology, cerebro-cardiovascular, anti-infection, analgesic, respiratory and Pediatrics. Shanghai Jemincare Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd is the R&D center of Jiangxi Jemincare Group Co., Ltd. Shanghai Jemincare has developed a strong team with around 500 scientists comprised by 3 innovation centers, Small Molecule Innovative Center, Biologics Innovation Center and Technology Innovation Center. The androgen receptor degrader program was developed by the Small Molecule Innovation Center which had more than 10 programs entering IND or IND-enabling stage and 3 programs entering clinical stage. For more information, please visit www.jemincare.com
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COPENHAGEN, Denmark, Aug. 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- For Q2 2022 NORDEN reports a profit of USD 179 million (approx. DKK 1.3 bill.) (Q2 2021: USD 32 million - approx. DKK 233 mill.). Cash flow from operating activities amount to approx. USD 350 mill. (approx. DKK 2.6 bill.).
NORDEN CEO, Jan Rindbo, comments:
"Fantastic second quarter result based on a significant shift in market exposure from dry cargo to product tankers. This has enabled NORDEN to capitalise on the exceptional product tanker rates, while also generating value in a weakening dry cargo market from an extensive cargo and cover portfolio. This highlights our trading ability and proactive risk management which enables us to create value in both rising and falling markets"
The board of directors has reviewed the company's capital structure and approved the payment of interim dividends, see article 16 in the company's Articles of Association. The interim dividend amounts to DKK 30 per share of DKK 1, in total DKK 1,110,000,000 (approx. USD 151,691,151.35), and is in line with NORDEN's dividend policy of returning a minimum of 50% of the annual profit.
Dividends will be paid through VP Securities based on shareholdings registered in VP Securities on 22 August 2022 after close of trading on Nasdaq Copenhagen. In the systems of Nasdaq Copenhagen, NORDEN shares will trade cum interim dividends up to and including the trading day of 18 August 2022. Shares traded in the systems of Nasdaq Copenhagen from and including the trading day of 19 August 2022 will be traded ex interim dividends. Dividends will expectedly be available in the shareholders' accounts on 23 August 2022.
Kind regards,
Dampskibsselskabet NORDEN A/S
Klaus Nyborg
Chairman
For further information:
Thomas France, Investor Communications Partner, tel.: +45 3273 0629, e-mail: tfr@norden.com
This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com
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SOURCE NORDEN | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/08/18/norden-achieves-fantastic-q2-result-pays-interim-dividend-shareholders/ | 2022-08-18T07:58:42Z |
VANCOUVER, BC, Aug. 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Prospect Ridge Resources Corp. (the "Company" or "Prospect Ridge") (CSE: PRR) (OTC: PRRSF) (FRA: OED) is pleased to announce that the drilling has begun on the flagship Knauss Creek property located 10 km North of Terrace, BC.
The construction of the drill pads and drilling began last week and the first drill hole on the property has been completed. The initial focus is in the area of the Jay veins, which will be followed by the historic Dorreen zone that was a past producing high-grade gold mine. The drilling will be conducted on a 24 hours per day/7 days per week schedule, until the campaign is complete. Under the direct supervision of CEO, Michael Iverson, and President, Yan Ducharme, the drilling and prospecting teams will be collecting a steady stream of samples that will be sent to the laboratory for analysis on a regular basis.
Michael Iverson, CEO states, "After great anticipation, we are pleased to announce we have commenced drilling. The drill is spinning 24/7 providing us with core samples to send to the labs as soon as possible. Yan and I will be on location guiding the team from target to target to optimize our efforts. We look forward to the potential great success this property holds."
All scientific or technical information included in this news release has been reviewed, verified and approved by Yan Ducharme, P.Geo., President of the Company and a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101.
The Holy Grail and Knauss properties start about 10 kilometers north of the town of Terrace in the Province of British Columbia, Canada. They are easily accessible by two highways and a network of logging roads. They are contiguous and form a horseshoe covering about 730 square kilometers.
The southern tip of the Golden Triangle arrives just northwest of the properties. The Bower Lake and the Hazelton Groups hosting most of the deposits and mines of this area are also underlying the Holy Grail and Knauss Creek properties.
A few gold, silver, copper, lead and zinc occurrences where found in the past. The most notable is the Dorreen mine where three levels were developed and, according to historical documents, around 700 tons of ore were mined out at an average grade of more than 10 g/t Au.
The properties hold more than 10 very interesting gold showings, sometimes with silver, copper, lead and zinc.
Prospect Ridge Resources Corp. is a British Columbia based exploration and development company focused on gold exploration. Prospect Ridge's management and technical team cumulate over 100 years of mineral exploration experience and believes the Holy Grail and Knauss Creek properties to have the potential to extend the boundaries of the Golden Triangle to cover this vast under-explored region.
Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
This release includes certain statements and information that may constitute forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking statements relate to future events or future performance and reflect the expectations or beliefs of management of the Company regarding future events. Generally, forward-looking statements and information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "intends" or "anticipates", or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "should", "would" or "occur". This information and these statements, referred to herein as "forward-looking statements", are not historical facts, are made as of the date of this news release and include without limitation, statements regarding discussions of future plans, estimates and forecasts and statements as to management's expectations and intentions with respect to, among other things, positive exploration results at the Knauss Creek and Holy Grail projects and the Company's use of proceeds from the Private Placement. These forward-looking statements involve numerous risks and uncertainties and actual results might differ materially from results suggested in any forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, among other things, that future exploration results at the Knauss Creek and Holy Grail projects will not be as anticipated and that the Company will use the proceeds from the Private Placement as anticipated.
In making the forward-looking statements in this news release, the Company has applied several material assumptions, including without limitation, that future exploration results at the Knauss Creek and Holy Grail projects will be as anticipated and that the Company will use the proceeds from the Private Placement as anticipated.
Although management of the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and forward-looking information. Readers are cautioned that reliance on such information may not be appropriate for other purposes. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statement, forward-looking information or financial out-look that are incorporated by reference herein, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. We seek safe harbor.
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If approved by the FDA, fezolinetant would be a nonhormonal treatment for moderate to severe vasomotor symptoms associated with menopause
TOKYO, Aug. 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Astellas Pharma Inc. (TSE: 4503, President and CEO: Kenji Yasukawa, Ph.D., "Astellas") today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted the company's New Drug Application (NDA) for fezolinetant, an investigational oral, nonhormonal compound seeking approval for the treatment of moderate to severe vasomotor symptoms (VMS) associated with menopause. VMS, characterized by hot flashes and/or night sweats, are common symptoms of menopause.1,2
The PDUFA target action date is February 22, 2023, following use of a priority review voucher (PRV). Astellas booked ¥13.1 billion of amortization of the intangible asset relating to PRV as R&D expense in the first quarter of fiscal year 2022.
"The FDA's acceptance of our NDA for fezolinetant brings us one step closer to advancing care for women in the U.S. who experience VMS," said Ahsan Arozullah, M.D., M.P.H., Senior Vice President and Head of Development Therapeutic Areas, Astellas. "We look forward to the FDA's review of our application, and the potential to offer a first-in-class nonhormonal treatment option to reduce the frequency and severity of moderate to severe VMS associated with menopause."
The NDA is supported by results from the BRIGHT SKY™ program, which included three Phase 3 clinical trials that collectively enrolled over 2,800 women with VMS across the U.S., Canada and Europe. Results from the SKYLIGHT 1™ and SKYLIGHT 2™ pivotal trials characterize the efficacy and safety of fezolinetant for the treatment of moderate to severe VMS associated with menopause. Data from the SKYLIGHT 4™ safety study further characterizes the long-term safety profile of fezolinetant. Within the NDA, Astellas proposes a 45 mg daily dose, which is subject to the FDA's review.
Fezolinetant is an investigational nonhormonal selective neurokinin 3 (NK3) receptor antagonist. The safety and efficacy of fezolinetant are under investigation and have not been established.
The impact of this acceptance on Astellas' financial results of the current fiscal year ending March 31, 2023, is expected to be minor.
The BRIGHT SKY pivotal trials, SKYLIGHT 1™ (NCT04003155) and SKYLIGHT 2™ (NCT04003142), enrolled over 1,000 women with moderate to severe VMS. The trials are double-blinded, placebo-controlled for the first 12 weeks followed by a 40-week treatment extension period. Women were enrolled at over 180 sites within the U.S., Canada and Europe. SKYLIGHT 4™ (NCT04003389) is a 52-week double-blinded, placebo-controlled study designed to investigate the long-term safety of fezolinetant. For SKYLIGHT 4, over 1,800 women with VMS were enrolled at over 180 sites within the U.S., Canada and Europe.
VMS, characterized by hot flashes (also called hot flushes) and/or night sweats, are common symptoms of menopause.1,2 In the U.S., about 60% to 80% of women experience these symptoms during or after the menopausal transition and, worldwide, more than half of women 40 to 64 years of age experience VMS.3,4,5,6 VMS can have a disruptive impact on women's daily activities and overall quality of life.1
Fezolinetant is an investigational oral, nonhormonal therapy in clinical development for the treatment of moderate to severe VMS associated with menopause. Fezolinetant works by blocking neurokinin B (NKB) binding on the kisspeptin/neurokinin/dynorphin (KNDy) neuron to moderate neuronal activity in the thermoregulatory center of the brain (the hypothalamus) to reduce the frequency and severity of moderate to severe VMS associated with menopause.7,8,9 The safety and efficacy of fezolinetant are under investigation and have not been established. There is no guarantee the agent will receive regulatory approval or become commercially available for the uses being investigated.
Astellas Pharma Inc. is a pharmaceutical company conducting business in more than 70 countries around the world. We are promoting the Focus Area Approach that is designed to identify opportunities for the continuous creation of new drugs to address diseases with high unmet medical needs by focusing on Biology and Modality. Furthermore, we are also looking beyond our foundational Rx focus to create Rx+® healthcare solutions that combine our expertise and knowledge with cutting-edge technology in different fields of external partners. Through these efforts, Astellas stands on the forefront of healthcare change to turn innovative science into value for patients. For more information, please visit our website at https://www.astellas.com/en.
In this press release, statements made with respect to current plans, estimates, strategies and beliefs and other statements that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements about the future performance of Astellas. These statements are based on management's current assumptions and beliefs in light of the information currently available to it and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to: (i) changes in general economic conditions and in laws and regulations, relating to pharmaceutical markets, (ii) currency exchange rate fluctuations, (iii) delays in new product launches, (iv) the inability of Astellas to market existing and new products effectively, (v) the inability of Astellas to continue to effectively research and develop products accepted by customers in highly competitive markets, and (vi) infringements of Astellas' intellectual property rights by third parties. Information about pharmaceutical products (including products currently in development) which is included in this press release is not intended to constitute an advertisement or medical advice.
1 Utian WH. Psychosocial and socioeconomic burden of vasomotor symptoms in menopause: a comprehensive review. Health Qual Life Outcomes. 2005;3:47.
2 Jones RE, Lopez KH, eds. Human Reproductive Biology. 4th ed. Waltham, MA: Elsevier, 2014:120.
3 Makara-Studzinska MT, Krys-Noszczyk KM, Jakiel G. Epidemiology of the symptoms of menopause - an intercontinental review. Przegl Menopauzalny [Menopause Rev]. 2014;13:203-211.
4 Gold EB, Colvin A, Avis N, et al. Longitudinal analysis of the association between vasomotor symptoms and race/ethnicity across the menopausal transition: study of women's health across the nation. Am J Public Health. 2006;96:1226-1235.
5 Freeman EW, Sammel MD, Sanders RJ. Risk of long-term hot flashes after natural menopause: evidence from the Penn Ovarian Aging Study cohort. Menopause. 2014;21:924-932.
6 Williams RE, Kalilani L, DiBenedetti DB, et al. Frequency and severity of vasomotor symptoms among peri- and postmenopausal women in the United States. Climacteric. 2008;11:32-43.
7 Depypere H, Timmerman D, Donders G, Sieprath P, Ramael S, Combalbert J, et al. Treatment of menopausal vasomotor symptoms with fezolinetant, a neurokinin 3 receptor antagonist: a phase 2a trial. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2019;104:5893-905.
8 Fraser GL, Lederman S, Waldbaum A, Kroll R, Santoro N, Lee M, et al. A phase 2b, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, dose-ranging study of the neurokinin 3 receptor antagonist fezolinetant for vasomotor symptoms associated with menopause. Menopause. 2020;27:382-92.
9 Fraser GL, Hoveyda HR, Clarke IJ, Ramaswamy S, Plant TM, Rose C, et al. The NK3 receptor antagonist ESN364 interrupts pulsatile LH secretion and moderate levels of ovarian hormones throughout the menstrual cycle. Endocrinology. 2015;156:4214-25.
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SOURCE Astellas Pharma Inc. | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/08/18/us-fda-accepts-astellas-new-drug-application-fezolinetant/ | 2022-08-18T07:58:55Z |
- Valour, Comdirect and Onvista have agreed to introduce Valour as a provider of crypto products for retail clients in Germany
- Comdirect and Onvista customers will have access to Valour's entire range of crypto ETPs including Valour Bitcoin Zero and Valour Ethereum Zero, which both have a zero management fees
TORONTO, Aug. 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Valour Inc. (NEO: DEFI) (GR: RMJR) (OTCQB: DEFTF), a technology company and the first and only publicly traded company that bridges the gap between traditional capital markets and decentralized finance, announced an agreement with German banks, Comdirect and Onvista, that will enable banking clients to integrate Valour ETPs into their investment portfolios. Comdirect and Onvista customers will have access to Valour's entire range of crypto ETPs.
"By integrating Valour's low to zero-fee ETPs, Comdirect and Onvista will be able to provide their customers access to safe and regulated exposure to the crypto ecosystem," said Marco Infuso, Chief Sales Officer of Valour. "Especially during 'crypto winter' times, costs are a foremost priority for investors. Offering zero-cost investment options in Bitcoin and Ethereum is a substantial advantage for our investors and is another milestone in the democratisation of this young and growing asset class."
Following Tuesday's announcement of Valour's partnership with justTRADE, this latest agreement with Comdirect and Onvista further validates the Company's status as a go-to crypto partner for brokers and banks wishing to offer regulated crypto exposure to their clientele.
"Valour's recent partnership with justTRADE and this new agreement with Comdirect and Onvista represents the first of what we believe will be many relationships with major broker platforms and banks," said Russell Starr, CEO of Valour. "Our recent hires have already added tremendous value to our team and will continue to execute at a high level, despite market conditions."
Valour offers fully hedged digital asset Exchange Traded Products (ETPs) with product listings across European exchanges, banks and broker platforms. Valour's existing product range includes Valour Uniswap (UNI), Cardano (ADA), Polkadot (DOT), Solana (SOL), Avalanche (AVAX), Cosmos (ATOM) and Enjin (ENJ) ETPs, as well as Valour's flagship Bitcoin Zero and Valour Ethereum Zero products, the first fully hedged, passive investment products with Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) as underlyings which are completely fee-free.
Valour Inc. (NEO: DEFI) (GR: RMJ.F) (OTCQB: DEFTF) is a technology company and the first and only publicly traded company that bridges the gap between traditional capital markets, Web3 and decentralized finance. Founded in 2019, Valour is backed by an acclaimed and pioneering team with decades of experience in financial markets and digital assets with a mission to expand investor access to industry-leading Web3 and decentralized technologies allowing investors to access the future of finance via regulated equity exchanges. www.valour.com
Comdirect provides online brokerage, banking, and advisory services in Germany. It executes buy and sell orders for stocks listed on the German stock exchanges, including options and futures contracts, as well as provides access to 46 stock exchanges outside Germany. Further, it provides execution only services to its clients for asset allocation, risk hedging and portfolio optimization. Comdirect is a brand of Commerzbank AG. www.comdirect.de
Onvista bank is an online broker that falls under the umbrella of onvista AG and Onvista Group, which in turn is a subsidiary of Comdirect Bank AG. They provide access to trading in various securities across 14 stock exchanges as well as OTC trading from more than 21 issuers. They allow trading in shares, futures, options, funds, bonds, CFDs, ETFs, and more. https://www.onvista-bank.de/
This press release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to the the offering of Valour ETPs to clients of Onvista and Comdirect; the regulatory environment with respect to the growth and adoption of decentralized finance; the pursuit by Valour and its subsidiaries of business opportunities; and the merits or potential returns of any such opportunities. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved". Forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company, as the case may be, to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Such risks, uncertainties and other factors include, but is not limited the acceptance of Valour ETPs by exchanges; investor demand for Valour ETPs; growth and development of DeFi and cryptocurrency sector; rules and regulations with respect to DeFi and cryptocurrency; general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.
All information contained in this press release with respect to Valour, Comdirect and Onvista was supplied by the parties respectively for inclusion herein, and each party and its directors and officers have relied entirely on the other party for any information concerning the other party. Valour has not conducted due diligence on the information provided by Comdirect and Onvista and does not assume any responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of such information.
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SOURCE Valour, Inc. | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/08/18/valour-crypto-products-etps-available-clients-major-german-banks-comdirect-onvista/ | 2022-08-18T07:59:02Z |
HANGZHOU, China, Aug. 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- On August 15, Zylox-Tonbridge (2190.HK, "the Company") released its 2022 interim results.
The Company's revenue increased 113.7% YoY to RMB 1.53 billion in the first six months of 2022. The revenue of neurovascular interventional products business increased 160.1% YoY to RMB 1.12 billion, and the revenue of peripheral-vascular interventional products business increased 43.9% to RMB 0.41 billion. The gross profit of the Company reached RMB 1.15 billion, up 121.5% compared with a year earlier. The gross profit margin continues to improve and increased from 74.1% in 2021 to 75.6% in the first half of 2022.
Strong revenue and gross profit growth, together with increased other income led to the Company's net loss sharply decreasing by 63.4% compared with the same period in 2021. The Company also achieved a turnaround Non-IFRS adjusted net profit of RMB 8.64 million by excluding share-based compensation.
Beyond the outstanding financial results, the Company also achieved sound progress in product research and development. To date, the Company has a total of 17 products approved by the NMPA and eight products with CE Mark, as well as 13 products in the clinical trial stage and 11 products in the registration stage.
Dr. Johnathan Zhong Zhao, Founder & Chairman CEO of Zylox-Tonbridge, said, "In the first half of 2022, the Company managed to maintain robust growth and further improved operational efficiency in a challenging market environment, demonstrating our consistent efficient execution. We will continue to enhance our commercialization capability and focus on innovation, and leverage the advantages of our integrated R&D and manufacturing platforms to provide patients with more high-quality and affordable products."
The platform-based strategy highlights the advantages of efficiency
With the establishment of R&D and manufacturing platforms, the Company is accelerating product development and expanding its product portfolio to better respond to unmet clinical needs, providing patients with total solutions.
In April, the Company received NMPA approval for its Carotid Rx PTA Balloon Catheter and PTA Balloon Catheter-Large Diameter. These two new products are both developed and manufactured on the Company's leading balloon forming and manufacturing platform, on which the Company produced all balloon catheter products with consistent high quality and efficiency. Benefiting from that, these two products are well-received among physicians and patients as soon as they entered the market.
The Company's in-house R&D technology platforms also support and accelerate upgraded product development, such as Clot Retriever Device II, and the second generation UltraFree® DCB. Some of the upgraded products are expected to launch this year.
In terms of clinical trials, the Company successfully completed patient enrollment for clinical trials of three products as planned, including the studies of Flow Diverter, Intracranial Drug Coated Balloon Catheter, and Peripheral Detachable Embolization Coils. The Company also finished the 12-month follow-up for a clinical trial of Peripheral Venous Stent System.
Diversified commercialization accelerates market penetration
During the reporting period, the Company continued to speed up its commercialization by adjusting its sales and marketing strategies, such as organizing and participating in more online educational programs and meetings to promote academic communication with experts both at home and abroad.
At present, the Company has covered more than 2,300 hospitals in 31 provinces in China. Especially in lower-tier markets, the Company accelerated its penetration into hospitals, providing local patients with more quality and affordable products. The Company was actively responsive to the centralized procurement policy. In the current round of volume-based procurement for high value medical consumables in Jiangsu Province and Fujian Province, the Company has won both bids for neurovascular embolization coils product procurement.
With regards to the overseas market, the Company is stepping up the effort for product registration and commercialization, the Company's neurovascular embolization coils product has submitted applications for the CE Mark and FDA 510K registration.
Looking ahead to the second half of 2022, the Company believes that based on the approval and launch of more products, it will continue to play a leading role in the domestic market with its comprehensive product portfolio. The Company will also adhere to its original mission of providing high-quality and affordable products, establishing a leading platform for minimally invasive medical devices in China.
About Zylox-Tonbridge:
Zylox-Tonbridge is one of the leading players in the neuro- and peripheral-vascular interventional medical device market in China. The Company was founded in 2012 and is headquartered in Hangzhou, China.
As an integrated medical device company supported by our in-house R&D and manufacturing capabilities, proprietary technological platforms, and commercialization capabilities, we strive to provide patients with high-quality and affordable medical devices and services, so that everyone has access to the high-quality life brought by advanced medical technology.
For more information, please visit our official website:www.zyloxtb.com
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SOURCE ZYLOX-TONBRIDGE | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/08/18/zylox-tonbridge-maintains-strong-revenue-gross-profit-growth-including-gross-margin-improvement-driven-by-its-platform-based-strategy-1h22/ | 2022-08-18T07:59:08Z |
The notion of "beauty" can mean many different things to artists. For the Brothers Quay — identical-twin filmmakers — it often means dimly lit black and white images of animated dolls, screws, cogs — any manner of inanimate object brought to life. They're so good at it that fellow filmmaker Terry Gilliam called the Quays' Street of Crocodiles one of the best animated films of all time.
Timothy and Stephen Quay are American-born stop-motion animators who do most of their work in Europe. Their latest film brought them back to the U.S. — to the Mutter Museum in Philadelphia. The Mutter houses a collection of 19th century medical curiosities. The film brings to life the way medicine used to be, and the stories of the long-dead.
The Quays are lean, fashionable in a comfortable way, with long, graying hair. They're in their 60s but don't look it. It's hard to tell them apart, and they like it that way. To make the film, they turn a museum room into a darkened studio. They fill it ominously with the soundtrack from David Lynch's TV series, Twin Peaks, and they place museum specimens on a table under shimmering lights: a fetus in a jar, or a terrifying sort of metal plunger for removing kidney stones. At the start, they have no script, no storyline.
"What we most like are the accidents," they say. "They," because the brothers usually share sentences, one finishing what the other starts. They prefer to be undifferentiated.
"The accidents bend the direction of the film," they continue, "because the whole thing about this museum is discovering that one little kernel or that one strange event."
'Where Reality And Fiction Tremble With A Nice Favorable Wind'
They rotate and film the objects from different angles, conferring quietly, building mood. The Quays say this museum is both heart-rending and beautiful. Museums figure in their other films. For them, these places contain objects with occluded histories.
What we most like are the accidents. The accidents bend the direction of the film, because the whole thing about this museum is discovering that one little kernel or that one strange event.
Watching a Quay film is kind of like being in a museum, like looking at a diorama through a peephole. You might call it a dreamscape, but they say no, it's "crepuscular" — it's the slippery moment just after you wake up, between sleep and wakefulness.
"For us," says a brother, "it's always been the in-between world where it's an ambiguous state, and it hovers on, or shimmers in a kind of half-state. Maybe it's a little bit where reality and fiction tremble with a nice ..." He searches for the right word.
"Favorable wind," the other finishes with a laugh.
It's worth noting that the Quays usually keep lots of Belgian beer nearby when filming or doing interviews.
Before the Quays begin filming, they usually decide on the music and let it guide them. They say it "releases and closes down" images. Tim Nelson composed the music for the Mutter film.
"They're looking more for the moments where there might be something that sticks out," Nelson says, "that little sound there that might inspire a reflection off glass, or when a camera angle might change. They find the rhythms within the music."
And the music helps give meaning to the objects.
'Revealing The Hidden'
The Quays grew up near Philadelphia and studied art there before moving to England. They were invited back by Robert Hicks, who came to the Mutter Museum as its director two years ago with a mission — to open its collection to artists. Many came. But it was these painterly animators he really wanted.
"The Quay brothers are so good at revealing the hidden," he says, "at creating stories about the inner lives of overlooked or unusual things. They animate straight pins used in sewing; they animate puppets, screws, dust. They're particularly virtuosos at manipulating dust."
In fact, the brothers had visited the museum in their teens. So they knew about its bizarre offerings.
Anna Dhody, the museum's curator, is also a forensic scientist — she solves criminal mysteries based on bodies or bones. The Mutter's main exhibition hall has plenty of both — like the 139 human skulls on the wall. They're meant to show skeletal diversity among Europeans. Each has an identifying tag.
Dhody reads one tag: "Giza Hermenyi. Reformist herdsman. At age 70 attempted suicide by cutting his throat. Wound not fatal because of ossified larynx. Lived until 80 without melancholy."
In another cabinet, a skeleton stands erect, and looks very melancholy. There's something very wrong with the bones.
"This is Harry Eastlack," Dhody explains. "And Harry has something called fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva." As Eastlack aged, any bump or injury caused more bone to grow inside him — in places it shouldn't. "If you look at the ribs right here," she says, "you're going to see this sheeting action, almost like dripping down." It looks like icicles of bone. In the end, he could only move his lips. He died at 39 and asked that his skeleton stay at Mutter.
And Eastlack's story is how the Quays start their story. "Harry Eastlack is the one that we're sort of creating kind of a through line [with], but then there's other curves that kind of sweep in and intersect," the Quays say.
'We Never Walk Through The Front Door'
While the Brothers film in their studio, Dhody and director Hicks roam the museum's back rooms, gathering objects that have caught the brothers' fancy. Like a metal sculpture of a head. "It's called an 'eye phantom,' " Hicks explains. It's a 19th century metal sculpture with empty eye sockets. (See the second image in the slideshow above.) Students would place eyeballs in the sockets, and it's Dhody's job to do that for the Quays.
Scalpel in hand and bent over a lab table, she's "trimming" eyeballs. "What we're doing is prepping the eyeballs to get them into the eye phantom. And then I don't know what they are going to be doing." The eyeballs are from a cow, a sheep and a pig.
The eyes finally stay put and she presents the thing to the Quays. They stare for a while, then politely say, "Sorry, it doesn't quite work."
But they are taken with the 139 skulls. There are stories there, they say. "Every one of them had made a journey, and it's true. It's like, 'What would be the five lines that would describe each one of us — the trajectory of life?' "
"Yes, the trajectory of life, and how you end it."
"How you end it in this museum as well."
The filming takes several days. Only after, will the Quays shape the whole film.
"We never walk through the front door," says one. "We insist on coming through the side door or the back door. It's a bit like a plant growing in the sense you just keep it watered. It might grow three limbs on one side and only one on the other, but it will be striking or it will be special."
"Or a perversion," the other jokes.
The film is called Through the Weeping Glass: On the Consolations of Life Everlasting. It opens Sept. 22 in Philadelphia, then moves to the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. Unusually for a Quay film, there is narration, by the Shakespearean actor Sir Derek Jacobi. The first line of the film? "No child ever imagines the unimaginable. That he will end up as a skeleton."
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.keranews.org/2011-09-20/quays-focus-weeping-glass-on-the-mutter-museum | 2022-08-18T08:07:32Z |
Some of our best ideas supposedly come to us in the shower: a business to start, an industry to shake up. Or maybe not, says entrepreneur Eric Ries.
"When we're in the shower, when we're thinking about our idea — boy, does it sound brilliant. But the reality is that most of our ideas are actually terrible," he says. "But it's hard to know which are the brilliant ones, and which are the crazy ones, until we actually test them against reality."
Ries, who runs the popular blog Startup Lessons Learned, has sought to collect good ideas about how to start a business. And he describes them in his new book, The Lean Startup, about innovation in an evolving marketplace.
One of his suggestions is that it's OK to put a totally unfinished product out onto the market. And not only is that OK, he says — it's actually better.
"It's a really paradoxical thing," he says. "We want to think big, but start small. And then scale fast."
As an example, he cites Facebook, which has gone from obscurity to ubiquity in less than a decade.
"We have a tendency to see the world the way it is, and to think it will always be that way," Ries says. "Facebook actually faced very stiff competition from the now-forgotten market leaders at that time."
The social network service's strength, he says, is that it had the best growth model, one which allowed the company to surpass its rivals very quickly.
It's also easier to innovate at small companies that lack the rigorous planning of a large corporation, Ries says. And that holds true not just for startups in the tech world, but for entrepreneurs who have a great idea for a new product.
And these days, Ries says, young companies don't even have to build a factory to create their products — they can just take part in what he calls "the rentership of the means of production."
"Even if you want to build a physical device," he says, "you can just build a computer schematic of what you want, and there are manufacturers now who will send you a batch of, say, 40 of those, at a very low cost."
That process can allow young companies to compete with large, established corporations.
"The truth is, we actually have more stuff than we know what to do with," Ries says. "So, building more of it, more efficiently, actually doesn't help. We have to be focused on the efficiency with which we can test new ideas — to discover which are brilliant, and which are crazy."
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.keranews.org/2011-09-28/lean-startup-advice-think-big-start-small | 2022-08-18T08:07:38Z |
To read Harry Belafonte's new memoir, My Song, is to discover a man who has packed enough life for 10 people into 84 years. There's the smash hit from 1956, "Banana Boat Song." There's a film career that made great use of his matinee-idol looks. And then there's Harry Belafonte the activist.
In the 1960s, he was a confidant of Martin Luther King Jr.'s. By the '80s, he was helping organize "We Are the World," the anthem for famine relief in Africa.
For all his success, his path was not a sure one. The child of Jamaican immigrants, he had a beautiful voice that led him out of poverty and struggle. Belafonte never intended to be a performer. Back in the 1940s, he was a high school dropout in Harlem just glad to have a job that he made his own.
"Well, the job could not be considered artistic, but I did the job artistically," Belafonte says in an interview with Morning Edition host Renee Montagne. "I was a janitor's assistant. And I loved mopping the halls, and I tried to look a little like Charlie Chaplin on skates as I just rushed up and down the hallway with a wet mop, trying to take the boredom out of all day long mopping halls and hauling garbage and stoking furnaces. But it paid off, because one day I did a repair at a tenant's apartment and they gave me, as a gratuity, two tickets to a theater. So I went to this place, the American Negro Theater, and it was there that the universe opened for me.
"I was, first of all, touched by the silence of the people in the audience," Belafonte adds. "Everybody seemed so deeply reverential. I took my cue from that that something was up; something's coming. And when the curtain opened and the actors walked onstage, the evening overwhelmed me. And I decided with any device I could possibly find, I wanted to stay in this place. What I had discovered in the theater was power: power to influence, power to know of others and know of other things."
Between Harlem And Kingston
Born just eight days apart, Harry Belafonte and actor Sidney Poitier shared the silver screen and were both instrumental in the civil rights movement. But before that, they were sneaking into theaters on one ticket.
"You kept the stub," Belafonte says. "You walked in and one of us saw the first half. We'd give each other an update about what we just saw, and the lucky one got to see the second half. It was called 'sharing the burden and the joy.' "
Belafonte describes Poitier as his first friend in life, but they hadn't met until the age of 20.
"Well, my life was quite nomadic," Belafonte says. "I spent so much of my formative years traveling back and forth between the islands of the Caribbean and New York, where my mother resided. I was born in New York and my mother, with her away much of the time looking for work, that meant a lot of times that the children were left on their own. And that terrified her, so she took us back to the Caribbean. And for the next 12 years, I shuttled back and forth. I did not get rooted long enough to develop what many people have the joy of experiencing, and that is childhood friends."
Unexpected Songs Of Rebellion
In his memoir, Belafonte writes that the Kingston Street vendors would sing as they worked.
"The vendors used to sing those songs, baskets on their heads, and they'd call out the names of the things they were selling," Belafonte says, referring to "Banana Boat Song." He then sings: "Guava jelly, guava. Guava jelly, guava. Cheeeeese. Come and get as much as you please."
"Now, let me say this about the songs of the Caribbean — almost all black music is deeply rooted in metaphor," Belafonte says. "The only way that we could speak to the pain and the anguish of our experiences was often through how we codified our stories in the songs that we sang. And when I sing the 'Banana Boat Song,' the song is a work song. It's about men who sweat all day long, and they are underpaid, and they're begging the tallyman to come and give them an honest count — counting the bananas that I've picked, so I can be paid. And sometimes, when they couldn't get money, they'll give them a drink of rum. There's a lyric in the song that says, 'Work all night on a drink of rum.' People sing and delight and dance and love it, [but] they don't really understand unless they study the song that they're singing a work song that's a song of rebellion."
Belafonte has been an activist since the early days of the civil rights movement. In My Song, he recalls something his mother told him when he was 5. He calls it his "Rosebud moment."
"The severity of poverty kept us all deeply preoccupied with our survival," Belafonte says. "And nobody had survival skills and greater cunning than did my mother. She was tenacious about her dignity not being crushed. And one day she said to me — she was talking about coming back from the day when she couldn't find work — fighting back tears, she said, 'Don't ever let injustice go by unchallenged.' And that really became a deep part of my life DNA. A lot of people say to me, 'When as an artist did you decide to become an activist?' I say to them, 'I was long an activist before I became an artist.' "
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.keranews.org/2011-10-11/harry-belafonte-out-of-struggle-a-beautiful-voice | 2022-08-18T08:16:34Z |
It doesn't happen often, but there are times when a single book turns the world on its head. Isaac Newton's Principia unraveled the mystery of gravity. Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species explained how evolution worked.
But before either of these, there was On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres by Nicolaus Copernicus. It was published in 1543. In it, Copernicus made the astounding claim that Earth revolves around the sun, not the other way around.
In the year 1500, every learned person in Europe knew one thing for absolutely certain: The sun and the planets travel around Earth. All astronomy texts said so. The Bible said so. There was no doubt.
Oh, sure, there were a few bits of conflicting evidence. For example, the planets seem to move first one way and then the other in the sky. But never mind that. Earth was at the center of the universe. Period.
And then came Copernicus.
"He put the Earth, which had forever been considered the immobile center of the universe, he spun it on an axis and had it moving around the sun," says Dava Sobel, author of A More Perfect Heaven: How Copernicus Revolutionized the Cosmos. Although the idea that the sun, not Earth, was at the center of things was outrageous, it did solve the problem of the planets appearing to move backward.
"If you have the Earth in motion, then you can show that that strange backward drift of some of the planets is a result of the Earth moving faster and overtaking them on an inside track so that they look like they're stopping and moving backward," she says.
Today, every kid in school learns that Earth goes around the sun. In 1510, it was a hard concept to grasp.
It went against everything that your senses tell you. It went against common sense, it went against your feeling that certainly the ground underneath you is not moving, is not spinning around.
"It went against everything that your senses tell you. It went against common sense, it went against your feeling that certainly the ground underneath you is not moving, is not spinning around," says Sobel.
Violating common sense wasn't the only problem in the 16th century with a theory that called for Earth to move. "There was a biblical prejudice against the Earth's motion. And Copernicus really worried about that," says Sobel.
It might have been that worry that caused Copernicus to delay publication for three decades. It might have been fear of ridicule for his crazy ideas. But apart from some correspondence with other astronomers, Copernicus kept his theories to himself.
That changed when he received a visit from Rheticus, a young German mathematician. Rheticus had heard of Copernicus' theories and was inspired to make the arduous and risky journey to Poland to meet the aging astronomer. Sobel's book contains a play imagining how Rheticus convinced Copernicus to share his theories with the world.
On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres was finally published in 1543, and nobody seemed too upset. "Copernicus' ideas were already being taught in the universities in the 16th century," says Robert Westman, a historian of science at the University of California, San Diego, and a visiting fellow at the Huntington Library. "But they were taught and immediately dismissed as absurd."
Westman, author of The Copernican Question: Prognostication, Skepticism, and Celestial Order, says it took awhile for scholars to accept Copernicus' ideas. "I venture to say there's nobody around who accepts Copernicus' theory today because they've read his book. It's a very unfriendly book. And even in the 16th century, it was seen to be difficult to read."
Galileo, not Copernicus, took the heat for insisting Earth was in motion, not fixed at the center of the solar system.
Westman says any sophisticated scientific argument that seems to defy common sense will be hard for nonscientists to accept. Take the strange weather patterns we're beginning to see around the world. How does a nonscientist decide if that's related at all to climate change?
"It depends on which authorities you trust," says Westman. "If you trust the scientific community, then you might be willing to say it has something to do with global warming. But it's not because you go to your laboratory and do experiments."
While the public debate over global warming continues, the debate over Copernicus' theories is long over. In fact, his book is regarded as a global treasure. If you want to buy a first edition for your home library, it will cost you about $2 million.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.keranews.org/2011-11-07/for-copernicus-a-perfect-heaven-put-sun-at-center | 2022-08-18T08:37:58Z |
From Mauna Kea, the the decades long waiting list for Hawaiian homestead land, it's a pivotal time in the Native Hawaiian community.
It was against that backdrop that there were two big Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) races on the ballot this past Saturday during the state's primary election.
For the Oahu Resident Trustee race, incumbent Kalei Akaka, the granddaughter of the late U.S. Senator Daniel Akaka won in a landslide with 56% of the vote over her nearest opponent.
There was also a race for the at-large Trustee seats. 6 candidates advanced to the general election, where voters will choose the top 3 candidates to win seats.
The top six vote-getters to advance to November are former State Sen. Brickwood Galuteria, John Waihee IV, Lei Ahu Isa, former football player Chad Owens, Keoni Souza, and Sam King.
But turnout in both races was low - 42% of voters in the Oahu trustee race and 46% of voters in the at-large race simply left their ballots blank.
Galuteria is hoping to improve those numbers in November. "Take a look at the ballot, study everybody on the ballot and vote with your heart because everyone has a Hawaiian heart at the end of the day," he says.
The reasons for the blank votes are many - some voters are more interested in bigger races at the top of the ticket like Governor and U.S. House. Some aren't informed about the candidates and issues. And there's also debate about whether non-Hawaiians should vote in OHA races.
It's a touchy subject. Although all registered voters regardless of their ethnic background can vote in OHA races, some wonder whether non-kanaka should have say.
Kumu Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu says it's a difficult balancing act - fighting for her community and candidates who support Native Hawaiian interests, but also realizing it's in everyone's hands and that native Hawaiians are a minority in their own state.
"Any support that we get even from outside the Hawaiian community I believe we should have, and we should have, and I believe we should work hard to try and secure," she says.
She's hoping that within the limits of the current system, all voters will do their homework and support candidates that give the Hawaiian community a seat at the table.
"Everyone has to step up and all of us, kanaka, kama'aina, and malihini as well need to give more credence to the place of my people in our own home," she says.
Do you have a story idea? Email news tips to news@kitv.com
Tom anchors Good Morning Hawaii weekends and reports for KITV4. He comes to Hawaii after reporting in Nevada, Oklahoma and Georgia. Tom is a proud Terp, graduating from the University of Maryland in 2012. | https://www.kitv.com/news/large-number-of-voters-leave-office-of-hawaiian-affairs-races-blank/article_2aa50182-1ecc-11ed-8731-df46a7e34d45.html | 2022-08-18T08:41:02Z |
HONOLULU (KITV4) -- After remaining nearly COVID-free during the pandemic, the Marshall Islands, a Pacific island nation with a population of about 60,000, is now facing its first major outbreak.
Before the current surge, the country reported just 60 cases over the past two and a half years.
Now, more than 6,000 people have tested positive, with more than 1,100 cases in just the past 24-hours.
O'ahu resident Nikki Landry has family in the country's capital, Majuro, hit hardest by the surge.
"There is a large Marshallese population here on O'ahu," said Landry. "We've noticed that many of them have been at the post office the last week or two mailing off packages and that can get expensive so, if you have a marshallese friend or family that lives here, we'd ask that you help them cover shipping costs, or ask what you could donate to them to ship to their family."
Landry's been shipping supplies like masks, hand sanitizer, children's tylonal, and at home COVID tests to the Marshall Islands.
She encourages others to do the same.
The country's secretary of health and human services, Jack Niedenthal, has been posting updates on Facebook, including daily case counts, and where to send donations.
In Hawaii, drop-off donations are being accepted at the Mililani Baptist Church, Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. | https://www.kitv.com/news/marshall-islands-face-first-covid-outbreak-heres-how-hawaii-can-help/article_0136cf90-1ebf-11ed-9907-ff15e415a1d4.html | 2022-08-18T08:41:08Z |
Despite decades of repression, and even isolation, the pop music scene in Myanmar is thriving. And it's not just any pop music: In many cases, carbon copies of American pop songs spring up with a Burmese twist.
Heather MacLachlan, a music professor at the University of Dayton, traveled to Myanmar a few years ago to study the country's traditional music, only to discover that most people were listening to pop. She writes about the phenomenon in her new book, Burma's Pop Music Industry: Creators, Distributors, Censors.
"A lot of Burmese people — and musicians especially — when they talk about what is a good song, what is a quality piece of work, what they say is, 'It's a song that sells a lot, a song that's commercially successful,' " MacLachlan says in an interview with NPR's Guy Raz. "That's how they judge artistic quality. So they know as well as everybody else that the best-selling music in the world comes out of the American and British pop-music industries. That's the music that they've very much taken to themselves, and it has become something that's really part of Burmese life since the early 1970s."
These bands do write original material, but the "copy songs" often feature different lyrics to subversively spread political messages.
"They sometimes write lyrics that are rather poetic, and they use different kinds of metaphors that can be interpreted as undermining the regime," MacLachlan says. "But they have to be very subtle because, of course, the music is censored and the censors immediately ban any kind of music that is overtly pro-democracy."
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.keranews.org/2011-12-01/shakira-and-collective-souls-hits-with-a-burmese-twist | 2022-08-18T08:51:01Z |
Jazz has long been a staple of European television programming. American musicians on tour frequently turn up on the tube, caught live or in a studio. That's partly because such shows are relatively cheap to produce, and because jazz makes for good cultural programming.
On two energetic sets with Art Taylor on drums, you can watch amazing tenor saxophonist Johnny Griffin do two things he loved: playing at a crazy fast tempo, and then quoting a nursery rhyme as if it's all child's play. Griffin was on a festival stage in Provence at the time, wearing a stylish paisley sorta-dashiki — stylish for 1971. It's in a new box set in the Jazz Icons series: six DVDs shot for French TV between 1959 and '73, mostly in black and white. The John Coltrane and Art Blakey volumes are kinescopes: filmed images taken from video monitors. The rest were transferred directly from video.
John Coltrane headlines the new Jazz Icons DVD release, with a 1965 appearance by his classic quartet on the Riviera. If it doesn't seem so explosive, that's partly because Coltrane didn't move much when he played, no matter how passionate the music, and because his mid-'60s activities are so extensively documented. But you do get abridged live versions of music from Coltrane's then-recent albums A Love Supreme and Ascension.
For visual thrills, nothing in the new batch beats Rahsaan Roland Kirk's 1972 museum gig. It's fascinating to see the logistics of his playing several horns at the same time. He'll blow three saxes or two flutes at once, or play recorder with his nose and panpipes with his mouth. He'll finger tenor sax with one hand while clamping hi-hat cymbals with the other, or play two saxes while circular breathing so he doesn't have to come up for air. He can sound a little wheezy, like a bagpipe running down. But Kirk gets some wonderful frictive sounds, all the spectacle aside.
Some jazz people still detest the 1970s, when electric instruments became common and established stars began or kept on getting funky. But even skeptics might want to look at trumpeter Freddie Hubbard's 1973 French concert, with George Cables on electric piano and a little boogaloo in the beat. This tough quintet is a perfect setting for the trumpeter's swagger. You have to keep reminding yourself that this stuff was supposed to be destroying jazz.
The new Jazz Icons DVDs also include Art Blakey in 1959 with young lions Lee Morgan on trumpet and Wayne Shorter on saxophone, and Thelonious Monk playing a rare solo piano gig in 1969. Those two are notable not just for the music, but for bonus interview segments shot for French TV. The raw footage of Monk's interview is excruciatingly priceless: The pianist is in a cooperative mood, but the host keeps interrupting him, making him repeat his answers over and over, until he tells his interrogator exactly what he wants to hear; it's a mini Samuel Beckett play. It's always great to see Monk at work, with his idiosyncratic hands-low-to-the-keyboard attack — even if the camera is always pointed elsewhere when he miraculously bends notes on piano, just when you want to study his fingers. Eh, that's a quibble. There's plenty of good music in the new Jazz Icons box — good music to see and hear.
Copyright 2022 Fresh Air. To see more, visit Fresh Air. | https://www.keranews.org/2011-12-06/thelonious-monk-and-more-jazz-icons-on-screen | 2022-08-18T08:51:07Z |
There's a nice contrast among the three quintets heard on Dave Douglas' Three Views, sketching out some of his interests. There's no overlapping repertoire or personnel. The Orange Afternoons session features the elastic rhythm trio of pianist Vijay Iyer, Linda Oh on bass and drummer Marcus Gilmore. The trumpeter shares the front line with slinky tenor saxophonist Ravi Coltrane.
These programs are kept short, averaging about 40 minutes each, like an LP. Dave Douglas says they're meant to recall the informal albums jazz musicians recorded in the 1950s. But these sessions don't sound like one-day quickies, no matter how fast they came together.
The most seasoned of the three quintets in Douglas' new box is Brass Ecstasy, a sort of pocket edition of the late trumpeter Lester Bowie's Brass Fantasy. It even has Brass Fantasy alums Vincent Chancey on French horn, trombonist Luis Bonilla and tuba piledriver Marcus Rojas. But this quintet has its own blend — one you can't build in a day. It's a great setting for the leader's trumpet; his ripe tone sounds gorgeous, rising out of the pack.
I like the way the trio of CDs in Three Views set each other off. A standard jazz quintet is flanked a session for trumpet and four percussion called Bad Mango, and one for drums and four brass. These bands mostly play new material; one exception is Brass Ecstasy's nice reading of Billy Strayhorn's ballad "Lush Life." There's also a deluxe edition of the box that comes with a flash drive including sheet music and video and such — for the superfans. But this music stands up fine all by itself.
Copyright 2022 Fresh Air. To see more, visit Fresh Air. | https://www.keranews.org/2011-12-14/three-views-of-trumpeter-dave-douglas | 2022-08-18T08:51:13Z |
Mom fatally shot home intruder to defend kids, she says
MILWAUKEE (WTMJ) - A family of three is now traumatized after they say a strange man broke into their home, and the mother fatally shot him while defending her children, she claims.
A mother of two, who asked not to be identified, was showering before work Monday morning when she heard her children, ages 12 and 14, screaming from the living room.
Still dripping wet, she says she ran to her bedroom, grabbed her gun and faced down a strange man, who she claims broke into her home. She says the man charged, undeterred by her dogs, and she shot him in self-defense.
“It all happened so fast — an adrenaline rush,” she said.
Community activist Bushraa Rahman helped clean up the home after authorities removed the body.
“She was scared because her children were there with her. So, she did what any mother would do. She defended her children,” Rahman said. “It was an act of self-defense.”
Police have not identified the man. The mother says he appeared to be in his late 30s and was acting erratically.
Following the shooting, police arrested the mother then released her several hours later after questioning. They referred the case to the district attorney’s office for review.
“In today’s day and age, with mental health and everything else that’s taking place in the world, I mean, you better protect yourself. To be honest, you have to,” Rahman said.
The mother says her children are traumatized after the incident, and the family intends to move out once they find a new place to live.
She says she bought the gun 10 years ago after finding a man sleeping under her son’s bed. She says she hoped she’d never have to use it.
Copyright 2022 WTMJ via CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | https://www.wvva.com/2022/08/18/mom-fatally-shot-home-intruder-defend-kids-she-says/ | 2022-08-18T08:53:46Z |
Mom fatally shot home intruder to defend kids, she says
MILWAUKEE (WTMJ) - A family of three is now traumatized after they say a strange man broke into their home, and the mother fatally shot him while defending her children, she claims.
A mother of two, who asked not to be identified, was showering before work Monday morning when she heard her children, ages 12 and 14, screaming from the living room.
Still dripping wet, she says she ran to her bedroom, grabbed her gun and faced down a strange man, who she claims broke into her home. She says the man charged, undeterred by her dogs, and she shot him in self-defense.
“It all happened so fast — an adrenaline rush,” she said.
Community activist Bushraa Rahman helped clean up the home after authorities removed the body.
“She was scared because her children were there with her. So, she did what any mother would do. She defended her children,” Rahman said. “It was an act of self-defense.”
Police have not identified the man. The mother says he appeared to be in his late 30s and was acting erratically.
Following the shooting, police arrested the mother then released her several hours later after questioning. They referred the case to the district attorney’s office for review.
“In today’s day and age, with mental health and everything else that’s taking place in the world, I mean, you better protect yourself. To be honest, you have to,” Rahman said.
The mother says her children are traumatized after the incident, and the family intends to move out once they find a new place to live.
She says she bought the gun 10 years ago after finding a man sleeping under her son’s bed. She says she hoped she’d never have to use it.
Copyright 2022 WTMJ via CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | https://www.whsv.com/2022/08/18/mom-fatally-shot-home-intruder-defend-kids-she-says/ | 2022-08-18T09:03:43Z |
The South Carolina primary is a week from Saturday. Before then, voters there can expect to be inundated with ads attacking Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney and his role in Bain Capital.
"We made a $3.4 million ad buy in South Carolina, which is fairly significant," says Rick Tyler, senior adviser to the pro-Newt Gingrich superPAC Winning Our Future.
"Fairly significant" hardly does justice to the superPAC's plan.
If all of that money were spent on 30-second spots, the average TV viewer in the Palmetto State would sit through 70 messages slashing at the legacy of Bain Capital — like this one.
Tyler is a longtime aide to Gingrich. So are others at the helm of Winning Our Future. As a superPAC, it's supposed to be independent of Gingrich's campaign. But they consciously try to deliver the message he wants voters to hear.
In this case, as Tyler puts it, "People who think they know Mitt Romney should think again."
From all indications, Gingrich's campaign cannot afford this kind of advertising blitz. It definitely couldn't take a single contribution of $5 million to pay for one. But that's what Winning Our Future did. The money came from Las Vegas casino magnate Sheldon Adelson.
He had already given the legal limit to Gingrich's campaign. But under the Supreme Court's Citizens United ruling, and other recent changes in the law, Adelson can give as much as he wants to a superPAC like Winning Our Future.
Adelson made most of his money in casinos. He bought the Sands in Las Vegas, then imploded it to rebuild bigger. He now has huge resorts in Singapore and Macao. In 2010, he told the CNBC show Managing Asia that he intends to keep going.
"I believe there's enough room in Asia, not just China but all over Asia, for five to 10 Las Vegases," he said at the time.
The growth is not without controversy. The Securities and Exchange Commission and the Justice Department are both investigating allegations of corruption at those developments.
Now all you have to do, as a person with lots of money, is write the check.
Adelson is solidly Republican and generous with his checkbook. He's on the board of the Republican Jewish Coalition and is a hard-liner on protecting Israel. He's a fan, and a friend, of Gingrich, the former House speaker and current Republican presidential candidate.
Adelson and his wife, Miriam, were the biggest backers of Gingrich's old political organization, American Solutions for Winning the Future. They gave it nearly $8 million. But with this contribution to the superPAC, Adelson single-handedly has given Gingrich's presidential bid new life beyond Tuesday's New Hampshire primary.
Big donors have always been able to shovel money into presidential elections, but superPACs run by professionals make it much easier.
"Now all you have to do, as a person with lots of money, is write the check," says Bob Biersack, a senior fellow at the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics, which tracks political money.
Biersack says the ties between a superPAC and a candidate make it a straightforward proposition for the donor.
"There isn't much ambiguity about how this money will be used," he says. "And while that may or may not have been true in the past, it's certainly true today."
So Gingrich can now hope his superPAC will cripple Romney, just the way Romney's superPAC cripplied Gingrich last month.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.keranews.org/2012-01-09/5-million-check-from-casino-magnate-gives-pro-gingrich-superpac-a-big-boost | 2022-08-18T09:04:03Z |
It's 4 o'clock on a Thursday, and instead of sitting in front of computer screens, a group of software engineers and customer service reps from M5 Networks is in the middle of band practice.
M5 is a telecom company based in New York City that offers Internet phone services. But it offers something else for its employees: At the Rochester, N.Y., office of M5, workers are gearing up for a companywide battle of the bands against other branches.
"The great thing about this program is that you're required to learn something new," says Myriah Marsh, the Rochester office manager who's learning how to play the bass.
"I have small hands so they don't really want to cooperate with me. So it's just a matter of getting my fingers used to it and developing that muscle memory," Marsh says of her new instrument.
Marsh is one of about two dozen Rochester employees participating in the music program, known as "M5 Rocks." Bands of about four or five co-workers get together every week to work through covers of rock songs, and the only rule is you can't play an instrument you already know how to play.
Learning New Tricks
Ivan Trevino, an educator from Rochester's Hochstein School of Music, is in charge of band practice. He says the folks from M5 are model students. "They're at work all day, so for them to take a break and do something different, they're usually pretty happy to be there," he says.
Trevino says the school of rock for grown-ups is a first for Hochstein. It all stems from a meeting with the founder of M5's Rochester office, Phelim White.
"The way he put it was really intriguing," Trevino says. "He said, 'We want our employees to continue to learn new things.' "
A driving force behind the music program, White is a musician himself — he was a drummer in a few bands that toured his native Ireland and then later the United States.
White says most people don't want to learn something new they're really insecure about. But the founders of M5 met while playing music, and company CEO Dan Hoffman says he's long wanted to find a way to incorporate the ethos of a rock band into his growing telecom business.
M5 execs say the program is about more than just finding time to jam. There's no better way to build a team than to start a band, White says.
"[There's] the accounting person getting together with an engineer and a sales guy — all these different departments coming together as a band — as a unit — and learning how to be great together," he says.
'Happy Colleagues, Happy Customers'
That's not just lip service, White says — M5 is all about providing businesses with telecom services they will love. The company has about 2,000 client companies nationwide and is a leader in cloud-based phone services.
Ultimately, White says, M5 Rocks is about enhancing the bottom line.
"Happy colleagues, happy customers, right?" he says. "If you're going to have a commitment to your customers loving your service, the first commitment has to be to the staff."
That companywide commitment leads to one big event this coming May: M5's 12th-birthday bash in New York City. The centerpiece is a battle of the bands that pits M5 offices in Rochester, Chicago and Manhattan against each other in friendly competition.
Bands will take the stage in front of an audience of about 2,000 that will include colleagues, customers and even prospective clients.
Copyright 2012 WXXI News | https://www.keranews.org/2012-01-09/hard-days-delight-a-school-of-rock-at-the-office | 2022-08-18T09:04:10Z |
Amid a flurry of connected-auto news, NPR announced today that its mobile news application will now connect with Ford's SYNC AppLink.
What does that mean? We'll, it means in certain Ford vehicles you will be able to control the NPR News app using your voice. It means you don't have to reach for the dial or look at your smartphone, instead you can just ask the app to, for example, play WNYC or play Car Talk. And, as is the case with the current NPR News app for iPhones and Androids, all NPR programs are available on-demand.
The news came in conjunction with Ford's announcement that it was expanding the number of apps that worked with its system. And, as USA Today reported a few days ago, it will also be followed by announcements about new "in-car infotainment" from Mercedes-Benz and Kia, which will reveal the first apps to work with their cars during the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
The paper adds:
"As revolutions go, this one started fitfully with just a handful of apps. Drivers can activate the car's controls to make dinner reservations through Toyota's Entune system or use the car's voice-command system to select music over Ford Sync. But the number of available apps is expected to multiply to dozens or perhaps hundreds over the next few years, just as they proliferated for Apple's iPhone or Google's Android smartphones.
"'It's much more about extending the digital lifestyle to the vehicle,' says Thilo Koslowski, automotive practice leader for Gartner, a research and consulting company. The car becomes 'the ultimate mobile device.'"
As far as the NPR app, in a press release CEO Gary Knell says this advancement is "helping to usher in a new era of radio listening..." According to an Arbitron & Edison study cited in the press release, the time people spent listening to online radio jumped 49 percent in the last three years.
All that aside, we think the coolest thing is that Carl Kasell helps you navigate through the app.
If you still want to know more, NPR put together an explainer video that features Audie Cornish and Scott Simon:
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.keranews.org/2012-01-09/news-from-ces-some-ford-vehicles-will-give-drivers-voice-control-of-nprs-app | 2022-08-18T09:04:16Z |
The central argument of Republican Mitt Romney's presidential campaign is that he understands how the economy works — thanks to his business background — in a way that President Obama does not.
Democrats have been challenging the former Massachusetts governor's claim that the private equity firm he founded helped to create more than 100,000 jobs. Now, some of Romney's Republican rivals are raising questions of their own.
Randy Johnson worked at a paper company in Indiana that was bought and later shut down by Romney's investment firm, Bain Capital. Johnson has traipsed around Iowa and New Hampshire this winter telling anyone who will listen that Bain is not the unblemished job-generating engine that Romney makes it out to be.
"They bought my plant in '94. And then in 2000, they let Ampad go bankrupt and they made $100 million," he says. "Now tell me what's right. There's something wrong with that."
Johnson and other paper workers began shadowing Romney when he ran for the U.S. Senate in 1994, and their complaints about Bain Capital's treatment contributed to Romney's loss that year.
Under Fire
Now that Romney is on a roll, some of his fellow Republicans are taking up the workers' charge. On Monday, Texas Gov. Rick Perry accused Romney of "looting" two South Carolina companies that Bain invested in. And a superPAC supporting former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is promoting a new video alleging that Romney grew wealthy in part by sacrificing U.S. workers.
Romney continues to share in Bain's profits, though he left the firm more than a decade ago. Asked about these charges during an ABC debate last weekend, Romney defended his work with Bain Capital.
"This is a free-enterprise system. We don't need government to come in and tell us how to make businesses work," he said. "We need people with passion, willing to take risks and help turn things around. And where that works, you create jobs."
Romney insists that Bain's investments helped create more than 100,000 jobs, even if you subtract the workers who were laid off to cut costs or because a business failed. He routinely cites successful companies that were backed by Bain, such as Staples, Sports Authority and Domino's Pizza, which together employ more than 100,000 people. But Romney has been less forthcoming about jobs that were cut on Bain's watch.
Some Jobs Lost
This weekend, for example, he pointed to the Steel Dynamics company of Indiana as one that grew thanks to Bain's investment. He did not mention a century-old steel plant in Kansas City where 750 workers lost their jobs. Donny Box was one of them. He had spent 32 years at the plant as a maintenance millwright.
"You've got a piece of equipment out in the mill that broke down, that was my expertise," he says. "I'd go out there and keep the mill running. And the guys that worked out there on the production plant, these guys' jobs were to put steel out the end of the door.
"And that's what we did as good or better than anybody else in the United States, right up to the day they shuttered the plant."
The plant closed in 2001. It was a tough time for the steel industry, and many plants shut down. But Box says Romney's company didn't help, by taking on so much debt.
"These people that have never produced one thing in their lives, other than shuffle one pile of money into the next pile of money," he says. "What do they know about reality?"
Jobs A 'Byproduct'
Workers lost severance pay and health insurance, and saw their pensions cut. But Bain still walked away with millions of dollars in profit. According to the Los Angeles Times, four of the top 10 companies Bain invested in on Romney's watch ultimately filed for bankruptcy. Bain still made a profit on three of them.
"It's a wonderful business in good times, and it's a pretty good business in bad times," says Howard Anderson, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who has followed Bain's business for years.
"What Bain Capital was in the business of doing was increasing the wealth of their investors," he says. "In some cases, it meant expanding companies and growing. In some cases, they may have eliminated jobs. Job growth was never the goal. Job growth was the byproduct."
Bain's success gave Romney a personal fortune and a campaign storyline. Some of the workers who were left behind are now giving his opponents ammunition.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.keranews.org/2012-01-09/rivals-attack-romneys-record-at-bain-capital | 2022-08-18T09:04:22Z |
Dirty words return to the usually staid Supreme Court Tuesday. For a second time in three years, the justices are hearing arguments about a Federal Communications Commission regulation adopted during the Bush administration that allows the agency to punish broadcasters with stiff fines for the fleeting use of vulgar language.
In 1978, the Supreme Court ruled that broadcasters could be punished for airing sexual and excretory expletives during prime time when children are more likely to be watching. But that was then and this is now. Then, a handful of TV networks were the sole purveyors of TV fare, and now there are hundreds of TV channels.
Today's case involves yet another change. Even after the Supreme Court's 1978 ruling, the FCC regulated with a relatively light hand, punishing only repeated use of vulgar language.
Background
Then in 2003, singer Bono used the F-word at the Golden Globe Awards ceremony in expressing how delighted he was to win. That was apparently the straw that broke the Bush administration's back, and the FCC adopted a new, more punitive approach. It started fining broadcasters for even fleeting and isolated use of vulgar language.
The test case was the Billboard Awards broadcast a year earlier by Fox. Singer Cher accepted her prize by saying, "I've also had critics for the last 40 years saying that I was on my way out every year. So f- - - 'em."
The FCC cited Fox for indecency, and the network went to court, claiming unconstitutional punishment of speech and a violation of the laws governing how agency rules are made. When the Supreme Court ruled on the case in 2009, the court voted 5 to 4 to uphold the penalty, basing its decision on administrative law. But the justices ducked the censorship issue, specifically reserving it for another day.
That day has now come. The case is back before the court after a federal appeals court in New York said the lines drawn by the FCC cannot be justified in today's multichannel world, and that the rule amounts to discrimination based on the content of the speech. The Obama administration appealed that ruling, leading to Tuesday's arguments, which very likely will mirror parts of the arguments two years ago.
Previous Court Decision
Last time, for instance, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg noted that the FCC had not fined the networks for airing Saving Private Ryan, even though the movie is filled with expletives, but a PBS documentary about jazz was punished because some of the musicians interviewed used expletives.
"One of the problems," said Ginsburg, "is that, seeing [the rule] in operation, there seems to be no rhyme or reason for some of the decisions that the commission has made."
Chief Justice John Roberts observed that under the commission's rule, it could punish the network for airing Cher's comment during the live broadcast, but it would not punish the network for reporting her comment on the morning news. He also questioned the efficacy of the FCC rule in a multimedia era.
But the Bush administration's solicitor general, Greg Garre, replied that under the court's precedents, broadcasting is unlike other media outlets and subject to a different standard.
Justice John Paul Stevens, who wrote the 1975 precedent, interjected at that point. "Wasn't the rationale for the lesser standard largely the scarcity of the frequencies?" he asked.
Context Matters
Then-Solicitor General Garre responded, "Broadcast TV is, as Congress designed that to be, the one place where Americans can turn on the TV at 8 o'clock and watch their dinner and not be expected to be bombarded with indecent language."
It would be a remarkable thing, he said, to adopt the world that the networks are asking for, "where the networks are free to use expletives ... 24 hours a day, going from the extreme example of Big Bird dropping the F-bomb on Sesame Street, to the example of using that word during Jeopardy! or opening the episode of American Idol."
Carter Phillips, the lawyer who represented the broadcasters, got significant blowback from some of the court's conservatives. Chief Justice Roberts strongly suggested that context matters, especially when the viewers are children.
"It's one thing to use the word in, say, Saving Private Ryan, when your arm gets blown off," said the chief justice. "It's another thing to do it when you are standing up at an awards ceremony."
Phillips responded with incredulity. "You can't seriously believe that the average 9-year-old, first of all, [won't be] more horrified by the arm being blown off."
The chief justice replied that in the Cher case, the swearword is completely gratuitous, and in the Saving Private Ryan case, it is not.
A decision in the Fox indecency case is expected by summer.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.keranews.org/2012-01-09/supreme-court-to-consider-fcc-indecency-case | 2022-08-18T09:04:28Z |
Starting in 2012, health insurance plans in Texas — and most of the rest of the country — may have to cough up millions of dollars in rebates to customers.
The rebates will come from health plans that spend too much on administrative costs instead of medical care. The change is part of the national health overhaul law, the Affordable Care Act.
But state officials in Texas and 16 other states have asked to push back the requirement for a few years.
Bob Vesey owns Packtech, a foam fabrication company that he started in 2003 in Grand Prairie, Texas, a town near Dallas. The small company has only three employees, and Vesey and his wife have to buy their own health insurance on the individual market.
Currently the couple pays $784 a month to Blue Cross Blue Shield, but the premium keeps going up every year, sometimes twice a year. "Right now I get these letters. I cringe every time I get an envelope from BCBS," Vesey says.
Vesey has his eye on the insurance rebate provision of the Affordable Care Act called the medical loss ratio, or MLR. In a nutshell, the MLR requires insurance companies to spend at least 80 percent of what they take in on actual medical care or quality improvement. The other 20 percent can go to overhead and profit.
"That's reasonable in the mind of any Texan I've ever met," says Blake Hutson, an advocate with Consumers Union in Austin, Texas. "And that 20 percent, you can go keep spending 20 percent on your administrative overhead, which is things like lobbying or paying CEO salaries. They can still spend money on those things, but they've just got to give us a baseline. They've got to give us 80 percent of our premiums on actual health care."
Insurance companies that now exceed the 20 percent mark for overhead expenditures will have to rebate an estimated $160 million next year to Texans who buy insurance on their own.
Vesey says he'd welcome that: "That would be wonderful. At least you'd know." Without the rebates, Vesey says he and his wife will only get relief after they get on Medicare.
But the Texas Department of Insurance has asked the federal government for a delay on the rebate plan. Under the Texas proposal, insurance companies would have three years to reach that 80/20 ratio. The state told the federal Department of Health and Human Services that the phase-in of the rebate program is necessary to prevent smaller companies from leaving Texas or going out of business.
The Texas Department of Insurance declined to comment for this story.
Robert Zirkelbach, spokesman for America's Health Insurance Plans, the national lobbying group for insurance companies, says that the new regulation tries to make insurers responsible for rising premiums, when really the problem lies with doctors, hospitals, and drug and device companies.
"The biggest issue is it doesn't get at the soaring cost of medical care," he says. "And instead it imposes a new arbitrary cap on health plan administrative costs. Some plans may have no choice but to exit the market altogether, and people could lose the coverage they have today."
More than 30 companies offer individual insurance in Texas. In contrast, Maine, the first state to win approval for its application to waive the requirement, has only three companies in its insurance market.
Consumer advocates say that even if a few Texas companies do drop coverage, it'll be less of a threat and more like good riddance.
Take, for example, Standard Life and Casualty Insurance. That company spends only 53 percent of premiums on medical care, with the rest going to overhead and profit, according to the state documents filed with the feds.
"I think [it] would surprise some Texas consumers that we have some plans out there that offer that little value," says Stacey Pogue of the Center for Public Policy Priorities in Austin. "The new rules that are put out would end business as usual for these types of low-value health plans, and that benefits all consumers."
Standard Life and Casualty did not respond to requests for comment.
For their part, Texas' Democratic representatives in Congress have sided with the consumer advocates, encouraging HHS to turn down the Texas request for a delay.
Austin Rep. Lloyd Doggett, who chairs the Texas Democratic delegation, disparaged the state's move as "nothing more than an early Christmas gift from Gov. Perry's allies to insurance companies."
Seventeen states asked the federal government for relief from the new 80 percent rule. The feds analyzed their insurance markets; six states were granted permission to phase-in the new rule gradually. But eight states were turned down. A decision on the Texas request is expected any day now.
This story by Carrie Feibel is part of a reporting partnership that includes KUHF, NPR and Kaiser Health News.
Copyright 2022 Kaiser Health News. To see more, visit Kaiser Health News. | https://www.keranews.org/2012-01-09/texas-asks-feds-to-delay-health-insurance-rebate-plan | 2022-08-18T09:04:34Z |
Aside from watching all of the new shows on TV, many people in the New Year will hit the gym, and we're doing our part to help. For the next couple of weeks, we're asking athletes, actors and others what music gets them moving.
"Physical" has been a gym-goer's favorite for decades, but Olivia Newton-John says it didn't start out that way.
"When the song came out — I recorded it, thought it was a great song and then had a panic attack, and then called my manager and said, 'You can't put this out! It's too over the top; it's too risque,'" Newton-John says. "He said, 'It's too late, it's gone to radio.' So then I said, 'Well, you know what I think? We need to make it more about exercise and take away from the naughtiness.' But, of course, that made it even naughtier."
So, what does Newton-John listen to to get her going? Well, it's not "Physical." She says listening to her own songs would be weird. Besides, she doesn't even exercise to music. It turns out that CNN and The History Channel make her "get physical."
"I have a home gym, so I get on my treadmill and put on the television," Newton-John says. "So that's when I catch up on the news or a documentary or something."
Being a good sport, Newton-John did pick out three songs for us that get her up and moving. She said "Brown Sugar" by The Rolling Stones would be one of her picks. "Always love that," she says. "Every time that comes on I'm in a club I have to get up." She also mentioned another Stones song: "Honky Tonk Woman." And she chose a more contemporary song — the Black Eyed Peas' "I Got a Feeling" — as her final pick.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.keranews.org/2012-01-09/what-makes-newton-john-get-physical-at-the-gym | 2022-08-18T09:04:40Z |
DAVID GREENE, HOST:
When it comes to football there are two types of compelling games. One, the most people like, when teams battle back and forth to a dramatic finish. The other, when one team totally dominates to such an extent that all you can do is watch in awe.
And last night, the University of Alabama treated football fans to the latter. The Crimson Tide won the BCS championship game by completely shutting down the previously number one team in the country - Louisiana State. By virtue of its 21-0 win in New Orleans, Alabama earned a rare title in this contentious world of rankings and polls - undisputed champion of college football.
And to talk about the game, we've brought in NPR's Tom Goldman.
Good morning, Tom.
TOM GOLDMAN, BYLINE: Hi, David.
GREENE: First shutout in the history of the Bowl Championship Series. I know you told me yesterday we were going to get a lot of good defense in this game since Alabama and LSU were nationally ranked 1 and 2 in that category. But, I mean, did you expect such a mauling like this?
GOLDMAN: No. It was a very hard game to predict beforehand. The teams played in November. LSU won 9-6 in overtime. The only scoring was field goals. It was a real battle. But last night, Alabama's defense played like it was in different class. They held LSU to 92 total yards, only five first downs. And, David, I want to play you piece of tape. It's a seemingly unimportant moment during the game, but symbolic of what happened last night.
(SOUNDBITE OF BCS CHAMPIONSHIP GAME)
GOLDMAN: OK. That's the call on ESPN of LSU quarterback Jordan Jefferson running for a first down with a little under 8 minutes left in game. The significance - that was the first and only time LSU's offense crossed midfield. It's a testament to Alabama defense's stunning dominance.
GREENE: That's defense. Were there any bright spots at all for LSU? I mean, this is a team that had such a great season. They had eight wins over opponents ranked in the top 25.
GOLDMAN: Yeah, well, the Tiger's defense did well to limit Alabama to five field goals, until Alabama scored a late game touchdown. The LSU defense didn't break for most of the game, but it did bend. And it gave up some big yards on pass plays. And a lot of the credit goes to Alabama's offensive game plan, which called for quarterback A.J. McCarron to throw a lot on first down.
LSU was looking to stop Alabama's Heisman trophy finalist running back Trent Richardson on first down. Traditionally, that's a running down. And loading up to stop the run left LSU vulnerable to the pass. McCarron and his receivers took really good advantage of that.
GREENE: We think about Alabama and coaches and Bear Bryant is the name that always comes to mind. But Nick Saban is really forging his own legacy right now, it seems.
GOLDMAN: That's right. He's the first head coach to win three BCS titles. A pretty serious, some say dour, guy. You'll remember when he and the Crimson Tide won the BCS championship a couple of years ago and he got doused with the Gatorade, he looked really mad.
GREENE: Miserable.
GOLDMAN: But an indication of how happy he was last night, they got him again but he reveled in it. He hugged one of the guys who dumped the bucket on him.
GREENE: Well, Tom, going into last night's game, there was some talk that if number 2 Alabama did win - and they won - there could be a case for a split championship. Maybe Oklahoma State, which narrowly lost a chance to play in this title game, could slip in and share the top spot. Is there any talk of that this morning?
GOLDMAN: You know, not really. Alabama was just so dominant. Of course, maybe an Oklahoma State or a Stanford or an Oregon might've fared better than LSU. But without a playoff, we just won't know.
Today, interestingly, BCS officials are meeting to talk about possible changes to college football's postseason format. Apparently, everything will be on the table. And that's welcome news for playoff advocates, which is just about everyone. Who knows how motivated the BCS guys will be. The annual criticism of the system is somewhat muted by this championship game producing a clear champion.
GREENE: That's NPR sports correspondent Tom Goldman.
Thanks, Tom.
GOLDMAN: You bet.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
GREENE: This is NPR News. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR. | https://www.keranews.org/2012-01-10/alabama-shuts-down-lsu-in-bcs-championship-game | 2022-08-18T09:04:46Z |
DAVID GREENE, HOST:
This morning we're following some shuffling that's underway in the West Wing. The president's chief of staff, Bill Daley, who's only been on the job about a year is out. Daley told President Obama last week that he intended to resign. The president made the announcement yesterday, and introduced his replacement, Jacob Jack Lew, currently the director of the Office of Management and Budget.
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: I have every confidence that Jack will make sure that we don't miss a beat and continue to do everything we can to strengthen our economy and the middle class and keep the American people safe.
GREENE: Now NPR's Tamara Keith has more on Jack Lew and what he brings to the job.
TAMARA KEITH, BYLINE: The Office of Management and Budget, where Jack Lew has been director for a little more than a year, is a powerful arm of the executive branch that many outside of the Beltway have never heard of. OMB, as the office is known, writes the president's budget and much more. Alice Rivlin, now at the Brookings Institution was OMB director under President Clinton. And Lew was her deputy.
ALICE RIVLIN: OMB director has a broad purview over the whole government because everything is either in the budget or regulations or something. And so it's a very natural transition.
KEITH: This is Lew's second stint as OMB director. He came to the administration after about two and a half years at Citigroup, though he's spent most of his professional life working in government. During his first term under President Clinton, Lew oversaw three years in a row of budget surpluses. The situation now is very different. Over the summer he was deeply involved in negotiations to raise the debt ceiling. And in September, he appeared at a press briefing to discuss the president's deficit reduction plan.
JACOB JACK LEW: I think if you look at the details that are in here, there's very real structural change and there's very meaningful savings in many areas.
KEITH: As President Obama described it, Lew will be going from one of the most difficult jobs in Washington to one of the most difficult jobs in Washington. Matt Bennett worked in the Clinton White House when Lew was OMB director for the first time. Now Bennett is a senior vice president at Third Way, a think tank.
MATT BENNETT: The job of OMB director is to get spears thrown at you all day long by people who want more money, less regulation. He did a very good job of gently deflecting the criticism and making people feel like they've been heard, so I think that's a pretty good training ground for being chief of staff.
KEITH: He says Lew is about as battle tested as you can be. Bennett says this appointment is all about continuity. Lew has already been a senior member of the Obama team, involved in a wide array of administration decisions related to the economy and foreign policy.
BENNETT: I doubt that with the exception of people that attend senior staff meetings and are really in the direct orbit of the president that it will be easy to see a big difference.
KEITH: And at this point in the administration, at the start of an election year, an easy transition without a lot of waves may be exactly what President Obama needs.
Tamara Keith, NPR News. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR. | https://www.keranews.org/2012-01-10/budget-director-to-take-over-chief-of-staff-duties | 2022-08-18T09:04:52Z |
DAVID GREENE, HOST:
It's show time in Las Vegas. The Consumer Electronics Show opens today - 35 football fields full of gadgets and gizmos. All kinds of companies show off their newest and coolest technologies at the show. If you were to walk across all the booths, you'd travel more than 15 miles.
And NPR's Steve Henn has been making that trek.
STEVE HENN, BYLINE: Getting a show this big up and running isn't easy. All day yesterday and late into the night, thousands of contractors put the finishing touches on more than 3,100 exhibits booths. For big exhibitors at the Consumer Electronics Show, building the biggest, flashiest booth is one way to get attention.
Over the years, Adente Brown has become a connoisseur of convention booths.
ADENTE BROWN: I just walked by LG's. It looks pretty cool.
HENN: Adente Brown has been a security guard at the show for years, and gets an early a peek inside.
BROWN: The big wow factor, you know. The bigger wow, they're going to get more people in that booth, they're going to, you know, make more money.
HENN: But building these booths is expensive. Companies like LG, Panasonic and Microsoft will spend more than a half a million dollars renting floor space at the show. They'll spend hundreds of thousands more building their booths. So I snuck inside and took a look.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
HENN: LG's booth features a 20-foot-high wall of high-def TVs - stretching something like 50 feet across.
BROWN: It's an eye-popper. It brings you over there.
HENN: But if displays like that are not enough, they're also the celebrities.
So you're not going to go check out Justin Bieber on that?
BROWN: No, I'm not a big Bieber fan. If my kids were here, maybe, you know. That's about it, though.
HENN: Bieber will be making an appearance tomorrow at a booth for a small robotics company. But despite all this hoopla, most of the thousands of attendees here are actually here for the technology.
BRAD FELD: My partners and I go to CES for a couple of reasons. One is we're all nerds and we just love to be, you know, sort of hang out in nerd land a couple of times a year.
HENN: Brad Feld is a venture capitalists at the Foundry Group. He comes to see start-ups and also keep an eye on the products big companies will be bringing out.
FELD: It's also a very powerful way to understand where the consumer electronic industry is going.
HENN: The product buyers and investors and the press are all on the look-out for the next great gadget, whether it is a tablet, a television, or an Internet-connected washing machine. The big themes this year are connected TVs and Microsoft's late and somewhat desperate-seeming push into mobile.
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer joined Nokia's top executives yesterday pitching, even fondling, Nokia's latest Windows phone - the Lumia 900.
STEVE BALLMER: When you pick up and kind of touch and â mmmmm - love and feel your Lumia, you will find just, you know, brilliant screen - I mean it really is â it really is quite a fantastic, fantastic system.
HENN: To be fair, Steve Ballmer's not the only one at CES who has trouble controlling his enthusiasm for the latest gadget. This year, show officials hope that close to 150,000 other gadget geeks will visit the show floor.
Steve Henn, NPR News, Las Vegas. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR. | https://www.keranews.org/2012-01-10/ces-35-football-fields-of-gizmos-galore | 2022-08-18T09:04:59Z |
DAVID GREENE, HOST:
NPR's business news starts with a blast from the automotive past.
Chrysler is bringing back the Dodge Dart. The company unveiled the new version of its 1960s-era compact car yesterday. Chrysler's hoping the Dart will keep the reinvented car company on a roll. The company has started regaining some traction after a near collapse and a government bailout. It's now part of the Italian car company Fiat.
The Dart is the first model jointly designed by the two automakers. It's based on the frame and suspension of an Alfa Romeo model. But the new Dart is roomier. It'll settle for about $16,000. Chrysler is hoping the Dart will give it a foothold in the small car market where it hasn't been a player in years, going up against top sellers like the Toyota Corolla and the Honda Civic. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR. | https://www.keranews.org/2012-01-10/chrysler-is-bringing-back-the-dodge-dart | 2022-08-18T09:05:05Z |
DAVID GREENE, HOST:
Good morning. I'm David Greene. Blue Ivy Carter has made her musical debut. If the name doesn't ring a bell, don't worry. She's only 3 days old. Blue is the daughter of hip-hop power couple Jay-Z and Beyonce. The proud father released a song called "Glory" yesterday, with feature credits given to little B.I.C. In the song, Jay-Z raps that his daughter is the most beautiful thing in the world. Newborn Blue Ivy chimes in with a few cries at the end of the song. It's MORNING EDITION. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR. | https://www.keranews.org/2012-01-10/daughter-of-beyonce-and-jay-z-makes-musical-debut | 2022-08-18T09:05:11Z |
Mara Brock Akil is a Hollywood rarity. Black, Muslim, and a mother of two, she's also one of the most powerful women in Hollywood and one-half of an industry power couple, along with her director husband, Salim Akil.
Akil created The Game, one of the most popular shows on cable television. It's a comedy-drama about the wives and girlfriends behind a pro football team. It's her second show — the first was Girlfriends, which aired on UPN, then The CW network for eight years.
Akil started working in television soon after graduating from Northwestern university. It's a male-dominated business, and it wasn't long before she realized her fellow writers were missing something.
"I started by like — 'Well, I don't think a woman would say that.' You know?" she remembers from her Los Angeles production office, her 7-year-old son playing in the next room. "I don't think that's really our experience, or it's not every woman's experience. Then I was like ... 'Hey, wait a minute, where is a black woman in this story?!'"
Black women are the heart of The Game. Melanie, the main character, is a medical student (later a doctor) at the beginning of the series. Her boyfriend (later husband) is a rookie who needs her to get along with a smug sorority of football wives in order to advance his career.
"Isn't your man a third-string wide receiver?" sniffs one of them during their first introduction. "Why are you even talking?"
The Game revels in the glamour and immense wealth enjoyed by sports heroes, but its story arcs focus on families, the game's intense physical danger and pro football's stew of race and class.
"I hit the stereotypes dead on," says Akil, with some satisfaction. "The stereotype of a lot of athletes are, they come from the ghettos, they buy their mamas a house, they're loud and audacious."
While that does describe Malik, the team's star quarterback and his bossy mother/manager, Akil says her mission is to create relatable human characters, not cartoons. And she mixes in topical issues, like the closeted gay player who horrifies much of his team when he comes out.
The Game aired on The CW for three seasons, then was summarily canceled.
"It was humbling for me," Akil admits. "I'm a winner. ... Meaning even if it doesn't look like I'm winning, I believe I'm winning. But that time it was kind of tough."
But then something happened that almost never happens: BET picked up The Game in 2010, and the fourth season's premiere drew almost 8 million people --a record for the network, and impressive numbers for any channel.
"That outdraws most of the regular-run programming on NBC on any night," comments Time magazine critic James Poniewozik. "Excepting maybe football. Maybe it helps that The Game has football involved in it — although that didn't help Friday Night Lights."
The Game is no critical darling like Friday Night Lights, but it brings perspectives and points of view not often seen in TV or mainstream film. And the Akils are slowly conquering both mediums. They surprised many in Hollywood last year with a hit movie, Jumping The Broom.
So far, none of the characters created by Mara Brock Akil share her Muslim faith.
"It has to be right the moment, the right character at the right time," she says. "And I do think we're coming close."
First though, the Akils need to finish their update of the 1976 film Sparkle, filming now in Detroit. (The story of a Supremes-style Motown group, it'll star Cee-Lo Green, Whitney Houston and American Idol winner Jordin Sparks.)
And they've signed a long-term development deal with BET that might include a show about black women and marriage. Akil says there's a powerful conversation to have about that topic — and she says TV is a powerful way for her to lead it.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.keranews.org/2012-01-10/mara-brock-akil-on-playing-the-game-in-hollywood | 2022-08-18T09:05:17Z |
DAVID GREENE, HOST:
This is MORNING EDITION from NPR News. I'm David Greene.
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
And I'm Steve Inskeep in Manchester, New Hampshire. Let's take one last listen to the candidates contending in the New Hampshire presidential primary. Just before today's voting, five candidates crossed this state. It's a predictable ritual, politicians chasing voters and chased by reporters. The results are not entirely predictable, though Mitt Romney is a heavy favorite to win. We're going to hear from our correspondents with all the campaigns, starting with NPR's Ari Shapiro, who's following Mitt Romney.
ARI SHAPIRO, BYLINE: Mitt Romney probably did not expect to spend part of his last day on the New Hampshire campaign trail answering reporters' questions. And he certainly didn't expect to be saying...
MITT ROMNEY: Things always be taken out of context.
SHAPIRO: The quote that people took out of context was this...
ROMNEY: I like being able to fire people.
SHAPIRO: It sounds like an affirmation of all the negative stereotypes about Mitt Romney as a heartless capitalist who made a fortune laying people off. Pretty damning, until you hear all of what he said. He was answering a question about health insurance.
ROMNEY: I want individuals to have their own insurance. That means the insurance company will have an incentive to keep you healthy. It also means that if you don't like what they do, you could fire them. I like being able to fire people who provide services to me.
SHAPIRO: Romney gathered reporters to explain that the other Republicans hammering him for his comments were distorting what he said. Then he went to an evening rally for one final call to action at a packed middle school gymnasium. He reminded voters that his family has been coming to this state for the last 40 years.
ROMNEY: What a way to go into the primary tomorrow night. I hope that you're going to be able to give me a bigger margin of victory than the eight votes that I got in Iowa. You think we can do that? Yeah.
SHAPIRO: Even Romney's opponents don't believe his gaffe will knock him out of first place here in New Hampshire. But they hope they can at least hobble his march into South Carolina, which votes next.
ROBERT SMITH, BYLINE: I'm Robert Smith following Ron Paul. Everyone's got to eat breakfast, right? So Paul invited the media along yesterday to watch him chow down at the Moe Joe Diner.
(SOUNDBITE OF CROWD CHATTER)
SMITH: Bad move.
(SOUNDBITE OF CROWD CHATTER)
SMITH: TV cameras mobbed Ron Paul as he was heading for his table.
RON PAUL: Right now I'm annoyed by lights that are blinding me.
(SOUNDBITE OF LAUGHTER)
SMITH: Paul tried to banter with diners as the crowd pushed him along.
PAUL: Hello. How you doing?
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: Good.
PAUL: Good to meet you, everybody.
SMITH: But then noticed something.
PAUL: A lot of young people out here today.
SMITH: Yeah. There were a lot of young people. The tables were filled with high school students. It turns out they were all bussed in from the same place.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Franklin, Franklin High School. Franklin, Massachusetts.
SMITH: Every kid here was from Massachusetts. There wasn't an actual primary voter in the room. Their political science teacher, John Layden, had called ahead.
JOHN LAYDEN: We have - I think it's 94 with us.
SMITH: So you called up, asked somebody for a reservation...
LAYDEN: Yeah.
SMITH: ...for 7:30 in the morning for 94 people.
LAYDEN: Yes. Yeah.
SMITH: Ron Paul needs actual New Hampshire voters in order to win this primary.
LAYDEN: Right.
SMITH: Do you feel bad taking up his entire event with students from Massachusetts?
LAYDEN: I don't feel bad. Anyone else can do the same thing.
SMITH: Ron Paul would have loved that free market answer. Except he gave up trying to make it through the crowd of reporters and he headed straight for the door. How's that for a good high school lesson in modern media and politics?
TOVIA SMITH, BYLINE: I'm Tovia Smith following Jon Huntsman's campaign. Mitt Romney might have thought he'd be helping himself by knocking Huntsman for serving as ambassador to China for the Obama administration, but it turns out the attack may be one of the best things that ever happened to Huntsman.
(SOUNDBITE OF CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
JON HUNTSMAN: Can you feel the energy out there, ladies and gentlemen?
(SOUNDBITE OF CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
SMITH: It's not only brought Huntsman the attention he desperately needs, it's also allowed him to show a more animated and less diplomatic side that apparently voters wanted.
(SOUNDBITE OF CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
HUNTSMAN: I think we're reminded of a certain other candidate in the race.
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: Yeah.
HUNTSMAN: That our team and our movement is here to put our country first. We're tired of people putting politics first.
(SOUNDBITE OF CHEERING AND APPLAUSE] ESB)
SMITH: It's become Huntsman biggest applause line at every stop, and is helping him win converts, like 74-year-old independent Don Robie.
DON ROBIE: Oh yeah. That was - I loved that.
SMITH: Undecided two days ago, last night Robie carried home a Huntsman yard sign.
ROBIE: I've gone through the whole gamut listening every night to all the rest of them, and I just decided, hey, I think he's got it.
SMITH: And Robie voted for President Obama four years ago. Huntsman says his crossover appeal to more moderate voters makes him exactly what the GOP needs.
JOHN HUNTSMAN: Let's face it. You know, in order for someone to beat Barack Obama this year, that's just the plain math.
SMITH: An outright win in today's primary may be out of reach, but Huntsman is hoping for enough of a showing here to stay in the race.
ANDREA SEABROOK, BYLINE: I'm Andrea Seabrook following Newt Gingrich. In Iowa, the former speaker promised to run a completely positive campaign. In New Hampshire, not so much.
NEWT GINGRICH: If somebody's going to crumble, they better crumble before the nomination. You don't want to end up in September with a nominee who's been untested and can't stand it.
SEABROOK: He's talking about Mitt Romney. Gingrich talked a lot about Mitt Romney in the last day before the New Hampshire primary.
GINGRICH: The fact is there are legitimate questions. There are going to be more of those questions and at some point Governor Romney is going to have answer them.
SEABROOK: Who is raising these questions? Well, among others, it's the pro-Gingrich super-PAC called Winning Our Future. It's airing a negative ad - really a negative movie - about Romney's time running the investment firm Bain Capital.
(SOUNDBITE OF AD)
SEABROOK: At a rally in downtown Manchester, Gingrich said very soon Romney's going to have to have a long press conference to answer these questions.
GINGRICH: He's the one who went around here and said, look, I've had these 20 years experience. Fine. Now, let's talk about the 20 years experience.
SEABROOK: Whatever happens in New Hampshire today, the former speaker hopes to knock Romney off balance as the candidates heads south toward more Gingrich-friendly territory.
DON GONYEA, BYLINE: This is Don Gonyea following former Senator Rick Santorum, who spent the day bouncing from football field to Elks lodge to diner to American Legion hall. Santorum's show is suddenly playing in primetime after nearly winning Iowa, but bright lights can bring out campaign bugs, like bad sound systems making the candidate hard to hear.
RICK SANTORUM: Is this bothering people more than helping? No? It's okay? Okay. Because if it is, I'll stop, 'cause it's bothering me.
GONYEA: Or last night's big final rally at a Manchester restaurant where a large group of reporters was told no recording gear would be allowed. We eventually got in carrying a smart phone that we held up to a speaker as Santorum spoke.
SANTORUM: Thank you. Thank you.
GONYEA: All this week, Santorum has tried to downplay the social issues that worked so well for him in Iowa. New Hampshire Republicans care more about fiscal issues. It hasn't always worked, but yesterday he was getting some of that momentum back, hitting his stride again.
SANTORUM: I'm asking you for 24 hours of effort to pull off a huge surprise here in New Hampshire to give us that boost, to show that the momentum is continuing so we can go down to South Carolina, kick a little butt down in South Carolina, and move on to Florida and keep kicking.
GONYEA: Candidate Santorum was the guy getting the big media bump last week. Tonight the bright lights might be shining elsewhere, highlighting a new hero. I'm Don Gonyea, Manchester.
GREENE: So there we are, five candidates making strong showings, and the voting is underway this morning in New Hampshire. Some results have already been tallied. The first votes in the state were counted just after midnight, about three and a half hours north of Manchester in little Dixville Notch. And it didn't take long because there were only nine registered voters. Since 1960, the tiny town has cast its primary votes at midnight. In fact, that year also had nine ballots. Needless to say, there were many more reporters in Dixville Notch last night than actual voters. Three of the nine votes cast went to President Obama. And here is a town official announcing the Republican breakdown on CNN.
: There was one vote cast for Newt Gingrich. There was two votes cast for Jon Huntsman. There was one vote cast for Ron Paul. And there were two votes cast for Mitt Romney.
GREENE: Okay, so that's a tie between Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman with a vote apiece for Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul. Dixville Notch, we should say, has correctly predicted the Republican nominee in every election since 1960. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR. | https://www.keranews.org/2012-01-10/new-hampshire-hosts-first-in-the-nation-primary | 2022-08-18T09:05:23Z |
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
Now, this past Sunday, Mitt Romney's campaign reserve a school gym in Exeter, New Hampshire. The details of that event tell you the style in which the Republican candidate is presenting himself. The campaign selected a small gym, far too is small for the crowd had arrived.
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: The next president of the United States, Mitt Romney.
(SOUNDBITE OF CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
INSKEEP: Romney stepped up on stage, with a gigantic American flag on the wall behind him. He wore jeans and an open-collared shirt with the sleeves rolled up.
MITT ROMNEY: I never imagined I'd get a chance to run for president of the United States, and to see the people across the country. But this welcome tonight, this excitement, this tops it all. Thank you so very much.
(SOUNDBITE OF CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
INSKEEP: Every moment in this event seemed designed to project both patriotism and sincerity. Romney, whose father ran for president before him, has developed a polished stump speech over the years. He argues that President Obama has a negative view of the nation.
ROMNEY: Because, as we look at the country - you know I've written a book called "No Apology" - I've watched the president not just apologize to the world as he visited foreign places, but I thought I saw in him someone who didn't have the same level of passion about the founding principles of the country that I imagined that many of us have. And Iâ¦
INSKEEP: His book, "No Apology," rests at the heart of Romney's rationale for running. Romney repeatedly accuses President Obama of apologizing for America in speeches abroad. Independent fact-checkers, like Politifact.com, have found that Obama did not apologize, and rate Romney's claims false. On Sunday, after suggesting the president doesn't stick up for America, Romney proclaimed his own love of country.
ROMNEY: And we have today extraordinary challenges around the world, but I'm convinced that you, like me love this country. The Democrats, independents, Republicans love this country and are only waiting for leaders to step forward who are willing to live with integrity and speak the truth, who know how to lead and who will call on the American people and their patriotism.
I will do that with your help. I want to be one of those leaders. We're going to win this thing, I hope coming down the road I count on you. Thank you.
INSKEEP: It's the style of a campaign front-runner that he can bring along political stars to vouch for him. On this night, Romney had New Jersey Governor Chris Christie at his side. Romney also had his wife along.
Though it's common to say that Mitt Romney has been seeking the presidency for years, Ann Romney contends there was a moment, one year ago, when he almost decided not to run.
ANN ROMNEY: And we knew there would be challengers and there would be issues and there would be problems. And then if you even got the nomination, we knew how difficult it is, but I asked him one question, and this is why we decided to run. I said, Mitt, can you save America? And his answer was yes.
INSKEEP: Protesters slipped inside the Romney event and briefly disrupted it. More protesters stood outside the event, accompanied by a trio of trombone players and supporters of one of Romney's rivals, Ron Paul. Romney's well-organized campaign has been working, in a more symbolic sense, to keep all of his opponents on the outside of this race. Those candidates are trying to fight their way back in.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: So with that, please give a warm New Hampshire welcome to Speaker Gingrich. Speaker...
INSKEEP: Newt Gingrich spoke at a town hall meeting yesterday in Manchester, New Hampshire. His wife Callista stood beside him, smiling at his jokes. Gingrich is the candidate who ripped Romney's style on Sunday, accusing Romney of serving up, quote, "pious baloney." Yesterday, Gingrich displayed his own style, which relies more on superlatives. Rather than call President Obama wrong, or in over his head, Gingrich calls himâ¦
NEWT GINGRICH: â¦probably the most radical president in American history.
INSKEEP: And a follower of a radical leftist.
GINGRICH: I think that makes this in some ways the most important election in modern times because eight years of Barack Obama will fundamentally change the nature of America.
INSKEEP: Gingrich pledges to eliminate taxes he considers profoundly wrong, and says a rising American economy will help, quote, "literally everybody on the planet." For all the vivid language, the candidate's most enthusiastic moment was not during his town hall meeting but afterward when he met with reporters. He's been attacking Mitt Romney, questioning Romney's role years ago running an investment firm. Romney's rivals have increasingly attacked the front-runner because his corporate buyouts eliminated jobs as well as created them.
GINGRICH: It's pretty clear to me that at some point in the next week or so, Governor Romney is going to have to have a fairly long press conference, and he's going to have to answer a lot of questions.
INSKEEP: Gingrich's frustration is that as the nation's first primary arrives, Mitt Romney has not yet had to do any such thing. Mitt Romney has maintained the style of a presidential front-runner, forcing his opponents to try anything they can to knock him out of it.
It's MORNING EDITION from NPR News. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR. | https://www.keranews.org/2012-01-10/romney-maintains-the-style-of-a-front-runner | 2022-08-18T09:05:29Z |
DAVID GREENE, HOST:
This is MORNING EDITION from NPR News. I'm David Greene.
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
And I'm Steve Inskeep in Manchester, New Hampshire.
We don't know exactly how today's New Hampshire primary will turn out. We do know that more contests come quickly. So this morning, we'll take a longer view of the Republican presidential race with NPR national political correspondent Mara Liasson. She's with us here in Manchester.
Mara, welcome.
MARA LIASSON, BYLINE: Good morning.
INSKEEP: And let's go through what I guess you could call a leader board here. Mitt Romney has been on top. How has he been doing?
LIASSON: Well, his only rival here is expectations. He has a very big lead, anywhere from 33 to 41 percent. But in the latest tracking polls, he has dropped 10 points over the last week. But for him, a big victory would dispel the narrative that he's a 25 percent candidate. I think anything short of 30 percent would be disappointing.
INSKEEP: When you say 25 percent candidate, you mean this feeling among Republicans that he can only get so much support.
LIASSON: Right. And I think that's changing. Romney has also been facing something new: actual attacks from everyone. And they're not attacks that he's insufficiently conservative. But they're about his tenure at Bain Capital. His opponents say he looted companies, he laid off workers. Romney calls as an attack on free enterprise and says this is the kind of criticism he'd expect from the last, but not from Republicans.
But he has also been trying to answer these charges. He's saying I was afraid of getting pink slips, too. And his opponents have been having a field day with those comments. Rick Perry said Romney was worried about pink slips, about not having enough of them to hand out to workers he was laying off.
INSKEEP: So, in this time when people are concerned about jobs and angry at Wall Street, his opponents are trying to tag him with this label of being a greedy capitalist and so forth.
LIASSON: Very unusual attack coming from Republicans, but it is exactly the kind of thing that we do expect the Democrats to use against him in the general election.
INSKEEP: If he gets there. Now, Ron Paul is in second place as we go down this leader board. Where does he go from New Hampshire?
LIASSON: Well, he goes on to South Carolina but he has decided not to compete in Florida. Florida is very expensive state. It also is a winner-take-all state, so you can't get delegates for just coming in second. He has ruled out an Independent bid, which is something that's always asked about Ron Paul 'cause he has his own Libertarian base that might not vote Republican, if he's not on the ticket in November. But he is talking may be about wanting to exact some kind of platform changes at the convention.
INSKEEP: Several other candidates here are trying for a least a decent showing in New Hampshire and trying to extend this process. They don't want Romney to win right away. They're hoping eventually to be challenging Romney. What's going on with Jon Huntsman, with Newt Gingrich and with Rick Santorum?
LIASSON: Well, they're competing in what they call the conservative primary. One of them, they hope, will emerge as a conservative alternative to Romney. Conservatives have yet to coalesce around a single candidate. They might not ever do that.
For Rick Santorum, his Iowa surge appears to have tapered off here in New Hampshire. He's already looking to South Carolina. He took a detour there on Sunday to pick up the endorsement of Gary Bauer, a prominent social conservative.
Jon Huntsman is the only candidate who has been going up in the polls in New Hampshire, but there's not a state coming up where he has a natural constituency.
INSKEEP: And we haven't mentioned Rick Perry. Of course, he stopped competing in New Hampshire. He was very low in the polls here. He'll try again elsewhere. But let me ask another question about Newt Gingrich. He has been especially fierce in his attacks on Mitt Romney and has the prominence to get attention for those attacks.
LIASSON: Yes, I think Newt is a bit of a free radical in this race. He wields an outsized influence. He is a national figure and, as you said, he commands attention. He's staying in this race because he thinks he is the best conservative alternative to Romney. And he started the attacks about Bain Capital.
He has a Super PAC that has made a 27-minute video, and they have bought $3.4 million of airtime in South Carolina. That's the biggest anti-Romney media buy, just about equal to what Romney Super PAC got dumped on Gingrich in Iowa.
INSKEEP: But given all these attacks on Mitt Romney, Mara Liasson, is it still possible that Romney could essentially sweep this thing?
LIASSON: Yes, it is. I think he's poised to do what no other non-incumbent Republican candidate has ever done, which is make a clean sweep of all four early contests - Iowa, New Hampshire - he's ahead of the polls in South Carolina and Florida.
INSKEEP: Mara, thanks very much.
LIASSON: Thank you.
INSKEEP: And will be listening to you on NPR special coverage tonight, as we wait for New Hampshire results. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR. | https://www.keranews.org/2012-01-10/romneys-rivals-aim-to-be-conservatives-choice | 2022-08-18T09:05:35Z |
DAVID GREENE, HOST:
In Damascus, Syria today, defiant President Bashar al-Assad promised to use an iron fist against protestors. He called them terrorists inspired by foreigners. Assad's under intense international pressure for his use of violence and repression against those seeking change in Syria. The president lashed out at his many critics in the Arab world, saying they've abandoned, quote, "Arab interests."
NPR's Peter Kenyon is following the developments, and he joins us now from Istanbul. Peter, good morning.
PETER KENYON, BYLINE: Good morning, David.
GREENE: And correct me if I'm wrong. We haven't heard much from Assad himself in the nearly 10 months that this uprising has been going on.
KENYON: No. He's been - very rarely granted interviews and this is one of only a few speeches.
GREENE: Well, in this rare speech today that he gave, he shows no sign of caving to international pressure. Despite signing an Arab League peace proposal that made news last month, he was clear today in saying the security response to unrest would continue. And I want to play a little bit of the speech and what we're about to hear is coming through an interpreter.
(SOUNDBITE OF SPEECH)
GREENE: I mean, iron fist. It doesn't sound like this is a leader who's ready to make any concessions to the opposition.
KENYON: No, not at all, David. He gave no corner. He reiterated the government's view that the problem, as he sees it, in Syrian cities and towns are the result of machinations of foreign powers and what he called misled protestors. The president said, yes, he knows he promised reforms. But, no, he can't begin to enact them until security is restored.
He called on the population to turn against the demonstrators and support the army and the security forces, the people called heroes who gave their lives for their country. He said victory is near, but he never really came close to defining how near or what that victory might look like.
GREENE: And President Assad reserved some of the harshest criticism, comments in his speech for the Arab League, saying they had failed for decades to protect Arab interests, and they were doing so again. And what do you make of that part of his speech, his message to the Arab League?
KENYON: Well, you have to remember that Arab nationalism is embedded in Syria's modern history. And when the Arab League suspended Syria, that was a real slap to the country's self-image. Since then, the league has voted for sanctions against Syria, although more than one member state has pleaded for an exemption and hoping not to implement those.
Actually, in some ways, Assad, who has often said he's no Moammar Gadhafi, did sound like the late Libyan leader did in that section of the speech. Because Gadhafi used to regularly ridicule the Arab League in his speeches.
GREENE: And did he give any evidence of this foreign influence that he was suggesting or was it mostly words?
KENYON: It was vague references. He didn't identify countries. Clearly on the street, among pro-Assad forces, you will hear references to the U.S., to Europe, to Israel and in a kind of a Western conspiracy designed to strip Syria of its dignity and its sovereignty. But, no, he didn't get any more specific than that.
GREENE: And very briefly, Peter, what can you tell us about some reports from a Kuwait News Agency that two Arab League observers were attacked and injured in Syria?
KENYON: Well, the Kuwait News Agency today is reporting that two Kuwaiti members of the mission were attacked and slightly injured, quote, "by unknown protestors" yesterday in the coastal city of Latakia. The report says they were briefly hospitalized and returned to their duties. There's no sign that they're leaving the mission, which now continues until January 19th.
GREENE: All right, that's the latest from NPR's Peter Kenyon in Istanbul. Thank you very much, Peter.
KENYON: You're welcome, David.
GREENE: And again, we're reporting on a speech by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
GREENE: And you're listening to NPR News. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR. | https://www.keranews.org/2012-01-10/syrias-assad-defies-pressure-to-step-down | 2022-08-18T09:05:41Z |
DAVID GREENE, HOST:
Today, author Walter Dean Myers is being sworn-in at the Library of Congress as the nation's third ambassador for young people's literature. The two-year post is something like a youth version of the poet laureate. Myers wrote the bestseller "Monster." He's won numerous book awards in a career that's spanned more than 30 years and a hundred titles. He mostly writes about African-American teenagers grappling with tough issues like drug addiction, gangs and war, topics influenced by his own childhood as a high-school dropout growing up in Harlem.
I asked Walter Dean Myers about the theme of his upcoming ambassadorship, which he said is going to be: Reading Is Not Optional.
That's a pretty tough slogan to adopt as an ambassador trying to convince young people to read. Why did you choose it?
WALTER DEAN MYERS: The problem is very often books are looked upon as a wonderful adjunct to our lives. It's so nice. Books can take you to faraway places and this sort of thing. But then it all sounds as if it's something nice but not really necessary. And during my lifetime things have changed so drastically. You can't do well in life if you don't read well.
GREENE: You're saying that it's become even more important to read than when you were growing up. Well, why is that? What's changed in society?
MYERS: Well, what's changed in society, you had more industrial jobs than when I was coming up. My dad was a janitor for U.S. Radium Corporation, and he stayed there for 37 years. So he didn't read. The average working person could work in a factory but now you don't have those anymore. And not only that, but the jobs that you do have may not be around in five years.
GREENE: You know, I'm struck by this image of you as a young man walking through the streets of Harlem, hiding your books because you didn't want anyone to know that you enjoyed reading so much. And I wonder if your story was exceptional. What - is there a secret to having a young man or a young woman growing up on the tough streets, you know, getting interested in reading?
MYERS: I think it's difficult for young people to acknowledge being smart, to knowledge being a reader. I see kids who are embarrassed to read books. They're embarrassed to have people see them doing it.
One of the problems is that kids who don't read - who are not doing well in school - they know they're not doing well. And they want everyone to be in that same category.
GREENE: And so, what is your message to a kid who sort of thinks that reading might be something good, who knows that it could make their life better but they're just not feeling it?
MYERS: Well, one of the things that I want to do is to get very, very young kids being read to; kids 3 months, 4 months. If I can get every kid over the next two years, who's born, have their parents read to them or a grandparent or an uncle, or whoever read with them, it'll make a difference in the country. And what needs to happen is that the parent interacts with the child. And it doesn't have to be a long drawn-out process.
Now, my mom did not read well and she read True Romance magazines, but she read with me. And she would spend 30 minutes a day, her finger going along the page, and I learned to read. Eventually, by the time I was four and a half, she could iron and I could sit there and read the True Romance. And that was wonderful.
GREENE: Your own writing has been described as having a hard-core, hard-edged realism. And I'd like you to read an excerpt from one of your well-known books from 2001, "Monster." It was about a 16-year-old African-American who was jailed for the alleged involvement in the murder of a convenience store owner. Read a bit of that for me, if you can.
MYERS: (Reading) The best time to cry is at night when the lights are out and someone is being beaten up and screaming for help. That way, even if you sniffle a little, they won't hear you. If anybody knows that you are crying they'll start talking about it, and soon it'll be your turn to get beat up when the lights go out.
GREENE: And is that excerpt a teenager talking about being in prison?
MYERS: Yes. Yes. I visit prisons a lot. And I visit juvenile prisons a lot. And I'm appalled at the reading levels. You know, in New York State only 40 percent of kids in the eighth grade are reading proficient. And that's 40 percent of white kids. Black kids, it's down to about 15 percent.
GREENE: Your literature is not exactly the escapism of "Harry Potter," I think we can safely say. Why the stark reality? I guess some people would say if you're writing for teenagers, maybe you want to, you know, kind of get into their sense of imagination and not drive home the struggles of life.
MYERS: Right. What happens to these teenagers is that they reach a point in which reading becomes a challenge and only an opportunity to fail. Reading is not a pleasure for these kids. And Dr. Alfred Tatum from the University of Chicago points out that what the text has to contain is some clue about those kids' humanity; some clue about that this book is OK for him to look at.
So he wants to see characters in the book that might look like him or like his family. He wants to see a neighborhood that is like his neighborhood. Because what happens, when he gets up in the morning and he goes out from his house, and he looks around and he sees everyone who looks like - as he looks - who is unemployed, who don't have jobs - that's part of his education, too.
GREENE: Two years from now, you will finish your term as ambassador. What achievements do you hope to accomplish and look back on?
MYERS: Well, what I hope to do is to get mentoring groups involved with the community. I hope to find ways of reaching children that are not being reached today.
GREENE: Author Walter Dean Myers is being sworn in today as the National Ambassador for Young People's Literature.
Mr. Ambassador, if I can call you that now, thank you so much for joining us on the program.
MYERS: Thank you for having me.
GREENE: And congratulations to you.
This is MORNING EDITION from NPR News. I'm David Greene. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR. | https://www.keranews.org/2012-01-10/to-do-well-in-life-you-have-to-read-well | 2022-08-18T09:05:44Z |
DAVID GREENE, HOST:
Good morning. I'm David Greene. The Transportation Security Administration is defending its decision to confiscate a frosted cupcake. Last month, a passenger was traveling with the baked treat packed into a jar filled with icing - too much icing, the TSA said. Yesterday in its blog, the agency explained that icing counts as a gel and some gels can be used to make explosives. Now, as a rule, it says passengers may fly with cupcakes, but they should expect additional screening. This is MORNING EDITION. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR. | https://www.keranews.org/2012-01-10/tsa-defends-cupcake-confiscation-case | 2022-08-18T09:05:50Z |
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
In the Obama White House, as with almost any White House, the important players include the first lady, and right now a number of people are affectively trying out for that position. They are unofficial running mates you could say, the presidential candidates' wives, who can sometimes help a candidate in ways that no one else can. NPR's Tovia Smith reports the would-be first ladies are increasingly in the campaign spotlight.
TOVIA SMITH, BYLINE: They are high school sweethearts and soul mates turned campaign surrogates and sales women.
ANITA PERRY: Nobody will fight harder and work harder for your country.
KAREN SANTORUM: What I love about Rick is he's so courageous.
ANN ROMNEY: That's been what our marriage has been like. He will have the kind of character to do the right thing.
SMITH: Anita Perry, Karen Santorum, and Ann Romney, may not be household names yet, but they're trying.
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN #1: Now you're going to meet his most prized secret weapon, Mrs. Huntsman, good to see you Mary Kay.
SMITH: Especially in primaries, when candidates have relatively few differences on issues, spouses can help define a candidate and fix their faults.
ROMNEY: I say there's another lens you can see the man through, and that's from his family.
SMITH: Ann Romney has been humanizing her husband, Mitt, who's seen as stiff or inauthentic. She told an interviewer that at home, Romney's hair is usually messed up. She talks about his silly moments and his tender ones, like after she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.
ROMNEY: What he did was say, look, were going to be OK. I don't care that you can't make dinner every night, I can eat peanut butter sandwiches and cold cereal for rest of my life. As long as we're together, we can handle anything.
SMITH: It not only makes her husband look good, but it also draws the contrast with others, like Newt Gingrich, who divorced his first two wives. Gingrich's current wife, Callista, is almost always seen with Gingrich, though rarely heard.
CALLISTA GINGRICH: Let's give a warm welcome to my husband and best friend, Newt Gingrich.
SMITH: Devoted wife - yes, but warm and fuzzy Mrs. Gingrich is not. With her stiffly coiffed platinum hair and practiced smile, American University professor Jennifer Lawless says the former mistress-turned-wife is a doubled-edged sword.
JENNIFER LAWLESS: It could backfire, and it might prime voters to think about previous wives and previous marital problems he's had.
SMITH: Mrs. Gingrich has also caused tension within the campaign - staffers complaining she had too much influence and control. Decades after Hillary Clinton promised voters a two-fer, voters still prefer more traditional political spouses.
SANTORUM: I come before you today to introduce the man I love and admire.
SMITH: Rick Santorum's wife, Karen, granted interviews early on to a Christian station, reinforcing her husband's religious convictions. Then she was mostly quiet, until last week when she lashed out at a radio host who mocked how her family handled the death of their prematurely born baby.
SANTORUM: And I think that it was very inappropriate of him to do that. I'm sad that he did that. I feel for him that he did that. I pray he will never lose a child.
SMITH: Former Texas Governor Rick Perry's wife Anita has also lashed out at the media. And she's known to jab at rivals, like when she said Herman Cain's 9-9-9 plan made her want to call 9-1-1, or when she used Perry's now infamous mid-debate brain freeze to lob a shot at the president.
PERRY: Some people may be more polished. You know what? I think we have a debater in chief right now. I'm not looking for debater in chief; I'm looking for a leader.
SMITH: Having wives lob attacks can be useful, as it's harder to fire back at them. Jon Huntsman's wife, Mary Kay, is also playing that role in solo campaign events and on TV jabbing at other contenders as she praises her husband.
MARY KAY HUNTSMAN: He is courageous. He's a bold leader, and you know what? He will not sell his soul for a vote.
SMITH: Ron Paul's wife Carol has shunned the spotlight. And so far, it hasn't seemed to hurt, but voters ultimately do want to know who might be engaging in pillow talk with the president of the United States.
MARY DWYER: Of course. I think that I want to see a little bit of what makes them tick.
SMITH: In New Hampshire this week, voters like Mary Dwyer say it's a vibe she's looking for. The wives' words of praise don't mean much, as Carol Burbee and Brenda Hanlin put it.
CAROL BURBEE: What else are they going to say, you know?
BRENDA HANLIN: I wouldn't listen to that...
BURBEE: They're not going to say, you know, he's cheating on me, but vote for him.
SMITH: Indeed, with voters who know better, it's easy to overdo it in the happy marriage department. Years ago the Romneys were roundly ridiculed after Ann Romney told a reporter they had just one single argument in their whole lives, and it was back when she was 17.
Tovia Smith, NPR News, Manchester, New Hampshire.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
INSKEEP: This is NPR News. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR. | https://www.keranews.org/2012-01-10/would-be-first-ladies-bolster-husbands-in-chief | 2022-08-18T09:05:56Z |
DAVID GREENE, HOST:
Our last word in business also comes to us from the Consumer Electronics Show. And the word is "Electric City." That's the name of a new animated science-fiction series created by - and starring - Tom Hanks. It's being promoted at the Vegas show in part because it will be airing - or rather it will be shown - on the Internet site Yahoo this spring.
Entertainment trade publication Variety reports that the project's actually been in the works for eight years. It's Yahoo's first effort at original scripted programming. Yahoo's already had a reality show, an advice show, as well as news bulletins.
With "Electric City," Yahoo is banking on some positive attention and extra ad revenues. The series is made up of 20 interactive cartoon episodes, each three or four minutes long. It's set in a post-apocalyptic world that is utopian on the surface but under the surface something else. According to one Yahoo executive, it is secrets and heavy-handed state control.
All right. That's the business news here on MORNING EDITION from NPR News. I'm David Greene. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR. | https://www.keranews.org/2012-01-10/yahoo-to-show-original-animated-sci-fi-series | 2022-08-18T09:06:02Z |
More than half of Americans say there's an "invasion" at the southern border, according to a new NPR/Ipsos poll, part of a broader decline in support for immigrants overall.
The poll also found that large numbers of Americans hold a variety of misconceptions about immigrants — greatly exaggerating their role in smuggling illegal drugs into the U.S., and how likely they are to use public benefits, for example — as false and misleading claims about immigration gain traction.
Republicans are more likely to hold negative views of immigrants. But the poll found they're not alone in embracing increasingly extreme rhetoric around immigration.
"Invasion" rhetoric is resonating with many Americans
The poll found that a majority of Americans — including three-quarters of Republicans — say it's either somewhat or completely true that the United States is "experiencing an invasion" at the southern border.
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The U.S. Border Patrol has apprehended migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border more than 1.8 million times since October, setting an annual record for arrests with two months still to go before the fiscal year ends.
Nearly half of those migrants were quickly expelled under the public health order known as Title 42 that's been in place since the beginning of the pandemic. But hundreds of thousands more were allowed to seek asylum and other protections in the United States.
Republican leaders are increasingly framing the situation as an "invasion." Immigrant advocates say the word has a long history in white nationalist circles, and warn that such extreme rhetoric could provoke more violence against immigrants.
Still, the polling shows that the word "invasion" has been embraced by a wide range of Americans to describe what's happening at the border.
"We are not actually screening enough people to make it safe for the rest of the country," said poll respondent Michael Cisternino, a Republican from Nevada, in a follow-up interview.
"We, the people of the United States, really don't have control over who's coming in, and where they're going or what they're going to do when they get there — if they're criminals, if they're not criminals," Cisternino said.
Studies have consistently shown that immigrants are less likely to commit crimes or be incarcerated than native-born Americans. In the NPR/Ipsos poll, a plurality of Republicans answered incorrectly that immigrants are more likely to commit crimes.
Republicans were also more likely to endorse rhetoric that echoes the so-called "replacement theory" — the false conspiracy theory that Jews or elites are deliberately replacing white Americans with immigrants and people of color.
More than a third of all poll respondents agree that "native-born Americans are being systematically replaced by immigrants" — including more than half of Republicans. Almost half of all Americans say that "Democrats are working to open our borders to more immigrants," with more than 70% of Republicans in agreement.
The issue of immigration is much more urgent for Republicans than for Democrats. About a quarter of GOP respondents say immigration is one of the "most worrying" problems facing the country, while only 4% of Democrats rank immigration as a top concern.
"A lot of immigrants are coming here for safety, and a lot of them are coming here for a chance" at a better life, said poll respondent Neel-Gopal Sharma, a Democrat from North Carolina, in a follow-up interview.
Sharma's parents emigrated from India to Canada, where he was born, and later moved to the United States. Sharma thinks it's becoming increasingly acceptable to blame immigrants and other people who look different for the country's problems.
"There is this xenophobic kind of talk that's being thrown around," he said. "So I'm not surprised by that."
Misleading claims about immigrants are gaining traction, particularly around fentanyl
The poll found that a large number of Americans, including big majorities of Republicans, blame migrants for a rise in deaths from fentanyl — even though there's no evidence directly linking them to the problem.
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It's true that fentanyl overdose deaths are up in recent years, and that much of the U.S. fentanyl supply is smuggled through the border.
But experts say the vast majority of fentanyl and other illegal drugs are smuggled through official ports of entry, hidden in large trucks and passenger vehicles, while a relatively small amount is smuggled by cartels across the border between those ports.
Virtually none is smuggled by migrants themselves, says Victor Manjarrez, Jr., a former Border Patrol sector chief who's now a professor at the University of Texas at El Paso.
"The probability that they're going to carry some kind of illicit narcotic is probably close to zero," Manjarrez said. "The vast majority of that fentanyl is going through a port of entry."
Still, six out of 10 of Republicans in the poll said incorrectly that "most" of the fentanyl entering the United States is smuggled by migrants.
Similarly, more than half of Republicans say immigrants are "more likely" to use public assistance benefits than the native-born population, even though many immigrants are barred from using most federal benefit programs. Less than a quarter of Republicans correctly identified that statement as false.
"These statements of false or misleading or incomplete information are definitely gaining more traction among Republicans," said Mallory Newall, a vice president at Ipsos, which conducted the poll.
But partisanship isn't the only factor.
"What we're seeing here in our polling is that your willingness to believe these misleading or incomplete statements around immigration not only depends on your partisan affiliation, but also where you are getting your news from," Newall said.
Republicans who get their news from Fox News and conservative media were more likely to believe false or misleading narratives, Newall says, and were also more likely to believe that these claims were "completely true."
That finding was especially strong when it comes to so-called "ghost flights." Republicans accuse the Biden administration of organizing secret flights carrying migrants from the border to communities across the country. But immigrants advocates point out that such flights aren't secret or new, and accuse Republican critics of fear-mongering for political gain.
The poll asked if the United States is "secretly flying unaccompanied migrant children across the country at night." Among Republicans whose main news source is Fox or conservative media, about eight in 10 called that statement true, Newall said. However Republicans who get their news elsewhere weren't so sure; only four in 10 answered true.
Falling support for immigration, and an uptick in approval for a border wall
When NPR polled Americans on immigration in 2018, three out of four respondents agreed that "immigrants are an important part of our American identity."
Today that number has fallen sharply.
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That's not the only sign of eroding support for immigrants in the latest poll.
When asked four years ago, nearly two-thirds of respondents favored a pathway to legal status for the so-called Dreamers, undocumented immigrants who were brought to the country as children. Now that support has fallen to a bare majority, driven largely by a steep drop among Republicans and independents.
There's also been a modest but steady increase in support for a wall at the southern border, from 38% in favor four years ago up to 46% now.
It's not clear why those numbers have shifted. Mallory Newall at Ipsos suspects the explanation is tied to broader concerns about inflation and the economy.
"One thing that we know is that during times of bad economic conditions, for example, the recession in 2009, support for immigration declines," she said.
There's also a theory that support for immigrants tends to fall when there is a perception of chaos at the southern border. And the spread of false and misleading claims could be a factor, as well.
The reach of false and misleading claims may be growing
The poll suggests that the reach of some false and misleading claims may be growing.
Four years ago, NPR asked if "immigrants are more likely to commit crimes or be incarcerated than the U.S.-born population." Back then, more than 60% of respondents correctly identified that statement as false. But when asked again this year, only 49% got it right.
That wasn't the only question where Americans' grasp of immigration seemingly declined during the past four years.
In 2018, six out of 10 respondents correctly said that most undocumented immigrants in the United States have been in the country for more than a decade. This time, 43% answered correctly; almost as many said they didn't know.
"There has historically been a lot of framing issues regarding immigration that have sometimes distorted facts intentionally," said Sophia Jordán Wallace, a professor of political science at the University of Washington who has studied false and misleading claims about immigration.
Wallace says there's a long tradition in American politics of blaming immigrants for real problems the country is facing as a way to mobilize voters — regardless of whether there's any connection between those immigrants and the problems they're accused of causing.
Those misleading or false claims don't always cross over to the mainstream. But sometimes, Wallace says, they do.
"Once it gets out there, it's hard to correct," she said.
The NPR/Ipsos poll was conducted from July 28-29, 2022, with a sample of 1,116 adults online. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.6 percentage points for all respondents.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.keranews.org/2022-08-18/a-majority-of-americans-see-an-invasion-at-the-southern-border-npr-poll-finds | 2022-08-18T09:12:45Z |
In Alfred Hitchcock's 1951 movie Strangers on a Train, a man strikes up a conversation with a seatmate, leading to an indecent proposal. In Anthony Minghella's 1999 film The Talented Mr. Ripley, a grifter befriends a spoiled playboy, then offs him when the relationship gets complicated.
Literary critic Terry Castle says most people know Patricia Highsmith's writing through screen adaptations, but her original stories are even more chilling and compelling. "The main characters do not make sense. They seem to behave irrationally at certain points, rationally at other points. They do good things and then they do absolutely horrific things."
The same might be said of Highsmith. Her story begins in Fort Worth, Texas, in 1921. Abandoned by her father in infancy, a love-hate relationship with her mother left deeper scars. As Castle explains, "Her mother was very ambivalent about having her in the first place, and one of Highsmith's favorite stories to tell was that her mother had tried to abort her by ingesting turpentine."
As a student at Barnard College, Highsmith wrote short stories. Rebuffed by the literary establishment, she initially made her living writing comic books, which she considered akin to writing B-movies. Caped superheroes didn't align with the world of smoke and shadows, code words and double-identities that drew her interest.
When she wasn't writing, Highsmith frequented bars like Spivy's Rooftop, where Bertha Levine, also known as Madame Spivy, entertained a mix of New York's gay and literary worlds with an air of discretion.
"Highsmith was very beautiful as a young woman and charismatic," Castle says, "and she was enthusiastically homosexual, but at the same time that feeling was counterbalanced by shame and guilt."
Two years after Highsmith's 1950 debut novel Strangers on a Train became a bestseller, she wrote The Price of Salt, a lesbian love story between a glamorous housewife and a young shopgirl inspired by her own chance encounter with a customer at a department store where she had taken a holiday job.
Rather than ending in murder or marriage, the protagonists got away with the possibility of a happy ending — a first in an era where lesbianism was considered deviant, even criminal. To safeguard her career, Highsmith published the book under the alias Claire Morgan, not officially claiming it as her own until it was republished as Carol in 1990.
The original paperback became an underground classic, selling more than a million copies, but mainstream fame eluded her. Swiss filmmaker Eva Vitija says Highsmith had more in common with Dostoyevsky than Mickey Spillane. "In the U.S. she was kind of put into the box of mystery and crime novelist and her writing didn't really fit that."
Starting in the early 1960s, Highsmith zigzagged across Europe, writing, drinking and pursuing ill-fated affairs. Throughout her career, Highsmith would write more than 20 novels as well as short stories, essays and articles. She also kept voluminous notebooks and diaries.
Highsmith's final years were spent in Switzerland, where she lived in a brutalist bunker of her design with her many cats, snails and disappointments. She died from cancer in 1995, before the resurgence of interest in her work sparked by the 1999 film adaption of The Talented Mr. Ripley and then Todd Haynes' 2015 adaption of Carol. Today there is even an online "choose your own Highsmith" book recommendation engine.
At the same time, Highsmith's legacy has been tarnished by a series of unflattering posthumous disclosures in biographies by Andrew Wilson (2003), Joan Schenkar (2009) and Richard Bradford (2021), as well as the 2021 publication of selections from her diaries and notebooks — 1,000 pages whittled down from some 8,000 pages that had been tucked away in her closet.
Some of those pages reveal a bitter, hateful woman whose rants are filled with racism, antisemitism and misogyny. Yet filmmaker Eva Vitija says that person contradicts another Highsmith she saw there, a hopeful, romantic writer in perpetual search of love. Intrigued, Vitija set about finding some of Highsmith's former lovers. Her documentary Loving Highsmith, which opens in theaters next month, pairs Highsmith's diary entries with the testimony of those paramours, such as the writer Marijane Meaker, who says Highsmith was "easy to love, let's put it that way."
In contrast, Grace Ellis and Hannah Templer's new graphic novel, Flung Out of Space, points to other evidence, such as an annotated "love chart" that Highsmith once used to rank her conquests, to arrive at a different conclusion. The medium Ellis and Templer use to tell her story rubs up against Highsmith's fraught history with comics. Her bigotry is addressed head-on in the book's forward, with Ellis noting that leaning into the subject's complexity is essential to recognizing her humanity, however flawed.
One panel shows Highsmith seeking conversion therapy to cure her attraction to women; another shows her picking up women in the group therapy sessions. Ellis explains that Highsmith's shame and subversion were both fueled by societal blinders. "How many groups could you possibly be in as a lesbian in the '40s and '50s and know for certain that everyone in that group is also a lesbian?"
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.keranews.org/2022-08-18/untangling-the-contradictions-of-crime-novelist-patricia-highsmith | 2022-08-18T09:12:51Z |
MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
I'm Michel Martin, and this is TELL ME MORE, from NPR News.
It's been almost a year since the fall of Hosni Mubarak in Egypt. We spoke with a young protestor there minutes after Mubarak stepped down as Egypt's longtime leader. Today, we check back in with her to see how she's feeling about Egypt's future these days. That conversation is coming up in a few minutes.
But first, a look at young people and the political situation in this country. The Conservative Political Action Conference kicks off in Washington, D.C. today. Organizers say it's the largest annual gathering of conservatives in the country. And this year, they say, that young people are expected to make up about half of the attendees. Now, you might wonder why that is because it's commonly understood that people tend to get more interested in voting and politics as they get older.
But in 2008, people under the age of 30 came out in record numbers. And in the last three general elections these young voters voted predominately for Democrats. But now, younger people are hard-pressed to find jobs and these are the voters that young conservative Republicans are hoping to reach.
Today, we're going to speak to two of them. They're trying to get the under 30 crowd excited about their side of the aisle. They are Alex Schriver. He is the national chairman of the College Republican National Committee. Also with us, Soren Dayton. He is the communications director of the Young Republican National Federation. Gentlemen, welcome to you both. Thank you so much for joining us.
ALEX SCHRIVER: Absolutely.
SOREN DAYTON: Thank you.
MARTIN: So, let me just start with you and ask each of you how did you get interested in politics and your particular politics, your conservative politics, wondering if it was a family tradition or something that you discovered on your own?
SCHRIVER: Well, I'd say there were two main issues that really got me involved in politics. I didn't come from a political family. I don't have much of a political background before I got involved. But in 2001, I was in eighth grade when 9/11 happened and that was obviously a life-changing event for all of us and really, to me, impressed the importance of getting involved in the political process.
I also came from a family with a small business. My father and grandfather owned a small business growing up. And so, that sort of instilled in me the ideas that I believe the conservative and Republican Party teaches, which are smaller government, allowing individuals to thrive and so forth. So, I went onto college, got involved in the College Republicans at Auburn and I'm now here in Washington.
MARTIN: OK, great. Soren, what about you?
DAYTON: My family also wasn't involved in politics. I actually - my story starts a little bit with 9/11 also. But after college, I started a software company during the tech boom and my friend and I, you know, went through that. There was a bust obviously that we participated in, I guess, both parts of that.
And in the process of that, I came to think about government in very concrete terms, as we look to the process of starting a small business, and really thought about the idea of how do I want to serve my country as that ended. And politics was one of the ways. I also looked at joining the military and things like that. But certainly my family isn't very political. And if they are at all, they're sort of progressive church people. There's a little bit of a disconnect.
MARTIN: So, they vote Republican?
DAYTON: Oh, no. No. They're progressive church people. My dad's pretty...
MARTIN: So, they kind of vote Democrat?
DAYTON: My dad's very liberal. And my mom is actually Canadian, so she's never voted in the U.S. election.
MARTIN: Oh, interesting. But, you know, it's - I'm interested because this is not my saying. I'm not being mean. But there's a saying - I think it comes from England - that if a young person is conservative, he has no heart. If an old person is a liberal, he has no brain. I know you've heard that. But in terms of this country, the politics are that young people tend to trend Democratic. In the 2008 election, according to the Pew Research Center, which is a respected research organization, 66 percent of voters under the age of 30 chose President Obama. I was wondering why you each think that is? Alex, I'll start with you. Alex Schriver, who's the national chairman of the College Republican National Committee.
SCHRIVER: Well, obviously I've heard that, and I actually disagree with the base that you tend to vote liberal when you're young and conservative when you're older. You know, the voting age was changed to 18 in 1972. Since then, Republicans have won the youth vote four times. And we've tied it twice. And actually Bush in 2000 came within a couple of points of tying it.
Now, since then, it's trended in the wrong direction. We lost the youth vote 54-45 in 2004 and 66-32 in 2008. And so, I think Soren and I would both agree that this idea that the Republicans can't win the youth vote is just not true.
MARTIN: OK.
SCHRIVER: We've won it four times in the modern era since we passed the 26th amendment. And so, as we get back to the issues of jobs and the economy, 74 percent of young people say that jobs and the economy are the most important issue to them. And as we get back to that and as our candidates are going around the country talking about that, I think we'll see a shift back to the Republican Party.
MARTIN: If you're just joining us, I'm speaking with Alex Schriver. That's who was speaking just now. He's chairman of the College Republican National Committee. They're here in Washington, D.C. to attend the annual Conservative Political Action Conference. Also with us, Soren Dayton. He's the communications director of the Young Republican National Federation. You might not know that the Conservative Political Action Conference actually attracts a very large number of young participants.
Soren, about that - is the Conservative Political Action Committee by definition a Republican group, because one might think that conservatism technically knows no parties. So, are there people like your family members there who lean - well, they're not conservative.
DAYTON: Right, right. But there's certainly a wider range of people than just Republicans. In fact, I would say many people in the conservative movement in the United States think of themselves as conservatives first and Republicans second. And when you look around, there will be people that have run third party candidacies in the past. There will be all sorts of people.
Don't forget, in the United States you'd seen polling, including Pew polling, shows that 40 percent of America is conservative, 40 percent is moderate, 20 percent is liberal and what 30-ish percent is Republican, 30-ish percent is Democrat, and a whole bunch of people in the middle. So...
MARTIN: But people interpret that in different ways. Like African-Americans, for example, many of African-Americans self-identify as conservative because of their own personal values and the way they choose to act on those values, but they don't necessarily vote...
DAYTON: Sure.
MARTIN: ...for Republican candidates who identify that way. So, people interpret conservatism different.
DAYTON: Absolutely.
MARTIN: And one of the things I was interested in is there's a question of whether conservatism has a message that appeals to young people, particularly because another one of the perceptions is that young people tend to be more socially liberal. They tend to be more tolerant of things like same-sex marriage. They tend not to believe that, even if they have a personal value system around certain issues, don't believe that the government should play a role in addressing those issues, if I'm encapsulating that correctly. So, I wanted to ask if you feel that the conservative movement today really has an appeal to young people as well, apart from the issues you talked about like the smaller government more freedom.
DAYTON: Well, I would note - and I forget who does this poll - but every year a respected nonpartisan polling agency asks a series of questions about incoming freshmen in universities. And since the '70s when they did this, when they started this, polling on, say, abortion about, you know, every year entering freshmen are getting more and more conservative.
Now, gay marriage is a different issue. And it's clear that there has been a pretty sharp increase in support for gay marriage. But on things like abortion, I would say the conservatives are winning this argument pretty decisively even with college students.
MARTIN: Let's shift to the economic argument. Alex Schriver, since you're chair of the College Republican National Committee, you've been chosen to sit on a panel called "Why Am I Living In My Parent's Basement? How The Obama Administration's Policies Are Detrimental To Young People." So, give it your best shot. What's your best argument for why? Give me a preview, if you would, of what you're going to say on the panel.
SCHRIVER: I think of the 30,000, you know, it absolutely comes down to the difference in the Democrat and the liberal philosophy and the conservative Republican philosophy. And that is - on the latter of those two - this idea of independence. So, what we talk about, and as the name of the panel as you mentioned, is getting out of your parent's basement.
And in the last 36 months, the policies of this administration have disproportionately affected our demographic greater than any other group out there. And young people are sitting here three years off with skyrocketing national debt. They can't put gas in their tank. They can't put food on their table, and they're moving back in with their parents.
And so, we as a party and we as a movement are talking about candidates and policies that will allow these young people to provide for themselves. Get their own health insurance, get a job that they can actually support themselves and, tongue-in-cheek, move out of your parent's basement.
MARTIN: Are you in your parents' basement, by the way?
DAYTON: I am not. I'm here in Washington.
(SOUNDBITE OF LAUGHTER)
MARTIN: OK. Your folks - you're doing OK. So, and I wanted to ask you, that Texas Congressman Ron Paul seems to be very attractive to young voters so far, even though he hasn't won any of the contests. He hasn't come out on top in any of the contests so far, even the beauty contest. But I wondered if that is your perception, also. And if he is not the young person's candidate, is there a young person's candidate this year in the way that President Obama seemed to be in the last election?
SCHRIVER: Well, first of all, I want to question a little bit some of this argument about the strength of Ron Paul with young people. Certainly, in the earliest of the primaries and caucuses, that was true. But when you look at the results from Florida and Nevada, which are the last ones that we have exit polls for, you know, Romney, the winner in both of those, actually got more. And I suspect, if you looked at the results from the most recent set on Tuesday, this would also hold.
MARTIN: Where do you think that perception comes from? Just the fact that he gets a warm reception on college campuses, or that a lot of people come out to see him?
SCHRIVER: I think there is that, and I think he's certainly worked harder. And if you go to CPAC, you know, one of the things that CPAC struggles with is the number of Ron Paul kids that are going to come and vote in a straw poll every year. I assume they're holding a straw poll.
MARTIN: But are you endorsing - is either of your group endorsing? No? So neither of you has a candidate?
DAYTON: We're prohibited by, actually, the tax laws that we operate under.
MARTIN: OK. All right. So, finally, before we let you go - and, Alex, I hope we'll see you again. I hope we'll see both of you again. A lot of famous people have served in that job before you. Karl Rove, as I understand it, was president of your organization before you, and later went on to become a very important advisor for President George W. Bush.
Wondering if you think a role like that is in your future. Where might we see Alex Schriver next? We want to keep in touch when you become super large. When you become Karl Rove-large, we want to be sure you come back and see us.
SCHRIVER: I'll be sure to come back. Well, I'm very blessed, and every day is a blessing to get to wake up and do the job that I have. I went to school at Auburn University in Alabama. I'm passionate about the state. I hope to return there one day and make a difference, in whatever capacity that may be. I've obviously got big shoes to fill. Grover Norquist and Ralph Reed and Karl Rove and so many others have come before me in this chair. And so it's an honor to serve these two years. I'm looking forward to this election in November.
MARTIN: He's already polished. He's already not answering my question. So - Alex Schriver is the national chairman of the College Republican National Committee. He was here with us in Washington, D.C., along with Soren Dayton, the communications director for the Young Republican National Federation. They were both kind enough to join us here in our Washington, D.C. studio. They'll be participating in the Conservative Political Action Conference later today.
Thank you both so much.
SCHRIVER: Thank you.
DAYTON: Absolutely. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR. | https://www.keranews.org/2012-02-09/conservatives-hope-to-reach-hard-pressed-youth | 2022-08-18T09:21:27Z |
MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
I'm Michel Martin, and this is TELL ME MORE, from NPR News. Coming up, we're going to find out why some artists are upset about the new categories for the Grammys this year. Some of these categories have Native American, Hawaiian and Cajun musicians all competing in the same category. We'll hear more about that in just a few minutes.
But first, we want to turn to Egypt. This weekend marks one year since Hosni Mubarak stepped down as Egypt's long-time president.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED AUDIO)
MARTIN: That was NPR's Lourdes Garcia Navarro. One year on, though, Egypt is still feeling the growing pains of transition from the past to the future. The country is still under martial law, and demonstrators have continued their protests against those military rulers for months.
The military government has also charged a group of 19 Americans with illegally financing nonprofit groups with foreign funds, there's growing concern over Egypt's economy.
We wanted to hear about what these headlines mean for Egyptians living with these changes day in and day out, so once again, we called on Yassmine El-Sayed Hany. She is a young master's degree student at Cairo University. We caught up with her last year when she was demonstrating against Hosni Mubarak every day in Tahrir Square. And she joins us now from her home in Cairo.
So good to talk to you once again.
YASSMINE EL-SAYED HANY: You're welcome, ma'am. Thank you for having me on your program.
MARTIN: How are you?
HANY: I'm very good. Thank you.
MARTIN: We spoke to you on February 11th, right after Mr. Mubarak stepped down, and I just want to play a short clip of what you had to say then. Here it is.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED AUDIO)
MARTIN: You laughed a little bit when you heard that.
HANY: Yes, yes.
MARTIN: Why were you laughing?
HANY: I was laughing because I remember that very special moment, and very special moments in the lives of all Egyptians, actually.
MARTIN: Do you still feel as excited? It would be hard to be that excited, you know, for a year. Apart from the momentary excitement, do you still feel that sense of jubilation?
HANY: Well, I would tell you something. Though one year has passed, we're not very suspecting miracle(ph) developments that has taken place in the process of transition of power. However, we are still - go down to the streets to protest any kind of dictatorship, even by the army or by political groups or by security forces. We are - still go down to the streets. We are still - flood the streets, and we are still awake.
MARTIN: What about your folks, your extended family? When we talked to you last year, one of the interesting conversations that you and I had was around talking to some of your relatives who were initially not so excited about the protests, but you were able to persuade some of them that, yes, this was, in fact, the right course of action. I'm just interested in what kinds of conversations are going on within the family, too. Your parents, for example: What do they think?
HANY: Yes. Inside my home, actually, I am a little bit closer to my generation than, for instance, the generation of my father and mother. So I have access to social networks. I have access to Twitter and Facebook. I have access to the stories told - my friends that are protesting in the streets.
However, my father and mother do not believe in that. For instance, they believe that all these kind of protests are made by certain parties that are trying or aspiring to make the road towards democracy more prickly and towards stability more prickly. So they do not believe in the benefits, for instance, of protesting in the streets. They believe that we should be waiting for the parliament to press the military rulers or the army to hand over the power in a peaceful way and in a very civil way.
MARTIN: Well, these will not be the first parents to have that point of view. I'm sure that's - you know, I'm sure that you will agree that parents all over the world have probably said that at some point.
HANY: They believe in the same points. They prefer stability and security. They hate protesting. Yeah.
MARTIN: If you're just joining us, this is TELL ME MORE, from NPR News. It's been a year since Egypt's historic revolution. We've been checking in with student and protester Yassmine El-Sayed Hany about how things are going in her country one year since Mr. Mubarak stepped down.
The big political news of the year were the parliamentary elections, where the Islamist group the Muslim Brotherhood won nearly half of the seats. And I'm pretty sure you know that many people here in the U.S. and in other governments are worried that the Muslim Brothers will implement extremist policies once they are in power.
May I ask your take on their success in those elections?
HANY: OK. For myself, I haven't selected any of the Islamic figures or any of the Islamic (unintelligible) members. OK? However, I know many friends and many in my family, actually, have elected them. But let's say that, by the end of the day, it's an elected parliament. I would say that I don't have that kind of phobia against the Islamists. OK? Because I deeply believe that politics is moderating the extremists. So it's in their very interest to work in a cooperative way with other forces in all - for all parties to contribute equally, as much as possible, in weighing the costs and in performing the responsibilities that they have after being elected.
MARTIN: Before I let you go, this is one of those questions that American pollsters like to ask, so I'm going to ask you this.
HANY: Yes. Sure.
MARTIN: Are you mostly optimistic or pessimistic right now about the future?
HANY: I'm very optimistic. We are still awake, and we will never let go of our country and we will never replace a dictatorship with another. And I'm very optimistic, because I believe that myself is still awake. My friends are awake. My family is awake. And all the disagreements that we are having among each other will be dealt with in a very positive and constructive way to our country.
MARTIN: Yassmine El-Sayed Hany is a master's degree student at Cairo University. We caught up with her last year when she was - along with so many of her countrymen and women - protesting in Tahrir Square in the lead-up to the ouster of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. And she's been kind enough to let us call upon her from time to time to hear how things are going in Egypt, and we caught up with her at home in Cairo.
Yassmine, thank you.
HANY: Thank you, ma'am, for having me on your program. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR. | https://www.keranews.org/2012-02-09/we-are-still-awake-says-egyptian-protester | 2022-08-18T09:21:33Z |
The manufacturing and industrial sector is slowly realizing that 5G Private Networks are essential for automation, robotics, and Augmented reality
NEW YORK, Aug. 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Network upgrades can underpin the efforts of manufacturers to automate quality assurance (QA) processes, deploy Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) inside the facility, and upskill employees with the use of Augmented Reality. Lower latency and support for Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) afforded by a 5G network can further enable wireless process automation for robotics use cases and increase bandwidth support for data-heavy applications, such as video analytics. According to new research from global technology intelligence firm ABI Research, in 2030, manufacturing and industrial firms worldwide will have more than 49 million 5G connections inside their facilities, which will generate US$2.4 billion in global connections revenue for suppliers.
"Progressive advancements to network performance (from Wi-Fi to Long Term Evolution (LTE), and from LTE to 5G) can underpin improvements to customers' operations. But to maximize the benefits to their operations, customers will need to invest in ancillary technologies, such as edge networking, data management, and data analytics, to accelerate data collection and create a digital thread," says Michael Larner, Industrial and Manufacturing Research Director at ABI Research.
However, a lack of 5G industrial devices has stalled manufacturers' interest in 5G private wireless. In turn, the lack of enthusiasm has discouraged hardware suppliers from creating the necessary devices. As a result of the state of flux, equipment vendors, such as Nokia, have launched converged devices supporting Wi-Fi, LTE, and 5G connectivity.
Suppliers need to showcase the attributes of a 5G network and prove how a 5G network can upgrade operations. "The lack of 5G devices is a genuine drag on adoption, but suppliers (telcos such as Nokia, Ericsson, NTT), Information Technology (IT) providers (HPE, DXC, Dell Technologies), Operational Technology (OT) specialists (Bosch, Siemens, Honeywell) and System Integrators (SIs) such as Accenture and Deloitte) should be working with prospective customers to educate them today about 5G's potential," Larner concludes.
These findings are from ABI Research's 5G Private Wireless in Manufacturing market update report. This report is part of the company's Industrial and Manufacturing research service, which includes research, data, and ABI Insights. Depicted in a PowerPoint format, the Market Update provides a snapshot into current and future market opportunities and threats for a specific technology as well as focusing on a selected key market and associated trends.
# # #
ABI Research is a global technology intelligence firm delivering actionable research and strategic guidance to technology leaders, innovators, and decision makers around the world. Our research focuses on the transformative technologies that are dramatically reshaping industries, economies, and workforces today.
ABI Research是一家国际科技情报公司，为全球科技领袖、创新人士和决策者提供实用的市场研究和战略性指导。我们密切关注一切为各行各业、全球经济和劳动市场带来颠覆性变革的创新与技术。
For more information about ABI Research's services, contact us at +1.516.624.2500 in the Americas, +44.203.326.0140 in Europe, +65.6592.0290 in Asia-Pacific, or visit www.abiresearch.com.
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Tel: +1.516.624.2558
pr@abiresearch.com
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SOURCE ABI Research | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/08/18/2030-manufacturing-industrial-facilities-will-have-over-49-million-5g-connections-generating-us24-billion-connections-revenue-suppliers/ | 2022-08-18T09:29:50Z |
"Best Lawyers" Named James Scott Farrin Attorney Barry Jennings a 2023 'Lawyer of the Year' and Recognized 21 of the Firm's Attorneys on 2023 'Best Lawyers' and 'Ones to Watch' Lists.*
DURHAM, N.C., Aug. 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Law Offices of James Scott Farrin is pleased to announce that the commitment and hard work of 21 of its attorneys were highlighted in the 29th edition of the "Best Lawyers in America" publication. Eight of its attorneys were recognized on the 'Best Lawyers' list, 13 of its attorneys were named to the third edition of the 'Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch' list, and one attorney was named a '2023 Lawyer of the Year.'*
This year marks the 41st year for the 'Best Lawyers' list. 2023 awardees are recognized as top lawyers in the country and are chosen by thorough peer review surveys. The James Scott Farrin attorneys named to the 2023 'Best Lawyers' list are:
- Douglas E. Berger - Workers' Compensation Law - Claimants
- Brian Clemmons - Workers' Compensation Law - Claimants
- Matt Harbin - Workers' Compensation Law - Claimants
- Matthew S. Healey - Workers' Compensation Law - Claimants, Workers' Compensation Law - Employers
- Gary W. Jackson - Litigation - Insurance
- Barry C. Jennings - Workers' Compensation Law - Claimants
- Michael F. Roessler - Workers' Compensation Law - Claimants
- Susan Vanderweert - Workers' Compensation Law - Claimants
All eight attorneys have been recognized on this list in previous years.
Barry Jennings received additional recognition and was selected by peer review as a 2023 'Lawyer of the Year' for his work in Workers' Compensation Law - Claimants in Raleigh.* Only one lawyer is recognized as 'Lawyer of the Year' for each practice area and location, and individuals who received this distinction had the highest overall peer feedback for that practice area and location.
Awardees for the 2023 "Best Lawyers" 'Ones to Watch' list are recognized as outstanding attorneys who have typically been in private practice for fewer than ten years and are nominated and reviewed by their peers.* The James Scott Farrin attorneys named to the 2023 'Ones to Watch' list are:
- Christopher Bagley - Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Plaintiffs
- Vanessa Beltrán - Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs
- Kenneth L. Bryan - Eminent Domain and Condemnation Law
- Patrick Clare - Workers' Compensation Law - Claimants
- Casey T. Day - Workers' Compensation Law - Claimants
- Kaitlyn Fudge - Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Plaintiffs, Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs
- Jennie R. Glish - Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs
- Leila Hicks - Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs
- Kelley Solomon Johnson - Elder Law
- Daniel Lehrer - Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs, Workers' Compensation Law - Claimants
- Ali Overby - Workers' Compensation Law - Claimants
- Chelsea Ragan - Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs
- Joshua D. Smith - Workers' Compensation Law - Claimants
It was the first year for Clare, Fudge, and Johnson to be listed as 'Ones to Watch' in their practice areas, while the other 10 attorneys were honored in previous years.
ABOUT THE LAW OFFICES OF JAMES SCOTT FARRIN
The Law Offices of James Scott Farrin is one of the largest personal injury firms in North Carolina and has helped over 55,000 injured people since 1997. Operating from 16 offices in NC and one in SC, many of the firm's 60+ accomplished attorneys are recognized professionals in their fields. The firm focuses on providing quality legal services to as many people as possible in the following practice areas: personal injury, car accidents, workers' compensation, nursing home abuse, whistleblowing, defective products, eminent domain, mass torts, class actions, and Social Security Disability.
Contact Information:
David Chamberlin
280 South Mangum Street
Suite 400
Durham, NC 27701
866-900-7078
https://www.farrin.com
Offices in Durham (main), Raleigh, Charlotte, Greensboro, NC and Greenville, SC. Attorney J. Gabe Talton: 280 South Mangum St., Suite 400, Durham, NC
*For standards of inclusion for "Best Lawyers" 'Lawyer of the Year,' 'Best Lawyers,' and 'Ones to Watch,' visit: http://www.bestlawyers.com.
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SHANGHAI, Aug. 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- ATRenew Inc. ("ATRenew" or the "Company") (NYSE: RERE), a leading technology-driven pre-owned consumer electronics transactions and services platform in China, today announced that the Company will present at the following conferences in August and September 2022:
- Credit Suisse 10th China Internet Conference on August 31, 2022.
- 3rd Annual Jefferies Asia Forum on September 7-8, 2022.
- 29th Annual CITIC CLSA Flagship Investors' Forum 2022 on September 13-14, 2022.
ATRenew's management will host virtual one-on-one or group meetings for interested investors and analysts. There will be a presentation on the Company's recent financial and business highlights, followed by a question-and-answer session during the meetings. For conference registration, please contact the representative or conference organizer for the relevant institution above.
About ATRenew Inc.
Headquartered in Shanghai, ATRenew Inc. operates a leading technology-driven pre-owned consumer electronics transactions and services platform in China under the brand ATRenew. Since its inception in 2011, ATRenew has been on a mission to give a second life to all idle goods, addressing the environmental impact of pre-owned consumer electronics by facilitating recycling and trade-in services, and distributing the devices to prolong their lifecycle. ATRenew's open platform integrates C2B, B2B, and B2C capabilities to empower its online and offline services. Through its end-to-end coverage of the entire value chain and its proprietary inspection, grading, and pricing technologies, ATRenew sets the standard for China's pre-owned consumer electronics industry.
Safe Harbor Statement
This press release contains statements that may constitute "forward-looking" statements pursuant to the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "expects," "anticipates," "aims," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates," "likely to" and similar statements. Among other things, quotations in this announcement, contain forward-looking statements. ATRenew may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its periodic reports to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), in its annual report to shareholders, in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about ATRenew's beliefs, plans and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement, including but not limited to the following: ATRenew's strategies; ATRenew's future business development, financial condition and results of operations; ATRenew's ability to maintain its relationship with major strategic investors; its ability to provide facilitate pre-owned consumer electronics transactions and provide relevant services; its ability to maintain and enhance the recognition and reputation of its brand; general economic and business conditions globally and in China and assumptions underlying or related to any of the foregoing. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in ATRenew's filings with the SEC. All information provided in this press release is as of the date of this press release, and ATRenew does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, except as required under applicable law.
Investor Relations Contact
In China:
ATRenew Inc.
Investor Relations
Email: ir@atrenew.com
In the United States:
ICR LLC.
Email: atrenew@icrinc.com
Tel: +1-212-537-0461
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SOURCE ATRenew Inc. | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/08/18/atrenew-present-investor-conferences-august-september-2022/ | 2022-08-18T09:29:55Z |
LONDON, Aug. 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Stats Perform and Sporting Solutions' new Betting Innovation Centre announced its first B2B product set, Opta BetBuilder Plus, that will quickly unlock the true potential of player props and same-game betting for every operator and bettor.
Initially built for football and ready to integrate today, Opta BetBuilder Plus is the only major betbuilder product to utilise Stats Perform's renowned Opta player statistics and enables sportsbooks of all sizes to offer thrilling experiences for the 2022 World Cup and many competitions beyond.
The product fills key gaps that have held back the growth of football betting by connecting sharp pricing with contextual front-end Opta stats, in-play as well as pre-game, delivered in multiple formats including singles, pre-combined multis, a betbuilder API and hosted betbuilder UI.
Opta BetBuilder Plus features unique Opta-powered markets, like player shots on target and goalkeeper saves, which are available for a broad range of global football competitions. The service has also been built from the ground-up to be fast and simple to launch, particularly for hundreds of operators with an existing Sporting Solutions or Stats Perform integration.
"Opta BetBuilder Plus creates dream experiences for bettors and operators and will set a benchmark for the future of betbuilder products. It perfectly combines the best of Sporting Solutions and Stats Perform: elite modeling and trading expertise, uniquely deep player data, product expertise and the world-renowned Opta brand," said Shane Gannon, SVP Betting at Stats Perform.
CEO of Sporting Solutions, Andy Wright, said: "Since announcing the Betting Innovation Centre, operators have been asking for player proposition prices like shots to be available at scale in betbuilders and same-game products, in-play as well as pre-game, to make football betting more entertaining for their users.
"They also want their traders to have genuine confidence in the player proposition pricing, so they can keep more markets open longer, for more games, and be creative with their boosts and promotions. That's a large part of the unique value we're bringing."
Added Gannon, "Operators want their customers to be able to quickly find and place the right bet, to track it and have stats to help them make a cash-out decision, for all the big leagues but also their local hero players and teams.
"Our Opta BetBuilder Plus product set enables all of this, via a very fast integration. It is perfect for any operator wanting to unlock the true potential of football betting and means every operator can quickly offer trusted, unbeatable football betting experiences," he said.
For further information on the Stats Perform and Sporting Solutions Betting Innovation Centre and Opta BetBuilder Plus, please visit BettingInnovationCentre.com.
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BEIJING, Aug. 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Canaan Inc. (NASDAQ: CAN) ("Canaan" or the "Company"), a leading high-performance computing solutions provider, today announced its unaudited financial results for the three months ended June 30, 2022.
Second Quarter 2022 Operating and Financial Highlights
Total computing power sold was 5.5 million Thash/s, representing an increase of 27.5% from 4.3 million Thash/s in the first quarter of 2022 and a decrease of 7.7% from 5.9 million Thash/s in the same period of 2021.
Revenues were RMB1,652.7 million (US$246.7 million), representing an increase of 21.9% from RMB1,356.1 million in the first quarter of 2022 and an increase of 52.8% from RMB1,081.8 million in the same period of 2021.
Gross profit was RMB929.7 million (US$138.8 million), representing an increase of 12.0% from RMB829.8 million in the first quarter of 2022 and an increase of 117.3% from RMB427.9 million in the same period of 2021.
Net income was RMB608.9 million (US$90.9 million), representing an increase of 37.9% from RMB441.6 million in the first quarter of 2022 and an increase of 148.6% from RMB245.0 million in the same period of 2021.
Non-GAAP adjusted net income was RMB688.2 million (US$102.7 million), representing an increase of 26.6% from RMB543.4 million in the first quarter of 2022 and an increase of 115.0% from RMB320.1 million in the same period of 2021.
Mr. Nangeng Zhang, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Canaan, commented, "We went through a challenging second quarter as the Bitcoin price continued to tumble down to under US$20 thousand. The COVID-19 containment lockdown in key cities in China also brought severe disruptions to our daily operations and demand for our AI chips. Facing these obstacles, we strived to deliver for our clients and achieved total computing power sold of 5.5 million Thash/s, up 27.5% sequentially. In order to support our global expansion, we further integrated operations overseas in our Singapore international headquarters, which now features a Research and Development team and other operational functions. Leveraging our Singapore office, we extended our supply chain into Southeast Asia during the second quarter and completed the initial batch of deliveries. During the second quarter, we continued to collaborate with mining farm partners to ramp up our mining business, and generated an increasing number of Bitcoins with an improved power supply. As of June 30, 2022, we held a total of 346.84 Bitcoins. Overall, we are fully aware of the downward pressure from the Bitcoin price since the last fourth quarter and expect it to bring prolonged headwinds to our performance in the coming quarters. Nevertheless, we believe in the unique value of Bitcoin and its long-term prospects. We are committed to developing our supercomputing technology on more advanced nodes and providing competitive products and best-of-class services to clients around the world."
Mr. James Jin Cheng, Chief Financial Officer of Canaan, stated, "In the second quarter of 2022, we generated total revenue of RMB1,652.7 million, in line with our guidance range. The solid topline performance primarily resulted from the sequentially increased computing power sold and relatively high average selling price we secured with contract sales from previous quarters where the Bitcoin price was at a higher level. As the Bitcoin price further decreased in the second quarter, we responsively lowered our product price for spot sales to shoulder the pressure with our clients. On the other hand, wafer price stays high on the cost front. Therefore, we expect the gross margin to decrease dramatically in the second half of this year. Looking forward to the coming quarters, we see a tougher market environment from the lower Bitcoin price level, overall increased energy price, and various pandemic and geopolitical uncertainties globally, which may all jeopardize the demand and price for our products. Being prepared for this difficult time, we endeavor to maintain healthy cash flows and strengthen our supply chain for smooth delivery. In addition to our diligent business operations, we continued to execute our share repurchase program to drive value for our shareholders."
Second Quarter 2022 Financial Results
Revenues in the second quarter of 2022 were RMB1,652.7 million (US$246.7 million), representing an increase of 21.9% from RMB1,356.1 million in the first quarter of 2022 and an increase of 52.8% from RMB1,081.8 million in the same period of 2021.
Products revenue in the second quarter of 2022 was RMB1,600.4 million (US$238.9 million), representing an increase of 20.9% from RMB1,323.6 million in the first quarter of 2022 and an increase of 48.3% from RMB1,079.4 million in the same period of 2021. The increase over the first quarter of 2022 was mainly attributable to the increase in total computing power sold, and the increase over the second quarter of 2021 was mainly attributable to the increase in the average selling price per Thash/s. The increases over the first quarter of 2022 and the second quarter of 2021 were partially offset by the decreases in AI revenue from RMB3.7 million in the first quarter of 2022 and RMB3.8 million in the second quarter of 2021 to RMB1.6 million (US$0.2 million) in the second quarter of 2022, respectively.
Mining revenue in the second quarter of 2022 was RMB52.1 million (US$7.8 million), representing an increase of 60.9% from RMB32.4 million in the first quarter of 2022 and an increase of 7,853.6% from RMB0.7 million in the same period of 2021. The increases in mining revenue over the first quarter of 2022 and the second quarter of 2021 were mainly attributable to the improved electricity supply of mining machines.
Cost of revenues in the second quarter of 2022 was RMB722.9 million (US$107.9 million), representing an increase of 37.4% from RMB526.3 million in the first quarter of 2022 and an increase of 10.6% from RMB653.9 million in the same period of 2021. The sequential and year-over-year increases in cost of revenues were in line with revenue growth.
Gross profit in the second quarter of 2022 was RMB929.7 million (US$138.8 million), representing an increase of 12.0% from RMB829.8 million in the first quarter of 2022 and an increase of 117.3% from RMB427.9 million in the same period of 2021.
Total operating expenses in the second quarter of 2022 were RMB270.5 million (US$40.4 million), representing an increase of 7.7% from RMB251.2 million in the first quarter of 2022 and an increase of 3.1% from RMB262.4 million in the same period of 2021.
Research and development expenses in the second quarter of 2022 were RMB103.9 million (US$15.5 million), representing an increase of 2.7% from RMB101.2 million in the first quarter of 2022 and an increase of 48.7% from RMB69.9 million in the same period of 2021. The sequential increase was primarily attributable to the increased staff costs in technology-related departments. The year-over-year increase was primarily attributable to the increased staff costs in technology-related departments, partially offset by the decreased share-based expenses. Research and development expenses in the second quarter of 2022 also included share-based compensation expenses of RMB17.5 million (US$2.6 million).
Sales and marketing expenses in the second quarter of 2022 were RMB21.1 million (US$3.2 million), representing an increase of 5.8% from RMB20.0 million in the first quarter of 2022 and a decrease of 18.3% from RMB25.9 million in the same period of 2021. The sequential increase was mainly due to the increased share-based expenses. The year-over-year decrease was mainly driven by decreased staff costs, partially offset by the increased share-based expenses. Sales and marketing expenses in the second quarter of 2022 also included share-based compensation expenses of RMB4.4 million (US$0.7 million).
General and administrative expenses in the second quarter of 2022 were RMB145.4 million (US$21.7 million), representing an increase of 11.8% from RMB130.0 million in the first quarter of 2022 and a decrease of 12.7% from RMB166.6 million in the same period of 2021. The sequential increase was mainly due to the increase in professional service fees. The year-over-year decrease was mainly due to decreased share-based compensation expenses, partially offset by increased professional fees and staff costs. General and administrative expenses in the second quarter of 2022 also included share-based compensation expenses of RMB82.3 million (US$12.3 million).
Income from operations in the second quarter of 2022 was RMB659.3 million (US$98.4 million), representing an increase of 13.9% from RMB578.6 million in the first quarter of 2022 and an increase of 298.4% from RMB165.5 million in the same period of 2021.
Impairment on cryptocurrency in the second quarter of 2022 was RMB30.0 million (US$4.5 million), compared to RMB0.4 million in the first quarter of 2022 and nil in the same period of 2021. The sequential and year-over-year increases were mainly due to the decreased Bitcoin price at the end of the second quarter of 2022.
Net income attributable to ordinary shareholders in the second quarter of 2022 was RMB608.9 million (US$90.9 million), representing an increase of 37.9% from RMB441.6 million in the first quarter of 2022 and an increase of 148.6% from RMB245.0 million in the same period of 2021.
Non-GAAP adjusted net income in the second quarter of 2022 was RMB688.2 million (US$102.7 million), representing an increase of 26.6% from RMB543.4 million in the first quarter of 2022 and an increase of 115.0% from RMB320.1 million in the same period of 2021. Non-GAAP adjusted net income excludes share-based compensation expenses and change in fair value of warrant liability. For further information, please refer to "Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures" in this press release.
Foreign currency translation adjustment, net of nil tax, in the second quarter of 2022 was an income of RMB55.1 million (US$8.2 million), compared with a loss of RMB4.8 million in the first quarter of 2022 and a loss of RMB10.2 million in the same period of 2021, due to the US dollar appreciation against the Renminbi during the second quarter of 2022.
Basic net earnings per American depositary share ("ADS") in the second quarter of 2022 was RMB3.53 (US$0.53). In comparison, basic net earnings per ADS in the first quarter of 2022 and in the same period of 2021 were RMB2.57 and RMB1.46, respectively. Each ADS represents 15 of the Company's Class A ordinary shares.
Diluted net earnings per ADS in the second quarter of 2022 was RMB3.53 (US$0.53). In comparison, diluted net earnings per ADS in the first quarter of 2022 and in the same period of 2021 were RMB2.57 and RMB1.40, respectively. Each ADS represents 15 of the Company's Class A ordinary shares.
As of June 30, 2022, the Company held cryptocurrency assets that comprised 346.84 Bitcoins, with a carrying value of RMB51.3 million (US$7.7 million).
Contract liabilities as of June 30, 2022, were RMB1,017.5 million (US$151.9 million), decreasing from RMB1,340.7 million as of December 31, 2021, mainly due to decreased customer advances from sales orders of Bitcoin mining machines.
As of June 30, 2022, the Company had cash and cash equivalents of RMB2,640.7 million (US$394.2 million), compared to RMB2,684.3 million as of December 31, 2021.
Shares Outstanding
As of June 30, 2022, the Company had a total of 158,329,596 ADSs outstanding, each representing 15 of the Company's Class A ordinary shares.
Recent Developments
The Company's Share Repurchase Update
On March 16, 2022, the Company announced that its board of directors authorized a share repurchase program (the "Share Repurchase Program") under which the Company may repurchase up to US$100 million worth of its outstanding (i) ADSs, each representing 15 Class A ordinary shares, and/or (ii) Class A ordinary shares over the next 24 months starting from March 16, 2022.
As of August 12, 2022, the Company has repurchased a total of 2.8 million ADSs with an aggregate value of US$10.3 million and an average repurchase price of US$3.63 per ADS under the Share Repurchase Program.
The Repurchase of Outstanding Warrants
On June 23, 2022, the Company announced that it has entered into agreements with certain warrant holders to repurchase over 4.72 million outstanding warrants of the Company for an aggregate purchase price of approximately US$6.61 million. The Warrants were issued by the Company in May 2021 pursuant to (i) certain Securities Purchase Agreement between the Company and the purchasers party thereto, dated April 29, 2021, and (ii) certain placement agent agreement between the Company and the placement agents thereto, dated April 29, 2021.
The Company has made full payment for the repurchase transactions and is in the process of canceling the warrants. The completion of the warrant repurchase eliminates all outstanding warrants and streamlines the capital structure of the Company, which enables the Company more financing flexibility in the capital markets.
Business Outlook
For the third quarter of 2022, the Company expects total net revenues to be in the range of RMB900 million (US$134.4 million) to RMB1,100 million (US$164.2 million), representing a decrease of 17% to 32% from the third quarter of 2021. This forecast reflects the Company's current and preliminary views on the market and operational conditions, which are subject to change.
Conference Call Information
The Company's management team will hold a conference call at 8:00 A.M. U.S. Eastern Time on August 18, 2022 (or 8:00 P.M. Beijing Time on the same day) to discuss the financial results. Details for the conference call are as follows:
Event Title: Canaan Inc. Second Quarter 2022 Earnings Conference Call
Registration Link: https://register.vevent.com/register/BIe6433722372f49d8bdb6579d1dc929fe
All participants must use the link provided above to complete the online registration process in advance of the conference call. Upon registering, each participant will receive a set of participant dial-in numbers and a unique access PIN, which can be used to join the conference call.
A live and archived webcast of the conference call will be available at the Company's investor relations website at investor.canaan-creative.com.
About Canaan Inc.
Established in 2013, Canaan (NASDAQ: CAN), is a technology company focusing on ASIC high-performance computing chip design, chip research and development, computing equipment production, and software services. The company's vision is "super computing is what we do, social enrichment is why we do it." Canaan has a rich experience in chip design and streamlined production in the ASIC field. In 2013, it released and mass produced its first ASIC Bitcoin mining machine. In 2018, Canaan released the world's first 7nm ASIC chip, providing energy efficient computing equipment to the cryptocurrency mining industry. In the same year, Canaan released the world's first RISC-V architecture commercial edge AI chip, further harnessing the potential of ASIC technology in the field of high-performance computing and artificial intelligence.
Exchange Rate Information
This announcement contains translations of certain RMB amounts into U.S. dollars ("US$") at specified rates solely for the convenience of the reader. Unless otherwise stated, all translations from RMB to US$ were made at the rate of RMB6.6981 to US$1.00, the noon buying rate in effect on June 30, 2022, in the H.10 statistical release of the Federal Reserve Board. The Company makes no representation that the RMB or US$ amounts referred could be converted into US$ or RMB, as the case may be, at any particular rate or at all.
Safe Harbor Statement
This announcement contains forward−looking statements. These statements are made under the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward−looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "expects," "anticipates," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates" and similar statements. Among other things, the business outlook and quotations from management in this announcement, as well as Canaan Inc.'s strategic and operational plans, contain forward−looking statements. Canaan Inc. may also make written or oral forward−looking statements in its periodic reports to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") on Forms 20−F and 6−K, in its annual report to shareholders, in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about Canaan Inc.'s beliefs and expectations, are forward−looking statements. Forward−looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward−looking statement, including but not limited to the following: the Company's goals and strategies; the Company's future business development, financial condition and results of operations; the expected growth of the Bitcoin industry and the price of Bitcoin; the Company's expectations regarding demand for and market acceptance of its products, especially its Bitcoin mining machines; the Company's expectations regarding maintaining and strengthening its relationships with production partners and customers; the Company's investment plans and strategies, fluctuations in the Company's quarterly operating results; competition in its industry in China; and relevant government policies and regulations relating to the Company and cryptocurrency. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in the Company's filings with the SEC, including its registration statement on Form F−1, as amended, and its annual reports on Form 20−F, as amended. All information provided in this press release and in the attachments is as of the date of this press release, and Canaan Inc. does not undertake any obligation to update any forward−looking statement, except as required under applicable law.
Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures
In evaluating Canaan's business, the Company uses non-GAAP measures, such as adjusted net income, as supplemental measures to review and assess its operating performance. The Company defines adjusted net income as net income excluding share-based compensation expenses and change in fair value of warrant liability. The Company believes that the non-GAAP financial measures provide useful information about the Company's results of operations, enhance the overall understanding of the Company's past performance and future prospects and allow for greater visibility with respect to key metrics used by the Company's management in its financial and operational decision-making.
The non-GAAP financial measures are not defined under U.S. GAAP and are not presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP. The non-GAAP financial measures have limitations as analytical tools and investors should not consider them in isolation, or as a substitute for net income, cash flows provided by operating activities or other consolidated statements of operations and cash flows data prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. One of the key limitations of using adjusted net income is that it does not reflect all of the items of income and expense that affect the Company's operations. Share-based compensation and change in fair value of warrant liability have been and may continue to be incurred in Canaan's business and are not reflected in the presentation of adjusted net income. Further, the non-GAAP financial measures may differ from the non-GAAP information used by other companies, including peer companies, and therefore their comparability may be limited. The Company mitigates these limitations by reconciling the non-GAAP financial measures to the most comparable U.S. GAAP performance measures, all of which should be considered when evaluating the Company's performance.
Investor Relations Contact
Canaan Inc.
Ms. Xi Zhang
Email: IR@canaan-creative.com
ICR, LLC.
Robin Yang
Tel: +1 (347) 396-3281
Email: canaan.ir@icrinc.com
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SOURCE Canaan Inc. | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/08/18/canaan-inc-reports-unaudited-second-quarter-2022-financial-results/ | 2022-08-18T09:30:08Z |
With tasty, NEW chocolate and ice cream treats to celebrate
BURLINGTON, Vt., Aug. 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Two companies known for their passion for social justice have fallen bar over spoon for each other into a Chocolate Love A-Fair. Ben & Jerry's has joined Tony's Chocolonely's mission to end modern slavery and child labor in the chocolate industry. It's a match made in changemaker heaven.
To celebrate their commitment, the ice cream and chocolate makers' Flavor Gurus got busy making sweet treats inspired by each other. Coming in January 2023, Chocolatey Love A-Fair, a new flavor from Ben & Jerry's based on Tony's popular milk caramel sea salt bar; and Tony's Chocolate Love A-Fair, two new Tony's bars inspired by Ben & Jerry's Strawberry Cheesecake and Chocolate Fudge Brownie ice cream flavors. It's love at first bite.
The cocoa beans from these brand-new chocolatey treats are sourced through Tony's Open Chain which helps companies take steps to end modern slavery and child labor in the chocolate industry. Ben & Jerry's will also begin converting its ice cream portfolio to Tony's Open Chain, prioritizing the cocoa in the ice cream base mix. Ben & Jerry's already pays farmers a Fairtrade Premium for their cocoa beans through an ongoing partnership with Fairtrade, and boosts this further by paying a Living Income Reference Price. As part of Tony's Open Chain, Ben & Jerry's will now also commit to Tony's 5 Sourcing Principles which means, among other things, also paying a fee to further support the partner co-operatives in Côte d'Ivoire.
By adopting Tony's 5 Sourcing Principles, companies take responsibility for ensuring a fully traceable cocoa supply chain and paying a higher price to address poverty, the root cause of social injustice for cocoa farmers. As a Mission Ally of Tony's Open Chain and by beginning their conversion to buying cocoa directly from eight partner co-operatives in Côte d'Ivoire, Ben & Jerry's will not only get to know which farmers produce the beans that go into their chocolatey ice cream, but also under which social and environmental circumstances they are grown. Full traceability and transparency of the cocoa supply chain is crucial to achieve social justice for cocoa farmers – and to enable dignified livelihoods.
"We began this journey seven years ago, when we first partnered with Fairtrade co-ops in Côte d'Ivoire, and this is the exciting next step in our cocoa journey as we amplify our commitment to farmers, equity, and ethical sourcing," said Cheryl Pinto, Ben & Jerry's Global Head of Values-led Sourcing. "Tony's Open Chain enables us to combine traceability with sourcing principles that naturally align to Ben & Jerry's mission and supports cocoa farmers to meet high standards on social and environmental practices while strengthening their co-operative."
"Embracing the 5 Sourcing Principles of Tony's Open Chain means unlocking the key elements to driving strong trading relationships and thriving cocoa communities," Cheryl said, "We are serious about chocolatey ice cream, and we are eager to join forces with Tony's Open Chain as a Mission Ally, on a delicious journey towards a more ethical future for cocoa production that all chocolate lovers deserve!"
Joke Aerts, Inspire to Actress (Tony's Open Chain Lead) for Tony's Chocolonely, said, "We are thrilled that Ben & Jerry's joins us as a Mission Ally in Tony's Open Chain. Not only will this partnership see large volumes of cocoa beans sourced via Tony's Open Chain but collaborating with one of the world's most-loved social justice companies truly puts our initiative on the map internationally and proves that our way of working is a solution for all players in the cocoa industry. I am confident that, together, we can make big strides towards eradicating modern slavery and child labor, stopping deforestation, and improving the livelihoods of West African cocoa farmers."
- Ben & Jerry's Chocolatey Love A-Fair ice cream featuring chocolate ice cream packed with salted cara-melt-in-your-mouth swirls, and plenty of chocolatey & caramel chunks – chilling in a freezer near you early 2023. It takes its inspiration from Tony's popular milk caramel sea salt bar. Like all Ben & Jerry's tasty pints, it's Fairtrade Certified.
- Tony's Chocolate Love A-Fair, two sweet new Tony's bars - dark milk chocolate with brownie and white chocolate strawberry cheesecake style– inspired by 2 classic Ben & Jerry's ice cream flavors. Hitting shelves near you early 2023.
High-res imagery can be download: HERE
- Transitioning to fully traceable cocoa beans.
- Paying an additional premium for their cocoa beans, enabling farmers to earn a living income.
- Promoting strong co-operatives to professionalize and make the work of cocoa farming safe and sustainable. Collectively, this means farmers stand strong and are empowered to change structural inequity in the value chain.
- Engaging in long-term commitments giving the farmers income security and the opportunity to invest in their businesses.
- Coaching farmers to improve their cocoa productivity and quality and improve their agricultural knowledge on relevant crops.
Ben & Jerry's has been making great ice cream since the company was founded by school friends Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, back in 1978. Their aim is (and always has been!) to make the best possible ice cream, in the nicest possible way. We use Fairtrade certified ingredients in our dairy and non-dairy ranges, including sugar, cocoa, vanilla, bananas, coffee, almonds and coconut. To learn more about how we do business, visit https://www.benjerry.com/values/how-we-do-business/cocoa-commitment.
Tony's Chocolonely is an impact company that makes chocolate. Putting social impact before profit — Tony's Chocolonely's vision is to make chocolate 100% slave free. Not just their own chocolate, but all chocolate worldwide.
The company was founded in 2005 by 3 journalists from the Dutch TV show 'Keuringsdienst van Waarde' after they discovered that the world's largest chocolate manufacturers were buying cocoa from plantations that used child labor and modern slavery.
Since then, Tony's Chocolonely has dedicated its efforts to raising awareness of and eliminating inequality in the chocolate industry. Tony's Chocolonely leads by example, building direct, long-term relationships with cocoa farmers in Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire, paying them a higher price and working together to solve the underlying causes of modern slavery and child labor.
Tony's Chocolonely wants to inspire the industry as a whole to make 100% slave free the norm in chocolate. They believe that being a better business should be the norm, not the exception. The brand has grown to become one of the market leaders in the Netherlands and its bars are now available almost worldwide, with teams in the Netherlands, USA, UK, Germany, Austria, Belgium and Sweden.
Tony's Chocolonely is a B-Corp and Fairtrade-certified.
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HANGZHOU, China, Aug. 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Cloud Music Inc. (HKEX: 9899 or the "Company"), a leading interactive music streaming service provider in China, today announced its financial results for the first half of 2022 ended 30 June 2022.
First Half 2022 Key Financial and Operating Highlights
- Revenue was RMB4.3 billion, an increase of 33.8% compared with RMB3.2 billion for the same period of 2021.
- Gross profit was RMB537.1 million, compared with a gross loss of RMB12.9 million for the same period of 2021. Gross margin improved to 12.6% from negative 0.4% for the same period of 2021, as a result of the significant revenue increase and control over content licensing fees.
- Net loss was RMB270.8 million, narrowed by 92.9% compared with RMB3.8 billion for the same period of 2021.
- Adjusted net loss was RMB217.0 million, narrowed by 59.3% compared with RMB533.0 million for the same period of 2021.
Business Overview
In the first half of 2022, we continued to bring innovative products and content to our followers, improving our differentiated community ecosystem and user engagement levels. Meanwhile, we also successfully strengthened our commercialisation capabilities and further optimised our content cost structure.
In the first half of 2022, our online music services MAUs stood at 181.9 million, which was largely stable on a sequential and year-over-year basis, with our DAU/MAU ratio (daily active user/monthly active user ratio) staying well above 30% in the period. We have made solid progress in growing and fostering our leading music-inspired community over the past years, and will continue our endeavours in doing so.
We have worked diligently to step up our monetisation efforts since 2019, and these efforts have started to bear fruit. Despite a more challenging industry environment and macro-headwinds, our total revenues for the first half of 2022 grew 33.8% year-over-year. Our commercialisation capabilities further improved with gains across both our subscription-based memberships as well as our growing social entertainment services.
In particular, our membership paying ratio reached 20.7%, soaring from 14.2% in the first half of 2021. Based on our high quality and young user community, our ongoing initiatives in content enhancement (from more labels) and premium and innovative functions (e.g. Hi-Res) for subscribers have collectively contributed to the increase in our paying user conversion over the past year.
Gross margins improved significantly as well, soaring to 12.6% in the first half of 2022, compared with a negative 0.4% gross margin in the first half of 2021. To support our margin growth, we further scaled our business, while enacting meaningful copyright cost optimisation.
Looking ahead, we are strategically broadening our prospects by:
- fostering our music-oriented community ecosystem via enhancements to our comprehensive and innovative product offerings, embedded with more interactive features and ecology, along with advanced tools and technologies to liberate UGC (user-generated content) content creation;
- exploring innovations in social networking, utilising user behaviours and music preferences to connect users, and providing additional social networking options;
- further diversifying and rounding out our content offerings with better efficiency, via active negotiation with copyright holders to secure more high-quality content, as well as ongoing progress in independent artists incubation and in-house music production;
- cultivating our users' willingness to pay and pursuing commercialisation potential, via improved user experience and deepened user engagement, innovative products and content offerings, and broadened consumption scenarios; and
- looking to include layouts in IoT, as well as potentially game-inspired initiatives, with an expectation to generate incremental contribution from these initiatives over time.
Community Ecosystem
Throughout the first half of 2022, we successfully revitalised our differentiated community with strong user engagement across our large and stable user scale. During the Reporting Period, each daily active user spent, on average, approximately 80.6 minutes per day listening to music on our platform, up from 76.9 minutes during the first half of 2021. Nearly half of our users browsed the "comments section" while listening to music. As of 30 June 2022, 31.4% of music streams were attributable to platform recommendations, up from 30.5% as of 30 June 2021. These metrics demonstrate the strong stickiness and activities of our high-quality user group and distinguish our vibrant community atmosphere and attributes, mutually reinforcing each other within our ecosystem.
Fostering an interactive music community. The interactive young generation of music lovers and new breed of talented independent artists work in harmony with our unique music content distribution mechanism and diverse array of UGC. Together, these components facilitate music-inspired content consumption from both the demand (music lovers) and supply side (artists and UGC creators). This winning combination promotes interactions among users and content creators, thus forming a self-perpetuating community ecosystem.
Our UGC-inspired community ecosystem. We cultivate our music-oriented community and UGC ecosystem through constant product improvement across multiple content formats. We develop multiple assistant tools to facilitate further UGC creation. Our vibrant UGC ecosystem is unparalleled in the market, and reinforced by our dynamic, supportive community culture. By the end of June 2022, we had accumulated 3.4 billion UGC playlists on our platform.
A focus on music-inspired connections. Our community is centred around music-inspired emotional resonances, not only between music content and audiences, but also between musicians and followers, as well as among users. In offering vibrant community features, social networking options, along with heart-warming atmosphere, we are nurturing these relationships, encouraging users, artists and content creators to interact and engage with each other.
Product and service innovations
In the first half of 2022, we advanced our initiatives to enhance user experience and community features through product innovation. The young music enthusiasts on our platform are passionate about its superior listening experience and are more willing to express and share, fulfilled by our thoughtful rollout of innovative products and services.
Optimising users listening experience
- Cloud Shuffle (雲隨機). We creatively launched the "Cloud Shuffle" to streamline users' core listening experience. The new function allows users to shuffle songs with a suite of personalised preferences in terms of familiarity and style similarity to gauge the level of randomness and satisfy users' diverse tastes.
- Hi-Res (High Resolution Audio) and Seamless Listening. Our newly launched Hi-Res function is the solution. Hi-Res offers higher audio quality to bring users an immersive sound experience as the artist intended. Coupled with our Seamless Listening and Multi-speed Listening innovations, we are committed to bringing superior sound quality to users.
- Music Encyclopedia (音樂百科). We have rolled out the "Music Encyclopedia" function, integrating fragmented information into an encyclopedia page that contains professional content including music genre, style, instruments, BPM (beat count), and awards. This function aims to fulfil users' musical needs with our platform's enhanced professional offering.
Fostering social networking features
- Introduced more social attributes. We rolled out Taste Match (合拍推薦) on the daily recommendation page. The algorithm-based tool finds new matches with similar listening tastes according to users listening behaviors. Taste Match recommends a list of songs of which the user may be interested in from the matching one's favourite tracks. It represents a creative approach to recommend music and connect users.
- Launched new social networking App – MUS. MUS, our new music-inspired social networking app, strives to utilise music content to connect users. An individual's homepage showcases their music preferences, based on music consumption behaviour within NetEase Cloud Music App. We believe music preference is a good reflection of individual personality, and similar music taste represents a good starting point to connect people. We believe this brand-new product provides additional social networking options to our users, further inspiring person-to-person connections among our users.
Joint-collaboration with NetEase Games
- We continued to expand our internal collaboration opportunities with NetEase Games. Following our innovative Harry Potter Magic Radio (哈利波特魔法電台) with NetEase's blockbuster game, we are seeking more tie-ups to utilise our strength in content to integrate user's gaming experience with diverse listening options. We look forward to new collaborations with NetEase Games to expand the consumption scenarios of auditory experience, as well as commercialisation.
Content enhancement
We offer a full spectrum of various content as our young users' demands are increasingly diverse and personalised. Our content library consisted of more than 106 million music tracks by the end of June 2022, including music from established labels, as well as independent artists and in-house production. Our robust library expansion, together with music inspired UGC content, brings users broad and differentiated content. Consequently, our enhanced content offerings helped strengthen our brand awareness and develop a mindset among users that encourages their willingness to pay.
Music labels. We continued to secure more high-quality content with a focus on better return on investment (ROI) in the first half of 2022. We are actively completing our music catalog and have signed copyright collaborations successively with top labels including Linfair Records, SM Entertainment and TF Entertainment, adding more popular music tracks from influential singers and groups to our platform, including, but not limited to, Angela Chang, SUPER JUNIOR, Girls' Generation, EXO and TFBOYS.
- Adding top music labels from China and abroad, as well as popular labels among young generation users, to further diversify and round out the content library on our platform, and thus better catering to users' diverse tastes and demands; and
- Content enhancement via collaboration with music labels help us further improve users' stickiness and activity on our platform.
More importantly, we are pleased to see favourable industry trends with more reasonable copyright fees and cost structures, which provide us with the flexibility to optimise our investments in content prudently. Going forward, we will look to actively negotiate with multiple copyright holders to secure more high-quality content that complements our offerings. Meanwhile, we will also work alongside other industry players to foster healthier development of the overall online music industry in China.
Independent artists. Additionally, we have become a natural incubator of music talent looking for an audience, supported by our massive community and large cohort of young users with diverse tastes. We continued growing and empowering independent artists, serving more than 529,000 registered independent artists by the end of June 2022. Meanwhile, within our content library, about 2.3 million music tracks came from our registered independent artists. We continue to nurture independent artists to help them create and promote music works, as well as realise commercial value.
- Supporting musicians in content creation. NetEase Cloud Music has been effectively expanding exposure of backstage musicians to facilitate music cooperation for better returns, and building their career path.
– As we expanded the certification scope of musicians to arranger and producer, we officially released the first industry-wide arranger award "The First Arranger Award by NetEase Cloud Music" to draw more attention to the backstage musical professionals. Likewise, the domestic BeatMakers community speaks highly of our vibrant transaction platform BeatSoul and the first BeatMaker Contest. - Improving musicians' exposure. During the Reporting Period, we further mobilised internal and external resources to help musicians increase their exposure.
– Local original music zone. We launched locally-based operations of music content that overlays content ecology of different regions. By leveraging our massive user scale and strong social attributes, the local original music zone will be a useful hinge to intertwine the operation of music content with regional attributes and lifestyles, as well as offline music event.
In-house music. In the first half of 2022, we further reinforced our in-house production capabilities with comprehensive support and elevated industry-wide exposure. We were proud to cooperate with CCTV to produce "Blooming Bauhinia" (《紫荊花盛開》), a special song dedicated to the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to China. Additionally, our in-house studios have successfully popularised a batch of hit songs, including "Goodbye Monica" (《再見莫妮卡》), further demonstrating our in-house capability to produce premium music content.
Other Corporate Development
At the annual general meeting of the Company held on 16 June 2022, the special resolution to change the Company's name from "Cloud Village Inc." to "Cloud Music Inc." was approved and took effect on the same date. For more information on the name change and the change in the Company's English short stock name from "CLOUD VILLAGE" to "CLOUD MUSIC," please see the Company's announcement of 22 July 2022.
Conference Call
The Company's management will host an earnings conference call at 7:00 p.m Beijing/Hong Kong Time on Thursday, August 18, 2022 (7:00 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time). Details for the conference call are as follows:
Event Title: Cloud Music Inc. First Half 2022 Earnings Conference Call
Registration Link: https://register.vevent.com/register/BI612167dfb6ce495bb2fe61c4ec8d966d
All participants must use the link provided above to complete the online registration process in advance of the conference call. Upon registering, each participant will receive a set of participant dial-in numbers and a personal PIN, which will be used to join the conference call.
Additionally, a live and archived webcast as well as the English transcript of the conference call will be available on the Company's investor relations website at http://ir.music.163.com.
About Cloud Music Inc.
Launched in 2013 by NetEase, Inc. (NASDAQ: NTES; HKEX: 9999), Cloud Music Inc. (HKEX: 9899) is a leading interactive music streaming service provider in China. Dedicated to providing an elevated user experience, Cloud Music Inc. provides precise, personalised recommendations, promotes user interaction and creates a strong social community. Its focus on discovering and promoting emerging musicians has made Cloud Music Inc. a destination of choice for exploring new and independent music among music enthusiasts in China. The platform has been recognised as the most popular entertainment app among China's vibrant Generation Z community.
Please see http://ir.music.163.com/ for more information.
Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements relating to the business outlook, estimates of financial performance, forecast business plans and growth strategies of the Company. These forward-looking statements are based on information currently available to the Company and are stated herein on the basis of the outlook at the time of this press release. They are based on certain expectations, assumptions and premises, some of which are subjective or beyond our control. These forward-looking statements may prove to be incorrect and may not be realised in the future. Underlying these forward-looking statements are a lot of risks and uncertainties. In light of the risks and uncertainties, the inclusion of forward-looking statements in this press release should not be regarded as representations by the Board or the Company that the plans and objectives will be achieved, and investors should not place undue reliance on such statements.
Non-IFRS Measure
To supplement our consolidated results, which are prepared and presented in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRSs"), the Company uses adjusted net loss as an additional financial measure, which is not required by, or presented in accordance with, IFRSs. We believe that this measure facilitates comparisons of operating performance from period to period and company to company by eliminating the potential impact of items that our management does not consider to be indicative of our group's operating performance, such as certain non-cash items. The use of this non-IFRS measure has limitations as an analytical tool, and shareholders and potential investors of our company should not consider them in isolation from, as a substitute for, analysis of, or superior to, our group's results of operations or financial condition as reported under IFRSs. In addition, this non-IFRS financial measure may be defined differently from similar terms used by other companies, and may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures used by other companies. The presentation of this non-IFRS measure should not be construed as an implication that our future results will be unaffected by unusual or non-recurring items.
Investor Enquiries:
Angela Xu
Cloud Music Inc.
music.ir@service.netease.com
Media Enquiries:
Li Ruohan
NetEase, Inc.
globalpr@service.netease.com
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SOURCE NetEase Cloud Music | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/08/18/cloud-music-inc-reports-first-half-2022-financial-results/ | 2022-08-18T09:30:22Z |
LONDON, Aug. 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Euclid Transactional, a leading managing general agent focused on transactional insurance underwriting, today announced the opening of its new Stockholm office which will be led by Vice President, Willy Edholm Fjellstad. The new office will further strengthen the firm's capabilities in the Nordic region and expand its substantial expertise across the United Kingdom (UK), continental Europe, and the Middle East and Africa (EMEA).
Willy joined Euclid Transactional in January and has extensive experience advising a wide range of clients from industrial companies, entrepreneurs and growth companies to multinational groups, global investment banks and private equity on complex domestic and cross-border M&A transactions. He brings considerable practical M&A expertise, having worked as a lawyer within the M&A/PE group at one of the leading Swedish law firms, Setterwalls.
"We've seen significant ongoing demand from clients in the Nordic region and this has only increased since the launch of our Copenhagen office last year. We are thrilled to continue expanding our reach and providing additional support to this market through our new Stockholm office," said Carl Christian Rösiö, Principal of Euclid Transactional EMEA. "Willy is a strong leader and underwriter, and we are confident his local presence in Stockholm will be a great asset to our Nordic clients."
Willy will be joined by analyst Alexandra Von Reis Marlevi, who will begin work with the Stockholm office in 2023.
Euclid Transactional's EMEA practice has grown significantly since its inception in 2018 and today features more than 30 team members across offices in London, Frankfurt, Stockholm, and Copenhagen.
Since its founding, Euclid Transactional EMEA has underwritten over 850 transactional risk policies, insuring deals with a combined value of nearly GBP 600 billion.
Euclid Transactional, LLC is a managing general agency specializing in the underwriting of representations & warranties, tax liability, contingent liability and other transactional insurance coverages. Operated by one of the industry's largest teams of experienced underwriters and claims executives, Euclid Transactional provides the size and security of a large insurer with the customer service of a boutique. The firm has offices in New York, London, Chicago, Frankfurt, Toronto, Copenhagen and Stockholm, and offers full-service underwriting for deals across the Americas, Europe, Middle East and Africa. Euclid Transactional is a subsidiary of Euclid Insurance Services, a program administrator that provides its subsidiaries with advisory, accounting, information technology and human resource services. Euclid Transactional's insurance capacity is provided by premier insurers, all of which are rated AM Best A (Excellent) or better.
Media Contact
Davis MacMillan
RF|Binder
davis.macmillan@rfbinder.com
212-994-7509
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SOURCE Euclid Transactional, LLC | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/08/18/euclid-transactional-opens-stockholm-office/ | 2022-08-18T09:30:28Z |
The time to define 6G's capabilities is now
BOULDER, Colo., Aug. 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- A new report from Guidehouse Insights explores the opportunity for the 6G (sixth-generation wireless) technology market of the future. The report examines the different technologies that currently constitute 6G research efforts, as well as some of the use cases that next-generation networks will enable.
Even though 5G mobile networks are not yet fully rolled out worldwide, researchers and regulators are already developing and examining the technologies that will constitute 6G. According to a new report from Guidehouse Insights, since the advent of mobile broadband, demand for bandwidth and download speeds has increased steadily, as users have come to rely on mobile networks for ever more intensive uses in consumer, enterprise, and industrial settings.
"6G will build on advancements that powered 5G to deliver smarter AI and improved edge computing," says Francesco Radicati, senior research analyst with Guidehouse Insights. "This will enable new use cases through improved Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and digital twin capabilities."
In order to prepare for the future of 6G, mobile companies should prepare to pay more in 6G spectrum auctions; vendors must ensure security is built into the technology from the start, and governments and vendors must prevent 6G fragmentation by cooperating in the pre-standard phase, according to the report.
The report, 6G: Preparing for What's Coming in 2030, examines the different technologies that currently constitute 6G research efforts, as well as some of the use cases that will be enabled by next-generation networks. It also examines the possibility of a fragmented standard if stakeholders do not cooperate during the pre-standard phase, and offers key recommendations for mobile companies, developers, and governments in the years leading to a 6G launch. An executive summary of the report is available for free download on the Guidehouse Insights website.
Guidehouse Insights, the dedicated market intelligence arm of Guidehouse, provides research, data, and benchmarking services for today's rapidly changing and highly regulated industries. Our insights are built on in-depth analysis of global clean technology markets. The team's research methodology combines supply-side industry analysis, end-user primary research, and demand assessment, paired with a deep examination of technology trends, to provide a comprehensive view of emerging resilient infrastructure systems. Additional information about Guidehouse Insights can be found at www.guidehouseinsights.com.
Guidehouse is a leading global provider of consulting services to the public sector and commercial markets, with broad capabilities in management, technology, and risk consulting. By combining our public and private sector expertise, we help clients address their most complex challenges and navigate significant regulatory pressures focusing on transformational change, business resiliency, and technology-driven innovation. Across a range of advisory, consulting, outsourcing, and digital services, we create scalable, innovative solutions that help our clients outwit complexity and position them for future growth and success. The company has more than 13,000 professionals in over 50 locations globally. Guidehouse is a Veritas Capital portfolio company, led by seasoned professionals with proven and diverse expertise in traditional and emerging technologies, markets, and agenda-setting issues driving national and global economies. For more information, please visit www.guidehouse.com.
* The information contained in this press release concerning the report, 6G: Preparing for What's Coming in 2030, is a summary and reflects the current expectations of Guidehouse Insights based on market data and trend analysis. Market predictions and expectations are inherently uncertain and actual results may differ materially from those contained in this press release or the report. Please refer to the full report for a complete understanding of the assumptions underlying the report's conclusions and the methodologies used to create the report. Neither Guidehouse Insights nor Guidehouse undertakes any obligation to update any of the information contained in this press release or the report.
For more information, contact:
Cecile Fradkin
+1.646.941.9139
cfradkin@scprgroup.com
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SOURCE Guidehouse Insights | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/08/18/guidehouse-insights-explores-future-opportunity-6g-technology/ | 2022-08-18T09:30:35Z |
His Excellency Paul Kagame, President of the Republic of Rwanda, to Attend the First In-Person Mobile World Congress Africa (MWC Africa)
LONDON, Aug. 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The GSMA is pleased to announce that His Excellency Paul Kagame, the President of the Republic of Rwanda, will attend and deliver the opening keynote of the first in-person MWC Africa in Kigali on 25 October 2022.
"We are honoured that His Excellency Paul Kagame will open our first in-person MWC Africa. His attendance reiterates the important role the mobile industry has to play in driving economic growth and prosperity across the African continent. I look forward to an engaging and inspiring conversation on the stage in Kigali," said Mr Mats Granryd, Director General, GSMA.
Event Partners
MWC Africa's industry-leading agenda is enabled by the partners of our event. We are proud to have the support of leading global and regional companies including our founding partners Mastercard, MTN, Orange, ZTE and our supporting partners ASVL Summit 2022 and Smart Africa.
Join us at MWC Africa in Kigali, 25 - 27 October 2022 by clicking here to pre-register. Media may please register their interest at: pressoffice@gsma.com
About GSMA
The GSMA is a global organisation unifying the mobile ecosystem to discover, develop and deliver innovation foundational to positive business environments and societal change. Our vision is to unlock the full power of connectivity so that people, industry, and society thrive. Representing mobile operators and organisations across the mobile ecosystem and adjacent industries, the GSMA delivers for its members across three broad pillars: Connectivity for Good, Industry Services and Solutions, and Outreach. This activity includes advancing policy, tackling today's biggest societal challenges, underpinning the technology and interoperability that make mobile work, and providing the world's largest platform to convene the mobile ecosystem at the MWC and M360 series of events.
We invite you to find out more at gsma.com
Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1385555/GSMA_Logo.jpg
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SOURCE GSMA | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/08/18/his-excellency-president-paul-kagame-deliver-opening-keynote-mwc-africa-2022-kigali/ | 2022-08-18T09:30:43Z |
HANGZHOU, China, Aug. 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- NetEase, Inc. (NASDAQ: NTES and HKEX: 9999, "NetEase" or the "Company"), one of China's leading internet and online game services providers, today announced its unaudited financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2022.
Second Quarter 2022 Financial Highlights
- Net revenues were RMB23.2 billion (US$3.5 billion), an increase of 12.8% compared with the second quarter of 2021.
- Games and related value-added services net revenues were RMB18.1 billion (US$2.7 billion), an increase of 15.0% compared with the second quarter of 2021.[1]
- Youdao net revenues were RMB956.2 million (US$142.8 million), a decrease of 26.1% compared with the second quarter of 2021.
- Cloud Music net revenues were RMB2.2 billion (US$327.2 million), an increase of 29.5% compared with the second quarter of 2021.
- Innovative businesses and others net revenues were RMB1.9 billion (US$279.4 million), an increase of 6.1% compared with the second quarter of 2021.[1]
- Gross profit was RMB12.9 billion (US$1.9 billion), an increase of 15.7% compared with the second quarter of 2021.
- Total operating expenses were RMB8.0 billion (US$1.2 billion), an increase of 7.6% compared with the second quarter of 2021.
- Net income from continuing operations attributable to the Company's shareholders was RMB4.7 billion (US$696.7 million). Non-GAAP net income from continuing operations attributable to the Company's shareholders was RMB5.4 billion (US$807.7 million). [2]
- Basic net income from continuing operations per share was US$0.21 (US$1.07 per ADS). Non-GAAP basic net income from continuing operations per share was US$0.25 (US$1.23 per ADS).[2]
Second Quarter 2022 and Recent Operational Highlights
- Delivered captivating content updates for popular title Naraka: Bladepoint and launched its Xbox version in June.
- Diablo® Immortal™, co-developed by NetEase and Blizzard Entertainment, made its debut in the global market, which topped iOS download charts in multiple regions.
- Extended the longevity of leading franchise titles including both the Fantasy Westward Journey and Westward Journey Online series and maintained the popularity of other hit titles including Identity V and Infinite Lagrange.
- Propelled pipeline by advancing new games under development including Naraka: Bladepoint mobile game, Justice mobile game and Ghost World Chronicle, as well as the roll-out of Harry Potter: Magic Awakened in international markets.
- Achieved positive operating cashflow from Youdao, maintained sound development of its STEAM courses and demonstrated the resilience of its smart devices.
- Enhanced content and product innovation at Cloud Music, driving solid growth in net revenues and continued margin improvement while securing multiple licensing agreements with major overseas and domestic music labels including SM Entertainment and TF Entertainment.
"In the second quarter, we generated solid results with total net revenues of RMB23.2 billion, an increase of 12.8% year-over-year," said Mr. William Ding, CEO and Director of NetEase. "Players continued to gravitate to our longstanding games in the second quarter, highlighting our strength in game operations longevity. Moreover, the launch of Diablo® Immortal™ attracted the attention of gamers around the world, showcasing our exceptional mobile game development capabilities. With our strong in-house R&D team in China and our very own studios in Canada, Japan and the U.S., as well as plans for other regions in the future, we are spearheading the next generation of top-quality games for the global gaming community.
"Youdao and Cloud Music are also making key advancements that bolster their operations. With exciting gains across our business lines, we hope to make the NetEase brand synonymous with impressive technology, outstanding service and entertainment in its finest form," Mr. Ding concluded.
Second Quarter 2022 Financial Results
Net Revenues
Net revenues for the second quarter of 2022 were RMB23,159.1 million (US$3,457.6 million), compared with RMB23,555.8 million and RMB20,524.5 million for the preceding quarter and the second quarter of 2021, respectively.
Net revenues from games and related value-added services, which include both the operation of online games as well as other related or ancillary services to the games, were RMB18,139.8 million (US$2,708.2 million) for the second quarter of 2022, compared with RMB18,641.8 million and RMB15,774.8 million for the preceding quarter and the second quarter of 2021, respectively. Net revenues from the operation of online games, which is the primary component of this segment, accounted for approximately 92.8% of net revenues from games and related value-added services for the second quarter of 2022, compared with 92.7% and 92.1% for the preceding quarter and the second quarter of 2021, respectively. Net revenues from mobile games accounted for approximately 66.1% of net revenues from the operation of online games for the second quarter of 2022, compared with 66.9% and 72.1% for the preceding quarter and the second quarter of 2021, respectively.
Net revenues from Youdao were RMB956.2 million (US$142.8 million) for the second quarter of 2022, compared with RMB1,200.5 million and RMB1,293.4 million for the preceding quarter and the second quarter of 2021, respectively.
Net revenues from Cloud Music were RMB2,191.5 million (US$327.2 million) for the second quarter of 2022, compared with RMB2,067.2 million and RMB1,692.5 million for the preceding quarter and the second quarter of 2021, respectively.
Net revenues from innovative businesses and others were RMB1,871.5 million (US$279.4 million) for the second quarter of 2022, compared with RMB1,646.3 million and RMB1,763.8 million for the preceding quarter and the second quarter of 2021, respectively.
Gross Profit
Gross profit for the second quarter of 2022 was RMB12,941.5 million (US$1,932.1 million), compared with RMB12,836.4 million and RMB11,189.6 million for the preceding quarter and the second quarter of 2021, respectively.
The year-over-year increase in games and related value-added services gross profit was primarily due to increased net revenues from both mobile and PC games, including the newly launched Naraka: Bladepoint and Harry Potter: Magic Awakened which were released in the third quarter of 2021 and other existing games such as Fantasy Westward Journey Online.
The quarter-over-quarter decrease in Youdao gross profit primarily resulted from a decline in economic scale due to decreased learning services revenues in the second quarter of 2022. The year-over-year decrease was mainly due to the conclusion of its after-school tutoring services for academic subjects under China's compulsory education system.
The quarter-over-quarter and year-over-year increases in Cloud Music gross profit were primarily due to increased net revenues from its membership subscriptions and social entertainment services, as well as improved cost control.
The quarter-over-quarter increase in innovative businesses and others gross profit was primarily due to increased gross profit contribution from Yanxuan and advertising services.
Gross Profit Margin
Gross profit margin for games and related value-added services for the second quarter of 2022 was 64.9%, compared with 62.2% and 63.2% for the preceding quarter and the second quarter of 2021, respectively. Gross profit margin for games and related value-added services is generally stable, fluctuating within a narrow band based on the revenue mix of NetEase's mobile and PC games, self-developed, co-developed and licensed games, as well as the relative revenue contribution from different distribution channels.
Gross profit margin for Youdao for the second quarter of 2022 was 42.8%, compared with 53.1% and 52.3% for the preceding quarter and the second quarter of 2021, respectively. The quarter-over-quarter and year-over-year decreases were primarily attributable to the factors enumerated above.
Gross profit margin for Cloud Music was 13.0% for the second quarter of 2022, compared with 12.2% and 4.1% for the preceding quarter and the second quarter of 2021, respectively. The quarter-over-quarter and year-over-year improvements were mainly due to the factors enumerated above.
Gross profit margin for innovative businesses and others for the second quarter of 2022 was 25.8%, compared with 21.7% and 27.3% for the preceding quarter and the second quarter of 2021, respectively. The quarter-over-quarter and year-over-year fluctuations were mainly due to changes in the gross profit margin from advertising services.
Operating Expenses
Total operating expenses for the second quarter of 2022 were RMB7,995.2 million (US$1,193.6 million), compared with RMB7,329.3 million and RMB7,431.5 million for the preceding quarter and the second quarter of 2021, respectively. The quarter-over-quarter and year-over-year increases were mainly due to increased marketing expenditures related to games and related value-added services, as well as higher staff-related costs and research and development investments.
Other Income/ (Expenses)
Other income/ (expenses) consisted of investment income/ (loss), interest income, exchange gains/ (losses) and others. The quarter-over-quarter increase was mainly due to net unrealized exchange gains arising from the Company's U.S. dollar-denominated bank deposits and loans balances as the exchange rate of the U.S. dollar against the RMB fluctuated in the second quarter of 2022.
Income Taxes
The Company recorded a net income tax charge of RMB1,259.3 million (US$188.0 million) for the second quarter of 2022, compared with RMB1,219.3 million and RMB1,113.2 million for the preceding quarter and the second quarter of 2021, respectively. The effective tax rate for the second quarter of 2022 was 22.0%, compared with 22.0% and 24.3% for the preceding quarter and the second quarter of 2021, respectively. The effective tax rate represents certain estimates by the Company as to the tax obligations and benefits applicable to it in each quarter.
Net Income and Non-GAAP Net Income
Net income from continuing operations attributable to the Company's shareholders totaled RMB4,666.6 million (US$696.7 million) for the second quarter of 2022, compared with RMB4,394.0 million and RMB3,541.8 million for the preceding quarter and the second quarter of 2021, respectively. Net income from discontinued operations attributable to the Company's shareholders totaled RMB624.9 million (US$93.3 million), which was related to the disposal of the Kaola business.
Non-GAAP net income from continuing operations attributable to the Company's shareholders totaled RMB5,409.8 million (US$807.7 million) for the second quarter of 2022, compared with RMB5,117.6 million and RMB4,227.9 million for the preceding quarter and the second quarter of 2021, respectively.
NetEase reported basic net income from continuing operations of US$0.21 per share (US$1.07 per ADS) for the second quarter of 2022, compared with US$0.20 per share (US$1.00 per ADS) and US$0.16 per share (US$0.79 per ADS) for the preceding quarter and the second quarter of 2021, respectively.
NetEase reported non-GAAP basic net income from continuing operations of US$0.25 per share (US$1.23 per ADS) for the second quarter of 2022, compared with US$0.23 per share (US$1.17 per ADS) and US$0.19 per share (US$0.94 per ADS) for the preceding quarter and the second quarter of 2021, respectively.
Quarterly Dividend
The board of directors has approved a dividend of US$0.0720 per share (US$0.3600 per ADS) for the second quarter of 2022 to holders of ordinary shares and holders of ADSs as of the close of business on September 1, 2022, Beijing/ Hong Kong Time and New York Time, respectively, payable in U.S. dollars. For holders of ordinary shares, in order to qualify for the dividend, all valid documents for the transfer of shares accompanied by the relevant share certificates must be lodged for registration with the Company's Hong Kong branch share registrar, Computershare Hong Kong Investor Services Limited, at Shops 1712-1716, 17th Floor, Hopewell Centre, 183 Queen's Road East, Wanchai, Hong Kong no later than 4:30 p.m. on September 1, 2022 (Beijing/ Hong Kong Time). The payment date is expected to be on September 13, 2022 for holders of ordinary shares and on or around September 16, 2022 for holders of ADSs.
NetEase paid a dividend of US$0.0644 per share (US$0.3220 per ADS) for the first quarter of 2022 in June 2022.
Under the Company's current dividend policy, the determination to make dividend distributions and the amount of such distribution in any particular quarter will be made at the discretion of its board of directors and will be based upon the Company's operations and earnings, cash flow, financial condition and other relevant factors.
Other Information
As of June 30, 2022, the Company's total cash and cash equivalents, current and non-current time deposits and restricted cash, as well as short-term investments balance, minus short-term and long-term loans totaled RMB87.7 billion (US$13.1 billion), compared with RMB85.6 billion as of December 31, 2021. Cash flow generated from operating activities was RMB6.6 billion (US$990.0 million) for the second quarter of 2022, compared with RMB4.6 billion and RMB4.7 billion for the preceding quarter and the second quarter of 2021, respectively.
Change in Segment Reporting
Effective as of the second quarter of 2022, the Company implemented certain changes to align its segment financial reporting more closely with the manner in which the Company's management currently receives and uses financial information to allocate resources and evaluate the performance of reporting segments. The Company renamed its "online game services" segment as "games and related value-added services," and transferred certain business lines that are related or ancillary to its games from "innovative businesses and others" to "games and related value-added services," including the NetEase CC live streaming service (a platform offering various live streaming content with a primary focus on game broadcasting) and other value-added services. The Company retrospectively recast prior periods' segment information to conform to current period presentation. These changes had no impact on NetEase's previously reported consolidated net revenues, net income or net income per share.
Share Repurchase/ Purchase Program
On February 25, 2021, the Company announced that its board of directors had approved a new share repurchase program of up to US$2.0 billion of the Company's outstanding ADSs and ordinary shares in open market transactions for a period not to exceed 24 months beginning on March 2, 2021. On August 31, 2021, the Company announced that its board of directors had approved an amendment to such program to increase the total authorized repurchase amount to US$3.0 billion. As of June 30, 2022, approximately 23.6 million ADSs had been repurchased under this program for a total cost of US$2.3 billion.
On August 31, 2021, the Company announced that its board of directors had approved a share purchase program of up to US$50.0 million of Youdao's outstanding ADSs for a period not to exceed 36 months beginning on September 2, 2021. Under the terms of this program, NetEase may purchase Youdao's ADSs in open-market transactions on the New York Stock Exchange. As of June 30, 2022, approximately 1.7 million ADSs had been purchased under this program for a total cost of US$17.7 million.
The Company also purchased approximately 0.8 million ordinary shares of Cloud Music in open market transactions on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange for a total cost of US$8.3 million during the second quarter of 2022.
The extent to which NetEase repurchases its ADSs and its ordinary shares or purchases Youdao's ADSs and Cloud Music's ordinary shares will depend upon a variety of factors, including market conditions. These programs may be suspended or discontinued at any time.
** The United States dollar (US$) amounts disclosed in this announcement are presented solely for the convenience of the reader. The percentages stated are calculated based on RMB.
Conference Call
NetEase's management team will host a teleconference call with simultaneous webcast at 8:00 a.m. New York Time on Thursday, August 18, 2022 (Beijing/ Hong Kong Time: 8:00 p.m., Thursday, August 18, 2022). NetEase's management will be on the call to discuss the quarterly results and answer questions.
Interested parties may participate in the conference call by dialing 1-323-701-0160 and providing conference ID: 1239376, 15 minutes prior to the initiation of the call. A replay of the call will be available by dialing 1-719-457-0820 and entering passcode 1239376#. The replay will be available through August 31, 2022.
This call will be webcast live and the replay will be available for 12 months. Both will be available on NetEase's Investor Relations website at http://ir.netease.com/.
About NetEase, Inc.
As a leading internet technology company based in China, NetEase, Inc. (NASDAQ: NTES and HKEX:9999, "NetEase") provides premium online services centered around content creation. With extensive offerings across its expanding gaming ecosystem, the Company develops and operates some of China's most popular and longest running mobile and PC games. Powered by industry-leading in-house R&D capabilities in China and globally, NetEase creates superior gaming experiences, inspires players, and passionately delivers value for its thriving community worldwide. By infusing play with culture and education with technology, NetEase transforms gaming into a meaningful vehicle to build a more entertaining and enlightened world.
Beyond games, NetEase service offerings include its majority-controlled subsidiaries Youdao (NYSE: DAO), China's leading technology-focused intelligent learning company, and Cloud Music (HKEX: 9899), China's leading online music content community, as well as Yanxuan, NetEase's private label consumer lifestyle brand.
NetEase's ESG initiatives are among the best in the global media and entertainment industry, earning it a distinction as one of the S&P Global Industry Movers and an "A" rating from MSCI. For more information, please visit: http://ir.netease.com/.
Forward Looking Statements
This announcement contains statements of a forward-looking nature. These statements are made under the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. You can identify these forward-looking statements by terminology such as "will," "expects," "anticipates," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates" and similar statements. In addition, statements that are not historical facts, including statements about NetEase's strategies and business plans, its expectations regarding the growth of its business and its revenue and the quotations from management in this announcement are or contain forward-looking statements. NetEase may also make forward-looking statements in its periodic reports to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), in announcements made on the website of The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited (the "Hong Kong Stock Exchange"), in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. The accuracy of these statements may be impacted by a number of business risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected or anticipated, including risks related to: the risk that the online game market will not continue to grow or that NetEase will not be able to maintain its position in that market in China or globally; the risk that COVID-19 or other health risks in China or globally could adversely affect the Company's operations or financial results; risks associated with NetEase's business and operating strategies and its ability to implement such strategies; NetEase's ability to develop and manage its operations and business; competition for, among other things, capital, technology and skilled personnel; potential changes in government regulation that could adversely affect the industry and geographical markets in which NetEase operates, including, among others, initiatives to enhance supervision of companies listed on an overseas stock exchange and tighten scrutiny over data privacy and data security, as well as the risk that NetEase's ADSs could be barred from trading in the United States as a result of the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act and the rules promulgated thereunder; the risk that NetEase may not be able to continuously develop new and creative online services or that NetEase will not be able to set, or follow in a timely manner, trends in the market; competition in NetEase's existing and potential markets; and the risk that fluctuations in the value of the Renminbi with respect to other currencies could adversely affect NetEase's business and financial results. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in NetEase's filings with the SEC and announcements on the website of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. NetEase does not undertake any obligation to update this forward-looking information, except as required under the applicable law.
Non-GAAP Financial Measures
NetEase considers and uses non-GAAP financial measures, such as non-GAAP net income from continuing operations attributable to the Company's shareholders and non-GAAP basic and diluted net income from continuing operations per ADS and per share, as supplemental metrics in reviewing and assessing its operating performance and formulating its business plan. The presentation of non-GAAP financial measures is not intended to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for the financial information prepared and presented in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("U.S. GAAP").
NetEase defines non-GAAP net income from continuing operations attributable to the Company's shareholders as net income from continuing operations attributable to the Company's shareholders excluding share-based compensation expenses. Non-GAAP net income from continuing operations attributable to the Company's shareholders enables NetEase's management to assess its operating results without considering the impact of share-based compensation expenses. NetEase believes that these non-GAAP financial measures provide useful information to investors in understanding and evaluating the Company's current operating performance and prospects in the same manner as management does, if they so choose. NetEase also believes that the use of this non-GAAP financial measure facilitates investors' assessment of its operating performance.
Non-GAAP financial measures are not defined under U.S. GAAP and are not presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Non-GAAP financial measures have limitations as analytical tools. One of the key limitations of using non-GAAP net income from continuing operations attributable to the Company's shareholders is that it does not reflect all items of expense/ income that affect our operations. Share-based compensation expenses have been and may continue to be incurred in NetEase's business and are not reflected in the presentation of non-GAAP net income from continuing operations attributable to the Company's shareholders. In addition, the non-GAAP financial measures NetEase uses may differ from the non-GAAP measures used by other companies, including peer companies, and therefore their comparability may be limited.
NetEase compensates for these limitations by reconciling non-GAAP net income from continuing operations attributable to the Company's shareholders to the nearest U.S. GAAP performance measure, all of which should be considered when evaluating the Company's performance. See "Unaudited Reconciliation of GAAP and Non-GAAP Results" at the end of this announcement. NetEase encourages you to review its financial information in its entirety and not rely on a single financial measure.
Contact for Media and Investors:
Margaret Shi
Email: ir@service.netease.com
Tel: (+86) 571-8985-3378
Twitter: https://twitter.com/NetEase_Global
NETEASE, INC.
NOTES TO UNAUDITED FINANCIAL INFORMATION
Note 1: The conversion of Renminbi (RMB) into United States dollars (USD) is based on the noon buying rate of USD1.00 = RMB6.6981 on the last trading day of June 2022 (June 30, 2022) as set forth in the H.10 statistical release of the U.S. Federal Reserve Board. No representation is made that the RMB amounts could have been, or could be, converted into US$ at that rate on June 30, 2022, or at any other certain date.
Note 2: Share-based compensation cost reported in the Company's unaudited condensed consolidated statements of comprehensive income is set out as follows in RMB and USD (in thousands):
Note 3: The financial information prepared and presented in this announcement might be different from those published and to be published by NetEase's listed subsidiaries to meet the disclosure requirements under U.S. GAAP or different accounting standards requirement.
Note 4: The unaudited reconciliation on GAAP and non-GAAP results is set out as follows in RMB and USD (in thousands, except per share data or per ADS data):
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SOURCE NetEase, Inc. | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/08/18/netease-announces-second-quarter-2022-unaudited-financial-results/ | 2022-08-18T09:30:50Z |
PASAY CITY, Philippines, Aug. 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- SM Investments Corporation (SMIC) received approval from the Securities and Exchange Commission to acquire the 81% stake of related parties in Allfirst Equity Holdings Inc (Allfirst) in exchange for shares in SMIC. Allfirst is the holding company for Philippine Geothermal Production Company, Inc (PGPC). The transaction will bring SMIC's ownership in PGPC to 100%.
The total consideration paid for 81% of Allfirst is P15.76 billion. The transaction will involve the issuance of 17.44 million new shares to the sellers, equivalent to 1.4% of shares outstanding in SMIC.
"The acquisition of PGPC is sizeable, accretive to our shareholders, and a strong strategic fit with our portfolio of investments in high growth sectors in the Philippines. It further reinforces the SM Group's commitment to sustainability, good governance and acting as a catalyst for responsible development in the communities we serve," said Frederic C. DyBuncio, President and Chief Executive Officer of SMIC.
In 2021 PGPC delivered $99.4 million in revenues and $48.8 million in net income, equivalent to 1.2% of SMIC 2021 revenues and 5.5% accretion to SMIC 2021 net income respectively.
PGPC operates the Tiwi and Mak-Ban steam fields. Tiwi is the first commercial-scale geothermal steam field development in Southeast Asia, followed by Mak-Ban, both in operation since 1979. Together they generate geothermal steam sufficient to produce approximately 300 MW of electricity.
In addition to its two producing steam fields, PGPC also has several other greenfield concession areas for geothermal steam production which it will develop moving forward.
About SM Investments Corporation
SM Investments Corporation is a leading Philippine company that is invested in market-leading businesses in retail, banking, and property. It also invests in ventures that capture high growth opportunities in the emerging Philippine economy.
SM's retail operations are the country's largest and most diversified with its food, non-food, and specialty retail stores. SM's property arm, SM Prime Holdings, Inc., is the largest integrated property developer in the Philippines with interests in malls, residences, offices, hotels, and convention centers as well as tourism-related property developments.
SM's interests in banking are in BDO Unibank, Inc., the country's largest bank, and China Banking Corporation, the 6th largest bank. For more about SM, visit www.sminvestments.com
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SOURCE SM Investments Corporation | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/08/18/smic-receives-approval-acquire-philippine-geothermal-production-company-pgpc/ | 2022-08-18T09:30:57Z |
UK Talent and Facility to Join Formosa Group
LOS ANGELES, Aug. 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Streamland Media announced today that it has acquired London-based sound facility Sonorous Trident. The company will join Streamland Media's sound division, Formosa Group, further expanding its preeminent talent roster and facilities in the United Kingdom.
Sonorous Trident's industry-leading founders Mike Prestwood Smith and Howard Bargroff will make the move to Formosa Group. In building Sonorous Trident into a world-class sound facility, Prestwood Smith and Bargroff gathered a team of top artists to create a vibrant filmmaker friendly hub for sound at the highest level.
"We're genuinely thrilled to welcome Mike, Howard and their incredible ensemble to our Formosa Group family," said Formosa Group Founder, Bob Rosenthal. "Exceptional artists are the very backbone of Streamland Media, so we can't wait to collaborate with this talented Trident team. This is a fantastic opportunity for all of us involved and for the remarkable filmmakers whose vision we serve."
The addition of Sonorous Trident's legendary studio to Streamland Media's Formosa Group will create a significant hub for filmmakers worldwide. The Trident studio at 17 St. Anne's Court is where many influential musicians recorded historic albums from 1968 to 1981, including The Beatles, David Bowie, Elton John, and The Rolling Stones. The renowned Trident facility expands Formosa Group's worldwide locations and amplifies Streamland Media's unmatched global support and offerings for content creators.
Prestwood Smith's extensive credits as a re-recording mixer include Rocket Man, Aladdin, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and multiple films in the Mission Impossible and James Bond franchises. He won a BAFTA Award for Best Sound for Casino Royale (2007) and has earned an additional 10 BAFTA Film nods during his distinguished career. Prestwood Smith has been recognized with Oscar® nominations for his contributions on News of the World (2021) and Captain Phillips (2014).
"Joining Formosa Group and bringing their 'talent-first' approach to the U.K. with the goal of shaping a world class, creatively focused sound facility has been a long time in the making," says Prestwood Smith. "We are very proud to be a part of this extraordinary global creative community."
"This opportunity to build on our brilliant team and further expand Trident Studios into a vibrant state-of-the-art facility is fantastic," adds Bargroff. "We have a magnificent team and creative space which we can take to whole new level as part of Formosa Group."
Bargroff has mixed numerous high-profile features such as Men and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, for which he received a BAFTA Film Award (2012) nomination. He is a nine-time Primetime Emmy® nominee and won a 2021 Daytime Emmy for his work on The Letter for the King. Bargroff has garnered BAFTA TV Awards for A Very British Scandal (2022), The Night Manager (2017) and Sherlock (2012). His illustrious television credits include Devs, The Lost King, The Two Faces of January, A Very British Scandal and The Irregulars, among many others.
The seamless transition of Sonorous Trident into Formosa Group will move forward without interruption to clients' services.
"Bringing Sonorous Trident into Streamland Media combines industry-leading artists with our world class technology to give filmmakers the creative-driven, customized service they desire," says Streamland Media CEO Bill Romeo. "The bedrock of Streamland Media's vision is to meet storytellers when, where and how they create, and support their vision with talent and facilities that fit their needs perfectly. We're excited for this growth which gives us another opportunity to connect local creative communities on a global level."
About Formosa Group:
Formosa Group (www.formosagroup.com), Streamland Media's sound division, is a full-service post-production sound company composed of award-winning talent. Formosa Group offers content creators services, including sound supervision and design, sound and music editorial and re-recording mixing, as well as integration and music production for features, broadcast, music, interactive and commercials. It is home to some of the most creative and well-respected sound artists in the entertainment industry today, with multiple locations throughout greater Los Angeles, Seattle, New York, Toronto, and the U.K.
About Streamland Media
Streamland Media is a global post production company delivering picture, VFX, sound, and marketing services through its well-established industry brands, Picture Shop, Ghost VFX, Formosa Group and Picture Head. These integrated businesses support feature film, episodic, interactive, and emerging forms of entertainment by providing top-tier talent, technical expertise and customized solutions. Headquartered in Los Angeles, Streamland Media offers multiple locations worldwide throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe and the UK that are focused on providing a unique, regional approach to meeting client needs.
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SOURCE Streamland Media | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/08/18/streamland-media-acquires-award-winning-sound-studio-sonorous-trident/ | 2022-08-18T09:31:04Z |
Q2 net revenues decreased by 11.8% year-over-year
Q2 New student enrollments[1] increased by 39.4% year-over-year
Q2 net income reached RMB114.6 million
BEIJING, Aug. 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Sunlands Technology Group (NYSE: STG) ("Sunlands" or the "Company"), a leader in China's online post-secondary and professional education, today announced its unaudited financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2022.
Second Quarter 2022 Financial and Operational Snapshots
- Net revenues were RMB555.0 million (US$82.9 million), representing an 11.8% decrease year-over-year.
- Gross billings (non-GAAP) were RMB369.8 million (US$55.2 million), representing a 14.1% decrease year-over-year.
- Gross profit was RMB463.8 million (US$69.2 million), representing a 12.9% decrease year-over-year.
- Net income was RMB114.6 million (US$17.1 million), representing a 418.9% increase year-over-year.
- Net income margin, defined as net income as a percentage of net revenues, increased to 20.6% from 3.5% in the second quarter of 2021.
- New student enrollments were 120,763, representing a 39.4% increase year-over-year.
- As of June 30, 2022, the Company's deferred revenue balance was RMB1,998.1 million (US$298.3 million).
"Amid the pandemic's resurgence and macroeconomic weakness in the second quarter, we achieved RMB114.6 million of net income, representing a fourfold increase year-over-year. This was primarily driven by our consistent emphasis on operating efficiency and solid execution of our business strategies, as we remained steadfast while navigating the Company through external uncertainties," said Mr. Tongbo Liu, Chief Executive Officer of Sunlands.
"We were also pleased to see our continued efforts to optimize our product mix and expand our course portfolio were rewarded with improving operational results, reflected in a 39.4% year-over-year increase in our new student enrollments and a reduced year-over-year decrease in gross billings. We accomplished this by acquiring students from a wider range of age groups with higher sales efficiency, as we cut down our sales and marketing expenses by 34.8% year-over-year. These results highlight our organizational resilience and reinforce our confidence in our strategy to achieve balanced growth and profitability."
"In June, we declared a special cash dividend to share our success with shareholders following four consecutive quarters of profitability. Going forward, we will strive to create additional shareholder value by continuously improving our profitability and cash flow. At the same time, we remain focused on developing diverse skill and interest courses and enhancing our teaching and service quality to attract new students, with the target of bringing life-changing and fulfilling learning experiences to our students," concluded Mr. Liu.
Ms. Selena Lu Lv, Chief Financial Officer of Sunlands, commented, "Our second quarter results were in line with our expectations, with sustained bottom-line strength despite the 11.8% year-over-year decrease in net revenues, as we strived for healthy and sustainable growth. During the quarter, we continued executing various initiatives to build a highly efficient and lean organization while optimizing our expense management, leading to a 32.4% year-over-year decrease in our operating expenses. Our cost efficiency improvements resulted in notable net income growth, from RMB22.1 million for the second quarter of 2021 to RMB114.6 million for this quarter. Going forward, we are optimistic that our continued efforts to broaden our online course offerings, streamline our cost structure, and dedicate ourselves to providing enhanced services to our students will ultimately enable us to realize long-term growth."
Financial Results for the second quarter of 2022
Net Revenues
In the second quarter of 2022, net revenues decreased by 11.8% to RMB555.0 million (US$82.9 million) from RMB629.5 million in the second quarter of 2021. The decrease was mainly driven by the decline in gross billings.
Cost of Revenues
Cost of revenues decreased by 6.2% to RMB91.2 million (US$13.6 million) in the second quarter of 2022 from RMB97.3 million in the second quarter of 2021. The decrease was primarily due to the decline in employee compensation expenses related to the cost of revenues.
Gross Profit
Gross profit decreased by 12.9% to RMB463.8 million (US$69.2 million) in the second quarter of 2022 from RMB532.2 million in the second quarter of 2021.
Operating Expenses
In the second quarter of 2022, operating expenses were RMB351.2 million (US$52.4 million), representing a 32.4% decrease from RMB519.6 million in the second quarter of 2021.
Sales and marketing expenses decreased by 34.8% to RMB293.0 million (US$43.7 million) in the second quarter of 2022 from RMB449.1 million in the second quarter of 2021. The decrease was mainly due to: (i) lower spending on branding and marketing activities; and (ii) declined compensation expenses related to our sales and marketing personnel.
General and administrative expenses decreased by 9.7% to RMB46.6 million (US$7.0 million) in the second quarter of 2022 from RMB51.6 million in the second quarter of 2021. The decrease was mainly due to declined compensation expenses related to general and administrative personnel.
Product development expenses decreased by 38.3% to RMB11.6 million (US$1.7 million) in the second quarter of 2022 from RMB18.8 million in the second quarter of 2021. Product development expenses were mainly comprised of compensation expenses.
Other Income
Other income decreased by 41.8% to RMB4.8 million (US$0.7 million) in the second quarter of 2022 from RMB8.2 million in the second quarter of 2021.
Net Income
Net income for the second quarter of 2022 was RMB114.6 million (US$17.1 million), compared with RMB22.1 million in the second quarter of 2021.
Basic and Diluted Net Income Per Share
Basic and diluted net income per share was RMB16.89 (US$2.52) in the second quarter of 2022.
Cash, Cash Equivalents and Short-term Investments
As of June 30, 2022, the Company had RMB727.5 million (US$108.6 million) of cash and cash equivalents and RMB138.7 million (US$20.7 million) of short-term investments, compared with RMB676.7 million of cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash and RMB184.2 million of short-term investments as of December 31, 2021.
Deferred Revenue
As of June 30, 2022, the Company had a deferred revenue balance of RMB1,998.1 million (US$298.3 million), compared with RMB2,348.2 million as of December 31, 2021.
Capital Expenditures
Capital expenditures were incurred primarily in connection with information technology infrastructure equipment and leasehold improvements necessary to support the Company's operations. Capital expenditures were RMB0.3 million (US$0.1 million) in the second quarter of 2022, compared with RMB7.8 million in the second quarter of 2021.
Financial Results for the First Six Months of 2022
Net Revenues
In the first six months of 2022, net revenues decreased by 11.7% to RMB1,168.3 million (US$174.4 million) from RMB1,323.8 million in the first six months of 2021.
Cost of Revenues
Cost of revenues decreased by 7.7% to RMB188.0 million (US$28.1 million) in the first six months of 2022 from RMB203.7 million in the first six months of 2021.
Gross Profit
Gross profit decreased by 12.5% to RMB980.3 million (US$146.4 million) from RMB1,120.1 million in the first six months of 2021.
Operating Expenses
In the first six months of 2022, operating expenses were RMB697.0 million (US$104.1 million), representing a 41.2% decrease from RMB1,186.2 million in the first six months of 2021.
Sales and marketing expenses decreased by 44.3% to RMB588.0 million (US$87.8 million) in the first six months of 2022 from RMB1,055.6 million in the first six months of 2021.
General and administrative expenses decreased by 9.4% to RMB85.1 million (US$12.7 million) in the first six months of 2022 from RMB93.9 million in the first six months of 2021.
Product development expenses decreased by 34.8% to RMB23.9 million (US$3.6 million) in the first six months of 2022 from RMB36.7 million in the first six months of 2021.
Other Income
Other income for the first six months of 2022 was RMB14.3 million (US$2.1 million), compared with RMB29.4 million in the first six months of 2021. The decrease was primarily because value-added tax exemption offered by the relevant authorities as part of the national COVID-19 relief effort came to an end in April 2021.
Net Income
Net income for the first six months of 2022 was RMB294.0 million (US$43.9 million), compared with net loss of RMB31.2 million in the first six months of 2021.
Basic and Diluted Net Income Per Share
Basic and diluted net income per share was RMB43.95 (US$6.56) in the first six months of 2022, compared with net loss per share of RMB4.48 in the first six months of 2021.
Capital Expenditures
Capital expenditures were incurred primarily in connection with IT infrastructure equipment and leasehold improvements necessary to support the Company's operations. Capital expenditures were RMB1.2 million (US$0.2 million) in the first six months of 2022, compared with RMB9.5 million in the first six months of 2021.
Outlook
For the third quarter of 2022, Sunlands currently expects net revenues to be between RMB520 million to RMB540 million, which would represent a decrease of 9.3% to 12.6% year-over-year.
The above outlook is based on the current market conditions and reflects the Company's current and preliminary estimates of market and operating conditions and customer demand, which are all subject to substantial uncertainty.
Exchange Rate
The Company's business is primarily conducted in China and all revenues are denominated in Renminbi ("RMB"). This announcement contains currency conversions of RMB amounts into U.S. dollars ("US$") solely for the convenience of the reader. Unless otherwise noted, all translations from RMB to US$ are made at a rate of RMB6.6981 to US$1.00, the effective noon buying rate for June 30, 2022 as set forth in the H.10 statistical release of the Federal Reserve Board. No representation is made that the RMB amounts could have been, or could be, converted, realized or settled into US$ at that rate on June 30, 2022, or at any other rate.
Conference Call and Webcast
Sunlands' management team will host a conference call at 7:30 AM U.S. Eastern Time, (7:30 PM Beijing/Hong Kong time) on August 18, 2022, following the quarterly results announcement.
The dial-in details for the live conference call are:
Please dial in 10 minutes before the call is scheduled to begin. When prompted, ask to be connected to the call for "Sunlands Technology Group." Participants will be required to state their name and company upon entering the call.
A live webcast and archive of the conference call will be available on the Investor Relations section of Sunlands' website at http://www.sunlands.investorroom.com/.
A replay of the conference call will be available 1 hour after the end of the conference call until August 25, 2022, by dialing the following telephone numbers:
About Sunlands
Sunlands Technology Group (NYSE: STG) ("Sunlands" or the "Company"), formerly known as Sunlands Online Education Group, is the leader in China's online post-secondary and professional education. With a one to many, live streaming platform, Sunlands offers various degree and diploma-oriented post-secondary courses as well as online professional courses and educational content, to help students prepare for professional certification exams and attain professional skills. Students can access its services either through PC or mobile applications. The Company's online platform cultivates a personalized, interactive learning environment by featuring a virtual learning community and a vast library of educational content offerings that adapt to the learning habits of its students. Sunlands offers a unique approach to education research and development that organizes subject content into Learning Outcome Trees, the Company's proprietary knowledge management system. Sunlands has a deep understanding of the educational needs of its prospective students and offers solutions that help them achieve their goals.
About Non-GAAP Financial Measures
We use gross billings, EBITDA, non-GAAP operating cost and expense, non-GAAP loss/income from operations and Non-GAAP net loss/income per share, each a non-GAAP financial measure, in evaluating our operating results and for financial and operational decision-making purposes.
We define gross billings for a specific period as the total amount of cash received for the sale of course packages, net of the total amount of refunds paid in such period. Our management uses gross billings as a performance measurement because we generally bill our students for the entire course tuition at the time of sale of our course packages and recognize revenue proportionally over a period. EBITDA is defined as net loss/income excluding depreciation and amortization, interest expense, interest income, and income tax expenses. We believe that gross billings and EBITDA provide valuable insight into the sales of our course packages and the performance of our business.
These non-GAAP financial measures should not be considered in isolation from, or as a substitute for, their most directly comparable financial measure prepared in accordance with GAAP. A reconciliation of the historical non-GAAP financial measures to their respective most directly comparable GAAP measure has been provided in the tables included below. Investors are encouraged to review the reconciliation of the historical non-GAAP financial measures to their respective most directly comparable GAAP financial measures. As gross billings, EBITDA, operating cost and expenses excluding share-based compensation expenses, general and administrative expenses excluding share-based compensation expenses, sales and marketing expenses excluding share-based compensation expenses, product development expenses excluding share-based compensation expenses, non-GAAP net loss/income exclude share-based compensation expenses, and basic and diluted net loss/income per share excluding share-based compensation expenses have material limitations as an analytical metric and may not be calculated in the same manner by all companies, it may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures used by other companies. In light of the foregoing limitations, you should not consider gross billings and EBITDA as a substitute for, or superior to, their respective most directly comparable financial measures prepared in accordance with GAAP. We encourage investors and others to review our financial information in its entirety and not rely on a single financial measure.
Safe Harbor Statement
This press release contains forward-looking statements made under the "safe harbor" provisions of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "expects," "anticipates," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates," "confident" and similar statements. Sunlands may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its reports filed with or furnished to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, in its annual report to shareholders, in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. Any statements that are not historical facts, including statements about Sunlands' beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements that involve factors, risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Such factors and risks include, but not limited to the following: Sunlands' goals and strategies; its expectations regarding demand for and market acceptance of its brand and services; its ability to retain and increase student enrollments; its ability to offer new courses and educational content; its ability to improve teaching quality and students' learning results; its ability to improve sales and marketing efficiency and effectiveness; its ability to engage, train and retain new faculty members; its future business development, results of operations and financial condition; its ability to maintain and improve technology infrastructure necessary to operate its business; competition in the online education industry in China; relevant government policies and regulations relating to Sunlands' corporate structure, business and industry; and general economic and business condition in China Further information regarding these and other risks, uncertainties or factors is included in the Sunlands' filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. All information provided in this press release is current as of the date of the press release, and Sunlands does not undertake any obligation to update such information, except as required under applicable law.
For investor and media enquiries, please contact:
Sunlands Technology Group
Investor Relations
Email: sl-ir@sunlands.com
The Piacente Group, Inc.
Brandi Piacente
Tel: +1-212-481-2050
Email: sunlands@tpg-ir.com
Yang Song
Tel: +86-10-6508-0677
Email: sunlands@tpg-ir.com
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SOURCE Sunlands Technology Group | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/08/18/sunlands-technology-group-announces-unaudited-second-quarter-2022-financial-results/ | 2022-08-18T09:31:10Z |
From Shakira to Mahmood, Memrise analyses the songs that will help travellers learn French, Italian and Spanish the fastest
LONDON, Aug. 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Memrise (www.memrise.com), a language-learning platform with over 63 million users, has analysed songs from around the world to determine which songs in Spanish, French, and Italian facilitate the fastest and easiest learning for travellers to be ready for their end of summer holidays this month.
Need to cram in a last minute "how do I order a coffee?" in French, maybe a "one ice-cream please" in Italian, or "where is the best beach?" in Spanish? Memrise have got you.
With a number of studies showing that total immersion in the chosen language is the best way to learn successfully and retain the information, language experts at Memrise have found that pairing world music hits with their lessons makes the learning process more efficient, enjoyable and successful. From this, Memrise have developed a series of lessons, available free online, on forty-nine of the most popular global tracks, to help learners rapidly acquire language skills to boss that bar karaoke or pick up that slang word they've always wanted to learn.
The top songs, in their respective native languages, are:
"We all know and have experienced the benefits of immersing ourselves in songs, learning the words and moves, and playing this out to friends and family. In many ways, this is core to how Memrise works - immersing yourself in the language, learning and communicating. We're bringing Memrise and music together, to make it even easier to learn foreign languages, and also launching the Cultural Karaoke competition to give Memrise fans the best way to learn a language - actually visiting the country of choice." said Steve Toy, CEO at Memrise.
To celebrate the launch of this series of lessons, Memrise are running a competition across TikTok where people are asked to create a video miming or singing along to one of twelve carefully selected songs that Memrise have analysed to help users on their language learning journey. The rules for entering are simple: learn the lyrics with Memrise, create a TikTok video with the song's sound, and add hashtags #culturalkaraoke and #memrisemusic. Entries will be put into a prize draw where users can win one of three mini iPads and a Travel Cash prize up to $1,000USD**.
The competition will run for six weeks from 18th August until the 30th September.
To access lessons built around selected songs or see how to enter the Memrise Cultural Karaoke competition visit Memrise's giveaway page.
** t&cs apply
Memrise is the immersive language learning platform, with over 60 million users, that teaches you real-world language that locals actually use.
Memrise's 'Learn, Immerse, Communicate' method uses state-of-the-art technology, including video clips of from real locals, to continually bounce users from memorisation training to real-world listening, to practising useful conversations and back again. It's as close as you'll get to learning a language without going to the specific country.
Founded in 2010 by Ben Whately and Ed Cooke, Memrise won the Google I/O 2017 'Best App Award'. Today, there are Memrise users in 189 countries learning languages on iOS, Android, and Web: https://www.memrise.com/
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SOURCE Memrise | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/08/18/top-songs-travellers-need-boost-their-language-skills-quick/ | 2022-08-18T09:31:17Z |
GUANGZHOU, China, Aug. 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Yatsen Holding Limited ("Yatsen" or the "Company") (NYSE: YSG), a leading Chinese beauty company, today announced that it will release its unaudited financial results for the second quarter of 2022 on Thursday, August 25, 2022, before the open of the U.S. markets.
The Company's management will hold a conference call on Thursday, August 25, 2022 at 7:30 am U.S. Eastern Time (7:30 pm Beijing/Hong Kong Time) to discuss the financial results. Listeners may access the call by dialing the following numbers:
A live and archived webcast of the conference call will be available on the Company's investor relations website at http://ir.yatsenglobal.com/.
A replay of the conference call will be accessible by phone one hour after the conclusion of the live call at the following numbers, until September 1, 2022:
About Yatsen Holding Limited
Yatsen Holding Limited (NYSE: YSG) is a leading player in China's beauty market with a mission to create an exciting new journey of beauty discovery for consumers in China and around the world. Founded in 2016, the Company has launched and acquired multiple color cosmetics and skincare brands, including Perfect Diary, Little Ondine, Abby's Choice, Galénic, DR.WU (its mainland China business), Eve Lom and Pink Bear. The Company's flagship brand, Perfect Diary, is one of the top color cosmetics brands in China in terms of online retail sales value. Leveraging its digitally native direct-to-customer business model, the Company has built core capabilities which enable it to launch and scale multiple brands quickly while offering a wide selection of products to a growing variety of customers. The Company reaches and engages with customers directly, both online and offline, with expansive presence across all major e-commerce, social and content platforms in China.
For more information, please visit http://ir.yatsenglobal.com/.
For investor and media inquiries, please contact:
In China:
Yatsen Holding Limited
Investor Relations
E-mail: ir@yatsenglobal.com
The Piacente Group, Inc.
Emilie Wu
Tel: +86-21-6039-8363
E-mail: yatsen@thepiacentegroup.com
In the United States:
The Piacente Group, Inc.
Brandi Piacente
Tel: +1-212-481-2050
E-mail: yatsen@thepiacentegroup.com
View original content:
SOURCE Yatsen Holding Limited | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/08/18/yatsen-announce-second-quarter-2022-financial-results-august-25-2022/ | 2022-08-18T09:31:23Z |
HANGZHOU, China, Aug. 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Youdao, Inc. ("Youdao" or the "Company") (NYSE: DAO), a leading technology-focused intelligent learning company in China, today announced its unaudited financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2022.
Second Quarter 2022 Financial Highlights[1]
- Total net revenues were RMB956.2 million (US$142.8 million), representing a 2.4% decrease from the same period in 2021.
- Net revenues from learning services were RMB563.6 million (US$84.1 million), representing a 7.3% decrease from the same period in 2021.
- Net revenues from smart devices were RMB239.9 million (US$35.8 million), representing a 16.3% increase from the same period in 2021.
- Net revenues from online marketing services were RMB152.8 million (US$22.8 million), representing an 8.0% decrease from the same period in 2021. - Gross margin was 42.8%, compared to 51.0% for the same period in 2021.
"Despite the short-term challenges by the pandemic, our business demonstrated resilience. On one hand, operating cash inflow reached RMB104 million in Q2, mainly due to the strong sales performance of our new services and smart devices. On the other hand, we narrowed our net loss to RMB461 million in Q2, a 12.3% improvement year-over-year," said Dr. Feng Zhou, Chief Executive Officer and a Director of Youdao.
"We recently launched a series of new products, such as Youdao Dictionary Pen X5 and Youdao Smart Learning Pad, as well as new products in STEAM courses and vocational education courses. We have completed the transformation of our business and products in response to regulatory changes last year and entered a new stage of organic growth. Looking ahead, we will stick to upgrading products and services with the support of technology and innovation, navigate the short-term macro challenges, build up and strengthen the long-term franchise. We are on the right track and confident in the second half of this year boosted by the new products and services," Dr. Zhou concluded.
Second Quarter of 2022 Financial Results
Net Revenues
Net revenues for the second quarter of 2022 were RMB956.2 million (US$142.8 million), representing a 2.4% decrease from RMB979.9 million for the same period of 2021.
Net revenues from learning services were RMB563.6 million (US$84.1 million) for the second quarter of 2022, representing a 7.3% decrease from RMB607.7 million for the same period of 2021. The decrease was mainly attributable to the decline in revenues from adult courses resulting from the decrease in demand due to the resurgence of COVID-19.
Net revenues from smart devices were RMB239.9 million (US$35.8 million) for the second quarter of 2022, representing a 16.3% increase from RMB206.3 million for the same period of 2021, primarily driven by the popularity of the newly launched products since last year.
Net revenues from online marketing services were RMB152.8 million (US$22.8 million) for the second quarter of 2022, representing an 8.0% decrease from RMB166.0 million for the same period of 2021. The decrease was mainly attributable to the curtailed advertising budgets of partial advertising customers.
Gross Profit and Gross Margin
Gross profit for the second quarter of 2022 was RMB409.7 million (US$61.2 million), representing an 18.1% decrease from RMB500.2 million for the same period of 2021. Gross margin decreased to 42.8% for the second quarter of 2022 from 51.0% for the same period of 2021.
Gross margin for learning services decreased to 52.2% for the second quarter of 2022 from 58.8% for the same period of 2021. The decrease was mainly resulted from the decline in economic scales due to the decreased learning revenues in the second quarter of 2022.
Gross margin for smart devices decreased to 30.6% for the second quarter of 2022 from 43.0% for the same period of 2021. The decrease was due to a larger proportion of sales contributed from offline distributors, which have a lower gross margin.
Gross margin for online marketing services was 27.7% for the second quarter of 2022, compared with 32.7% for the same period of 2021. The decrease was mainly attributable to the increased portion in performance-based advertisements through third parties' internet properties, which typically have a lower gross margin profile.
Operating Expenses
Total operating expenses for the second quarter of 2022 were RMB864.9 million (US$129.1 million), compared with RMB755.1 million for the same period of last year.
Sales and marketing expenses for the second quarter of 2022 were RMB596.0 million (US$89.0 million), representing an increase of 7.4% from RMB555.1 million for the same period of 2021. This increase was due to the growth in compensation expenses of the expanded sales and marketing team for learning services and smart devices.
Research and development expenses for the second quarter of 2022 were RMB208.4 million (US$31.1 million), representing an increase of 42.9% from RMB145.8 million for the same period of 2021. The increase was primarily due to higher payroll-related expenses associated with a larger number of development and technology professionals in smart devices and education digitalization solutions.
General and administrative expenses for the second quarter of 2022 were RMB60.5 million (US$9.0 million), representing an increase of 11.6% from RMB54.2 million for the same period of 2021. The increase was mainly attributable to the increased provision for the credit losses allowance on the receivables, which was RMB6.9 million in the second quarter of 2022, compared to RMB3.4 million for the same period of 2021.
Loss from Operations
Loss from operations for the second quarter of 2022 was RMB455.2 million (US$68.0 million), compared with RMB254.9 million for the same period in 2021. The margin of loss from operations was 47.6%, compared with 26.0% for the same period of last year.
Net Loss from Continuing Operations Attributable to Youdao's Ordinary Shareholders
Net loss from continuing operations attributable to Youdao's ordinary shareholders for the second quarter of 2022 was RMB453.9 million (US$67.8 million), compared with RMB234.9 million for the same period of last year. Non-GAAP net loss from continuing operations attributable to Youdao's ordinary shareholders for the second quarter of 2022 was RMB435.8 million (US$65.1 million), compared with RMB215.0 million for the same period of last year.
Basic and diluted net loss per American depositary shares ("ADSs") of the Company from continuing operations attributable to ordinary shareholders for the second quarter of 2022 was RMB3.67 (US$0.55), compared with RMB1.92 for the same period of 2021. Non-GAAP basic and diluted net loss from continuing operations per ADS attributable to ordinary shareholders was RMB3.52 (US$0.53), compared with RMB1.76 for the same period of 2021.
Balance Sheet
As of June 30, 2022, Youdao's cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash, time deposits and short-term investments totaled RMB1.3 billion (US$188.1 million), compared with RMB1.6 billion as of December 31, 2021. For the second quarter of 2022, net cash provided by continuing operating activities was RMB104.2 million (US$15.6 million), capital expenditures totaled RMB46.7 million (US$7.0 million), and depreciation and amortization expenses amounted to RMB10.7 million (US$1.6 million). Youdao's ability to continue as a going concern is dependent on management's ability to implement an effective business plan in future periods in light of the changing regulatory environment, generate operating cash flows and continue to be able to obtain outside sources of financing as necessary for Youdao's future development. As of the date of this release, Youdao has received various financial support from the NetEase Group, including, among others, RMB878.0 million short-term loans and US$70.0 million long-term loans with maturity dated March 31, 2024 drawn down under the US$300.0 million revolving loan facility. In support of Youdao's future business, NetEase Group has agreed to provide financial support for Youdao's continuing operations.
As of June 30, 2022, the Company's contract liabilities, which mainly consisted of deferred revenues generated from Youdao's learning services, were RMB1.1 billion (US$168.1 million), compared with RMB1.1 billion as of December 31, 2021.
Conference Call
Youdao's management team will host a teleconference call with simultaneous webcast at 6:00 a.m. Eastern Time on Thursday, August 18, 2022 (Beijing/Hong Kong Time: 6:00 p.m., Thursday, August 18, 2022). Youdao's management will be on the call to discuss the financial results and answer questions.
Dial-in details for the earnings conference call are as follows:
A live and archived webcast of the conference call will be available on the Company's investor relations website at http://ir.youdao.com.
A replay of the conference call will be accessible by phone one hour after the conclusion of the live call at the following numbers, until August 25, 2022:
About Youdao, Inc.
Youdao, Inc. (NYSE: DAO) is a leading technology-focused intelligent learning company in China dedicated to developing and using technologies to provide learning content, applications and solutions to users of all ages. Building on the popularity of its online knowledge tools such as Youdao Dictionary and Youdao Translation, Youdao now offers smart devices, STEAM courses, adult and vocational courses, and education digitalization solutions. In addition, Youdao has developed a variety of interactive learning apps. Youdao was founded in 2006 as part of NetEase, Inc. (NASDAQ: NTES; HKEX: 9999), a leading internet technology company in China.
For more information, please visit: http://ir.youdao.com.
Non-GAAP Measures
Youdao considers and uses non-GAAP financial measures, such as non-GAAP net income/(loss) from continuing operations attributable to the Company's ordinary shareholders and non-GAAP basic and diluted income/(loss) from continuing operations per ADS, as supplemental metrics in reviewing and assessing its operating performance and formulating its business plan. The presentation of non-GAAP financial measures is not intended to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for the financial information prepared and presented in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("U.S. GAAP").
Youdao defines non-GAAP net income/(loss) from continuing operations attributable to the Company's ordinary shareholders as net income/(loss) from continuing operations attributable to the Company's ordinary shareholders excluding share-based compensation expenses and impairment of long-term investment. Non-GAAP net income/(loss) from continuing operations attributable to the Company's shareholders enables Youdao's management to assess its operating results without considering the impact of these items, which are non-cash charges in nature. Youdao believes that these non-GAAP financial measures provide useful information to investors in understanding and evaluating the Company's current operating performance and prospects in the same manner as management does, if they so choose.
Non-GAAP financial measures are not defined under U.S. GAAP and are not presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Non-GAAP financial measures have limitations as analytical tools, which possibly do not reflect all items of expense that affect our operations. In addition, the non-GAAP financial measures Youdao uses may differ from the non-GAAP measures uses by other companies, including peer companies, and therefore their comparability may be limited.
The presentation of these non-GAAP financial measures is not intended to be considered in isolation from or as a substitute for the financial information prepared and presented in accordance with GAAP. For more information on these non-GAAP financial measures, please see the table captioned "Unaudited Reconciliation of GAAP and non-GAAP Results" set forth at the end of this release.
The accompanying tables have more details on the reconciliations between our GAAP financial measures that are most directly comparable to non-GAAP financial measures. Youdao encourages you to review its financial information in its entirety and not rely on a single financial measure.
Exchange Rate Information
This announcement contains translations of certain RMB amounts into U.S. dollars ("US$") at specified rates solely for the convenience of the reader. Unless otherwise stated, all translations from RMB to US$ were made at the rate of RMB6.6981 to US$1.00, the exchange rate on June 30, 2022 set forth in the H.10 statistical release of the Federal Reserve Board. The Company makes no representation that the RMB or US$ amounts referred could be converted into US$ or RMB, as the case may be, at any particular rate or at all.
Safe Harbor Statement
This press release contains forward-looking statements. These statements are made under the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about the Company's beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties, and a number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by words or phrases such as "may," "will," "expect," "anticipate," "target," "aim," "estimate," "intend," "plan," "believe," "potential," "continue," "is/are likely to" or other similar expressions. The Company may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its reports filed with, or furnished to, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, in its annual reports to shareholders, in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about the Company's beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Further information regarding such risks, uncertainties or factors is included in the Company's filings with the SEC. All information provided in this press release is as of the date of this press release, and the Company does not undertake any duty to update such information, except as required under applicable law.
For investor and media inquiries, please contact:
In China:
Jeffrey Wang
Youdao, Inc.
Tel: +86-10-8255-8163 ext. 89980
E-mail: IR@rd.netease.com
The Piacente Group, Inc.
Emilie Wu
Tel: +86-21-6039-8363
E-mail: youdao@thepiacentegroup.com
In the United States:
The Piacente Group, Inc.
Brandi Piacente
Tel: +1-212-481-2050
E-mail: youdao@thepiacentegroup.com
View original content:
SOURCE Youdao, Inc. | https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/08/18/youdao-reports-second-quarter-2022-unaudited-financial-results/ | 2022-08-18T09:31:30Z |
For thousands of years, dogs have been our companions. After countless generations of selective breeding, they've become hard-wired to follow human commands: sit, lie down, jump, even shake.
So far, most other animals don't come close. But what if they could?
In 1954 a Russian geneticist named Dmitry Belyaev wanted to isolate the genes that make dogs so easy to train. He started a fox farm in Siberia and set out to do with foxes in one lifetime what took dogs thousands of years.
Belyaev died in 1985, but others carried on his work; 50,000 foxes later, the project isn't complete, but it's close.
"So close. It's the last step," Ceiridwen Terrill tells weekends on All Things Considered host Guy Raz.
Terrill is associate professor of Science Writing and Environmental Journalism at Concordia University of Portland, Ore. She's also the author of Part Wild: One Woman's Journey with a Creature Caught Between the Worlds of Wolves and Dogs, a book about raising a dog-wolf hybrid.
Terrill recently visited Belyaev's fox farm, which she says looks like dilapidated army barracks.
"What you have are rows and rows of sheds that house about a hundred foxes each," she says. "There's about 3,000 foxes on-site."
Those foxes are so tame, Terrill was able to reach into one of the cages and give a fox a good belly-scratching.
"They're genetically designed to crave human contact," she says, "so that fox loved having its belly scratched."
Terrill says there are individual foxes who have been able to sit and fetch on command. But to prove true domestication, "it's really important that we see it on a large scale. It has to be in a systematic way," she adds.
"The experiment demonstrated that these foxes are indeed genetically tame," Terrill says. "Now what we don't know is if these foxes are truly domestic. And that can only be done by socialization and training. We won't know if that's possible unless foxes and humans are living together."
The experimental Siberian farm is selling fox cubs to allay its financial difficulties, but Terrill says they're not going to make good house pets.
"They promise that for just under $7,000, that you can get a fox on your front door that's four months old," she says. "Well, at four months old, the fox's socialization window has closed.
"They haven't been socialized to life in a human household in the way that a dog has, for example."
Better by far, Terrill says, to choose one of the many millions of dogs and cats who end up in American shelters every year.
"We have so many companion animals in desperate need of homes," she says.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.keranews.org/2012-03-18/domesticated-foxes-mans-new-best-friend | 2022-08-18T09:34:30Z |
Idan Raichel is one of Israel's top-selling pop musicians. Vieux Farka Toure is a virtuoso guitarist from Mali. The two met by chance in a German airport, and when Toure played a concert in Tel Aviv, Raichel sat in. He enjoyed himself so much that he invited Toure and two other musicians to come to a studio the next day and jam. The music they created is now an album called The Tel Aviv Session.
Sometimes, the best collaborations are accidental. If Raichel and Toure had planned a collaboration, it's hard to imagine that they could have topped the casual charm of this impromptu encounter.
For this session, Raichel leaves aside his banks of keyboards and his large backing band, and mostly just plays piano, sometimes plucking its strings to create percussive, muted vamps and riffs. Toure, a rocking electric guitarist, sticks to his acoustic and shines. There's a spare rhythm section, and some guests make appearances, but the soul of this session is two nimble musicians, unfettered and comfortably at play.
Toure tends to set the stage here, mostly with music reminiscent of Malian folklore, while Raichel plays the foil, sometimes smoothing out Toure's rugged grooves and sometimes echoing the guitarist's distinctive filigree phrasing.
The Toure-Raichel Collective is now becoming a touring ensemble, aiming to preserve and even enhance the spontaneous magic of Raichel and Toure's initial encounter. The fact that the group features two Jewish Israelis and two Muslim Africans is interesting, but not really the point. These players delve into the swirling waters of our globalized music culture and pull out bright fish, almost perfect, as if designed instead of conjured in the heat of improvisation.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.keranews.org/2012-04-09/the-toure-raichel-collective-a-collaboration-by-accident | 2022-08-18T09:51:54Z |
Children's books seem simple, but good ones are deceptively complicated to write and illustrate.
"Traditionally illustrated books are books where the text makes sense on its own. It doesn't necessarily need words," writer Martin Salisbury tells NPR's Renee Montagne, whereas with picture books, neither the text nor the images stand separately — they need each other.
Salisbury is the author of the new book Children's Picturebooks: The Art of Visual Storytelling. He says classic picture books, like Babar, may succeed because the simple visual style allows readers to project their own personalities and thoughts onto the character. "I guess it's a combination of the extraordinary writing of Babar, the strange world that's created, and those very simple faces that allow us to use our imagination," he says.
Achieving that simplicity can be a challenge that many people don't appreciate. "It's that issue of condensing something into something very elegant and short, usually 32 pages, which is very, very complex to do," Salisbury says. "And making it look simple and elegant is perhaps the hardest thing to do."
What makes children return over and over again to a beloved book? "I think it's rather like the theater," Salisbury says, "where this is one of the things that the picture book does so well, if the words are saying one thing and the images are saying another." He cites a book called Rosie's Walk, by Pat Hutchins — originally published more than 40 years ago, and still in print.
Rosie the hen is taking a walk through the farmyard — but what the text never mentions is that she's being followed by a fox who meets with one disaster after another in his unsuccessful pursuit of Rosie.
"If you watch children being read to, they're screaming at their parents, 'behind you, behind you, there's a fox, there's a fox!' And that's a book that has remained incredibly popular for that very simple reason, I think, that children still want to go back and tell the chicken that the fox is trying to eat her," Salisbury says.
There are many wonderful picture books out there, but Salisbury says one of his all-time favorites is The Tiger Who Came to Tea, by Judith Kerr. "It is a book in which nothing really happens, there's no great storyline to it," he says. "It's a tiger who knocks on the door of a family house, and he comes in, and he eats them out of house and home, empties the fridge, and eventually goes away again."
"The appeal of the book is just this idea of the mysterious stranger, and it's somehow incredibly compelling," he adds. "It's just got that magic somehow."
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.keranews.org/2012-04-23/the-artistry-of-childrens-picturebooks-revealed | 2022-08-18T09:51:56Z |
Tornadoes killed more than 500 people in the U.S. last year — the highest number in decades. Already this year, 63 people have died, and the tornado season doesn't hit its peak until June.
But tornadoes don't have to be as deadly. Experts say some deaths could be prevented if people would do one more thing when taking cover: wear a helmet. It's a message safety advocates are preaching, but that message hasn't resonated with federal officials just yet.
'It Was Like A Vacuum'
On April 27, 2011, a horrific outbreak of tornadoes roared across the Southeast, killing more than 300 people. Some of the twisters were more than a mile wide and stayed on the ground for hours. Alabama was particularly hard hit.
"How far back do you go that day? It seemed like a normal day," says Jonathan Stewart.
He'd rushed home just minutes before a tornado swallowed up his neighborhood in Pleasant Grove, Ala. Stewart, his wife, adult daughter and 8-year-old son crowded into a tiny shower stall. It didn't take long for him to feel the house shift and become weightless — and then an explosion.
"I remember being sucked out of the house, and it was not being blown about, it was not walls blowing around. It was like a vacuum, and it sucked us out," Stewart says.
'I Actually Saw Him Up In The Air'
In an instant, Stewart's family was gone. Lisa, his wife, peered up into the swirling sea of debris and saw her son, Noah, floating above her — high above her, Lisa says: "I actually saw him up in the air, stuck up in it, being tossed around as high as the power lines."
Noah was twisting, churning, flying through the air, held up high by the tornado's angry winds. And then, Noah remembers, "the wind just immediately stopped, and I was going down headfirst, and then I think my helmet just cracked."
Noah had on a baseball helmet — the kind used in Little League with a strap and face guard. He was the only member of his family wearing protective headgear that night. In pictures taken that night, Noah's face appears fine, with just a few scratches; his parents, however, look beaten up.
Public Outreach
Noah had other injuries, and went to Children's Hospital in Birmingham. Dr. Mark Baker was working in the emergency room that night. He says most of the 60 children treated for storm-related injuries suffered some sort of head trauma.
"Children's heads are relatively large compared to the rest of their body. So during a tornado, where they're thrown by the wind or an object is thrown into them or a building collapses, it is most frequently the head that is injured," he says.
Baker says because of Noah's helmet, his injuries weren't more severe. Doctors at Children's Hospital realized they needed to do more. They partnered with a local television meteorologist to produce a PSA to tell parents that helmets help save lives during tornadoes.
Other outreach is happening, too.
At a recent Birmingham Barons baseball game, safety advocates handed out 125 bicycle helmets as part of a giveaway for tornado preparedness.
The Fulton family of Trussville, Ala., was standing in line with their three kids.
"We didn't even think anything about it last year, and then we started hearing how much safer things were once it happened and that you should wear them," says Alan Fulton. "And it's like ... 'Why didn't we do it?' I don't know."
His wife, Melissa, says wearing helmets during severe weather is "a great idea; it just never occurred to us."
'Their Silence Is Deafening'
One reason it might not have occurred to the Fultons is that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is silent on the topic.
The CDC website tells motorcyclists to wear helmets because they save lives; ditto for bicyclists.
But if a tornado is bearing down? The CDC recommends people use their hands to protect their heads. It makes no mention of a helmet.
For three months we tried to interview someone from the CDC, but the agency would only email a statement, which said: "The scientific evidence from helmet use during tornadoes is inadequate to make a recommendation."
This has angered safety advocates such as Russ Fine. "I think their silence is deafening," he says, "and I'm embarrassed for them — terribly embarrassed for them."
Fine's team at the Injury Control Research Center at the University of Alabama in Birmingham completed one of those scientific reports. It found many tornado deaths around the region last year could have been prevented if people had worn helmets. He doesn't understand why the CDC hasn't embraced the research.
"Will it 100 percent absolutely, positively save your life? Probably not. But it's a whole lot better than having no helmet on, and that's a no-brainer," he says.
The Beginning Of A Change
Advocates don't expect the federal government to change its recommendations anytime soon. They liken it to how long it took to get the message out about wearing seat belts or quitting smoking.
"It's the beginning of a change where research changes in the way people respond and they're advised to respond," says Sandra Koplon, of the Alabama Head Injury Foundation.
Others, such as tornado safety advocate Renee Crook, who organized the helmet giveaway at the Birmingham baseball game, says ultimately it's up to the people, not the government, to stay safe. "You have to have a plan. You chose to live here. You need to be safe. You need to be aware. You need to have a way of listening to the weather, and know when it's coming, and be prepared."
Still, many people go to government websites to learn about what vaccinations they should receive when traveling overseas, or how long to cook a certain kind of meat. Advocates hope it won't be long for the CDC to add a line about wearing a helmet when a tornado is bearing down on a community.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.keranews.org/2012-04-27/can-helmets-cut-tornado-deaths-cdc-isnt-so-sure | 2022-08-18T09:51:59Z |
More than half of Americans say there's an "invasion" at the southern border, according to a new NPR/Ipsos poll, part of a broader decline in support for immigrants overall.
The poll also found that large numbers of Americans hold a variety of misconceptions about immigrants — greatly exaggerating their role in smuggling illegal drugs into the U.S., and how likely they are to use public benefits, for example — as false and misleading claims about immigration gain traction.
Republicans are more likely to hold negative views of immigrants. But the poll found they're not alone in embracing increasingly extreme rhetoric around immigration.
"Invasion" rhetoric is resonating with many Americans
The poll found that a majority of Americans — including three-quarters of Republicans — say it's either somewhat or completely true that the United States is "experiencing an invasion" at the southern border.
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The U.S. Border Patrol has apprehended migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border more than 1.8 million times since October, setting an annual record for arrests with two months still to go before the fiscal year ends.
Nearly half of those migrants were quickly expelled under the public health order known as Title 42 that's been in place since the beginning of the pandemic. But hundreds of thousands more were allowed to seek asylum and other protections in the United States.
Republican leaders are increasingly framing the situation as an "invasion." Immigrant advocates say the word has a long history in white nationalist circles, and warn that such extreme rhetoric could provoke more violence against immigrants.
Still, the polling shows that the word "invasion" has been embraced by a wide range of Americans to describe what's happening at the border.
"We are not actually screening enough people to make it safe for the rest of the country," said poll respondent Michael Cisternino, a Republican from Nevada, in a follow-up interview.
"We, the people of the United States, really don't have control over who's coming in, and where they're going or what they're going to do when they get there — if they're criminals, if they're not criminals," Cisternino said.
Studies have consistently shown that immigrants are less likely to commit crimes or be incarcerated than native-born Americans. In the NPR/Ipsos poll, a plurality of Republicans answered incorrectly that immigrants are more likely to commit crimes.
Republicans were also more likely to endorse rhetoric that echoes the so-called "replacement theory" — the false conspiracy theory that Jews or elites are deliberately replacing white Americans with immigrants and people of color.
More than a third of all poll respondents agree that "native-born Americans are being systematically replaced by immigrants" — including more than half of Republicans. Almost half of all Americans say that "Democrats are working to open our borders to more immigrants," with more than 70% of Republicans in agreement.
The issue of immigration is much more urgent for Republicans than for Democrats. About a quarter of GOP respondents say immigration is one of the "most worrying" problems facing the country, while only 4% of Democrats rank immigration as a top concern.
"A lot of immigrants are coming here for safety, and a lot of them are coming here for a chance" at a better life, said poll respondent Neel-Gopal Sharma, a Democrat from North Carolina, in a follow-up interview.
Sharma's parents emigrated from India to Canada, where he was born, and later moved to the United States. Sharma thinks it's becoming increasingly acceptable to blame immigrants and other people who look different for the country's problems.
"There is this xenophobic kind of talk that's being thrown around," he said. "So I'm not surprised by that."
Misleading claims about immigrants are gaining traction, particularly around fentanyl
The poll found that a large number of Americans, including big majorities of Republicans, blame migrants for a rise in deaths from fentanyl — even though there's no evidence directly linking them to the problem.
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It's true that fentanyl overdose deaths are up in recent years, and that much of the U.S. fentanyl supply is smuggled through the border.
But experts say the vast majority of fentanyl and other illegal drugs are smuggled through official ports of entry, hidden in large trucks and passenger vehicles, while a relatively small amount is smuggled by cartels across the border between those ports.
Virtually none is smuggled by migrants themselves, says Victor Manjarrez, Jr., a former Border Patrol sector chief who's now a professor at the University of Texas at El Paso.
"The probability that they're going to carry some kind of illicit narcotic is probably close to zero," Manjarrez said. "The vast majority of that fentanyl is going through a port of entry."
Still, six out of 10 of Republicans in the poll said incorrectly that "most" of the fentanyl entering the United States is smuggled by migrants.
Similarly, more than half of Republicans say immigrants are "more likely" to use public assistance benefits than the native-born population, even though many immigrants are barred from using most federal benefit programs. Less than a quarter of Republicans correctly identified that statement as false.
"These statements of false or misleading or incomplete information are definitely gaining more traction among Republicans," said Mallory Newall, a vice president at Ipsos, which conducted the poll.
But partisanship isn't the only factor.
"What we're seeing here in our polling is that your willingness to believe these misleading or incomplete statements around immigration not only depends on your partisan affiliation, but also where you are getting your news from," Newall said.
Republicans who get their news from Fox News and conservative media were more likely to believe false or misleading narratives, Newall says, and were also more likely to believe that these claims were "completely true."
That finding was especially strong when it comes to so-called "ghost flights." Republicans accuse the Biden administration of organizing secret flights carrying migrants from the border to communities across the country. But immigrants advocates point out that such flights aren't secret or new, and accuse Republican critics of fear-mongering for political gain.
The poll asked if the United States is "secretly flying unaccompanied migrant children across the country at night." Among Republicans whose main news source is Fox or conservative media, about eight in 10 called that statement true, Newall said. However Republicans who get their news elsewhere weren't so sure; only four in 10 answered true.
Falling support for immigration, and an uptick in approval for a border wall
When NPR polled Americans on immigration in 2018, three out of four respondents agreed that "immigrants are an important part of our American identity."
Today that number has fallen sharply.
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That's not the only sign of eroding support for immigrants in the latest poll.
When asked four years ago, nearly two-thirds of respondents favored a pathway to legal status for the so-called Dreamers, undocumented immigrants who were brought to the country as children. Now that support has fallen to a bare majority, driven largely by a steep drop among Republicans and independents.
There's also been a modest but steady increase in support for a wall at the southern border, from 38% in favor four years ago up to 46% now.
It's not clear why those numbers have shifted. Mallory Newall at Ipsos suspects the explanation is tied to broader concerns about inflation and the economy.
"One thing that we know is that during times of bad economic conditions, for example, the recession in 2009, support for immigration declines," she said.
There's also a theory that support for immigrants tends to fall when there is a perception of chaos at the southern border. And the spread of false and misleading claims could be a factor, as well.
The reach of false and misleading claims may be growing
The poll suggests that the reach of some false and misleading claims may be growing.
Four years ago, NPR asked if "immigrants are more likely to commit crimes or be incarcerated than the U.S.-born population." Back then, more than 60% of respondents correctly identified that statement as false. But when asked again this year, only 49% got it right.
That wasn't the only question where Americans' grasp of immigration seemingly declined during the past four years.
In 2018, six out of 10 respondents correctly said that most undocumented immigrants in the United States have been in the country for more than a decade. This time, 43% answered correctly; almost as many said they didn't know.
"There has historically been a lot of framing issues regarding immigration that have sometimes distorted facts intentionally," said Sophia Jordán Wallace, a professor of political science at the University of Washington who has studied false and misleading claims about immigration.
Wallace says there's a long tradition in American politics of blaming immigrants for real problems the country is facing as a way to mobilize voters — regardless of whether there's any connection between those immigrants and the problems they're accused of causing.
Those misleading or false claims don't always cross over to the mainstream. But sometimes, Wallace says, they do.
"Once it gets out there, it's hard to correct," she said.
The NPR/Ipsos poll was conducted from July 28-29, 2022, with a sample of 1,116 adults online. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.6 percentage points for all respondents.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-18/a-majority-of-americans-see-an-invasion-at-the-southern-border-npr-poll-finds | 2022-08-18T10:00:35Z |
Jenn Ramirez Robson has been working remotely since the pandemic started.
Now, as more people are returning to the office or offered the choice of working from home, she's still working remotely. But every once in a while, she gets worried about being left out at work.
"All of my meetings are still on Zoom or Teams, but I do feel that sense that I should go into the office at least once a week," says Ramirez Robson, who works at Northwest Center, a disability nonprofit.
In the "new normal" hybrid workplace, are remote and in-person workers going to be treated equally? It's a matter of hot debate right now, with many workers like Ramirez Robson wondering if they would be sacrificing promotions if they choose not to come into the office. One top Wall Street CEO waded right into that conversation.
"If you want a job, stay remote all the time," says Rich Handler, CEO of the investment banking company Jefferies. "If you want a career, engage with the rest of us in the office ... No judgment on which you pick, but don't be surprised or disappointed by certain outcomes."
Handler was responding to a post on Instagram from a widely followed account @wallstreetconfessions, which said that investment banking layoffs were coming and that managers would soon have to judge who was worth keeping. "Now is the time to be visibly value-added — and showing up to the office every day is a big part of that," the post said. It got more than 130 comments and Handler's own comment generated another 40 replies.
It's a hot topic that is starting to generate a lot of anxiety. The pandemic has upended traditional work structures and hybrid options are far more common than they used to be. According to Indeed's Hiring Lab, about 10% of jobs posted on its site in May this year were advertised as remote, more than three times the amount before the pandemic.
"My career isn't the most important thing right now...I want a life"
Several chief executives, including Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon and Tesla boss Elon Musk, say going into the office is key to learning, being part of a culture and a higher level of performance. Both want their workers in the office five days a week.
Most career experts agree that there are distinct advantages from more face time and collaboration with coworkers. But some people are willing to give that up for other benefits that they get from working remote, according to Anita Bruzzese, who writes a workplace and career column.
"There are going to be some people who believe the trade-off is worth it, who say my career isn't the most important thing right now," Bruzzese says. "I want to travel, I want a life, I want to train for a marathon, I want to raise my family — so I am willing to make that trade-off."
Others say, why should I be penalized for working from home?
However, some say people shouldn't be penalized for choosing to work from home. Fatimata Cham, a campus recruiting intern at Bloomberg, is working five days a week in the New York office. Her internship didn't offer a remote or hybrid option.
"I think there are a lot of benefits to being in person early on in my career, because I can figure out if this is something I really want to do," she says. "If I'm willing to come in five days for it, like, it must be something I'm passionate about."
Still, Cham says she would be open to taking a remote job later and her career shouldn't suffer because of it. She thinks the pandemic has forced a shift in people's priorities to focus more on wellness. And she doesn't think remote work is going away.
It's important to note there is no one-size-fits-all approach to hybrid work. Many advocates say it depends on what industry they're in. Allen Ishibashi works in real estate for a regional parks district in California. He started working remotely when the pandemic started and found it "fantastic."
"For the nature of work, what I do — which is probably 90% paperwork in the office and 10% out in the field looking at properties — it worked really well for me," he says.
Ishibashi is back in the office three days a week, and he doesn't think it should be harder for him — or any remote worker — to advance in their career.
Penalties may pose a problem in fostering a more diverse workplace
With remote work becoming more widespread during the pandemic, there's no doubt that in some fields it has led to greater flexibility and even more opportunities. People can find jobs outside of their city, and companies can actually increase diversity if they're looking beyond the pool of people who live where the office is. Studies show that a variety of voices leads to a stronger organization.
But there are worries that hybrid policies could hinder efforts at corporate diversity.
Younger people are more likely to want more in-person time than their older colleagues. Women, people of color and working parents are more likely to want to work from home or in a hybrid format, according to a study from January of this year. Disability advocates, like Ramirez Robson, caution that people with disabilities may also be left behind in a hybrid workplace.
"If there's already a skew in who's working remotely — there's a demographic pattern — we want to be extra aware" of dynamics that may be reinforced by any bias for in-person workers, says Heidi Brooks, who teaches at Yale's School of Management.
For some people like Cham, who are early in their careers, remote work can feel isolating. They prefer working in the office so they can easily learn the ins and outs of their roles.
However, people who have established careers and have learned the ropes already tend to find remote work more appealing. That raises the question of whether the careers of these people could stall at a time when they're ready to take on more leadership roles.
'Hybrid guilt' is a thing
Darren Murph, the head of remote at open source software company GitLab, believes the key to mitigating these disparities is to have either everybody or nobody in the office. That way, there's no chance for people who work in person to have better access to information and meetings while remote workers are left out. It also removes what Murph calls "hybrid guilt," where remote workers feel like they should be going into the office.
Nitin Budhiraja felt that way at his last job, where he questioned whether he should be going in, even though he was a remote worker. He worked at an advertising agency that was supportive of remote work. But there was some tension when he found out that one of the senior managers on his team was often in the office.
"That often made me wonder, should I be commuting to the office? Should I be going in?" Budhiraja says.
Sometimes the people who worked in the office would make decisions that he and other remote colleagues found out about later. Budhiraja said it wasn't intentional and the discomfort didn't cause major problems for him at work.
Still, when the opportunity arose to move to a company where everybody was working remotely, he jumped at it. He says remote work has made the quality of his work better, and given him more time to focus on himself and his family.
Murph from GitLab says the conversation focuses too much on where workers physically are, and not on how they're best able to work. He says the question to ask now isn't, "Where are people working," but "How does work happen?"
As for the @wallstreetconfessions Instagram account, it is run by Ri Sharma, who works at the fintech startup Allio Finance. People from the financial industry send in anonymous messages and she chooses what to post on the account, which has 134,000 followers.
Sharma says she direct messaged the Jefferies CEO after his post about looking at working from home versus the office as a choice between a job versus career. She says she understands his point of view as someone who runs a large institution, but she's on the side of people who want to work from home: "I'm personally my most productive when I have the option."
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-18/a-new-work-anxiety-will-i-be-penalized-for-working-from-home | 2022-08-18T10:00:42Z |
NPR's Leila Fadel speaks with Dr. Ali Khan, public health expert at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and a former CDC official, about the effects of an announced CDC reorganization.
Copyright 2022 NPR
NPR's Leila Fadel speaks with Dr. Ali Khan, public health expert at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and a former CDC official, about the effects of an announced CDC reorganization.
Copyright 2022 NPR | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-18/a-shake-up-at-the-cdc-is-intended-to-make-it-a-more-nimble-organization | 2022-08-18T10:00:48Z |
Shortly after news broke that federal agents had executed a court-authorized search for documents at former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate, Rita Katz said she and her team jumped online.
Katz, the founder and executive director of the SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors extremist communities online, said they were primarily interested in what discussions looked like in spaces frequented by the far right, such as Telegram, Gab and Truth Social.
"What we saw were calls for civil war," said Katz. "Calls such as, 'This is what the Second Amendment stands for,' and asking then, 'When does the shooting start?'"
In the days after, a man was killed in a standoff with the FBI after he attempted to attack the agency's field office in Cincinnati. The U.S. Department of Justice has also charged a man in Pennsylvania with threatening federal law enforcement officers after he allegedly posted violent statements online.
The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security issued a joint intelligence bulletin highlighting the escalation in violent rhetoric against their agencies and employees.
But even as law enforcement may be monitoring or alerted to threats made in these spaces, experts say that responding to them will be challenging.
The shift from foreign to domestic extremism
Two decades after the attacks of 9/11, the country has fashioned infrastructure to counter violent extremism coming from foreign terrorist organizations, or those influenced by them. Today, with the DHS shift in focus toward violent domestic extremists, that infrastructure is showing its limits.
"There's certainly a more permissive environment for law enforcement to investigate threatening individuals when the threat looked like it was coming from overseas," said Mitch Silber, executive director for the Community Security Initiative, a program created to protect the Jewish communities of greater New York.
"When you're dealing with American citizens who can't be connected to a foreign terrorist organization, that already limits the reach and the ability for law enforcement to go deeper on those individuals because they're protected by the Constitution," he said.
Silber, who once headed intelligence analysis at the New York Police Department, said law enforcement needs to have relatively detailed information about a plot to obtain the required authorization to open an investigation. And though individuals post quite openly about their violent ideations in public online spaces, it often doesn't meet the necessary threshold. For those who recall the last time far right echo chambers churned with this level of anger, this is concerning.
"Before January 6, we had no credible, no specific threat. We just had a ton of non-credible, non-specific threats," said Donell Harvin, a senior policy researcher at the RAND Corporation and the former chief of homeland security and intelligence for the government of the District of Columbia. "It was like this kind of mush they just couldn't do anything with."
Beyond the legal constraints, Harvin said that the nature of the threat has also changed in ways that make effective interdiction of violence more difficult.
First, the uptake of violent, anti-government views has become widespread in the United States, whereas in the past, this sentiment was largely relegated to fringe extremist groups. As a result, the possibility of an attempted attack can come from a much larger and more diffuse pool of radicalized individuals.
Additionally, experts said that law enforcement now has to act almost instantaneously when alerted to a threat.
"There is often a brief period of time between radicalization and mobilization to violence that law enforcement has an opportunity to interdict that individual. And that brief moment is such a small window," said Harvin. "We've seen where people go from radicalization to mobilization of violence very, very quickly."
The legal and practical constraints behind identifying and stopping domestic terrorist attacks have many in the counter-extremism space looking to actors other than law enforcement.
Katz, who has monitored terrorist threats since before 9/11, said she would like to see more focus on the technology companies that facilitate alt-social media platforms where the most violent rhetoric is commonplace. Specifically, she said companies that provide hosting, website security and domain registration should be pressured into dropping clients whose services incite violence.
"Otherwise, it's just going to continue to grow," she said.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-18/anti-government-threats-are-up-but-its-tough-to-assess-them | 2022-08-18T10:00:55Z |
Florida awards hunters who capture pythons from the wild, but the challenge has done little to reduce the invasive species impact on the Everglades ecosystem.(Aired on ATC on Aug. 15, 2022.)
Copyright 2022 NPR
Florida awards hunters who capture pythons from the wild, but the challenge has done little to reduce the invasive species impact on the Everglades ecosystem.(Aired on ATC on Aug. 15, 2022.)
Copyright 2022 NPR | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-18/encore-floridas-python-challenge-does-little-to-reduce-the-invasive-species-impact | 2022-08-18T10:01:01Z |
Residents of Sapelo Island reached a deal with McIntosh County, which will pay $2 million in damages and increase services on the island, where descendants of the enslaved have lived for centuries.
Copyright 2022 NPR
Residents of Sapelo Island reached a deal with McIntosh County, which will pay $2 million in damages and increase services on the island, where descendants of the enslaved have lived for centuries.
Copyright 2022 NPR | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-18/gullah-geechee-community-reaches-a-deal-with-ga-county-in-a-fight-for-services | 2022-08-18T10:01:08Z |
Voters in an important swing district in Florida are grappling with soaring costs for housing and food. What could these frustrations mean for November midterm elections?
Copyright 2022 NPR
Voters in an important swing district in Florida are grappling with soaring costs for housing and food. What could these frustrations mean for November midterm elections?
Copyright 2022 NPR | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-18/how-inflation-may-influence-voters-in-a-florida-swing-district | 2022-08-18T10:01:14Z |
NPR's Leila Fadel speaks with Georgetown University analyst Will Hunt about the semiconductor industry and how the new CHIPS Act could ease both supply constraints and international tensions.
Copyright 2022 NPR
NPR's Leila Fadel speaks with Georgetown University analyst Will Hunt about the semiconductor industry and how the new CHIPS Act could ease both supply constraints and international tensions.
Copyright 2022 NPR | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-18/how-the-new-chips-act-could-ease-supply-constraints | 2022-08-18T10:01:20Z |
As Russia's war in Ukraine rages on, former Soviet Republics like Latvia plan to destroy Soviet-era monuments. Some believe they should remain as tributes to the fight against Nazis in World War II.
Copyright 2022 NPR
As Russia's war in Ukraine rages on, former Soviet Republics like Latvia plan to destroy Soviet-era monuments. Some believe they should remain as tributes to the fight against Nazis in World War II.
Copyright 2022 NPR | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-18/in-latvia-there-is-a-debate-over-whether-soviet-era-monuments-should-be-destroyed | 2022-08-18T10:01:27Z |
NPR's Leila Fadel talks to the Atlantic Council's Ilva Tare about why tensions are rising between Serbia and Kosovo, and NATO's pledge to increase peacekeepers in Kosovo if needed.
Copyright 2022 NPR
NPR's Leila Fadel talks to the Atlantic Council's Ilva Tare about why tensions are rising between Serbia and Kosovo, and NATO's pledge to increase peacekeepers in Kosovo if needed.
Copyright 2022 NPR | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-18/in-the-balkans-tensions-escalate-between-serbia-and-kosovo | 2022-08-18T10:01:33Z |
SISKIYOU COUNTY, Calif. — In remote northern California, only a few miles from the Oregon border as the crow flies, a troubling but all too familiar scene is unfolding.
Another deadly wildfire has upended the lives of people who lived here because they liked the woods and seclusion, but also because they had few other options: It's one of a few places left on the West Coast that's still affordable.
From devastating flooding in Kentucky to wildfires in the West, extreme weather events made worse by climate change are hitting some of the poorest parts of America hard.
Experts say many of the hardest-hit victims of natural disasters tend to be people who were already living on the economic margins, and often in high-risk places. Recovering from them this summer will be extra difficult at a time of high prices due to record inflation.
In California, the McKinney Fire chewed through dense, dry forests and into remote, rural communities that are now often dubbed as "high risk" by insurance providers.
"I didn't have insurance because I lived on Social Security," says Harlene Schwander, 82. "People can hardly live on Social Security."
Schwander, who had only just moved down the Klamath River Canyon a month ago to live by her son, lost everything in the fire. For now, she's living in a shelter for wildfire survivors in nearby Yreka, Calif. Shaken and standing next to her minivan, she's clutching a small purse stuffed with a few hundred dollars in savings from breeding puppies a couple years ago.
"I knew this was good for something, it's not leaving my side," Schwander says. "Not a lot, but enough to get me through a couple months."
She's worried about how she'll even begin to recover. Her daughter, a school teacher in Santa Barbara, has been searching frantically to find some place Schwander could move to temporarily.
Everything from housing to gas to even just basic toiletries is so expensive. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, prices for most household items in the western United States have risen close to 10 percent since last year. People were already scraping by in Siskiyou County before the McKinney Fire. Close to one in four people here live below the federal poverty line. Rising homelessness was already a concern in the region before this fire.
"I went to Walmart to replenish my cosmetics and it was ridiculous," Schwander says. "So I [just] bought a few things."
The "little guy is getting squeezed"
About 25 miles to the northwest of the shelter in Yreka, Calif., a firefighting chopper is scooping a bucket into the muddy, fire-debris-strewn Klamath River then dropping water on nearby hot spots. The McKinney Fire, which killed four people and is believed to have destroyed at least 100 homes and a cherished community center, is mostly contained, though it won't be out until the expected fall rains arrive.
One recent afternoon, Jason Fischer was running sprinklers and generators to try to save his cattle on the family's sixth-generation farm, as well as a nearby RV park where several local families live. He defied evacuation orders and stayed behind to help firefighters with structure protection. It paid off, but many of his neighbors weren't so lucky.
"They're underinsured," Fischer says. "The insurance companies might pay for what they think your house was worth, but they don't take into account it's going to cost $50,000 to clean up your spot to rebuild."
Fischer says it feels like the little guy is getting especially squeezed around here. Mostly the only jobs tend to be with the local sheriff or U.S. Forest Service, he says. Many of the area's timber mills have closed.
"I don't know how we recover from this as a community," Fischer says. "It's going to be really difficult because the price of lumber, the price of fuel, everything is just exponentially more expensive now."
Gas prices have dipped some in California, but in the rural "North State" as it's often called, they're still averaging around $5 a gallon. Prices for building materials including lumber are up by about 35% since January 2020.
For some it's nearly impossible to rebuild
This corner of the West has already suffered the most destructive — and deadly — wildfires in the country in recent years. A short drive from the Klamath River Canyon is Ashland, Ore., where some of the scenic mountain town's more affordable bedroom communities were wiped out in the 2020 Alameda Fire. Along Interstate 5 in Talent, Ore., people are still living in RVs in the footprint of the deadly blaze that leveled trailer parks and homes.
Even before the disasters, it was hard to get a contractor or enough labor in rural America. Erin Hillman lost her home in the 2020 Slater Fire, a complex of fires that burned more than 157,000 acres not far from where this summer's McKinney Fire ignited.
Standing at her home construction site in a narrow river valley surrounded by steep hills covered in burned trees, Hillman points out the handful of flat, empty lots that used to be home to neighbors.
"Gentleman that lived back there, he's not coming back. The young couple and their children back here, I think they're trying to get their house built," she says.
Hillman is just now rebuilding, after a struggle to find contractors and materials.
The McKinney Fire sparked just as the new foundation was finally being poured, and Hillman briefly panicked that she'd once again lose everything. But Hillman, who is a descendent of the Karuk tribe, doesn't want to leave her ancestral lands.
"For Karuk people that live here, this is their home. They grew up here. This is where we're from, and they don't want to leave," she explains.
She had insurance, and considers herself lucky that she can afford to stay and rebuild. Still, the cost of putting up a new structure has increased so much that Hillman won't have enough insurance money left over to replace some of the items that burned with the house, like her husband's power tools and their furniture.
The new house was supposed to be ready by winter, Hillman says. But with yet another fire creating even higher demand for building materials in the area, she's not sure they'll be home for Christmas.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-18/inflation-makes-recovery-from-california-fires-and-other-disasters-more-difficult | 2022-08-18T10:01:39Z |
An ex-Trump Organization executive is set to plead guilty to tax fraud. A poll examines how Americans see things at the southern border. The FDA's controversial strategy for evaluating COVID boosters.
Copyright 2022 NPR
An ex-Trump Organization executive is set to plead guilty to tax fraud. A poll examines how Americans see things at the southern border. The FDA's controversial strategy for evaluating COVID boosters.
Copyright 2022 NPR | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-18/morning-news-brief | 2022-08-18T10:01:46Z |
Longtime Trump Organization executive Allen Weisselberg is expected to plead guilty on Thursday to a tax fraud scheme in New York.
Copyright 2022 NPR
Longtime Trump Organization executive Allen Weisselberg is expected to plead guilty on Thursday to a tax fraud scheme in New York.
Copyright 2022 NPR | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-18/the-trump-organizations-former-cfo-is-expected-to-admit-to-15-felonies | 2022-08-18T10:01:52Z |
The crews are working on the front lines to save soldiers wounded by Russian forces. For medics who are volunteers with little training, the danger and emotional costs are high.
Copyright 2022 NPR
The crews are working on the front lines to save soldiers wounded by Russian forces. For medics who are volunteers with little training, the danger and emotional costs are high.
Copyright 2022 NPR | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-18/ukraines-ambulance-crews-many-of-them-volunteers-put-their-lives-on-the-line | 2022-08-18T10:01:59Z |
In Alfred Hitchcock's 1951 movie Strangers on a Train, a man strikes up a conversation with a seatmate, leading to an indecent proposal. In Anthony Minghella's 1999 film The Talented Mr. Ripley, a grifter befriends a spoiled playboy, then offs him when the relationship gets complicated.
Literary critic Terry Castle says most people know Patricia Highsmith's writing through screen adaptations, but her original stories are even more chilling and compelling. "The main characters do not make sense. They seem to behave irrationally at certain points, rationally at other points. They do good things and then they do absolutely horrific things."
The same might be said of Highsmith. Her story begins in Fort Worth, Texas, in 1921. Abandoned by her father in infancy, a love-hate relationship with her mother left deeper scars. As Castle explains, "Her mother was very ambivalent about having her in the first place, and one of Highsmith's favorite stories to tell was that her mother had tried to abort her by ingesting turpentine."
As a student at Barnard College, Highsmith wrote short stories. Rebuffed by the literary establishment, she initially made her living writing comic books, which she considered akin to writing B-movies. Caped superheroes didn't align with the world of smoke and shadows, code words and double-identities that drew her interest.
When she wasn't writing, Highsmith frequented bars like Spivy's Rooftop, where Bertha Levine, also known as Madame Spivy, entertained a mix of New York's gay and literary worlds with an air of discretion.
"Highsmith was very beautiful as a young woman and charismatic," Castle says, "and she was enthusiastically homosexual, but at the same time that feeling was counterbalanced by shame and guilt."
Two years after Highsmith's 1950 debut novel Strangers on a Train became a bestseller, she wrote The Price of Salt, a lesbian love story between a glamorous housewife and a young shopgirl inspired by her own chance encounter with a customer at a department store where she had taken a holiday job.
Rather than ending in murder or marriage, the protagonists got away with the possibility of a happy ending — a first in an era where lesbianism was considered deviant, even criminal. To safeguard her career, Highsmith published the book under the alias Claire Morgan, not officially claiming it as her own until it was republished as Carol in 1990.
The original paperback became an underground classic, selling more than a million copies, but mainstream fame eluded her. Swiss filmmaker Eva Vitija says Highsmith had more in common with Dostoyevsky than Mickey Spillane. "In the U.S. she was kind of put into the box of mystery and crime novelist and her writing didn't really fit that."
Starting in the early 1960s, Highsmith zigzagged across Europe, writing, drinking and pursuing ill-fated affairs. Throughout her career, Highsmith would write more than 20 novels as well as short stories, essays and articles. She also kept voluminous notebooks and diaries.
Highsmith's final years were spent in Switzerland, where she lived in a brutalist bunker of her design with her many cats, snails and disappointments. She died from cancer in 1995, before the resurgence of interest in her work sparked by the 1999 film adaption of The Talented Mr. Ripley and then Todd Haynes' 2015 adaption of Carol. Today there is even an online "choose your own Highsmith" book recommendation engine.
At the same time, Highsmith's legacy has been tarnished by a series of unflattering posthumous disclosures in biographies by Andrew Wilson (2003), Joan Schenkar (2009) and Richard Bradford (2021), as well as the 2021 publication of selections from her diaries and notebooks — 1,000 pages whittled down from some 8,000 pages that had been tucked away in her closet.
Some of those pages reveal a bitter, hateful woman whose rants are filled with racism, antisemitism and misogyny. Yet filmmaker Eva Vitija says that person contradicts another Highsmith she saw there, a hopeful, romantic writer in perpetual search of love. Intrigued, Vitija set about finding some of Highsmith's former lovers. Her documentary Loving Highsmith, which opens in theaters next month, pairs Highsmith's diary entries with the testimony of those paramours, such as the writer Marijane Meaker, who says Highsmith was "easy to love, let's put it that way."
In contrast, Grace Ellis and Hannah Templer's new graphic novel, Flung Out of Space, points to other evidence, such as an annotated "love chart" that Highsmith once used to rank her conquests, to arrive at a different conclusion. The medium Ellis and Templer use to tell her story rubs up against Highsmith's fraught history with comics. Her bigotry is addressed head-on in the book's forward, with Ellis noting that leaning into the subject's complexity is essential to recognizing her humanity, however flawed.
One panel shows Highsmith seeking conversion therapy to cure her attraction to women; another shows her picking up women in the group therapy sessions. Ellis explains that Highsmith's shame and subversion were both fueled by societal blinders. "How many groups could you possibly be in as a lesbian in the '40s and '50s and know for certain that everyone in that group is also a lesbian?"
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2022-08-18/untangling-the-contradictions-of-crime-novelist-patricia-highsmith | 2022-08-18T10:02:05Z |
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