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EPHRAT ASHERIE DANCE at the Joyce Theater (Nov. 5 6, 7:30 p.m.; Nov. 7, 8 p.m.). Asherie, a choreographer and B girl, is infectiously charismatic: Her nickname, "Bounce," aptly describes both her physical buoyancy and her lightness of spirit. In "Odeon," her company's official Joyce debut, Asherie engages with the music of the early 20th century Brazilian composer Ernesto Nazareth, whose creative mix of musical styles, from waltzes to tangos to ragtime, reflects Asherie's own blend of dance, from street and house dance to vogueing to concert dance. Adding to the charm of this production, the live music is overseen by Ehud Asherie, Ephrat's brother, an accomplished jazz pianist. 212 242 0800, joyce.org NAIRY BAGHRAMIAN AND MARIA HASSABI at 1014 Fifth Avenue (Nov. 6 8, 7 p.m.; through Nov. 10). A stately townhouse, built in 1906 and facing the Metropolitan Museum of Art, becomes a muse for Baghramian and Hassabi in "Entre Deux Actes (Menage a Quatre)." The work is a dialogue between dance and architecture and an examination of the inherent theatricality of domestic space. The influence of furniture designer Janette Laverriere, a friend of Baghramian's who died in 2011, is present in the piece, as are erotic photographs by Carlo Mollino. The four lovers referred to in the title are those two artists and Baghramian and Hassabi. Currently all tickets have sold out, but more may be released closer to the performance dates. A waiting list will be available at the box office one hour before each show. 212 366 5700, performa19.org | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Dance |
AMELIA ISLAND, FLA. The 19th annual Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance went off largely according to script last weekend, with antique and collectible vehicles, high powered racing machines and famous personalities feted over three idyllic days in the Florida sunshine. It was hardly a surprise, for instance, that a one of a kind 1937 Horch 853 was honored as the most elegant entry in the concours, and that a 1958 Scarab racecar earned accolades among the performance machines. And at the two auctions held in conjunction with the concours, a new record 66.8 million in sales was recorded, in line with the recent escalation of values for high end collector cars. But if there was a big surprise one unexpected breakout star of the weekend it had to be the sexy sports car that at one time nearly put BMW out of business. At the Gooding Company auction, the lone BMW 507 consigned, a white 1958 Series II, sold for a surprising 1.8 million an auction sale record for the model. Hardly had that shock worn off when, the next day, RM Auctions sold a 1958 507 Series II, the color of pencil lead, for a staggering 2.4 million. | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Automobiles |
The Specialty Equipment Market Association's annual trade show opened here on Tuesday, spread out over more than a million square feet of space at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Chris Kersting, the association's chief executive, said in an email that nearly 2,500 exhibitors would bring products for more than 60,000 wholesale buyers looking for parts and accessories. "In 2013 consumers bought more than 33.4 billion in nonrepair and replacement parts and accessories to personalize their cars, trucks and S.U.V.s," Mr. Kersting said, adding that last year's total was a nearly 7 percent increase over the previous year. "And it was a 19.7 percent increase since the recession ended in 2009. Such growth is a sure sign people still love their cars and are again spending money on improving them." He said the niches of street performance and light trucks were helping to drive the growth. The street performance segment includes products used to modify performance vehicles such as sports and muscle cars, including superchargers, suspension upgrades and body kits. That part of the industry has nearly quadrupled since 2001 and represents about 9 billion in retail sales, Mr. Kersting said, adding that some of the growth is being driven by continued interest in performance and muscle cars and by an interest in restoring and modifying older cars. | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Automobiles |
Cindarella Lee, a Cantonese interpreter for Sutter Health in San Francisco. Many hospitals have barred visitors, and some patients that Ms. Lee works with are elderly and "don't understand why their loved ones don't visit them," she said. Recently Dr. Alister Martin faced his patient, a Hispanic man who spoke no English, and broke the news that he would have to be intubated. Struggling to keep his voice calm, Dr. Martin, of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, suggested that the man call his wife. And he told the patient, a bus driver and a father of three, that he should give her his love and say goodbye, just in case. This exchange is now part of the fabric of Dr. Martin's daily routine, but it never gets easier. Making it all the more difficult is that each piece of information is repeated at least twice: Most of Dr. Martin's Covid 19 patients don't speak English, so he communicates through a language interpreter on the phone. Because personal protective equipment is in short supply in hospitals across the country, few clinical interpreters are able to work in person with Covid 19 patients, as they normally would. Most language interpretation is done remotely. Communicating through an interpreter doubles or triples the length of a medical exchange, adding new confusion and anxiety to situations that are already stressful for patients and their families. And the conditions of Covid 19 care the rapid pace at which cases evolve, the desire of hospital workers to limit the duration of their exposure to patients create numerous obstacles to effective interpretation. "We are seeing an overall degradation in the quality of care given to patients who don't speak English as their first language," Dr. Martin said. Dr. Martin said the coronavirus outbreak has multiplied the logistical barriers for medical interpretation. The hospital rooms are loud, filled with buzzing oxygen tanks and urgent staff conversations. Everyone is masked, their voices muffled. Medical workers are trying to stay six feet away from their patients whenever possible. "Someone's oxygen can be dropping and I have to get an interpreter on the phone, wait on hold, put in an access code, tell them where I am," Dr. Martin said. "It's hard for the patient. Imagine you're in a loud room with a mask blowing oxygen in your face at 15 liters a minute and you feel crummy. You can't comprehend things as much." Typically, he explains to patients the precise medical process before intubation and instructs them to think of their happiest memories, what he calls "the vacation before sedation." With an interpreter on the phone, he and his team are pressed to use their words more sparingly. Interpreters, too, say, that their quality of work suffers when they communicate with patients remotely instead of in person and can't use body language or read facial expressions. "Little things like a tap on the shoulder or holding the patient's hand usually makes a big difference," said Cinderella Lee, a Cantonese interpreter for Sutter Health in San Francisco. Ms. Lee said that under normal circumstances, patients who aren't English language proficient have family members help with translation and serve as advocates. But because hospitals have barred visitors, patients are on their own. Some patients Ms. Lee works with are elderly and "don't understand why their loved ones don't visit them," she said. David Velasquez, a medical student at Harvard, said he has often been called on to translate for Spanish speaking patients while on clinical rotations. Having witnessed lapses in communication with patients who are not proficient in English, he fears for his immigrant family members outside Los Angeles, one of whom has already contracted the new coronavirus. "Most doctors don't speak their language," Mr. Velasquez said. "I'd worry about the discharge process. It's one thing letting them know what they have to do in the hospital. But it's another thing to educate patients on precautions to take after leaving, and how to protect their loved ones." The challenges in treating Covid 19 patients who are not English proficient are especially troubling to physicians because of the disproportionate hospitalization rates for blacks and Hispanics. Hispanics make up 34 percent of the coronavirus deaths in New York City, according to data released by the city last week, but just 29 percent of the city's population. City leaders have suggested that this partly reflected Hispanic overrepresentation among essential workers; a study from the city comptroller found that minorities make up 75 percent of the front line work force, including grocery clerks and janitors. Massachusetts has released only limited racial and ethnic data on the virus, but large clusters of infection have been reported in immigrant heavy Chelsea and in Boston's predominantly black, Latino and immigrant communities, including in Hyde Park and Mattapan. Roughly 40 percent of Covid 19 inpatients at Massachusetts General Hospital are Hispanic, according to hospital officials, 80 percent of whom are primarily Spanish speaking. "This has become a black and brown epidemic across the country," said Dr. Joseph Betancourt, chief equity and inclusion officer at the hospital. "That's all the more reason we have to pay attention to language." At Cambridge Health Alliance in Massachusetts, nearly half of the 126,000 patients in its primary care system have limited English proficiency. The Alliance has 100 staff interpreters who usually work in its emergency rooms and community clinics. Vonessa Costa, director of multicultural affairs and patient services, said that roughly 99 percent of the interpreting work is now remote, with the interpreting staff fielding upward of 1,300 calls per day. Those circumstances place tremendous stress on the medical interpreters, Ms. Costa said, especially those who live in Boston's immigrant communities hard hit by the outbreak. Last week, she heard from a distraught interpreter who had just spent 45 minutes on the phone helping a young Spanish speaking woman communicate with hospital staff about two critically ill family members, her partner and her mother. "There is a trauma in interpreting trauma," Ms. Costa said. "Quite a few interpreters in our department have family members who have been hospitalized too. They're shell shocked by the situations they've had to interpret and the devastation in their communities." Dr. Jorge Rodriguez, a physician at Brigham and Women's Hospital, said that the coronavirus pandemic is exposing, and exacerbating, a pre existing condition in the country's health system: disparities in care for non English speaking patients. A 2015 study from the Joint Commission showed that patients with limited English proficiency experienced adverse health outcomes at markedly higher rates than English speakers. "We knew that limited proficient English patients had decreased access to care, more emergency department visits, longer inpatient stays and worse clinical outcomes," Dr. Rodriguez said. He added that he hoped the pandemic's disproportionate impact on Hispanic populations would push medical institutions to consider the ways that language barriers affect patient care. Some medical institutions have already begun to rethink their interpreting services amid the coronavirus outbreak. Dr. Betancourt said that in the last month Mass General has created a registry of front line staff members who speak multiple languages. The hospital now aims to assign a Spanish speaking doctor to each medical team whenever possible, so that patients can rely on their physicians to interpret rather than having to use remote services. Ms. Costa said that Cambridge Health Alliance has identified all patients who require in person rather than remote interpretation, such as individuals who are hard of hearing and do not use American Sign Language, and has allocated personal protective equipment for their on site interpreters. The health care provider has begun offering discharge instructions in Arabic, Nepali and other languages, expanding beyond the Spanish, Portuguese and Haitian Creole translations already on offer. And they are considering distributing microphones to patients when necessary to amplify their words for interpreters. | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Health |
Where Outsider Art Got a Warm Welcome Before It Was Cool None Jill and Sheldon Bonovitz in their home in Philadelphia, with, in foreground, from left, two William Edmondson sculptures, "Horse With Long Tail" and "Woman." In background, from left, on wall, Justin McCarthy's "Ice Capades" (1971) and a painting by Anselm Kiefer. The shelves of ceramics are the work of Eugene Von Bruenchenhein. Vases by Jill Bonovitz join his works on the third shelf, right. Ryan Collerd for The New York Times PHILADELPHIA Eugene Von Bruenchenhein never sold a piece of his art during his lifetime, but Sheldon and Jill Bonovitz have plenty of examples of it in their home near Rittenhouse Square. Among their prized ceramics by Von Bruenchenhein are fantastical little thrones some six inches tall, constructed from chicken bones salvaged from TV dinners ; dazzling crowns; and lacy, tabletop towers. "He was a baker, so he low fired the ceramics in his oven and then spray painted them," said Mrs. Bonovitz, also a ceramic artist who began making vases after living with Von Bruenchenhein 's elaborate creations. She displays her more minimalist white porcelain vessels in juxtaposition with his pieces on inset shelves. Near the front door, as if to hail visitors, are wooden figures of a preacher and his wife, carved at three quarters life size by the Appalachian artist S.L. Jones. "When we moved here, we placed all the art first and then bought the furniture," said Mrs. Bonovitz, surrounded by the work of Bill Traylor, Martin Ramirez, Howard Finster, Purvis Young and James Castle among other sought after self taught artists and some obscure ones. "We know the field of American outsider art as well as anybody," said Mr. Bonovitz, chairman emeritus of the law firm Duane Morris. The couple was seeking out idiosyncratic works that spoke to them long before there was an Outsider Art Fair and major museums were acquiring this kind of work. Mrs. Bonovitz, daughter of the dealer Janet Fleisher, grew up surrounded by the eclectic tastes of her mother, whose Philadelphia gallery was one of the first in the country to show self taught artists in the 1970s. A closer look a the Bonovitzes' collection of the work of Eugene Von Bruenchenhein, a baker and self taught ceramist. Ryan Collerd for The New York Times There was no art in Mr. Bonovitz's childhood home in Cleveland, where he helped out in his family's wholesale fish business. "I was the first person in our entire family to go to college," said Mr. Bonovitz, who took a few art history classes at Wharton as an undergraduate. After his marriage, in 1967, he enjoyed accompanying his wife to galleries and museums. "I was susceptible," he said. Their sporadic art buying in the 1970s took on more focus and momentum after they saw "Black Folk Art in America" in 1982 at the Corcoran in Washington. "We were knocked out by it," said Mrs. Bonovitz. A favorite was Sister Gertrude Morgan, a preacher from New Orleans whose vibrant paintings in the Bonovitz home depict her as the bride of Christ. They have promised the Philadelphia Museum of Art 200 works that were exhibited there in 2013, and expect that more of their 600 piece collection will ultimately go to the museum, where Mr. Bonovitz is on the board. Teasing her husband for his voracious acquisitiveness, Mrs. Bonovitz said, "I think you use the museum as an excuse sometimes to buy things." These are edited excerpts from the conversation. What was the first piece of outsider art you purchased? SHELDON BONOVITZ We were in New York at a folk art/antique store. There was a piece hung at the ceiling that we liked. It was 3,200 and I said, "We'll take it." The person selling it was shocked. It was by William Hawkins, called "Yaekle Building," very colorful, painted on wood with three dimensional window treatments coming off it. We now have five pieces by Hawkins. He signed every painting "Born July 27, 1895." Behind the Bonovitzes, from left to right, are William Hawkins's "Boffo"; Purvis Young's "Horses" (1991); and Jon Serl's "Man With Outstretched Arms." Larry T. Clemons/Gallery 721/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York; Ryan Collerd for The New York Times Ryan Collerd for The New York Times Do you have to agree on things? JILL BONOVITZ Over the years, our taste has grown more similar. MR. BONOVITZ Jill and I agree on 95 percent of the work, if not more. I'm Mr. Acquirer. I like the art of the deal. Jill doesn't. MRS. BONOVITZ I go in the other room. Do you have any particular favorites? MR. BONOVITZ These limestone sculptures by William Edmondson. He was called the black Brancusi. Edmondson was the first African American to have a one person show at the Museum of Modern Art in 1937. Alfred Barr, the director, wanted to buy some and the board said he was crazy. You could have bought them for less than 10 apiece, probably. MoMA finally bought a small piece two years ago for 160,000. MRS. BONOVITZ I love Bill Traylor's "Runaway Goat Cart," the way the image is going off the page. This looks like Anselm Kiefer, who is definitely not an outsider artist. MR. BONOVITZ We also have works by James Brown, Margaret Wharton and Karel Appel. You can't tell the difference between outsider and trained artists. Great art shows well with other great art. | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Art & Design |
If France Tourism needs a new spokesman, it could do worse than Simon Porte Jacquemus. Even in our age of global fashion, global communication, global everything, he maintains the earthy terroir of his motherland. For his new men's collection, he bypassed Paris Fashion Week, where he shows his women's wear, and headed down to Marseille, on the Mediterranean coast. Mr. Porte Jacquemus is a Provencal, from Mallemort, an hour outside of Marseille "a nowhere town," he said, "really nowhere." But when he began designing for men, he loved the ideal of a Mediterranean man, and where better to place one? He secured the scenic beach of the Calanque de Sormiou, a national park in Marseille, and off he went. The guys that crowd the coastal beaches are not necessarily fashion types. But fashion types are not necessarily what appeal to Mr. Porte Jacquemus, at least where men's wear is concerned. He preferred the gritty reality of a little bad taste. | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Fashion & Style |
HBO's "The Vow" is one of two docuseries this fall to investigate the sex cult Nxivm and its leader, Keith Raniere. It was the comedian Judd Apatow who convinced me to invest a little too much of my time in the two recent documentaries about the sex cult Nxivm. "The Vow" on HBO and "Seduced" on Starz have a combined running time of 13 hours. I make cameos in both shows as the reporter who in 2017 broke the story about Nxivm (pronounced Nex e um) for The New York Times, and had fast forwarded through them to check out how good I looked. (Quite good, it turns out.) The Nxivm story was bizarre and sickening. The group, which was based near Albany, N.Y., offered "self improvement" courses, claiming they would help participants overcome fears and realize their potential. But Nxivm was a misogynistic, mind control cult whose adherents referred to its leader, Keith Raniere, as "Vanguard," and where women who joined a secret sorority were branded with a symbol containing his initials. Over the past two years, several Nxivm officials have pleaded guilty to federal charges and Raniere, following his conviction for sex trafficking and other crimes, was recently sentenced to 120 years in prison. I'd had my fill of Nxivm. But the documentaries have become pandemic TV hits and, given my role in them, plenty of people have offered me their opinions of the shows. They have included friends and acquaintances I wouldn't have expected to spend evenings absorbed by a sex cult. Then, my interest was further piqued when Apatow tweeted, "I may need to do a 300 hour podcast to explain why The Vow goes so much easier on the NXIVM cult than Seduced." I decided to watch the documentaries more closely to see how their depictions of Nxivm jibed with my impressions. They struck me as starkly different from each other. "The Vow" resembles a crime show that follows several Nxivm defectors and the actress Catherine Oxenberg, whose daughter India became a member of the cult, in real time as they try to alert law enforcement authorities to its horrors. "Seduced," in which the Oxenbergs are the central characters, is a study of the coercive techniques used by cults and delves deeply into the abuse that Nxivm visited on its female members. I watched "The Vow" first because I played a part in its story. I learned about Nxivm from the two filmmakers, Jehane Noujaim and Karim Amer, who would go on to direct the show. The couple had previously made "The Square," a well received documentary about the Arab Spring, and we met in 2016 when they approached me about making a documentary based on a book I had written about a former FBI agent, Robert A. Levinson, who disappeared in Iran. In mid 2017, they sent me urgent text messages asking if I was willing to speak with some people in grave danger. They put me in touch with Mark Vicente, a top lieutenant to Raniere, who had just left Nxivm after learning about the branding of women. Vicente then connected me with Catherine Oxenberg and several Nxivm defectors including his wife, Bonnie Piesse, Sarah Edmondson, a Canadian actress, and her husband. They all provided me with critical information contained in the Times expose of Nxivm and appear in the article. But back when I started reporting the story, I soon discovered that the tip from Noujaim and Amer hadn't been random. They were already following the experiences of the defectors with an eye toward making a documentary, and were apparently hopeful that I would be a character in it; namely, the intrepid reporter. They said they often had a journalist figure in their films. I told them that wasn't happening with me. There is no question in my mind that Catherine Oxenberg and the defectors featured in "The Vow" were among the heroes who brought down Nxivm. And "The Vow" captures their anxieties and fears as they face threats of legal reprisals from the group and rejection by former friends who remain loyal to Raniere. But while the documentary's verite style offers intimacy, several defectors in the show are Hollywood types comfortable around a camera and seem at times to be playing to it. Also, in my first encounters with the film's characters, they stuck me as messier and in turn, more interesting than how they appear in "The Vow." For instance, Vicente and Edmondson insisted during our first talks that Nxivm wasn't a cult but a self improvement group that had somehow gone off the rails. And Vicente, a filmmaker who shot much of footage chronicling Raniere's reign that animates "The Vow," told me that he still wanted to promote a movie he had made that glorified Raniere's activities in Mexico. I told him I thought he was nuts. The first season of "The Vow" also omits a piece of context about Vicente: Before joining Nxivm, he had been a devotee of another cult. One of the show's directors, Amer, said the issue will figure into one of several additional episodes of "The Vow" that will run on HBO next year. Those episodes will continue the show's chronological approach and focus on Raniere's trial and information disclosed during it, he said. I came to "Seduced," with fresher eyes, though I was aware of some behind the scenes friction and competition between the shows. Initially, Catherine Oxenberg only took part in "The Vow," and India had no interest in talking about her experiences in Nxivm. I never spoke with India while reporting on Nxivm. Back then, she was lost in the cult, and federal prosecutors might have indicted her along with other Raniere followers but for the relentless efforts of her mother. So I was surprised when I saw her positioned as the main character in "Seduced" she comes across as sane and chastised, a tribute to the healing powers of cult deprogramming for those who can afford it. Overall, I would give "Seduced," which was created by Cecilia Peck and Inbal B. Lessner, the higher marks for clarity and brevity. The show's immediate portrayal of Raniere as an embodiment of misogynistic evil matched my impressions, and it quickly demolishes the delusion that Nxivm was successful. (The cult was financially propped up by two of its adherents, Clare and Sara Bronfman, heirs to the Seagram liquor fortune.) The show, however, struck me as a little too heavy on self described "cult experts" and talking heads (which I guess includes me). Critics have lauded both documentaries for highlighting how cults prey on the vulnerable. But cults don't exist in isolation, and neither show explored an area I had often wondered about: the ranks of enablers outside Nxivm lawyers, public officials and others who had unwittingly or otherwise shielded the group. Soon after watching the shows, my wife and I were walking at dusk along a lovely country road when my cellphone rang and "Danielle Roberts" appeared on the caller ID. At first, the name didn't ring a bell. Then, I remembered that she was the physician and Nxivm member described in my first article about the cult as having used a cauterizing device to brand women. Roberts had dodged my calls when I was working on the story. Now, she was calling me on the eve of Raniere's sentencing. She and other of the cult leader's remaining followers had proof, she said, that prosecutors had manufactured evidence against him. Roberts wanted me to immediately write an article for The Times about this supposed miscarriage of justice. I told her that I had retired from the newspaper and passed her along to a former colleague. | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Television |
Mercedes Benz designers came up with the AMG Vision Gran Turismo Concept for a starring role in the PlayStation 3 racing game, Gran Turismo 6. But like Pinocchio, the folkloric wooden toy that came to life, the Vision Concept, or something like it, may sooner rather than later become a real life model in the Mercedes lineup. "This is the future of Mercedes Benz design," Gorden Wagener, vice president for design at Daimler, said as he introduced the car at the Los Angeles Auto Show, where press previews began on Wednesday, simultaneous with its unveiling at the Tokyo motor show. "This car, or elements of it, will make its way into production." Mr. Wagener said the car's futuristic shape was actually inspired by an old, storied Mercedes racecar: the 1952 300 SL, which won the Carrera Panamericana an endurance race in Mexico that year. "The grille is straight from that car, although this one lights up with variable pattern LEDs," he said. Aside from the Vision's come hither styling, an enthusiast will probably be drawn in by its planned powerplant, An AMG tuned twin turbo V8 engine producing 585 horsepower and 590 pound feet of torque. (The show car was actually powered only by an electric motor to move it around the convention center.) With an aluminum body and components of carbon fiber, the Vision GT weighs in at just over 3,000 pounds, according to Mercedes. Mr. Wagener said that the power to weight ratio would be about 5.2 pounds per horsepower. "An unrivaled figure in the super sports car segment, and one that guarantees exceptionally dynamic performance," Mr. Wagener said of the car, which was developed jointly by teams at Mercedes's advanced design studios in Sindelfingen, Germany; Carlsbad, Calif.; and Como, Italy. The Vision GT is on display at the Los Angeles auto show next to a Gran Turismo 6 video game that showgoers can play to experience a computer generated sensation of the concept car's projected performance. | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Automobiles |
Installation view of "Boro Textiles: Sustainable Aesthetics" at Japan Society. At foreground, workwear, 1800 1950s, made of cotton and various textiles. At back are a night robe, bloomers, trousers and leggings made of hemp and various textiles. It's not as dramatic as the stock market drop, but the coronavirus has also knocked out this week's big sales of Asian art as well as the Metropolitan Museum of Art (though its Asian art shows will remain on view when the museum reopens). With the exception of the South Asian modern and contemporary sales at Sotheby's and Christie's, the cluster of major auctions that usually form the centerpiece of Asia Week New York, an annual festival dedicated to Asian arts and antiquities, have all been postponed to the end of June. But since most of the art is already here, selections will still be on public view and nearly all of the museum shows, lectures, gallery walks and open houses that fill out this engaging week, which runs through March 19, are going on as planned. Dozens of dealers, mostly on the Upper East Side, will be open to the public all weekend, as will Bonham's, Christie's, Sotheby's and others. Tied in museum shows are up and running, not just in New York but as far away as New Haven, Conn., Princeton, N.J., and Philadelphia. Here are several highlights worth traveling for but double check opening hours (and before heading out, visit the websites of cultural institutions for the latest updates). 'Chinese Painting and Calligraphy Up Close' at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. As usual, this gargantuan institution offers several major shows from a treasure house of sword guards and tea bowls from Kyoto, Japan's imperial capital for more than a thousand years, to a selection of eye dazzling miniature paintings from northern India. But if you have to choose one, go for the Chinese painting and calligraphy. Pairing rare items from the collection with photo enlargements, the show guides you to subtle details that even the most interested amateur might otherwise miss. One gorgeous gray ink painting of a fish dates back to the 13th century, but wears a fresh expression of comic pomposity that would easily fit in a TV cartoon. Through Jan. 3 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 Fifth Avenue, Manhattan; 212 535 7710, metmuseum.org. 'Boro Textiles: Sustainable Aesthetics' at Japan Society. Even into the 20th century, when imported cotton became widely available and samurai era restrictions on silk had lapsed, small farmers in northern Japan were making their hemp work clothes last for decades. They were also combining whatever little cotton they could afford with loose scraps of hemp to make underwear and sleep clothes. The cultural anthropologist Chuzaburo Tanaka began snapping up these intricately stitched "boro," or rags, around Aomori Prefecture in the 1960s, and his collection, paired with examples of avant garde Japanese fashion featuring boro like patterns, is now making its first visit to the United States. It makes for a fascinating but sometimes uncomfortable contest between material hardship and aesthetic ingenuity, with victories for both sides. For every accidental beauty like the magnificently striped sleep jacket that opens the show, there's a poignant memento of poverty, such as a tattered but brightly colored pair of children's slippers. Through June 14 at Japan Society, 333 East 47th Street, Manhattan; 212 832 1155, japansociety.org. 'Kogei: Art Craft Japan' at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The distinction between art and craft is of recent vintage in Japan, which was largely closed to foreign trade until 1854. For centuries artists poured as much creative energy into bowls, pots and vases as they did into poetry or painting and many still do, turning out kogei, or unique objects made with traditional materials and methods, at an overwhelming clip. A new rotation of such work from this museum's excellent permanent collection is reason enough to make the trek down. A faceted white porcelain vase by Akihiro Maeta would upstage almost any flowers you put in it, and it would take an unusually bright persimmon to hold its own in Kimura Yoshiro's jewel like "Vessel With Blue Glaze." Through the fall at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, 2600 Benjamin Franklin Parkway; 215 763 8100, philamuseum.org. Kaikodo LLC A panoply of Chinese luxury objects going back to a gold studded belt hook more than 2,000 years old. Through May 8 at 74 East 79th Street, Manhattan; 212 585 0121, kaikodo.com. J.J. Lally A host of extravagant ink pots, brush stands and solid jade wine cups appear in "Elegantly Made: Art for the Chinese Literati." Through March 22 at 41 East 57th Street, Manhattan; 212 371 3380, jjlally.com. Joan B. Mirviss Ltd. Sensational contemporary ceramics continue a glazing style first developed in 16th century Japan, alongside a collection of unusually elegant woodblock prints. Through April 24 at 39 East 78th Street, Manhattan; 212 799 4021, mirviss.com. Rosenberg Co. The Vietnamese artist Nguyen Cam spent his childhood in Laos as a refugee and moved to France in 1969 to attend the Ecole des Beaux Arts. Now, when he's not teaching in Hanoi, he's outside Paris, making lush mixed media abstractions. Through April 18 at 19 East 66th Street, Manhattan; 212 202 3270, rosenbergco.com. Scholten Japanese Art A private collection of 200 year old woodblock prints from the "golden age of ukiyo e," including some unique examples, passes briefly through the market. Through March 21 at 145 West 58th Street, Manhattan; 212 585 0474, scholten japanese art.com. Eric Zetterquist This year's astonishing crop of Chinese ceramics includes a pair of flower shaped bowls from the Song dynasty (1127 1279), delicate white porcelain with a pale blue glaze. Through March 21 at 3 East 66th Street, 2B, Manhattan; 212 751 0650, zetterquist.com. | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Art & Design |
Elizabeth Taylor, who amassed one of the world's great jewelry collections, had her share of mishaps with gems. She suffered two major thefts, and then there was the time in 1977 when, while receiving the Hasty Pudding Award at Harvard, she leaned out a window, caught her string of pearls on the windowsill and sent a bunch flying. So she might not have been surprised to see the battle that continues to rage over one of the big ticket items from the 2011 auction by Christies of her jewelry collection and other possessions. The auction house sold 1,778 lots of jewelry, film memorabilia and other assets, yielding 156 million over two weeks. But things did not go so smoothly in regard to the so called Taj Mahal diamond, part of a pendant that she received as a gift from Richard Burton. At auction, it sold for almost 9 million but since then has been mired in a legal dispute, revived this week when a lawsuit filed by people running a trust that put the jewelry up for sale accused Christie's of mischaracterizing the provenance of the gem then canceling its sale to appease an important but unnamed client. That client, according to court papers filed in State Supreme Court in Manhattan, decided that he no longer wanted the gem after he became convinced that it had never belonged to Shah Jahan, a 17th century Mughal emperor who built the white marble mausoleum after which the diamond was named. Christie's wants the money back from the Sothern Trust, which entered into a consignment agreement with the auction house for the sale of Ms. Taylor's jewelry collection after her death in 2011. But the trust has refused, saying there was no legitimate reason to cancel the Taj Mahal sale. Three trustees are suing the auction house, contending that Christie's is withholding the money from the sale of other items during the auction, including a Bulgari emerald and diamond ring worth nearly 3 million, until the trust returns the Taj Mahal proceeds. "Christie's has intentionally and inappropriately held hostage the money owed to the Trust for the Bulgari ring in an effort to increase its leverage in the dispute over the diamond," a lawyer for the trust wrote in the suit. The trustees had filed a virtually identical lawsuit in federal court in California in 2015 but that suit was dismissed later that year with an agreement that the parties would try to resolve their differences through mediation and would "work together in good faith to sell the Taj Mahal Diamond." Christie's on Friday released a statement expressing surprise at the latest suit. "The Trust apparently decided to cease discussions and instead pursued legal action without notice," it said. "Christie's believes it is unfortunate that this issue cannot be resolved through mediation, especially given the success of the sale held for the Trust's benefit." In their lawsuit, the trustees say that if the buyer was under any misimpression about the work it had been created by Christie's. The suit says that the auction catalog had been carefully and correctly worded to say the pendant contained a diamond from India. But Christie's went beyond that description in its sales pitches, court papers added, and identified the diamond as having belonged to Shah Jahan. For instance, the papers said, Christie's representatives promoted the auction on television by saying that it included a diamond that had been owned by Shah Jahan during the Mughal period. A Christie's auctioneer later made similar assertions during the auction, the papers said. The Christie's catalog described the item in lavish terms, calling it a diamond and jade pendant necklace with a ruby and gold chain and listing an estimated price of 300,000 to 500,000. It is unclear to what degree the price obtained at auction was tied to the belief that the diamond had a royal pedigree. "The allegation is that Christie's mischaracterized a specific aspect of its provenance," David Fink, a lawyer for the Sothern trustees said of the diamond on Friday. "But that doesn't make it a less enchanting item." | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Art & Design |
William Brohn, one of musical theater's top orchestrators, who worked on more than a dozen Broadway shows and won a Tony in 1998 for "Ragtime," died on May 11 in New Haven. He was 84. Orchestrators like Mr. Brohn determine the flavor of a musical's score by assigning the instruments and deciding which ones the musicians will play and when. Does the music need the brightness of an oboe? The darkness of a cello? The warmth of a French horn? In "Wicked," for instance, Mr. Brohn selected woodwinds and harps to convey "the swirling girly fantasy" of the good witch Glinda's entrance inside a bubble, he told a website dedicated to the musical's composer, Stephen Schwartz. For "I'm Not That Girl," which is sung by Elphaba, the green skinned wicked witch of the West, Mr. Brohn used muted strings, a harp and acoustic guitars to stress its melancholy mood. "You'd hear his stuff and say, 'I wouldn't have used that instrument in that way or assign those notes to those instruments,'" Alex Lacamoire, who was one of the arrangers of the music in "Wicked" and won a 2016 Tony Award for best orchestrations for "Hamilton," said an interview. "What he did always sounded so fresh." Mr. Brohn (rhymes with "bone") viewed his role as supportive of the composer's intentions. "That music is the reason for your existence at this moment, and the central focus for you is to help the composer say what he wants to say," he wrote in an essay in "The Alchemy of Theatre" (2006), edited by Robert Viagas. He recalled in the book that he was hooked on "The Secret Garden" when its composer, Lucy Simon, played some of the music on his piano, and that he cried when Claude Michel Schonberg sang songs in French from "Miss Saigon," which he wrote with Richard Maltby Jr. and Alain Boublil. "Bill was a crier," Mr. Schonberg said in a telephone interview. "He was highly emotional and cried with enthusiasm about everything." Mr. Brohn surprised him, he said, particularly in sections of songs where his brass and string orchestrations "didn't make sense if you listened to them separately." But, he added: "When played together they were perfect for the emotion and the message. It was distorted and it was beautiful." The current Broadway revival of "Miss Saigon" is faithful to 95 percent of Mr. Brohn's original orchestrations, Mr. Schonberg said. William David Brohn was born on March 30, 1933, in Flint, Mich. His father, William, worked in the automotive industry, and his mother, the former Ottilia Pleger, was a nurse. As a teenager, he said, he was transfixed when he heard the overture of Rodgers and Hammerstein's "South Pacific" on the original Broadway cast album. The orchestra, Mr. Brohn wrote, "soared on the wings of orchestrator Robert Russell Bennett." Mr. Bennett, who collaborated with George Gershwin, Richard Rodgers and Jerome Kern, became a mentor to Mr. Brohn in the mid 1960s. Mr. Brohn graduated from Michigan State University, where he studied music theory, and earned a master's in composition at the New England Conservatory. He played the bass and conducted early in his career, but eventually turned to orchestrating and arranging full time. In addition to his work in musicals, he orchestrated the music for a few movies and television shows and for ballets by Agnes de Mille and Twyla Tharp. After a rehearsal of "The Informer," Ms. de Mille's ballet about Anglo Irish violence, Mr. Brohn praised her attention to orchestral sounds. "When she asks for drums, she wants military drums to convey a threat hovering in the air," he told The Los Angeles Times in 1988. "As for the bell, she wants a church bell to suggest funerals, not a chime or a synthesizer." Mr. Brohn collaborated 11 times over nearly 30 years with the British producer Cameron Mackintosh, from "Miss Saigon" in 1989 to the revival of "Half a Sixpence" currently running in London. A sudden illness last year while Mr. Brohn was working on "Half a Sixpence" forced him to return to the United States. It was his final project. | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Theater |
On a quiet Sunday night in Bushwick, Brooklyn, a few dozen scruffy men and slim women in their 20s gathered inside a converted warehouse, ordering locally brewed pints around a marble topped bar. It was a scene that plays out in countless bars throughout this postindustrial neighborhood. But then a bartender suddenly yelled, "Now seating for the 7 p.m. screening of 'Spring Breakers.'" The place is Syndicated, which opened in January around the corner from Roberta's pizzeria. It is not your typical cinema or indie art house. Tucked in the back, past the bar and cavernous restaurant, is a 50 seat theater and a 280 inch screen that shows film classics, along with food and drinks served by waiters. Call it the anti Netflix: a cozy theaterlike experience that doesn't involve sitting at home with Chinese takeout. "There's less and less reasons to go out and see a movie," said Tim Chung, 28, the managing partner of Syndicated. "Everything is available everywhere now, at all times. So we're trying to offer people more reasons to leave their couch." As traditional single screen cinemas like the Ziegfeld in Manhattan and the original Beekman have closed, new theater owners like Mr. Chung are offering an updated communal experience that includes cocktails, artisanal minded meals and lively conversation. Unlike corporate multiplexes, these boutique theaters offer a sense of community. "The AMCs have that fluorescent and hospital lighting going on," said Kent Johnson, 35, who was celebrating his birthday at Syndicated with friends. "Here the lighting is better. It's laid back and there's more food and drinks. And it's cheaper." Syndicated is not his only option. Several boutique cinemas that offer a social atmosphere are opening in New York. "There's more than just watching the film," said Alexander Olch, 38, Metrograph's creative director. Mr. Olch is a filmmaker and a fashion designer with a tie store on nearby Orchard Street. "There's a lot of reasons to come here and make an entire night of it." As a native New Yorker, his main goal was to recreate some of the moviegoing romance of his youth, at places like the Plaza Theater with its Tudor theme decor and balcony (closed in 1996), and the old Beekman Theater immortalized in "Annie Hall" (closed in 2005). "What's important is to capture that feeling when I was 10 years old going to the Beekman," said Mr. Olch, who incorporated details like red velvet seats and a balcony into the Metrograph's design. Metrograph will be joined this summer by the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, a seven theater complex in Downtown Brooklyn that will be part of the extensive City Point development on Willoughby Street and Flatbush Avenue. Alamo is a popular Texas based chain that combines first run films (and a few oldies) with a restaurant and bar, serving food and drinks on a narrow table that runs the length of a row of seats. After expanding to Yonkers in 2013, Alamo had been looking to enter the lucrative New York City market with its distinctive brand of dine in cinema, and decided on Brooklyn. "Downtown Brooklyn was kind of an ideal spot for us," said Cristina Cacioppo, 37, New York creative manager. The Alamo Drafthouse was the inspiration behind the city's first experiment with the dinner and movie formula. Nitehawk Cinema, a three screen theater that shows first run indie films, opened in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, in 2011. Its founder, Matthew Viragh, 37, was a regular at the original Alamo in Austin and wanted to bring that experience to New York when he moved here 15 years ago. "I think that being in New York, people want to go out," Mr. Viragh said. "They don't want to sit at home in their cramped apartment. They want to go and experience something that's unique, with a group of people." It took him some time to realize his vision, partly because of a Prohibition era law that barred the sale of alcohol in movie theaters. He hired a lobbyist, who helped to get the law repealed in 2011. With the concept of drinking and moviegoing gaining acceptance, newer places like Syndicated are adding their own spin. With its 3 admission and communal seating, it seems less like being in a traditional theater and more like hanging out in a friend's very large, fancy living room. "Everyone's drinking and having a good time here," said Mr. Chung, who studied filmmaking at the School of Visual Arts and worked as a film location scout. The programming reflects his taste, like the recent pairing of "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" and "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" for Valentine's Day. Syndicated also dispenses with the usual previews and cellphone warning, and prides itself on a showtime that begins at the designated hour. "When you go to the movies and it's supposed to start at 10 and you see that it doesn't start till 10:30," he said with a sigh, "that always kind of bugs me." At a screening of "Lars and the Real Girl" in February, there was also something rarely heard at the multiplex. As the credits began to roll, the audience broke out into applause. For More Than Popcorn Three boutique cinemas that try to get people to leave their couch. Showing Repertory films, classics from the 1980s and '90s | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Fashion & Style |
While the pandemic has made it hard to offer forecasts, some corporate leaders said things might be getting a little better or at least no worse. Companies releasing first quarter results in recent weeks have detailed how the coronavirus pandemic is crushing their business, and many have gone so far as to stop offering forecasts for the rest of the year, claiming the future is just too uncertain. Still, that didn't stop some companies from pointing to glimmers of hope. Some senior executives said that business in April was slightly better than in the dark days of March as the virus quickly spread, leading to the deaths of thousands of people in the United States. Others tentatively outlined what a post pandemic recovery might look like by pointing to how things were going in China, where the pandemic started and has since ebbed. These shreds of optimism may have been an exercise in corporate spin, meant to reassure shareholders or to tell them something many investors already appear to believe. The stock market has rebounded 27 percent from its March low as investors have become confident that the Federal Reserve and the Treasury Department will prevent the economy from going into a tailspin. Though the most recent earnings reports were pretty awful, stocks did not crater, in part because Wall Street is expecting earnings to bounce back quickly. While analysts at Goldman Sachs expect the combined profits of S P 500 companies to fall by a third this year, they expect them to surge next year to a level that exceeds what the companies made in 2019. Government statistics and independent analysts paint a more dire picture. Economists expect the April unemployment rate to have hit about 16 percent, one of the highest on record, and up from 4.4 percent in March. Most important, the chances of an economic resurgence rest largely on whether the coronavirus pandemic will be contained as lockdowns are relaxed and not flare up again. It is important to keep in mind that large companies, through hiring and investment, play a big role in the economy. Once big companies like Google, Ford Motor and Apple are confident about a recovery, their spending could make it so. "The overarching theme is uncertainty," said David Lefkowitz, an equity strategist at UBS Wealth Management. "That said, most companies are thinking the economy will reopen in stages, and on a region by region basis." Starbucks, for example, suspended its companywide profits forecast, but provided a bullish prediction about its business in China, where pandemic lockdowns are being lifted and nearly all its stores have reopened. The company says China could offer lessons about what might happen in the United States. The coffee chain, which has long billed itself as a hub for social interactions, is expecting comparable store sales in China for the three months through the end of September its fiscal fourth quarter to be roughly in line with the same period in 2019. In the three months through the end of March, comparable store sales were down by half compared with the year ago period. "We are leveraging our experience in China to inform our actions in other markets, including the U.S.," Starbucks said in a statement. Other executives are also seeing signs that customers want to get back to old habits. The chief executive of McDonald's, Christopher J. Kempczinski, said there was a three hour wait at one of its restaurants in France when it reopened. But overall, he sounded cautious on last week's earnings call. "The exact trajectory of our recovery, however, is highly uncertain and dependent on many factors outside our control, such as government mandates, the risk of a second wave of infection to the availability of testing and the overall economic backdrop," Mr. Kempczinski said. Ford and Rivian no longer plan to work jointly on electric vehicles. Elizabeth Holmes took the stand in her trial. Follow along with our reporters. Ken Griffin, head of Citadel, bid highest for a copy of the Constitution. He is hardly the only corporate executive who is unwilling or unable to predict when business will pick up. Of the roughly 300 companies in the S P 500 stock index that regularly provide an earnings forecast, 114 have not provided one for future profits, according to Savita Subramanian, an equity strategist at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. "A lot of corporates are using this as an opportunity to essentially go silent," she said, "No one knows when we're going to come back on line." Even Apple, one of the most profitable companies in the world, declined to provide a forecast. Of course, for companies in the hardest hit industries like airlines and logistics, the downturn could last a while and sales will not quickly snap back. "Historically, it has taken years, typically five or more, for business travel to recover," Gary C. Kelly, chief executive of Southwest Airlines, said last week. Southwest was one of the companies that did not provide an earnings projection. Stock analysts expect the company to lose 3.86 per share this year, a sharp swing from a profit of 4.27 per share last year. In tough times, companies, hoping to conserve cash and shore up profit margins, cut spending in ways that can weigh on the economy. Ford has been doing that in China, including laying off thousands of workers. "The stark reality of a protracted global shutdown of our sector and our vertical has forced a laser focus on cost and liquidity," James D. Farley, Ford's chief operating officer, said last week. "And just as we did in China, we have ratcheted down spending across the board, both fixed and variable." Even Google, which has done relatively well during the pandemic, said it was paring the pace of its hiring. Spending on new plants, buildings and technology, which can give a big lift to other parts of the economy, is another budget item that is getting chopped even at technology companies that are profitable and have tens of billions of dollars in the bank. Facebook said last week that it expected capital expenditures this year of 14 billion to 16 billion, down from an earlier forecast of 17 billion to 19 billion. Still, one promising sign highlighted by some executives is that the economy might quickly hit bottom, or may already have done so. In other words, things are bad but they don't seem to be getting worse. Mastercard, for example, said that U.S. transaction volume in the week ended April 21 was down 15 percent from the same period in 2019. Ordinarily that would be considered disastrous but it was an improvement from the 26 percent decline the week before. "We believe we are currently in the stabilization phase in most markets," Ajay S. Banga, Mastercard's chief executive, said last week. Even companies in the health care sector, which is playing a central role in the pandemic, are hoping that conditions will return to normal in the coming weeks. | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Economy |
Fox News's prime time has tilted Trump ward this year, adding the talk radio personality Laura Ingraham to the White House friendly lineup of Sean Hannity and Tucker Carlson. On Tuesday, the network announced that another hard line conservative is set to join its ranks: Mark Levin, one of the country's most prominent right wing radio hosts, who will host a weekly Sunday show starting in February. Mr. Levin is an influential figure in conservative circles whose radio show is syndicated on more than 300 stations. He rivals his fellow talk radio hosts, Mr. Hannity and Ms. Ingraham, in audience size, but not in name recognition, a situation that could change with his new perch on Fox News. A champion of tea party politics who also served in the Ronald Reagan administration, Mr. Levin is an idiosyncratic conservative who, in the midst of last year's Republican primary, declared that he would never vote for Donald J. Trump. | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Media |
The human throat houses billions of bacteria, most of them harmless. But one species is becoming more common, and it is anything but benign. Drug resistant gonorrhea has been on the rise for years; the World Health Organization has reported an increase in more than 50 countries. Now scientists say the epidemic is being driven by a particular mode of transmission: oral sex. "The throat infections act as a silent reservoir," said Emilie Alirol, the head of the sexually transmitted infections program at the Global Antibiotics Research and Development Partnership. "Transmission is very efficient from someone who has gonorrhea in their throat to their partner via oral sex." Oral gonorrhea is hard to detect and treat. Even more worrisome, these bacteria pick up resistance to antibiotics directly from other bacteria in the throat and then are communicated to sex partners. Only one commercially available antibiotic still consistently works against drug resistant strains. And now there's a new worry: so called super gonorrhea, impervious to every standard treatment. "This bug always outsmarts us," said Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. "It's really good at figuring out ways to become resistant." Whenever the human body is exposed to antibiotics for an ear infection, a sore throat or any other illness the natural bacteria of the throat are exposed, too. Over time, they can build up resistance to the drugs. That's generally not a concern until harmful bacteria are introduced. Sharing close quarters with the natural occupants of the throat, the invaders exchange DNA in a process called horizontal gene transfer. This process relies on plasmids, small circular DNA molecules that contain the bacterium's genetic material but are separate from chromosomes. Plasmids can easily be transferred from one bacterial species to another when they are close by. When the plasmid in question contains drug resistant genes, the gonorrheal bacteria acquiring it become resistant to antibiotics, too. Thirty percent of all new gonorrhea infections in the United States are resistant to at least one drug, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and studies show that gene transfer is largely the reason. "The worry is that if we don't stop this, if we don't treat it properly, we're going to see this happening more and more," said Dr. Michael Mullen, an infectious disease specialist at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. Worldwide, gonorrhea infects about 78 million people each year. The number has been rising in recent years, partly because of decreasing condom use as fear of H.I.V. transmission has waned, and because of poor detection rates, failed treatments and increased travel as people carry drug resistant strains from one country to another, according to the W.H.O. Drug resistant strains have increased in many countries in recent years, most notably in India, China, Indonesia, parts of South America, Canada and the United States. Little is known about trends in Africa or the Middle East because of a lack of consistent data. Diagnosing oral gonorrhea typically involves taking a sample from the infected area and growing the bacteria in a lab. But swabs from the throat often do not yield enough bacteria and they frequently do not grow. There are typically fewer gonorrheal bacteria in the throat than in the genitals, making the infection easier to overlook in the lab. Even when detected, oral infections are harder to treat. Antibiotics are delivered in the bloodstream, but there are fewer blood vessels in the throat. Untreated throat infections can spread to the genitals, where they can cause testicular and pelvic pain in men, and can be particularly dangerous for women, causing pelvic inflammatory disease, ectopic pregnancies and infertility. "Women will bear a very high burden if we start having an increasing number of untreatable gonorrhea cases," Dr. Alirol said. The infection used to be cured by a variety of antibiotics, but the bacteria adapt quickly. Some strains have built up resistance to all but one treatment: an injection of an extended spectrum cephalosporin paired with an oral form of azithromycin. Even that is no longer a sure bet. There have been three cases of so called super gonorrhea in Japan, France and Spain that resisted that treatment, too. That does not necessarily mean that super gonorrhea is incurable, Dr. Alirol said. But doctors may have to resort to "off label" treatments that haven't been properly tested in humans much higher doses of antibiotics, for instance, or older or stronger drugs. "The problem of using off label tools is that you don't know which dose to give, or if it's going to work," Dr. Alirol said. "You want to keep these as last resort tools. If you start giving them away, you will develop resistance to them, too." Researchers are currently working on three new drugs to treat gonorrhea, each in various stages of development. But beyond that, there aren't many options for resistant gonorrhea. | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Health |
Workers at a Smithfield Foods pork plant in Milan, Mo., say that for years they have endured repetitive stress injuries on the meat processing line and urinary tract infections because they had so few bathroom breaks. But as the coronavirus pandemic has emerged, workers say they have encountered another health complication: reluctance to cover their mouths while coughing or to clean their faces after sneezing, because this can cause them to miss a piece of meat as it goes by, creating a risk of disciplinary action. The claims appear in a complaint filed Thursday in federal court by an anonymous Smithfield worker and the Rural Community Workers Alliance, a local advocacy group whose leadership council includes several other Smithfield workers. The complaint also seeks to test a novel legal question: whether health hazards at the plant present a public nuisance. Coronavirus infections have emerged as a significant problem at meatpacking plants around the country, with some closing and many others operating well below capacity. At least 10 workers in meatpacking and three workers in food processing have died of Covid 19, leaders of the United Food and Commercial Workers union said on Thursday. About 6,500 employees either have contracted the virus, missed work because they had to self quarantine, or are waiting for tests or show symptoms, they said. Officials of the union, which represents a vast majority of the workers in the pork and beef industries, said recent plant closings had reduced national beef production 10 percent and pork production 25 percent. The court complaint about the Smithfield pork plant in Missouri, which is not unionized, says workers are typically required to stand almost shoulder to shoulder, must often go hours without being able to clean or sanitize their hands, and have difficulty taking sick leave. "Since before the Covid 19, there was a problem with bathroom breaks," said Axel Fuentes, the executive director of the workers alliance. But beginning in March, he said, "day after day, more people are concerned and scared about getting infected with the coronavirus." Smithfield said the complaint was without merit. "The health and safety of our employees is our top priority at all times," said Keira Lombardo, the company's executive vice president for corporate affairs and compliance. She cited a policy of not commenting on pending litigation, but she said the accusations "include claims previously made against the company that have been investigated and determined to be unfounded." Smithfield has shuttered a plant in Wisconsin and a plant in Martin City, Mo., in addition to a South Dakota slaughterhouse that employs hundreds of workers who have been infected by the virus. Tyson Foods has closed plants in Indiana, Washington and Iowa, one of which has reopened, and plants owned by other companies in Minnesota and Illinois have experienced outbreaks. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which toured the South Dakota facility last week, recommended Thursday that Smithfield establish more social distancing barriers and possibly slow down the production line there to create more space between workers. Ford and Rivian no longer plan to work jointly on electric vehicles. Elizabeth Holmes took the stand in her trial. Follow along with our reporters. Ken Griffin, head of Citadel, bid highest for a copy of the Constitution. Beyond seeking to make workers safer, the complaint about the plant in Milan, Mo., is testing whether public nuisance law dating back hundreds of years can be used to protect workers on the job. The plaintiffs argue that Smithfield, by failing to take adequate safety measures, risks a coronavirus outbreak that could quickly spread to the entire community. "It exists in any state the idea of bringing the public nuisance," said Karla Gilbride, a lawyer with Public Justice, a legal advocacy group that has worked with the Smithfield workers in Milan for several years and is helping to bring the complaint. "If, whether it's a private company or a private citizen, they're operating something on their property and whatever they're doing is unsafe and poses a danger to the entire community," Ms. Gilbride said, "then the public has a right to safety and health." The lawsuit seeks to force Smithfield to change its practices at the plant but asks no monetary penalties or compensation. The case includes a second count under Missouri common law that requires employers to provide safe workplaces, but is being brought in federal court primarily because the parties to the complaint reside in different states. A public interest legal group called Towards Justice is also involved. Thomas McGarity, a professor at the University of Texas Law School, said the public nuisance doctrine had been successfully applied more recently in environmental cases, including those where animal runoff or chemicals had polluted the local water supply. He said nuisance cases involving pathogens had historically been successful as well, though they typically involved pathogens that could be spread through insects or other animals. In a Colorado case from the early 20th century, a judge ordered a defendant to stop operating a ranch in which he fed garbage and discarded meat to hogs, sickening them and risking the spread of disease throughout the community. "The vector is not a mosquito, it's a worker that's what distinguishes this case from a classic nuisance case," Mr. McGarity said. "But if you think about the nature of this coronavirus and the fact that it you can be shedding the coronavirus without displaying any of the symptoms, it's not so far different from a mosquito." Since the pandemic arrived, Mr. Fuentes said, the concern has shifted almost entirely to the risk of exposure and infection, especially once schools closed in the area. "After that, a lot of workers got really scared," he said. "The workers said, 'The kids are not going to school, but they're making us go to work.'" Several dozen workers signed a letter that was delivered to plant management during the week of March 30 complaining of cramped conditions and a lack of protective equipment and accommodations for sick leave. It cited the company's policy of assigning workers a disciplinary point a tally that can lead to dismissal if they took a day off. The letter asked the company to address these concerns and to slow down processing lines so that workers had time to cover their mouths while coughing or to clean their nose after sneezing. The company later installed barriers between some workers on the line, but the complaint says the barriers, which hang from above, often aren't low enough to shield their faces. The company also began providing masks last week and has carried out temperature checks. Its chief executive has said that Smithfield is following guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and urged employees: "Do not report to work if you are sick or exhibiting Covid 19 symptoms. You will be paid." But according to the complaint, plant managers discourage workers from taking sick leave, and Smithfield has done little to address the other problems described in the letter. And some company policies have added to safety concerns. In March, Smithfield announced that workers in Milan would receive a 500 bonus if they worked every shift they were scheduled for from April 1 to May 1. According to the complaint, this has given workers an incentive to show up "even when they are experiencing symptoms," though the company later said that workers who missed time because of Covid exposure would still receive the money. "Heroes come in many forms," the company wrote in a poster advertising the bonus, a translation from the poster's Spanish version. "At Smithfield we accept responsibility in everything we do. And we reward those who accept responsibility." | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Economy |
"The American people have witnessed what is the greatest failure of any presidential administration in the history of our country. And here are the facts: 210,000 dead people in our country in just the last several months. Over seven million people who have contracted this disease. One in five businesses closed. And they knew what was happening and they didn't tell you." "Our nation has gone through a very challenging time this year. But I want the American people to know that from the very first day, President Donald Trump has put the health of America first. And quite frankly, when I look at their plan that talks about advancing testing, creating new P.P.E., developing a vaccine, umm, it looks a little bit like plagiarism, which is something Joe Biden knows a little bit about." "Whatever the vice president is claiming the administration has done, clearly it hasn't worked. And you know, the vice president is the head of the task force and knew on Jan. 28 how serious this was. And then, thanks to Bob Woodward, we learned that they knew about it, and then when that was exposed, the vice president said when asked, well, why didn't you all tell anybody, he said, because the president wanted people to remain calm." "Well, let's give the " "So I no, but Susan, I, this is important." "Susan, I, I have to weigh in here " "And I want to add, but if Mr. Vice President, I am speaking." "I have to weigh in." "I'm speaking. So I want to ask the American people: How calm were you when you were panicked about where you're going to get your next roll of toilet paper? How calm were you when your kids were sent home from school and you didn't know when they could go back? How calm were you " "Thank you. Thank you, Senator Harris " " when your children couldn't see your parents because you were afraid they could kill them?" "There's not a day gone by that I haven't thought of every American family that's lost a loved one. And I want all of you to know that you'll always be in our hearts and in our prayers. But when you say what the American people have done over these last eight months hasn't worked, that's a great disservice to the sacrifices the American people have made." "I'm referring to you and the president." "The reality, if I may, if I may finish, Senator the reality is, Dr. Fauci said, everything that he told the president in the Oval Office, the president told the American people. Now, President Trump, I will tell you, has boundless confidence in the American people, and he always spoke with confidence that we'd get through this together. The difference here is, President Trump and I trust the American people to make choices in the best interest of their health." "Let's talk about respecting the American people. You respect the American people when you tell them the truth. You respect the American people when you have the courage " "Which we've always done." " to be a leader, speaking of those things that you may not want people to hear, but they need to hear so they can protect themselves." "If the Trump administration approves a vaccine before or after the election, should Americans take it, and would you take it?" "If Dr. Fauci, if the doctors tell us that we should take it, I'll be the first in line to take it, absolutely. But if Donald Trump tells us I should, that we should take it, I'm not taking it." "The reality is that we're going to have a vaccine, Senator, in record time, in unheard of time, in less than a year. We have five companies in Phase 3 clinical trials, and we're right now producing tens of millions of doses. So the fact that you continue to undermine public confidence in a vaccine " "It's not what " " if the vaccine emerges during the Trump administration, I think is, is unconscionable. Stop playing politics with people's lives. The reality is that we will have a vaccine, we believe, before the end of this year." "Over four million people have voted. People are in the process of voting right now. And so Joe has been very clear, as the American people are: Let the American people fill that seat in the White House, and then we'll fill that seat on the United States Supreme Court. And to your point, Susan, the issues before us couldn't be more serious: There's the issue of choice, and I will always fight for a woman's right to make a decision about her own body. It should be her decision and not that of Donald Trump and the vice president, Michael Pence." "I couldn't be more proud to serve as vice president to a president who stands without apology for the sanctity of human life. I'm pro life. I don't apologize for it." "Senator Harris." "The people, Susan, are voting right now. They'd like to know if you and Joe Biden are going to pack the Supreme Court if you don't get your way in this nomination." "Let's talk about packing, come on " "Once again you gave a non answer. Joe Biden gave a non answer " "I'm trying to answer you now." "The American people deserve a straight answer. And if you haven't figured it out yet, the straight answer is they are going to pack the Supreme Court if they somehow win this election." "We will not let anyone subvert our democracy with what Donald Trump has been doing, as he did on the debate stage last week, when again in front of 70 million people he openly attempted to suppress the vote. Joe Biden on that stage said, hey, just please vote. So I'll repeat what Joe said: Please vote." "And we have a free and fair election. We know we're going to have confidence in it. And I believe in all my heart that the president, Donald Trump, is going to be re elected for four more years." | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Television |
The news website Mashable announced sweeping changes to its operations on Thursday, replacing its executive editor, Jim Roberts, and its chief revenue officer, Seth Rogin, and making a round of job cuts. In a memo to the staff, Mashable's founder, Pete Cashmore, described a decision to "move away from covering world news and politics as stand alone channels." It will spend more time "focusing on our core coverage technology, web culture, science, social media, entertainment, business and lifestyle, all told through the digital lens. We'll also develop our real time news coverage, keeping our audience up to date on breaking news and cultural trends being discussed on social networks." The company declined to comment on the specifics of the cuts, but two people with knowledge of the shift, who spoke on condition of anonymity, suggested that the job losses would be to areas Mr. Cashmore described as declining in significance, world news and politics. Mr. Roberts, a former senior editor at The New York Times, did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment. He will be replaced by Greg Gittrich, formerly the chief content officer at Vocativ. Mr. Rogin will be replaced by Ed Wise, who had worked at the humor website and studio Funny or Die. | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Media |
Mr. Juzwiak argued that Ms. Carey likely made the decision to lip sync on New Year's Eve to avoid the kind of debacle she experienced at the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree lighting ceremony in 2014, when an unflattering isolated vocal track went viral. "I think her voice is so temperamental, that if the environment is not perfect it throws another kink into this unpredictable instrument she has in 2016, going into 2017," he said, hypothesizing that she would rather "be castigated for not singing than for singing" poorly. In the last 15 years, however, it's hard to talk about Ms. Carey only as a singer, as her artistic output has been overshadowed by her public missteps and dramas. Is "Mariah's World" another such mistake? Mr. Arceneaux said yes, that there are major problems with "Mariah's World," starting with the fact that the show is boring "because it's not like the overly situated, dramatic things that make a reality show work, and it's not the realistic depiction that would actually make a docu series work." Mr. Caramanica explained that the show is "unsuccessful in telling you very much about Mariah; however, it is successful in repeating a bunch of publicly visible tropes about Mariah that we have all come to understand" Mariah is almost always holding a wine glass; she is almost always prone; she is almost never simultaneously vertical and moving. It is this "aesthetic of relaxation," as Mr. Caramanica put it, that has defined late period Mariah Carey. But when she challenged herself in the midpoint of her career, things were far more interesting. Mr. Juzwiak said that Ms. Carey entered her most significant artistic moment when Ms. Carey's voice began to change and she could no longer simply open her mouth and create magic: "It was from 'Butterfly' and on, when she started doing different things with her voice, partially because she had to, that she became an artist." | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Music |
None This article is part of the developing Coronavirus coverage, and may be outdated. Go here for the latest. What should parents do if their teens and tweens, with easy access to information on their phones and laptops, develop anxiety over what they have heard about the coronavirus? Here are tips from experts on how to help them. The psychologist Lisa Damour, author of "Under Pressure: Confronting the Epidemic of Stress and Anxiety in Girls," said parents can help lessen their anxiety, and that of their kids, by learning all they can about the new coronavirus and how to protect themselves. "Reinforce basic stuff kids know and understand: Wash your hands, get a good night's sleep, protect your immune system," Dr. Damour said. "Tell your kids you know what to do to reduce the chances of getting sick." Other common sense tips include trying to avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth, all routes of viral transmission, and keeping your distance from people who are coughing. It may be reassuring to some young people to learn that children seem to be less likely to get sick from the virus. Stay informed: Sign up for our Coronavirus Briefing newsletter Be ready: How to Prepare for the Coronavirus Keep the Big Picture in Mind Daniela Raccanello, an assistant professor of developmental and educational psychology at the University of Verona, Italy, found herself using some of her professional advice with her own 7 and 10 year old daughters when their school in the Padua region closed last week because of coronavirus. "It is key to help children continue their lives as normally as possible, but at the same time be aware of what is happening," Dr. Raccanello said. "Keep them busy with their studies, and reassure them that the current situation, like their school being closed, is the best way to keep people safe." She is part of a group called Hemot, an international organization focusing on emotional preparedness for disasters, which published this pamphlet to help parents talk about coronavirus with their children. She said she used what she had learned from working on it to help ease her daughters' fears that they or someone they know might get sick from the virus. Wendy Mogel, a clinical psychologist and the author of "Voice Lessons for Parents," noted that the coronavirus has all the makings of a horror movie that will fascinate many older kids. "The virus's origin, the quick spread around the world, the allure of this novel disease is everywhere," she said. "Turn off the news and really find out what your kids know about the virus." "Answer their questions, and if you don't know the answer, be honest. You can research the answers together," Dr. Mogel said. What scientists know about the virus Richard Bromfield, a psychologist at Harvard Medical School and the author of "How to Unspoil Your Child Fast," agreed. "Kids are exposed to so much information today that they marinate in it," he said. "Manage what your kids see and hear, but have them share with you what they are exposed to so you can discuss it. Try to see it the way they see it, and help correct misinformation and put it in context." Dr. Bromfield cautions that parents should not falsely reassure kids by saying things like "you'll be fine" or "everyone's going to be fine." Instead, parents should try to understand what their children are feeling. "Parents should have one leg in the worry and one leg in the place of constructive help, comfort and validation of how hard it is to be experiencing this," Dr. Bromfield said. He compared it to other recent catastrophes that have been in the news, such as the bush fires in Australia. "For parents, it is easy to imagine a 3 or 4 year old crying when they see a koala bear burned and alone," he said. "I think we forget that a 17 year old still has a little bit of that younger child in them, and they too are frightened and vulnerable." Dr. Mogel suggested passing along the words one teenager recently used in talking about the virus to her: "She said people with stronger immune systems should take more responsibility to keep people with weaker immune systems well." She added, "It's also a good opportunity for parents to reinforce what they have always told their kids: Get a good night's sleep, get some sunshine, eat well and make sure you wash your hands." Give teens the right information about how viruses are transmitted and put it in context, suggested Heather Turgeon, a psychotherapist and co author of "Now Say This: The Right Words to Solve Every Parenting Dilemma." "Explain that part of why we take certain precautions, like 20 second hand washing before snacks and lunch, not sharing food and utensils, and so forth is that we're protecting vulnerable people. It's a community effort," Ms. Turgeon said. If your emergency preparation plans include stocking up on groceries and toiletries, as you would before a big snowstorm or hurricane, you might invite your kids to go the store with you. Having a stash of their favorite snacks in the pantry could help them feel prepared. Advice from NYT Parenting on talking about the virus with preschoolers With spring break on the horizon for many schoolchildren, Dr. Damour said that if families decide to cancel trips, it's good to be upfront about it. "Tell your kids that this year, the risk of traveling isn't worth it, but you will find another way for your family to have fun," Dr. Damour said. Should you cancel spring break plans? Advice from NYT Parenting "Rather than just react, parents should reflect, think and plan to talk to their child with thoughtfulness, carefulness and steadfastness," Dr. Bromfield said. "That helps your child and you navigate this particular moment and serve as a template, as a way to approach the next one. The implication is that your child will be able to do that in the future on his or her own." | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Well |
Guests at weddings this summer may no longer be surprised by the couple's casual manner of dress, or by the circle of food trucks in place of formally catered seated dinners, or even by the fact that an old high school pal of the groom has been ordained online and enlisted as the officiant. It is the lack of another expected element a professional wedding photographer, multiple cameras swinging from his or her neck that may surprise some attendees. Surprising, because those same guests are now being asked to put down their drinks and start clicking away with their cellphone cameras. In a move to save money and contribute to the "winging it" feel, a handful of couples are relying on relatives and friends their pockets and purses jammed with GoPro cameras, cellphones and mini iPads to capture the bride taking that nervous breath before she walks down the aisle or the groom hugging his father, tears in their eyes. "Two years ago, this was a conversation you never would have had," said David Tutera, a celebrity wedding planner and the host of the TV show "David Tutera's Celebrations." Few are likely to miss the photo assistants holding large reflectors and shouting, "Look here!" But the more casual approach to capturing important wedding moments has had mixed results. "Everyone we know has an iPhone, and most take beautiful pictures on Instagram, so we knew they'd be fine," said Samantha Resnik, 33, whose wedding to Mark Edmunds, 43, included a large reception on May 21 at the West End Hall, on upper Broadway. A single photographer, she said, cannot be everywhere at once. "He can't possibly capture what 175 guests can," Ms. Resnik said. In addition to asking guests to use hashtags on Facebook or Instagram to post photos, couples are now relying solely on them to tell a visual story. "We wanted friends and family to share the moments we ourselves were not present for," Ms. Resnik said. The couple left little to chance. They emailed photo instructions to guests, requesting that each one take a photo of themselves; one of the bride, groom or both; and one of their choosing. Everyone was also asked to download the Eversnap app so that the couple could dive into a pool of more than 600 uploaded photos the next morning. Jessica Lawrence, 31, and Scott Maldonado, 40, were on a tight budget for their July 30 ceremony at the Maldonado family's home in New Hampshire. So they asked their friend Nas Siqueira to capture their day. "We know Nas and trust her," said the bride, now Mrs. Maldonado. "We wanted candid shots, not cheesy ones that seemed posed or inauthentic." Not everyone thinks relying on friends to record the big day is a good idea. "An expert knows what to look for," Mr. Tutera said, a perspective echoed by Jono Waks, the owner of an event planning business in Manhattan bearing his name. "Aside from the fact that someone's head will be cut off or someone might be cropped out accidentally, you want a dedicated professional there to ensure you get all of the memories and photos you want," Mr. Waks said. "I think it's a lot of pressure to ask guests to take pictures." He also noted that many phone cameras shoot in low resolution, "so don't expect to blow anything up and put it above your mantel." To woo couples who may be thinking of forgoing a professional, some who make their living photographing weddings are offering packages that no friend can match: images from the engagement party and rehearsal dinner, DVDs, bound albums and photo thank you cards. During big wedding moments, even professional photographers find that cellphone snapping guests who thrust their devices into the air are impossible to avoid. "The reality is you're going to have as many phones as there are pews," said Brian Dorsey, a wedding photographer whose packages start at 7,400 and can go as high as 50,000. "You can crop out as much as possible, but their presence is a statement of where we are today. It defines the time." Mr. Dorsey also admitted that some guests may capture a moment better than expected. "Though smartphones haven't impacted the hiring of photographers, because people see the difference in hiring a professional as opposed to a guest, many more people are taking photos, and they are taking good ones," he said. At the Resnik Edmunds reception, Mike Schoenfeld, a college friend, took the prize shot. "Mark and I stepped outside for a moment to take a breath," Ms. Resnik said. "It was raining and we were standing under the awning and he snapped this really beautiful picture of us, which I'm not sure a photographer would have taken or caught." | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Fashion & Style |
Just after her graduation from Vassar College, Eliza Hartley moved into a postwar high rise on East 91st Street and First Avenue, a quick subway trip from her job as a research study assistant at a hospital. Her studio was tiny but had a balcony, though she rarely used it because the ambient street noise was annoyingly loud when she sat out there with her computer. Her floor's laundry room was right across the hall so close she felt as though she had her own private washer dryer. Her 1,995 monthly rent rose to 2,150, and was about to rise again when Ms. Hartley, now 24, decided to move. Earlier this month, she started medical school at the State University of New York Health Science Center at Brooklyn. Her aim was to find a place in a residential neighborhood closer to the East Flatbush campus and to avoid a lengthy commute. She initially thought rent would be cheaper in Brooklyn and that her target price, 1,500 a month, would land her a one bedroom. With such a low budget, however, "people just laugh in your face," she said. So she raised it, but even at 2,000 a month found her options limited. She felt frustrated and inefficient trying to hunt on her own. PARK SLOPE The apartment was ideal. But the landlord would not accept the prospective renter's out of area guarantor. One day earlier this summer, she and a friend decided to explore Park Slope. "You go on Seventh Avenue and every five feet there is a real estate agency," Ms. Hartley said. They chose a Halstead Property office. Ms. Hartley worked with two agents there, Michael Petrosino and Kiyoko Fuchimoto. The first place she saw, a small but charming one bedroom in a walk up building on Union Street in Park Slope, was ideal. The rent was a stabilized 1,897 a month. It had a pretty tin ceiling and a decorative fireplace. "I was, like, 'This is it, I'm done, the first apartment I look at,' " Ms. Hartley said. The landlord, however, would not accept guarantors or co signers outside the tristate area, and Ms. Hartley, who is from the Twin Cities in Minnesota, has an arrangement with her parents to pay her rent until she finishes school, at which point she will begin paying them back. BROOKLYN HEIGHTS A studio over a bright sign would be easy for friends to find. But convenience to fast food has its drawbacks. Disappointed, she checked out another small Park Slope building, this one on Carroll Street. There she saw a tiny ground floor studio for 1,800 a month. "You pay for the neighborhood," Ms. Fuchimoto said. The room had a quaint bay window protected by handsome bars, but Ms. Hartley didn't want bars on the windows, no matter how nice they were. A 2,000 a month studio on Court Street in Brooklyn Heights was in the thick of a busy neighborhood. Popeyes chicken was downstairs; McDonald's was next door. Ms. Hartley worried about noise and odors. "I wasn't into it," she said. "You go out and it is just jammed with people." She was tempted to take an attic one bedroom on Schermerhorn Street in Brooklyn Heights, also for 2,000 a month, even though it was the strangest apartment she had ever seen. BROOKLYN HEIGHTS The space was pleasant, but oddly, there were no windows. Skylights provided the illumination. The place had no windows, just a skylight in every room. It was renovated and airy and came partially furnished with a couch and a coffee table, "so it was attractive for a lot of reasons," she said. There was no buzzer, however, so when friends visited she would need to go downstairs to let them in. "I've never seen anything like that the window on the ceiling," Ms. Fuchimoto said. "But the space was very nice." Ms. Hartley passed it by. Then she arrived at a brand new 77 unit rental building on Sterling Place in Crown Heights on the border of Prospect Heights, a neighborhood sometimes called ProCro. She loved the location, in a residential neighborhood with plenty of coffee shops to try, just three subway stops from school. The new elevator building had a gym, a roof deck and a part time doorman. Almost everything else she had seen was in a small walk up. "Compared to what other places I could have lived in, it's awesome," she said. Best of all, the apartments had washer dryers. Studios started at 1,995, but Ms. Hartley went with a larger studio for 2,345 a month, with the 13th month free, bringing the rent down to 2,165 a month. (At the moment, available studios start at 2,153 a month.) Ms. Hartley, who arrived last month, likes having a place in pristine condition. "The shower is not scummy and gross," she said. "I can take a shower and not be, like, I have to wear my flip flops. Not that other places were really that bad." | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Real Estate |
China's hockey governing body assigned the Shenzhen KRS Vanke Rays to manage the women's national team a few years ago. KRS's general manager attributed the current separation to the coronavirus pandemic limiting travel into China. The players most crucial to Chinese women's ice hockey reside in a hotel about 70 miles south of Moscow. The quasi resort's expansive grounds contain horses, stray cats and a speleochamber a salt cave designed to improve breathing. That these players are in Russia and not Beijing, 3,600 miles away, symbolizes how far China, whose women's ice hockey team last qualified for the Olympics in 2010, has moved away from its grand plans in the sport. "Not seeing it come to fruition and deviate is a disappointment," said Maddie Woo, who was recruited to play in China and occasionally skated with China's national team over the past three years. "There was so much potential. There still is. It's just the time sensitivity of it now. It's shocking." Woo was one of several North Americans of Chinese descent who signed in 2017 with the newly formed Kunlun Red Star, a team now known as the Shenzhen KRS Vanke Rays. With China hosting the 2022 Winter Olympics, the Chinese Ice Hockey Association, the national governing body, assigned the club to manage the women's national team. KRS hired Woo and other players to be sport ambassadors, training and playing alongside less experienced Chinese nationals in hopes of elevating the homegrown players' skills. In a 2017 interview with The New York Times, Billy Ngokposited that players like Woo might become Chinese citizens, making them eligible for the Olympic team. For the 2018 Games in Pyeongchang, host South Korea deployed a similar tactic, although China has stricter passport policies. Now, just 15 months before the opening ceremony when teams begin paring their rosters the North American imports would ideally be with the Chinese nationals in Beijing, where a training bubble has been set up by the hockey association. Claire Liu, the general manager of KRS, attributed the separation to the coronavirus pandemic limiting travel into China. But current and former KRS players and coaches added that communication between them and the hockey association had diminished to sporadic messages passed along by a bilingual intermediary. "I hope to be at the Olympics, but I know it's not guaranteed," Llanes said. "If you're banking on it, I don't recommend thinking that way. If we don't get called, we'll get four years of experience no one else can say they had." Since 2017, KRS has invested millions to create an environment uncommon in women's hockey. Digit Murphy, an American who had coached in college and the professional ranks, was hired to lead the women's program. She enticed recruits with a simple, yet novel, approach. KRS not only pays livable salaries of about 70,000 per year, but provides amenities expected of a pro team like first class airfare, an equipment manager and ice times when the sun is still shining. That hasn't been the case for North American women's hockey, despite Canada and the United States reigning as the sport's powerhouses (several United States national team alumnae have also been KRS sports ambassadors). Founded in 2015, the National Women's Hockey League, which has six teams across North America, had a highest reported salary of 15,000 last season. In October, Secret, the deodorant brand, contributed 1 million to the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association, a rare instance in which a party proclaiming interest in elevating North American women's hockey gave more than just crumbs. "We're pretty spoiled, I'm not going to lie," said Llanes, who worked three jobs while playing in Boston for teams in North American leagues. "We don't have to worry about anything. You're hockey players." In 2017, KRS staff also ran junior national teams and two franchises in the now defunct Canadian Women's Hockey League. Rob Morgan, who coached one of the Chinese teams in the C.W.H.L. and is now an adviser for KRS, said when he first met the Chinese national players, "we could see in their eyes they were just numb" from practicing four times per day. The new staff incorporated shorter practices with weight lifting, nutrition lessons or meetings with a sports psychologist. The Chinese players responded positively to the changes, Morgan said. Murphy said North American players teased Chinese players for hiding snacks in their bags many were shocked they could freely leave their rooms to eat, instead of being limited to having meals at their training facility's dining hall. "The first year, in terms of helping the Chinese players, was probably the most collaborative and most effective," said Melanie Jue, a Chinese Canadian defenseman on KRS. But toward the end of KRS's first year, higher ups within Chinese hockey began making unexpected alterations. The national hockey association changed leadership, and junior teams training in the U.S. were disbanded. Regional hockey organizations with political clout grumbled about the resources afforded to KRS. Xu Guoqi, author of "Olympic Dreams: China and Sports, 1895 2008," said sports rivalries among local governments in China were not uncommon. "Backstabbing practices, or they try to lobby, always that's a case," Xu said, noting that the Chinese hockey association is essentially under the control of the Chinese government. "The reality is the party is in charge of everything." For the 2018 19 C.W.H.L. season, China supplied only one team, the Shenzhen KRS Vanke Rays. (The C.W.H.L. folded soon after and said the revenue from China had probably kept the league from ceasing operations earlier.) In 2017, KRS also ran a men's team with a similar mission to build Chinese hockey centered around foreign players and Chinese teenagers who previously trained in America. In interviews with current and former KRS players and coaches, none said they knew where the partnership between their club and the C.I.H.A. currently stood. The Chinese nationals currently on KRS are mostly older players not expected to compete at the next Olympics. Liu, the team's general manager, said that the "relationship is still there" and that the roster composition was different because of the pandemic. The hockey association declined interview requests. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, KRS relocated to Russia this season to reduce travel. The hockey association has reason to be cautious of bringing international players into its bubble. In March, two Chinese players training with a travel squad in the United States tested positive for the coronavirus shortly after returning to Beijing. Since July, about 40 Chinese homegrown players have been in Beijing, playing against youth teams and practicing multiple times a day when most of the women's hockey world was on pause. That won't necessarily create an advantage at the Olympic tournament, though. China ranks 19th in the world, but has an automatic bid as the host. "If they really want a great showing in 2022, based on what I've seen, it needs to include Chinese North Americans," said Bob Deraney, who coached KRS in 2018. Deraney and Morgan added that they expected the North American contingent to eventually get called up, and Liu believed it was still a possibility, although another hurdle remained. Since China does not recognize dual nationality, Canadians and Americans would have to surrender their passports. There are political ramifications to representing China, which has been roundly criticized for human rights abuses and holds a souring reputation in the West. Rose Alleva, a forward from Minnesota who played one year with KRS, said giving up her American passport was "a deal breaker" and decided not to continue with the program. "It's definitely something you have to grapple with," said Woo, who left KRS to begin her career in biomedical engineering. "You can't be ignorant to the idea someone will hand you a Chinese passport and everything will be fine, and you'll still be Canadian or American." Xu said there could be one workaround if players got passports from Taiwan or Hong Kong. When the former N.B.A. player Jeremy Lin obtained his Taiwanese passport last year, he became an eligible "domestic" athlete for China under new rules instituted by the Chinese government, allowing him to play in the Chinese Basketball Association. Whether or not the imports play for China in 2022, there have been potent takeaways. China once built rinks in a decommissioned war bunker, but now state of the art sheets are popping up throughout the mainland. According to the International Ice Hockey Federation, there are 822 rinks in China. Leah Lum, a Chinese Canadian forward, noted that when KRS runs youth clinics around the country, there's an indescribable pride in seeing Chinese children engaged in her sport. Playing hockey in China has also allowed Lum and her teammates to connect with their families' heritage in ways that were impossible before. "It's a dream to be able to come here and focus on hockey," Lum said. "Experiencing our culture and ancestry China, that's who I am." | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Sports |
LOS ANGELES If Alan Ball has learned anything from his decades in television, it's that an hourlong television show doesn't need to be neatly categorized. This Georgia born writer's series "Six Feet Under," after all, was a dark comedy about a diversely dysfunctional funeral home family, while his "True Blood," based on the Southern Vampire Mysteries novels by Charlaine Harris, combined elements of fantasy, horror, bodice ripping ardor and why not? family, too. So when Mr. Ball had lunch with Casey Bloys, HBO's president for programming, to talk about the pilot script for his new series, "Here and Now," he was unapologetic about its hybrid qualities. "Casey said, 'Is this a family show or a supernatural show?'" Mr. Ball recalled with a laugh. "And I said, 'Yes.'" On the surface, it's about an idealistic couple Greg (Tim Robbins) and his lawyer wife, Audrey (Holly Hunter) who see themselves as "social justice warriors," as Mr. Ball put it, and adopt three children: Duc (Raymond Lee), from Vietnam; Ashley (Jerrika Hinton), from Liberia; and Ramon (Daniel Zovatto), from Colombia. They're older siblings to the couple's biological child, Kristen (Sosie Bacon). But as close knit as the family is, it teems with secrets, neuroses and trauma. The most talked about element, though, is likely to be Ramon's strange visions, which point to a possibly metaphysical connection with his psychiatrist (Peter Macdissi), a family man dealing with his own personal issues. (The show has its premiere on Feb. 11.) How did you go from vampire romance in rural Louisiana to a trouble laden multiracial family in the Pacific Northwest? I'd done a couple of pilots for HBO that didn't go. I also have a bunch of movies that I've written over the years that nobody seems to want because they aren't about superheroes or exploding machinery. I'm a person who likes to work. I knew that HBO was looking for a family drama. So I sat down to write one. But I didn't want it to be just another family drama about a family dealing with what families deal with. Certainly a multiethnic family made it more interesting for me as a writer. It also just seemed like it would give us more interesting stories than sibling rivalry or somebody gets a mammogram. You know, your usual family TV show tropes. Laughs The sort of mystical mysterious element just sort of happened. Were your story lines affected by the political moment? I was working with the writers when Donald Trump was elected president, and we started to see the show as a kind of prism through which we could look at all these different characters' multiethnic, multigenerational viewpoints living in Trump's America. How do you deal with that? How do you make sense of that? Portland has this reputation for being so incredibly progressive and it is. However, it also has a pretty sketchy history in terms of racism. For a place that's very progressive, it's still predominantly Caucasian. So there's an interesting dichotomy there, because it's a very progressive town and one of the greatest places to live. At the same time, it isn't really what it aspires to be. What research did you do for the characters? I knew that I wasn't going to be able to write a lot of the characters in this show from a place of personal experience. So when we myself and my producing partner, Peter Macdissi were putting the writers' room together, we made sure that we had a couple of African Americans, a guy of Asian descent, a Lebanese Muslim guy and a Palestinian gay guy. We have people who are adoptive parents. Growing up in my white privilege, I have no reason to know these things. So it's not so much research on my part, it's having these great writers that I work with who bring their own experiences to the table. Like Greg, you recently turned 60. Were you as unhappy about the milestone as he appears to be? Well it's hard to age, to get older, to realize "Wow, my body isn't working like it used to." It's hard to go, "How many years do I have left?" I'm not sure I have any empirical data to back this up, but I think it's harder for men than women. I think women are more in touch with their emotions, with the cycle of living. Whereas men are conditioned to believe that we're invincible and will remain that way forever and we're stupid enough to believe that. Laughs I feel like I've had about five midlife crises. I think the first one was when I was about 35. As someone who struggled with depression and anxiety my whole life, I feel like you got to pull yourself out of there, you got to find a way. I wanted Greg to start off at the bottom. I wanted to see him work his way out of that. You also feature a Muslim family where the parents are comfortable with their child being transgender. Is there a story behind this? Peter said, "If this is going to be a show about America, we need a Muslim family to be a part of this tapestry." People are so terrified of, don't understand, project all kinds of weird stuff onto Muslim characters especially the way they've been depicted in the mainstream media. They're never complex or nuanced. I did some research and, of course, there are trans Muslim kids. We're so conditioned to think of Muslim families as so conservative that there's no room for any kind of out of the box expression for one's identity and that's just not the case. Your favorite childhood movie "My Six Loves" is about a family of adopted children. Are you paying tribute? It's not my favorite movie. It's the first movie I ever went to see. Debbie Reynolds plays an actress who ends up adopting six adorable hillbilly children. And she realizes: "Oh, I don't want to be an actress. I want to be a mother. That's what's really fulfilling." Laughs One of the running gags is that one of the kids is mesmerized by flushing the toilet, and he keeps doing it. I just remember that was the first time I sat in a big darkened theater, looked up on a screen and saw this story unfold. I haven't seen it since I was 5 or 6. I'm sure it would be a big letdown from what exists in my memory. In 2000, you won an Oscar for writing "American Beauty." I read that you dressed it in a pink fur coat. Because? Laughs My identity, a lot of it, is based in feeling like the outsider. So when I won an Oscar, it was terrifying. When I brought it home, I put it on a shelf, and it looked so pretentious. So I bought a pink fur Barbie coat and put it on the Oscar and somehow it made it O.K. for me to have it in my house. But then I got over that and took it off. Now I have a shelf in my office where all the statuaries are. None of them are dressed. | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Television |
A tiny frog discovered in the rain forests of Indonesia's Sulawesi Island is the only frog known to give birth to live tadpoles. Of the roughly 6,000 frogs known in the world, about a dozen species fertilize their eggs internally. A handful give birth to froglets, and a few lay fertilized eggs. The newly described frog, named Limnonectes larvaepartus, was first discovered in 1998 by Djoko Iskandar, a zoologist at the Bandung Institute of Technology in Indonesia. The frog weighs just two tenths of an ounce, or about as much as a nickel. At the time, Dr. Iskandar noticed that the frogs appeared to be laying tadpoles, but he was not able to identify the species. "We now have a lot of museum specimens to help identify coloration, texture and webbing," said Jimmy A. McGuire, a herpetologist at the University of California, Berkeley, and a co author, with Dr. Iskandar and Ben J. Evans, of a paper describing the frog in the journal PLOS One. The frog belongs to a group known as fanged frogs because of two projections from their lower jaws used for fighting. Although the researchers know of at least 15 other species of fanged frogs on Sulawesi, Limnonectes larvaepartus is only the fourth to be formally described. | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Science |
CBS reality shows, including "Survivor," "Big Brother" and "Love Island," will feature more diverse casts next season, under an initiative that will also target development budgets and writing rooms, the network announced on Monday. Starting in the 2021 22 season, at least half of the cast members of its unscripted programs will be people of color, the network said in a statement. It said it would also allocate at least a quarter of its annual development budget for unscripted shows to those created or co created by people of color, including Black and Indigenous people. George Cheeks, the president and chief executive for the CBS Entertainment Group, described the commitments as "important first steps" in bringing in new voices. "The reality TV genre is an area that's especially underrepresented, and needs to be more inclusive across development, casting, production and all phases of storytelling," Mr. Cheeks said in the statement. The network will also work to expand diversity in the creative and production teams, it said. | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Media |
As the child of a divorced, unemployed mother, Shira Eisenberg learned to get by, she says, "on the kindness of strangers." But even she was surprised when she arrived at the University of Chicago and was told that if she jumped through a few hoops, like going to seminars on how to behave at a job interview, she would be guaranteed a paid internship, financed by the university if no other source of money was available. "Without the stipend, I would not have been able to afford it," said Ms. Eisenberg, a sophomore majoring in computer science and minoring in neuroscience. Internships have become a necessary credential in a highly competitive job market about half of interns are offered a job by a company where they have interned, according to a 2017 survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers. But for those thinking of careers in nonprofits, public service, social services or the arts, paid opportunities are scarce. Employers often can't afford a stipend, and many students can't afford to work for free. In response, campuses are using philanthropy and their own funds to subsidize internships at organizations that have a mission of social change or innovation. Students can pursue their passion without worry about how they will pay for food and housing, and for those who see Goldman Sachs in their future, it's a chance to do good works. "We don't want our students to pick a field because it pays and overlook another field because it doesn't pay for an internship," said Meredith Daw, executive director of career advancement at the University of Chicago. There are 2,000 placements each year through Chicago's Jeff Metcalf Internship Program. Employers agree to cover the salary at least 11 an hour or the local minimum wage, whichever is higher. But when an organization can't afford to pay 40 percent can't the university provides a 4,000 grant for a 10 week stint. Starting last year, the university's Odyssey Scholars low income students like Ms. Eisenberg have been guaranteed a paid internship for their first summer. That, Ms. Daw said, is when they are at the greatest disadvantage compared to their peers with more of the social capital like parental connections needed to find internships on their own. Last summer, 232 students participated. Ms. Eisenberg interned at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, where she developed a machine learning model for its library. The grant helped defray airfare, her summer sublet and other expenses. Pace University posted more than 4,000 internships last year, about 40 percent of them unpaid, and provides grants for many internships in the nonprofit sector. "We're not trying to proselytize with these students, but we'd like their eyes to be open to the second and third sectors in our economy," said Rebecca Tekula, executive director of Pace's Wilson Center for Social Entrepreneurship. The center pairs students with nonprofits in and around New York City, like Greyston Bakery, Housing Works and the Legal Aid Society. Elizabeth Pooran interned last year at Senior Planet Exploration Center in Chelsea, a community space designed to teach technology, including digital photography and the internet, to older adults to encourage them to lead independent, connected lives. And Latino U College Access, a fledgling nonprofit that works with first generation college students, has used Pace interns for three of its five years. "I always say that my organization was built with the support and by the hands of Pace University interns," said Shirley Acevedo Buontempo, the founder. Students in the Wilson internship program receive 16 an hour, or 4,480 for eight weeks. Some 120 students have participated since 2009, with grants totaling about 500,000. Macalester College, too, subsidizes internships involving social missions, like helping integrate tuberculosis services into Georgia's health system and fighting transgender discrimination. Last year, about 50 interns took part. "This is an opportunity to try on a career no matter what their interest or major or their economic situation is," said Mindy Deardurff, dean of career development at the St. Paul campus. "Especially for our students who have socioeconomic need, if we can get them in and let them try out some of the things they are so passionate about, it might get them over that hump of worrying about whether they can afford it." Amherst College distributed 1 million this past summer, 40 percent more than it did the previous year, helping 229 students take unpaid internships with nonprofit organizations and small start ups. The money came from alumni gifts and 200,000 from the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, which supports low income college students. Because more than 80 percent of Amherst students go to graduate or professional school, some of the money is used to prepare them by financing research internships, study abroad and independently devised programs, said Emily C. Griffen, director of Amherst's Loeb Center for Career Exploration and Planning. Michael Loeb, president and chief executive of Loeb Enterprises, is an alumnus who has taken a particular interest in internships. In addition to offering paid stints at his own company, he has just started a program that matches start ups in New York City with Amherst interns and covers their pay and living expenses. It's not surprising that alumni favor their alma mater. Over the past five years, alumni and parents have donated 4 million to Colgate University, enabling it to support some 200 students each year who want to take unpaid or low paid internships, typically with nonprofits, the creative arts or to do research. Last summer, it spent 666,000, said Michael Sciola, associate vice president of institutional advancement and career initiatives. Colgate students can also come up with their own grant proposal, and the university will help them find a host who will turn that into an internship. "We do allow students to do a self designed summer," he said. For example, twin brothers received a grant to pay for travel to work on an archaeological expedition in Alaska. Mr. Sciola concedes that the connection between "an immersive experience" and a career might be less obvious than with an internship in the financial industry. That's why students are more likely to take less career driven internships in their first and second years, he said, when they are still exploring. "Our overall goal is to empower our students to explore their interests with practical immersive experiences," he said, "without the limitation of financial barriers." | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Education |
The Big Ten Conference, one of the wealthiest and most powerful leagues in college sports, had been besieged for weeks to reverse its policy not to play football this fall because of the coronavirus pandemic. But as recently as last week, many of the university leaders behind the league's most consequential decisions were skeptical of altering their approach. Then came a new series of conversations with the league's medical advisers, who had kept deliberating even after they led the conference's presidents and chancellors to conclude overwhelmingly last month that the pandemic made it too risky to play until at least 2021. By Wednesday morning, the league's 14 universities, including athletic powerhouses like Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State, had unanimously agreed to try to play football as soon as Oct. 23, but without fans in the stadiums. The turnabout fed debate over whether political interference and the allure of enormous broadcast contracts not to mention the envy inducing sight of other college and professional sports leagues filling the airwaves with their own games had led the university leaders to surrender. But some top players welcomed the decision, and Big Ten leaders insisted that they had reconsidered because of, not in spite of, medical advice. What changed between Aug. 11, when they first elected not to play this autumn, and Wednesday, they said, was the conference's ability to guarantee daily testing of its athletes and its development of screening protocols for virus related heart ailments, conditions so poorly understood that they deeply unnerved university leaders in August. The league said any player who tested positive would be barred from games for at least 21 days and said that a team would stop practice and competition for at least a week if it recorded a positivity rate of more than 5 percent over a rolling seven day period. Players who test positive must also pass a battery of heart related screenings, including a cardiac M.R.I. exam, though the conference acknowledged that there are many "unknowns regarding the cardiac manifestations in Covid 19 positive elite athletes." The Big Ten's announcement on Wednesday applied only to football. It said plans for other fall sports, as well as winter sports like basketball and wrestling, would be announced "shortly." More than 8,500 cases of the virus have been reported at Big Ten universities over the course of the pandemic, according to a New York Times database of infections at colleges. Four of those universities had more than 1,000 cases, many of which were detected by aggressive testing of students returning to campus this fall, and some Big Ten schools have already suspended or ended most in person classes for this semester. Still, 11 university chiefs switched their votes to support competing this fall, just weeks after Kevin Warren, the Big Ten commissioner, pointedly said the decision not to play this year would "not be revisited." Rebecca M. Blank, the chancellor at Wisconsin, said the new plans had "allayed" her misgivings. Mark Schlissel, Michigan's president and an immunologist by training, cited evolving knowledge about the virus and said officials had "adjusted our approach based on the new information that was developed." Mitch Daniels, Purdue's president and a Republican former governor of Indiana, said that "things we all learned, along with some technological advances, have produced a plan that is safer for our players and staff than it would have been originally." Rutgers, whose president just last week signaled his sustained opposition to playing this fall, issued a statement that was not effusive in its support of a season but said the league's plan was "sufficiently compelling that conference members now support a plan to begin playing." Before the Big Ten's announcement in August, players had urged the conference and the league to prepare "a comprehensive plan to ensure the safety and well being of players" during the season. The league's decision days later limited that nascent movement's power, but in the turbulent weeks that followed, some Big Ten players, including Justin Fields, the Ohio State quarterback, urged the conference to find a way to play. The White House sought to claim credit for the restoration of Big Ten football after President Trump called Warren on Sept. 1 to offer federal support. League officials said, though, that the conference had not accepted any aid from Washington and scoffed at the president's Wednesday morning tweet in which he said it was his "great honor to have helped!!!" "It wasn't about political pressure, it wasn't about money, it wasn't about lawsuits and it wasn't about what everyone else is doing," Morton Schapiro, the president of Northwestern and the chairman of the Big Ten's Council of Presidents and Chancellors, said of what had shaped his thinking. But the reversal, one of the most striking in the history of college sports and announced 36 days after the Big Ten became the first Power 5 league to drop plans for football in 2020, instantly quelled some of the pressure the league faced from prominent coaches, players, fans and the president. And with athletic departments hemorrhaging money to the point that some had already begun to cut sports programs, the decision provoked accusations that the league was prioritizing profits, entertainment and a measure of public relations peace over health and safety. Officials at the handful of schools that voted last month to play, including Ohio State, which is likely to contend for this unusual season's national title, all but lit firecrackers on Wednesday, victorious after weeks of openly fanning dissent. "Our players want to play, our coaches want to coach and our fans want to watch," said Bill Moos, the athletic director at Nebraska. "And we're going to be able to do all of these things now, and that's why it is a celebration. And I believe, and very strongly, that the state of Nebraska needs football." Leagues that have returned to play, like the Atlantic Coast Conference and the Big 12, have sometimes found it tricky to navigate the epidemiological perils of the pandemic. A handful of games have been postponed, some teams have held out players because of positive tests or contact tracing and stadiums are operating with fewer spectators in the stands or none at all. The Southeastern Conference, which intends to begin a league only schedule on Sept. 26, is requiring players to be tested three times a week, as are the A.C.C. and the Big 12. The Big Ten is expected to release a schedule later this week, but the league's teams are poised to play eight regular season games each, with the top teams from each division advancing to a conference championship game on Dec. 19. In a twist, teams that fail to reach the title showdown will play an exhibition game of sorts against the team in the opposite division with the same position in the standings. Had a similar system been in place last season, for example, Penn State, which finished second in the East Division, would have met Minnesota, the runner up in the West Division, for a final game. Some games could be adjusted to avoid rematches. Although some Big Ten teams paused all athletic activities because of outbreaks, many held limited practices in the weeks after the season was first scratched. Teams, coaches reasoned, needed to remain ready regardless of when games were allowed and especially if they were scheduled quickly, as they now apparently will be. "We don't know when it's going to be," Tom Allen, Indiana's coach, said late last month. "That's what keeps you on your toes." The decision by the Big Ten immediately directed new attention toward the Pac 12, which also said Aug. 11 that it would not play football this year. Football players at the University of Southern California wrote to Gov. Gavin Newsom this week and urged him to lift restrictions keeping the state's four Pac 12 members California, Stanford, U.C.L.A. and U.S.C. from returning to play. Other players in the league followed along on Twitter with their pleas to the governor. The Pac 12 recently struck a deal for daily testing, and the league's commissioner, Larry Scott, said Wednesday that conference leaders were "eager for our student athletes to have the opportunity to play this season, as soon as it can be done safely and in accordance with public health authority approvals." | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Sports |
When the lights came up on Jennifer Monson's "Live Dancing Archive" on Thursday, what first struck the senses was the enormity of the space. The theater at New York Live Arts is always expansive, but Ms. Monson and her collaborators, with nothing but light, seemed to have doubled its size. The walls were stripped bare, and there was just one scenic element: a long, rectangular white panel on wheels, which both anchored and enlarged the room. It's about as close as you can come in the theater to feeling as if you were by the ocean, which is where much of "Live Dancing Archive," which ended its run on Saturday, originated. Between 2000 and 2006, Ms. Monson developed a nomadic series of outdoor improvisations, "Bird Brain Project," guided by the migratory paths of birds and gray whales. The raw material for "Live Dancing Archive" the performance component; there's also a video installation and a digital archive comes from seaside improvisations in North Carolina, along the migration route of ospreys, from Maine to Venezuela. Ms. Monson first presented the work as a solo at the Kitchen last year and has reimagined it for three dancers Niall Jones and Tatyana Tenenbaum joined her as part of the Replay Series at New York Live Arts. Having missed that solo, I can only imagine that this trio, in its breadth and sensitivity, enhanced what was already a much lauded work. Ms. Monson's lighting designers, Joe Levasseur and Valerie Oliveiro, augmented the cast, as did her composer, Jeff Kolar, who sat at the back of the stage and, from this equipment laden station, engulfed us with whirring, rumbling, abstractly nautical sound. | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Dance |
Working at a breakneck pace, a team of hundreds of scientists has identified 50 drugs that may be effective treatments for people infected with the coronavirus. Many scientists are seeking drugs that attack the virus itself. But the Quantitative Biosciences Institute Coronavirus Research Group, based at the University of California, San Francisco, is testing an unusual new approach. The researchers are looking for drugs that shield proteins in our own cells that the coronavirus depends on to thrive and reproduce. Many of the candidate drugs are already approved to treat diseases, such as cancer, that would seem to have nothing to do with Covid 19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Scientists at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York and at the Pasteur Institute in Paris have already begun to test the drugs against the coronavirus growing in their labs. The far flung research group is preparing to release its findings at the end of the week. There is no antiviral drug proven to be effective against the virus. When people get infected, the best that doctors can offer is supportive care the patient is getting enough oxygen, managing fever and using a ventilator to push air into the lungs, if needed to give the immune system time to fight the infection. If the research effort succeeds, it will be a significant scientific achievement: an antiviral identified in just months to treat a virus that no one knew existed until January. "I'm really impressed at the speed and the scale at which they're moving," said John Young, the global head of infectious diseases at Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, which is collaborating on some of the work. That finding suggested that the virus was already circulating in the community. "I got to the lab and said we've got to drop everything else," recalled Nevan Krogan, director of the Quantitative Biosciences Institute. "Everybody has got to work around the clock on this." Dr. Krogan and his colleagues set about finding proteins in our cells that the coronavirus uses to grow. Normally, such a project might take two years. But the working group, which includes 22 laboratories, completed it in a few weeks. "You have 30 scientists on a Zoom call it's the most exhausting, amazing thing," Dr. Krogan said, referring to a teleconferencing service. Viruses reproduce by injecting their genes inside a human cell. The cell's own gene reading machinery then manufactures viral proteins, which latch onto cellular proteins to create new viruses. They eventually escape the cell and infect others. That virus has 18 genes, each of which encodes a protein. The scientists eventually found that H.I.V. interacts, in one way or another, with 435 proteins in a human cell. A man in China is sentenced for hiding an infection while crossing the border. Austria announces a lockdown and vaccination mandate for all. Dr. Krogan and his colleagues went on to make similar maps for viruses such as Ebola and dengue. Each pathogen hijacks its host cell by manipulating a different combination of proteins. Once scientists have a map, they can use it to search for new treatments. In February, the research group synthesized genes from the coronavirus and injected them into cells. They uncovered over 400 human proteins that the virus seems to rely on. The flulike symptoms observed in infected people are the result of the coronavirus attacking cells in the respiratory tract. The new map shows that the virus's proteins travel throughout the human cell, engaging even with proteins that do not seem to have anything to do with making new viruses. One of the viral proteins, for example, latches onto BRD2, a human protein that tends to our DNA, switching genes on and off. Experts on proteins are now using the map to figure out why the coronavirus needs these molecules. Kevan Shokat, a chemist at U.C.S.F., is poring through 20,000 drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration for signs that they may interact with the proteins on the map created by Dr. Krogan's lab. Dr. Shokat and his colleagues have found 50 promising candidates. The protein BRD2, for example, can be targeted by a drug called JQ1. Researchers originally discovered JQ1 as a potential treatment for several types of cancer. On Thursday, Dr. Shokat and his colleagues filled a box with the first 10 drugs on the list and shipped them overnight to New York to be tested against the living coronavirus. The drugs arrived at the lab of Adolfo Garcia Sastre, director of the Global Health and Emerging Pathogens Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital. Dr. Garcia Sastre recently began growing the coronavirus in monkey cells. Over the weekend, the team at the institute began treating infected cells with the drugs to see if any stop the viruses. "We have started experiments, but it will take us a week to get the first data here," Dr. Garcia Sastre said on Tuesday. The researchers in San Francisco also sent the batch of drugs to the Pasteur Institute in Paris, where investigators also have begun testing them against coronaviruses. If promising drugs are found, investigators plan to try them in an animal infected with the coronavirus perhaps ferrets, because they're known to get SARS, an illness closely related to Covid 19. In February, a team of researchers found that remdesivir could eliminate the coronavirus from infected cells. Since then, five clinical trials have begun to see if the drug will be safe and effective against Covid 19 in people. Other researchers have taken startling new approaches. On Saturday, Stanford University researchers reported using the gene editing technology Crispr to destroy coronavirus genes in infected cells. As the Bay Area went into lockdown on Monday, Dr. Krogan and his colleagues were finishing their map. They are now preparing a report to post online by the end of the week, while also submitting it to a journal for publication. | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Science |
TESLA MOTORS has spent eight years building a new kind of car company one with Silicon Valley roots that makes slick electric vehicles and takes its retail cues from Apple rather than from traditional dealerships. Now Tesla is undergoing a makeover as it tries to evolve from a niche maker of expensive sports cars that has never turned a profit into a money making provider of electric cars for the masses and a technology supplier to bigger automakers. In the interim, Tesla which reported its highest ever quarterly revenue on Wednesday is hitting pause on its main moneymaker, the 100,000 plus Roadster. In its most recent annual report Tesla said it intended to sell the current version of the Roadster only until its supply of "gliders" essentially, the shell of the car runs out, perhaps early next year. Tesla does not expect to introduce its next generation Roadster until at least 2013, a year after the promised debut of the Model S sedan. In a conference call with analysts, the company's chairman and chief executive, Elon Musk, said the Model S remained on track for deliveries in mid 2012. The first 1,000 sedans will be in the premium Signature Series, priced at 77,400; later versions are to start at 57,400. | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Automobiles |
That's never an easy call to make, especially when so many other officials have attached their names to critiques of the White House. Readers may see asking for anonymity as a way to make personal attacks without consequence, a means for reputation laundering or even a sign of cowardice. We worried about these things, too. Generations of journalists who work for The Times's newsroom and Opinion have made promises to sources about the confidentiality of their identities, a practice that is used on occasion and with oversight from editors and managers. "Sources often fear for their jobs or business relationships sometimes even for their safety," as our standards editor, Philip Corbett, wrote in this 2018 explainer. We rarely use anonymous sourcing in our opinion pages, but when we do, it is only after thoughtful consideration of the value of the information that would otherwise be lost to our audience. Given the importance of showing that even the people whom the president has chosen as some of his closest advisers are worried about how the election will unfold, we decided that Ron's reporting rose far above that bar. The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. We'd like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Here are some tips. And here's our email: letters nytimes.com. Follow The New York Times Opinion section on Facebook, Twitter ( NYTopinion) and Instagram. | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Opinion |
Jack Keil had the slogan first. He wrote six words "Take a bite out of crime" on the back of an envelope in a Kansas City airport lounge. The slogan stuck, and so has the character that growls them. Nearly four decades later, McGruff the Crime Dog, Mr. Keil's cartoon hound with that guttural voice and floppy trench coat, is still one of the country's most recognizable advertising figures, perhaps rivaled only by icons like Smokey Bear, Ronald McDonald and Mr. Peanut. Mr. Keil, a longtime ad executive, who died on Aug. 25 at 94, said he had envisioned McGruff as a "father figure, or possibly an uncle figure" tough but warm. He drew part of his inspiration from television: The endearing Detective Columbo, played by Peter Falk, had just wrapped up its popular initial 1971 78 run. But unlike "Columbo" reruns, McGruff is still resonating. He now has a Twitter account, a YouTube page and an online store selling backpacks, dolls, Halloween costumes and branded DNA kits. Indeed, few commercial mascots can claim to outpace McGruff in endurance and permeation. (McGruff, like Smokey Bear, was created for the Ad Council. Mr. Keil had said the popularity of Smokey, introduced in 1944, had persuaded him to pitch an anthropomorphic animal character to his firm, Dancer Fitzgerald Sample.) McGruff's introduction, in 1980, coincided with a rising national crime rate, and heightened concern about how to stanch it. The canine detective offered easy advice, such as locking doors, leaving a porch light on at night or having a neighbor pick up your mail when you are away tactics that were quickly adopted into the social consciousness. The popularity of Neighborhood Watch programs is often credited to McGruff, who inspired people to be vigilant within their communities. "If you did a focus group" on crime prevention in 1978, Ms. Harkins said, "the response is kind of hands up, I can't do anything, that's law enforcement's job." But people did not necessarily want more police officers. To research the campaign, Mr. Keil, who also voiced most of the spots, rode along with police and studied polling numbers to better understand the public's concern. He told the Ad Council in 2004 that his strategy was to motivate people to work against crime not with giant law enforcement sweeps, but with small steps they could take on their own. "We are trying to get them to do little things," Mr. Keil said. "Take little nips. Bites." After the first spot aired, more than 300,000 people requested copies of the "Got a Minute? You Could Stop a Crime" booklet. The driving force of those initial campaigns was not the character as much as it was the slogan, said Wanda Pogue, chief strategy officer for Saatchi Saatchi, which acquired Dancer Fitzgerald Sample in 1986. "There was something kind of empowering about him," Ms. Pogue said. "'Take a bite out of crime' makes you feel like you can do this. We together can do this." Jeff Bezos gives 100 million to the Obama Foundation. Stocks rise after President Biden says Jerome Powell will stay atop the Fed. The character's personification helped, too. That subtle connection to Columbo was key to the cartoon's crossover appeal to adults, said Wendy Melillo, who wrote the book "How McGruff and the Crying Indian Changed America" in 2013. "Successful advertising campaigns always have somebody's finger on the pulse of popular culture," said Ms. Melillo, an associate professor of communication at American University. "And at the time, Peter Falk's Columbo was a very important piece of Americana." In fact, Ms. Melillo said, Mr. Keil was so swept up in the idea of mirroring Columbo that his original sketches included a cigar dangling from McGruff's lips. Not surprisingly, the Ad Council nixed it. "You can't have smoking in an Ad Council P.S.A.," she said. McGruff's first print ad in 1980 began: "You don't know me ...yet. But you will." It was remarkably prescient. Since then, the campaign has received more than 1.4 billion worth of free media, spawning songs; spinoffs; a cartoon nephew, Scruff; and even a McGruff inspired monster truck. In 1987, the Ad Council estimated that 99 percent of children in the United States between ages 6 to 12 recognized McGruff. That number has fallen over the years as McGruff's advertising presence has faded, though in 2010 it was still a robust 76 percent of children ages 9 to 11. Partly because of the penetration of those early ads, McGruff is still described as "informative" by 90 percent of adults, the National Crime Prevention Council said. "We're doing campaigns on intellectual property theft, mortgage fraud, foreclosure fraud," Ms. Harkins said. "The character and the message remain the same, and we address emerging crimes with the same basic message." Seven years ago, the refurbished cartoons attempted to smooth out some of the wrinkles on his trench coat and add a more contemporary, glossier finish to the images. The effort was made, Ms. Pogue said, so "it didn't feel like we had pulled him out of the '70s." But if there is another reboot for his 40th birthday, in 2020, don't expect McGruff to stray far. "There was something about him that was always incredibly authentic," Ms. Pogue said. "You wouldn't want him talking the way kids talk today. I think you can update his attire and the topics that he tackles. But there's a part of him that needs to remain really authentic to who he is." | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Media |
We are all familiar with the Epiphany. You know what it is: that moment in therapy when you finally realize exactly why it is you do whatever crazy thing you do. Chalk it up to the warm, loving therapist, plus your own innate genius. Right? Not so fast. "Insight is the booby prize of therapy," Lori Gottlieb writes in her new book, "Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, Her Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed." "It's great if you have it, but if you don't take that insight and produce change, it's worthless." Gottlieb's book is perhaps the first I've read that explains the therapeutic process in no nonsense terms while simultaneously giving hope to therapy skeptics like me who think real change through talk is elusive. The book follows the lives of four very different people in crisis well, five, if you count Gottlieb herself, whose life has been upended by a breakup with a man who was supposed to be her forever after. Gottlieb writes the "Dear Therapist" advice column for The Atlantic, and as a yarn spinner she shines; it's not surprising that before she was a psychotherapist, she was a story development executive in Hollywood. (Eva Longoria has optioned "Maybe You Should Talk to Someone" for a television series.) But Gottlieb's book is considerably more than an engaging series of case studies. It uses her patients' crises, and her own, to ask some fundamental questions about what therapy is, and what it can and cannot do for us. This interview has been edited and condensed. We hold up the mirror so that people can see themselves more clearly, but in a compassionate way. It's not: "Look at you, shooting yourself in the foot again! What's the matter with you?" It's, "Hey, can you see that by doing such and such, here's how you're getting in your own way." The therapy mirror isn't the unflattering but distorted mirror we usually tend to look in, the one that makes us cringe; it's a more objective reflection, with no judgment whatsoever. It's a compassionate mirror. What is one thing that is not a therapist's job? The Buddhists call it idiot compassion. It's what we often do with friends and family we're afraid to hold up the mirror to them. We don't want to upset them, so we tilt the mirror to their liking, telling them what they want to hear and not what they need to hear. But our compassion ends up being more harmful than our honesty would have been. When you talk about successful therapy, you quote the famed psychotherapist John Weakland: "Before successful therapy, it's the same damn thing over and over. After successful therapy, it's one damn thing after another." Can you explain that a bit? Want to keep up with the latest and greatest in books? This is a good place to start. None Learn what you should be reading this fall: Our collection of reviews on books coming out this season includes biographies, novels, memoirs and more. See what's new in October: Among this month's new titles are novels by Jonathan Franzen, a history of Black cinema and a biography by Katie Couric. Nominate a book: The New York Times Book Review has just turned 125. That got us wondering: What is the best book that was published during that time? Listen to our podcast: Featuring conversations with leading figures in the literary world, from Colson Whitehead to Leila Slimani, the Book Review Podcast helps you delve deeper into your favorite books. I love that quote. As therapists, we help people see self defeating patterns that are contributing to their struggles, and once they see why the same thing keeps happening over and over the same fight with their spouse, the same difficulty with family or bosses at work, the same fear of not being good enough that contributes to repeated rejection they realize that the reason their lives feel like "Groundhog Day" is because of something they're doing that they can change or do differently. Changing these patterns transforms people's lives. But what we can't do for people is change the nature of life, which includes hardship. People will always encounter "one damn thing after another" that they can't control, but they can change their response to it. I love your description of your own therapist, Wendell, who seems a throwback to another era: "His expression is intense but gentle, a combination of a wise elder and a stuffed animal." And in fact you make a point about therapy itself, that it's old fashioned, kind of a throwback to a different time. What do you mean by that? Our world is moving at such a fast pace, and people who come to me often want things to move very quickly. It's a very human impulse. Help me not to feel NOW, give me a pill. Which is great; I'm not anti medication at all. There are people who benefit greatly. But there are also a lot of people for whom medication alone won't work. People mistake feeling less for feeling better. Therapy teaches you otherwise. You have a tale in the book that is one of the biggest fears of every psychotherapy patient: being fired by your therapist because you're a hopeless case. Yeah, I talk about a patient who was constantly saying I was not helping her. I could see exactly why people were pulling away. Everything and everyone disappointed her. The guys in her life were all commitment phobes and the women were snobs, and the colleagues were blah blah blah and I was so bored. O.K., I am pretty sure that fear of boring a therapist ensures I'll never go. Well, I felt like such a failure, but I had trouble breaking up with her. Partly I was worried how she would feel, but it's also my own ego. You keep thinking, If I can just find the key and unlock this. But sometimes you can't. And the thing is, she came to me with the issue of having problems with relationships in all areas of her life. Sometimes the dance you're doing with your therapist is the dance you're doing in the rest of the world. In the midst of your disastrous breakup, you also have some challenging but nonlethal health issues that you discuss all while treating a patient who is actually dying. You can't be a therapist and not be oriented toward a core. Without getting morbid, you do focus on mortality. You start thinking about the limited time you have on this planet, and how we generally don't know how much time we have, and how that very thought drives us to find purpose. What will contribute to my growth, and what to other people's growth? The experience of my patient, and my own, made me realize the importance of not wasting time. And one way we waste time that hopefully therapy addresses is the constant perseveration, the soundtrack in our heads that makes us mean to ourselves, and makes us make bad decisions. If we can start learning to be kind to ourselves, we save a lot of time on this planet. How do I ask this delicately? O.K., I can't. This book is very revealing about you. Are you worried that your patients will know too much? (Laughs.) Well, it's the most revealing and personal book I've written by design. Patients and therapists are at cross purposes, in a way. We want to help patients function better, but they often want to come across in a certain ideal way, and we want to see them in a more realistic way. And it was the same with me. I want to come across well, too. The first draft, I was nonprotective of myself, then, second draft, I tried to clean myself up. In the cleaning up, I deflavorized the entire story, I took the humanity out of it. My persona was polished. And it was not what being human looks like. It felt disingenuous, making people raw and real and polishing myself. So I stopped cleaning myself up. I feel the vulnerability of doing that, but I got more comfortable with it. Which raises a question that's really at the heart of this book. It's something we all think about, in and out of therapy: Can I be truthful and still be loved? Carl Jung called secrets "psychic poison," which is apt, because secrets are corrosive and go hand in hand with shame. We have so much shame underlying the truth of who we are, and that's also why in my book, it takes a while before I really hear my patients' stories or my therapist really hears mine. We're so afraid of the truth that sometimes we even hide it from ourselves. So I think "Can I be truthful and still be loved?" is the paradox we all live with, both in the therapy room and in our personal relationships. So many people believe that the pretty version of themselves makes them more lovable, so they do everything they can to put that version out there. But what they discover in therapy is that the truth of who they are warts and all is what draws people to them. That's the glue, because in that truth lies connection. I see you. You see me. That's a delicious feeling. | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Books |
That was when Mr. Adam, 39, a conservative and libertarian, watched Twitter and Facebook add labels to social media posts from President Trump and other Republicans who falsely claimed he had won the election. Many of the labels said the assertions were disputed. And on Twitter, some of Mr. Trump's tweets were hidden completely. To Mr. Adam, the social media companies appeared to be singling out conservative voices. So he decided to shift to Parler, a social networking app that he has used on and off for a year, and to largely ignore those two big platforms, he said. "Facebook started muting, deleting and labeling every conservative political post in my feed," Mr. Adam said. "If you're going to do something, you have to be fair to both sides. You don't just get to pick one side to promote." Among those who have spoken out are Mark Levin, a far right radio host with millions of listeners, who vented on his show last week that the tech and media companies were not representing the conservative point of view. Maria Bartiromo, a Fox Business anchor, also expressed frustration with Twitter and said it was blocking conservatives' statements. But Mr. Levin, Ms. Bartiromo and others did not stop there. They directed their followers to other social media apps and news sites that have positioned themselves as alternatives to Facebook and Twitter. The beneficiaries are Parler, a Twitter like app that describes itself as the world's "premier free speech social network," the right wing media app Newsmax, and other social sites like MeWe and Rumble, which have purposely welcomed conservatives. While social media sites marketed at conservatives have existed for years, they have often struggled to catch on more widely. Their invigoration now may add to a fracturing of the information ecosystem. "There are real dangers around a fractured misinformation system, especially as it relates to organizing against our electoral integrity," said Shannon McGregor, a professor at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and senior researcher at the Center for Information, Technology, and Public Life. But Ms. McGregor said she was skeptical that any migration would lead to permanent departures from Facebook and Twitter. "If there is no one to argue with, no omnipresent journalists or media entities to react to, how long will it last?" she said. Facebook and Twitter declined to comment. The companies have denied censoring conservatives and typically point to their terms of service when an account breaks the rules. And while many conservatives are upset about their content being labeled or hidden, they are less willing to acknowledge that their posts can often clash with Facebook's guidelines around disinformation and harmful content. Next week, Twitter's chief executive, Jack Dorsey, and Facebook's chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg, are scheduled to testify at a congressional hearing over their sites' treatment of an unsubstantiated New York Post article that was critical of Hunter Biden, the son of President elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. The hearing was called by Republicans who were incensed that the sites initially limited the distribution of the article. That moved people like Mr. Adam to switch to alternative apps like Parler, which is owned in part by the conservative media personality Dan Bongino. Founded in 2018 by two Nevada based software engineers, John Matze and Jared Thomson, Parler which is named after the French word meaning "to speak" has said it is a free speech platform, with much looser guidelines around what people can post to the site. On Parler, users can see posts about MAGA fodder and QAnon, the pro Trump conspiracy theory that asserts that some top Democrats are satanic pedophiles. Anti Semitic theories abound. Donald Trump Jr., Senator Ted Cruz, Republican of Texas, and Rudolph W. Giuliani, President Trump's personal lawyer, all have Parler accounts. "Parler is a breath of fresh air for those weary and wary of the way they've been treated by our competitors," Jeffrey Wernick, Parler's chief operating officer, said in a statement. "Our growth is not attributable to any one person or group, but rather to Parler's efforts to earn our community's trust." Parler's recent growth has been so staggering that thousands of users have complained about how difficult it was to sign up because of the logjam of people creating new accounts. Mr. Matze said in a letter to Parler's community on Tuesday that the influx "strained our networks' capacity and caused some glitches and delays," but the site was fixing the problems. Some new Parler users said the site was an alternative to extreme platforms like Gab, another social media site that has been a haven for racist memes and content. Andrew Torba, founder and chief executive of Gab, said in an email, "Jesus is King, speak freely on Gab.com." He also sent a link noting that Gab had seen record user growth over the last week. Others have gravitated to Rumble, a video site founded in 2013 that has emerged as a conservative YouTube. Rumble makes money in a variety of ways, including by running ads and selling its technology. Chris Pavlovski, Rumble's founder and chief executive, said the site had been on a "rocket ship" of growth since the summer and even more so since the election. Representative Devin Nunes, Republican of California, and Mr. Bongino are on Rumble and have seen their audiences expand rapidly on the site, he said. Mr. Pavlovski added that Rumble prohibits explicit content, terrorist propaganda and harassment. But he said it was largely not in the business of sorting out misinformation or curbing speech. "I don't want to pretend to sit here and know what the truth is or have the capabilities to know how to do that," he said. On other platforms, he added, "people are not allowed to have debate anymore." Many people have also sought out further right news publications. That has been a boon for Newsmax, a right wing news website and television channel founded in 1998 by the conservative journalist Christopher Ruddy. Last week, Newsmax gained steam after Fox News called the swing state of Arizona in favor of Mr. Biden, incensing Mr. Trump's base. (The New York Times has not called Arizona in favor of either candidate.) "There's a liberal echo chamber that's pretty damn big," he said. "Conservatives just have less options, but if they seek them out, they're there." It might be too early to know whether a widespread, permanent shift away from major outlets will last, especially given the reach of Facebook, Twitter and Fox News. While conservative threats of mass migration away from mainstream apps and news have occurred periodically, people still seem to return to the biggest platforms. Ms. Zepeda, a longtime Facebook user, said she would keep her Facebook account to maintain access to the pictures she's uploaded over the years. But she expects to drop the social network as a daily destination, joining one of the many Facebook groups that are planning a "Mass Exit off Facebook to Parler MeWe," scheduled for Friday. "I'm tired of the bias towards Democrats and liberals," she said. | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Technology |
A new letter sent by independent designers to fashion executives demands reform, or at least a serious conversation about race. The designer Stella Jean wanted to make something clear about an impassioned letter she sent to Italian fashion's governing body: "It's not a protest," she said. "I'm not protesting. It's a proposal." Last week Ms. Jean sent the letter titled "Do BLM in Italian Fashion?" to the president and 14 executive board members of the Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana, which organizes the Milan shows. Those board members included the chief executives of Gucci, Dolce Gabbana, Prada and more. The letter was co signed by Edward Buchanan, an American designer based in Milan. In the letter, shared with reporters on July 30, Ms. Jean and Mr. Buchanan asked for "a constructive, working dialogue" about how to best support the country's Black designers ahead of Milan Fashion Week in September. They acknowledged that in late 2019, the fashion council had published a manifesto promising "sweeping reforms" in diversity and inclusion. They suggested that those reforms had not yet come. As evidence, Ms. Jean cited the recent Milan Digital Fashion Week, which had no Black designers on the main streaming calendar, she said though a few were highlighted elsewhere on the website, alongside other international or emerging brands. "Let's change things," she and Mr. Buchanan wrote in the letter. Instead of round tables on diversity, they proposed "true work, true collaboration." Carlo Capasa, the president of the Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana, said in an email Friday that the council's commitment to inclusion was "real and measurable," pointing to its manifesto, its "huge" effort to scout emerging brands and, in particular, its years of financial assistance to Ms. Jean. "I can say we supported her brand in an extraordinary way in comparison to our standard support to emerging brands," he said. The Italian fashion industry has been long criticized over incidences of racism and cultural appropriation. In recent years, Dolce Gabbana released ads that drove Chinese customers to burn their past purchases; Prada made bag charms that evoked blackface; Gucci made balaclava sweaters that were similarly suggestive. These brands later shared black square statements of support for Black Lives Matter, Ms. Jean pointed out. Some have taken significant steps toward changing their internal culture. But the controversies in Italian fashion have kept coming: Marni apologized Wednesday for a "Jungle Mood" campaign that the fashion industry watchdog Diet Prada called out for "alluding to racist, colonial stereotypes." Ms. Jean, who is Haitian Italian, had a suggestion for these brands in her letter: "For companies wishing to continue to draw free inspiration from Black culture," an organization called Made in Africa will provide a list of African artisans who can "train and collaborate with Italian companies," so that brands "no longer create collections simply inspired by Africa," but are "consciously created with Africa." The letter also suggested creating a public database of Italian fashion companies and their percentages of Black employees. (Mr. Capasa said the council was conducting a survey to "map and monitor" brands' inclusion and diversity efforts.) It emphasized the need to spotlight Black talent and for young Black designers to have access to fashion schools in Italy. In responding to the letter, Mr. Capasa told Ms. Jean that he agreed it was "time to pass from words to action," according to a copy of the response that he provided to The New York Times. He gave examples of recent events and public discussions hosted by his organization featuring Black voices from around the world. He wrote that it was "a pity" Ms. Jean had never asked to be part of the diversity and inclusion work group, and he maintained that she had always been given support, attaching a list of discounts she had received since 2013, totaling more than 175,000 euros. "We've granted you various gratuities and preferential treatment in the last few years," he said. "I don't understand why you write as if none of this ever happened." In an interview, Ms. Jean acknowledged the financial help but said that Mr. Capasa had missed the point of her letter: It wasn't about her but about all Black people in Italian fashion. "We are still completely invisible to them," she said. More than 100 companies make up the Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana, but Ms. Jean said her company is the only Black owned brand. This is not her first time speaking out about the marginalization of people of color in Italy. During Milan Fashion Week in February, instead of a runway show, she made a video featuring Italian women students, lawyers, executives sharing racist remarks they had received. (It was more upbeat than it sounds.) Ms. Jean said she will not return to the official Milan Fashion Week calendar until she is no longer the only Black designer on it. She has grown tired of being an anomaly. "I don't want to be the only one anymore," she said. "But it's not about boycotting. It's about asking for change." | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Fashion & Style |
What was the pianist Stephen Hough doing opening his Carnegie Hall recital on Tuesday, honoring the 100th anniversary of Debussy's death, with "Clair de lune"? The piece has been so overplayed that's it's almost past cliche. Why not do the full work from which it's drawn, Debussy's early "Suite Bergamasque," which you don't often hear? And what were Schumann's formidable Fantasy in C and Beethoven's stormy "Appassionata" Sonata doing on a recital dedicated to Debussy, who didn't have much interest in either composer? Well, the adventurous Mr. Hough, who is also a composer, knew just what he was up to. His subdued account of "Clair de lune" set a contemplative mood in the hall. I think Mr. Hough was also sending another message: Don't assume anything about Debussy; even this popular early piece reveals a radical in the making. Mr. Hough conveyed the exploratory elements of "Clair de lune" by playing it with rhythmic integrity and not a trace of expressive milking. He emphasized the halting flow of the ethereal melody, which unfolds in abrupt phrases that keep stopping momentarily to let a plush harmony linger. | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Music |
Hiroyuki Ito for The New York Times The New York Philharmonic's contemporary music series, Contact!, presented works by a few composers I already admired (including Sarah Kirkland Snider and Anna Thorvaldsdottir) this week. Fernanda Aoki Navarro, however, was new to me. When introducing her intriguing 2012 piece "Parthenogenesis," she described an interest in letting complex material loose, right from the outset of a piece. Later, when searching online for more of her work, I came across a 2014 Talea Ensemble performance of "Otherness." Its opening underlines the composer's taste for in media res introductions. But its finale fosters a more delirious swirl, as percussive writing for strings slams against quickly snaking figures for bass clarinet, bass flute and piano. SETH COLTER WALLS The soprano Ailyn Perez is starring as the Countess in Mozart's "Le Nozze di Figaro" at the Metropolitan Opera. In a Facebook Live concert, she sang the aria "Dove sono," which at Wednesday's performance of the opera was greeted with cheers and calls for an encore. The aria is sobering a reminder that behind the opera's comedy is a woman who loved and married a man she didn't know was a lecherous boor. In this recital video from 2009, Ms. Perez doesn't yet have her current mastery of the role, but you can hear the heartbreak in how mournfully she sings the return of the opening lines: "Where have they gone, the beautiful moments of sweetness and pleasure?" JOSHUA BARONE Watch Ailyn Perez on Facebook Live with the soprano Nadine Sierra. The splendid a cappella octet Roomful of Teeth ended a compelling evening of vocal gymnastics with, as encore, a relatively simple song, Alev Lenz's "Fall Into Me," in a haunting version featuring the soprano Martha Cluver. Ms. Cluver caught much of the dusky atmosphere conjured by Ms. Lenz herself in this clip, and added smoky touches of her own, with fine support from the rest of the ensemble. For me, at least, a happy discovery. JAMES R. OESTREICH Caroline Shaw's "Partita for 8 Voices," which at age 30 made her the youngest winner of the Pulitzer Prize, came to Zankel Hall on Thursday in a joyful performance by her a cappella ensemble, Roomful of Teeth. The piece is a showcase of the group's vocal acrobatics and ethnomusicological fascinations, such as the Inuit throat singing that opens the rhapsodic Courante. In that movement, the melody of the folk hymn "The Shining Shore" appears as a musical non sequitur. Ms. Shaw, who grew up singing in community choirs, told me in an interview last fall that hymns are near and dear to her, and in her mind as she composes. Her respect for "The Shining Shore" is on full display when its melody first enters the "Partita" as pure, heavenly and unabashedly beautiful. JOSHUA BARONE While the Boston Symphony's administrators try to deal with the profoundly troubling revelations about its association with conductors accused of sexual misconduct, its players continue to excel. Under the twinkle toed leadership of Francois Xavier Roth, their most recent program included a vigorous Beethoven Fifth and some exceedingly pleasant Mozart, with the sensitive and sublime Benjamin Grosvenor at the piano. The real treat, though, was Mr. Roth's intelligent way of putting the Beethoven in the context of a contemporary, Etienne Mehul, a French composer who was on rather better terms with Napoleon than dear Ludwig. Mehul's overture to "Les Amazones," which had its premiere in front of the emperor in 1811, sneakily hides a second introduction that's sung out on the cellos, and has an endearing sense of humor. DAVID ALLEN "Tonight I'm wearing a dress," the mezzo soprano Isabel Leonard said at the Park Avenue Armory during a recent recital. She isn't always: The previous night, singing Cherubino a signature role in "Le Nozze di Figaro" at the Met, she dons a soldier's uniform. Here she is singing "Voi che sapete" in a winning 2016 performance at the Met. I love the way she conveys the fidgety nervousness of an adolescent boy about to sing a love song he wrote to the countess he pines over. At the Armory, singing Bernstein songs, Ms. Leonard again played with gender fluidity, bringing affecting freshness to "Something's Coming" and "Maria," two songs intended for Tony in "West Side Story." ANTHONY TOMMASINI On Thursday the dynamic conductor Susanna Malkki led the New York Philharmonic in "Helix," a teeming de facto overture by the orchestra's composer in residence, Esa Pekka Salonen. Mr. Salonen has also written some knockout piano pieces. I'll never forget hearing the New York debut of the brilliant Finnish pianist Juho Pohjonen in 2004, when he performed Mr. Salonen's staggeringly difficult, wildly inventive "Dichotomie." Here's a stunning, tantalizing excerpt from a fearless performance by the pianist Aura Go at the Helsinki Music Center. Catch the extended passage full of crazed glissandos, for which the pianist repeatedly uses a cloth to literally sweep the keyboard. ANTHONY TOMMASINI The descending figures in Paganini's Caprice No. 17 have always reminded the violinist Augustin Hadelich of a cat's meow. So he has made the caprice into a most unusual animated cat video think "The Aristocats" meets "Intermezzo" to accompany his new album, "Paganini: 24 Caprices." And not to worry: Mr. Hadelich offered an assurance, via email, that he does not use catgut. "No nobody uses catgut anymore (gut strings these days are not made out of catgut)," he wrote. "But actually, my strings are synthetic (Evah Pirazzi brand) and the E string is metal (Pirastro Gold Wondertone brand)." MICHAEL COOPER | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Music |
A rendering of the Max, a rental from TF Cornerstone , at 606 West 57th Street. New Apartment Tower Will Be One of City's Biggest A new 42 story building on the edge of Hell's Kitchen near the West Side Highway will pack in 1,028 rental units, making it one of the largest apartment buildings in New York City. The Max, at 606 West 57th Street will be located about as far west as one can go before falling into the Hudson River, which may test whether tenants will live in an unconventional area. Still industrial nearby 11th Avenue is an easy place to buy a car but not so much a loaf of bread the neighborhood is also a long walk from the nearest subway at Eighth Avenue. But buildings in the area "offer lots of comfort for their tenants, and beautiful views," said Gabriel Bedoya, an associate broker with the Corcoran Group who has worked in the neighborhood for more than a decade but isn't affiliated with the project. "The residents who live that far west don't seem to have a problem with the hike." The developer TF Cornerstone, which is run by members of the Elghanayan family, would seem to have a knack for trend spotting. For instance, the Elghanayans built a cluster of glassy high rises near a well known Pepsi Cola sign in Hunters Point, Queens, over the course of about a decade starting in 2006, turning a remote industrial enclave into a popular address. But in other ways, the Max marks a departure. Its 42 story facade, designed by Arquitectonica, is the color of charcoal, a hue that's unusual for TF Cornerstone, which has historically opted for a lighter palette. Similar colors are being mixed for the courtyard's mural, a massive 28,000 square foot creation spanning the back side of a Department of Sanitation facility that abuts the building's property. A current rendering shows silvery clouds, whose dimples and furrows are crisply detailed, floating above a gray New York skyline. "It might be one of the largest outside murals in the city," said Hjalti Karlsson, a founder of Karlssonwilker, its Queens based designer. Visible from the sidewalk, courtesy of a cutaway in the facade, the mural is a work in progress whose size and design could change, said Zoe Elghanayan, a vice president of TF Cornerstone, and a daughter of one of its founders, Frederick. But it should be ready this fall, she added. Zoe's brother, Max Elghanayan, is the building's namesake. Mr. Elghanayan died in January at the age of 30 from an accidental drug overdose, according to a spokeswoman for the New York City Medical Examiner. Among the drugs found in his system were opioids, she said. Mr. Elghanayan, a vice president with TF Cornerstone, had a hand in preserving a neon "garage" sign that used to be part of a parking facility on the property, firm executives said. The sign, now lit with LED lights, is mounted in an amenity area. The interiors of the building also break with previous TF Cornerstone projects, with ceiling heights clocking in at nine feet, half a foot higher than usual, said Sofia Estevez, an executive vice president of the firm. "That may not seem like a lot, but six inches is a big deal," Ms. Estevez said. The apartments, which range from studios to three bedrooms though most are one bedrooms, have white oak floors, porcelain tile backsplashes and Caesarstone counters. Market rate studios start at 2,775 a month, while one bedrooms start at 3,435 a month, though concessions are available. Renters are currently entitled to a month of free rent, Ms. Elghanayan said, and two months if a broker brings them in and a broker's fee is owed. From March, when the Max opened, to mid April, 40 market rate apartments had rented, she said. At the Max, tenants also must pay 50 to use the Max's 50,000 square feet of amenities, which includes a full size basketball court, a children's playroom, and four roof decks. But that fee is being waived for the first year. Meanwhile, just over a quarter of the units, or 258, are designated affordable and are reserved for people in certain income bands. They will be awarded though a lottery later this month, Ms. Estevez said. | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Real Estate |
Karen Dennis, left, 60, and Barbara Goldberg, 10 years her junior and her former boss at O'Connell Goldberg, a public relations firm in Hollywood, Fla. Christine Sabo had three decades of fund raising experience behind her when, three years ago, she was hired as the vice president for major giving at a nonprofit in South Florida. But right about the time Ms. Sabo came aboard, the chief executive had accepted a new position elsewhere. The replacement in the top slot: a 36 year old. "The way he operated was classic for that age group: I would get texts and emails any time day and night," recalled Ms. Sabo, now 59. "If I said I had 30 years in the profession, he hated that. He would say: 'I don't want to hear how long you've been in the field. I don't care how long you've done this or that.'" The new boss seemed to be sending the message that the way Ms. Sabo approached fund raising and development was out of date. "At the end of the day, it felt like, 'You need to come into the new millennium,''' she said. "I used to chuckle and wonder what kind of relationship he had with his mother." Despite her growing discomfort, she tried to do her job and avoid conversation or confrontation with the boss who first demoted her, then fired her. "He told me that I wasn't hitting my goals, but that's not true," said Ms. Sabo, who has a new job and an older boss. "I think it was that we butted heads. Some of it was style, but some of it was generational." Companies these days are looking to fill the management ranks with people who are "digital natives," which frequently translates to millennials and Gen X ers. Meanwhile, more baby boomers are staying on the job longer, and some retirees, looking for a second act, are rejoining the ranks of the employed, at least part time. Consequently, the odds are increasing that older workers will be answering to managers young enough to be their children. A 2014 Harris Interactive survey on behalf of CareerBuilder, a job recruitment website, found that 38 percent of American workers had a younger boss, up from 34 percent in 2012. "Obviously, there have always been younger people in the work force, but in the past, younger workers were on the lower floors and older workers were executives on the upper floors and in the executive dining room," said Jill Chapman, a senior performance consultant with Insperity, a personnel management firm. But because younger workers now have the advantage in sheer numbers, "there are more opportunities for them to move into management roles," Ms. Chapman continued. "They're in their 30s, and they've had lots of experience because of internships we older workers gave them when they were in high school and college. They had those experiences, and they had the chops for exec positions at an earlier age." If older workers have difficulty adjusting, there's a good reason: It goes against the natural order that the subordinate would have several decades on the supervisor. "Research shows that older workers are not as responsive to that younger boss, because they feel he or she shouldn't be in that position," said Orlando Richard, an associate professor of management at the University of Texas at Dallas, who recently completed a study on status incongruence. There are implications for the organization, too. "The older workers with younger bosses are less committed to the company," Professor Richard said. "They're not as engaged in the job. If they're close to retirement, they may not leave, but they may not work as hard." Of course, there are plenty of older workers who continue to give the job their all, even though they now report to someone who thinks of Nirvana as an oldies band. The way they see it, though, that younger boss sure doesn't make it easy. Faye Keller, a public affairs specialist in the health care field in Salt Lake City, was 60 when she got a boss who was half her age. "At the beginning, I wasn't too concerned I was ready to look for his strengths," Ms. Keller said But then she started being excluded from certain meetings. At those meetings she did attend, "I'd say something, and my boss would respond 'yeah, uh huh,' and move on to another topic." Colleagues closer to her boss's age were invited to hang out in his office. "I felt ostracized," said Ms. Keller, who is now 64. She also felt micromanaged. "I would go out of the building to meet with prospective clients, and when I explained that I was trying to develop relationships, he would tell me I could do it over the phone and through email," Ms. Keller said. "I don't believe I'm old school in my ideas, but I think face to face is essential in building successful relationships, and he didn't value that." The boss stayed; she went. There are challenges on both sides of the May December workplace divide. Older workers may feel they've lost their shot at running the show, and younger workers may feel their older subordinates just can't wait for them to mess up, said David Stillman, an author of the new book "Gen Z Work." The co author: his son, Jonah, 17, perhaps a future younger boss. Further, older workers, accustomed to the parental role, may reflexively offer advice to younger bosses who chafe at the effrontery. "They'll say, 'In my day ...' implying 'your day is wrong,'" Mr. Stillman said. For their part, some younger bosses act as though the world began only when they arrived on the scene, "which makes older workers feel that their own considerable experience doesn't matter," Mr. Stillman added. Older workers may be made to feel that they're dinosaurs. Younger bosses may think that, yeah, the older worker is kind of a dinosaur. "My social media skills and computer skills weren't up to par," Ms. Keller said. "I'm willing to admit that." Some companies are making efforts to address the issue. AT T, for example, offers supervisors a two hour course, "Managing the Cross Generational Workforce," which "helps prepare them to effectively communicate with and motivate their direct reports," said Jan Rasmussen, a company spokeswoman. And not every older worker feels marginalized or unappreciated, nor does every younger boss feel disdainful and misunderstood. "I don't look at age I look at business intelligence," said Valentino Lanoce, 54, the regional director of operations for the restaurant chain Verts Mediterranean Grill, who reports to the company's founders, Dominik Stein, 29, and Michael Heyne, 32. "Dominik and Michael respect my experience in the industry, and they'll ask for my opinion and advice. It's very collaborative." Mr. Lanoce said that his interview with Mr. Stein and Mr. Heyne "was like sitting with mature officers of a company." He said: "They're disciplined and professional. Otherwise, I never would have left where I was to come and work with them." When talking about her tour of duty at O'Connell Goldberg, a public relations firm in Hollywood, Fla., Karen Dennis, 60, likes to invoke "The Intern," the 2015 comedy that starred Robert De Niro as an unpaid septuagenarian assistant to a much younger chief executive. Ms. Dennis, a former administrative social worker and marketing consultant, had always wanted to work for a P.R. agency badly enough to work without pay. Nine years ago, through a connection, she got her chance at O'Connell Goldberg. "Social media was starting to emerge, and I was so lacking in skills," Ms. Dennis said. She clearly learned quickly. After nine months, she was offered a paid position; her boss, Barbara Goldberg, a founder of the company, was 10 years her junior. "There's a great work ethic with older workers," Ms. Goldberg said. "They come on time, and they stay, and they're detail oriented. They also avoid petty drama, because this isn't their first time at the rodeo." Ms. Goldberg said that Ms. Dennis filled an important role: "Karen was so nurturing and motherly to the younger employees she had the time and patience, and I didn't." But there were some tensions. "As a 51 year old, I tended to step back and assess a situation," Ms. Dennis said. "When you're that age, you don't see jumping in as being to your best advantage, because you haven't yet seen the whole picture." Her boss's philosophy, on the other hand, was "jump in." Ms. Dennis remembers being part of a conference call with a new client. She was silent throughout the conversation, and afterward, was yanked into Ms. Goldberg's office. "Barbara told me, 'I need to hear from you,'" Ms. Dennis said. "And I responded, 'I didn't have anything to say.' I wanted to understand the dynamics of the other team before I spoke. I promised that on the next call, I would be more forceful and part of the conversation and I was." "It's a dance you do," added Ms. Dennis, who was with the firm for more than six years before leaving to freelance; she remains close to Ms. Goldberg. "It's like marriage," Ms. Dennis said. "My boss would say, 'This is what I want,' and I would say, 'This is what I can do.'" As in many new relationships, there's a struggle to find a way. Diversity issues have long been a part of the terrain, and "there are all these hangups at first," said Ms. Chapman of Insperity. It was a similar dynamic, she said, when women were coming into the work force. "It's something we have to work through, and we have to figure out how to make it work," Ms. Chapman said. | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Your Money |
Psychological trauma is associated with an increased risk for lupus, a new study reports. Lupus is a potentially fatal autoimmune disease that causes inflammation of the skin, joints and internal organs. Its cause is unknown. Researchers studied 54,763 civilian women enrolled in a larger health study. They used questionnaires to determine exposure to trauma, including serious car accidents and sexual assault, and examined medical records to find diagnoses of post traumatic stress disorder. Over the 24 years of the study, they found 73 cases of lupus. Compared to women without trauma, women with PTSD were almost three times as likely to have lupus. Exposure to trauma, even without having symptoms of PTSD, more than doubled the risk of developing the disease. The study, in Arthritis Rheumatology, controlled for oral contraceptive use, smoking, body mass index, physical activity, education and other characteristics. | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Well |
A 20 foot wide townhouse in Greenwich Village, with a dual personality exterior that includes an unassuming brick front and a whimsical rear facade boldly accented with a rainbow of colors, sold for 9,500,000 and was the most expensive sale of the week, according to city records. The annual taxes on the four story residence at , which sold for 2.5 million below the original 12 million asking price of last fall, are 43,212, according to Abigail Agranat of Douglas Elliman Real Estate who represented the seller, Tyler H. Brodie. Vicki Zhi of Douglas Elliman brought the buyer, whose identity was shielded by the aptly named limited liability company . Mr. Brodie is a documentary filmmaker and one of the executive producers, along with his wife, Louise Ingalls Sturges, an artist, of "The Wolfpack," the winner of the U.S. Grand Jury Prize for documentary at this year's Sundance Film Festival. The nearly 90 minute film is about seven siblings who were raised in virtual isolation in a four bedroom apartment on the Lower East Side, where they were home schooled and allowed to watch movies nonstop, on DVDs bought at a discount or borrowed from the library. Ms. Agranat said that Mr. Brodie and Ms. Sturges gave lavish parties at the 1840s Greek Revival house, which she described as having a "free spirited, no rules, spontaneous and creative" aesthetic, and in need of a gut renovation. She said the house was featured in a chapter in a new design book, "The New Bohemians: Cool and Collected Homes" (Stewart, Tabori Chang, 2015). | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Real Estate |
Last year, it seemed like everyone was doing Sondheim somehow, in "Marriage Story," in "Knives Out," in "Joker," on "The Morning Show," on "The Politician." It was quite a little run for Sondheim fans, but those are far from the only instances his work is omnipresent television and movies. Sondheim cameos on "The Simpsons," sure, and there's an episode of "South Park" that imagines him in a "bro down." Every "Desperate Housewives" episode title is a Sondheim lyric, and Andy does "Sweeney Todd" on "The Office." On "BoJack Horseman," a Stephen King musical opens next to a Sondheim revival, but don't worry: "'Misery' loves 'Company.'" He comes up on "Reno 911!" and "Grey's Anatomy," on "Curb Your Enthusiasm," "30 Rock" and "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt." "The Sopranos." "Gilmore Girls." "Taxi." "Billions." The Ryan Murphy oeuvre. Then there are the homages and satires of Sondheim's work. "My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic" has a few direct nods, and "Crazy Ex Girlfriend" has some, too. Maybe the best episode of "Documentary Now!" is "Co Op," a masterly spoof of D.A. Pennebaker's essential documentary "Original Cast Album: Company." Theater nerdery isn't a requirement to be a writer, but it probably doesn't hurt, and the name "Sondheim" itself is shorthand for erudite musical theater in a way that no other writer or show is there's a reason Niles and Frasier bicker about whether he's really "light opera." The ubiquity of the allusions is particularly interesting in contrast to the relative scarcity of straightforward actual adaptations. (Or Sondheim's own for the screen work, like the intriguing but obscure 1966 television one off "Evening Primrose.") You could watch "Sweeney Todd" or "Into the Woods," fully fleshed out movies that were well regarded at the time of their releases. And in a pinch (or a punch), you could do a lot worse. But you could a lot better, too. One reason lots of Sondheim adaptations don't work onscreen is the same reason magic tricks and fireworks tend not to, either: the effort is part of the point, the shock of it all, the dazzle. Things are supposed to look good in movies, and Meryl Streep can recount the rooting of her rutabagas as many times as she needs to get it just so. I want a witch who works for it in front of me, without a net, without cuts and do overs. Movies can't or at least typically don't convey the unmediated, vivid wretchedness of life, and stage actors and theater audiences have a different pact than screen actors and at home or cinema audiences. A transcendent feat of strength onstage is just another glassy token onscreen. You need another layer. That's why some of the better on screen performances aren't direct adaptations but rather characters doing the performance it's not Adam Driver as Bobby, it's Adam Driver as Charlie as not really Bobby in "Marriage Story." I can't imagine a successful all teen production of "Company," but Anna Kendrick as the vindictive Fritzi doing "The Ladies Who Lunch" in "Camp" has its own clash of worlds kind of greatness. Maybe a "Follies" movie will be good ... or maybe we're best off with Hugh Grant as the villain in "Paddington 2" doing a high glitz prison version of that show's "Rain on the Roof." Richard Linklater is making a movie of "Merrily We Roll Along" that will film over 20 years, a la "Boyhood," starring Beanie Feldstein, Blake Jenner and Ben Platt. In the meantime, there is already a near perfect "Merrily" movie, the thorough documentary "Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened." Talk about adding layers back in: "Merrily" is about youthful optimism that, pickled in uneven showbiz success, turns into middle aged bitterness and alienation. The documentary is about youthful optimism met with rude, shocking failure that becomes middle aged wisdom and acceptance. The show moves in reverse chronology, and in some ways the film does, too, hagiography and canonization in one, the flop that became beloved becomes the movie about the flop. "Best Worst Thing" is about everyone involved in "Merrily," but for a more focused biography, there's "Six By Sondheim," an HBO documentary from 2013 that uses six songs "Opening Doors," "Being Alive," "I'm Still Here," "Something's Coming," "Send In the Clowns," and "Sunday in the Park With George" as its tent poles. The new arrangements for some of the songs are fresh and intriguing, and if you can't be charmed by Sondheim himself singing Joe in "Opening Doors" and humming "Some Enchanted Evening," I'm not sure why you're even finishing this article. Sondheim and the host James Lipton geek out briefly about their favorite thesauruses "you work with tools over a period of time, and they become important," Sondheim says, cutting through audience giggles and lament the paucity of words that rhyme with "love." His favorite word is "pioneer," he says, and his least favorite is "celery." Not for nothing, Sondheim also says in that interview that if he had to have a different job, he'd pick teacher. His classroom skills are evident in what for my money is the most important Sondheim viewing anyone can do: "The MTI Conversation Piece With Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine," a video for those staging their own productions of "Into the Woods." (There's a similar one for "Assassins," but I like the "Into the Woods" one better.) Much of it is Sondheim sitting at a white piano, offering background and deconstruction of motifs, as well as tips on acting, directing and conducting. When it comes time to educate viewers on "No One Is Alone," Sondheim squirms on the bench. "I have read criticisms and heard criticisms of the idea of this song by people who say it's nonsense, we are all alone," he says. "But the point is, that's not the kind of alone this song is about .... Of course we are all in a sense profoundly alone, but not when we are connected with each other. And if you were with a child in a terrible situation, you would not say, 'Well, let's face it, we are all terribly alone.' Not at all." To see Sondheim flex in a genuine classroom setting is one reason to be grateful for YouTube. He taught a master class at the Guildhall School in London in 1984, and excerpts from it are online. | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Theater |
With the C.D.C. advising against faithful friends who are dear to us gathering anywhere near to us, it's understandable that we all might need some extra assistance getting into the holiday spirit this year. One of the few bright spots of the season, though, is the abundance of new Christmastime musical specials, helmed by some of our most beloved and benevolent divas. Thank the streaming wars, in part: HBO Max, Apple TV and CBS All Access have all jockeyed to get a different A list angel atop their trees, perhaps in hopes that they'll persuade you to subscribe to one of their services before your long winter hibernation (or at least forget to cancel before your free trial is over.) Whether gaudy, glorious excess or down home simplicity, each offers a different take on a perplexing question: How do you stage a Christmas spectacular in decidedly unspectacular times? First up is Carrie Underwood, whose "My Gift: A Christmas Special From Carrie Underwood" is streaming on HBO Max. A companion piece to her recent first holiday album, the stately and reverent "My Gift," Underwood's special finds her fronting an orchestra led by the former "Tonight Show" bandleader Rickey Minor. Featuring duets with John Legend and, adorably, her 5 year old son Isaiah (whose pa rum pa pum pums are impressively on point), "My Gift" is relatively light on pizazz save for the eight (!) increasingly dramatic costume changes. As Underwood's stylists told "People" magazine in an article devoted entirely to all of her different "My Gift" outfits, the fact that the country powerhouse wouldn't be moving around the stage much gave them an opportunity to "break out these giant confections of tulle and sequins that would never really be appropriate for any other event." The most memorable is a crimson tinged Diana Couture dress and cape number that suggests a cross between a bridal cake topper and Jude Law on "The Young Pope." The splendor and stirring purity of Underwood's voice is powerful enough that even a plunging ball gown adorned with literal angel wings cannot overshadow it. Underwood's most sublime belting, though, doesn't come until the penultimate set of songs, when she absolutely blows the roof off "O Come All Ye Faithful" and "O Holy Night." It's enough to make the relative restraint of the rest of the show pale in comparison. "We really wanted this special and my album to be something that people would return to year after year and not feel dated," she told "People" and, accordingly, there's nary a nod to 2020 in sight. It's a safe choice in a production so full of them that, despite its ample cheer, ends up feeling a little hermetic and snoozy. An offering not as worried about time stamping itself is "Mariah Carey's Magical Christmas Special," a star studded entry from Apple TV in the Yuletide streaming wars. It's certainly the most plot heavy of the bunch (a neurotic elf played by Billy Eichner must restore Christmas cheer to a world low on tidings by booking an impromptu Mariah concert, or something), and the one with a wardrobe that most frequently luxuriates in the lack of F.C.C. oversight of streaming content. Perhaps when she wrote "All I Want For Christmas Is You" she was singing to double sided tape. Though a tad convoluted, Carey's special is full of one liners and knowing winks; when the elf has trouble tracking her down, she informs him, "It's called elusive, darling." Woodstock makes a brief, animated cameo (perhaps to remind us that Apple owns the streaming rights to the "Peanuts" specials, too), which provides a segue into Carey's gorgeous, sultry rendition of "Christmastime Is Here." A lot happens throughout these overstuffed 43 minutes, and the special could have done without some of the bells and whistles. The whistle notes, however, are another story. The most diva licious moment of the whole affair comes when Carey is joined by two very special guests, Jennifer Hudson and Ariana Grande who she stages behind her, so that they end up looking like the Supremes to her Diana Ross. Classic elusive chanteuse. By the song's finale, though, she's invited them both to stand beside her and riff. It provides the opportunity for something the world has been waiting for ever since a young Grande earned the nickname "Baby Mariah": They look at each other respectfully, inhale deeply, and harmonize their whistle notes. This must be the exact sound heard when the Covid 19 vaccine enters one's bloodstream. A woman who might know is Dolly Parton, generous Moderna vaccine trial donor and star of the heartwarming CBS special "A Holly Dolly Christmas." An hourlong show originally made for Sunday night broadcast on CBS (and now streaming on CBS All Access), hers is the most traditional of the bunch, and hardly the flashiest: "It's not a big Hollywood production show, as I'm sure you've noticed," Parton says, gesturing around a set meant to look like a homey church. But she also specifies, "We have managed to do this show safely .... testing, wearing masks and social distancing." Parton is such a charismatic presence that she doesn't need guest stars, plot twists, or costume changes to keep this a transfixing show. Whether she's hamming it up during "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" or filling the spiritual "Mary, Did You Know?" with empathic emotion, her special offers the crackling warmth of a hearth. Before singing her classic "Coat of Many Colors," she tells a moving story about her late mother's selflessness, her painted eyes brimming full of tears the entire time. Just try not to cry along with her. Earlier in the fall, Stephen Colbert showed just how tall an order that is, when he was reduced to tears after Parton burst into a ballad a cappella during their televised interview. "Like a lot of Americans," he explained, "I'm under a lot of stress right now, Dolly!" It's nothing to be ashamed of, though: Plenty believe there's something deeply cathartic about Parton's voice and her overall demeanor. As Lydia R. Hamessley writes in her recent book "Unlikely Angel: The Songs of Dolly Parton," "For many listeners, the restorative effect of Dolly's music seems to flow to them directly from Dolly herself, so they often experience her as a healer." Which sounds like something we could all use right about now. As Parton spins yarns about her humble beginnings and sings songs of enduring faith in the face of despair, "A Holly Dolly Christmas" might, actually, be an effective cure for the 2020 holiday blues. | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Television |
An investor has bought this five story building with 20 apartments 10 one bedrooms and 10 two bedrooms. The 15,355 square foot building, built around 1900, has storage areas and a roof deck. It sold for 15 times the rent roll. | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Real Estate |
SAN FRANCISCO Qualcomm accused Apple of stealing proprietary software and sharing it with the rival chip maker Intel as part of a scheme to reduce Apple's reliance on Qualcomm technology. The claim, made in documents filed in California Superior Court in San Diego on Monday night, add to charges that Qualcomm leveled last year and escalates a broad legal battle that has been raging between the two technology giants since early 2017. Qualcomm said Apple had engaged in a "multiyear campaign of sloppy, inappropriate and deceitful conduct to steal Qualcomm's information and trade secrets" to help improve the performance of Intel chips so they could match Qualcomm products. The material taken included computer source code, software development tools and log files providing data about the performance of Qualcomm products, according to the filing. An Apple spokesman referred on Tuesday to statements the company has issued since it began the legal struggle by suing Qualcomm in early 2017 over patent royalties that handset makers are required to pay the San Diego company. Apple argues that Qualcomm's business practices are illegally harming Apple and the entire tech industry. In court documents, Apple has complained that Qualcomm has failed to provide evidence of any stolen information, though Apple has provided extensive access to corporate records. Qualcomm, in turn, accuses Apple of dragging its feet on providing information needed to bolster its charges. Qualcomm, the leading supplier of modem chips that allow smartphones to communicate over cellular networks, became Apple's main source for those kinds of chips in iPhones in 2011. But Apple has moved to drop Qualcomm as a supplier; the new iPhones announced this month use only modem chips from Intel. Qualcomm, which has also been sued by the Federal Trade Commission and foreign regulators over its patent licensing practices, filed patent infringement suits and other actions in response to Apple's suit. In the San Diego case, Qualcomm initially accused Apple of violating a key agreement governing the use of the two companies' proprietary technology. That agreement contained a series of restrictions aimed at protecting Qualcomm source code and other information, restrictions that Apple violated, in part, by sharing information with Intel, Qualcomm said in the initial complaint. In its latest move, Qualcomm provided more claims in its effort to persuade a judge to broaden the suit to cover theft of trade secrets. That question is expected to be considered at a hearing on Nov. 30, while a trial has been set for April. Qualcomm officials, and some analysts, believe the dispute with Apple is essentially a dispute over how much the smartphone maker pays to license Qualcomm patents. Steve Mollenkopf, Qualcomm's chief executive, has held out hope that a settlement might be reached with Apple. "That really creates a much better environment for us to be able to resolve at least the licensing business issues that we have," Mr. Mollenkopf said in an interview in July. Qualcomm's battle with Apple is one of many challenges the company has grappled with recently. It battled a takeover attempt by a rival, Broadcom, for four months before President Trump blocked the bid on national security grounds. More recently, Qualcomm called off a 44 billion bid to buy NXP after the Chinese authorities failed to approve the transaction. | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Technology |
Current and former N.B.A. and W.N.B.A. players competed in a virtual game of HORSE Sunday night on ESPN. The result? An air ball. When the competition was announced last week, sports fans were ecstatic to have something anything even resembling live basketball to watch. That excitement faded quickly as the competition dragged on. The videos, filmed by the players with their own cameras, were blurry, shaky and oftentimes awkwardly lagged. It was sometimes difficult for the viewer to tell if the shots, taken on the players' home courts, even went in. Sound quality was poor, and it was hard to understand the players' commentary. The semifinal will be played Thursday. Chauncey Billups will face off against Mike Conley, and Zach LaVine will play Quigley. Andy Murray and his wife, Kim, have a challenge for tennis players: can you complete 100 straight volleys? The two failed the first time, but made it on their second try. They posted the video on Twitter, encouraging players and fans to try it themselves. The tennis world responded. Professionals like Novak Djokovic and his wife, Jelena, tried the challenge, and then asked for another competition. "We're here, we're available," Djokovic said. "We have all the time in the world. This is the funnest part of the day." It was a great chance for the young to show off their skills, and for the old to show that they still have it. And don't forget about the pets, who always find a way to be included. No partner? No problem. One fan did the challenge alone by tossing the ball back and forth between his racket. Other fans adapted the challenge by using their cellphones instead of a racket. Play ball! It's opening day. Ah, the smell of freshly mown grass, the crack of ash on horsehide, the cries of the Cracker Jack sellers ... sorry, we lost it there for a minute. Actually, the opening day to which we were referring is in Taiwan. Like basketball, baseball is back in Taiwan, where Covid 19 has been contained fairly successfully. The Uni Lions beat the Chinatrust Brothers on Sunday, 4 1, in 11 innings, and more games are scheduled Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. There were no fans in attendance, but President Tsai Ing wen and her cat were pictured watching the game on television. Both the men's and women's soccer leagues in Taiwan also got underway over the weekend. VICTOR MATHER Hammarby, a Swedish top division soccer team, has resumed practicing. That would be exciting enough news for sports starved fans, but making it all the more electrifying was the presence on Monday of the brilliant and colorful striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Ibrahimovic gets attention wherever he goes. And his presence with Hammarby started eyebrows rising and tongues wagging because of supposed friction between Ibrahimovic and his current team, A.C. Milan, which he joined in December after two years with the Los Angeles Galaxy. Could Hammarby, in his home country, be a final stop for the 38 year old Ibrahimovic? | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Sports |
The book also excoriates the South Vietnamese. Rejecting recent scholarship suggesting that leaders in Saigon may have had more legitimacy than often supposed, Hastings berates them as corrupt autocrats reliant on the United States and uninterested in the welfare of their people. Nguyen Cao Ky, for one, was "remote as a Martian" from his nation's vast peasantry when he served as prime minister from 1965 to 1967. As for the South Vietnamese military, Hastings sympathizes with ordinary soldiers and acknowledges that they sometimes fought well. But he dismisses most of their officers as inept careerists with scant regard for the hardships faced by their troops. For all that, Hastings's judgment falls most harshly on the Communists. Drawing on new sources from Vietnam and recent studies of Hanoi's decision making, he condemns America's adversaries as ruthless ideologues willing to spill any amount of blood to conquer the South. Ho Chi Minh, often romanticized as an amiable nationalist, was in fact a merciless despot who inflicted "systemic cruelties" on his people. Even worse was Le Duan, the little known zealot who displaced Ho in the early 1960s as North Vietnam's chief warlord and climbed a "mountain of his people's corpses" to final victory over the South in 1975. That victory ended three decades of war but also brought new waves of repression and deprivation for the Vietnamese. Hundreds of thousands rendered their verdict on the new order, Hastings notes, by risking their lives to flee, often in rickety boats. Those who stayed behind, he adds, made their opinions clear when they quickly embraced the West after the regime, confronting the failures of its iron rule, finally relaxed its grip in the late 1980s. The main problem with Hastings's focus on the human toll of the war is his tendency to underplay the motives that led all sides to consider it worth waging. The result is sometimes to flatten decision makers into callous villains and everyone else, both soldiers and civilians, into victims. On the American side, for example, we learn little about the geopolitical calculations that led presidents from Harry Truman to Richard Nixon to fixate on the need to stop Communist expansion in Southeast Asia. Nor does Hastings have much to say about the pervasive anti Communism that drove so many Americans to back intervention. On the other side, Hastings only skims the surface of the economic and social injustices that fueled the rebellion against the South Vietnamese government and made Communism a plausible, if not broadly appealing, path for the nation's development. To be sure, Hastings acknowledges that the Communists "worked with the grain of rural society," catering more successfully than the Saigon government to the everyday grievances that fueled unrest. But he never nails down how much importance to attach to this observation, instead emphasizing Hanoi's reliance on violence, coercion and propaganda to achieve victory. Hastings could have written a more complete account by addressing these themes in greater detail. Actually, closer attention to the big ideas that drove each side might have reinforced his central point by underlining how much damage was done in the name of competing ideologies that meshed poorly with the needs of Vietnamese society. But Hastings is hardly wrong to place the emphasis on consequences rather than motives. In fact, he deserves enormous credit for helping us, half a century after the peak of the fighting, to see beyond old arguments about which side was right. What is visible when the blinders come off is indeed no pretty sight. | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Books |
Carnegie Hall was packed, including extra seats on the stage, for a recital by the pianist Yuja Wang. Her program offered 13 wildly contrasting works spanning three centuries, from Bach and Galuppi through Chopin and Brahms to Ravel, Scriabin, Berg and Federico Mompou. But in a message that was broadcast to the audience before she appeared onstage, Ms. Wang alerted everyone that she might not follow the order of works as printed in their playbills. "I firmly believe every program should have its own life, and be a representation of how I feel at the moment," she said. "I want to let the music surprise me. Please experience the concert with all of your senses and an open mind, and enjoy the ride." Musical rides can certainly be enjoyable, especially with a superb artist like Ms. Wang as your guide. Yet as she began to play that night in late February, many in the audience looked confused. People all around me were rifling through their programs, trying to figure out whether they were hearing a sonata by Scriabin or Berg; a Chopin mazurka or a Brahms intermezzo; a watery piece by Ravel or a lilting work by Mompou. I sympathized with those who seemed rattled. After all, isn't knowing what piece you're hearing pretty crucial? It can certainly help one's appreciation to place music in a historical and stylistic context. Yet I support what I believe was Ms. Wang's intention. Our preconceived ideas about a composer or piece can keep us from listening with fresh ears. An intermezzo by the mighty Brahms? Before you hear a note, you may already have decided it's great. But what about Berg? If you don't care for atonal music or think you don't you might close your mind and ears if you see a piece of his coming up next on a program. If you had done that at Ms. Wang's recital, you would have missed fully taking in her rhapsodic performance of Berg's early, extraordinary one movement sonata. Yes, his harmonic language here pushes the boundaries of tonality to the breaking point. But this restless piece is nevertheless steeped in the world of late Brahms and Mahler. In keeping its identity in some way a secret, Ms. Wang might have encouraged more people to really listen to it. This happened just four days after Ms. Wang's recital, when the pianist Daniil Trifonov played a Bach program at Alice Tully Hall, devoted mostly to a magnificent account of "The Art of the Fugue." He then gave elegant performances of three encores, wonderful pieces that were surely unfamiliar to most of us, including me. It turned out that they were all composed by sons of Bach: first, a short sonata by Johann Christian; then a polonaise by Wilhelm Friedemann; and finally a rondo by Carl Philipp Emanuel. Clearly, Mr. Trifonov wanted us to just listen. Yet I think he missed an opportunity to engage his audience by letting them in on what they were hearing. I bet that would have made people more excited; instead, many visibly shifted in their seats, looking puzzled. I was struck by how many people at Carnegie Hall, too, seemed discombobulated by not knowing what Ms. Wang was playing at any given moment. After all, the program listed the works; she just altered the order. During the intermission, I overheard some disgruntled audience members complaining that they felt manipulated. Ms. Wang clearly hoped her listeners would embrace what she was doing as liberating, and heed their immediate impressions of the music. She seemed intent on revealing striking similarities between very different pieces. She blazed through Scriabin's fiery Sonata No. 5, yet she also brought out milky textures and scintillating colors in it that I've never heard played with such delicacy. The music sounded almost Impressionist. Practically without pausing, she began Ravel's "Une Barque sur l'Ocean," from his "Miroirs" suite. Suddenly I heard fresh resonances between the rippling runs of the Ravel and the Chopinesque filigree of the Scriabin. You wouldn't think of them as a pair, but hearing them together ideally without knowing their identities you could feel they were a natural fit. But perhaps the fact I recognized both pieces actually helped me to sit back and enjoy the ride. Audience members who were frustrated by not being sure what they were hearing may have reacted by being less receptive, rather than more. My critic colleague and friend Corinna da Fonseca Wollheim believes that classical concerts are, in general, overly explanatory and proscriptive. Determined to present an alternative, she has created a series called Beginner's Ear. "It's named after 'beginner's mind,'" Corinna told me recently, "an ideal in Zen that denotes a state of opening to the present moment, not encumbered by any mental construct, thinking, experience, preference or memories things that can get in the way of us really, really engaging." Translating that ideal into the concert setting is at the heart of these hourlong sessions, which feature a guided meditation that leads into a half hour performance. Sounding a little like Yuja Wang, Corinna said that each session is meant to be "a journey that takes you along," where one "surrenders to this hour." "It's quite important to provide as little info up front as possible," she added, "so people can enter into a state of listening, sort of a quality of opening and trust." The main reason not to identify the pieces beforehand is to "disable the kind of mechanism that seeks to label or analyze," she said. Many people sit in a concert with a nagging suspicion that the person behind them is some kind of an expert getting more out of the experience that they are. "The idea is that the more information they have, the more likely they will enjoy it," Corinna said. But she has come to believe that the opposite can be true, too. I agree. And this realization has the potential to profoundly change the way classical music is presented. Corinna told me that at a Beginner's Ear session in January, the pianist Taka Kigawa played a complex piece by Pierre Boulez, alternating short movements from the score with works by Liszt, Bach and Debussy. Those works were not identified until the end, when people typically learn what pieces they've heard and can go home with their curiosity satisfied. Surely many had no idea they were meditating to Boulez. That could be the most applicable takeaway if the goal is to make formal concerts less explanatory and more experiential: Music lovers might well be more willing to let go and not fret over what they're hearing so long as they know they will find out in due course. Ms. Wang could have found some way to make that concession. Perhaps at the end of each half, she could have told the audience the pieces she had played, or even suggested why she opted for that order. (At the end, true to form, she played three encores and didn't identify those, either.) | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Music |
AS conscious as consumers have become in recent years of the merits of sustainable housing and the drawbacks of having a large carbon footprint, the fact remains that in all of Westchester County today, there are only two LEED certified residential projects: a two family market rate condominium in Hastings on Hudson and a 22 unit affordable assisted living complex in Yonkers. By comparison, according to the United States Green Building Council in Washington, which created the certification process and coined the terminology (LEED is an acronym for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) the village of Cold Spring, in Putnam County to the north of Westchester, has more than 100 LEED certified units, among them single and multifamily, market rate and income restricted. Overall state and national numbers remain modest. There are 1,262 certified LEED for Homes units in New York State; 1,658 in New Jersey; 3,043 in California; and a total of 20,000 in the United States, according to the nonprofit council that administers the LEED for Homes program. "For a variety of reasons, 'LEED for Homes' has not really caught on in Westchester," said Christina Griffin, the principal of an architectural firm in Hastings on Hudson bearing her name. An ardent proponent of green construction, she designed the two family in Hastings in 2009 to the platinum LEED for Home standard, the most rigorous awarded by the council. She has another project, a three bedroom ranch under construction in White Plains, that has been designed to gold certification standards. Michael J. Murphy, who is in charge of new projects for Murphy Brothers Contracting in Mamaroneck, concurred with Ms. Griffin's assessment, calling Westchester "seriously behind the times." Mr. Murphy's explanation: "Because land and construction costs are already so high in the county, homeowners who are building a new house or renovating an existing one often pick and choose which green elements to include and which to eliminate. We're just not there yet when it comes to going green all the way." Sean Murphy, a co owner of the firm, which builds and renovates houses in the Long Island Sound area, estimates that LEED certification, with all its attendant paperwork, can increase the cost of construction by as much as 20 percent. "As a result," he added, "contractors and architects are reluctant to approach clients even Wall Streeters with the whole package, and instead suggest energy efficient windows, foam insulation and sometimes geothermal heating and cooling systems, which offer a faster payback on their investment. "Especially with the real estate market the way it is these days, many clients in Westchester don't believe LEED certification will add to their home's resale value." In Rye, Rex Gedney, the principal of Crozier Gedney Architects, is selling three houses he designed to replace teardowns, for upward of 2 million each. Like the buyers of one of them, a four bedroom brick colonial on two acres, clients often want an energy efficient home, though generally not one meeting the strict LEED requirements dictated by the building council, Mr. Gedney said. In the case of the brick colonial, the buyers opted for a geothermal heating and cooling system, energy efficient windows and what is known as a "tight building envelope" for insulation. But they are also using marble and tile from outside the region and have ordered cabinetry from Europe so they do not qualify for certification, which would have restricted them to locally accessible materials. "It's not that they're against LEED or energy conservation in general," Mr. Gedney said of the buyers, "but they're choosing to build their house with materials that suit their particular tastes." Also, solar panels are not popular with many conservation minded homeowners in Westchester. Though commonly used on the West Coast and in the Southwest to generate electricity for homes, the panels are a hard sell in Westchester, said Douglas Hertz, the president of Sunrise Solar Solutions in Briarcliff. They are perceived in the county as "expensive and ugly," Mr. Hertz said. But even though a typical solar system costs about 30,000, federal and state refunds and tax incentives reduce that to 7,000 an amount, he noted, that the homeowner can recoup in energy savings in under five years. And even in looks, the panels have improved, he said: they are no longer clunky and industrial looking, but rather sleek and flat, with black glass panels and black frames. "The technology has come a long way," he said. Roof style may be another problematic factor. Many homes in Westchester have turrets, hips and intersecting gables, which "make for exciting architecture but present practical problems for solar," according to Mr. Hertz. Many homes in the county are in older neighborhoods with large trees on their southern flanks. These provide shade in the summer and allow the sun to help warm the home in winter but they also often block the ideal sites for solar panels. Even in new developments with open rooftops and few trees, most buyers are not willing to pay for solar panels and other LEED recommended measures, said Jim Boniello, a partner in Boniello Builders in Goldens Bridge. The company offers energy efficient packages, but they have not proved popular with customers. For example, a basic new four bedroom three and a half bath colonial on two acres in Somers might sell for 1.25 million; a geothermal system, high efficiency windows and spray foam insulation would add about 100,000 to the price, he said. "Especially in today's market," Mr. Boniello said, "we're competing with the used home market and a lot of distressed sales. There are good deals out there these days, and the bottom line is that a lot of buyers I talk to aren't willing to pay for the extra costs of going green." | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Real Estate |
Demi Lovato, the Grammy nominated pop singer known for her big voice and confessional nature, was rushed to a Los Angeles area hospital on Tuesday afternoon after experiencing what the authorities said was a drug overdose, according to news reports. Representatives for the Los Angeles Police and Fire Departments said that officers responded just before noon local time to a medical emergency in the Hollywood Hills. Paramedics transported a 25 year old woman in stable condition to the hospital, a Fire Department spokesman said, though the authorities declined to identify the person. TMZ and NBC News reported that the patient was Ms. Lovato, 25, who has frequently discussed her struggles with substance abuse in both music and interviews. Kerissa Webb Dunn, an aunt of Ms. Lovato, wrote on Facebook: "PLEASE PLEASE pray for my sweet niece DEMI LOVATO. She has been hospitalized and needs everyone's prayers desperately!!!! PLEASE PRAY she pulls through." She added later that Ms. Lovato was "awake and responsive." | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Music |
Now Lives: In Harlem, in a fourth floor studio apartment not far from where he grew up. Claim to Fame: Mr. Loving is the grandson of Dapper Dan, the Harlem couturier fabled for outfitting gangsters and rap stars in bootlegged Fendi and other designer duds. Turns out, Mr. Loving has been designing in the atelier since high school, and is introducing innovative machines and techniques there. "I would send Dap videos of laser etching and he invested in a huge Trotec Speedy," Mr. Loving said. "I want to etch Gucci 'G's and monograms. It's special to have something made from scratch with your name on it." Big Break: Mr. Loving began working at the atelier during high school, helping design pieces for Diddy, Busta Rhymes and Pharrell. It wasn't until he outfitted Floyd Mayweather Jr., the flamboyant boxing champion, that he felt like a member of the team. "Floyd would give us so many orders," Mr. Loving said. "Dap wouldn't have time, so I would design two or three." For one ringside look in 2012, Mr. Mayweather Jr. wanted a vest and shorts that evoked a motorcycle jacket. "The one I was most proud of it was metallic silver and black leather, covered in eyelets," he said. | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Style |
Venus Williams, away from the court and in her EleVen by Venus Williams offices in West Palm Beach, Fla.Credit...Chad Batka for The New York Times Venus Williams, away from the court and in her EleVen by Venus Williams offices in West Palm Beach, Fla. WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. Venus Williams's ability to get around a tennis court quickly is well known. She is 6 foot 1 and nearly can get from one side to the other in a single side step leap slide. Less known is her speed in taking meetings. Earlier this week, on Tuesday, Ms. Williams hit nearly every department of her fashion and interior design companies in about an hour and a half. It was a few days after she had returned from Rio de Janeiro, where she won a silver medal in mixed doubles tennis, and one day before she was to leave for New York for the United States Open, which begins Aug. 29. In the morning, she had practiced for two hours in the sweltering sun of South Florida in summer, run home for a shower and then come to the office with Harry, her 9 year old Havanese, in tow. Dressed in a hot pink tank top, heather gray capri yoga pants and hot pink sneakers, she hovered over a couch on which a panoply of tennis clothes had been draped: short skirted tennis dresses with a bright geometric pattern; skirts in the same pattern; blue tank tops; visors; headbands; a fuchsia hoodie. Ms. Williams became a professional tennis player in 1994, when she was 14 years old, and quickly emerged onto the national tennis scene. She has won seven Grand Slam singles events and 14 more in women's doubles, playing alongside her sister Serena, 34. Venus has won five Wimbledon singles titles. In 2002, she became the first African American woman to earn the world's top ranking in tennis since the onset of the open era in the late 1960s. By 2011, though, her tennis career had been slowed by illness and injury. She announced she was suffering from Sjogren's syndrome, an autoimmune disorder that results in joint pain and sometimes crushing fatigue, among other symptoms, and withdrew from the second round of the United States Open. But she has regained momentum. She reached the semifinals in women's singles at Wimbledon this summer and won doubles with her sister. Venus is once again in the top 10, ranked sixth in the world (Serena is ranked No. 1) and is seeded sixth at the United States Open. "I never would have predicted I would have played this long, apparently you can play this long I am learning," she said with a laugh. "At some point it's got to end and it will be an extremely sad day." But not yet. Even when she doesn't win, she (and her sister) still garner plenty of attention. Though Venus lost in the first round of singles at the Olympics she spiked a fever of 103 degrees the night before the match her gold medal record became one of the biggest stories to come out of the tennis portion of the Games when a British broadcaster congratulated Andy Murray on being the first tennis player to win two gold medals. Mr. Murray corrected him, replying, "Venus and Serena have won four each." She trains every day, playing a few hours of tennis and then hitting the gym for plyometrics or other strength building programs. She tries to take a day off, here and there. She takes November off altogether, no workouts at all, except for the dance classes that she began to take regularly once she and Serena added a dance competition to their annual Williams Invitational friends and family reunion. Venus attributes her confidence as a designer to her sister. When Venus started out, her first collection was too conservative, she said, and had to be scrapped. "The real EleVen started to emerge after," she said. "I designed a dress and I asked Serena what she thought. She said, 'Oh my god, I love it!' That's when my shoulders went up and I started feeling confident. Because you know sisters, they're always honest." About 10 years ago, she began to build a foundation for life off the tennis court by studying fashion and interior design, and business. In deciding on an undergraduate program focused on business administration, Ms. Williams contacted David Frantz, a professor of management at Indiana University East. "When she called up I thought it was one of my friends playing a practical joke," said Professor Frantz, who became Ms. Williams's adviser. "She was an excellent student." She graduated with a bachelor of science degree in business administration in August 2015. She said she is now studying for a master's degree in interior architecture. All the coursework has fed into her two main businesses. EleVen, a four year old company, is undergoing a serious reboot since Ms. Williams hired two seasoned retail executives last year to help her centralize and take charge of operations. The two companies sometimes collaborate. V Starr designed the hangout space adjacent to a rooftop tennis court in the Hamptons and covered throw pillows in EleVen fabric. Steven Schwartz, the chief executive officer of the Midtown Athletic Club chain, recently met with Ms. Williams and Ms. Rosen. He has decided to both carry the EleVen line and to hire V Starr to help design the tennis lounge and some hotel suites at its flagship club in Chicago, which is under renovation. "She wins Wimbledon doubles on Saturday afternoon and she comes to Chicago on Tuesday," Mr. Schwartz said. "We met with her all afternoon. Athletic ability fades, and she is smart enough to know this, and she is humble enough to work with." At the office, she showed easy camaraderie with her employees. "Everyone here is in their lane, but they're expected to speed," she said. Ms. Williams sketches the EleVen designs herself on vellum paper; she worked on her most recent batch in Paris, while playing in the French Open. Sipping a green juice (she drinks so much water on the court that she avoids it elsewhere), she sat on a swivel chair as V Starr designers filled her in on current projects. Sonya Haffey, the company design director, explained that they were almost finished with a proposal being sent to a Miami hotel developer. Ms. Haffey was concerned about some of the constraints imposed by the potential client. "The art needs come in under 130 per piece," she said, with an accessories budget of 200 an item. Ms. Williams leaned back. "Well," she said, "let's find the best lamps we can for 200." She turned her chair to look at a floor plan for a space they were designing for a luxury multifamily building. Since she had last seen the plans, the client had asked the V Starr team for alterations. "I am still brokenhearted over the changes," Ms. Williams said. "I guess I need to move on." Then she did, calling out a question to a woman sitting a few desks away. "Lorena, you started class yet? You need to teach me AutoCAD," she said, referring to a computer software application for design and architecture. Lorena Baldridge is an intern who has been at V Starr for two months. Ms. Williams eventually headed back into the warehouse space from where the orders of EleVen activewear are shipped to online customers and the boutiques, spas and fitness clubs that carry it. The inventory had been reorganized to make room for incoming shipments of the Prism collection. She climbed ladders and rooted through bins looking for certain pieces to pack into a box. She likes occasionally to tuck handwritten thank you notes into packages going off to unsuspecting customers. "I pitch in, every little bit helps, though I think they secretly check the boxes I pack to make sure I didn't screw anything up," she said. Today's practice, she said, would be modified. Instead of 20 minute long cardio baseline drills, there would be 10 minute drills. And she would forgo her after tennis workout. "I usually just power through," she said. "I'm trying to make better choices." To help combat the effect of Sjogren's syndrome, she pays close attention to her diet. She is "chegan," as she put it, a vegan who sometimes cheats. ("I like butter," she said.) When Serena told her she was cutting out sugar, Venus followed suit. "It's working very well for helping with energy," she said. "I'm on Day 58. I have a little app and it keeps track." For the United States Open, particularly, she needs to maintain her energy. "The U.S. Open is very New York," she said. "It is fast paced, intense, you have to fight. Just getting on site is an effort." She arrived for the practice session with her hitting partner, Jermaine Jenkins. He lives in Orlando, Fla., but had come to town to help her practice after Rio and before the year's final major. He has been hitting with her the past year, since they met the year before at the French Open. Also joining was her assistant of six weeks, Zebe Haupt. His mother is friends with Venus's mother. This is how things work in her life: Her network springs from her family. "You probably want to win because you're the older sister and the younger sister wants to win because she's the younger sister. We don't talk about it much," she said, later adding, "Losing is no fun no matter who you lose to. Beating her is not as exciting as beating someone else. I care. I care if she wins or doesn't." As she has gotten older, she has become more nervous watching Serena play. "It's hard for me to watch her matches," she said. Venus becomes animated when she talks about Serena. It's endearing. "When you're a big sister," she said, "it's a great job. I don't know how little sisters feel about their job, but when you're a big sister, you're supposed to take care of everything. And you feel good about it, I do." Perhaps this has informed Venus's role advocating fair treatment of women tennis players. She began arguing for pay equity in prize money as far back as 1998, when she was 18, and then more famously took the case to a Grand Slam committee in a boardroom at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in 2005, the day before she would win at Wimbledon. She was the subject of a documentary, "Venus Vs." made by Ava DuVernay, the trailblazing filmmaker whom Disney selected to direct "A Wrinkle in Time." More recently, at Wimbledon this year, she spoke out for fair court assignments for women, after playing a match on one of the club's lower profile courts. Munching on kale chips in the EleVen conference room last Tuesday, Ms. Williams said her goal is to point out realities to people who may not be fully aware of them, and to give them a chance to do the right thing. "I don't think anyone wants to look in the mirror and say, 'I'm anti woman,' they don't see themselves that way and you can't treat them that way," she said. "But you have to tell the truth. It's important to be respectful of the things that have been accomplished but also to acknowledge what hasn't been accomplished yet." | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Fashion & Style |
Global Economic Growth Is Already Slowing. The U.S. Trade War Is Making It Worse. WASHINGTON President Trump's trade war is chilling business investment, confidence and trade flows across the world, a development that foreign leaders and business executives say is worsening a global economic slowdown that was already underway. Recent softening in Europe, Australia and other parts of the world coincides with Mr. Trump's intensified trade fight with China and other partners. Economists warn that further escalation by Mr. Trump like tariffs on more Chinese goods or levies on foreign autos could slow global growth to a crawl. "With these trade tensions, the global economy, in a sense, is getting close to a crossroads," said Ayhan Kose, the director of the World Bank's Prospects Group. Weakness in China, driven in part by fallout from the trade war, has spread to Germany, Australia and other nations, raising supply chain costs, chilling exports and worrying political and economic leaders. On Tuesday, Mario Draghi, the president of the European Central Bank, said the bank was prepared to inject more stimulus into the eurozone economy to combat the economic slowdown. The effects of Mr. Trump's trade war have been particularly hard on Germany, Europe's largest economy, which has been bracing for a decision about whether the United States will impose tariffs on auto imports. Trade anxiety has led to a decline in business sentiment and spending: Overall German industrial production contracted sharply in April, falling 1.9 percent on the month versus the 0.5 percent analysts expected. "The risks that have been prominent throughout the past year, in particular geopolitical factors, the rising threat of protectionism and vulnerabilities in emerging markets, have not dissipated," Mr. Draghi said in a speech on Tuesday. "The prolongation of risks has weighed on exports and in particular on manufacturing." Mr. Trump lashed out at Mr. Draghi by name on Twitter, accusing him of trying to weaken Europe's currency to get a leg up in global trade by making its goods cheaper to buy overseas. "Mario Draghi just announced more stimulus could come, which immediately dropped the Euro against the Dollar, making it unfairly easier for them to compete against the USA," Mr. Trump wrote on Twitter. "They have been getting away with this for years, along with China and others." Read more about the growing recession fears in Europe. The president's aggressive approach to trading partners comes as developed and developing nations are already pulling back on the rapid globalization that dominated two decades of economic policymaking. Global flows of foreign direct investment fell by 13 percent last year, to their lowest level since the financial crisis, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development reported last week. It was the third consecutive annual decline, which officials blamed on multinational corporations bringing cash back to the United States after Mr. Trump's 2017 tax overhaul. Officials warned that trade tensions posed a "downward risk" for a rebound in investment growth this year. Mr. Trump has made steady use of tariffs to punish trading partners, like China, Europe, Canada and Mexico, that he says have destroyed American jobs by flooding the United States with cheap products and erecting unfair economic barriers at home. The president and his top officials insist that the trade war is lifting the American economy and that any slowdown in global growth is not related to the administration's trade policies. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in an interview this month that he did not "think in any way that the slowdowns you're seeing in parts of the world are a result of trade tensions at the moment." He noted that growth in Asia and Europe had been tapering off before trade talks between the United States and China broke down in early May. Mr. Trump has repeatedly cited China's slowdown as proof that his trade war is working, telling reporters last week that the United States has "picked up 14 trillion in net worth of the United States." "And China has gone down probably by 20 trillion," he continued. "There's a tremendous gap." But a slowdown in the world's second largest economy one that's deeply enmeshed in global trade networks affects other economies. "China is the biggest trading nation in the world," said Jacob Funk Kirkegaard, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics in Washington. "The idea that you could slow down the global growth engine and not affect other countries is just not credible." Multinational companies are already shifting supply chains and delaying capital spending in response to Mr. Trump's tariffs on Chinese goods and foreign metals. Ford and Rivian no longer plan to work jointly on electric vehicles. Elizabeth Holmes took the stand in her trial. Follow along with our reporters. Ken Griffin, head of Citadel, bid highest for a copy of the Constitution. Tom Linebarger, the chairman and chief executive of diesel engine manufacturer Cummins, said last week that his company had lost business for part of its operation in China as a result of the trade war. The Indiana company is changing its sourcing practices to minimize exposure to China, and Mr. Linebarger said its costs from tariffs now exceeded the benefits from the corporate tax cuts Mr. Trump signed in 2017. "The tariffs that are in place now, and which may be in place for some time, are a significant burden on U.S. businesses and farms," Mr. Linebarger said. Data increasingly suggest trade tensions are weighing on economic confidence, globally and in the United States. A Federal Reserve Bank of New York manufacturing survey registered its worst drop ever on Monday, which many economists blamed on Mr. Trump's threats this month to impose tariffs on Mexican imports as punishment for failing to curb illegal immigration. While those tariffs were averted, the chance that Mr. Trump could make a similar move against another trading partner has caught the attention of global companies and foreign leaders. The trade war is having "a much bigger impact" on business hiring and investment in the United States than most analysts think, Deutsche Bank wrote in a research note on Monday. Several measures of policy uncertainty, compiled by economists Scott R. Baker of Northwestern University, Nicholas Bloom of Stanford University and Steven J. Davis of the University of Chicago, have spiked with the increased tensions. On Tuesday, Mr. Trump said on Twitter that he had spoken by phone to President Xi Jinping of China and that the two leaders would have an "extended" meeting next week at the Group of 20 summit in Japan. Those comments could help calm global trade fears, which had risen after the United States accused China of breaking a trade deal last month and Mr. Trump raised tariffs on 200 billion worth of Chinese goods as punishment. But no agreement is guaranteed, and Mr. Trump has threatened to impose tariffs on an additional 300 billion of Chinese goods if Mr. Xi does not agree to the original deal. The president has already placed import taxes on 250 billion worth of products from China and has hit trading partners with steel and aluminum tariffs and threatened tariffs on foreign autos from Europe and Japan. What American businesses claim will hurt them (and you) if new tariffs take effect. The World Bank cut its forecast for global growth by 0.3 percentage points for this year in response to unexpected weakness in trade and manufacturing across advanced and developing economies. Global trade growth has slowed to its lowest rate since the 2008 financial crisis as exports from Europe and Japan have plummeted, particularly to China. The bank noted that heightened policy uncertainty, including trade tensions, had been accompanied by slowing global investment and weakening confidence. It warned in a report this month that risks to its outlook were "firmly on the downside, in part reflecting the possibility of destabilizing policy developments, including a further escalation of trade tensions between major economies." International Monetary Fund economists estimate that if Mr. Trump follows through on his threat to broaden the Chinese trade spat, tariffs added this year alone will subtract 0.3 percent off global gross domestic product in 2020, with an additional 0.2 percent drag coming from tariffs the administration put in place last year. Manufacturing, which is especially vulnerable to trade, is slowing across advanced economies even as service industries hold up. Factory gauges have dipped lower across Europe and are wavering in Japan. In the United States, the Institute for Supply Management's factory index dropped to its lowest reading of Mr. Trump's presidency in May. Trade policies aren't the only culprit behind slowing production. A continuing, structural slowdown in Chinese growth and tensions from Britain's attempted exit from the European Union are among other factors. And in Australia, where an almost 28 year old expansion is looking less secure and the central bank recently cut rates for the first time since 2016, economic officials are watching trade wars warily. The governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia, Philip Lowe, called international trade disputes "the main downside risk" in a recent news conference. If coming trade negotiations don't end in a resolution, the United States and its companies could also pay a price, leaders of the Business Roundtable, a corporate lobbying group in Washington, warned last week. "The biggest self inflicted risk to growth today would be trade going south," said Jamie Dimon, chief executive at JPMorgan Chase. | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Economy |
LONDON "Pics or it didn't happen," said the pop star and actor Nick Jonas, who, backstage after the Topman Design show at London Collections Men, had found a Wi Fi connection and hopped onto his Instagram account to share a video with 5.6 million of his nearest and dearest. Although Mr. Jonas is not the runway evergreen his brother Joe is Joe, after all, went to enough shows to earn a brief gig as a correspondent for New York magazine's The Cut it didn't take him long to land on this bedrock tenet of fashion week coverage. Video duly posted, he stopped to chat about Topman Design's swoony, velvet stuffed collection. When you see a show like this, are you thinking of what you might wear onstage, or what you might wear in your own life? | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Fashion & Style |
A new scripted show on BET reimagines the behind the scenes work that went into "Soul Train." And after a dramatic buildup, President Trump delivers his second State of the Union address. AMERICAN SOUL 9 p.m. on BET. Set in 1970s Los Angeles against the backdrop of the Vietnam War, this new drama series chronicles the making of the first national program of its kind: "Soul Train," a response to "American Bandstand" written, produced and owned by black people. Sinqua Walls ("Power") portrays Don Cornelius, the creator and host of the show, alongside the actors Kelly Price and Jason Dirden. Among the guest stars are Wayne Brady, Bobby Brown and some former members of Destiny's Child, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams. "American Soul" debuts with two back to back episodes in which Don goes out of his way to secure a star performer who will take his project to the next level. In an interview with The New York Times, Rowland who appeared on the show in 1998 talked about her role as Gladys Knight and what the series meant to her growing up. "'Soul Train' was one of my first memories of watching all these different beautiful black people dancing and having a good time," she said. | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Television |
Some graphic novels are so visually stunning that you can readily imagine print dealers of the future slicing out pages for individual sale, as riveting out of context as extracts from a 19th century field guide. Daria Tessler's exquisite CULT OF THE IBIS (Fantagraphics Underground, 29.99) falls into this category, a tour de force in black and white. Nearly every picture balances a sense of wonder and menace stopping you in your tracks even as the plot races ahead. It opens with a cityscape that feels at once vast and compressed, ominous and playful. A cloud formation looks like some sinister leakage, while the gears of a rooftop clock are protected by a metal covering shaped, for some reason, like a chicken head. Then Tessler zooms in on one corner of this impossible city: a driver parked at the curb, beneath a sign that says, without explanation, "FATE / FREE WILL." The facades crammed around this corner range wildly, from thick brick to horripilating dots to a scattering of triangles like tipsy biohazard symbols; some windows appear draped with what looks like wood, and one has a star chart for a curtain. For good measure, a pair of T. J. Eckleburg grade peepers hangs from the side of one building. The scene is at once static and electrically alive. Something big is about to happen. Our unnamed protagonist is a getaway driver. While waiting for accomplices to knock over a bank, she satisfies her occult tendencies with an issue of Modern Alchemist Monthly. Tessler shows us the pages of this improbable publication in full, from the "Tear Out Reference Chart" of the Aristotelian elements (Ignis, Aer, Aqua, Terra), to ads for magical supplies, to befuddling interviews with mystics: "All Things are woven together and all Things are taken apart and all Things are mingled and all Things mixed." When the holdup goes south, she finds herself with enough cash to send away for the Make Your Own Homunculus Kit ( 251,000, "plus 5.95 S H"). That's when things really start to get weird. | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Books |
Such songs now form the hoarse, moaning soundtrack to countless movies and television episodes. When a Cohen song rises from some awkward silence it's a good bet the director has run out of ideas. The religiose sentimentality and painful growl, like a halibut with strep throat, have patched a lot of plot holes. He'll give an emulsified version of everything the scriptwriter left unsaid. "The Flame" has a little of everything for Cohen fans and nothing for anyone else. The publicity matter claims the stray work has been "carefully selected"; but if this is the best of his barrel scrapings, there's not much barrel to scrape. With a plan laid down by the singer himself, the editors have included his own choice of some 60 poems, the lyrics from his last four albums and a long dreary selection of notebook jottings. The pages have been decorated with 70 or so rumpled self portraits (the singer's amour propre came streaked in self loathing), with a dozen amateurish doodles of young women thrown in. That perhaps represents the internal proportions of Cohen's famous vanity and his equally famous lechery I mean, of course, his search for a muse variously named Marianne, Sahara, Vanessa, Charmaine, Anjani, Mara, Sheila, Heather, Carolina and Olivia. How awful had any of his passing fancies passed unnoticed. The poems are monotonous scribbles of the moody undergraduate school, what young Werther would have sung had he been Canadian: The long miseries and brief graces of love are Cohen's obsessive subject. Some famous love poems by Bernart de Ventadorn and Dante sound almost as bad when translated, but Cohen doesn't have that excuse. The poems might seem that much better in Provencal or Tuscan. Cohen favors an Audenesque quatrain with none of the puckish genius Auden used to refashion the form. What we get instead is: Cohen loves "poetic" lines that are nearly excruciating ("And now that I kneel / At the edge of my years / Let me fall through the mirror of love"), rhymes that would cripple a musk ox (plug/enough, sword/2005, art/Marx), and passages the C.I.A. should use only during enhanced interrogation (a couple "waving at desire / as it rests in the foreground / foothill shaped, peaceful, / devoted as a dog made of tears"). The lyrics follow in cornucopian abundance, as if Cohen were possessed by a Dionysian mania forever unassuaged. Genial, sloppy, full of conventional lines, they sometimes have little twists that save them from disaster. Heavy on parallels and antitheses, they're even heavier on abstractions, the words just a syllable or two, on rare occasions three, almost never four: Cohen could turn this stuff out all day, and it's not half bad; but lyrics without music, even decent lyrics, look like dried lungfish in someone's den, mounted on varnished plaques. The difference between his lyrics and poems is tissue paper thin except when he was writing some wretched approximation of free verse: Cohen was not a poet who accidentally became a lyricist; he was a lyricist who for years fooled himself into thinking he was a poet. As poems these squibs are worthless; as lyrics, even sung in that lizardy groan, they often moved millions. His voice, that broken, battered thing, could make almost any song even "God Save the Queen," perhaps sound lonesome, miserable, profound. If singing badly is no bar to stardom, everyone who stands caterwauling in the shower should take hope. You might not even need a whiskey and battery acid cocktail to get there. | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Books |
WASHINGTON President Trump who gleefully questioned President Barack Obama's birthplace for years without evidence, long insisted on the guilt of the Central Park Five despite exonerating proof and claimed that millions of illegal ballots cost him the popular vote in 2016 wanted to have a word with the American public about accuracy in reporting. On Wednesday, after weeks of shifting deadlines, and cryptic clues, Mr. Trump released his long promised "Fake News Awards," an anti media project that had alarmed advocates of press freedom and heartened his political base. "And the FAKE NEWS winners are ...," he wrote on Twitter at 8 p.m. The message linked, at first, to a malfunctioning page on GOP.com, the Republican National Committee website. An error screen read: "The site is temporarily offline, we are working to bring it back up. Please try back later." When the page came back online less than an hour later, it resembled a Republican Party news release. Headlined "The Highly Anticipated 2017 Fake News Awards" and attributed to "Team GOP," it included a list of Trump administration accomplishments and jabs at news organizations presented in the form of an 11 point list. The "winners" were CNN, mentioned four times; The New York Times, with two mentions; and ABC, The Washington Post, Time and Newsweek, with one mention apiece. Taken as a whole, Mr. Trump's examples of grievances came as no surprise to anyone who has read his complaints about the media on Twitter. The various reports singled out by Mr. Trump touched on serious issues, like the media's handling of the investigation by the special counsel Robert S. Mueller III into the Trump campaign's possible ties to Russia, and frivolous matters, like the manner in which journalists conveyed how the president fed fish during a stop at a koi pond on his visit to Japan. The first item on the list referred not to a news article but to a short opinion piece posted on The Times's website at 12:42 on the night Mr. Trump became president: "The New York Times' Paul Krugman claimed on the day of President Trump's historic, landslide victory that the economy will 'never' recover," the entry read. What Mr. Krugman actually wrote was this: "If the question is when markets will recover, a first pass answer is never." Mr. Krugman concluded his election night take by predicting that a global recession was likely, while adding the caveat, "I suppose we could get lucky somehow." Three days later, Mr. Krugman retracted his prediction of an economic collapse, saying he overreacted. The next target was Brian Ross of ABC News, who was suspended by the network last month because of an erroneous report. President Trump's tweet linked, at first, to a malfunctioning page on GOP.com, the Republican National Committee website. ABC apologized for and corrected Mr. Ross's report that Michael T. Flynn, the former national security adviser, planned to testify that Mr. Trump had directed him to make contact with Russian officials when Mr. Trump was still a candidate. In fact, Mr. Trump had directed Mr. Flynn to make contact after the election, when he was president elect. At the time of Mr. Ross's suspension, Kathleen Culver, the director of the Center for Journalism Ethics at the University of Wisconsin Madison, said that the president was likely to use the mistake as ammunition against his political opponents an observation that seemed borne out by the "Fake News Awards." The third entry on the GOP.com list went after CNN, a favorite target of the president, for reporting incorrectly last month that the president's eldest child, Donald Trump Jr., had received advance notice from WikiLeaks about a trove of hacked documents that it planned to release during last year's presidential campaign. In fact, the email to the younger Mr. Trump was sent a day after the documents, stolen from the Democratic National Committee, were made available to the general public. The correction undercut the main thrust of CNN's story, which had been seized on by critics of the president as evidence of coordination between WikiLeaks and the Trump campaign. Ford and Rivian no longer plan to work jointly on electric vehicles. Elizabeth Holmes took the stand in her trial. Follow along with our reporters. Ken Griffin, head of Citadel, bid highest for a copy of the Constitution. Another entry on the list took on The Washington Post, claiming that it had "FALSELY reported the President's massive sold out rally in Pensacola, Florida was empty. Dishonest reporter showed picture of empty arena HOURS before crowd started pouring in." The reporter in question was David Weigel, who had posted the photo in question on his Twitter account before quickly deleting it. The Post itself did not publish the photo or a report on the size of the crowd at the Trump event. The "Fake News Awards" entry, however, conflated a reporter's tweet with the publication itself. It also omitted the fact that Mr. Weigel deleted his tweet and apologized for it when it was pointed out to him that it was misleading. Further, it did not mention that Mr. Trump had called for Mr. Weigel to be fired over the tweet. (He was not.) The content of the 11 point list was perhaps less notable than its premise: a sitting president using his bully pulpit for a semi formalized attack on the free press. In two subsequent tweets on Wednesday night, Mr. Trump added that there were "many great reporters I respect" and defended his administration's record in the face of "a very biased media." The technical anticlimax seemed a fitting end to a peculiar saga that began in November when Mr. Trump floated the bestowing of a "FAKE NEWS TROPHY." The idea matured into the "Fake News Awards," which the president initially said in a Jan. 2 Twitter post he would give out on Jan. 8 to honor "the most corrupt biased of the Mainstream Media." From the beginning, the awards were the sort of Trumpian production that seemed easy to mock but difficult to ignore. Members of the news media joked about the speeches they would prepare, the tuxedos and gowns they would fetch. It would be an honor, they said, just to be nominated. Here, it seemed, was the opera bouffe climax of Mr. Trump's campaign against the media, a bizarro world spectacle that both encapsulated and parodied the president's animus toward a major democratic institution. Late night comedy shows created satirical Emmys style advertising campaigns to snag what some referred to as a coveted "Fakey." "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert" bought a billboard in Times Square, nominating itself in categories like "Least Breitbarty" and "Corruptest Fakeness." Jimmy Kimmel, who has emerged as a Trump bete noire, called it "the Stupid People's Choice Awards." Politico reported that the awards could even pose an ethical issue for White House aides, with some experts arguing that the event would breach a ban on government officials using their office to explicitly promote or deride private organizations. And press advocates cringed at the prospect of a gala dedicated to the phrase "fake news," which has already helped corrode trust in journalism in the United States and around the world. In response to Mr. Trump's endeavor, the Committee to Protect Journalists this month recognized the president among the "world leaders who have gone out of their way to attack the press and undermine the norms that support freedom of the media." Two Republicans from Arizona, Senator John McCain and Senator Jeff Flake, denounced Mr. Trump's anti press attacks, with Mr. Flake noting in a speech on the Senate floor on Wednesday that the president had borrowed a term from Stalin to describe the media: "enemy of the people." The buzz around the president's latest anti press stunt has contributed to a larger shift in American attitudes toward the press. In a study released this week by Gallup and the Knight Foundation, 66 percent of Americans who were surveyed said most news organizations blurred opinion and fact, up from 42 percent in 1984. "Fake news" was deemed a threat to democracy by a majority of respondents. Mr. Trump's list did not mention BuzzFeed, a media outlet that drew his ire last year when it published a salacious and largely unsubstantiated intelligence dossier that purported to lay out how Russia had aided the Trump campaign. On Jan. 8, President Trump's longtime lawyer, Michael D. Cohen, filed a defamation lawsuit in federal court against Fusion GPS, the firm behind the report, as well as a separate lawsuit against BuzzFeed in state court. Mr. Trump also did not mention Michael Wolff, the author of the slashing, if error specked, best seller, "Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House," although a lawyer working on his behalf had sent a letter demanding that the publisher Henry Holt and Company halt publication of the book. "Fire and Fury" did not come out until Jan. 5, so perhaps the author will receive a prominent mention next January, if the president sees fit to give out the 2018 Fake News Awards. | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Media |
At the beginning of the Mass for Double Choir by the Swiss composer Frank Martin, simple, flowing lines for the altos evoke the purity of Gregorian chant. Then the sopranos make their entrance, and the harmonies shift in surprising directions. Fusing elements of Renaissance polyphony and Baroque counterpoint with the gauzy, layered chords of the French Impressionists, it is music of beauty, mystery and power. Martin was born in Geneva in 1890, the 10th child of a Calvinist minister and his wife, both avid amateur music makers. He wrote his Mass between 1922 and 1926 but withheld it from performance for nearly 40 years because he regarded it as an act of personal worship. By then, Martin, who died in 1974, had completed nearly all of his most significant vocal compositions, many involving choruses, which an increasing number of musicians, scholars and critics view as his crowning achievements. These works are finding new advocates in the United States, among them the conductor Joe Miller, who will lead the Mass on Saturday at the Spoleto Festival USA in Charleston, S.C., joined by his Westminster Choir. "I consider it to be one of the pinnacle a cappella works of the 20th century," Mr. Miller said. "The score very much looks like a marriage between Bach and Debussy, or Bach and Ravel." While Martin's instrumental pieces are occasionally heard in America, his choral music remains rare. His Requiem, which was given its premiere by the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande in 1973, has been presented only once in this country, according to its publisher, Universal Edition. But interest is growing. In 2016, when Clara Longstreth led the New Amsterdam Singers in "Golgotha," the composer's Passion oratorio, at Trinity Church in New York, it was only the third performance here since the Dessoff Choirs gave the American premiere at Carnegie Hall in 1952. That oratorio "may be Martin's masterpiece," Anthony Tommasini wrote in The New York Times of a recording of the work in 2010 a decided contrast to the reaction of a Times predecessor, Olin Downes, who found it "lacking in virility and significance." Martin's only opera "Der Sturm," based on Shakespeare's "The Tempest," was recorded complete for the first time in 2008. Mr. Miller, the director of choral activities at the Westminster Choir College and at Spoleto, recently recorded the Mass on the Westminster Choir College label for release in September. "It's a tour de force for the chorus, and one of the most virtuosic moments is in the Sanctus," he said. "The vocal writing has an incredibly wide range, the imitative counterpoint is going back and forth in rapid fire between the two choirs, and Martin is using a 5/8 meter." Indeed, the conductor Kent Tritle, who has led the Mass and the "Five Songs for Ariel," suggested that one factor in the dearth of American performances of Martin's choral music is their intonational and coloristic difficulty, particularly for amateur choirs. He added that in past decades, the works published by American (as opposed to European) firms were typically available at cheaper rates, and were more likely to be given promotional readings at choral conventions. There is also the cost of hiring musicians for larger pieces like the 90 minute "Golgotha" and the 45 minute Requiem, whose scores, Mr. Tritle said, are languishing on the bookshelves in his office at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, where he is the director of music. Martin's first surviving composition is a children's song he wrote when he was 9. He studied privately with Joseph Lauber, a pupil of Massenet, and wrote his first officially acknowledged works during his 20s, drawing on both French and Germanic traditions of the time, as well as on folk music. Martin also concertized as a pianist, harpsichordist and conductor, living in Zurich, Rome and Paris. He did not find his true artistic voice until the 1940s, when he created "Le Vin Herbe" and "Petite Symphonie Concertante," which brought international attention and performances by prestigious orchestras and festivals. (About two thirds of his output was written after he turned 50.) Several years earlier, he had encountered Arnold Schoenberg's 12 tone system of composition. Martin embraced chromaticism, which weakens music's sense of a tonal center, but refused to abandon tonality altogether. In doing so, he alienated both die hard advocates of serialism and musical conservatives. More synthesist than innovator, he blended disparate influences into a distinctive whole, which now seems very much of our time. Martin's sacred music is notable for the heartfelt sensitivity and theological discernment he brings to his settings of religious texts. Unusually for a Passion setting, "Golgotha" ends with the triumph of the Resurrection rather than the sorrow of the Crucifixion. Mr. Kalmar believes that "In Terra Pax," with its universal cry for peace and hope, stands a better chance of attracting future presenters. Yet he doubts that the composer's choral music will enter the mainstream. "At the end of the day," Mr. Kalmar said, "I think Frank Martin will always be in a niche. But the niche has to be observed and nurtured." | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Music |
Summer is the season to cool off with a big chunk of watermelon. But there's another kind of watermelon that'll have you trading in your sandals for hiking boots if you want to experience it. While you're not going to want to eat what some people call "watermelon snow," researchers have found that having a better understanding of it could be important in a warming world. In snowy places across the globe, "watermelon snow" forms as the summer sun heats up and melts winter's leftovers. The colorful snow is made up of communities of algae that thrive in freezing temperatures and liquid water, resulting in algal blooms. When these typically green organisms get a lot of sun, they produce a natural type of sunscreen that paints the slopes pink and red. The addition of color to the surface darkens the snow, allowing it to heat up faster, and melt more quickly. A microscopic image of algae that grows on snow. "Imagine wearing black instead of a white T shirt in the sun. It feels much hotter," wrote Stefanie Lutz, a geobiologist at GFZ German Research Center for Geosciences, in an email. "It is the same for the snow: More heat means more melting." Dr. Lutz, together with Liane Benning and their colleagues at a number of universities, published a study Thursday in Nature Communications that examined microbes in summer snow, and noted that while bacterial communities differ from place to place, the same algae that produce watermelon snow appear to be so global that it's time for climate models to consider their effects on snow and ice melt. Algae changes snow's albedo, or how much light, or radiation, its surface reflects back into the atmosphere. Based on 40 samples from four locations, the new study estimated that blooms of snow algae can lead to an albedo decrease of 13 percent over the course of an Arctic melt season, compared with clean snow, meaning the dark snow would absorb much more light. Just how much melting this will account for, or how much that may affect sea level rise, however, is still to be determined. But algal effects on albedo are going to be important for melting glaciers, which play a huge role in the climate system, said Dr. Lutz. Current climate models take into account how soot from forest fires, dust from the Sahara or even increased water content (which slightly darkens snow to blue) affect albedo, but they have yet to measure biological effects, like that of algae. "A small amount may have a big effect," said Joseph Cook, a glaciologist at the University of Sheffield who was not involved in the study, but is looking at bacteria's effect on the albedo of Greenland ice sheets (where ice turns brown, purple and gray in some cases). Dr. Lutz worries that an interplay between today's rising temperatures and the snow algae could cause a "runaway effect," whereby melting snow would cause algae to bloom, which would darken the snow, causing more to melt, creating more water, which also darkens the snow and feeds the algae, and so on, in a circular pattern of cotton candy colored surfaces melting. If you'd like to cool down this summer with watermelon snow, the pink stuff can be found nearly anywhere that has melting snow the Arctic, Antarctica, the Himalayas and the Rockies, among others. Logistics are important, said Dr. Benning, because these places aren't easy to get to, and you'll be hiking and camping in the cold, lonely wilderness. She says everyone has their favorite spots, but she likes the beauty and remoteness of a glacier in Svalbard: "A place where there are no worries about what happens back home." | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Science |
BERLIN At 2 a.m. on Thursday, the dance floor at Tresor in Berlin showed little indication that Germany was in the grip of a pandemic. About 150 people were squeezed into the main space of the famous techno club, which is under a former power station. Few seemed to be heeding the "important tips for the coronavirus" that had been posted next to the stern looking bouncers at the front door. These included "maintaining distance" in tight spaces and not "passing around drinks." Mercedes Sanchez, 22, was at the club celebrating the end of her medical school exams with two friends. "We know it's maybe not such a good idea, but we thought, 'Today and then never again,'" she said. Her group was taking "appropriate measures," she added, like "no touching anyone, and no new friends." They had originally wanted to go to KitKatClub, Sanchez said, a nearby fetish and dance venue where it is not uncommon for patrons to have sex in the club. "But we thought the danger of infection there was higher," she added. On Tuesday, the local authorities in Berlin closed all state run theaters, opera houses and concert halls; on Wednesday, the city banned public events involving more than 1,000 people. Berghain, Berlin's largest and perhaps most famous techno club, announced on its website on Wednesday that it would close until April 20, "in the best health interests of our staff, artists and guests." But in a city where clubs are seen as an integral part of the cultural fabric, as well as an important sector of the economy, the idea that they posed a coronavirus threat has met with a mixed response. According to an email from the Club Commission, a trade body, there are 140 clubs in Berlin. Almost all of them have a capacity of fewer than 1,000 people, and so, on Wednesday night, many remained open for business. "It's a part of Berlin we came out to enjoy," he said, adding that it would have been "sad" not to experience the city's famous techno scene. Two Berlin nightclubs have already been linked to the spread of coronavirus. Nine people who were at the Reed, a venue in the city center, on Feb. 27 had tested positive for the condition by Tuesday, according to local news reports, as had 17 people who were at Trompete, another club, on Feb. 29. Jennifer Rohn, an academic from the medical department of University College London, said in an email that nightclubs carried particular risks for the transmission of the virus. "Clubbing involves crowded conditions on the dance floor, and participants inevitably get sweaty, which would help viruses linger on smears left on surfaces," she said. People also often have to move close to each other to be heard over loud music, "which is a good opportunity for virus particles to leap onto a new host via moisture from the mouth," she noted. Closing clubs would not be an overreaction, Dr. Rohn added. Club owners in Berlin have discussed closing, Lutz Leichsenring, a spokesman for the Club Commission, said in a telephone interview. "Our guests are mostly young, healthy people, so the direct risk to them is not high," he said. The issue is that they may then spread it outside to people who are at risk, he added. Clubs in Berlin were already under threat from rising rents caused by gentrification, he said, and many would go bust if they closed, even for a few days. "We're having to balance between bankruptcy and disease prevention," Leichsenring added. On Wednesday, the commission wrote to the Berlin authorities asking for a 10 million euro, or about 11.3 million, rescue fund to help clubs if they had to close. "It is foreseeable that the spread of the coronavirus will lead to economic ruin for many club operators," the letter said. Daniel Bartsch, a spokesman for the culture department in City Hall, said in a telephone interview that the authorities had received the request and were aware that "at the end of this, there will be a cost." However, he added, "at the moment, public health is the most important consideration." In recent years, the local government has made funds available for clubs to improve soundproofing and head off complaints from neighbors. But most venues in Berlin, unlike state run theaters and concert halls, are run as commercial businesses, with little help from the authorities. The exception is Berghain, which was officially designated a "cultural institution" by a regional court in 2016, meaning it pays a reduced tax rate. Other countries in Europe are taking actions that affect nightclubs, such as restricting the number of people who can gather in one place. On Tuesday, Austria adopted one of the tightest measures, banning all indoor events of more than 100 people. On Wednesday, Denmark announced the same limit. Britain where the government has yet to impose a limit on gatherings is an outlier, with clubs still open without any restrictions. Alex Parsons, a spokesman for Fabric, a well known London club, said in an email that it did not want to "speculate about 'what ifs' until there is some official action from the government." Leichsenring said the Club Commission in Berlin was recommending venues operate at 70 percent capacity, so that people had more space to dance apart, and was asking them to collect emails for all attendees to trace people in case of an outbreak. But not all club promoters agreed with the Club Commission's line. "The shutdown of all the clubs should be a common movement," said Fabio Boxikus, a promoter, in a Facebook message to The New York Times. Last week, Boxikus and other promoters he works with decided to cancel Gegen, a popular party they put on at KitKatClub. "I don't think reducing the events to max 1,000 guests will help that much," he added. "That means that with one single infected guest, you will have 1,000 cases in two weeks." It was impossible to make guests keep a safe distance inside a club, Boxikus added. Outside Tresor, some said that closing clubs would be an overreaction. Mieke Schiemann, from Berlin, who said she was celebrating her 19th birthday, said she had "absolutely no fear" of the virus. "If it comes now, it comes now; if it comes later, it comes later," she said. Her friend Marla Gaudlitz said that while the virus might be unpleasant for older people, "if you're 19, it's not so bad." The women then walked away midconversation, deciding not to go into Tresor after all. Instead, they joined a group of passing Scandinavians, and headed to a different club. Thomas Rogers reported from Berlin and Alex Marshall from London. Christopher F. Schuetze contributed reporting from Berlin. | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Music |
For much of last year, Greg Rubin was looking to buy a bigger house. He has been in the same two bedroom home for 17 years and hoped to upgrade to a place with a guest room, a home office and a workshop for his guitars, radio controlled planes and gardening equipment. This year, Mr. Rubin has a new plan. He stopped looking and embarked on an ambitious renovation project that will begin with a new kitchen and end with a workshop for all the man toys. "My girlfriend would like to get a larger house, but right now, I'm staying put," said Mr. Rubin, who lives in Escondido, Calif., and owns a landscaping firm called California's Own Native Landscape Design. Mr. Rubin is the face of what appears to be a new normal in the real estate business: Homeowners are moving less, creating a drag on the economy, fewer commissions for real estate brokers and a brutally competitive market for first time home shoppers who cannot find much for sale and are likely to be disappointed during real estate's spring selling season. For many homeowners, the desire to stay put began out of caution or necessity. Mr. Rubin's business lost more than half of its revenue in the years after the Great Recession, so until recently, he had no money or desire to upgrade. Millions of other homeowners lost their jobs or were stuck in homes worth less than they owed the bank two big reasons that the median homeownership tenure rose to about eight and a half years last year, up from about three and a half in 2008, according to data from Moody's Analytics and First American Financial Corporation. That is the longest tenure since their data began in 2000. But even though the economy and the housing market have improved unemployment is below 5 percent, and steadily rising home prices have freed millions of people from the scourge of "underwater" mortgages economists expect elevated homeownership tenure to continue for the next decade or even longer. That is because the better economy has come with a steady rise in interest rates. Like tens of millions of others, Mr. Rubin refinanced when mortgage rates were near a historic low. He has a 3.25 percent interest rate on his home loan, so even if he could find a similar home for the same price, his payment would go up considerably. For a 30 year fixed rate 500,000 mortgage, an interest rate rise to 5.5 percent would increase the monthly payment roughly 700 to 3,600, including estimated taxes and fees, according to Zillow, the real estate data service. Rates for 30 year fixed mortgages were at 4.05 percent last week, after being under 3.5 percent as recently as October, according to Freddie Mac, the mortgage finance giant. And with the Federal Reserve signaling further interest rate increases, economists expect mortgage rates to head toward 5 percent by the end of the year. The higher that rates climb, the more tempting it becomes for people to stay in place. "Once mortgage rates climb to 5 or 5.5 percent, we are going to start to see the lock in effect really take hold," said Svenja Gudell, chief economist at Zillow. Of course, many other factors could influence the housing market. The tax plan outlined by President Trump would remove some of the incentives for homeownership, even as it left the mortgage interest deduction in place. And the lingering weakness in the latest quarterly economic report could prompt the Fed to hold off on raising rates. In any case, the increase in homeownership tenure is yet another example of how the economy is still feeling the effects of the 2008 financial crisis and the Federal Reserve's extraordinary policy measures to address it. It also highlights just how far the housing market remains from its pre recession form. Single family home starts, which were at an 821,000 annual rate in March, are about half what they were at the peak of the housing bubble. Existing home sales are about one fourth below their pre recession high. This is despite years of population growth and the movement of millennials, now America's largest generation, into adulthood and the work force. Retail earnings and Black Friday: the week in business. Elizabeth Holmes will resume her testimony in her fraud trial. "We are coming out of a deep, dark hole called the housing bust, but we are a long way from normal, and we may never get back to normal, if normal was the average person stayed in their home for four or five years," said Mark Zandi, chief economist of Moody's Analytics. "We're at eight plus now, and even under the best of circumstances, maybe we get to six." Interest rate "lock in" is expected to be most pronounced in desirable cities with a high rate of job growth as well as higher income neighborhoods, according to a 2014 study by the Institute for Housing Studies at DePaul University. That is because credit standards went way up after the recession, so most of the people who refinanced when rates were rock bottom tended to have better credit, bigger paychecks and homes in more expensive neighborhoods. Still, the impact will be felt throughout the economy. Whether in broker commissions, new furniture or junk hauling, moving costs a lot of money, so longer home tenures are likely to weigh on consumer spending. It could also hurt the economy in more subtle ways, by making people less mobile. For instance, some people might find a better job in another city but decide not to take it because the pay would not make up for the increase in mortgage costs. "People aren't moving from weak economies to better economies," Mr. Zandi said. "They aren't moving from jobs that aren't as suited to them to jobs that are. When moving becomes more difficult financially, the economy becomes less fluid." Glenn Kelman, chief executive of Redfin, a national real estate brokerage firm, sees this in the form of a persistent inventory shortage. More people are buying tear downs. The bidding wars that have come to characterize hot job markets like San Francisco and Seattle are spreading to less expensive cities. Mr. Kelman said those who would normally sell their home to get the down payment for a new one were increasingly becoming landlords because their low interest loans meant extra profit in rent translating into less business for him. "People who buy a home and sell their home are the meat and drink of the real estate business, but increasingly, we're only getting half the sales from them," he said. | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Economy |
The "Fantastic Beasts" movies will have to find a new Gellert Grindelwald. "I wish to let you know that I have been asked to resign by Warner Bros. from my role as Grindelwald in Fantastic Beasts and I have respected and agreed to that request," Mr. Depp wrote on Instagram on Friday. A spokeswoman for the studio behind the popular spinoff films, based on J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series, confirmed on Friday that Mr. Depp would leave the franchise. Mr. Depp played the role of the dark wizard who was the main antagonist of the "Fantastic Beasts" franchise, the events of which occurred before the Harry Potter films. She said his role would be recast before the third film, which is now scheduled to be released in the summer of 2022. Mr. Depp's exit comes days after he lost a libel case against the publisher of The Sun, a British tabloid newspaper that published a 2018 article calling him a "wife beater," and the paper's executive editor, Dan Wootton. The story had also claimed that there was "overwhelming evidence" that Mr. Depp had assaulted the actress Amber Heard on multiple occasions while they were married. "I accept that Mr. Depp put her in fear of her life," a British judge wrote in a statement dismissing the case on Monday. He said that the paper had shown that the claims it published were "substantially true." | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Movies |
Ms. Hewitt, 56, is a partner and the founder of the Cheshire Group, which owns and operates rent regulated and market rate apartments in the New York area. Its projects have included the conversions of the Philip House on the Upper East Side and the Devonshire House in Greenwich Village. Q. How do you divide up responsibilities between yourself and Jenifer Steig, who joined the company as a partner in 1995? A. The loose division of labor is: I do more of the origination and structuring, and she does more of the sales and marketing. Shorthand is: I buy it and she sells it. Q. The business has evolved over the years. A. We started the firm buying and restructuring defaulted co ops and doing a lot of workouts and repositionings and working with co op boards. Since that time, we've expanded from buying and restructuring debt to buying sponsor positions in other words, somebody who'd converted the building, sold the free market apartments and maybe has 50 rent regulated apartments left, I'll buy those apartments. They are deregulated once the tenants leave, so we'll renovate the apartment and sell it. That's the ongoing, regular part of the business. The other end of the business is these very high end Manhattan condo conversions where we're doing construction work and rebuilding parts all in an occupied building and that's much more labor intensive. Q. One of those conversions is the Philip House. What's the status of that project? A. We completed most of the base building work. We probably have another nine months' worth of construction, because we have a large number of apartments in the building to renovate as well as penthouses. We bought the building in June of 2011. Sales began in October, and we are about 50 percent sold. Selling in a renovation is a little different than doing new construction, because the building is there and people actually can see it. And it also means people really want to see the apartment, they don't want just floor plans. So we have a model. But we've also decided that we don't want to get too far ahead of actual apartment completions. We don't want to release inventory until it's quite close to completion. The penthouses are coming in the fall there are five. Q. What kind of prices are you getting? A. What is in contract currently averages over 2,000 a square foot. We have not released the top floor. We'll be bringing more inventory to market in September. Q. How much are you putting into the building? We bought it for 106 million in June 2011, and we're putting in 50 million. One of the things we did was to clean and restore the brick and limestone facade. Q. You also made some changes to the lobby. A. It has a huge lobby that really had all the warmth and appeal of the lower level of Grand Central. We actually restored all of the marble. The 89th Street vestibule is unchanged, but on 88th Street we widened the vestibule and enlarged it, because we moved the main entrance to 88th street from Lexington. Everybody from the marketing side felt it had a more residential feel to enter on 88th, and the building's address was always 141 East 88th Street, which was confusing when you entered on Lexington. We also have re leased some of the retail. Flowers by Philip, which had been on Madison and 85th for 30 years, is actually moving to the corner. We all decided it was sort of kismet when Flowers by Philip came to Philip House, and we've actually been talking to him about doing the lobby flowers. Q. What other projects are you working on? A. The Philip House is consuming most of our time and energy. We have a couple of other projects. We've been doing a fair amount of work on Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn we have sponsor positions in two buildings, at 225 and 255 Eastern Parkway. We're simply renovating apartments and selling them. If you add everything up, it's about 500 units. Q. Is business good over all? A. It's great if you have something to sell or refinance; it's incredibly difficult to buy anything. | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Real Estate |
SAN FRANCISCO A small firm called Definers Public Affairs brought the dark arts of Washington's back room politics to Silicon Valley when, while working for Facebook, it began disparaging other tech companies to reporters. But a few days before Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook's chief operating officer, testified to Congress in September, Definers set its sights on a different target: the senators about to question Ms. Sandberg. In one document circulated to reporters, Definers tallied what software the 15 members of the Senate Intelligence Committee used to track visitors to their Senate websites. Another document detailed how much each senator spent on Facebook ads and how much they had received in campaign donations from Facebook or other big tech companies. Known in the political business as opposition research, the documents pushed out by Definers neatly provided reporters with the ammunition they would need to suggest the senators grilling Ms. Sandberg were hypocrites for criticizing Facebook. While senators are no strangers to opposition research they use it all the time against political rivals they take a dimmer view when it is used against them outside of election season. That is especially true when the research is being paid for and shoveled to reporters on behalf of a company that is saying it wants to work with lawmakers, not against them. And companies facing scrutiny in Washington usually avoid doing anything that could antagonize lawmakers. "At the same time that Facebook was publicly professing their desire to work with the committee to address these issues, they were paying a political opposition research firm to privately attempt to undermine that same committee's credibility," Senator Mark Warner of Virginia, the top Democrat on the panel, said in a statement. "It's very concerning." The documents obtained by The New York Times provide a deeper look at Definers' tactics to discredit Facebook's critics. The Times reported on Wednesday that Definers also distributed research documents to reporters that cast the liberal donor George Soros as an unacknowledged force behind activists protesting Facebook, and helped publish articles criticizing Facebook's rivals on what was designed to look like a typical conservative news site. Colin Reed, managing director of Definers, said in an email that his firm simply compiled public information and what Definers did was "standard operating procedure" for public affairs outfits. "It shouldn't be surprising to reporters at The New York Times that a P.R. firm would be providing context for reporters ahead of a client's testimony on Capitol Hill," he wrote. Facebook initially hired Definers to monitor news about the social network. It expanded its relationship with the firm in October 2017 when scrutiny of Facebook was increasing over how Russian agents had used the site to sow discord before the 2016 United States election. Definers began doing some general communications work, such as running conference calls for Facebook. It also undertook more covert efforts to spread the blame for the rise of the Russian disinformation, pointing fingers at other companies like Google. A key part of Definers' strategy was NTK Network, a website that appeared to be a run of the mill news aggregator with a right wing slant. In fact, many of NTK Network's stories were written by employees at Definers and America Rising, a sister firm, to criticize rivals of their clients, according to one former employee not allowed to speak about it publicly. The three outfits share some staff and offices in Arlington, Va. Facebook had also lobbied for the hearing to include a Google emissary of similar rank to Ms. Sandberg. Mr. Burr invited Larry Page, a Google co founder, but he did not show up. Instead, Ms. Sandberg sat alongside an empty chair behind a placard for Google. In an email days before the hearing, a Definers employee pressed a Times reporter to write that Facebook was taking the senators' concerns seriously while Google was irresponsible for skipping the hearing. The day before the hearing, NTK Network reported that Senator Marco Rubio, Republican of Florida, had suggested that Google was possibly a monopoly. The next day, shortly after the hearing ended, NTK Network posted another story highlighting Mr. Rubio's criticism of Google during the hearing. Those pieces were just two of at least 11 negative items NTK has posted about Google since late March, including an article questioning why Mr. Zuckerberg needed to testify to Congress at another hearing earlier in the year but a Google executive did not. Like the documents on the senators, Definers distributed other memos that sought to lay out evidence for angles that it wanted reporters to pursue. The memos were typically based on public information like press clippings and social media posts. Definers urged reporters to explore the financial ties between Mr. Soros and Freedom From Facebook, a coalition of groups that had criticized the company. The idea was to persuade reporters that the coalition was not a sincere movement of like minded groups but rather an orchestrated campaign by a rich, partisan opponent. A two page document that Definers distributed about Freedom From Facebook noted that "at least four of the groups in the coalition receive funding or are aligned with George Soros, who has publicly criticized Facebook." The four groups named in the document do appear to have received funding from Mr. Soros's Open Society Foundations. | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Technology |
Fifty years ago, millions of people took to the streets to protest the air and water pollution that were making us sick. Today, millions are sheltering inside to try to stem the spread of a very different kind of sickness, Covid 19. Out of that first Earth Day eventually came under a Republican administration the Clean Air Act of 1970 and the Environmental Protection Agency. That agency was given one mission: to protect human health and the environment. From time to time, Republicans and Democrats have worked together to strengthen the authority of the Clean Air Act. Further, the Supreme Court in 2007 affirmed that the E.P.A. has the authority to regulate the emission of greenhouse gases that warm our planet. Over the decades, people began to "celebrate" Earth Day. It became a feel good commemoration. We were seeing the heartening results of stronger antipollution regulations. We began to take for granted that we had a right to clean air. That has turned out to be a disastrous mistake under the Trump administration. To run the E.P.A., the president chose a former lobbyist for the coal industry, Andrew Wheeler, who has spent his time there eviscerating the steady progress made to keep America's air clean. But what the E.P.A. is doing now under Mr. Wheeler his blanket relaxation of pollution regulations under the guise of repairing the economic destruction wrought by the coronavirus; his refusal to increase protections from one of the most insidious air pollution killers, fine particulate matter; his move to disregard credible scientific research beggars belief. Mr. Wheeler's E.P.A. could make Americans even more vulnerable to disease at a time when our nation's health is on the line. What was once a steady drumbeat of proposed rollbacks has become, since the pandemic reached our shores, a feverish gutting of pollution protections, turning the E.P.A. into a shop of horrors. On the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, we should be celebrating the remarkable achievements of the Clean Air Act, a crown jewel of America's environmental laws. Instead we are witnessing an attempt to systematically dismantle it. That's why, rather than celebrate, I am going to fight for Earth Day, in honor of its original spirit, and against what the E.P.A. has become under Mr. Trump and Mr. Wheeler. Here is why I am in warrior mode on Earth Day: Just last week, the E.P.A. finalized a decision that undermines rules against oil and coal fired power plant emissions of mercury and other toxic metals. These rules, approved in 2012, were in full force and were helping to protect babies' brains from mercury emissions, a potent neurotoxin. Now, the new rules change the way the E.P.A. evaluates the costs and benefits of regulating emissions, opening the door to legal challenges and threatening the foundation of air pollution regulations generally. | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Opinion |
WASHINGTON The Federal Reserve said on Wednesday that it planned to stop adding to its bond holdings in October, in a sign of its confidence that the economy is gaining strength even as the central bank gradually withdraws its support. The decision, described in an account of the Fed's most recent policy making meeting in June, signals the end of one of the central bank's most aggressive efforts to stimulate the economy. The Fed, which started reducing its monthly purchases in January, said it planned to add a final 100 billion to its holdings of Treasuries and mortgage backed securities over the next four months, for a total of 1.5 trillion. But the account underscored that many Fed officials remained guarded in their optimism about the economy. It also suggested that they had not yet decided when to take an even more important step in their retreat: raising short term interest rates for the first time since December 2008. Investors generally expect the Fed to start raising interest rates next summer. The Fed said the decision to end bond purchases in October, rather than continuing purchases at a nominal level until the end of the year, should not be interpreted as evidence that rate increases were likely to begin sooner. "Most participants viewed this as a technical issue with no substantive macroeconomic consequences and no consequences for the eventual decision about the timing of the first increase in the federal funds rate," the minutes said, referring to the benchmark interest rate that the Fed uses to influence borrowing costs for consumers and businesses. Fed officials disagree about the pace of retreat in large part because they disagree about how much more monetary policy can accomplish. Five years past the end of the Great Recession, the share of adults with jobs has barely recovered, inflation remains below the level the Fed regards as healthy, and economic output remains weak. Officials are increasingly convinced that some of this damage is permanent or at least, that it cannot be fixed by holding down borrowing costs but they differ on the depth of the damage. At the June meeting of Federal Open Market Committee, they debated why the housing market weakened over the last year, whether sidelined workers would return to the labor market in large numbers, and when inflation would start to rise. Since last year, however, they have been in firm agreement that the time has come to stop buying bonds. The purchases are intended to reduce borrowing costs for businesses and consumers, and to encourage risk taking by investors. But the impact of the Fed's asset purchases, and similar efforts undertaken by central banks in Britain and Japan, remains highly contentious. Officials and academics disagree about how much, if at all, the purchases have reduced the cost of mortgages and other kinds of consumer and business loans. They also disagree about the consequences. Warnings about inflation proved to be mistaken, but there is still concern the purchases have destabilized financial markets. Officials in recent months have expressed particular concern that many investors have grown overly complacent about the Fed's plans, mistaking its predictions about the likely timing of its retreat for bankable certainties. While that sense of certainty is helping to hold down borrowing costs, officials are concerned that it will come at a price if those expectations are disappointed. As investors have discounted the risk of losses, they have driven up asset prices in markets across the globe, raising concerns about potential bubbles. "Low implied volatility in equity, currency and fixed income markets, as well as signs of increased risk taking, were viewed as an indication that market participants were not factoring in sufficient uncertainty about the path of the economy and monetary policy," the account said in describing the Fed's misgivings. Such concern is a reason that Janet L. Yellen, the Fed's chairwoman, has sought to emphasize that the central bank's next steps depend on economic conditions. Investors, so far, remain largely unshaken. "This concern about low volatility is somewhat ironic given that it's their policies which are responsible," said Luke Bartholomew, an investment manager at Aberdeen Asset Management. While minutes did not clarify when the Fed planned to start raising interest rates, it did provide some new details about the mechanics. Before the crisis, the Fed set policy by moving the federal funds rate, which is the rate banks pay to borrow money from each other to maintain required levels of reserves in their accounts at the central bank. But the Fed, in buying bonds from banks as part of its recent stimulus efforts, has flooded those banks with excess reserves, all but eliminating demand for interbank loans. Fed officials are generally inclined to preserve the rate because of its familiarity as a communications tool, a point reiterated by the minutes. But future policy would be set primarily by raising the rate the Fed pays banks on excess reserves, along with a second rate it would pay to investors for short term loans. Those two rates would be set at a fixed interval bracketing the funds rate like crutches. | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Economy |
Laboratories around the country are now facing potential shortages of key materials and chemicals needed to run tests for the novel coronavirus, as cases spread to more than two thirds of the states and the global pandemic strains testing resources even further. Some lab directors say they are already beginning to run low of the supplies needed to extract RNA from nasal swabs, a crucial initial step that is separate from the millions of test kits that the federal government has promised to ship to every state. Others say they are weighing whether to borrow some materials from other research labs that aren't involved in creating or running coronavirus tests. And some lab directors are worried about the future availability of the reagents, or chemical ingredients, used in the tests themselves. Several labs have also said that they have had trouble getting virus samples that are needed to validate the tests to make sure they are properly identifying positive samples. Public health officials and health care providers have clamored to get enough tests following a botched rollout of testing kits by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and a delay by the Food and Drug Administration in allowing independent labs to develop their own test that led to weeks of delays in detecting the spread of the virus in the country. "The lack of testing in the United States is a debacle," said Dr. Marc Lipsitch, a professor of epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. "We're supposed to be the best biomedical powerhouse in the world and we're unable to do something almost every other country is doing on an orders of magnitude bigger scale." Today, public health labs in every state say they are running the tests, and academic and commercial labs have been scrambling to increase their capacities to check for the virus. The RNA extraction kits "are usually things we wouldn't ever even wonder if they were running out, because they're always around," said Michael Mina, an assistant professor of epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. "But in this case, because everyone in the world is trying to extract RNA right now, they seem to be low." Virginia's new lieutenant governor elect says she won't force vaccines. At the University of California, Los Angeles, the chief of the microbiology section of the medical center's clinical lab was so concerned about his supply of RNA extraction kits made by the company Qiagen that he recently sent an email to colleagues at the university's research labs asking if they had any. "While our investigators were eager to help, none were using the kit in their labs," said Elaine Schmidt, a spokeswoman for the medical center. Eric Blank, the chief program officer at the Association of Public Health Laboratories, said his group has also been hearing about back orders of the extraction kits and other supplies. Now that independent labs are able to run their own tests, "it is increasing at a very rapid pace," Mr. Blank said. "It just depends on how rapidly the manufacturers of some of these other ancillary materials needed to run the tests can ramp up their production." Qiagen, a major manufacturer of the RNA extraction kits, said in a statement this week that because of the coronavirus outbreak, demand is "challenging our capacity to supply certain products" and that it was increasing production in sites in Germany, Spain and Maryland. The F.D.A. and C.D.C. have also said they are watching for potential shortages. The F.D.A. said this week it was "monitoring this issue and has heard from some manufacturers with questions about alternative reagents, extraction methods and platforms." It said it was offering guidance to labs and updates on the issue on its website. But the extraction kits are not the only supply item with uncertain availability. The American Society for Microbiologists said Tuesday that it was "deeply concerned" about a potential shortage of the reagents needed to conduct the tests as well as other materials. "Increased demand for testing has the potential to exhaust supplies needed to perform the testing itself," the society said. On Monday, the C.D.C. revised its guidelines to allow for the collection of one specimen swab instead of the previously required two, a move that the society said would cut the required amount of testing reagents in half. Dr. Robert Redfield, the director of the C.D.C., told Politico on Tuesday that the agency was keeping an eye on the supply of materials needed to do the tests. But, when asked how the agency would deal with a shortage of RNA extraction kits, he said: "I don't know the answer to that question." Integrated DNA Technologies, which is manufacturing coronavirus test kits for the C.D.C., said in a statement that beginning next week, it expects to be able to provide enough shipments of C.D.C. kits that would allow for five million tests a week. The company added that "is accustomed to scaling up to meet customer demand and does not anticipate needing to hire additional staff." Labs have also said they have had a difficult time getting so called positive controls, or samples of the virus to ensure the tests are working properly. "We have requested these from a couple of vendors, but it has taken some time to get registered to have the controls shipped," said Dr. Jim Dunn, the director of medical microbiology and virology at Texas Children's Hospital in Houston, which is now running its own test for coronavirus for the hospital's patients. | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Health |
PARIS Until nine months ago, Guo Pei was a Chinese haute couturiere known by millions in the East yet virtually unheard of in the West. That all changed last May when the pop star Rihanna wore one of Ms. Guo's designs to the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute gala in New York, after finding her work on the Internet. The look in question, a 55 pound canary yellow fur trimmed gown and cape, took seamstresses 50,000 hours and more than two years to make and landed on the cover of American Vogue and Ms. Guo on the haute couture schedule in Paris. On Wednesday, the 48 year old former children's wear designer and daughter of an army platoon leader will formally present her collection for the first time at a major fashion week. "The Met Ball marked a new start for my business, a brand new chapter that secretly I felt had been coming for years," she said on Sunday, 5,000 miles from her Beijing headquarters in a tiny, all white Paris showroom off the Rue St. Honore. "I knew there just needed to be a tipping moment to take me into a whole new world." As China's economy boomed and shopping became a national pastime, her studio swelled to a current staff of 300 embroiderers and 200 designers, patternmakers and sewers. Today, the house produces more than 4,000 pieces annually, with prices that start at 5,000 and quickly tip into more eye watering territory. But in her Paris showroom this night, just a handful of her Chinese team members were crouched at laptops amid cramped clothing racks, storage boxes and styling boards, while a French hairdresser fussed over models being fitted with creations from her latest collection. "The funny thing is, when I began my own house I had no idea that this type of artistry had a rich and long tradition elsewhere," she said, her Mandarin translated into English by her husband and business partner Cao Bao Jie. "This world as it existed in the West didn't exist to me. I was just doing what I liked and thought was truly beautiful." Fashion in China then was only just beginning in the way we understand it today, she added: "Very few clients could comprehend what I was trying to show. That craftsmanship and design could add enormous value to a garment, transforming it from a piece of tailoring to a true work of art, was very hard to grasp for them." As she gradually convinced them, her prices ballooned, as did the ambitions of her lavish designs. The elaborate excess that has become Ms. Guo's hallmark be it vast skirt volumes, lashings of beaded semiprecious stones or rich explosions of embroidered color marries European silks with traditional Chinese design heritage. "I don't consider my work to be within the limits of conventional fashion, nor do I follow trends creatively or commercially," she said. "My work displays feelings and emotions that are precious enough to be handed down generation after generation, as well as the experience of developing gowns directly with my clients. They are reflections of myself, and of them, of the scale of my dreams and the pride I have for Chinese culture." Ms. Guo says that looking ahead, her efforts will focus on expanding her business internationally, with a second atelier headquarters in Paris, as well as on her bridal line as the wedding market in China continues to explode. She introduced a cosmetics line in collaboration with MAC last year, and she has branched out into demicouture from a store in Shanghai. The designer, who played down any concerns over China's recent economic slowdown and its potential impact on the couture market, emphasized how grateful she felt for the opportunity to show her creations to a new audience in the days ahead. She was curious, she said, to hear how others interpreted her work, but was confident that her aesthetic would resonate. "This year is my 30th year in the fashion industry," she said. "For the first 10 years I learned; for the second, I practiced, and now, during the third, I believe I am going to reap the rewards." | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Fashion & Style |
HONG KONG It's not every day that you get to take a selfie with Mao Zedong's corpse. So at the fifth edition of Art Basel Hong Kong, which runs through Saturday, spectators were seizing the chance to do just that, posing with an eerily lifelike model of a gray haired Mao on display in a clear coffin. The model was part of the 2009 work "Summit," by the Chinese artist Shen Shaomin. Arranged beside Mao were several other Communist strongmen: Ho Chi Minh, Kim Il Sung, Fidel Castro and Vladimir Lenin. The installation, presented by Osage Gallery in the fair's Encounters section, is a stark reminder that in this perfectly lit bubble of expensive art and Champagne, political realities are never too far away. Ahead of this year's fair, dealers from the 242 participating galleries had voiced a number of concerns, like the coming election for Hong Kong's chief executive and the overall global uncertainty stemming from Brexit and last year's American presidential election. Another issue was the increasing capital controls in China, currently the world's third largest art market, according to a new report released by Art Basel and UBS on Wednesday. Over the last year, China's financial regulators have stepped up scrutiny on foreign exchange transactions and overseas investments by Chinese individuals as part of an effort to stem the depreciation pressure on China's currency, the renminbi. The growing scrutiny of capital outflows has forced many mainland Chinese collectors to find ways to circumvent the currency controls. And while there continue to be workarounds, it has led some to think twice about their art purchases abroad a worrying development for many Western dealers. "Two years ago, it wasn't a problem," said Liu Gang, a collector in Beijing. "But then, last year, I bought 300,000 of art at the fair and I couldn't remit directly to the gallery, so I sent renminbi to a friend, who helped me settle it abroad." "The value of the renminbi is under pressure," Mr. Liu added. "It's hard to predict when the policies will change." It's an issue that many dealers said they were watching, coming into this year's fair. Marc Glimcher, the president of Pace Gallery, for example, said that opening a new space in Seoul this month to diversify further the gallery's collector base in Asia was "probably a gut reaction" to that concern. "It's a tough time in Beijing," he said. But after just a few hours of brisk deal making on the floor of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center on Tuesday, any lingering worries appeared to be temporarily assuaged. That may be because in the five years since Art Basel first began in Hong Kong, it has become perhaps the most important annual event on the regional art calendar. While it may not have the star power of Art Basel Miami or the gravitas of Art Basel in Switzerland, dealers and collectors agree: When it comes to Asian art, Art Basel Hong Kong is the place to go. "It's still the best opportunity to learn and discover new trends and artists in the region," said the art dealer Jeffrey Deitch. "And every year I always make sure to add on an extra stop like Manila or Shanghai, so I can go deeper into what I'm seeing here." The opportunity for learning goes in both directions. For many Asian collectors, Art Basel Hong Kong is also an opportunity to discover Western artists. Local collectors noted that after several years of participating in the fair, the Western galleries had become more confident and more willing to take risks, bringing high quality masterpieces as well as works by emerging artists. The days of pandering to the perceived tastes of Asian collectors, they said, seemed to be over. "Over all, the Western galleries seem much more poised," said Adrian Cheng, a prominent Hong Kong collector and the scion of a multibillion dollar real estate and retail empire. "They aren't fidgeting anymore, like in the first few years; they really know what the Asian collectors want." By the end of the first day, dealers were reporting strong interest from collectors. Ever the optimists, many noted that, as is typical of the fair here, collectors were taking their time to learn about the artists, putting down reserves and finalizing the purchases later. Nonetheless, the fair had a steady stream of sales. Pace sold a number of works, including a Robert Rauschenberg and a Yoshitomo Nara, each for 2.5 million. Hauser Wirth had several seven figure sales, including that of a Frank Auerbach painting that was placed in a Chinese private collection. Sales at the booth shared by Kukje Gallery, from Seoul, and the Tina Kim Gallery, from New York, included two works by Haegue Yang, which each went for 35,000 to 50,000. Lisson Gallery sold works by Ryan Gander and Julian Opie, who both have solo shows in China opening this month. At David Zwirner, two paintings by the artist Luc Tuymans, who was at the fair, sold within the first hour of the event for 1.5 million each. Just across the aisle, as the day wound down, Champagne was being poured at Magician Space of Beijing, which reported a number of sales, including a Wu Chen painting sold to Mr. Cheng, the Hong Kong collector, for over 21,000, and a video work by the artist Wang Shang for over 11,000. "It was better than we expected," said Qu Kejie, of Magician Space. "The pace seemed a lot faster than in past years. All of our sales were made in the first two hours." The fair has had strong attendance from representatives of major Western museums like the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the Guggenheim Museum in New York. Exposure to such institutions, said Misa Shin, who runs a gallery in Tokyo, is what makes the fair worthwhile. | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Art & Design |
In any case, the duet's provocative moments had little to do with articulate footwork. Mr. Watson, while tangoing with Ms. Whelan, gathered her hair in a ponytail and held it above her head so that she looked like a cross between a vixen and a Kewpie doll; later, he removed her shirt as she stood with her back to the audience. A dancer's need to stretch boundaries is understandable, but as a topless Ms. Whelan traveled sideways across the stage and into the wings, I wished that ballet dancers could have better taste in new choreography. The rest of the program, while more traditional, remained slight. Richard Alston's "Rejoice in the Lamb," set to Benjamin Britten's cantata adaptation of a poem by Christopher Smart, was the most cohesive offering. Derivative? Sure. Here, with Nicholas Bodych in the poet's role, religious fervor was revealed in outstretched arms and circle formations. Both Aszure Barton's "Awaa," a disjointed excerpt from an evening length work, and Grupo Corpo's "Suite Branca," a sophomoric display of suspended movements, were meandering, a characteristic that bled into the festival's third program on Friday. Fall for Dance used to feel like a celebration of dance; now it's more of a competition for the best audience roar. This season, even that seemed strained. Kader Attou's "Opus 14" for CCN de la Rochelle/Cie Accrorap had an absorbing beginning: Dancers performed hip hop power moves in rectangles of light and later revealed the disintegration of the body in quivers, shakes and isolations. But the piece rambled along, as did the Hong Kong Ballet affable enough in Jorma Elo's bland and hurried "Shape of Glow." And there was little otherworldly about "Spirit," a showcase of excerpts by Stephen Page for Bangarra Dance Theater. Hopelessly murky, it was hardly a program closer. | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Dance |
What She Learned From the One Who Got Away In her 2015 Modern Love essay "When Cupid Is a Prying Journalist," the writer Deborah Copaken tells two stories: one about her own lost love from decades before, and another about Justin McLeod, the founder of the dating app Hinge, whom she was interviewing for an article. As their interview ends, she asks, "Have you ever been in love?" Yes, he says, but he realized it too late, and now the woman was engaged to someone else. So Ms. Copaken shares her own story as a cautionary tale: When she and her former boyfriend reconnected 20 years later, it was too late. Both were married; her ex happily so, while she eventually got a divorce. Ms. Copaken convinces Mr. McLeod to go find his former love. He does, and ultimately wins her back. I recently caught up with four writers whose essays inspired episodes in the new "Modern Love" television series on Amazon Prime Video. (You can watch a clip below, and stream the full episode here.) Below is my conversation with Ms. Copaken, whose episode stars Catherine Keener, Dev Patel and Andy Garcia. The interview has been edited for length and clarity. You can also read my interviews with writers Ann Leary ("Rallying To Keep the Game Alive"), Terri Cheney ("Take Me As I Am, Whoever I Am") and Julie Margaret Hogben ("When the Doorman Is Your Main Man"). Daniel Jones: Readers are curious about Modern Love and who writes for it and why. So let me ask you: Why explore things that are private or that expose the privacy of others in such a public sphere? Deborah Copaken: There is use, I believe, in revealing personal stories and private moments as a stand in for the universal private moments that all of us experience and wonder, "Is it just me?" A lot of the letters I get from readers saying, "Thank you for speaking for me." If I've done it well and sometimes I don't, but when I do it well I've told a story that could be anybody's story. A story of heartbreak is anybody's story. A story of illness is anybody's story. Sign up for Love Letter, our weekly email. And catch up on all things Modern Love. I want to ask about that guy from way back. Are you in touch with him these days? Not recently, but during the time in question, yes. We all follow each other on social media, so I see his life from afar. Had you gotten in touch with him during the writing of the essay or during our editorial process, when I ask writers to give their subjects a heads up? Were you in touch already, or was it just out of the blue? It was out of the blue. Originally I'd gotten back in touch with him because I was doing research for a novel, and his name popped up on my screen, and I thought, "Oh my god. It's a very common name. I wonder if it's the same person." And it turned out to be the same person. That was the first time you'd been in contact in a long time? Since he stood me up in Paris, or so I thought. As we now know, he came to Paris and lost the piece of paper with my number on it. So he wound up sleeping in a hostel and we missed each other. That was 30 years ago and probably wouldn't happen today. It wouldn't. Yeah, we grew up in a different era. I'm curious about that moment. You took that as a heartbreaking moment of rejection. Did it make you want to forget about him? I guess you didn't have any way of getting in touch with him. Or did you not try? So you didn't have enough to go on, even if you wanted to. And he had an incredibly common name. Let's call him John Doe, because that's how common his name was. I thought about him over the years, because when you spend a week with someone in this glorious beach town in Jamaica, and then you spend 10 days together in his dorm room in London falling in love, and then you don't see him again, you wonder: What happened? One story he told me after we were back in touch, was that, two years later, he was in Memphis, Tenn., I think. And one of his friends had been in Paris at Jim Morrison's grave, where I'd also been sent by a French newspaper because it was the anniversary of Morrison's death or birth; I don't remember. And John Doe's friend happened to be there that same day and had taken photographs too, and then went back to Memphis with this pile of photographs, some of which had me in the background, and showed them to John Doe, and he was like, "That's my girlfriend." And he asked his friend: "Did you talk to her?" And the friend said, "No, she was just some photographer sitting around." So that was the last time he had any proof of my existence. And the internet came around right when my book "Shutterbabe" came out in 2000. And so the first photo to pop up on his screen when he Googled my name was a photo of me and my kids. Soon thereafter, he met his wife. He said he'd been holding onto some sort of idea that he might find me one day. I just thought he'd stood me up. So I had thought of him over the years, but only in terms of curiosity and the fun, but it was an ever growing distant memory. After you finally found him online and arranged to get together a few months later, when he was in New York, how did it feel to see him again? It felt so sad and so tragic. And we're sitting on a bench in Central Park eating sandwiches and talking and catching up over the 20 years that we hadn't seen each other. And I felt nervous, and like I wanted to cry, and my marriage was in the tank at that point. And I wasn't really able to admit it to myself until that moment where I thought, "Oh yeah, this is something I don't experience anymore in my marriage, this feeling of love." Did that spur you to end your marriage? You were separated at the time, right? No, I was still in my marriage, but I was miserable. John Doe lived in California, and I lived in New York. He became a repository for my thoughts; I would call him and talk. And we had an incredibly tight emotional affair that helped me see the toxicity of my own marriage. At the same time, it helped him see how good his marriage was. When he would complain about what was going on with his marriage, I would say, "Oh, come on. That's nothing. That's fixable." So it helped him return to his. What did he think about the essay when it came out? He sent me a note of congratulations saying he was touched that our relationship from 1989 could somehow stretch forward in time and touch Justin's relationship in 2015 or '14, whenever it was. To change the course of Justin's life, really. To change the course of his life. And when I had that realization, it was soon after seeing Justin and Kate together. These kind of ... I just sort of imagine it as tossing a pebble in a calm lake, and those waves reverberating out. And I pictured this broken relationship between me and this old lover as reverberating into the future and somehow affecting a stranger's life, who just happens to be the C.E.O. of a dating app. I know. That's a little too perfect. So what has happened since? This was published not even four years ago. Justin and Kate are now married and expecting a baby Aug. 17. Editor's note: This interview was conducted in August. After your marriage came apart, it seemed as if you'd come to the realization that you're going to devote a lot of your life to being with someone, you want it to be at a certain standard. Is that accurate? And I would say that that standard is very low, and that standard is kindness. I was in an unkind marriage. So what I was seeking out on these dates was kindness. I met my ex husband when I was 24. We were together for 23 years. I think as the years rolled on, I just thought, "I guess this is marriage. And people say marriage is hard." It took a marriage counselor to see what was going on. She was the first to notice a lack of empathy in my husband. Her thought was: "Maybe you should go see an Asperger's expert." And that's what it turned out to be. And so my ex and I actually get along well right now because I don't have to be in a marriage with him. And his heart is a good heart. He always meant well, but Asperger's is its own beast, and I was incapable of dealing with it. And what has happened in your love life? In September of 2017, I went on a Bumble date not a Hinge date, I'm sorry to say and I met Will. We actually had met through mutual friends back in 2001, when we were both married. He was a magazine editor. I was a writer. We ended up having a conversation at that party that I don't remember well. He remembers better. And so when he saw me on Bumble, he remembered that conversation. When I saw him on Bumble, I didn't remember who he was. I just thought, "Oh, he's cute," swipe right. | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Style |
Operating on the mantra that the news never sleeps, about 200 employees of The Boston Globe stayed up all night to help deliver newspapers to subscribers who were angry about widespread delivery problems last week. "I'm extremely proud of my colleagues," said Beth Healy, a business reporter who delivered 155 newspapers in Wellesley, a suburb west of Boston, until 8:30 a.m. on Sunday. "It was a long, difficult night." A plea for volunteers was made after The Globe switched to a new delivery service, ACI Media Group, on Dec. 28. ACI Media Group, based in Long Beach, Calif., works for The Miami Herald, The Los Angeles Times and several other newspapers. ACI could not immediately be reached for comment. Globe officials said that by midweek last week, ACI had delivered 95 percent of the papers The Globe has 115,000 home subscribers on weekdays and 205,000 on Sundays but they still wanted to address subscriber complaints. | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Media |
IMAGINE you are heading to your ski house in Aspen with a couple of friends and a weekend's worth of luggage. The forecast calls for snow. Do you grab the keys to your practical family vehicle or climb into your Ferrari? Trick question! You do both if, that is, you have an all wheel drive four seat Ferrari FF. Which you probably don't, because the FF's base price is 302,450. And you'll never see one that cheap, because buying a Ferrari with no options is like building a Hamptons dream house without the outdoor kitchen. Come on, man. Don't be a skinflint. Three hundred grand is a lot of money, but look at it this way: thanks to the 2012 FF's beguiling mix of pedigreed performance and down to earth practicality, you can sell your fair weather 458 Italia and your winter beater Porsche Panamera Turbo S and just drive this. Honey, according to my numbers, it makes solid financial sense to buy a Ferrari FF. The FF's mandate is to meld the performance of a Ferrari supercar with the four season utility of an all wheel drive luxury wagon. Thus the hatchback body, which identifies the FF with a once popular class of sporting wagon known as the shooting brake. Under the hood lies the most powerful engine ever installed in a road going Ferrari, a 6.3 liter V 12 that belts out 651 horsepower at 8,000 r.p.m. There is a passenger side speedometer that you may dub the nag ometer depending on who's riding in the passenger seat. With the transmission in automatic mode, the FF is a serene daily driver. One that can, when asked, race from 0 to 60 miles per hour in less than four seconds. One morning, I employed the FF's heroic power plant on a preschool run, my 2 year old strapped into a car seat in the back. The FF was very likely the only vehicle in the school parking lot that day with a quoted top speed of 208 m.p.h. Does FF stand for "family fun"? Actually FF stands for "Ferrari four," a reference to the four seats and four wheel drive. Which is actually all wheel drive, under the usual definition, at least up until about 130 m.p.h., when it becomes rear wheel drive. The power distribution gets quite complicated, but if you like transmissions you'll love the FF, because it has two of them. Like the 458 Italia, the FF's electronic aggressiveness is controlled via the manettino, a small red switch on the steering wheel. Unlike the 458, the FF's manettino has no race mode. Which is too bad, because on the 458, "race" sets the active exhaust to its most vocal setting, and you want to hear the FF's song as often as possible. Conventional V 12 engines are renowned for soothing, buttery power, but the FF's flat plane crankshaft imbues the exhaust note with a hard edge malevolent bark. If the FF's 12 pistons were a jury, they'd never reach a verdict. To its everlasting credit, Ferrari programs its engine management electronics to let you rev the engine in neutral. This sounds juvenile and pointless but is something you find yourself doing surprisingly often, possibly in the garage while your children are napping inside the house. Were napping, that is. Of course, nobody buys a Ferrari for the stereo, but maybe someone at Bang Olufsen or McIntosh needs to make a cold call to Ferrari headquarters in Maranello, Italy. Until then, I'm sure you have the option to just cover the thing with a nice piece of leather. I get the impression that anything in the FF can be covered in leather, possibly including the inside of the windshield. (Just leave me a small portal, Signore Schedoni.) The car I drove had a leather headliner and smelled like a winning lottery ticket. Which, if you're wondering, smells like the inside of a Ferragamo store. That leather ceiling was but one option on a dauntingly vast list. This particular FF in Grigio Abu Dhabi paint (what the peons call "silver") was stocked with 74,891 in options, bringing the tab to 377,431. That works out to less than 100,000 per passenger, since the FF can actually seat four adults. I'd consider many of these items to be must haves, like the sport exhaust system and the height adjustable suspension that can raise the front end to negotiate steep driveways. You'll want a healthy budget for fuel, too, because the federal combined city highway fuel economy rating is 13 m.p.g. Other options I could live without, like the yellow Scuderia Ferrari badges on the flanks. Given this car's Formula One soundtrack, its radical proportions, its sneering maw of an egg crate grille, do you need extra badges to tell the world that this is a Ferrari? What else could it be? Affixing more badges to an FF is like welcoming Sophia Vergara to a dinner party and handing her a nametag. I never had the good fortune to pilot the FF through a snowstorm, but on dry pavement the all wheel drive system and its front wheel torque vectoring manifest themselves as preternatural poise. You just keep accelerating through a big, sweeping bend and the car simply goes where you aim it, faster and faster, as if there's a black hole just beyond the corner exit. At some point, of course, the FF must relinquish its stranglehold on the pavement, but that will happen at speeds you probably shouldn't visit outside your private airstrip. You may be moved to issue warnings to your passengers, along the lines of: "You won't think this car is capable of what it's about to do. Just trust me that we're nowhere near the limits." Before the arrival of the FF, this was the sort of vehicle that the Sultan of Brunei would have commissioned for himself, at great expense. Sure, 300,000 is a lot of money, but it's probably a steal compared with what the Sultan must have paid for his custom Ferrari 456 wagon in the '90s. And you can drive it year round, with jealous relatives or your purebred Chinese cresteds (or both) along for the ride. Put it this way: this is the Ferrari for people who aren't buying their first Ferrari. Understand that, and you understand the decision to step outside the safe confines of supercar orthodoxy. Unlike the 458 Italia or the 599 GTB, each descended from decades' worth of predecessors, the FF is a new branch on the family tree. It's a daring car, and I love the confidence it represents. Ferrari could have just gone with the crowd and built a low slung four door like the Aston Martin Rapide. Instead it built a modern version of the 1961 Ferrari 250 GT Breadvan racecar, and bully on them for doing it. The world has enough Mercedes CLS clones. It doesn't have nearly enough Ferrari shooting brakes. | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Automobiles |
Whether you're turning 12, 42 or 92, inviting people to come together in a unique, specific way to celebrate your birth is actually a form of meaning making for everyone else. Birthday celebrations, when designed well, are an opportunity to express love, to mark life and to ask people to do something adventurous. Your birthday is an excuse to elevate a day, not just for you but for everybody else. So let's do it. Let's have a birthday. Hi. Welcome to "Together Apart" you can subscribe on Apple or Spotify. How do we make gatherings meaningful when we can't be physically together? Our host is Priya Parker, a professional conflict facilitator and the author of "The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters." Here's her most important advice about celebrating your birthday. You can emotionally grow even when you're physically stuck in the same place. We are all experiencing this pandemic differently at different moments and with different amounts of trauma and light. There aren't many things we can control at the moment, but there are some small actions that are still within our domain. One of them is the way we spend our time, with whom, and for what purpose. Challenge the idea that when we are stuck at home we are not changing. We are changing from day to day. And birthdays can be a vessel to help someone remember that. If you're wanting to be more of a reader, perhaps use your birthday to invite people to read a book together aloud for 14 hours together. (Ridiculous, I know.) If you're practicing being more vulnerable and open in your friendships, invite six friends to a digital dinner, maybe on Zoom, and share with each of them why you love them. If you're trying to be open to new experiences, invite your friends to join a virtual sound bath. So, you're having a birthday. Think about this birthday as a physical line you're crossing. Imagine you could take three things with you but also you were invited to relinquish three things. What are the three qualities or beliefs or images that you would want to carry with you? What would be three things that you would be ready to let go of? Ritual doesn't need a group or a collective. But when we do a ritual in front of others, it can carry more weight, because you're acknowledging that it's happening. Witnesses matter. And these participants are part of making that crossing happen through that witnessing and into the future, helping make the change permanent. Is this an open house? Or a seated dinner party? Think through what people need to do to prepare or bring. Should people be prompt? Does the door close at a certain moment? Or can they come and go at different times. Communicate in advance to your guests so they know what to expect. You can even have like six birthday parties now and no one will find out. It's never been easier to have different phases to an event, without it getting awkward or people bumping into each other between events. Particularly for milestone birthdays, create a few layers to your gathering. Maybe make an intimate phase for an inner circle and perhaps another one that invites the larger community. If it's a 50th birthday party, invite a larger group of friends and family to join a virtual cocktail hour at 5 p.m., and then invite a smaller group to dine together online and share stories and toasts at 7 p.m. And if you're hosting the party for someone else, embrace your role. One of the powers of gathering is that it gives people meaningful roles to play in their communities. If you're hosting people on Zoom or a phone call or a group chat, welcome people as they enter. Creatively use the mute button (which can also mean to allow for some joyful chaos!). Explain to people how the toasts will go, or where to put their camera while reading their chapter aloud, or how long they have to find all the objects in the scavenger hunt before returning to their screen. Pave the way for success: If you're doing something a little different, get buy in. Recruit early evangelists by texting two or three friends who may be at the center of this new circle ahead of time. Explain the idea and get them on board. Then you can send out the formal invitation to the larger group so that these early evangelists respond enthusiastically to the email when it comes in. That sends a powerful signal to the rest of the guests. Future episodes of "Together Apart" with Priya Parker will address how to create meaningful human gatherings in an age of isolation, all along the way from baby showers to funerals. You can listen right here or subscribe on Apple or Spotify. | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Style |
At Totokaelo's New Home, the Fitting Rooms Are Bank Vaults Recognizable to most New Yorkers as "that graffiti covered building on the corner of Spring," 190 Bowery has maintained a mysterious facade since the photographer Jay Maisel bought it in 1966 for 102,000 and converted the former Germania Bank into a six story, 72 room home and studio for himself, his wife and their daughter. The street facing walls have been scrubbed of some of the spray painted designs that covered them, and plants line the exterior steps. On Friday, Totokaelo, the cool kid shop in Seattle that opened a New York outpost on Crosby Street in 2015, begins an 11 month residency in the landmark structure. The first floor is high ceilinged and airy. Echoes of the bank lobby that occupied it more than a century ago are still there: The walls are a marble the color of desert dust, and uneven mosaic tiles line the floor. Polished wood panels cover the rest of the floor, remnants of a basketball court that Mr. Maisel installed. Katie Burnett, a stylist who has worked with Totokaelo on the company's ad campaigns, created the mannequin displays, including a mountainous pile of Vetements tops. "It's definitely more of an editorial approach," said Kate Schley, the creative visual manager of Totokaelo. "You don't get this as much in brick and mortar." Head to the basement and you will pass an elongated cage with a square shaped swinging door. Its purpose is a mystery. The downstairs is darker, more stark a cross between a dungeon and an asylum out of a B horror flick. "Down here you'll find things a bit more raw and broken," Ms. Schley said. Bits of tile are missing from the floor and walls, holes have been left unpatched, and the fluorescent lights and reflective ceiling material that Mr. Maisel used for his photography remain. A large bank vault with a four door layer of protection and a cage around it dominates the space. Inside, shoes are displayed on metal shelves that attach magnetically to the walls. A room by the vault was once used by customers taking necklaces and brooches out of their safe deposit boxes to try on before heading to the theater. It now contains a jewelry case. Maison Margiela and Dries Van Noten hold court in two other sections of the basement. Dries Van Noten is in a corner illuminated by a red light, a reference to the Paris tunnel where the designer showed his collection last February. Maison Margiela's nook reflects the label's embrace of white; it is brightly lit and accessorized with furniture covered by white drape cloths. "No other brand can fit into that space as well as Margiela does," said Chris Green, the divisional merchandise manager for Totokaelo. Others have more flexibility in shifting between the floors. "You can take a brand like Jacquemus and bring it downstairs because of the color palette, the very harsh whites and blacks together," he said. "Upstairs it feels light, airy and fresh. You can bring Vetements down here and it would fit right in and be very street, dark, '90s, techno." Despite the many nods to the history of 190 Bowery, one retail decision was made with the future in mind. "This will be the first time men's and women's will be together," Mr. Green said. "Our female client is not scared to buy men's wear, our men's wear client is not scared to buy women's wear. As we progress, that line of this is a men's or women's item is fading." | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Fashion & Style |
Our guide to plays and musicals coming to New York stages and a few last chance picks of shows that are about to close. Our reviews of open shows are at nytimes.com/reviews/theater. 'THE DEAD, 1904' at the American Irish Historical Society (in previews; opens on Nov. 29). Is your soul swooning? Is your stomach rumbling? The Irish Repertory Theater's dinner theater adaptation of James Joyce's novella, which The New York Times called "an unusually sparkling affair," returns for another holiday season. The American Irish Historical Society, a stunning Upper East Side townhouse, once again plays host. 212 727 2737, irishrep.org 'THE ILLUSIONISTS: MAGIC OF THE HOLIDAYS' at the Marquis Theater (performances start on Nov. 23). Do your eyes deceive you? Very probably. These glitzy prestidigitators not to be confused with the "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" crowd have returned to Broadway with more patter, more magic, more questionable outfits. This incarnation includes the "America's Got Talent" finalists Light Balance. theillusionistslive.com 'NOURA' at Playwrights Horizons (previews start on Nov. 27; opens on Dec. 10). The Iraqi American writer and actress Heather Raffo's new play is set at a family Christmas dinner. A silent night? Unlikely. Raffo ("Nine Parts of Desire," which The Times called an "impassioned theatrical documentary") stars as Noura, an Iraqi matriarch who has resettled in New York City and is now trimming the tree. 212 279 4200, playwrightshorizons.org 'THE PRISONER' at Theater for a New Audience (previews start on Nov. 24; opens on Dec. 10). In Peter Brook and Marie Helene Estienne's fable, developed at the Theatre des Bouffes du Nord and seen at London's National Theater, a young man sits outside a prison, forbidden to accept help from passers by. A parable of incarceration, physical and otherwise, and eventual redemption, the piece stars Hiran Abeysekera. 866 811 4111, tfana.org 'THE TRICKY PART' at the Barrow Group (previews start on Nov. 29; opens on Dec. 2). Seth Barrish directs the actor Martin Moran as he revives his autobiographical monologue, a story of the sexual abuse he experienced as an adolescent. When it premiered in 2004, Ben Brantley wrote, "there is surely some redemption in rendering chaos with this kind of clarity." 866 811 4111, barrowgroup.org 'HAPPY BIRTHDAY, WANDA JUNE' at the Duke on 42nd Street (closes on Nov. 29). A man who went away to war and returned after a long absence is about to disappear yet again. In the spring, when the Wheelhouse Theater Company presented an Off Off Broadway production of Kurt Vonnegut's update on "The Odyssey" for the Vietnam era, Laura Collins Hughes described it as a "shaggy but zingingly relevant comedy." 646 223 3010, dukeon42.org 'SCHOOL GIRLS; OR, THE AFRICAN MEAN GIRLS PLAY' at the Lucille Lortel Theater (closes on Dec. 9). The girls of Jocelyn Bioh's hilarious and devastating comedy about colorism, directed by Rebecca Taichman, are again about to graduate. When the play, set in Ghana, had its premiere last fall, Jesse Green wrote that the "nasty teen comedy genre emerges wonderfully refreshed and even deepened by its immersion in a world it never considered." 866 811 4111, mcctheater.org 'THOM PAIN (BASED ON NOTHING)' at the Pershing Square Signature Center (closes on Dec. 9). A lonely, logorrheic man finally runs out of words as the Signature's revival of Will Eno's career making early work ends its run. Ben Brantley found that in this word drunk monologue, now starring Michael C. Hall and directed by Oliver Butler, "it's Mr. Eno's love for and grasp of rhythmic language that most impress here." 212 244 7529, signaturetheatre.org | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Theater |
A Millennial Filmmaker Who Wants to Change Gun Laws None India Sleem for The New York Times Now Lives: In a duplex apartment in the Silver Lake area of Los Angeles. Claim to Fame: Ms. Ullman founded a super PAC called One Vote at a Time in 2016, after the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Fla. Her PAC writes, directs and edits campaign ads for progressive candidates who support gun safety. The services are offered for free. "There are political consultants feeding on candidates in the lower state and local races that charge a lot to make ads that are just bad," Ms. Ullman said. "I was making videos that did well on the internet and thought, 'How can I apply this skill to get more people who care about gun safety into office?'" Her all female production crew of 10 works out of a WeWork space in Burbank, Calif. Big Break: After working as an assistant at the talent agency ICM, she took a job at Maker Studios (a YouTube channel now called Disney Digital Network) and, in 2013, started a newsletter called The Jungle that covered the growing influence of YouTube and other digital ventures in the entertainment industry. In 2016, she directed a funny two minute video called DoYourJob that criticized Republican senators for refusing to consider Merrick Garland as a Supreme Court nominee. India Sleem for The New York Times Latest Project: In September, Ms. Ullman wrapped up a summer of working with local, state and federal campaigns in 10 states, including Wisconsin, New Hampshire and Michigan. Her Super PAC created almost 200 ads for 190 candidates including Stacey Abrams, the Democratic nominee for governor in Georgia. The ad for Ms. Abrams shows an intimate chat between Ms. Abrams and her campaign finance director, Edana Walker, with whom she has been friends since their days at Spelman College. Next Thing: Expect to see Ms. Ullman's handiwork in 2020. "The sweet spot for us is at the local, state and congressional level, but I'm sure as hell going to be involved in the presidential election, whether it's through One Vote at a Time or otherwise," she said. Follow the Money: Funding for her PAC comes solely through individual contributions, including prominent Hollywood figures like Joss Whedon, Ben Affleck and J.J. Abrams. "If the Republicans are using these powerful tools, I think we should be using them too," Ms. Ullman said. "I'm going to play hardball the way that they're playing hardball." | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Style |
"To stay ahead of evolving security threats, we're investing more in automated detection and bringing in new skills as we continue to grow our security team over all," a company spokeswoman said in a statement. "This also means we are restructuring a portion of our team and helping the people affected by this change find other roles at Facebook." Facebook's security efforts have increasingly come under scrutiny in the past few years. In 2016, Russians used the social network to sow divisive messages to sway voters in the American presidential election. In 2018, the company disclosed a security breach that left the accounts of tens of millions of people vulnerable. Its security operations were previously housed together in one large group under Alex Stamos, the chief information security officer. After Mr. Stamos left Facebook in 2018, the security teams were reassigned and reported into different parts of the company, such as engineering and policy. Facebook has since eliminated the chief information security officer position. Facebook is looking for new approaches to bolster security across its services, according to two of the people. That includes hiring software engineers to write programs that can carry out many of the security duties previously accomplished by humans, they said. Managers who supported an automated approach have said it will be easier to scale up over time, since training artificial intelligence to handle those duties will mean less reliance on people. | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Technology |
Adam Pendleton will transform the Museum of Modern Art's atrium this summer into a theatrical stage set framed by three 60 foot tall scaffolds displaying his work. The 36 year old artist's multimedia installation is titled "Who Is Queen?" and will be on view from July 25 through Oct. 4, with live daily events surrounded by text based paintings, mobiles, video portraits and sound pieces exploring his concept of "Black Dada." "It's looking at blackness as an open ended idea, not just related to race but in relationship to politics, to art, specifically to the avant garde," said Mr. Pendleton, who for his roster of readings, lectures and musical performances has enlisted people including the civil rights activist Ruby Sales, the poet Susan Howe and the cultural theorist Judith Butler. For each day of the exhibition, during hours with no live performance, Mr. Pendleton is creating a unique and dissonant sound collage, layering audio material of artists and curators, culled from MoMA's archives, with hip hop music, for instance, or recordings of Black Lives Matter protests. Discussing the title of his show, Mr. Pendleton said, "'Queen' could be a derogatory or loving name for a gay man," adding that he remembered being called this once and resented having to decide whether to reject or embrace it. "That's at the heart of 'Queen' this idea of who we are, in personal but also collective terms." | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Art & Design |
RANWAN, India In this north Indian village, workers recently dismantled stacks of burned and mildewed rice while flies swarmed nearby over spoiled wheat. Local residents said the rice crop had been sitting along the side of a highway for several years and was now being sent to a distillery to be turned into liquor. Just 180 miles to the south, in a slum on the outskirts of New Delhi, Leela Devi struggled to feed her family of four on meager portions of flatbread and potatoes, which she said were all she could afford on her disability pension and the irregular wages of her day laborer husband. Her family is among the estimated 250 million Indians who do not get enough to eat. Such is the paradox of plenty in India's food system. Spurred by agricultural innovation and generous farm subsidies, India now grows so much food that it has a bigger grain stockpile than any country except China, and it exports some of it to countries like Saudi Arabia and Australia. Yet one fifth of its people are malnourished double the rate of other developing countries like Vietnam and China because of pervasive corruption, mismanagement and waste in the programs that are supposed to distribute food to the poor. "The reason we are facing this problem is our refusal to distribute the grain that we buy from farmers to the people who need it," said Biraj Patnaik, who advises India's Supreme Court on food issues. "The only place that this grain deserves to be is in the stomachs of the people who are hungry." After years of neglect, the nation's failed food policies have now become a subject of intense debate in New Delhi, with lawmakers, advocates for the poor, economists and the news media increasingly calling for an overhaul. The populist national government is considering legislation that would pour billions of additional dollars into the system and double the number of people served to two thirds of the population. The proposed law would also allow the poor to buy more rice and wheat at lower prices. Proponents say the new law, if written and executed well, could help ensure that nobody goes hungry in India, the world's second most populous country behind China. But critics say that without fundamental system reforms, the extra money will only deepen the nation's budget deficit and further enrich the officials who routinely steal food from various levels of the distribution chain. India's food policy has two central goals: to provide farmers with higher and more consistent prices for their crops than they would get from the open market, and to sell food grains to the poor at lower prices than they would pay at private stores. The sprawling system costs the government 750 billion rupees ( 13.6 billion) a year, almost 1 percent of India's gross domestic product. Yet 21 percent of the country's 1.2 billion people remain undernourished, a proportion that has changed little in the last two decades despite an almost 50 percent increase in food production, according to the International Food Policy Research Institute, a research group in Washington. The new food security law could more than double the government's outlays to 2 trillion rupees a year, according to some estimates. Much of the extra money would go to buy more grain, even though the government already has a tremendous stockpile of wheat and rice 71 million tons as of early May, up 20 percent from a year earlier. "India is paying the price of an unexpected success our production of rice and wheat has surged and procurement has been better than ever," said Kaushik Basu, the chief economic adviser to India's Finance Ministry and a professor at Cornell University. "This success is showing up some of the gaps in our policy." Today in On Tech: Imagine not living in Big Tech's world. Dollar Tree will raise prices to 1.25 by the end of April. The biggest gap is the inefficient, corrupt system used to get the food to those who need it. Just 41.4 percent of the grain picked up by the states from federal warehouses reaches Indian homes, according to a recent World Bank study. Critics say officials all along the chain, from warehouse managers to shopkeepers, steal food and sell it to traders, pocketing tidy, illicit profits. Poor Indians who have ration cards often complain about both the quality and quantity of grain available at government stores, called fair price shops. Ms. Devi, who lives in the Jagdamba Camp slum in south Delhi, said she was denied a ration card four years ago. She said her family's steadiest income is a disability pension of 1,000 rupees a month she gets because of burns suffered in an accident a few years ago. While her husband sometimes earns up to 3,000 rupees a month as a laborer, she says she should be entitled to subsidized grain since they must often get by on 2,000 rupees or less. "Sometimes, we just have to sit and wait," she said. "My mother in law gets subsidized food and she gives me some when she can." Indian officials say they are addressing the system's problems. Some states, like Tamil Nadu and Chhattisgarh, have made big improvements by using technology to track food and have made it easier for almost all households to get ration cards. Other states, like Bihar, have experimented with food stamps. Reformers argue that India should move toward giving the poor cash or food stamps as the United States, Mexico and other countries have done. That would reduce corruption and mismanagement because the government would buy and store only enough grain to insure against bad harvests. And the poor would get more choices, said Ashok Gulati, chairman of the government's Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices. "Why only wheat and rice? If he wants to have eggs, or fruits, or some vegetables, he should be given that option," Mr. Gulati said. "You need to augment his income. Then, the distribution, you leave it to the private sector." | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Global Business |
LOS ANGELES Last week, when the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that John Bailey would serve as its next president, succeeding Cheryl Boone Isaacs, Hollywood scratched its head. Mr. Bailey, 75, is a cinematographer who has thrived in the film business by helping others shine. He handled the cinematography for "Ordinary People," which won four Oscars in 1981, including one for Robert Redford's direction. Mr. Bailey's work on "As Good as It Gets" helped Helen Hunt and Jack Nicholson win Academy Awards in 1998. But it has become immediately clear that Mr. Bailey a foreign film lover who has never been personally nominated for an Oscar is ready for the klieg lights that come with his new job. He was elected by the academy's 54 member board of governors last Tuesday night. By Friday, he was at work. On Monday, he spoke to a reporter by phone, tackling questions about an array of academy challenges with a candor often lacking in its officials. For instance, asked whether his election undercut the organization's push to better represent women and minorities as some people in moviedom immediately snarked Mr. Bailey responded in colorful fashion. "Well, they can snark themselves up their wazoo," he said. "I was born white. I was born male. It's who I am, but it's not a limiting factor in what I can do. We're going to keep doing everything we can to be more inclusive. I happen to think that the academy's initiatives regarding diversity are way overdue." Mr. Bailey added: "But the academy is not the industry. We can jump in and work to solve this issue and we are. But we can't bear sole responsibility. The jobs have to be there." The academy, which is 72 percent male and 87 percent white, pledged in wake of the social media campaign OscarsSoWhite to double female and minority membership by 2020. Here are some excerpts from the interview: The academy presidency is an unpaid job and involves a lot of work. Why did you sign up for this misery? Somebody's got to do it! I have been on the board for 14 years and served for the last three years as a vice president, chairing the preservation and history committee. Over time, I have felt more and more committed to the programs and initiatives of the academy. Where do you stand on Netflix? If a movie is mostly seen on a streaming service and not in theaters, is it still a movie? This is a question, of course, about whether Netflix movies should be nominated for Oscars. There's no question that they're movies. How the academy is going to define those films in terms of qualifying for Academy Awards is something that needs to be addressed. I don't know what the answer is, but we need to be looking at this topic in a realistic way. If we don't, we're going to get lost in the dust. The academy is building a museum, and some reports have described fund raising as severely lagging, even as costs have increased. Are donations lagging? Jeff Bezos gives 100 million to the Obama Foundation. Stocks rise after President Biden says Jerome Powell will stay atop the Fed. I don't know a lot about the fund raising yet. I will need to learn more about that. But I do know that Laura Dern is very, very involved, and Bob Iger is as well. And Kathy DeShaw has some innovative ideas about how people can contribute money in smaller amounts and still feel like they are part of the museum naming and such. Ms. Dern, who has experienced a resurgence in her acting career, is an academy board member; Mr. Iger is chief executive of the Walt Disney Company; Ms. DeShaw is the academy museum's new fund raising chief. These outlets keep talking about the 'stalled building program.' But they don't understand how much has had to happen under the ground. It's being built on a dinosaur pit. The museum, which is being built near the La Brea Tar Pits, includes a subterranean theater. Construction was interrupted at one point when workers found part of a mastodon skeleton. Your election was read in Hollywood as a win for the below the line part of the movie industry craftspeople who are not actors, directors, producers or writers. Do you see it that way? That's a false narrative. Fake news, you might say. I don't think it represents the dynamics on the board at all. For people who may not know you, what is your origin story? College? Children? How did you get into the business? | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Media |
What Is Bitcoin, and How Does It Work? Are Bitcoins those coins I see in photographs? No. Those coins are novelty items that newspapers used in photographs because they couldn't find anything else to illustrate their stories about Bitcoin. A Bitcoin is a digital token with no physical backing that can be sent electronically from one user to another, anywhere in the world. A Bitcoin can be divided out to eight decimal places, so you can send someone 0.00000001 Bitcoins. This smallest fraction of a Bitcoin the penny of the Bitcoin world is referred to as a Satoshi, after the anonymous creator of Bitcoin. This all gets confusing, because Bitcoin is also the name of the payment network on which the Bitcoin digital tokens are stored and moved. Unlike traditional payment networks like Visa, the Bitcoin network is not run by a single company or person. The system is run by a decentralized network of computers around the world that keep track of all Bitcoin transactions, similar to the way Wikipedia is maintained by a decentralized network of writers and editors. The record of all Bitcoin transactions that these computers are constantly updating is known as the blockchain. Why do criminals like Bitcoin? Criminals have taken to Bitcoin because anyone can open a Bitcoin address and start sending and receiving Bitcoins without giving a name or identity. There is no central authority that could collect this information. Bitcoin first took off in 2011 after drug dealers began taking payments in Bitcoin on the black market website known as the Silk Road. Although the Silk Road was shut down in 2013, similar sites have popped up to replace it. More recently, Bitcoin has become a method for making ransom payments for example, when your computer is taken over by so called ransomware. Why won't the government just shut it down? The records of the Bitcoin network, including all balances and transactions, are stored on every computer helping to maintain the network about 9,500 computers in late 2017. If the government made it illegal for Americans to participate in this network, the computers and people keeping the records in other countries would still be able to continue. The decentralized nature of Bitcoin is also one of the qualities that have made it popular with people who are suspicious of government authorities. Can Bitcoin users give themselves more Bitcoins? Anyone helping to maintain the database of all Bitcoin transactions the blockchain could change his or her own copy of the records to add more money. But if someone did that, the other computers maintaining the records would see the discrepancy, and the changes would be ignored. Are there legal uses? Only a small percentage of all transactions on the Bitcoin network are explicitly illegal. Most transactions are people buying and selling Bitcoins on exchanges, speculating on future prices. A whole world of high frequency traders has sprung up around Bitcoin. People in countries with high inflation, like Argentina and Venezuela, have bought Bitcoin with their local currency to avoid losing their savings to inflation. One of the most popular business plans is to use Bitcoin to move money over international borders. Large international money transfers can take weeks when they go through banks, while millions of dollars of Bitcoin can be moved in minutes. So far, though, these practical applications of Bitcoin have been slow to take off. There are companies in most countries that will sell you Bitcoins in exchange for the local currency. In the United States, a company called Coinbase will link to your bank account or credit card and then sell you the coins for dollars. Opening an account with Coinbase is similar to opening a traditional bank or stock brokerage account, with lots of identity verification to satisfy the authorities. For people who do not want to reveal their identities, services like LocalBitcoins will connect people who want to meet in person to buy and sell Bitcoins for cash, generally without any verification of identity required. Who decides what a Bitcoin is worth? The price of Bitcoin fluctuates constantly and is determined by open market bidding on Bitcoin exchanges, similar to the way that stock and gold prices are determined by bidding on exchanges. Bitcoin mining refers to the process through which new Bitcoins are created and given to computers helping to maintain the network. The computers involved in Bitcoin mining are in a sort of computational race to process new transactions coming onto the network. The winner generally the person with the fastest computers gets a chunk of new Bitcoins, 12.5 of them right now. (The reward is halved every four years.) There is generally a new winner about every 10 minutes, and there will be until there are 21 million Bitcoins in the world. At that point, no new Bitcoins will be created. This cap is expected to be reached in 2140. So far, about 16 million Bitcoin have been distributed. Every Bitcoin in existence was created through this method and initially given to a computer helping to maintain the records. Anyone can set his or her computer to mine Bitcoin, but these days only people with specialized hardware manage to win the race. Bitcoin was introduced in 2008 by an unknown creator going by the name of Satoshi Nakamoto, who communicated only by email and social messaging. While several people have been identified as likely candidates to be Satoshi, as the creator is known in the world of Bitcoin, no one has been confirmed as the real Satoshi, and the search has gone on. Satoshi created the original rules of the Bitcoin network and then released the software to the world in 2009. Satoshi largely disappeared from view two years later. Anyone can download and use the software, and Satoshi now has no more control over the network than anyone else using the software. | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Technology |
Channing Dungey, who left ABC only a month ago as its entertainment head, is taking a high ranking executive position at Netflix, the streaming company announced on Monday. Ms. Dungey, who was the first black executive to run an entertainment division at a major network, will become a vice president of original content, Netflix said. She will report to Cindy Holland, who has been with the company for 16 years and is also a vice president for original content. This is the third time in a year and a half that Netflix has hired a veteran of ABC, which is owned by the Walt Disney Company. Shonda Rhimes, the creator of the ABC hits "Grey's Anatomy" and "Scandal," is now overseeing a broad slate of original programming that may hit the service next year. Kenya Barris, the creator of "Black ish," also recently signed a deal with Netflix after his relationship with ABC soured. Netflix said Ms. Dungey will oversee "a large and crucial portion" of its original content, including the company's deals with several successful showrunners. In her new role, Ms. Dungey will be reunited with Ms. Rhimes and Mr. Barris, as well as overseeing other major producers like Jenji Kohan ("Orange Is the New Black," "Glow") and Marti Noxon ("UnREAL," "Sharp Objects") who have deals with Netflix. Netflix said Ms. Dungey will help oversee programming that will be made by Barack and Michelle Obama's Higher Ground Productions production company. | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Media |
USUALLY when companies come out with a new and improved formula, they want the public to know. But when the item in question is an iconic food product, the calculus gets tougher. Every marketer remembers with a shudder the cautionary tale of New Coke. So when Kraft Heinz reached inside the blue box to tweak the recipe for its macaroni and cheese, it chose to whisper rather than shout the results. A new formula that removed artificial preservatives and swapped out artificial dyes for a combination of paprika, annatto and turmeric had been under development for three years, and last April Kraft announced that it planned to make the switch. But when the reformulated version hit shelves in December, only customers paying careful attention to the ingredients listed on the side of the box would have known. Even the orangeish color of the mac and cheese remained the same. "We've sold well over 50 million boxes with essentially no one noticing," said Greg Guidotti, vice president for meal solutions at Kraft Heinz. "This was absolutely brilliant of them to change it and not say anything," said Lynn Dornblaser, director of innovation and insight at the market research firm Mintel. Now Kraft is getting a little more vocal. A new ad campaign plays up the element of surprise involved with the company's new mac and cheese formula, with 15 and 30 second broadcast and online video spots featuring the former late night television host Craig Kilborn and the tag line, "It's changed. But it hasn't." Kraft was concerned that people would perceive a change in flavor that wasn't really there if it made too big a deal about the different formula as soon as it started using it. In fact, when the company made the announcement last spring that it would be tweaking the ingredients, Mr. Guidotti said, people began posting on social media their concerns that the mac and cheese would taste different. "We knew we wanted to address that tension," he said. Some on social media even said, shortly after the April announcement, that they thought the mac and cheese tasted different when, in reality, they were still eating the previous version. This is a psychological quirk, well known to food manufacturers, that can stymie well meaning attempts to make processed foods healthier. "Anytime there's a suggestion of what something should taste like, some aspect of taste, when we try that food, we're looking for it," said David Just, a professor of behavioral economics at Cornell University who is affiliated with the Cornell Food and Brand Lab. "Whenever you have labels like 'healthier' or 'reformulated,' people are looking for the absence of a taste they really like." Ms. Dornblaser added, "Normally, consumers are going to expect when there's going to be a reformulation of whatever kind, they're going to expect it to taste different and to look different." Netflix buys a visual effects company in a move to support its global ambitions. 15 minimum wage for federal contractors will take effect Jan. 30. "Our first advice to them was not to tell anyone about it, which is unusual for an ad agency," said Adam Chasnow, vice president and executive creative director for Crispin Porter Bogusky, Kraft's partner in developing the campaign. "We're going to focus on the fact that things are still the same." In addition to the commercials with Mr. Kilborn, the campaign includes a two and a half minute online video that takes a more serious, documentary style look at the change; digital display ads; and promotions through Pandora online radio, Snapchat and ESPN's "SportsCenter." Print ads in 20 magazines, including Southern Living, US Weekly and Essence, cheekily tell readers things like, "We'd invite you to try it, but you already have." Kraft is also encouraging fans to post on social media with the hashtag didntnotice by offering giveaways, including a pillow shaped like Kraft's curved macaroni noodle. Mr. Guidotti said that since the company revealed that it had been using the new formula for some time, customer feedback has been generally positive, although there was a spate of posts from customers claiming that they actually had noticed the change. "When you say something, people will say, 'Oh yeah, I knew that,' " he said. "There's psychology involved in there as well." Before the campaign began, Kraft and Crispin Porter Bogusky worried that a sharp eyed fan or a food blogger would notice the changes to the ingredients list and act as a spoiler. "We were always concerned," Mr. Guidotti said. "Should consumers find out sooner, we had contingencies. We had a lot of different ways of launching our advertising sooner, launching our social sooner, having more specific responses." None of that proved to be necessary, not that Mr. Guidotti or his team are complaining. "I think we probably did five times as much work, but it was all worth it," he said. | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Media |
Wherever you are, whatever time it is, it is the Olympics. The events in Rio de Janeiro feel constant and inescapable, a furious relay of competition and striving. It is as if the Olympic torch itself were a flaming baton, passed from archer to swimmer to gymnast to triathlete. You can't turn on a television, read a newspaper or listen in on your neighbor's conversation in a coffee shop line without hearing about Simone Biles, Katie Ledecky or the feud between Michael Phelps and Chad le Clos. And then there is Logan Dooley. Mr. Dooley, a first time Olympian and a dimpled heartthrob in the making, may well be among those household names being showcased in prime time, buoyed by sponsorships and feel good TV commercials, if he were a swimmer, a gymnast or even a fencer. But Mr. Dooley, 28, of Lake Forest, Calif., is competing for the gold in Olympic trampoline. The Olympic flame does not illuminate each event equally. Further from the center, partly in shadow, are those sports not universally acknowledged: air pistol shooting, archery, badminton, taekwondo. We will always have the breaststroke, and long may it reign. But if I may make a modest case for my particular favorite, let me call attention to the discreet charm of the trampoline. | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Fashion & Style |
What happened to the I.M.F.? Stay with me. Don't go. This is not another column about global financial bureaucracy. To suffering government officials from developing countries who have knocked on its door seeking cash over the years, the abbreviation for the International Monetary Fund has long been understood to mean "It's Mostly Fiscal" a play on the lending institution's single minded focus on spending cuts. As guarantor of global economic stability, the I.M.F. long defined success narrowly: sustained growth, low inflation and a balanced budget. The distribution of income, its many critics charged, ranked far too low on its list of interests, if it appeared at all. But lately the fund's definition of success has broadened. Last week I interviewed the I.M.F.'s managing director, Christine Lagarde, ahead of its spring meetings in Washington this week, which are held in conjunction with the World Bank. "I hear people say, 'Why do you bother about inequality? It is not the core mandate.' Well, sorry, it is also part of the mandate," Ms. Lagarde told me. "Our mandate is financial stability. Anything that is likely to rock the boat financially and macroeconomically is within our mandate." The new emphasis is hugely important. The International Monetary Fund is the standard bearer of the so called Washington Consensus, promoting open markets, small government and limited regulation as the secret sauce of success for the developing world however the fruits of this success happened to be distributed. Its new leanings suggest the emergence of perhaps a new consensus: Economic policy cannot be only about promoting low inflation and robust growth. Healthy, stable economies also depend on a reasonably equitable distribution of the rewards. Ms. Lagarde rejects the notion that the I.M.F. didn't care about income distribution before. She noted that over the last two decades the institution has put emphasis on ensuring that its programs don't hurt the neediest. The fund's own research concludes that its programs have increased spending on education and health in poor countries. Still, she acknowledges that the I.M.F. is paying more attention now. "Because inequality rose, we had to look at it more carefully and look at whether rising inequality in those societies in the postcrisis period in particular was relevant for the macroeconomic analysis that we do." The I.M.F.'s new interest in income distribution meshes with a spate of seemingly unorthodox positions coming from the fund and some of its experts since the financial crisis of 2008. It has come to support some controls on cross border capital flows. Its research has argued in favor of fiscal stimulus, pointing out its positive impacts on economic growth. In the latest edition of the World Economic Outlook, the fund subtly makes the case that inflation in the United States and other developed nations should be higher to help pull the world economy out of its morass. But the newfound attention to income inequality isn't just another facet of a more liberal, Keynesian economic worldview. The fund's economists have been producing research that suggests that inequality could make the world economy less stable. Ms. Lagarde echoes an I.M.F. staff paper issued in January, which suggested that policies recommended by the fund should also be judged for their impact on inequality. "Income inequality can be of macroeconomic concern for country authorities, and the fund should accordingly seek to understand the macroeconomic effects of inequality," it says. Earlier this year Mr. Ostry, Mr. Berg and another fund economist, Charalambos G. Tsangarides, published another study about the relationship between inequality, redistribution and growth, in which they took on the argument that what hamstrings growth is not inequality, but government efforts to redistribute income in unequal societies. "Redistribution can cut both ways," Mr. Ostry told me. "If the government safety net is going to rule out the really bad outcomes, I might take more risk and thus help the economy grow. But if the government is going to take away my wealth if I take risks, then I won't take the risks." Mr. Ostry and his colleagues found in the data that efforts at redistribution were generally benign. Extreme efforts at redistribution might hamper growth, but even then the pro growth effects of greater equality cancel out its growth slowing impact. And while the links between inequality, redistribution and stability may be hard to pin down with certainty, they are not hard to imagine. Deep inequality breeds resentment and political instability, discouraging investment. It can lead to political polarization and gridlock, as it cleaves the political system between the interests of the haves and the have nots. And it can make it more difficult for governments to deal with brewing crises and economic imbalances. Work by Carol Graham and Soumya Chattopadhyay at the Brookings Institution finds that recent episodes of unrest around the world, including the Arab Spring, Brazilian street protests and the uprising in Ukraine, were fueled not by the poor but by a middle class frustrated by a lack of opportunity to progress further. It would be a mistake "to focus on growth and let inequality take care of itself," Mr. Ostry and colleagues wrote, "not only because inequality may be ethically undesirable but also because the resulting growth may be low and unsustainable." The I.M.F.'s new emphasis could make a difference for the fund's clients. Mexico, where I grew up, was run for much of the 1980s under the aegis of some agreement or other with the fund, aimed at restoring the country's finances and preventing a default on its foreign debt. It is a period known to Mexicans as "the lost decade." Public payrolls were culled. Unemployment soared. Wages collapsed. Poverty jumped. And Mexico's lopsided distribution of income got worse. According to the World Bank, the share of income taken by the top 10 percent of Mexicans rose to 40 percent in 1992, from 35 percent in 1984. The portion of the pie going to the poorest tenth shrank to 1.6 percent, from 1.9 percent. An analysis published last year by economists in the I.M.F.'s fiscal affairs department concluded that efforts to curb budget deficits increase inequality, especially if they take the form of spending cuts. It suggested that targeted government spending and progressive taxes could offset some of these effects. Ms. Lagarde said the fund was taking this new awareness to heart. "When a country member asks for help and we design together with that country a program, we have that in mind," she said. "When we redesign energy subsidies with that country, we have that in mind. When we try to put in place a social safety net for the poor, we have that in mind. When we recommend better financing of pension schemes, we have that in mind." The world may be a safer place for it. | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Economy |
Vivian Gussin Paley, a pioneering teacher and widely acclaimed author who emphasized the importance of storytelling in early childhood development, died on July 26 in Crozet, Va. She was 90. Her son, David Paley, said she had been in failing health for some months and died in an assisted living facility. Ms. Paley was a keen observer and listener of young children. She wrote 13 books about their social and intellectual development, including how they learn from telling stories, and received a MacArthur "genius" grant in recognition of her work. Her best known works include "You Can't Say You Can't Play" (1993), the title referring to a rule she laid down in her classroom to teach children about rejection. The book is "arresting in its title, magical in its appeal, and inspiring in its message," the Harvard law professor and author Derrick Bell wrote in The New York Times Book Review. He said it illustrated "how the teacher's art can attack the evil of exclusion at its childhood root." In "White Teacher" (1979), she described her reluctance to talk about race as a white teacher in an integrated school. Sixteen years later she wrote "Kwanzaa and Me," in which she confronted racism head on. Her book "The Girl With the Brown Crayon" (1997), which followed a girl's discoveries during a year of reading works by the children's author Leo Lionni, won Harvard University Press's annual prize for outstanding publication about education and society. Ms. Paley's teaching approach involved asking children to describe an event, sometimes with only a few words, and then to dramatize it with their classmates. This taught them language skills but also compassion, fairness and how to negotiate relationships. "She was as much an artist as a teacher, creative and playful to the end of her life," John Hornstein, a child development specialist at Tufts University, said in an interview. "She is known in the field for her use of storytelling, but the method she developed is far more than that. It is a way in which young children join a complex and diverse social world." Ms. Paley developed her methods over 37 years of teaching, most of them spent at the innovative, academically rigorous University of Chicago Laboratory Schools. While there, she won her MacArthur award in 1989 at age 60. She is believed to be the only person to win the grant while working as a kindergarten teacher. In addition to teaching children, she mentored a generation of teachers, held workshops and lectured about her experiences in the classroom. Her methods of storytelling and acting have been adopted elsewhere, notably in Boston, where the public school system has incorporated them into its curriculum. But they met with some resistance from the education establishment, especially as the No Child Left Behind Act, which required standardized testing, became law in 2002. "She wasn't mainstream, and she wasn't a curriculum person," Mr. Hornstein said. "To her, teaching was not about meeting a bunch of core requirements that you can quantify; it was about being a human being." In her book "The Boy Who Would Be a Helicopter: The Uses of Storytelling in the Classroom" (1990), Ms. Paley wrote about a loner who becomes less isolated by acting in other children's activities and stories, both true and fantasized, and inviting others into his imaginary helicopter to be his co pilot. By using storytelling to make children feel included, Ms. Paley built trust in her classroom and extended that to problem solving, said Sarah Sivright, who taught with her at the Chicago Laboratory Schools. For example, she said, a student named Billy liked to play with blocks but never put them away. Ms. Paley and Ms. Sivright suggested that he not be allowed to play with them anymore. But his classmates said that that wasn't fair because it was his favorite activity. They suggested instead that he simply be reminded to clean up after each session. "Billy actually did get better at cleaning up," Ms. Sivright said. "He felt supported by his community." Vivian Roslyn Gussin was born on Jan. 25, 1929, in Chicago to Harry and Yetta (Meisel) Gussin. He was a medical doctor and she a homemaker. Vivian received her bachelor of philosophy degree from the University of Chicago in 1947 and another bachelor's degree, in psychology, from Newcomb College, the women's college at Tulane University in New Orleans, in 1950. She married Irving Paley in 1948. He survives her, as do their son, David, three grandchildren and three great grandchildren. Another son, Robert, died in 2017. Ms. Paley began her teaching career in New Orleans. There, she recalled, she felt burdened by an overemphasis on strict learning boundaries and memorization, and came to believe that such an approach stifled learning and teaching. She described herself during this period as an "uninspired and uninspiring teacher." She moved to New York and earned her master's of science degree in education from Hofstra University on Long Island in 1965 and taught at the Great Neck public schools, also on Long Island, until 1971. She then moved back to Chicago, where she spent the rest of her teaching career at the Lab Schools. There she felt free to experiment. When the school day was extended from a half day to a full day, she decided to fill it with storytelling and acting. | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Education |
After Lulu's suspension, Elsie, switching to the third person, accuses her daughter of not acting like herself: "Don't try to tell me. I'm her mother. You think I don't know Luljeta?" It's one of many funny exchanges in "Brass" what daughter hasn't heard her mother say such a thing but it's also a deft illustration of the way both women are hemmed in by the other's long held assumptions. "And then it's infuriating, your mother's need for you," Lulu says, later. "It's not fair that you should serve as her primary motivation for getting out of bed in the morning, especially considering that you have no idea what the hell you want from your own life, other than to get out of this crap town and figure it out elsewhere." Reading that, I both wanted Lulu to "get out," and to shake her for being so ungrateful. They'll never see each other, or themselves, as clearly as the reader gets to see them both that's the magic trick here. In granting the reader access to both women's interiority, Aliu brings to life the simple, heartbreaking fact that though our stories can intersect, we're ourselves alone. Except, maybe, when we are still part of our mothers. For fear of spoiling it, all I will say about the moment Elsie and Lulu meet for the first time is that it transformed what was already a unique coming of age story and an incisive reckoning with class in America to something unforgettably wise and powerful. From its opening page, "Brass" simmers with anger the all too real byproduct of working hard for not enough, of being a woman in a place where women have little value, of getting knocked down one too many times. But when the simmer breaks into a boil, Aliu alchemizes that anger into love, and in doing so creates one of the most potent dramatizations of the bond between mother and daughter that I've ever read. Of course, the ending note is Lulu's as the daughter, she will finish what her mother started. It's the kind of quiet closing gesture that feels less like an ending than an opening. I left this book with the sure sense that the characters were alive beyond its pages, though I wouldn't dare try to guess what they are up to Elsie and Lulu are too real for that. | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Books |
For decades, 70 year olds in search of age focused housing in New York were often out of luck. A lack of supply sent them to the suburbs. But now as land prices dip and demand ticks up, developers are adding buildings in prime New York neighborhoods for the post retirement set. They're arriving at a difficult time, as the devastation wrought by Covid 19 has made some leery of group living. Yet as the senior population swells, analysts and developers believe the sector is poised to grow, as others seek ways to avoid isolation. "The next year or two will be challenging," said Lukas Hartwich, a senior analyst for Green Street Advisors, an analytics firm. "But the long term viability of senior housing is still intact." At least four major new projects, located on Manhattan's East Side and in Brooklyn Heights, are currently welcoming residents or will start to over the next several months. The projects, which have different age requirements but generally cater to people in their 70s and 80s come after more than a decade when very little like this has been built in the city. The housing is also much fancier and more expensive than what came before, with private apartments, stylish amenities like wine cellars, and multiple places to eat. The developers, which include national firms new to New York, appear to be betting that older New Yorkers will be willing to reach deep into their pockets to live near their children, a trend seen in other markets. Not unlike condos and rentals before them, the new projects seem to be turning to luxury finishes and resort style amenities to out hustle the competition. Inspir Carnegie Hill, a 24 story, 215 unit tower on the Upper East Side, has 50,000 square feet of exercise and entertainment options. Included are a 24 seat movie theater, a wine cellar and three restaurants, including a ground floor version whose moody lighting and plant filled courtyard niche could almost be considered hip. More greenery turns up inside a soaring atrium on the 16th floor where modern couches sit by tall windows, and beyond, a terrace. Like the other new projects, residents will cover rents from their own pocket without any help from insurance. At Inspir, units starting at 400 square feet will rent for 13,500 a month and up, which covers room, board and programs, though prices can ramp up based on level of nursing care. Nationally, in contrast, the average rent for senior housing is 4,200 per month, Mr. Hartwich said. Since marketing began a year ago, Inspir has leased about a third of its units, according to Mr. Smith, though a few people who put down deposits changed their minds once the pandemic hit. Since the pandemic, Inspir has added ultraviolet light sanitizers, installed thermal cameras to check temperatures and boosted the amount of outdoor air flow. Also, staff members and residents in common areas must be masked. Overall, about one percent of the tenants in Maplewood's 14 communities, which span five states, died from Covid 19, according to Mr. Smith, who noted that number might have been higher had staff members not started wearing personal protective equipment in February. Still, the health crisis has seemed to lead to a newfound appreciation for the type of camaraderie senior housing can offer to people who might otherwise live alone. "There's a completely different perspective now among family members. They're saying, 'I know what my parents go through with social isolation, because I've had to do it, too,'" Mr. Smith said. Condo style extras are also a selling point at the Watermark at Brooklyn Heights, a 275 unit property at 21 Clark Street that opened in early October. Included in the facility's 50,000 square feet of amenities are three restaurants, an art gallery and a pool, plus a skyline gazing deck that sweeps across the roof of the building, the former Leverich Towers Hotel. A blocklong Romanesque hulk that most recently served as a dormitory for the Jehovah's Witnesses organization, the 1928 building, known for its four castle like roof towers, was designed by Starrett and Van Vleck, the architectural firm behind Bloomingdale's and other department stores. The brick facade of the 16 story building has had landmark protection since the 1960s, so it hasn't changed much. But few original details survived inside, according to Watermark Retirement Communities, a national firm that codeveloped the property with Kayne Anderson Real Estate and Tishman Speyer. In 2017, the developers paid 203 million for the building. Watermark has restored a ballroom that the Jehovah's Witnesses had partitioned into offices, to allow it to become the W Room, one of the complex's restaurants. Lining its balcony is the art gallery, whose first show will be "Brooklyn Collected: Artists Next Door." None Testing the Limits: Only three of New York's 25 tallest residential buildings have completed safety tasks required by the city. The Downside to Life in a Supertall: 432 Park faces some significant design problems, and other luxury high rises may share its fate. Luxury Developers' Loophole: Soaring towers are able to push high into the sky because of a loophole in the city's labyrinthine zoning laws. An Evolving Skyline: The high rise building boom has transformed the city's skyline in recent years. Its impact will echo for years to come. Hidden Feats: Our critic looks at some supertall N.Y.C. buildings and how the ingenuity of engineers helped build landmarks. Watermark has spent 2 million on personal protective equipment for staff members at some of its 62 complexes, which are found in 21 states, according to David Barnes, the company's president. His mother lives in a Watermark property, though he hasn't been able to visit her since March. "We are really pretty confident in our ability to create safe environments" Mr. Barnes said. Of the 55 or so units leased so far in Brooklyn, no one has yet backed out, though not all tenants plan on moving in immediately. The pandemic also delayed construction, pushing back the opening of the 330 million redevelopment from last spring to now. David Freshwater, Watermark's chairman, said he shopped for two decades for a site in New York and watched as condo developers snapped up most of them. New York needs senior housing, as it lags far behind other major cities, Mr. Freshwater said. The supply of senior housing relative to the number of seniors in New York is less than five percent, according to the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing and Care, a nonprofit that tracks the sector. In comparison, San Francisco's rate is about nine percent, while Chicago's is 12, according to the National Investment Center; Atlanta clocks in at nearly 15 percent. (The center, which does not include nursing homes in its totals, defines seniors as being 75 and older, and these percentages cover the greater metropolitan areas of each city.) The supply hasn't really budged in New York City for years. Manhattan did not add a single new unit of senior housing between 2005 and 2017, according to the center. And the other boroughs saw just a smattering of new units over the same period. An elevated experience is also being touted by Bristal at York Avenue, a 14 story, 132 unit property at East 86th Street that is currently under construction. Each residential floor of the tower, which is being developed by Engel Burman, a Long Island based firm, offers a shared living room with a gas fireplace. And the penthouse level has an amenity area with a piano lounge, hair salon and gym. An April opening is planned. Luxury is also on the mind of Sunrise at East 56th, a 17 story, 151 unit property at Lexington Avenue specializing in assisted care, from Welltower, a real estate investment trust, and Hines, a national developer. Its operator will be Sunrise Senior Living, which has properties in Brooklyn and Staten Island. Fears about infection in group housing are understandable. In New York State, long term care facilities for older adults, which includes senior communities and nursing homes, accounted for 6,651 deaths, or 20 percent of the state's total, as of Sept. 16. Meanwhile, New Jersey had 6,873 nursing home deaths, for 43 percent of its total, while Connecticut had 3,280 for 73 percent. But post pandemic, there could be a much bigger audience for this type of real estate product. In 2050, 86 million people will be 65 or older in the country, according to the real estate firm CBRE, which would represent a 50 percent jump over current numbers. "New York is probably as underserved as any place in the United States," including rural regions, said David Schless, the president of the American Seniors Housing Association, a trade group. "So having more options for older adults is a really positive development." For weekly email updates on residential real estate news, sign up here. Follow us on Twitter: nytrealestate. | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Real Estate |
Credit...Minzayar Oo for The New York Times This article is part of a new series on Visionaries. The New York Times selected people from all over the world who are pushing the boundaries of their fields, from science and technology to culture and sports. As city dwellers seek to soften the expanding urban jungle around them, architects are working harder to incorporate greenery and natural materials. But nobody is doing it quite like Vo Trong Nghia . His firm, Vo Trong Nghia Architects , based in Ho Chi Minh City , infuses its work with lushly planted walls, hanging vines, structure piercing trees, weathered stones and sunken landscapes. It also incorporates traditional Vietnamese building techniques, like complex bamboo trusses, perforated blocks, cooling water systems, shaded terraces and thatched roofs. Mr. Nghia's firm also is expanding into prefab housing, urban farms, green towers, parks and urban plans around Asia. All these efforts are infused with a resolute vision: the creation of architecture that merges nature, local vernacular and through modern materials and methods contemporary design. Mr. Nghia sees such work as a way not only to refine the urban environment, but also to provide a sense of peace in the world. Still the leader of his firm albeit remotely Mr. Nghia , 43, who has been practicing meditation since 2012 , has spent the last two years at the Pa Auk Tawya Meditation Cent er, a Buddhist monastery in the forests of Myanmar . He participates in calls and discusses work, but only for short periods of time. For now, his plan is to return to Vietnam early next year. His entire staff meditates at least two hours a day, and they need to adhere to strict moral precepts, refraining from, among other things, drinking alcohol, smoking or lying. The following conversation has been edited and condensed . What would you like people to know about your work? First, I would like people to know about our focus on meditation and guiding precepts. If you can meditate for several hours, everything becomes clear. You can become a superman compared to your former self. Architecture becomes easy. We don't focus on working very long, but on cleaning our minds and cleaning our hearts. That's why our firm works so well. From a design point of view, we focus on connecting people to nature. We try to make a small mark on the city. In Vietnam our cities have so few parks and so little nature. People are being taken away from the moment, and away from nature. That's why we have conflict everywhere in the world . Without nature around us we become crazy. So we try to wrap nature around our lives Who or what inspired you to go into your field? First, I love trees. When I see a tree I really focus on its leaves, and on how much soil and sunlight it needs. I grew up in a small village in Vietnam's Quang Binh province. It was super hot, and we had no electricity. I very quickly learned the importance of trees in our environment. My village was very near the border of North and South Vietnam . There was constant war, and bombs, and many people died. My family, like the others in our village, was very poor. I thought if I were to become an architect, I could become rich. Later, I learned that wasn't true, but it didn't matter because I loved architecture very much. Because there had been so much war, we were not able to develop a modern tradition of architecture in Vietnam. I wanted to help provide this. And I wanted to create a kind of architecture that harmonized with nature, that did not need air conditioning, that employed simple and cheap materials. I wanted to create a new language of architecture in our country. "If you can meditate for several hours, everything becomes clear." What obstacles do you face in your field? An architect's job is always challenging. But the biggest challenge for us is to harmonize super high density with nature, and to make architecture that lasts. People talk about making sustainable architecture, but they make things that only last a few years. What is sustainable about that? Nowadays people want to build fast, fast, fast. We don't want to make garbage. We tell developers that we want to make architecture that will last 100 years, and I feel they don't listen. To make a building last, it needs to be built right, in terms of structure and details. It's not about a higher price, it's about using the right materials in the right ways. "We want trees, and all natural materials, to interact with the building." Can you talk more about your focus on natural materials? We use bamboo, timber, rammed earth, stone and more. We use trees, and not as decoration but as an essential element of architecture. Some people build a building and put trees on top. We want trees, and all natural materials, to interact with the building. To limit water and flooding. To filter the sun. To filter sounds. To improve high density living. On top of that we try to recycle water, use solar panels. We try to merge natural energy and natural materials. How do you plan to change your field? We want to use vernacular and modern design together to help solve the problems of high density cities like Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi . Vernacular design really harmonizes with nature. It was already there before electricity. It knew how to deal with really hot weather, for instance. Nowadays with higher populations, higher density and less land, this vernacular cannot be applied 100 percent. So we've started to develop a new type of architecture to harmonize with these new conditions, and with people's modern lifestyles. I've tried to make architecture become a mini park for the city. And we've learned from local vernacular how to use simple materials and techniques. In our office we have air conditioning, but we don't use it. We have greenery all around us, irrigated through a rainwater harvesting system. A water system cools the air. But we built it for very cheap. It's filled with beautiful, simple details. We're bringing this approach to a much larger scale. Every master plan we've done is filled with parks or gardens. We've also established a fund to help people throughout the country plant more trees: in schools, on roads and in the countryside. Our architecture and master plans are not enough, and we want to reintroduce the natural world as widely as possible. How do you define success? Enlightenment. If I become a very famous architect, it's meaningless compared to enlightenment. How has meditation impacted your design practice? If you achieve deep concentration, you will feel super peaceful, and the concept of design will become very easy. I don't take much time to think about a concept. It's not focus it's super focus. I can concentrate for three hours continuously. With an empty mind like that, if you want to develop a concept it comes very easily. Instead of thinking about the concept I just meditate and then it can take only five or 10 minutes to find a concept. | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Art & Design |
Alexander Zverev lost in the fourth round of the French Open on Sunday, but it became quickly clear after the match that he likely should not have competed at all. "I'm completely sick," Zverev said following his four set loss to Jannik Sinner, taking the unusual step of leaving his black mask on while seated in an empty room at Roland Garros to answer questions from reporters during a videoconference. "I can't really breathe, as you can hear by my voice. I had fever as well. Yeah, I'm not in the best physical state, I would say," Zverev said. "I think that had a little bit of an effect on the match today." French Open officials said Sunday that Zverev had not shared the details of his symptoms with tournament doctors as he arrived to play, as required by the event's coronavirus protocols. It is not clear whether Zverev has contracted the virus he has tested negative repeatedly, though most recently five days ago but the episode immediately raised questions about the precautions taken by the French Tennis Federation for a marquee event in a country that has seen an uptick in coronavirus cases and recently imposed tighter limits on large gatherings. "Zverev is up to date on his tests, which have all been negative," the French Tennis Federation said in a statement. Zverev's last test was on Tuesday, with the negative result returned on Wednesday, the federation said. "Today he received a reminder for his next test, to be carried out within five days of the previous results," the federation said. "He did not consult the tournament doctors before his match." Zverev said he began feeling sick on Friday night, after his third round win over qualifier Marco Cecchinato. Zverev said his body temperature reached 38 degrees Celsius, or 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit. Zverev consulted with tournament medical officials during the first set of the match who gave him a nasal spray that he used on both nostrils. Though he competed well, Zverev said after the loss that he regretted taking the court. "To be honest, I warmed up today: I shouldn't have played," Zverev said. "I was hoping maybe for a three set win or something like that, but I knew from the beginning that it wasn't going to be easy." Sinner, who is scheduled to face the 12 time French Open champion Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals on Tuesday, said he believed Zverev but didn't notice his limitations during the match. "It seemed that he was quite OK, you know, because in the third and fourth set he was running quite a lot," Sinner said. Players at the French Open are being tested every five days for the virus. No positive tests have been disclosed since the main draw began last Sunday, though several people tested positive before that. After initially refusing to answer a question about whether he might have the coronavirus, Zverev, a 23 year old German player, emphasized during the German language portion of his news conference that he has repeatedly tested negative. He said he was hopeful that he did not have the virus and pointed out that he had not shown some of its symptoms, including a loss of taste. It is not clear whether Zverev will be tested again by tournament officials now that he has been eliminated. The tournament protocols mandate that players "be tested again every five days until they are knocked out of the tournament." In a "Player FAQs" document distributed to players by the tournament, the tournament posed the query: "Should I withdraw from the tournament if I don't feel well?" The answer, listed as "official" in the document, was: "Our medical team must be notified, in accordance with our official sanitary protocol." The protocols say that any accredited person suffering symptoms, including a fever or breathing difficulties, as Zverev indicated, should "report to the stadium infirmaries" for a test in a dedicated room. "Pending the result of the test, the suspected case is excluded from the stadium and required to self isolate," the document states. The tournament's health and safety guidelines state that its health protocols were based on "calling on a sense of civic duty and responsibility on the part of all attending the event in any capacity." Perhaps with that sense of trust as a basis, the French Open has not taken daily mandatory temperature readings for players entering the grounds, as the United States Open did. The French Open's approach is also less restrictive in terms of access to the main player hotel, which is open to outside guests. Players still in the draw must remain at the hotel when not competing or risk being disqualified, but players who have been eliminated are permitted to come and go while remaining guests. At the U.S. Open, even eliminated players and their team members were required to remain in the official hotels. | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Sports |
How the Fed Is Trying to Fix Its White Male Problem The Federal Reserve's research staff is far less diverse than the American population it is meant to serve, a reality that the central bank is trying to change as a reckoning over inclusion sweeps through the economics profession. Three in four Fed economists are men and a majority of those are white. That matters beyond optics: Varied backgrounds can help the Fed better understand the people its policies are meant to help, from working mothers to the underemployed. The Fed's lack of diversity is not atypical in economics. Fewer women and minorities express interest in and complete degrees in the field. About 32 percent of economics Ph.D.s awarded in 2018 were to women, based on one survey, a share that has hardly budged over the past two decades. But a few years ago, officials at the Fed Board in Washington realized that entry level hiring criteria were exacerbating the lack of diversity early in the Fed's hiring pipeline. That left the candidate pool unintentionally skewed in favor of those who gravitated toward the desired class and who could afford top universities and that group seemed to be heavily made up of white men from privileged backgrounds , said David Wilcox, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute who ran the Fed's research and statistics division. It showed through to the numbers. At the Fed Board of Governors in Washington, about 34 percent of research assistants were women in 2013, and 23 percent were minorities, according to a recent Brookings Institution report. That may have had a lasting impact, because research assistants often go back for doctorates and become full fledged central bank economists. Criteria used to screen resumes were also poor predictors of which candidates would make great research assistants, Mr. Wilcox said. So starting several years ago, the central bank shook things up. It has begun casting a wider net for applicants, adding a recruiter who trekked out to a more varied set of schools. Starting in 2015, it brought in Amanda Bayer a former Fed researcher who teaches at Swarthmore College to help to rethink how resumes were reviewed. While the Fed cannot legally hire based on race and gender, it could make sure a broader swath of applicants were considered. A centralized committee began conducting an initial review of applicant resumes, and the Fed started prioritizing qualities key to success in the job, like collaboration and teamwork. It took into account work experience and activities beyond the classroom. And the board standardized interview questions, so that instead of chatting about shared experiences, candidates and interviewers would focus on job related skills. Grades were kicked to the curb as a be all and end all, Ms. Bayer said. "If a student comes in with a 3.9 G.P.A. from college, it means they hit the ground running in college," she said. "That's another tendency for economists: Just set a higher quantitative bar. You're going to omit a lot of fabulous people that way." The new approach has had an impact. The Fed Board employed 150 research assistants in 2017, 39 percent of them women. That is up five percentage points from four years earlier. Minorities made up 29 percent of economists, up six points, Brookings found. Ford and Rivian no longer plan to work jointly on electric vehicles. Elizabeth Holmes took the stand in her trial. Follow along with our reporters. Ken Griffin, head of Citadel, bid highest for a copy of the Constitution. The Fed's push illustrates how gender, racial and ethnic imbalances, often assumed to be unavoidable given the available crop of qualified students, might be possible to change with reworked selection criteria. In fact, the hiring revamp created a sort of natural experiment. The central bank mainly hires in two rounds, fall and spring, and the autumn phase began updating its hiring approach seven years ago. It has mostly driven the Fed's recent gains in gender parity. The spring round, which has been slower to adopt the new procedures, has also lagged in gender balance. Among Ph.D. economists throughout the Federal Reserve System, the share of women held steady at 24 percent between 2013 and 2018, according to Brookings. At the board in Washington, the share of women has actually slipped over time. The fact that there is a limited supply of female economics Ph.D.s can make it harder to attract a balanced group of full fledged economists. Macroeconomics and finance fields are especially male dominated, and they are the Fed Board's chief areas. Cultural barriers and biases in economics can dog women as they progress through their careers. Economics conferences can be hostile paper discussions often feature overt takedowns of fresh research and women may get more aggressive questions, research suggests. Fed economists tend to write papers with colleagues of the same gender, which could hamper women's career progression. Yet trouble in making diverse hires is not universal. Women make up 43 percent of all the economists at the Boston Fed branch, but just 10 percent in St. Louis, based on the Brookings analysis. In St. Louis, meanwhile, attracting women has been a struggle. "Since 2017, we made eight offers to female Ph.D. economists; only one accepted," B. Ravikumar, the senior vice president and deputy research director in St. Louis, said in an email. "Making material progress on the numerator is a challenge, but one we're committed to." Diversity extends beyond gender, and the Fed is making improvements albeit slow ones when it comes to hiring minority economists. About 25 percent of doctoral level economists were from those underrepresented groups in 2018, up slightly from 22 percent in 2013. Iterative progress could help to crack open a door into economics, allowing others to follow. "In the black community, it is seen as a degree you get to go into business," said Kadija Yilla, 23, a senior research assistant at Brookings who studied economics at Pomona College and is currently weighing whether to go to graduate school. "It's also the environment." Walking into an economics department filled with white men can be "daunting," Ms. Yilla said. She has become involved with the Sadie Collective, a new initiative meant to support black women in economics. The Fed sent representatives to the collective's inaugural event this year, and Lael Brainard, a Fed governor, spoke. The central bank has also been sending economists to teach at Howard University, a historically black college in Washington, among other initiatives. Janet L. Yellen, who was the Fed's first female chair, often makes a case for greater representation on the basis of pure practicality. Women focus on different issues and have different economic priors than men, based on survey data. "Beyond fairness, the lack of diversity harms the field because it wastes talent," Ms. Yellen said at a Brookings Institution event last week. "It also skews the field's viewpoint and diminishes its breadth." | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Economy |
After a rapid response by health agencies and the rollout of a new vaccine, an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has been declared "largely contained" by the World Health Organization. The outbreak was the first in which health authorities deployed a Merck vaccine field tested in the waning days of the huge 2014 epidemic in West Africa. More than 3,200 people were vaccinated in Congo; they included front line health care workers, as well as family members and friends who had been in contact with known Ebola victims. None of those vaccinated became ill, the Congolese health ministry said. As of Tuesday, 53 cases that were laboratory confirmed or considered "probable" had been detected, and 29 patients had died, according to the ministry. Although suspected cases continue to be reported, none have been confirmed by a laboratory since June 6. | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Health |
Watch out, New Yorkers: There's a new ape in town. Well, in Brooklyn, anyway. And though this outer borough hominid isn't 20 feet tall like the one currently terrorizing Broadway, he does (we are told) "play Ping Pong with his ding dong." That's a ditty you're simply not going to hear in the musical. Indeed, Lisa Clair's play "The Making of King Kong," which opened on Sunday at the Doxsee in Sunset Park, is basically the bizarro world inverse of that 35 million extravaganza. For one thing, it cost 35,000 to produce. But imagination comes at many price points, and Ms. Clair, a recent graduate of Brooklyn College's playwriting program, isn't interested in spectacle for its own sake. Her jungle (designed by Caitlin Ayer) consists of some potted plants and green lights (by Samuel Chan). Instead of a whole ape, she makes do with just a few fingers of one furry hand big enough for the heroine to nestle in comfortably. Some of her other ideas aren't as comfortable, and that's really the point of this satirical if scattershot take on the tale. All of the gender and racial ickiness of the 1933 film defused or simply erased in the Broadway retelling is here brought to the fore. | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Theater |
Let the Lessee Beware: Car Leases Can Be the Most Binding of Contracts WHEN Allie Mangel learned that she was losing some of her vision because of a rare condition called Susac's Syndrome, the last thing on her mind was figuring out how to make her car lease payments. After her doctor notified the California Department of Motor Vehicles last November that she should not be allowed to drive, and her license was subsequently suspended, leasing a Ford Edge at 347 a month became an unnecessary expense. Ms. Mangel, 24, a youth programming coordinator in San Diego, discovered that even though she was not legally allowed to drive, she was still legally obligated to make her lease payments. "Ford Credit and the dealer told me that the only way I could get out of the lease was to die or join the military," Ms. Mangel said. She had learned the hard way what many people may not realize, even though leasing has become an increasingly common and seemingly affordable alternative to buying a car. A car lease agreement is like any other contract. And unless specific reasons are stated in the agreement allowing the lessee to end the lease, the signer must make the payments, whether one can drive or not. After her diagnosis, Ms. Mangel was in the hospital for three weeks and out of work for a total of five, and running short of money. "I was a mess," Ms. Mangel recalled. "I was going through all these things and Ford would not budge. I was in tears and didn't know what to do." Ms. Mangel had signed a lease agreement spelling out the terms of the contract, and ending the lease early without penalty was not covered. The rules are the rules, according to Margaret Mellott, a spokeswoman for Ford Motor Credit. "All Ford Credit lease agreements state very clearly the obligations when one turns in a car before the end of a lease agreement," Ms. Mellott said. "I'm not aware of any exceptions being made." Ford Credit and most other vehicle leasing companies do give lessees options for breaking the contract. But the terms can be severe. Ms. Mangel could have returned the vehicle to the dealer, and then paid the difference between the amount owed on her payments and the value of the car if sold at auction. In her case, that would have been an unbearable burden: about 15,000. Or she could have tried to sell her lease to a third party through a lease swapping company. But with membership and lease transfer fees, that would have also cost her more than she could afford. "A friend tried to do that,'' she said, "and he received no interest after it being listed for weeks." Some lessors may demand payment of all the remaining payments, plus penalties. If the lessee decides simply to walk away from the lease and have the vehicle repossessed, the person's credit rating will suffer. Leasing a vehicle, of course, is not the same as purchasing one. Rather, it's more akin to renting an apartment; as with any rental, one never actually owns the property. Under a vehicle lease, the lessee agrees to make payments for a fixed number of years. Those payments equal the difference between the agreed upon value of the car when first leased and its predicted residual wholesale value at the end of the lease, plus interest. Because the entire value of the car is not being financed, the payments are less on a monthly basis than they would be if the vehicle were purchased over the same period. That is a main reason that leasing is so popular: It lets consumers drive cars that are more expensive than those they might be able to afford to buy. When the vehicle is returned at the end of the lease, the only additional costs are those incurred if the vehicle was driven more than the maximum agreed upon mileage, any amount due for damage beyond normal wear and tear, and any turn in fees. The lessee may also decide to purchase the vehicle, for that contracted residual value. One reason car leases tend to be so inflexible is that the deal is a three party contract: The dealer signs the lease with the customer, and then assigns the contract to a leasing company. Leases can be voided if the original agreement was made under untruthful conditions if the lessee is a minor, for example, or does not possess a valid driver's license. In those cases, the leasing company would not want to be part of a fraudulent contract. "This is not as rare as one would think people do fraudulent deals all the time," said Randall McCathren, managing director of the Association of Consumer Vehicle Lessors, a trade group. In addition, if the lease terms or the vehicle was misrepresented, the lessee can try to void the lease under each state's laws on unfair and deceptive acts and practices, Mr. McCathren said. But in a legally struck deal, even death will not necessarily free one from a lease obligation. Typically, the dead person's estate becomes liable for the obligation, although some car finance companies will make exceptions. Still, it never hurts to try to seek concessions. "It absolutely pays to contact the leaseholder and try to work out some consideration," Mr. McCathren said. He noted that leasing companies will typically defer payments if a lessee is in the hospital for a limited period of time. Only one action will guarantee that someone is able to break any company's vehicle lease. Under the federal Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, a person who has enlisted in the armed services and is to be assigned to a location outside the continental United States for more than six months can terminate a vehicle lease without penalty. But for those who are not joining the military, the best bet for getting out of a vehicle lease is to try to sell it to a third party. Companies like Leasetrader.com and Swapalease.com act as brokers, and for a fee will try to match lease sellers and buyers. But the manufacturers of some vehicles, including Land Rovers leased through Land Rover Financial Group, and Volvos leased through Volvo Car Financial Services, do not allow transfer of leases. Swapalease maintains a list of vehicle manufacturers' leasing policies on its website. Some leasing companies, including Ford Motor Credit and Mercedes Benz Financial Services, will allow a lease obligation to be forgiven upon the death of the lessee. Under Mercedes's Customer Bereavement Program, when the company learns of the death of a lessee, it sends a condolence letter to the family, as well as a leather journal and pen to help it manage the estate's obligations. If the Mercedes lease account is current, the family can choose to return the vehicle within 10 days and owe nothing further. If the family decides to keep leasing the vehicle and the new lessee meets credit criteria, no transfer fee is charged. Ford Motor Credit's Peace of Mind program allows the family of a deceased lessee, with a death certificate, to return the vehicle within 60 days of the death, and the lease obligation will be excused. Notifying the company of the death also prevents any company collection activity over the next several weeks. Ms. Mangel, as things turned out, was more fortunate than she had expected. Her vision stabilized a few months after she lost her license, and she was able to drive again. In the interim, her father covered the lease payments. But the terms and conditions of her lease made her realize that while the payments may be lower, leasing a vehicle can be more onerous than buying one. "I don't want to lease again, ever," Ms. Mangel said. | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Automobiles |
Will summertime slow the virus that causes Covid 19, as it has done with many other viruses that sow flu, colds and pneumonia? A new study finds that it may, though not enough to wipe out the pathogen or keep the pandemic from resurging in the fall. The study, done by ecological modelers at the University of Connecticut, understands the main natural weapon against the novel germ to be ultraviolet light an invisible but energetic part of the sun's electromagnetic spectrum that's well known for damaging DNA, killing viruses and turning healthy human skin cells into cancerous ones. "We found that ultraviolet light was most strongly associated with lower Covid 19 growth rates," the scientists wrote in a publication that has not yet been peer reviewed and that went online late Wednesday. Projections of the overall effects, they continued, suggest that the disease "will decrease temporarily during summer, rebound by autumn, and peak next winter." But they cautioned that uncertainty about the study's projected outcomes "remains high." Indeed, though the pandemic's spread has varied widely among countries, it was spreading swiftly in some experiencing hot weather, including Australia and parts of Iran. The new ecological analysis suggests that balmy days might aid though not by themselves accomplish the goal of social distancing measures advised by public health officials. Other groups have sought to see if seasonal change would affect the virus that has spawned a pandemic, infecting more than two million people worldwide. Early this month, a committee of the National Academy of Sciences looked exclusively at humidity and temperature and found that they would have a minimal impact on the virus. The panel's assessment contradicted popular accounts. At the White House coronavirus task force briefing on Thursday evening, President Trump highlighted research at the Department of Homeland Security that found that sunlight and disinfectants including bleach and alcohol can kill the coronavirus on surfaces in as little as 30 seconds. "Supposing we hit the body with a tremendous whether it's ultraviolet or just very powerful light," Mr. Trump said, speculating on a possible means to fight the virus. While such an idea is currently far from the realm of a safe treatment, life scientists have long been aware that the sun threatens the viability of many micro organisms. "Sunlight kills most pathogenic microbes quite rapidly," John Postgate, a British microbiologist, wrote two decades ago in the popular book "Microbes and Man," published by Cambridge University Press. The lethality, he continued, is principally the result of "the ultraviolet component of solar radiation. Ultraviolet lamps can be used indoors to sterilize the air in operating theaters and pharmaceutical and microbiological laboratories. Even in diffuse daylight there is an appreciable amount of light of the effective wavelength." During the pandemic, because of the shortage of protective equipment, some medical centers have been using ultraviolet light to decontaminate masks so they could be reused. A small industry that sells ultraviolet lamps as a germicide has arisen, but experts warn of their potential dangers for humans. Many nonscientists including President Trump have noted the seasonality of colds and flu and hoped the novel coronavirus would act likewise. Dr. Robert R. Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told National Public Radio last month that he, too, expected an ebb and flow of disease. "Most respiratory viruses have a seasonality to them," he said. "It's reasonable to hypothesize we'll have to wait and see but I think many of us believe as we're moving into the late spring, early summer season, you're going to see the transmission decrease." But in comments this week to The Washington Post, he also pointed to the likelihood that the coronavirus would continue to be a problem in the fall, when it would coincide with the start of a new flu season. Comparative studies of viruses suggest that, as a class, coronaviruses are especially vulnerable to ultraviolet light because of their relatively large genetic codes. "The more target molecules," one study noted, "the more likely the genome will be damaged." Even so, other aspects of sunlight's effects may also play important roles in whether viruses can easily infect humans a main one being its promotion of the synthesis of vitamin D, a nutrient that can strengthen the immune system and lower the risk of certain illnesses. The Connecticut scientists Cory Merow and Mark C. Urban titled their paper "Seasonality and Uncertainty in Covid 19 Growth Rates." It was posted Wednesday on medRxiv, a preprint website for health scientists run by Yale University, the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory on Long Island, and the company that publishes the British Medical Journal. The site notes that its preprints have not undergone peer review for accuracy and thus "should not be used to guide clinical practice." Dr. Merow said that although the lethal effects of ultraviolet light on viruses are well known, he and his colleague were surprised to find a seasonal drop evident on a global scale. Dr. Merow said he and his colleague had mined existing studies on how environmental and ecological factors correlate with virus infection rates and used them in ecological modeling of the global repercussions. Global data on temperatures, humidity, the penetration through the atmosphere of sunlight's ultraviolet rays, population ages and densities, and Covid 19 infection counts were combined into a computer model that mapped out the seasonal trends, he said. Dr. Merow noted that the study's range of uncertainty was considerable, such that, depending on the location within the United States, the chance of seeing no viral slowdown in the summer ranged from 20 percent to 40 percent. "There's a lot of uncertainty," he said of the reported seasonality. Even if coronavirus cases decline in the summer as his model projects, Dr. Merow said, social distancing and other health public measures would still be necessary. In some circumstances, Dr. Merow noted, summer days would offer no protection at all. For instance, window glass blocks ultraviolet rays. "If everybody sits next to one another on the bus and coughs," he said, "ultraviolet light is not going to protect you." Like the Science Times page on Facebook. Sign up for the Science Times newsletter. | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Health |
This exercise in opportunistic fear mongering disguised as a thriller begins with shots from airport security cameras, arranged to let the audience see something that whoever's monitoring those feeds would not. That is, the shady movements of a couple of men: one possibly of Arab descent, the other appearing to be a vintage European "football hooligan." Directed by Patrick Vollrath from a script he wrote with Senad Halilbasic, "7500" which is streaming on Amazon Prime then settles into the cockpit of its title flight, of a German airline. Its co pilot, Tobias, played by Joseph Gordon Levitt, is American, and his girlfriend, Gokce (Aylin Tezel), with whom he has a child, happens to be the flight attendant on this outing. | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Movies |
Maybe gaming isn't your thing, but you'd like to know what all the fuss is about Pokemon Go, the mobile game that in the second week since its release is already rivaling Twitter in popularity in the United States. If you do decide to try it out, you may actually find it more useful than the typical diversion. For the uninitiated, Pokemon Go is a smartphone app from Nintendo that places your avatar on a map based on your location. Only instead of restaurants and other sites that augmented reality apps like Yelp's Monocle call out, it uses Niantic's A.R. technology to show virtual features called Pokestops, where you can find Pokeballs, virtual "gyms," where you can train and join teams, and creatures called Pokemon, which you capture by swiping Pokeballs at them. You start off on your own, but can join a team once you reach Level 5. Confused? I was too. I didn't know my Pikachu from my Pokedex before firing up the app for the first time, but it didn't take long to see that hunting Pokemon could be an interesting way to tour a city. Here are a few tips on how and where to play the game as a traveler. Lesson 1: There's Value in the Little Details I hit the streets, and had no problem blending in with the majority of other folks in New York City preoccupied with their phones. I started my journey in Midtown Manhattan near the Museum of Modern Art, and my map showed several Pokestops nearby. When you get close enough to these spots, you are not only rewarded with Pokesballs, points and other things that I've yet to figure out what to do with, but are also shown a photo of the real place you are standing near and, sometimes, given information about the site. Just outside MoMA, I spied a Pokestop labeled "Berlin Wall Slabs." I followed my map, and, sure enough, there were five painted slabs of the Berlin Wall in the lobby of 520 Madison Avenue. I doubt I would have discovered these on a typical day in the city. Not surprisingly, popular destinations like Rockefeller Center and Radio City Music Hall were designated as Pokestops. But the app continued to point things out that I, a New Yorker for more than 10 years, never knew existed, or at least never paid attention to. The app led me to easily overlooked architectural details like the three circular plaques located above Radio City's famous facade on 50th Street. Lesson 2: Large Public Places With Lots of History Are Ideal Once I had the hang of it, I headed to Central Park, which, with all its historic nooks and crannies, seemed like a potentially informative place to capture a Doduo bird or two. The park did not disappoint. There were plenty of Pokeballs to be had at the statues of Christopher Columbus and Rutherford B. Hayes, and lots of Spearows lurking near the Bethesda Fountain. The app will lead you to well known landmarks, of course, like the Naumburg Bandshell or Strawberry Fields, but will also highlight obscure yet historic trees, bridges and works of art. A dedicated Pokemon trainer could easily spend an entire day roaming the park from top to bottom. Lesson 3: Know Where Not to Play MoMA is a Pokestop, and my map also indicated stops at MoMA's Sculpture Garden, including in front of three sculptures of bodies there. This got me thinking: Could there really be Pokestops throughout MoMA? To find out, I entered the lobby and quickly realized that Pokemon are brash little buggers, and that they'll mess with you no matter where you are. After buying a museum ticket and trapping a Horsea in the lobby, I proceeded to the galleries. But all I got there were funny looks from people who were contemplating art rather than throwing imaginary balls at virtual creatures inside the exhibition "Edgar Degas: A Strange New Beauty." While my sound was off, it was not hard to figure out who was really there for the show. Therefore, I learned that you can hunt Pokemon pretty much anywhere, but that private areas that may require an admission fee will not have Pokestops. So there is no added value for those seeking knowledge, as well as trying to get to Level 5. But with some adjustments, like relegating Pokemon to the lobby to limit distractions, and maybe a marketing partnership, it's not hard to imagine Pokemon Go becoming a viable alternative to an audio tour guide as a means of learning about art and history. By the way, there have been complaints about smartphone wielding people showing up to play (and pump their fists) at inappropriate places like the Holocaust Museum. So knowing where to play is just as important as knowing when to put the phone down. This game lends itself to annoying behavior like this, and I'll admit that I literally bumped into at least one person while playing. But it's possible to be courteous while adding to your Pokedex. Stay on the edges of heavily foot trafficked areas, and wait to stand still before flicking your Pokeballs. This will also help keep you safe. The game itself tells you to be aware of your surroundings when it first loads, and for good reason. There have been reports of players being distracted to the point of harmful contact, both on foot and in vehicles. In Missouri, robbers used the app's geolocation feature to lure players to a secluded location. These events led to a statement by the National Safety Council urging "gamers to consider safety over their scores before a life is lost." City departments are also taking to social media with warnings of their own. | 0 | N24News: A New Dataset for Multimodal News Classification | Travel |
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