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67a3e0f68666df420bb3858728722dd8 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshkatzowitz/2020/01/29/jake-paul-isnt-fighting-anesongib-for-more-youtube-stardomhe-simply-wants-boxing-riches/?sh=518c09db48f5 | Jake Paul Isn’t Fighting AnEsonGib For More YouTube Stardom—He Simply Wants Boxing Riches | Jake Paul Isn’t Fighting AnEsonGib For More YouTube Stardom—He Simply Wants Boxing Riches
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 08: Jake Paul speaks onstage during the Jake Paul VS. Anesongib ... [+] press conference at Beauty & Essex on January 08, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by JC Olivera/Getty Images) Getty Images
On the 2018 Forbes list for the highest-earning YouTubers, Jake Paul was No. 2 with a haul of $21.5 million. That’s when he constantly posted his sophomoric vlogs, embroiled himself in relationship drama, consistently pushed his merchandise to his young teen fanbase, put together a nationwide music tour, got involved in a heavily publicized Shane Dawson documentary series that set out to determine whether Paul was a sociopath, and beat fellow YouTuber Deji in a boxing match watched by more than a million people.
Paul was all about YouTube. And it was lucrative.
But Paul—who will face YouTuber AnEsonGib in a boxing match on Thursday night that will stream on DAZN (and not on YouTube)—was nowhere to be found on the 2019 list. It’s hardly a surprise. Just like his older brother Logan Paul, who recently lost a boxing match to KSI in front of 12,000 people at Staples Center but made a $900,000 purse for his trouble, Jake Paul is looking to leap off the computer browser and into your real life.
Why? Because there’s more money to be made there. At least that’s what Paul is banking on. Jake Paul said he and his brother (and their controversial ways) changed the culture of YouTube and thus changed its history. But lately, Jake Paul has been spending less time on the platform.
“We’re looking for something more exciting,” Paul recently told me in a phone interview. “This falls under that. I did a couple of films last year. Music is another big thing I’m working on. We’re just branching out into other verticals. But there’s unlimited potential in boxing. That’s why it’s exciting. With YouTube, there’s a cap.”
It’s a pretty lofty cap. But Paul thinks of it like this. He made nearly $40 million combined on YouTube in 2017 and 2018. Meanwhile, Floyd Mayweather (and a select few other fighters like Manny Pacquiao, Anthony Joshua and Canelo Alvarez) has earned that much and more in just one night.
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“We’re just at the start of where this potentially could go,” Paul said. “You can make millions of dollars on YouTube and it’s lucrative, but there’s a cap. You can only get to a certain threshold. You look at the highest-paid boxers, and it’s Floyd Mayweather. That’s why boxing is my focus. I’m excited about the upside of it.”
But why should boxing fans care? Well, if you’re a boxing fan who is over the age, of say 25, you probably don’t. But for teenagers and pre-teens who have followed Paul and his controversial exploits for years, watching Paul in a new form of entertainment is potentially exciting. And Paul has athletic skills. He was a high school wrestler—he told me he was always the fastest sprinter on his team and the one who finished his pushups the quickest—and he showed some level of skill when he stopped Deji in a 2018 exhibition bout.
He’s also employed Hall of Famer Shane Mosley to work as his trainer. The two struck up a friendship during the past several years, because Mosley’s kids were fans of Paul’s YouTube work. Now, Mosley is teaching him what he knows in the ring.
“It’s absolutely incredible how much knowledge Shane has in the sport of boxing,” Paul said. “He’s like a boxing encyclopedia. He’s a world champion; he’s one of the greatest ever. He teaches me how to train like a champion, the schedule of the champion, how to eat like a champion. It’s all downloaded now into my brain. It’s a huge advantage. It’s an honor training alongside of him.”
And Paul—who is a -195 betting favorite vs. AnEsonGib (win $100 on a $195 wager)—seems serious about continuing on with his boxing career after Thursday night.
Assuming he beats AnEsonGib, Paul wants to face off against the YouTube star who conquered his brother. In November, after beating Logan Paul by split decision, KSI told me he wants to continue fighting for rich paydays. To do that, he’d need to match up against other big-time celebrities. Jake Paul would qualify as that.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 08: (L-R) Jake Paul, promoter Eddie Hearn, AnEsonGib and british ... [+] boxer Viddal Riley seen onstage during the Jake Paul VS. Anesongib press conference at Beauty & Essex on January 08, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by JC Olivera/Getty Images) Getty Images
“I don’t like Jake and I think the whole world doesn’t like Jake,” KSI said. “If he does manage to get past the Big Gibber then yes, I will fight Jake 100%. But that’s not going to happen, I don’t think he’s ready for Gib at all and that’s going to show on Jan. 30. I think Gib wins this hands down and that will be the end of the Paul brothers.”
Of course, that’s what the YouTube community thought when Logan Paul posted video of a dead body in a Japanese suicide forest two years ago. Or when Jake Paul trashed multiple rental houses. Or when he acted like a public nuisance. In reality, Paul wants to move away from YouTube a bit, says it doesn’t thrill him like it did in years past. But he still wants to make money, and boxing might be a good way to supplement and diversify his income. Especially if he can convince the fans he calls the Jake Paulers to come along with him.
“We are masters of content creation,” Paul said. “We’re always going to be transitioning our content. Transitioning that fan base just goes along with making that amazing content.”
His bank account eventually will tell him if he’s right.
READ MORE BOXING COVERAGE:
Is Antonio Brown Actually Fighting Logan Paul In A Boxing Match? Boxing’s Future 2020 Moneymakers List Features Plenty Of Prospects And A YouTube Star Ryan Garcia Mocks Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis For Recent Win, Says He Wants To Fight Him In 2020 Manny Pacquiao Vs. Conor McGregor Odds: Here Are All The Betting Props For The Potential Boxing Mega-Event The Top 5 Pound-For-Pound Fighters In The World, And Who They Should Fight In 2020
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e81afdf2908e42e5e357aedac132da42 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshkatzowitz/2020/07/23/the-mike-tyson-vs-roy-jones-jr-odds-are-in-and-theyre-all-over-the-place/?sh=3bff561719e2 | The Mike Tyson Vs. Roy Jones Jr. Odds Are In—And They’re All Over The Place (Updated) | The Mike Tyson Vs. Roy Jones Jr. Odds Are In—And They’re All Over The Place (Updated)
Mike Tyson will face Roy Jones Jr. in an exhibition on Sept. 12 in Los Angeles. ASSOCIATED PRESS
A few hours after the surprising announcement that Mike Tyson would fight Roy Jones Jr. in September, the betting odds for the eight-round boxing exhibition are already in. And it’s certainly not a unanimous decision.
Though at least two online sports books have made Tyson a substantial betting favorite, one has actually had made one of the most feared heavyweights in history the underdog.
According to MyBookie, Tyson is -300, meaning you’d have to bet $300 to win $100. Meanwhile, Jones is +200, which means you’d earn $200 on a $100 wager. BetOnline.ag is in agreement. That sports book has Tyson at -350 and Jones at +275 (as of Aug. 19, it appears most of the money has come in on Jones—Tyson is now -170 with Jones at +140 at BetOnline.ag).
In an interesting twist, though, Bovada has made Jones, one of the greatest boxers of all time who is a former heavyweight titlist himself, the favorite. Those opening odds saw Jones at -160 and Tyson at +120.
Recently, Tyson (50-6, 44 KOs) made big noise by posting training videos to social media. In those clips, Tyson, who stated “I’m back” at the end of one of the videos, looked extraordinary for a 54-year-old former fighter with his speed and punching power. But he hasn’t fought since 2005 when he was knocked out by journeyman Kevin McBride. Tyson, it should be noted, hasn’t won a fight in 17 years.
In other recent Tyson-related odds, he was a -120 favorite to beat Evander Holyfield (who was also -120) in an exhibition. He was also -150 to knock off former heavyweight titlist Shannon Briggs. Those potential fights, though, haven’t come to fruition.
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Jones (66-9, 47 KOs) is 51 years old but he fought as recently as 2018 when he beat a no-hoper named Scott Sigmon. Although Jones is nearly 20 years past his prime, he’s still won 12 of his last 13 fights, mostly against less than stellar competition. He’ll almost certainly have less ring rust (and probably more stamina) than Tyson.
The Tyson-Jones exhibition will take place on Sept. 12 on pay-per-view from Los Angeles.
“This isn’t a situation where they’re going out there to try to take each other’s heads off,” Andy Foster, the executive director of the California State Athletic Commission, told Yahoo Sports. “They’re just going to be in there moving around the ring and letting fans see these legends.”
And letting some of those fans make money from it.
UPDATE: The fight has been moved to Nov. 28, and Jones is threatening to pull out of the matchup.
“I’ve had to cancel other stuff to be out here, it’s upset my calendar, I’ve got to change things,” Jones told the Daily Mail. ‘That’s why we have to table bulls**t now. That’s the biggest issue, I’m not a full time boxer anymore so I do other things to make an income. If I can’t do other things then I should be compensated for that, because it changes the schematics. It’s not acceptable.’
READ MORE:
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37e99ec49ef01b84228dc29ea45803e5 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshkatzowitz/2020/07/24/vergil-ortiz-jr-vs-samuel-vargas-live-results-odds-records-prediction/ | Vergil Ortiz Jr. Vs. Samuel Vargas Live Results, Odds, Records, Prediction (Video) | Vergil Ortiz Jr. Vs. Samuel Vargas Live Results, Odds, Records, Prediction (Video)
GRAND PRAIRIE, TX - AUGUST 10: Vergil Ortiz Jr. throws punches at Antonio Orozco at The Theatre at ... [+] Grand Prairie on August 10, 2019 in Grand Prairie, Texas. (Photo By Tom Hogan/Golden Boy/Getty Images) Golden Boy Promotions via Getty Images
POSTFIGHT:
It was another dynamite performance for Vergil Ortiz Jr., who was the first to stop Samuel Vargas since 2016. Now, Ortiz improves to 16-0 with 16 KOs.
As noted by CompuBox, Ortiz landed 48% of his punches, and afterward, he told DAZN that “I hit him to the body so many times, I don’t know how he didn’t go down.” Ortiz said he knew Vargas was hurt the whole time, even though Vargas apparently told Ortiz that he felt fine throughout the bout.
Ortiz previously said he’s ready to fight Errol Spence, and after his performance on Friday, “I’d like to fight somebody like Danny Garcia or [Keith] Thurman. Those are very good fighters that I can beat. Let’s make the fights happen.” He also said he’s not sure he’d win those fights, but he wants the chance. “I’m not here to take the easy fights,” he said.
Here’s how the end happened.
And in case you need to hear it with your ears.
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Seventh round: For the first time in his career, Ortiz will enter the seventh round of a fight. Funny, Vargas has been fighting his best since the doctor checked on him in between rounds. Big right and left for Ortiz as Vargas is against the ropes. Now, he’s landing huge shots. Like 10 in a row. Now 12. And Vargas falls to the floor, but he basically tackled Ortiz and they both went down. No knockdown called, though it probably should have been. Vargas is still throwing, but he’s taking huge shots. About a minute left, and Reiss calls for the doctor to get ready to look at Vargas. Ortiz has hit him so hard this round, and yet Vargas is still there. Oof, big left hook to the body by Ortiz with about 30 seconds to go. With about a second to go in the round, Reiss steps in and stops the fight! Vargas protested, but Reiss immediately told Vargas that he was taking too much of a beating.
Sixth round: Ortiz kicks off the round with a hard right hand. 1-2 combo for Ortiz. Now, he’s letting his aggressiveness show. Vargas is still focused on Ortiz’s body. Ortiz is focusing on Vargas’ face. Vargas lands a left hook to Ortiz’s face. But Ortiz’s punches are just so much more violent. This is actually a close round. Vargas has been just a little more active. I score it for Vargas.
Overall: Ortiz 58-56
Fifth round: Ref Jack Reiss had the doctor check Vargas after the fourth round. The fight has gone on, so I guess he’s OK. In the fifth, Vargas comes out a little more aggressive. But his power punches aren’t affecting Ortiz in near the same way Ortiz’s punches are affecting Vargas. Did Vargas just burp after throwing a jab? It sounded like it. Vargas goes for the uppercut, but he missed. Ortiz is jabbing a little, but 2 minutes in, it looks like Ortiz is taking the round off. I score it for Vargas.
Overall: Ortiz 49-46
Fourth round: Vargas still going after Ortiz’s body even though he’s still getting popped in the face. Now, Vargas is landing some jabs as well. A minute in, and it’s his best round so far. Both throw right hands, and Vargas’ lands. Left hook for Vargas, but it didn’t land clean. That three-punch combo did, though. And Vargas is wobbly against the ropes. About a minute left in the round. Two big rights to Vargas’ chin. Ortiz is going all out on him. But Vargas is still punching as well. Now, Vargas is landing nice shots on Ortiz’s body. That was a fun last minute of the round. Good stuff. I score it for Ortiz.
Overall: Ortiz 40-36
Third round: Vargas is moving laterally, and Ortiz temporarily stops throwing early. Vargas tried an overhand right, but I don’t think he connected. Ortiz still popping him with a quick jab. Vargas tries two left hooks, and he’s actually being a little more aggressive. Jack Reiss, the ref, is admonishing Ortiz for hitting Vargas while his back was turned. Huge right with a minute left, and it double Vargas over. Then he hits him with two more. And then two more hard shots. Vargas is taking it fine so far. I score it for Ortiz.
Overall: Ortiz 30-27
Second round: Ortiz’s jab has been impressive so far. Right-left combo for Ortiz 30 seconds in. Vargas throws a couple shots to the body. And more body shots. He’s landing some of them, but Ortiz hits him up with a hard uppercut. Meanwhile, Vargas is just winging hard shots. Another jab pops Vargas’ head back. Vargas is having limited success, but Ortiz is pretty much dominating him. I score it for Ortiz.
Overall: Ortiz 20-18
First round: Good news. Vargas lasted more than seven seconds vs. Ortiz, who starts with some jabs to the body. Left hook for Ortiz about 50 seconds in. Vargas is throwing jabs to the body and trying some straight right hands. Nothing has really landed for him. Left jab and left hook for Ortiz. That was solid. Right hand moved Vargas backyard, but it didn’t land clean. A clubbing left moves Vargas again. Big right with 40 seconds left, and Ortiz is landing more and more. Big right with 15 seconds left that seemed to temporarily stun Vargas. I score it for Ortiz.
Overall: Ortiz 10-9
Vergil Ortiz ringwalk: Ortiz is also wearing a mask! Such responsible boxers and responsible citizens. Good for them.
Samuel Vargas ringwalk: It’s still sort of weird to watch these fighters walk to the ring without any crowd noise accompanying them (though it doesn’t feel that weird to have no crowd noise during the actual fight). Anyway, Vargas is wearing a face mask, which I guess is good to show that he’s a role model for how to protect other people during the pandemic. But he’s going to be taking it off in a minute anyway.
UNDERCARD:
Shane Mosley Jr. (16-3, 9 KOs) UD over Jeremy Ramos (11-9): Ramos calls himself the “Boxing Barber.” I can confirm that his haircut looked sharp, and his boxing skills weren’t bad either. But Mosley was too talented for Ramos, even though Mosley got hit an awful lot. Mosley, though, worked the body and looked good in the final two rounds to take the decision victory. The judges had it 80-72, 80-72 and 79-71.
Seniesa Estrada (19-0, 8 KOs) KO 1 vs. Miranda Adkins (5-1): It didn’t take long for Estrada to showcase her absolute dominance. Only moments after the opening bell sounded, she landed a number of huge shots and violently knocked out Adkins seven seconds into the contest. The only note on the CompuBox email that’s sent out after each fight read simply, “Over in seconds.”
Afterward, Estrada said, “It was the outcome I expected.”
In case you want to watch the entire fight, here it is.
Hector Valdez (13-0, 8 KOs) UD win over Josue Morales (11-12-4): In a dominant performance, Valdez, the undefeated junior featherweight prospect, won a near shutout unanimous decision victory vs. Morales, who now drops to below .500 in his career.
Vergil Ortiz Jr. Vs. Samuel Vargas Odds
Ortiz is a -4500 favorite on FanDuel, meaning you’d have to wager $4,500 to win $100. If you really want to put your money on Ortiz, that online sports book is the place to do it, because I’ve also seen him listed at -10000 and -8000 at other spots on the internet. Meanwhile, Vargas is a +1700 underdog, which means you’d win $1,700 on a $100 bet.
What might be more interesting is to bet on the method of victory. An Ortiz points/decision win is +650, while an Ortiz KO/TKO is -1200. A Vargas points/decision victory is +4100 and a Vargas KO/TKO result is +2500.
If you’re more into group round betting, that’s an option as well.
Here's the group round betting that can be found on FanDuel. FanDuel.com
But here’s one expert’s view (we obviously weren’t looking at the same site for the prop bets, but you can get his point with this tweet anyway).
Here are the undercard odds:
Shane Mosley Jr. (-650) vs. Jeremy Ramos (+420) Seniesa Estrada (-2000) vs. Miranda Adkins (+980) Hector Valdez (-1450) vs. Josue Morales (+770)
Vergil Ortiz Jr. Vs. Samuel Vargas Records
Ortiz has been perfect so far in the ring, accumulating a 15-0 (15 KOs) record. That includes stoppage victories against solid opposition like Mauricio Herrera and Antonio Orozco.
Vargas, meanwhile, is 31-5 (14 KOs), but he’s only won two of his last five fights, including losses to Amir Khan and Luis Collazo. Vargas also has fallen to Danny Garcia and Errol Spence, both of whom account for the only stoppage defeats in Vargas’ career. Chances are good, though, Ortiz will make it No. 3 tonight.
Vergil Ortiz Jr. Vs. Samuel Vargas Prediction
Vargas is one of those veterans who Ortiz should toy with for a while before knocking out for good. Vargas has experience with world-class fighters, and he actually hasn’t been stopped by an opponent since 2016. But Ortiz is one of the most talented younger fighters in the game, and it’ll be disappointing if this encounter goes the 12-round distance. Call it Ortiz by KO in the fourth.
Preview: About five weeks ago, Vergil Ortiz Jr. found himself in the middle of a newfound controversy between his promoter, Golden Boy, and one of its top stars, Ryan Garcia. With the promotional company and Garcia feuding again over Garcia’s paydays and his future compensation with the company (and with the DAZN streaming service), Oscar De La Hoya—the founder and face of Golden Boy—mentioned his disappointment with Garcia by invoking the name of Ortiz, who will face Samuel Vargas on Friday night on DAZN.
De La Hoya tweeted to Garcia in mid-June and passively-aggressively called Ortiz “the future of boxing.” That angered Garcia, who considers himself to be the sport’s next superstar, and he asked De La Hoya, “You do realize you’re supposed to be my promoter (and) not (a) hater right?”
De La Hoya might not be wrong about Ortiz, though. As DAZN returns with its first live boxing card since the pandemic began, the welterweight will look to show his impressive talent vs. a solid veteran in Vargas.
“Basically we’re picking up where we left off,” Ortiz said, referring to this bout that was originally scheduled for March. “It’s going to be a tough fight, and it’ll be a great way to kick off the year for me.”
But he’ll have to do so without his trainer Robert Garcia, who tested positive for COVID-19 some time ago (and who has tested negative since) but who has been denied access to event by the California State Athletic Commission.
“We prepared very well for this fight against Vargas,” Garcia said in a statement. “Basically, we had two training camps to get ready, so I know that that Ortiz Jr. will look great tonight. We have to make sure that this event is as safe as possible, so that means decisions like this have to be made.”
Either way, I’ll be here for the night, giving my round-by-round thoughts, explanations and unofficial scoring on the DAZN card that will begin at 8 p.m. ET.
READ MORE:
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b70ebe5ebc36ed4c1395a7f6086bbfe2 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshkatzowitz/2020/12/11/anthony-joshua-vs-kubrat-pulev-odds-records-prediction/ | Anthony Joshua Vs. Kubrat Pulev: Odds, Purses, Records, Prediction (Updated With Betting Results And Video) | Anthony Joshua Vs. Kubrat Pulev: Odds, Purses, Records, Prediction (Updated With Betting Results And Video)
SAUDI ARABIA - DECEMBER 8, 2019: American boxer Andy Ruiz Jr (L) and his British rival Anthony ... [+] Joshua struggle in their bout for the IBO, WBA Super, IBF and WBO World Heavy Titles at Diriyah Arena outside Riyadh. Valery Sharifulin/TASS (Photo by Valery Sharifulin\TASS via Getty Images) Valery Sharifulin/TASS
In the span of six months last year, Anthony Joshua went from having the worst moments of his career to obtaining his moment of resurrection. On Saturday, he’ll try to continue that momentum when he defends his belts against a well-respected former title challenger doesn’t have a great chance to win. Here’s everything you need to know about Anthony Joshua vs. Kubrat Pulev, including the odds, their records and a prediction on who will win.
From June 2019, when Joshua lost his heavyweight championship by getting knocked out by Andy Ruiz in one of the biggest boxing upsets in history to their rematch last December when Joshua boxed his way to a careful victory against a woefully out-of-shape Ruiz, the popular British heavyweight has had quite a ride.
“The pressure that I went through last year was tough, but it made me mentally stronger. I grew a thicker skin. I’ve always been tough and wanted to fight the best, that’s never been an issue,” Joshua said. “What have I got to lose? I’ve got everything to gain. I want to be successful in boxing and the only way to be successful is take on big challenges. This is just another one I’m looking forward to competing with.”
Though Pulev potentially is dangerous, it’s also hard for observers not to look ahead to 2021 when Joshua could take on Tyson Fury in what would be the biggest fight in British boxing history. But if Friday’s weigh-in was any indication, Joshua—who was reportedly set to make a guaranteed purse of about $10.5 million—and Pulev (about $4 million) are focused completely on each other.
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“This is what he’s trained for his entire life,” Ibn Cason, Pulev’s trainer, said. “This is a big opportunity. It’s a trying time in the world right now and he [Kubrat] has a chance to take people’s minds off it and take the victory.”
It certainly won’t be easy, though.
Here’s more info on the Anthony Joshua vs. Kubrat Pulev showdown that U.S. viewers can watch on DAZN beginning at 5 p.m. ET. U.K. fans can watch the matchup on Sky Sports Box Office for £24.95.
Anthony Joshua, left, got into a verbal skirmish with Kubrat Pulev on Friday. Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing
Anthony Joshua Vs. Kubrat Pulev odds
Heading into Saturday’s fight, Joshua is a -1000 favorite, meaning you’d have to wager $1,000 to win $100. Pulev, meanwhile, is +600 (win $600 on a $100 bet). Ever since the fight was announced until only a few days ago, Joshua was -1200, so that money line has tightened slightly. For me, I’d look at the prop bets, and I’d probably take my chances with a Joshua KO in either rounds 7-9 at +333 or rounds 7-12 at +200.
If you were looking for a fun parlay for this weekend’s action of boxing (and this is only my opinion and not a recommendation), I might take Joshua with the KO victory at -300, Chris Colbert to win by decision against Jaime Arboleda on Showtime at -125, and Shakur Stevenson to go under 8.5 rounds vs. Toka Kahn Clary on ESPN at +105. Win all three of those wagers, and you’d walk away with nearly $400 on a $100 bet.
UPDATE: Well, I was right on the money for Joshua-Pulev, as Joshua knocked him down three times before finishing Pulev in the ninth with devastating knockout. Hopefully, you nabbed that KO in rounds 7-9.
But Stevenson beat Clary by unanimous decision, thus going over and ruining the potential parlay. Also, Colbert beat Arboleda by 11th-round TKO, so hopefully you didn’t try for that parlay.
Anthony Joshua Vs. Kubrat Pulev records
Before the first Ruiz fight, Joshua had built up an impressive record by beating the likes of Wladimir Klitschko, Joseph Parker, Alexander Povetkin and Dillian Whyte. Now that he’s gotten his revenge on Ruiz, Joshua can go back to claiming that he’s beaten every man he’s faced. His record is 23-1 with 21 KOs.
Pulev has been a professional for 11 years, and, like Joshua, he’s only lost once. That was to Klitschko in 2014 when Pulev made his first challenge for the unified heavyweight titles. Since then, though, Pulev (28-1, 14 KOs) has gotten past Derek Chisora, Samuel Peter and Hughie Fury. In reality Pulev hasn’t faced somebody the quality of Klitschko since his loss. Joshua, however, is on the same level as Klitschko. Which is probably a big reason why Pulev is such a big underdog.
Anthony Joshua Vs. Kubrat Pulev prediction
For as good as Joshua looked against Ruiz in their second fight, there’s little doubt he was more tentative and cautious than the heavyweight destroyer people have come to expect from him. Will Joshua act the same way vs. Pulev, who historically hasn’t shown the same kind of power that Ruiz did? Maybe for the first few rounds, Joshua will look to jab and box from the outside. But by the middle rounds, he’ll feel more comfortable and eventually will stop Pulev. Say, Joshua by TKO in the ninth round.
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bf6e8c838fb446951f9ef0ec636c9f9f | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshkatzowitz/2021/01/20/devin-haney-doesnt-have-a-signature-win-but-hes-ecstatic-to-make-more-money-than-teofimo-lopez-ryan-garcia/ | Devin Haney Doesn’t Have A Signature Win, But He’s Ecstatic To Make More Money Than Teofimo Lopez, Ryan Garcia | Devin Haney Doesn’t Have A Signature Win, But He’s Ecstatic To Make More Money Than Teofimo Lopez, Ryan Garcia
LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 27: Devin Haney takes a selfie during the Devin Haney Media Workout at ... [+] Rathbone Boxing Club on September 27, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Jack Thomas/Getty Images) Getty Images
After Ryan Garcia knocked out Luke Campbell in front of an adoring crowd in Dallas this month, the cameras panned toward Devin Haney in the stands. Garcia was conducting his postmatch interview, and he talked about wanting to fight Haney. The crowd liked the prospect of that. But Garcia also mentioned Gervonta “Tank” Davis’ name, and the crowd really liked that possibility. The camera was trained on Haney’s face the entire time.
So even though Garcia approached Haney on his way back to the locker room following his seventh-round KO win to get some face time with his potential opponent, Haney realized that he might not fight Garcia next. Even though Garcia’s win had made him Haney’s mandatory 135-pound lightweight title challenger, there were plenty of other enticing options, including Davis or even Teofimo Lopez.
“I knew he would go his own direction, and that was toward Tank,” Haney told me. “He would become my mandatory but I would still be chasing him for a fight. This the first time in history I’ve seen two guys, Luke Campbell and Ryan Garcia, fight to be somebody’s mandatory and then the winner not want to fight the champion. But that’s just part of the game.”
It’s a game that Haney says he’s winning, particularly when it comes to the money he’s made.
The four rising stars at lightweight—Haney, Lopez, Davis and Garcia—are starting to draw comparisons to the Four Kings-era middleweight stars of Hagler, Hearns, Leonard and Duran in the 1980s, and some kind of unofficial round-robin tournament between the four of them would make a tremendous amount of money for all involved. But the way the boxing landscape is now, when many promoters don’t willingly work with others and when boxers won’t cross from one TV network or streaming service to another, a Four Kings sequel for the 2020s might be tough to will into fruition.
And even though Haney doesn’t have a signature victory like Lopez (whose biggest win came against Vasiliy Lomachenko), Davis (against Leo Santa Cruz) or Garcia (against Campbell), he’s content in commanding bigger purses than all of them.
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“Ryan Garcia can have all these [social media] followers. But I make more than triple the amount he makes for the fight,” Haney said. “Teofimo can talk that he’s this and that and how he has so many belts, and I made more than double what he makes. That just show you how good I’ve done in my career.”
Haney started his own promotional company when he was 19. Haney said he learned about finances as a little kid, and because “I always loved money,” it wasn’t difficult for him to catch on to the importance of planning out your future finances. His father and trainer, William Haney, also taught him about the business of the sport.
So it makes sense that even though Haney wants all the lightweight title belts, he also wants the monetary rewards that come with them.
So far, it’s worked out for Devin Haney, who signed a multimillion-dollar deal with Matchroom Boxing in 2019. The last time he made as little as $500,000 was against Xolisani Ndongeni in a ShoBox main event in 2019. He earned $750,000 vs. Antonio Moran a few months later, and when fighting on the undercard of Logan Paul vs. KSI II in November 2019, he pulled a bigger payday than either of the headliners with a $1 million purse. His last fight, a unanimous decision victory vs. Yuriorkis Gamboa in November that was impressive but not exactly scintillating, made him even more.
Meanwhile, Lopez had to accept $1.5 million vs. Lomachenko (who got $3.25 million), and Garcia and his promoter Golden Boy have been grumbling publicly about his $500,000 paydays.
“They couldn’t even talk to me for 500,000,” Haney said with a laugh.
Still, Haney’s ability to land a defining fight has remained elusive. He’s only 22, but the other three young lightweight stars have had to win fights where they’ve been tested against world-class competitors. Haney’s most notable win, meanwhile, came against the faded Gamboa. When it comes to a boxing fan’s perception, you might wonder if Haney, if he was to be ranked against the other three rising stars in terms of respect, would be No. 4.
‘I don’t feel disrespected,” Haney said. “I know they respect me. I know none of the guys are in a rush to fight me. It shows the respect I have. A lot of the other guys are chasing Ryan Garcia because they feel he’s the weakest link. They feel he’s the weakest fight. He should feel disrespected. If they were racing to fight me and they were underestimating me, I’d feel disrespected.”
But, one supposes, it’s hard to feel disrespected when you’re conducting an interview while driving in your Rolls Royce and with plenty more healthy purses, no matter who you’re fighting, set to come your way.
“Everything I wanted to do in my career, I’ve done,” Haney said. “The only thing that hasn’t been done is made these big fights happen. But it takes two to tango. I can’t go in there and fight myself. But so far, I’ve made my career exactly how I imagined it.
READ MORE:
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e248fd9d336b653d4f5ad72ec1ef05f9 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshlinkner/2012/07/23/7-reasons-why-venture-capitalists-will-hate-your-idea/ | 7 Reasons Why Venture Capitalists Will Hate Your Idea | 7 Reasons Why Venture Capitalists Will Hate Your Idea
Vitamin Packaging (Photo credit: colindunn)
Having witnessed thousands of entrepreneurial pitches as a venture capitalist, I’ve seen the gamut from the good, the bad and the ugly. Of the pitches any VC sees, very few will actually receive funding; there are a lot of factors in that equation, so even for those companies that might be appealing, terms, location, market share, traction and other hurdles sometimes get in the way of signing a check. However, you’ve got no shot at funding if your potential venture capitalist flat-out hates your idea. If your “next great” idea has any of the following characteristics, there’s a solid chance a VC isn’t going to dig it.
Copycat: Groupon for pet owners isn’t going to give me that warm fuzzy feeling. Neither is Zaarly for furniture craftsmen. The world doesn’t need another “me too” anything, and your venture capitalist should be the first to tell you as such. Ultimately execution is worshipped, but first, innovation is rewarded.
“Vitamin”: At 2:00 am with a throbbing migraine, many consumers would trudge out to the pharmacy to get pain medication – anything to ease the pain. Yet nobody in their right mind would head out to the store at that hour to get vitamins. Your idea should provide the same help: if you’ve got a “vitamin” idea, it’s an added convenience, but doesn’t solve a true real-world consumer pain – and won’t develop a following.
Vague: If you can’t sum up your product’s main features in one clear sentence, then your product isn’t explicitly defined. Simplicity is a beautiful thing: pick something specific and hit it out of the park. Don’t try doing too much across too many platforms, or you’ll risk being C-level at everything.
Weak Gameplan: Your pro-formas and business plan should give a clearly defined, specific course of action with step-by-step milestones and goals. Being light on details is a red flag for a VC, because she’ll want to know where you’re headed in the next ninety days, one year, and five years. If you can’t clearly articulate what you’ll be putting the VC money toward, why should a VC give it to you?
Top-Heavy: The best ideas need a top-notch team to transform them from dream to reality. If your founding team members all excel in the same field, your chance for success is lower than those with a diverse set of skills and experiences. Obviously domain experience never hurts but even for green entrepreneurs, variety is the spice of life.
Ho-hum: If you get up to pitch and sound just as excited as the teacher asking for “Bueller? Bueller? Bueller?”, your shot at getting me excited is long-gone. You should be bursting at the seams with your passion for the idea to the point that it’s contagious. If this is the next humankind-altering concept, act like it. If you aren’t leaping-out-of-your-chair excited, how do you expect an investor to be?
Mini: While many of us VCs do our best to do good things in the world, venture capitalists are not philanthropists. Your investment opportunity should provide a VC with the potential for a 10X return - minimum. For professional investors with risk capital, you need to be pitching an idea that could someday be a large public company, not a local drycleaner. If your idea is little, you may have a great small business in the making, but you’ll have a hard time getting a VC to step up.
The ideas I get excited about might not be the same as the ones exciting another VC out there – that’s why there’s a variety of firms, and a ton of hopeful startups; something for everyone. However, any smart venture capitalist would agree that she’d be most excited by an innovative, unique, straight-forward company that has all its ducks in a row, solves a real consumer pain, and is run by a rockstar group of entrepreneurs. Hey, I wouldn’t hate that either.
For more insight on creativity and innovation, visit JoshLinkner.com.
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2c537b75ba4d4c441ac58ac08de18a30 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshlinkner/2014/08/14/what-startups-can-learn-from-the-fall-of-the-roman-empire/ | What Startups Can Learn From The Fall Of The Roman Empire | What Startups Can Learn From The Fall Of The Roman Empire
For centuries, historians have theorized and analyzed the fall of the Roman Empire. It’s fascinating to view something that was so powerful, at the height of heights, and watch it fall so dramatically, crumbling into nothing. Because of this stark contrast, it’s been a source of interest (and of course comparison) for scholars ever since. For you, in your startup business, there’s a lot to be learned from this fall from grandeur. How did this come to pass? More importantly, how can you avoid it?
Internal deterioration and civil wars. Toward the end of the Roman Empire’s existence, there was a serious disintegration problem. Many social institutions broke down, creating factions with different viewpoints about the long-term societal values. Political, economic, and military opinions became staunchly oppositional, which led to civil wars. You may not have sword-wielding developers, but internal alliance on your team is still crucial. This is maintained by nurturing your culture. When everyone is, at their core, on the same page, disagreements can happen at the surface level without causing a tremor at your foundation. No matter what product you sell, your team will help get you to your finish line, so you need to act as a unified front.
Attacks from outside the empire. While the Romans experienced infighting, they also came under fire often from external groups. Violence (and the threat of it) continually weakened the empire, bit by bit, blow by blow. In today’s hyper-competitive business world, the reality is clear: your startup will be attacked – constantly – by outside forces. In order to break through this gravitational force holding you back, you need to act quickly, executing upon a crystal-clear game plan. Without a focused and defensible strategy you’ll be floating along, making your company’s vision susceptible to outside threats.
Population decline in many of the provinces. As the Roman Empire continually grew (in its prime), the reaches of its borders continually expanded. However, when the land came under fire, many of the fortifications for safety were only built clustered around cities. As a result, the provinces around the perimeter became unsafe and population declined. For your business, the equivalent advice here is to think small. Don’t try to solve too many problems, don’t try to add too many features, don’t try to move in four directions at once. Choose one thing, tackle it with laser focus, solve the problem effectively, and delight your users. Do one element at a time and do it well. Don’t try and spread yourself too thin, or you’ll end up with a bare-bones, mediocre result for everything. This will ensure your own population (aka, “customers”) continues to grow instead of shrink.
Power sharing throughout many cities, rather than the central city of Rome. Toward the end, Rome no longer served as the only seat of power; instead, a variety of cities each had a “portion” of power, and the empire had, at times, more than one emperor. This haphazard leadership grouping obviously led to confusion, weakening of alliances, and of course, infighting among leadership. While I’d certainly not advocate a dictatorship as your leadership strategy, I’d strongly encourage you to remember that your leadership team needs to be strong, and of course, clearly defined. Team members should know exactly which person they report to, what their expectations are, how they’ll be held accountable and rewarded, and how to approach someone if something isn’t right. If you’re scattered as a leadership team, chances are good that your team will feel even worse – and then, as a result, nothing gets done. A small, aligned team beats a distributed team aiming at different targets.
Remember, history repeats itself. From the Romans to your startup, what can you learn to do differently at your company? I’d challenge you to learn from the mistakes of antiquity – and use those lessons to your advantage. Propel your startup to the height of the Romans… and then stay there.
For an inside view into my world as a VC, entrepreneur, author, and keynote speaker, visit JoshLinkner.com and order my new book, “The Road to Reinvention,” on Amazon.
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8fd68e8f8a9ac3a21ef25a11e960d1dd | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshlinkner/2014/11/06/the-5-worst-things-you-can-say-when-pitching-for-venture-capital/ | The 5 Worst Things You Can Say When Pitching For Venture Capital | The 5 Worst Things You Can Say When Pitching For Venture Capital
In my time as a venture capitalist, I’ve received thousands – yes, thousands – of pitches from hopeful entrepreneurs, poised to change the world. Of those initial outreach asks, there’s a large percentage that gets immediately tossed and a whole bunch more that get nixed after our first call or meeting. For any interaction there’s always a series of “do’s” and “don’t’s” and the world of venture capital is no different. If you’re in front of any legitimate investor, there are a few things that should never come out of your mouth. Don’t shoot yourself in the foot – here are some pitfalls to avoid.
“Our numbers are conservative.” We’ve heard this a lot. Nobody believes it, and worse, it makes you look like an amateur. As investors, we get it – startups are hard and unexpected things happen (always). We just want a realistic look at your forecast and, even more importantly, how you think about your model. Instead of this, explain your thought process as to how you got to your “conservative” estimate. If for example you structure in the revenue of only two salespeople but forecast in the cost of three of them, you’ve explained to us the logic behind the conservatism in your hiring strategy – and that’s a better move.
“Please sign our NDA.” VCs never sign these things – for good reason. We hear pitches all the time and can’t be exposed later on by someone we didn’t invest in, claiming his idea was similar to the one we chose to back. Also, VCs invest in great entrepreneurs – we aren’t in the business of stealing ideas. This request makes you look like you don’t know the ropes. Rather than come out and ask for such a document to be signed, voice the fact that you’re pre-market, or whatever stage your business is in – we’ll be able to take it from there with the proper understanding and decorum to respect your privacy.
“There’s no competition.” Really?! If that really were true, then you’re going after a tiny market that doesn’t matter. Most likely, you’re not really assessing which companies really are your competition, which doesn’t translate to you taking a thoughtful approach. Take a long, hard look in the mirror if you think this about your business. What about the status quo? What about doing nothing? Sometimes changing a person’s behavior is hardest – not overcoming another startup entering your arena. Think strategically about the way you intend to serve your customers and broaden your thought process to encompass these solutions.
“Which of my two ideas do you like better?” If you’re not passionate about a single business, VCs (or anyone else for that matter) won’t be either. How could you expect someone to follow your vision if that vision is split? You should choose which business idea to pursue based on which will make the biggest impact. We’re looking for startup leaders with conviction, not wishy-washy softies. You should wake up in the morning, kicking the sheets back, ready to solve the world’s problem with your idea – because you believe your idea will do so. If you’re vacillating between two, this becomes tricky… and we can tell.
“I’ll have to get back to you on that.” Now this is alright if it’s about one or two points, but if there are too many details that you don’t know cold, on the spot, it shows you are not close enough to the business or that you haven’t truly thought it all the way through. Before your VC pitch meeting, conduct a role play with a team member or close friend. Ask your “actor” to be a complete jerk – have her poke as many holes in your delivery as possible. Anytime she has any sort of question, concern, inconsistency, etc, have her voice that to you. Record it. Take notes. Go back and fix it. Know the answers to her questions – and if you don’t know, figure them out. Do all of this with plenty of time before your actual meeting so you can make your tweaks. Chances are good that if she’s asking something, so would we – and it’s better to come from a close colleague than a total stranger on the cusp of writing you a check (or not).
Avoid these missteps and let your passion shine through – you’ll be well on your way to changing the world with your idea, helped out by your friendly neighborhood venture capitalist.
For an inside view into my world as a VC, entrepreneur, author, and keynote speaker, visit JoshLinkner.com and order my new book, “The Road to Reinvention,” on Amazon.
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53002291fdd40f1f616d446a0c9e508a | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshlinkner/2014/12/11/what-to-do-when-you-disagree-with-your-investor/ | What To Do When You Disagree With Your Investor | What To Do When You Disagree With Your Investor
Once a venture capitalist writes you a check, you’re in a relationship with him for the next many years. As your company grows and matures toward an exit, IPO, acquisition, buyout, or (unfortunately) closure, there will be countless decisions that need to be made. When you’re on the same side of the fence as your investor about a major strategic move, great. Utilize that alliance to put your best foot forward with your team, clients, and broader audience. The importance of that strong front is never to be understated. However, with as many decisions as there are, and as many variables as there are in startups, it’s a certainty that at some point, you won’t be on the same side of the fence as that person. And that’s ok.
Smart people can of course disagree, but your job as an entrepreneur is to make sure the relationship remains intact. There are a few ways to go about this.
Be transparent. Clearly explain your decisions and give the investor a chance to weigh in. Explain why you made a different choice beforehand, and never surprise him. Hiding the ball (for good news or bad news) always ends in disaster. By being up front about a difference of opinion, you’ll not only garner your VC’s respect, but you’ll also have time to collectively come to a consensus on how the decision should be handled.
Be unemotional. Throwing a tantrum to try and get your way isn’t exactly a surefire way to sway someone’s thinking. Instead, make sure you’re well prepared for a discussion, so you’re poised and have the ability to present your thoughts in a professional, calm, collected manner. You’re having a conversation – not a fistfight – so approach the situation like an adult.
Be a great listener. If your investor knows what he’s doing, chances are good that he’s been in your shoes before. He’s gotten stuck in that same pothole. He’s banged his own head on the table. He’s had those same sleepless nights. So, ask for his input. See where he’s coming from. By eliciting a response from him, you may be surprised at what he puts forth; for all you know, you may end up with something you hadn’t even thought of.
Be a team player. If you have a major strategic debate on the horizon that will be brought up during a board meeting, solicit input from each individual board member beforehand. Try and enlist support for your position; this is especially important if you have multiple investors (representing multiple firms). If one disagrees, get the others on board and have them help you fight the fight. No matter what, your board is there for the best interest of the company, so keep that in mind. You’re all there for the same cause – collective success!
As you navigate through the often-treacherous waters of entrepreneurship, remember that the people closest to you – your co-founders and your investment team – are there to help you steer your ship. It’s much easier to navigate through stormy seas when everyone is rowing in the same direction.
For an inside view into my world as a VC, entrepreneur, author, and keynote speaker, visit JoshLinkner.com and order my new book, “The Road to Reinvention,” on Amazon.
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9fa78d02670b40e1e923ddd5d3aa9f69 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshlinkner/2015/03/05/beware-these-6-productivity-killers/ | Beware These 6 Productivity Killers | Beware These 6 Productivity Killers
You have the same amount of hours in a day as Beyonce. Or Elon Musk. Or President Obama. The number is the same, daunting figure no matter who you are: 24 hours. So, what’s the difference between those at the top of their fields and those lost in the shuffle? The answer is simple: how productive (or not) you are within that 24-hour window. Of course we all aim to crank out as much strong work as we can, but these traps are easy to fall into and can suck your productivity dry. Be wary.
Doing the urgent instead of the important. It’s easy to respond to what's coming at you while inadvertently losing sight of the most important, long-term goals. When things keep popping up and seem to demand your attention, they’re hard to ignore. Unfortunately, your strategic planning ends up getting lost or taking a back seat. Don't let your calendar rule you... plan time for the most important work and stick to that, just as you would any other meeting. Trying to maintain a blog? Schedule time to write and do web maintenance – then keep the appointment with yourself. Trying to add a new product line? Schedule time to sketch options and do research – then keep that appointment, too. Multitasking - it is a myth. What some “experts” would tell you is that you’re able to get more accomplished by combining efforts. What really happens is that you bounce between things and do them all sub-par. Mistakes get made and things will need to be re-done or tweaked – losing time that you could have saved by doing it correctly, with focused attention, the first time. Constant interruptions. When you’re trying to focus on churning out high-quality, creative work, it’s seemingly impossible in your typical day-to-day setting. Between chirping email notifications, people popping by your desk, phone calls, etc, you’re never able to fully dive into your work project. While you’re trying to finish a major task, remove all distraction, don’t check email or answer the phone. Ask your team to make a list of questions to have answered as soon as you’re done. The sky won’t fall if you don’t respond to a push notification for a few hours, but you will be pleasantly surprised with how much you’re able to accomplish. Dead time. Think about time in your day that’s a black hole: commuting, waiting in lines, red lights, etc. These often happen in small quantities (5-30 minutes at a time). Always have something on hand to flip it from dead to productive. While you drive to work, listen to a book on tape about a new strategy you’re considering. When you wait in line at the coffee shop for your morning bagel, this could be the time to answer Tweets you’ve received (so you don’t have to do that amidst a real project from your desk). Think about each “dead time” interval as a challenge to get something done. Flavor of the week. If you jump from priority to priority, never earning the spoils from completion, you burn time and energy. Wherever possible, stay the course and get projects to completion before abandoning for a new, shiny object. Juicy temptations. Anything that is fun in the moment but depletes your energy or wastes your time is a killer of your own productivity. Smoking a cig, watching trash TV, eating fast food, gossip. These may offer momentary pleasure but end up hurting long-term happiness. For example, instead of that fast-food hamburger (that took you 7 minutes to drive to, another 4 minutes in the drive-through line, and another 15 extra minutes in the bathroom afterward – ahem), think about that in terms of waste and opportunity cost. Add that time all together and you’ve got 26 minutes: I’d be willing to bet you could have cooked a healthful lunch for the entire week in that amount of time. Doesn’t that seem more effective? I'm not saying never indulge, but be mindful and keep these to a minimum.
Victory comes to those who will do the hard, little things to improve. Avoid these six traps, and you'll be well on your way to the finish line.
Gallery: 10 Easy Ways To Be More Productive At Work 10 images View gallery
Josh Linkner is the author of two New York Times Bestsellers, “Disciplined Dreaming” and “The Road to Reinvention.” For more info, check out joshlinkner.com or follow him on Twitter @joshlinkner.
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d6fb1c7c0a46e04820704d182f653e9e | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshlinkner/2015/10/19/the-5-myths-of-creativity/ | 5 Common Myths About Creativity | 5 Common Myths About Creativity
Mention the word creativity, and people begin to squirm in their chairs. The very thought can prompt anxiety, fear, and doubt – even in the most accomplished professionals. Let’s explore some common myths, and uncover the truth behind this “fuzzy” topic:
MYTH 1: Creativity is only needed at the top
TRUTH : In today’s business environment, creativity applies to everyone. The organizations that win in these challenging times have creativity as a core priority at all levels of the organizational chart. We must embrace the concept of Everyday Creativity: fresh ideas and creative problem solving in every business setting. Every meeting. Every customer interaction.
MYTH 2: People are creative (or not) based on what they do
TRUTH: Your role has nothing to do with your creativity. There are professional musicians in major symphonies that are great technicians but don’t use an ounce of creativity. There are also statisticians that are brilliantly creative. Don’t let labels dictate or limit your creativity.
MYTH 3: Creativity can’t be developed
TRUTH: As human beings, we all have tremendous creative capacity; we just need to develop it. Your level of creativity isn't fixed at birth. Instead, think of creativity as an expandable muscle. You don’t become a champion bodybuilder without hitting the gym. Similarly, to build creative capacity requires some practice and focus. There is an overwhelming amount of scientific research confirming that you can grow your creativity at any age.
MYTH 4: Creativity isn’t my job
TRUTH: Today, creativity is everyone’s job. For your organization to enjoy success, creativity must be harnessed at all levels. It is no longer just something those “art people” do. There isn’t a job function that can’t benefit from creative problem solving, fresh ideas for the future, or simply finding a better way.
MYTH 5: My technical skills and experience are enough
TRUTH: Maybe in the past, but definitely not in the future. Unorthodox approaches, original thought and imagination have become the currency for success in the new world of business…and life. The difference between getting a promotion, making the sale, raising capital, or reaching your full potential lies in your ability to embrace and nurture your creative potential.
In our fist-fighting business climate, we're faced with unprecedented challenges. The stakes are higher than ever, but so is the opportunity. Dispelling the myths, and then harnessing your own creativity can be the difference-maker for you and your company.
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884e6705ff15a27cff7065dea4655723 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshmax/2011/06/29/2011-land-rover-autobiography-review/ | 2011 Land Rover Autobiography Delivers Rugged Luxury at $116,950 | 2011 Land Rover Autobiography Delivers Rugged Luxury at $116,950
Land Rover’s Range Rover Autobiography does what a Land Rover does best - it swaddles driver and passengers in finery and comfort while presenting to the world a mighty shell of hard, heavy, carved steel, suitable for fording rivers or plowing through snow in the daytime and puttin' on the Ritz at dinners, social engagements or clubbing at night.
First introduced in 2009, the Autobiography is Land Rover’s most expensive, plush, gadget-festooned hunk o’ love at $116,950 including destination and delivery charge, and worth it.
(Josh Max)
I should say I'm not crazy about SUVs, either. I walk fast, talk fast and tend to hit a dozen destinations every time I climb into a car. Wrapping myself in 5,000 or more pounds of steel isn't conducive to the one-man flash mob that describes my day-to-day life.
What I liked about the Autobiography was feeling as though I knew where my hood, rear bumper, doors and quarter panels were by instinct - and it happened in the first five minutes I had the ride. Its 5.0-liter, 510-horsepower supercharged V-8 engine whomped when I needed it to, but seamlessly sailed through lower gears at cruising or slow speeds via Land Rover's CommandShift.
It weighs a relatively svelte 3200 pounds, too, so it’s nimbler than its brethren. I felt like I was navigating a much smaller vehicle, and barely felt a single crater, divot, pebble or coffee cup during the week's test. Busted-up streets were smoothed out by the utter quiet of the Autobio’s cockpit combined with its mighty 20-inch tires, sport-tuned suspension and crisp, perfect handling.
A swank cockpit makes for a chilled-out ride. (Land Rover)
Any compliments to the driver at the end of a trip had to include applause for the gizmos, though.
A Terrain Response system including Hill Start Assist and Gradient Acceleration Control come with, and Adaptive Dynamics technology helps firm control through sharp turns. Adaptive Cruise Control, Emergency Brake Assist, available Blind Spot Monitoring, available Automatic High Beam Assist and an available Surround Camera System are all on the menu.
It's high-end all the way inside, with a 14-piece wood veneer trim in the cockpit and other finery designed to please eyes, ears, hands, feel and nose.
Two gripes:
*The instrument cluster, made up of virtual dials and graphic displays replacing traditional instruments, is BlandRover.
*The 1200-watt Harman/Kardon audio system with 19 premium quality speakers kicked like a mule, sending crisp, rich bass and treble through the guts and feet as appropriate, but didn't recognize my iPod.
“Let’s stop and you can buy a new cord,” said my wife JJ, after the 5th “device not recognized” flashed on the screen.
“It’s not the cord. I just used the cord this morning," I said.
We did without an iPod, just like everyone did before 2002, and the iPod worked fine in my next test vehicle.
Two new colors, Fuji White and Buckingham Blue, are available this year along with 22 custom Autobiography colors. To celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the introduction of the first Range Rover, a new Autobiography Black 40th Anniversary Limited Edition will be available in the fall.
(Land Rover)
There is more, much more.
Click here for trims, specs, mileage, news, more.
Josh Max, Forbes.com contributor
Follow me on Twitter, please, at JoshMax
BONUS: "Dial 'B' For 'Bird'" - a feathered fiend interrupts my take on the Autobiography. Repeatedly.
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d3ff72f6de1a713c99a9972d6f1d13de | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshmax/2016/08/12/test-drive-2016-s63-amg-is-mercedes-benzs-ultimate-sedan/ | Test-Drive: 2016 S63 AMG Is Mercedes-Benz's Ultimate Sedan | Test-Drive: 2016 S63 AMG Is Mercedes-Benz's Ultimate Sedan
Photo by Josh Max
Sliding into the driver’s seat of the S63 was like trying on a bespoke suit; suddenly, everything else we wore (or have driven since) seemed a little shabby. Next to the Maybach, the S63 is Mercedes-Benz’s crown jewel.
Photo by Josh Max
We didn’t test the $160,315 S63 in some winery-town, either, nor some placid, sedate back road.
Our maiden drive sent us east through the Lincoln Tunnel, en route from Hoboken, NJ to Manhattan at 10:30 on a Wednesday morning. Only one lane open due to a stalled vehicle. Outside temperature around 95 degrees. Pedestrians passing the stalled traffic on the Jersey approach to the tunnel. In other words, in about as miserable a driving experience as one can imagine.
We cared not, though, for the traffic and the heat, instead easing our seats back ever-so, cranking up the rich, full sound system, air conditioning wafting through the cockpit, and la-la-la’d during the 45 minutes it took to approach and crawl through the jammed, grim tunnel. Outside world? What outside world?
THE BODY
Photo by Josh Max
The S63 is large all over; front seats, back seats, trunk, you name it. 19-inch, AMG-specific wheels (you can opt for 20s) and big, bold, angry-looking red carbon-ceramic brakes top off the car’s no-nonsense look.
Photo by Josh Max
Bringing up the rear is a diffuser with silver shadow accents and chromed quad tailpipes.
Photo by Josh Max
THE INTERIOR
Photo by Josh Max
There is just so much to love, whether it’s the cool purple lighting strategically placed about the cabin, the sublime, supple leather or the exquisite wood appointments and genuine metal trim covering nearly every inch of the interior.
Photo by Josh Max
For this article’s sake, we’ll focus on the model-specific touches including an AMG steering wheel, sports seats, and an AMG-calibrated infotainment screen. You can also outfit the S63 with the buyer's choice of a rear bench seat or executive-style reclining rear seats which, like the front thrones, can be outfitted with heating, ventilating and "hot stone" massaging systems. Other options include individual TFT screens with wireless AKG headsets, pillow headrests, cooling/heating cup holders and fold-out tray tables, and so much more.
THE ENGINE
A hand-built, bi-turbo 5.5-liter V8 engine produces a blistering 557 horsepower, 664 lb-ft of torque and zips from 0-60 in a reported 3.9 seconds. The engine sends 33 percent of its power to the front wheels and 67 percent to the rear under normal driving conditions; mileage is somewhere between 15 MPG and 22, depending on your driving habits. You can also adjust the suspension/steering settings by choosing between "Sport" and "Comfort" modes.
NAV-CLIMATE-AUDIO SYSTEM
Photo by Josh Max
You’ve got the best of all interface worlds here; each component feels substantial, unlike some toylike units, and while the system isn’t simple to figure out using intuition, a glance at the manual explains everything clearly and you’ll soon be adjusting it like a champ.
DEMERITS Yes, they exist.
As with the majority of automobiles manufactured by this company, there is a second-long hesitation in the accelerator upon launch whether proceeding forward or in reverse, meaning you may think you haven’t engaged the gears. This isn’t a big problem until you wish to execute several quick forward-and-reverse maneuvers in a row, as with a K-turn, or pulling onto a busy highway, whereupon you step on the pedal and find yourself wondering if a riding crop would be of assistance.
Beef aside, though, this is a long, handsome, powerful, roomy, quiet, upscale ride. WAY up.
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2e32c0fa5d6348c2a84dd4966e743bef | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshmax/2017/11/09/items-to-make-the-motoring-musicians-life-easier/ | Items To Make The Motoring Musicians' Life Easier | Items To Make The Motoring Musicians' Life Easier
Paul McCartney, Sting and Sheryl Crow have helpers who load and transport their instruments, amps and clothing. Everyone else has to get creative with equipment and travel. Here's some space-saving gear for the rolling musician.
Gibson Blues King acoustic guitar $2,349
Gibson Blues King Acoustic Guitar Gibson
Not only does this finely crafted instrument by a legendary guitar maker produce a beautiful tone, it's one of the few smaller-sized acoustic guitars that barely raise a squawk from airline gate agents and flight attendants, so you can (usually) slip it in the overhead compartment without much fuss. Its distinctive “L-series” design comes from the early 1900s and it's a favorite among jazz, blues and roots guitarists.
Yamaha SVB-200 Silent Bass $3,899
Yamaha SVB-200 Yamaha
Face it, nothing's going to compare soundwise to your full-size, vintage double bass. But for bassists on the go with little room to spare, Yamaha's SVB-200 delivers a detachable frame, a body made of spruce and mahogany and a neck of maple, dual piezo pickups and a sleek gig bag. Its sound, for its size, is mighty-mighty, and you'll be glad at the end of the gig to pack up and be on your way lickety-split.
iRig Mic HD 2 $129.00
iRig Mic HD 2 iRig
While it lacks the tried-and-true road reputation of, say, a Shure SM-57, the iRig Mic HD 2 is the only handheld mic of its kind featuring high-quality 24-bit converters with sample rates up to 96kHz, a low noise preamp, a high-quality gold-sputtered electret condenser capsule for exceptional frequency and transient response and an onboard dedicated headphone output with volume control for direct signal monitoring. Offering unmatched quality and versatility at an affordable price, iRig Mic HD 2 comes with all the cables and accessories needed in a variety of situations, as well as a convenient table tripod for use during interviews, calls or video conferences.
Hartke HD112 Bass cabinet $399.99
Hartke HD 112 Hartke
This little speaker packs a mighty punch, and it's compact enough to fit small vehicles and light enough to carry up flights of stairs. It features a single 12-inch 300 watt HyDrive neodymium hybrid cone drive as well as a 1-inch titanium high frequency compression driver. It also looks particularly cool with its steel grill, inset side handles, high-quality plywood with extensive bracing and dado joinery. Its rugged, road-worthy construction is capable of withstanding prolonged abuse that is typically brought on by gigging.
Belk “Rockland Stage Coach” 20-inch rolling trunk $119.99
Belk "Rockland Stage Coach" 20-inch rolling trunk Belk
Musicians sometimes get so tied up with gear that they neglect personal things like clothing, cosmetics, deodorant and a place to store their valuables while they're up on stage. This vintage-inspired rolling trunk, unmistakable amongst your other gear, will neatly handle all your personal stuff. Four full rotation wheels make navigation effortless through crowds, and it's made of “ABS” which provides impact resistance and toughness for long time use and handling. Its corners are wrapped in PVC for additional protection. It also comes with a 5-year warranty and can be cleaned with a damp cloth.
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8047a067b9361ba1bc3bde3df3f8dde4 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshmax/2018/07/05/tested-2018-vespa-sei-giorni-300-is-the-fastest-scooter-in-the-companys-history/ | The 2018 Vespa Sei Giorni 300 Is The Fastest Scooter In The Company's History | The 2018 Vespa Sei Giorni 300 Is The Fastest Scooter In The Company's History
2018 Vespa Sei Giorni 300 Josh Max
There’s really not much to a scooter, and that’s the fun of it. You get on, turn the key, push the starter, drive away and you get the same adrenaline blast you get from surfing or riding a skateboard.
You can throw a scoot around the neighborhood, too, and both young and old smile at your presence; no one calls the cops on a scooter, and some may wish to pet you as they would a dog. Watch you don’t hit anything and don’t get into any fights with others whether motorists, bicyclists, pedestrians or Mack trucks even if it’s clearly their fault,and you’ll do fine. That's pretty much it.
The 2018 Vespa Sei Giorni 300 provides all the above at its highest level.
2018 Vespa Sei Giorni 300 Josh Max
Yes, it is a tool which will zip you to the store, to the gym, to the venue or to the relatives’ 9 miles away. But it's also a fashion statement, if you're not familiar with 1952's “Roman Holiday” and its subsequent effect on Vespa sales. You’ll want to dress up a bit when you ride, and you may watch your language. A universally recognized symbol of Italian style, Vespa remains an outstanding success story with more than 16 million scooters produced since its 1946 introduction.
Our tester, the limited edition Sel Giorni, MSRP $7,699, was built as an homage to Vespa's original 1951 Sport Sei Giomi, and it's the most powerful and advanced Vespa to date. Based on Vespa's GTS, you're powered by a 300cc single-cylinder four-stroke engine making 21 brake horsepower at 7750 RPM and 16 ftlb of torque at 5000 RPM. It's also got a USB port in the glove box, ABS brakes and LED daytime running lights.
2018 Vespa Sei Giorni 300 Engine Josh Max
You can also do highways nicely, as we discovered on our maiden 40-mile journey to headquarters in the middle of a workday, the trucks and SUVs and cars and bikers zipping by us at 75 MPH or higher as we held our own at 65, more or less. (Top speed's 75 MPH.) The difference between local jaunts and riding on the highway was significant, though. The unit worked best for us when we had to dash out of the house and get somewhere in 10 minutes on a clear, blue summer day, rather than aiming at, say, a destination 50 or more miles away. It’s also pretty difficult to fall; your tires are tiny and it’s a far less dangerous toy than a motorcycle in that way. Sure, you'll need some basic equilibrium in your DNA, but based on our test, it's almost impossible to tip your 326-pound two-wheeler over unless you're a total klutz, in which case you should stick to walking anyhow.
It also works well in the rain, as we discovered during a particularly vicious rain-hail-windstorm-small-highway flood that soaked us to the underwear during our last 40-mile journey. Steady as she went - no issues. Just wet.
2018 Vespa Sei Giorni 300 Josh Max
You've got a plethora of available accessories for 2018, the most interesting of which is its Vespa Multimedia Platform, allowing your phone to communicate with your scooter, garnering information about trips, mileage and other vital signs from afar. Other accessories include an anti-theft system, front and rear luggage racks and a Tom Tom Vio GPS unit.
This particular scooter is also an homage to the original Sel Giorni built in 1951 for the Sel Giorni Internazionale regularity rally – which scooted away with nine gold medals despite being up against other machines seen as more worthy. Only 300 of those scooters were built, and are collector's items today.
2018 Vespa Sei Giorni Cockpit Manufacturer
Our weeklong test saw us go and go and go, through neighborhoods, villages and towns and over busy freeways, but it never got old – each journey was like a carnival ride. After the first 120 miles, too, we got a gift at the gas station – here's what we paid for a fill-up.
Receipt for Vespa gas Josh Max
Not even a Prius can beat that, and we didn't go easy on the acceleration, either.
Belissimo, Vespa.
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d3b4d4a79d6c30c8dda31fbce6336c11 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshmax/2018/12/20/your-vehicle-as-butler-five-rides-offering-white-glove-amenities/ | Your Vehicle As Butler: Five Rides Offering White-Glove Amenities | Your Vehicle As Butler: Five Rides Offering White-Glove Amenities
Cars do so many things for their owners besides carting them to and fro; they heat us in the winter, cool us in summer, provide tunes to groove to and, for some, double as a second home or office. But some cars go the extra Jeeves, offering white-glove features and amenities to make your motoring life that much plusher. Here are five notable offerings from different manufacturers.
Jaguar/Land Rover’s doorperson
2019 Land Rover Range Rover Sport Manufacturer
It's only a prototype at the moment, but this new system, currently being tested on a Range Rover Sport, allows a driver’s door to open automatically upon approach via motion sensors and existing keyless technology, or it can be operated by gesture control. As well as being convenient for owners, the technology could help disabled people for whom a car is their main mode of transportation. It would also be useful for drivers carrying a child seat – and a child. And we could all use an extra hand or two or three, yes?
Once on board, occupants can close the mobility door with an overhead button. Software built into the infotainment system shows the status of each door and allows operation of the driver and passenger doors from inside the cabin. Radar sensors on the driver’s door detect lamp posts or other obstacles to stop the door swinging open and bumping into objects. The door can also be programmed to close and lock behind you as you walk away.
Tesla X 100 D's automatic starter
Tesla X 100D Josh Max
I loved a lot of things about the Tesla X 100 D I tested last year, but one especially interesting and useful feature – aside from the doors unlocking automatically when you have the fob on you – is that you sit down, put your seatbelt on, tap the brake and drive away; there isn't any “starter” as far as the driver is concerned. Information on how exactly the mechanism works is scant; Tesla’s website lists it under their “Convenience” features as “Driver seat detection sensor for start/stop functionality.” Whatever gets you from 0-60 in 3.3 seconds is fine with me.
Rolls Royce’s Starlight headliner
Rolls-Royce Starlight Headliner Rolls-Royce
A Starlight interior roof – a headliner with 1,340 tiny pinpricks of atmospheric, sensuous fiber optic lights - is similar to a motorcycle in that no one needs one, but they’re nice to have if you have the $12,095. I drove a Starlight-equipped Ghost from Savannah to Sea Island, Georgia, on a cloudy day, and my Rolls seemed to have the night sky pouring into the cockpit, further enhancing an already more-than-pleasant ride.
2017 Rolls-Royce Dawn Josh Max
The option isn’t exclusive to Rolls-Royce, either; you can get it installed on your Aston-Martin, Bentley, Ferrari, Lamborghini and many other high-end rides. www.starlighthq.com
The 5-diamond back seat of the Mercedes Maybach
Mercedes-Benz Maybach Josh Max
Your optionally-equipped backseat rivals any comfy chair you can buy or have made; an Executive Rear Seat costing $1,950 replaces center-row seating with extended, ample legroom and two seats designed for riders to spread out, lounge and feel like they’re riding in first-class. A $1,100 refrigerated compartment’s available, and champagne flutes are on the menu, too, for $3,200.
Aston-Martin DB11 “Aeroblade”
2019 Aston-Martin DB11 Aston-Martin
Aston-Martin wished to, naturally, make their DB11 go faster, faster, faster, but they didn’t want to put a spoiler or similar on their trunk lids and ruin the sleekness of their $200,000-plus ride. So they invented the “Aeroblade,” two ducts feeding air into the little-seen aperture in the trunk lid running from the base of the C-pillars to the rear fenders. Using this method, the DB11 Volante generates the same amount of considerable downforce as the coupe, and you don’t have to do a thing to make it happen except drive as you normally would.
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f192479d26887a964160f15dc0230c11 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshmax/2019/06/17/review-the-explosive-2019-land-rover-range-rover-sport-svr/ | REVIEW: The Explosive 2019 Land Rover Range Rover Sport SVR | REVIEW: The Explosive 2019 Land Rover Range Rover Sport SVR
I was expecting an SUV but was instead delivered a belching 6,768 T-Rex with a supercharged V8 engine and 575 horses at my disposal. Its rumble was mighty, its visage ferocious, its seating plush, its $131,520 sticker (with all options) jaw-dropping. It was so loud and so satisfying that I recorded it with my Droid and made a photo montage video. Listen:
Very nice, very nice – but why $131,520? The first few days were spent scratching the head over this. Majestic? Sure. Fast? Unquestionably. But 131,520 semolians? How come?
By the test’s end, I knew why. Beyond the Range Rover’s tank-like flavor and awesome power, there are other impressive aspects you can’t see by the naked, uninformed eye.
2019 Land Rover Range Rover SVT Josh Max
There’s a Wade Sensing system, which uses sensors in the mirror housings to determine the depth of water. Coupled to both an interior display screen and audible warnings, it limits the risk of damage that happens when exceeding a vehicle's maximum wading depth. For 2019, it’s updated and improved.
2019 Land Rover Range Rover SVT Josh Max
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So not only can your ride take the water or the mud or the rocks, it can help you avoid getting in over your head, literally and figuratively, which may alone be worth the price of admission. All Range Rovers come standard with wood-veneer trim, leather seats and a heated leather steering wheel, too. It's 5-star, this ride, end of story - albeit a 5-star ride that gets between 15 and 20 miles per city/highway gallon, part of the price of admission.
2019 2019 Range Rover Land Rover
On the more pricey trim, your leather gets extended to the headliner and you’re also offered a massage mechanism which I have never really cared about in any ride. Your cargo compartment carpet can be swapped out for upscale, polished wood. Everywhere you look and touch on the tricked-out trims, you’ll find something to please the finer tastes, from satin-brushed metal cupholders, a bottle cooler, metal armrest adjustment knobs and so on.
For 2019, you get a panoramic sunroof whose operation, soundwise, isn’t far from “Get Smart’s” cone of silence. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto capability, finally, are on the menu, part of the (free!) Smartphone Pack on every 2019 Range Rover.
2019 Land Rover Range Rover SVT Josh Max
But the best case for the price is that Land Rover, unlike some other iconic automakers, doesn’t deal in low end. Their fleet remains eternally connected to their heritage of off-road, can-and-will-do machines worth your time and the money, if you’ve earmarked that sort of coin for your next ride.
2019 Land Rover Range Rover SVT Josh Max
That they’ve taken a rough-and-tough brand and built into a world-recognized luxury powerhouse is a feat and the price is part of the perception of that exclusivity. The average Joe and Josephine may not understand a thing about the way a vehicle works or why it’s worthy, but everyone understands a price tag.
2019 Land Rover Range Rover SVT Josh Max
Anything I didn’t like? Yes. It’s more boatish than other similar vehicles, and one also must be careful with the right foot as your blast-off is consistently jackrabbit-like until you get the hang of doing a little tip-tip so you don’t go from zero to 60 in your driveway.
If you’re eyeballing the Cullinan or Bentayga, kick the tires of the 2019 Land Rover Range Rover. For the guilty among us, there’s also a plug-in hybrid P400e model coming up in 2020.
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a272db2df5a56c94151afc94719a2504 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshmax/2019/06/24/are-nycs-mean-streets-ready-for-scooters-i-test-drive-hondas-pcx150-over-four-of-the-five-boroughs/ | Are New York City's Mean Streets Ready For Scooters? Test-Driving Honda's PCX150 Over Four Of the Five Boroughs | Are New York City's Mean Streets Ready For Scooters? Test-Driving Honda's PCX150 Over Four Of the Five Boroughs
Nobody has to tell anyone that the streets of New York City look like what they are – blobs of asphalt in some locales, pummeled by age and excessive traffic, smashed by snowplows, frozen by extreme cold and seared by face-melting heat year in, year out.
Still, the true decrepitude of avenues and streets wasn’t revealed to me until recently, when I took a 2019 Honda PCX150 scooter on a fact-finding trip from Yonkers through the Bronx, Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn, deliberately aiming for the evening rush hour, when the traffic would be at its heaviest.
2019 Honda PCX150 Scooter Josh Max
To be clear, this was not a Bird or a Lime electric scooter, the current craze for which has delighted some and antagonized others in cities across America. The scooters look practical and fun - unless you're a pedestrian who has to to step over one in a crosswalk or in front of a doorway where some riders abandon them.
I wanted a little street-legal, gas-powered machine like the Lambretta scooter my mother got around Jackson Heights with in the 50s after winning it on a quiz show. I've also been driving motorcycles over the five boroughs since 2003, but never a scooter save for the odd test Vespa or Silverwing. A test was arranged.
Starting in Park Hill, a section of Yonkers, I set off for the Hunts Point Market via the Bronx River Parkway, sans GPS.
2019 Honda PCX150 Scooter Josh Max
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The PCX 150 was sharp-handling and relatively fast, so I was able to do the 55 MPH speed limit until I hit the Bruckner. There I met with a few hundred of the approximately 78,000 vehicles traveling to and from the Hunts Point Peninsula daily, including 13,000 trucks using local roads.
Traffic on Bruckner Boulevard and the Bruckner Expressway in the Bronx in New York on May 31, 2007. ... [+] A recent study found that the Bronx is the least healthy county in New York State. The Bronx tops (or bottoms) the other counties in worst health behaviors such as diet and exercise, social and economic factors, such as income and safety, and finally physical environment such as air and water quality and housing. (© Frances M. Roberts) (Photo by Richard Levine/Corbis via Getty Images) Corbis via Getty Images
Like a mouse outmaneuvering elephants, I wiggled a few inches left or right to avoid the trucks, followed the signs and when I smelled fish, I knew I was near the market. Within a few minutes I pulled up to their vast parking lot and checked my stopwatch: 57 minutes to go 18 miles.
2019 Honda PCX150 Scooter Josh Max
I spun around and jetted off, aiming for Times Square via 87 South to the Third Avenue Bridge to the FDR South, legs jammed together closer than the crabs in that barrel I once saw in Chinatown.
I got off at the East 106th Street exit, made a left at 5th Avenue and crossed Central Park via the 86th Street tunnel. I then aimed at West End Avenue south which I found as unevenly paved as it was in the 90s when I lived there.
It was on 9th Avenue, below 50th Street, where I found the shoddiest, potholed-and-patched section of Manhattan I drove over during the test. My scooter turned into a mechanical bull, shaking the lens cap off my camera and onto the pavement where it was promptly crunched like a potato chip by an S.U.V. behind me.
I turned east on W.44th Street and it began to drizzle. I hadn't planned for that and I should have as I got cold and wet pretty quickly. Between the loss of a good lenscap, my face shield steaming up and the sudden weather change, I began muttering like a crazy person as I pulled over, appropriately enough, next to the Belasco theatre off Times Square where “Network” is running, featuring the iconic line: “I’m as mad as hell, and I’m not going to take it anymore!” “You said it, pal!” I yelled at Brian Cranston’s poster.
2019 Honda PCX 150 Josh Max
But take it I would. My next destination, the entrance to the 59th Street Bridge, resembles a million-gallon sink drain; the traffic is so heavy that once you're in line, you're carried along like you’re going over Niagara Falls.
59th St Bridge, Manhattan Getty
Onto the bridge I putted, cruising deeper and deeper into the congested, pedestrian-packed but relatively intact streets of Route 25 at prime time, 5:15 PM.
Not being as familiar with Queens as I am with Manhattan and Brooklyn despite 26 years in NYC, I looked around for some sort of landmark to photograph the scoot with. I finally googled “Louis Armstrong” under an awning, thinking I could get a shot outside the master trumpeter’s final abode/museum. After finding it was four miles away, I instead took a soggy photo outside “Broadway Snacks,” a quickie Chinese restaurant.
2019 Honda PCX150 Scooter Josh Max
The B.Q.E., heading from Queens to Brooklyn, was so bashed-up and crumbly that it felt as though my wheels had morphed from round to square. But the rain had eased, I'd stopped for caffeine and I knew the end of the test was drawing near. (I didn't go to Staten Island because they don't allow machines on the ferry.)
Newly energized, I passed miles of cars and trucks by taking advantage of gaps, spaces, unmarked shoulders and passing all the daydreaming, texting motorists. I landed at the Brooklyn Bridge by 6:15.
2019 Honda PCX150 Scooter Josh Max
The streets of Dumbo, under the bridge, aren’t “streets” as we know them – they are a cobblestoned jiggle-fest for anyone except walkers, but it's not because of neglect or damage. The stones are historic and there are a total of 36 miles of them in all of New York City. They are considered part of Dumbo’s charm, and part of why some one-bedroom apartments there rent for $4,670.
I found a good spot under the bridge to shoot the scooter, snapped away and was soon stamped at by two grim-faced guys in green uniforms.
2019 Honda PCX150 Scooter Josh Max
I helmeted up for the last time and up and away over the Brooklyn Bridge to the West Side Highway north to the Sawmill, and finally headquarters in Yonkers.
I took off my helmet and wiped my face with a tissue; the tissue turned black.
So - are these streets ready for a scooter invasion? It could be a boon, or it could be New Coke. Either way, it'll be a bumpy ride.
There are a few things to consider.
Jonathan Bowles, Executive Director Center for an Urban Future, said an an email in response to my inquiry:
“The number of lane miles reconstructed (sic) each year has fallen significantly over the past decade." But, since 2014, “The pace of street resurfacing has increased. Between 2000 and 2013, New York City met its resurfacing goal of 1,000 lane miles per year in only three years (2009, 2011 and 2012). But in the past five years (2014 to 2018), an average of 1,182 lane miles have been resurfaced per year. The city reached its 1,000 lane mile benchmark in all of the past five fiscal years.”
Personal injury and property damage legal claims for defective roadways in NYC between 2010-2015 cost the city about $138 million. The Department of Transportation fills over 350,000 potholes each year.
What's clear is that the 2019 streets of New York City are a patch-up job when what’s needed is an overhaul. If anyone thinks a total overhaul is coming soon, please email me as I can let you have the Kosciuszko Bridge for a one-time low fee of $775.00 and I'll throw in a Katz's knish.
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4c3310a91062a9f4f96f738d1f0d10fc | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshmax/2019/07/01/test-driven-2019-land-rover-discovery-hse-td6-and-jaguars-sport-brake/ | Test-Driving the 2019 Land Rover Discovery HSE Td6 and Jaguar's Sport Brake | Test-Driving the 2019 Land Rover Discovery HSE Td6 and Jaguar's Sport Brake
2019 Land Rover Discovery HSE Td6 Manufacturer
The Discovery HSE Td6 aims and succeeds at providing all the posh benefits of premium SUVs while retaining every bit of its “I can crawl almost horizontally right over that mountain of dirt” flavor.
It’s a great ride for the big and tall, with a driver’s seat seemingly capable of housing two of me, an average-sized dude. You won’t feel a thing as you ride over rough terrain, yet cornering is surprisingly nimble, which makes it fun to drive instead of the plodding flavor of some big rides. Heated front and second-row seats in “Windsor leather,” each have individual programmed settings. Though its interface is on the slowpoke side, the sound system is high-end crispy and thudding-bass heavy.
2019 Land Rover Discovery HSE Td6 Manufacturer
A Meridian Digital Surround Sound System with 14 speakers, dual-channel subwoofer and a 10-inch color touchscreen all add to the high-end experience.
But most of all, you step on it and the vehicle’s response is “Hell, yea,” despite the diesel engine.
You’re offered the choice of two 3.0-liter V6’s: a supercharged gas engine making 340 hp and 332 lb-ft of torque, or a turbodiesel making 254 hp and 443 lb-ft of torque. Both come with an eight-speed automatic and variety of driving modes so you can leave the highway and bounce around over hill, dale, rocks, streams and so on should you wish to. We did not wish to, and didn’t, but it’s nice to know we could if need be. The vehicle comes in three trims; the SE, HSE and HSE Luxury, our tester.
2019 Land Rover Discovery HSE Td6 Manufacturer
Another unique feature is its powered inner tailgate which, when you deploy it, will give you a platform for use at rock concerts, sporting events or wherever such an inner tailgate can aid you.
We really don’t have a single bad thing to report about the Discovery HSE Td6. It’s $62,095 sticker isn’t a disaster for this type vehicle, and what’s delivered is elegant, swank, all leather and wood and olfactory goodness.
2019 Jaguar Sportbrake
2019 Jaguar Sport Brake Manufacturer
The Discovery’s cousin, (same company, you know) the Jaguar Sportbrake, redefined for us what a pleasure it is to rock a station wagon with no apologies over a recent week’s test. Buffeted over the last 20 years by the preponderance of Sport Utility Vehicles, Crossovers and Minivans and usually as hip as your Uncle Howard's combover, the Sportbrake brings a wagon that succeeds both as a luxe ride and Home Depot delivery vehicle.
It does not boast world-class Jaguar ferocity straight out of the gate, though the 380-hp supercharged V-6 engine with its eight-speed automatic shift and rear-biased all-wheel drive will deliver what you need when you need it.
2019 Jaguar Sport Brake Manufacturer
Paddle shifters help, and velocity’s assisted by a lightweight suspension and all-aluminum chassis, which give it a better road feel than one might expect from a wagon, though we weren’t crazy about the slightly stiff brakes. The Sportbrake’s starting price is $71,445 which puts it higher than many in this class – but after our week’s test, we find the price may be worth it to loyal fans of the brand. One aspect worth noting is that the Sportbrake has undergone only minor tweaks from 2016 to now, so you could buy a 2017 model, for instance, for much less money and get (practically) the same ride.
With your base price, you get:
Front and rear parking sensors, a panoramic sunroof, power tailgate with foot-swipe activation, an "S-trim body kit" and rear self-leveling air suspension.
2019 Jaguar Sport Brake Manufacturer
Other options include a $2860 Luxury Interior Upgrade package, a $3265 Technology package, and a $360 package where exterior trim pieces are painted a sleek gloss black. At the very least, you’ll want to check out the $3495 Driver Assistance package, delivering adaptive cruise control, active parking assist, and a 360-degree surround-view camera, all of which make more sense to us. A Comfort and Convenience package ($1805) brings cooled front seats and heated rear seats. The Sportbrake's main caveat, as usual with many of today’s Jags, is its climate/nav/audio system, which refused to pair with our Droid and which we found clumsy to use when compared to similar systems.
That said, we fell in love with our dear little wagon, and suggest you consider it if you’re thinking of breaking from the SUV cookie-cutter pack on your block and you don’t want a sedan, either.
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972ba565632d402885f6cb92d33a87a4 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshmax/2019/08/06/the-station-wagon-is-alive-and-well--here-are-five-good-ones/ | The Station Wagon Is Alive And Well – Here Are Five Good Ones | The Station Wagon Is Alive And Well – Here Are Five Good Ones
My father, a WW2 bombardier, proudly owned and drove a 1976 AMC Hornet Wagon, passing it onto me when I was old enough to drive. Wagons aren’t not selling like they once were, of course, but they’re still out there and the ones for sale are still great drives, based on some recent tests. Here are five good ones.
2019 Volvo V-60
2019 Volvo V60 Manufacturer
Volvo is the the poster child of auto nerd-dom, yet their fully redesigned V-60 wagon manages to be stylish, comfortable, elegant and even a tad edgy when you push it. It couples its exterior sleekness with an upscale cabin featuring signature easy-to-reach Volvo buttons and levers and, as usual with this badge, some of the best safety features available on the market such as rearview camera, lane keep assist, oncoming lane mitigation, and road sign recognition.
Volvo’s V60 comes in four trim levels: Momentum, R-Design, Inscription, and my tester, the Cross Country. The base model starts at around $38,000, making it one of the priciest in this segment, but for your money you get a bigger back seat than most vehicles of this kind, an extremely relaxed ride with room on all sides to spread out, the latest tech and the redesign which includes a larger cabin, a better infotainment system, a bigger 9-inch touch screen and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto coming as standard.
Navigation and a 13-speaker Harman Kardon premium audio system are available. The base engine’s “spirited” at four cylinders making 250-horsepower (turbocharged.) A much ballsier 316-horsepower supercharged 2.0 litre 4-cylinder’s also available.
2019 Volvo V60 Manuafacturer
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Where the V60 really shines is in its interior, with soft-touch materials, real leather here and there, and wood trim. Splurge and you can get Nappa leather upholstery, heated front and rear seats, heated steering wheel and massaging front seats. Every trim except the base model come with an 8-inch touch-screen display, voice-activated controls, and hands-free text messaging.
One drawback is that this year’s model has a tad less storage than previous trims at 23.2 cubic feet behind your rear seats. There is more room than what was previously available with the seats folded up, though, at 50.9 cubic feet, but in all, the V60 has less total storage room than its competitors. Mileage is more than generous for this class with 24 mpg in stop-and-go and around 36 on the highway; the supercharged engine will naturally get a bit less bang for the buck.
It is a splendid, cushy ride if you’ve got the budget, with its steering and road manners polite but effective, and everything anyone ever liked (or disliked) about a Volvo on deck for 2019.
2019 Subaru Outback
2019 Subaru Outback Manufacturer
The Outback’s a longtime favorite of Subaru owners due to its singular combination of the spaciousness of an SUV with the driving characteristics of a passenger car. It’s not the most powerful shark in the ocean at its base trim, but you can get a beefed-up V6 if you’ve got the dough and the desire. It has outstanding safety and crash ratings, thus making it a great ride either for the timid driver, or the beginner. The big choice to make is whether to buy a brand-new, 2019 model, or opt for a used 2018 or 2017 Outback, which have many of the options you’ll find on the 2019 model.
What is also has that not every other wagon has is generous ground clearance, which will help you when dealing with snow, or light off-roading. Where it sags is in its overall handling, which isn’t as crispy-crisp as other rides in this class.
2019 Subaru Outback Interior Manufacturer
Four models are on deck; the base, Premium, Limited, and Touring. The lower-priced trims are powered by a 2.5-litre engine, 3.6 for the most tricked-out. Mileage is decent via the smaller engines at 25 city miles per gallon, 32 on the highway. Pricing starts at $36,795 for the Outback 2.5i Touring and $38,995 for the 3.6R Touring. All trims also offer three child seat tether anchors that are simple to use, making this a great car for parents. All models have all-wheel drive, a series of entertainment apps including Apple CarPlay and Pandora, a suite of mod driver aids, and it’s also got towing ability which not all wagons offer, hauling up to 2,700 pounds.
2019 Subaru Outback Manufacturer
Prices start in the $26,000 range, besting both the Audi AllRoad and the Volvo V60, but it’s more than the Golf Alltrack. The further up the price ladder you go, naturally, the nicer the Outback, with the top trim featuring woodgrain inlays and perforated leather seats with contrast stitching. X-Mode, a system that reduces wheel slippage, is standard on all trims.
For the safety-minded, it really doesn’t get better than this in this price range. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration gave the 2019 Outback an overall safety rating of 5 out of 5 stars in front and side crash categories, and four stars in the rollover category, as well as a “Top Safety Pick” overall.
2019 Audi A4 Allroad
2019 Audi A4 Allroad Manufacturer
The Audi A4 Allroad carries the style, craft and swank of the Audi badge, yet it’s a great vehicle to haul stuff in, or your children and their ice-creamed fingers. It’s far comfier than most wagons and you can enjoy it with a brood or solo. Its disadvantages compared to other wagons is its high starting price, but that’s typical of Audi and the sticker worth what they’re asking. The base Allroad starts at $45,700, the top-of-the-line Allroad Prestige starts at $53,900. Its mileage falls under most other rides – 22 in city driving, 29 highway - though that’ll be partly due to the lead foot you’ll develop while enjoying its power.
There are also no changes in the 2019 model, so you might want to shop for a 2018 or 2017; you’ll get the same car. It’s a 5-seater with lots of leg room and well-supported seats, though you’ll be a bit jammed if you load three adults in the back. Interior appointments are Audi-fine and plush, with lots of leather, brushed silver and those red twinkly control panel lights every Audi owner loves.
2019 Audi A4 Allroad interior AUDI AG
A panoramic sunroof comes standard as does an MMI infotainment system with a 7-inch display, a 10-speaker sound system, two USB ports, Bluetooth, Android Auto, and Apple CarPlay. The easy-to-use MMI infotainment system is controlled with a knob on the center console, and it features sharp, clear, mod graphics with easy-to-reach controls. You’re well-covered in the cargo department with 24 cubic feet of storage behind the rear seats, or about 58 cubic feet with the rear seats folded down.
2019 Audi A4 Quattro AUDI AG
How does it drive? Like an Audi, meaning everything is nice and tight, from acceleration to braking to handling. You’ve got a 248-horsepower turbocharged four-cylinder engine with the wee bit of hesitation when you press the accelerator, but you blast off afterward. Standard driver assistance features deliver a rearview camera, Audi Pre Sense Basic, and Audi Pre Sense City. What “Pre Sense Basic” does is prepare the car in the event of a crash by closing the windows and sunroof, tightening the seat belts, and activating the hazard lights.
“Pre Sense City” includes forward automatic emergency braking, forward collision warning, and pedestrian detection. Crash test results are outstanding, with the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety delivering its highest rating, “Good” in all six crash categories.
2020 Buick Regal TourX
2019 Buick Regal TourX Buick
That Buick is making a wagon at all is cause for cheers; the 116-year-old badge has hung on and even thrived here and there through the skyrocketing popularity of SUVS and crossovers and GM’s 2009 bankruptcy. 2019’s Regal TourX is a not-bad-looking, $29,000 all-wheel drive wagon with a whopping 73.5 cubic feet of storage space, space of course being the reason anyone buys a wagon. $29,000 isn’t exactly a “low” price tag, but it’s way cheaper than Volvo and Audi. If you can weather the reportedly sub-par interior and numb driving characteristics, you, too, can loyally support your badge by buying this ride.
Three trims are available – the TourX, Preferred, and Essence.You’ve got one and only one engine, the 2.0L turbocharged LTG 4-cylinder making 250 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. The base model is a basic no-frills job that does without automatic climate control, leather upholstery or steering wheel or even power seats. Go up in trims and price and you’ll get those things plus some infotainment goodies.
All-wheel-drive is standard, but you’re fairly low to the ground, flummoxing all but the lightest off-road efforts. There’s reportedly lots of cargo space – more than some others in this class – and a lower roof height, meaning it’s easier to get your surfboards or canoe or what-have-you up there.
2019 Buick Regal TourX Buick
Essence delivers a handy hands-free liftgate plus dual-zone automatic climate control, a cabin air cleaner/ionizer, heated front seats, a power-adjustable passenger seat, leather upholstery, a 40/20/40-split folding rear seat, a heated steering wheel, and most of the content of the Preferred Sights and Sound package. The upgraded audio system can be added through the Essence's own Sights and Sound package. A panoramic sunroof’s available on the Preferred and Essence.
2019 Buick Regal TourX Buick
The drive, reportedly, is quick on blastoff and the turbo kicks in, but passing and other needs for speed are met merely adequately – head up to Audi if you want blast. The interior comfort level’s top in this class, with plush seats and appointments usually found on more expensive vehicles. It is not an especially roomy interior; the big and tall may want to keep options open. The TourX's software and aesthetics are run-of-th-mill for GM – everything works but an update wouldn’t be a bad idea. For Buick lovers loyal to the brand, this is a fine choice. For those unfamiliar with Buick or who haven’t driven one in 10,20,30 or 40 years, it’s a worth a tire-kick.
VW GOLF Alltrack TSI 4Motion
2019 VW GOLF Alltrack TSI 4Motion VW
The Golf is such a good drive that I frequently forgot it was a wagon while I pushed around town recently for 7 days – and that’s a shame because it’s being discontinued at the end of this year, a victim of the crossover craze. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t buy one, however, if you love the brand.
Its standard shift lends it throwback appeal, and its handling, acceleration and braking are all crisp enough for their class. Sure, other similar models have better safety ratings and a tad more front seat room but the Alltrack’s value gives it an edge over its higher-toned brethren.
VW GOLF Alltrack TSI 4Motion Cockpit VW
For this year, you start with a new 147-horsepower turbocharged engine with 8 speeds rather than the 6 offered on previous models. That’s a dinky engine, but you can (almost) get around it by keeping your stick in the lower gears, though there is a limiter to keep you from destroying the transmission. (An automatic is also available.)
Interior materials are reasonably upscale, and fabric abounds. The vehicle seats five, but taller passengers may feel a tad cramped in the back seat. But get rid of the passengers, fold down the rear seats and 30.4 cubic feet becomes available, suitable for loads of wood, a set of drums or whatever anyone reasonably expects to cart when they buy one of these. There are two sets of latch connectors for parents to install car seats.
VW GOLF Alltrack TSI 4Motion front VW
VW throws in a bunch of high-tech, state-of-the-art features we’ve come to know and love like an eight-speaker audio system, Bluetooth, a USB port, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and Volkswagen Car-Net. I found the infotainment system frustrating despite being given a larger screen in 2018 – everything takes forever. Other Available features include a sunroof, dual-zone automatic climate control, and an upgraded MIB II system with an 8-inch touch screen, satellite radio, and an eight-speaker Fender audio system.Mileage is more than decent, with as much as 35 MPG available on freeways, about 26 in stop-and-go.
The upshot is that the Alltrack is particularly fun to drive and throw around, rather than being staid or dull, and it’s worth a tire-kick despite its imminent doom.
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fd6d83cadf5b18fba7bbca1af2c9cdc4 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshmax/2019/10/31/test-drive-2020-bmw-745e-xdrive-plug-in-hybrid-lets-you-roll-like-an-electric-boss/ | Test Drive: 2020 BMW 745e xDrive Plug-in Hybrid Lets You Roll Like An Electric Boss | Test Drive: 2020 BMW 745e xDrive Plug-in Hybrid Lets You Roll Like An Electric Boss
2020 BMW 745e Josh Max
“You’ll love this car,” said the man who brought me the 745e, mine for a week’s test. “It’s like a Maybach.”
I was initially skeptical. But after a week of rolling over the streets of Manhattan and Yonkers, whose road surfaces are crumbling to the point of absurdity, I found he wasn’t exaggerating. This super-smooth, handsome vehicle is indifferent to both road imperfections and outside noise like jackhammers, horns and other aural assaults, and it’s as comfy as anything you’ll find in a 5-star hotel.
2020 BMW 745e Sedan Josh Max
The 2020 745e is also a vast improvement over the 2019 model, which had only 4 chintzy cylinders. That’s wisely been bumped to a turbocharged 6, which makes acceleration a pleasant relative blast, assisted by a larger gasoline engine, a ballsier electric motor and a higher-capacity battery, so you jet off as you please. Your engine and motor are mated to a seamless eight-speed automatic transmission, and its lithium-ion battery is good for 12 kilowatt-hours of power. You charge in a little under 5 hours with a high-speed charger, which isn’t the blink of an eye, but that’s where the technology’s at at the moment.
202 BMW 745 Sedan Josh Max
In total, you’re talking about 389 horsepower with 442 lb-ft of torque, and there’s not a thing wrong with it – you blast off from 0-60 in a little under 5 seconds, impressive given the car’s hefty weight of 4,800 pounds. If you monitor your lead foot and aim for maximum mileage, you’ll come up with somewhere around 55 “miles per gallon,” which isn’t anything to sneeze at.
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2020 BMW 745e Josh Max
BODY: It’s a big, grand, gorgeous car, suitable for you and business associates, a date you’re trying to impress or the family. Its “kidney” grille is instantly recognizable, coupled with skinnier headlamps, a taller hood, a redesigned front bumper with bigger lower air dams. In the rear, you’ve got smart-looking three-dimensional light housings coupled with a tastefully tiny light strip. A new bumper with fatter exhaust cutouts imply power and speed.
2020 BMW 745e Sedan Josh Max
ROAD MANNERS: It is a sublimely pleasant, smooth ride, one which mutes the madding crowd and allows you the pure pleasures of the road, even in traffic. It’s not specifically built for speed, but the Sport mode delivers a suitable get-up-and-go, especially when the light turns green or you wish to pass. Mash that pedal and the car gets a move on. Cornering isn’t a sharp-as-a-tack and there’s an ever-so perceptible brake hesitation despite the calipers and 19-inch tires, but it’s not going to bother you. It’s a sedan.
INSIDE: The chairs are more comfortable than the ones you have at home, all plush-plush, with upscale accent stitching and a smart 6-color ambient lighting system that makes nighttime driving a supremely pleasant experience. The luxury seating package for the rear is where the Maybach comparisons apply – you could hold a poker game back there, or take a snooze in buttery comfort, your weary carcass massaged automatically, and the ability to recline to a practically horizonal position.
There’s Ultra-mod tech everywhere you turn, of course, including the iDrive 7 system including a center cruise controller and a 10.2-inch touchscreen.
2020 BMW 745e Josh Max
Unlike some similar systems which can be a frustrating experience, this system is almost totally self-explanatory, enabling you to hook up Bluetooth, the nav system and your Wi-Fi hotspot with almost no trouble, and the sound system is absolutely mint with crispy treble and rumbling bass via a 16-speaker Bowers and Wilkins surround sound audio rig. A year of Apple CarPlay comes with – after 365 days, you’re on your own.
It’s easy to disregard sedans these days with the trend leaning toward SUVs and crossovers, but if you’ve got the coin for some of the upscale features of the 745e, it’s worth it – you’ll look forward to being in the car, eating in it, having conversations in it, and driving it.
Estimated base price: $95,500
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3f4e16a9f15173e66d4e1571b3983638 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshmax/2019/11/30/interview-steve-braithwaites-big-banana-car-coming-to-your-city/?fbclid=IwAR2buFDVedW7aWWw43TFvaKTc5__VwnZ6b1hsoDz9UiwMajvvCcv0bv0v_A | Interview: Steve Braithwaite’s Big Banana Car, Coming To Your City | Interview: Steve Braithwaite’s Big Banana Car, Coming To Your City
Banana car Steve Braithwaite
Steve Braithwaite says he isn’t famous, but it may be his English modesty. After spending eight years tooling about in his “Big Banana Car,” a hand-built machine powered by the engine of a 1993 F-150, he’s now on a journey across America and, hopefully, the whole world, creating a commotion wherever he appears.
Most likely you’ve recently read about his being pulled over by an officer who just wanted to have a look at the car, and who gave Steve back his driver’s license with a $20 wrapped around it despite not taking a ride. Steve finances his journeys by offering rides to banana enthusiasts who pay whatever they can afford and who are slowly making him infamous, one Instagram and Facebook post at a time. But the cop just wanted to check out the car, something that happens now and then with the authorities, says Steve.
The car was completed in 2011 and since then has been featured on “Good Morning America” three times and currently holds the Guiness World Record for “longest custom banana car.”
I decided to interview this daredevil, connecting with him by phone. We discovered a shared love of the road, of rockabilly music, of trying to find healthy food away from home and of driving in the freezing cold with the top down – or, in his case, with the top off.
JM: Hey, Steve – are you in the banana right this second?
Steve: I'm looking at it. I'm sitting at a coffee shop in Texas and I can see the big banana car through the window.
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JM: Are you famous wherever you go?
Steve: Noooo, I'm not in the slightest bit famous. My car is getting a little bit famous, so that kind of rubs off on me, which is kind of exciting.
JM: And why a banana? Why not a duck?
Steve: I just wanted to do the most ridiculous thing I could think of, and driving a banana around seemed to be the most ridiculous thing.
Louisville pit stop Steve Braithwaite
JM: When I go for long drives, it’s sometimes challenging to find something edible to eat. I like 7-11s because they have hard-boiled eggs, bananas, nuts and large cups of coffee. How do you eat well on the road all the time and keep body and soul together?
Steve: All my life, every single meal I've ever had has had meat in it, so I just recently went vegetarian and that's proven to be the most difficult part of life on the road. I have vegetable fried rice at Thai restaurants, and Indian restaurants have always got vegetable dishes. And Burger King now has that Impossible Whopper vegetable burger.
JM: Is that any good?
Steve: It's fantastic. You'd never know it wasn't meat.
JM: I'll go there right now. I always like to try new stuff that's not horrible for ya.
Steve: I'm not saying that! It's still a Burger King burger.
JM: Hold it! We can't put those guys down! You know how powerful they are? You know how much money they have? Almost as much as General Motors.
Steve: Are you serious?
JM: I don't know, but it's a lot. Those guys are global, as is McDonald's, as is Starbucks. I was in Beijing, there was Starbucks there. Berlin, too. (Note: Burger King showed a total worldwide revenue of 1.65 billion in 2018; General Motors showed 26.776 billion as of 9-30-19. I was way off.)
Steve: I was at the Patpong road in Bangkok, that red light district made famous by the American G.I.s in the Vietnam war. The biggest Kentucky Fried Chicken you ever saw was at the end of the road. Talking about going global, though, that's my intention with the big Banana car. I've traveled all over the US and there's still a lot more that I want to see, but the plan is to drive it all over the world.
JM: Is there room for a dog in the banana? You gotta have a pooch on a road trip.
Steve: I have taken dogs for rides, but I'm not sure who my passengers are going to be. I'd like it to be at least three others. It would be really nice to have a film crew in a chase vehicle and film the whole thing, but that might be pie in the sky. But you know what? When I decided to build the banana car, that was pie in the sky, but it happened.
Passengers in the big banana Steve Braithwaite
JM: Have you driven it in New York City?
Steve: I have. I like to refer to it as “The Big Banana meets the Big Apple.” I'm probably the only person who has driven a huge motorized banana through Times Square, except for my former business partner, so we've both driven in NYC. It makes it so easy to ask cab drivers for directions. You don't have to put your window down.
JM: You're really open to the elements.
Steve: It's a convertible that doesn't convert, which makes it an “unconvertible.” When it rains, I get wet.
JM: How many miles do you get to the gallon?
Steve: If I'm loaded up with luggage, I get somewhere between 13-15 miles per gallon. By today's standards, that's terrible, but for a banana, it's amazing.
JM: What are your sleeping arrangements? Air BNB?
Steve: Not really. I stayed at a couple of Air BNBs in Canada when I the guest of a company called Yellow Fruit this summer and they were using the big Banana car to promote their new frozen banana dessert. But I just couch surf. I stay with either friends, friends of friends, or people I meet that day like at a gas station or a grocery store. I've got a sign on the back of the banana car reading “Traveling across America going coast to coast and north to south. To fund my trip I'm couch surfing and giving rides. Take a ride in the big banana car, pay whatever you want to pay.”
JM: You know what, you sound pretty normal. I said to myself before we talked, “This guy might be a nut.” You never know who is going to be on the other end of a phone.
SteveL (Laughs) You've got to be normal, doing what I'm doing. I'm very visible. People are always taking pictures of the big Banana car and putting them up on Facebook, and you try to be nice to all types of people. Most people are very polite, and I’m polite in turn.
JM: How do you keep alert on long drives?
Steve: Coffee. One year I had to drive from Kalamazoo, Michigan to New York City overnight in February. I had a trailer lined up to get me to a big car show at the Javits center, and a trailer I had arranged fell through, and then the next one fell through. It got to be crunch time and I had to leave, so I just drove. I had to be at the Javits center by 8 AM the next day. I left at 5:30 in the afternoon on the previous night and crossed the George Washington Bridge at 6:23 the next morning. I guzzle coffee.
JM: Do you have any particular tunes you listen to?
Steve: I do but at that speed, in the open air, you can't hear it. When I listen to music it's either rockabilly or electro-swing. I hosted a rockabilly radio show almost the whole time I've been in America, for over 30 years. Haven’t done it lately, though, because I’m on the road so much.
JM: That’ll flat get it! Elvis, Carl Perkins, Billy Lee Riley, Wanda Jackson.
Steve: Yup, that’ll flat get it! I’m an Englishman who loves American rockabilly music.
JM: We’re talking the same language.
Steve: You’ll have to come for a ride.
JM: You better believe it. Let’s stay in touch.
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5bc4349d1ed8628ec4f28deb1f28b602 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshmax/2020/02/07/review-2020-ducati-diavel-1260-s/ | Review: 2020 Ducati Diavel 1260 S | Review: 2020 Ducati Diavel 1260 S
2020 Ducati Diavel 5160 Josh Max
Face it, you’re in a hurry. But so is the Ducati Diavel 1260 S. That’ll make it a match for your OCD self, whose main motorcycling goal, like mine, is to blast off at any opportunity, look in that rear-view mirror and see traffic 1/4 mile away. Repeat. Repeat.
It’s not as simple as climbing on, starting up and setting off, though.
2020 Ducati Diavel 5160 Josh Max
Here you’ll find an electronic suite with traction and wheelie control, different riding and power modes, cruise control and a power launch feature, among other things. Me? I left it in “sport” mode. Is there any other, really?
Brembo brakes Josh Max
One might bemoan this blizzard of tech in lesser bikemakers, some of whom seem to throw that stuff on there to say to their younger future clients, “Look! We’re not stuck in the 90s! See that ‘plug’ for your ‘cellular telephone?’”
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But with the $23,195 Diavel 1260 S (there’s also a base 1260 starting at $20,295), it only adds to the ferocity and style we expect from our paisans at Ducati.
The signature Tetrastretta L-twin, 1262cc, 160 hp engine is ready for action, with your top speed around 169 reported MPH. It’s also good an’ loud, but not loud enough to piss off neighbors when you roll in at 1:30 AM.
2020 Diavel 5160 shock absorber Josh Max
It’s a power cruiser with the foot pegs in the standard position, so get on and get going after you negotiate the tech and you’re gold. You’ll go from 0-60 in something like 2.5 seconds. You also can lean, lean, lean as you please, an any bumps you encounter pretty much disappear, so no back pain when you’re through.
My riding method over a week in Los Angeles was mostly steady as she goes, no treks out of town to the hills. The Brembo brakes instantly stopped me and were so much fun that occasionally I did the tap, tap, tap, jerk, jerk, jerk thing just to feel their might when cruising up to red lights. (Yes, I’m four years old.) There is also a particularly exquisite feeling of being balanced. Get on the motorcycle, get off, push it forward, back it up, all easy despite its weight of 586 pounds, even if you’re not a big lug.
Ducati Diavel 1260 S Josh Max
It’s got a variable-timing feature coupled with Ducati’s singular Desmodromic valvetrain and you move through your gears with ease, with neutral, predictably, difficult to find at times. Four-valve heads crank open your combustion chamber, aspirating the hell out of the engine, so off you go lickety-split even if you cluelessly try to start from a dead stop in 3rd gear as we all do from time to time. This thing just likes to go fast. Even when you’re doing 15 MPH on local streets, you feel like the fuse is lit. When buying, you can also get “proposed Ducati Performance accessories packages.” Talk to your dealer.
2020 Ducati Diavel S Josh Max
One peculiarity, though.
The key fob needs not go in any slot, and that’s a great thing. Unlike last year’s XDiavel, which didn’t recognize my key when it was in the side pocket of my jacket, the 1260 S knew it was me whether fob was in jacket, backpack or what-have-you. But to activate the motorcycle requires you slip a thumb and index finger in between the tank and cockpit, followed by a turn-and-twist.
The space surrounding this twist-knob is miniscule. Wedging two fingers into this slot required patience and practice to smoothly accomplish, and sometimes it was a nuisance. It reminded me at times of trying to find something that’s fallen in between a car seat and the center console. Squeeze them fingers!
The concept itself, though, is inspired, especially when you have to bounce around neighborhoods on a variety of errands. You stop the bike, get off and walk away while slipping off your helmet, you do your business, climb back on, squeeze your fingers into that little space to twist the little button, crank up and off you go.
How much did I love the bike? In the minutes leading up to its return, I kept riding it around and around the neighborhood to nowhere, simply enjoying the mild temperatures of Brea, California, where my Air BnB was, and trying to make it all last. It can’t last, of course.
Ducati is like a band that keeps releasing new material equal to their early stuff and one never thinks: “It’s ok but it’s not as good as what they were making in 2006.” Each new bike is a new step forward. In a motorcycle market that’s getting clobbered, that’s great news.
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2a3a4760a1870bffb95de63ed7ffb725 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshmax/2020/11/19/want-to-buy-a-winnebago-theres-a-two-year-waiting-list-as-rv-sales-continue-to-skyrocket/?sh=1140b3a52440 | Want To Buy A Winnebago? There’s A Two-Year Waiting List As RV Sales Continue To Skyrocket | Want To Buy A Winnebago? There’s A Two-Year Waiting List As RV Sales Continue To Skyrocket
(Photo by Gabe LHeureux/Getty Images) getty
As the world grinds to a halt (again), recreational vehicle sales continue to skyrocket. Winnebago, the most recognizable name in RVs, has a two-year waiting list. Tuesday their stock jumped a whopping 2.9%, closing at $51.45. Private-equity firm KKR is investing more than $100 million in a peer-to-peer rental platform for recreational vehicles, RVShare, according to a recent Wall Street Journal article.
Why all the enthusiasm for what has been largely known over the years as an activity as hip ‘n’ happening as shuffleboard and Ensure?
People are going bananas, that’s why. Something, anything, must be done to de-stress in the pandemic and shutdown besides the meditation, the food, the booze, the porn, the jogs, the television, YouTube and whatever else humans typically use to relieve mental, emotional and spiritual distress in the 21st century.
(Photo by SILVIO AVILA/AFP via Getty Images) AFP via Getty Images
Hordes of shoppers are thus turning to both traditional RVs but also “Covid Campers,” specially rigged recreational vehicles offering the amenities of home and convenience of the ever-floating office without the danger of infection via crowds, restaurants and public restrooms. Many of the purchasers are skewing younger as well, as they may be used to living in small apartments and it’s less of a shock for them to hit the road in close quarters.
Interior of small three person campervan Western Australia Moment Editorial/Getty Images
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Under-35s are also largely used to working from home or remotely, although everyone from interns to grizzled CEOs have had to get used to it as well this year. Some folks even park their RVs in their driveway when they’re not on the road and work from there - anything to get the hell out of the house.
The quickest seller these days is Winnebago’s “Type B” camper van, 21 feet long and far more easily maneuverable than the behemoths you see on the highway. Many are rigged with amenities unavailable even just a few years ago, like built-in Wi-Fi, solar panels, phone boosters, space for more than one laptop user and more. Type B camper sales were up 48% at September’s end.
Winnebago "Type B" RV WInnebago
Winnebago’s pop-top Solis, which seats and sleeps four, is a hot model. Among other features, it’s got industrial flooring so sandy beach feet or dogs can come in and the cleanup’s easier than on, say, tile. It’s also rigged with USB charging stations at every seat and bedside.
Winnebago Solis Winnebago
Two other all-new units from the company include the diesel-powered Journey, featuring the largest storage capacity in its class and the industry’s quietest ride. The Journey is built on the Freightliner® XCM Chassis with an integrated Maxum IITM foundation with power supplied by a 380-hp Cummins® ISL 8.9L.
Winnnebago Journey John Hake/eshimage/Uff Da! Photography
Another newbie is their EKKO, a compact Class C motorhome designed for the modern-day adventurer with large holding tanks, solar panels, and optional lithium batteries to help unlock the power of off-grid camping.
Winnebago EKKO © Peter Holcombe Photography 2019
You don’t have to limit yourself to Winnebago, though – the list of RV makers is quite vast. Click here for an A-to-Z list of manufacturers. Airstream, for example, is crafting something called the “Flying Cloud 30FB Office,” a concept at the moment but one which hitches to your car, wrapping the rear office space in a sound-deadening privacy screen. It charges its lithium-ion batteries with solar panels, and will offer a 5G-ready roof antenna and Wi-Fi as add-ons.
There’s also currently a boom in small custom builders across the U.S.A. who are taking existing vans and outfitting them for customers to live and work in. Visit ExploreVanX.com, where 164 vetted vendors can get you up and running.
Don’t expect your rig to be ready anytime soon, though – the average turnaround time used to be three to six months. Now? You can wait up to two years.
Blast that virus.
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61f87a44fd4e6d6392c172a1d2862cba | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshmax/2021/01/15/tested-a-2021-can-am-ryker-in-the-ice-and-snow/ | Tested: A 2021 Can-Am Ryker In The Ice And Snow | Tested: A 2021 Can-Am Ryker In The Ice And Snow
Every now and then where I live, you get a break in the middle of winter and Mama Nature throws a couple of 65 or 70 degree days at you.
This did not happen during my 2021 Can-Am Ryker test.
2021 Can-Am Ryker Josh Max
Mama threw us a mere 11 degrees on delivery day, followed by a snowstorm the next.
When I came out of my house on the second day, the unit looked like this.
2021 Can-Am Ryker Josh Max
I knew by around noontime that the sun would melt a lot of it, and it did. I'd get a little wet from the melted snow, but I'd dress for it. There wasn't any way I wasn't going to ride. Some of you know what I'm talking about.
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“We are men of action. Lies do not become us.” William Goldman. (Also, Wesley from “The Princess Bride.”)
I suited up and climbed aboard this odd, ferocious-looking little all-black creature.
2021 Can-Am Ryker Josh Max
The last Can-Am tester I had was a Spyder during a beautiful New York June. I remember slaloming up the curves on the Saw Mill Parkway North as soon as I understood I wouldn't tip over no matter how much I yanked it left and right. You still have to yank with the Ryker, with all your might sometimes, but it's a lot of fun, kind of like the cup-and-saucer rides at the carnivals nobody went to in 2020.
BURNHAM MARKET, UNITED KINGDOM - (Photo by Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images) Getty Images
It's the same principal with the entry-level, easy-as-pie, stealthy, handsome-lookin' little Ryker. You don’t need much balance, coordination, or anything but you and the road to have a great time.
The Ryker’s automatic – a shift delivering reverse and drive, that’s all. A Rotax engine’s offered, either a 600cc for my base Ryker or its bigger brother, the Rally edition, offering a choice of a 600 or 900. Mine was in-line 2 cylinder, liquid-cooled engine with electronic fuel injection and electronic throttle control, making 47 hp @7300 RPM, torque 35 ft-lb @ 6200 RPM.
The Ryker's key seems an oddball plastic arrangement at first – two pieces which you pull apart. Half mounts on the Ryker and the other goes with your other keys. You fit them back together when you're not using the bike.
Can-Am Ryker Key Josh Max
But rather than being a fancy bother, I found this key welcome – using it and storing it required more thought and care than it otherwise might have, and that's a good thing. Instead of a little piece of metal that lives with other pieces of metal, you have this stark, oddly-shaped key you can find in a split second. You'll never mistake your car or scooter or motorcycle keys for the Ryker key.
To start, your right foot must depress the foot brake – actually it should just be called the “brake” because it's the only means of stopping - you twist your right wrist forward (another safety measure) and press the “start” button with your thumb or whatever digit's available, it kicks over and you're in business.
There's a plastic parking brake on the left side which must be disengaged to proceed and if you don't deploy it before you turn the bike off, you'll get one of the loudest beep-beep-beep-beeps-ok-Mom-I'm up you've ever heard.
If I bought this unit, I'd punch that beep in the brain, or at least disable it.
To start the unit took as many as 5 attempts to get it to turn over, every time, and stay started, presumably from the chill or a simple idle adjustment I did not attempt. That said, my beatup 2005 Honda Metropolitan Scooter, with 7,000-plus miles on it, lives outdoors 24-7-365 and starts right up and stays lit no matter the weather. Witness:
But - off with us!
I had straight roads for the first 14 miles, a good get-to-know-you period. The ride is smooth. The seat is comfortable. The engine note is a buttery purt-purt-purt. Steady as she goes. The Ryker would make an above-average first machine for your kid or otherwise a novice. It is most definitely not a motorcycle, and doesn’t try to be. It would be difficult to tip it over unless you were being a moron.
2021 Can-Am Ryker Josh Max
Then it was up the snowy mountain, slowly. That's where the fun was. I'm talking about icy hairpin turns over which I slipped and slid, but never lost control, apprehensive at first, then doing it on purpose, evoking the grin I was looking for.
I did not go all the way up the mountain and down the other side because it was getting dark and the temperature at night can drop 30 degrees.
2021 Can-Am Ryker Josh Max
Regrettably, I turned around and down the slippery mountain I went, same fun, just slower. I'm sure I'm not the only guy who's ever sung “Slip slidin' away/Slip slidin' awayyyyy” into a helmet.
I just took it real easy, and waved a few cars around me, and got myself safely to the bottom, and to a gas station. And a word about the Ryker’s gauge, a series of rectangles to the left of the gauge glass. It’s fickle and imprecise and doesn't do its job, plain and simple. Best to rely on the digits on the right telling you how many miles you have left. There's a Sport mode for extra oomph; I didn't use it.
2021 Can-Am Ryker Josh Max
Then home, and shaking for 30 minutes as the temperature had plunged from 52 degrees to 9 degrees, but what the hell, it was worth it.
This short-and-sweet test was a bright light in an otherwise grim time, and for that I was grateful and you will be, too.
The 2021 Ryker starts at $8,799; its more tricked-out bro the Ryker Rally starts at a substantially higher sticker at $11,499.
2021 Can-Am Ryker Josh Max
The company’s doing very well in the pandemic, too. Consider these surprising statistics:
*Sales of three-wheeled Can-Am vehicles are up 60% over last year’s third quarter.
*32% of Can-Am On-Road vehicle owners are female, compared to less than 20% of current riders in the motorcycle industry as of 2020.
*Can-Am collaborates with more than 150 riding schools throughout the U.S. and Canada as part of its Can-Am Rider Education Program (REP); 80% of the 28,000+ participants who’ve completed the REP since 2016 did not have previously have a license to ride.
*Close to 50% of Can-Am Ryker vehicle owners come from diverse communities, meaning Ritchie and Potsie aren’t the only guys riding them.
*36% are female (Motorcycle industry: 20%)
*54% are new to the sport
*72% are under the age of 55
There are a blizzard of customization options, too. Check them out here.
Ride safe. JM
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269c936ece4910a18a2f1321f709ed48 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshmax/2021/02/04/volcon-launches-the-runt-and-all-electric-motorcycle-for-kids/?sh=4a604df31230 | Volcon Launches “The Runt,” An All-Electric Motorcycle For Kids | Volcon Launches “The Runt,” An All-Electric Motorcycle For Kids
What kid doesn’t want a minibike, especially if you grew up in the suburbs like me and a few million others?
The all-new, all-electric Runt Runt
Today, Volcon introduces the Runt, a kid-friendly version of the two-wheeled, full-size model, the Grunt.
The Runt is an all-electric, two-wheeled mini bike that’s capable of exploring the outdoors in all-terrains. In addition to three riding modes, allowing a customized experience based on the young riders' abilities, the Runt is equipped with app-driven geo-fencing controls, remote monitoring, performance limiters and tip-over notifications, giving parents peace of mind when their kids are riding. Accessory Runt seats and handlebars with different heights allow the bike to grow with the child.
The all-new, all-electric Runt Runt
The Runt is capable of a 35-mile range, with recharging possible in only two hours with any household outlet. Pricing will start at $2,995 (MSRP).
The all-new, all-electric Runt Runt
“With the addition of the Runt, the entire family can experience off-road powersports adventures through Volcon’s two and four-wheeled models,” said Andrew Leisner, Chief Executive Officer of Volcon Inc. “The no-clutch, single-speed, electric powertrain is easier for young riders to learn and the new app-based controls will give parents the ability to monitor their children and regulate the power of the motorcycle. The Runt paired with our Grunt will bring new families into the freedom and fun that off-road powersports provides.”
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The all-new, all-electric Runt Runt
The Runt comes equipped with app-driven geo-fencing controls, remote monitoring, performance limiters and tip-over notifications to create parental piece of mind.
The Volcon Runt is available for pre-order now, with deliveries beginning Spring 2021. The full-size model, the Grunt, will also be delivered to customers beginning in Spring. Four-wheeled Stag and Beast models will follow in late 2021 into 2022. Specifications and technology details will be communicated in the near future.
Beginning today, the Runt can be pre-ordered at Volcon.com/runt-reservation.
The Runt isn’t the only kid-friendly electric motorcycle out there, though. If you’re in the market for one, you should consider a few factors, as with any purchase of a machine which, even in the best of all conditions, carries with it the possibility of injury or death. (And buy your tyke a DOT-approved helmet, please.)
Brand
It’s not a case of “they’re all the same, so I’ll go with the cheapest one.” A popular brand will be more road-tested, there should be plenty of purchaser reviews on Reddit or elsewhere, and you’ll get the real dope from those who’ve paid money and had their child on the unit. Try the abovementioned Grunt, but also Razor and Burromax.
Sticker
In the case of adult machines, prices can vary widely. But in this market, it’s not as extreme as the units are fairly similar in materials, functions, features and assembly. You’ll pay more for more versatility such as adjustable suspension, different speed modes, and accessories. Do your research.
Online reviews
I don’t know a single adult rider who has tested a kid’s motorcycle, so head over to forums and similar to hear from purchasers how quickly their child adjusted to the bike’s fit, ease of assembly if any, how long the battery lasts and, most importantly, any safety features offered.
Tough enough?
These machines are going to be revved, braked hard, will probably fall more than once, and basically roughed up, and rightly so. Pay attention to what reviews say about damage caused by spills, how well the components hold up over heavy and repeated use, and whether or not one part had to be replaced more than once.
Ride safe.
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431b7e5982a35337fbb9f06ab4d83f13 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshmax/2021/02/23/aston-martins-exquisite-girard-perregaux-watch-coming-your-way/ | Aston Martin Collaborates With Girard-Perregaux On Limited-Edition Watches | Aston Martin Collaborates With Girard-Perregaux On Limited-Edition Watches
Fine automobiles and fine watches have made great bedfellows for most of the 20th century, so it's good news that Girard-Perregaux, yesterday, was announced as Official Watch Partner of luxury British automotive manufacturer Aston Martin.
Girard-Perregaux/Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One pairing. Aston-Martin
The Swiss Manufacture is one of the oldest names in the history of the craft, known for making peerless exemplars of Haute Horlogerie 0r “the fine art of watchmaking.”
The two brands will collaborate on upcoming limited-edition timepieces, with the release of the first coming this year, though no definite date has been announced yet. The Girard-Perregaux branding will feature on the Aston Martin Cognizant Formula OneTM Team car and team uniform.
Girard-Perregaux/Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One pairing. Aston-Martin
It's not surprising. From the dawn of the auto industry, competition and racing became a part of the culture. Milliseconds mattered, not only to the carowners and their rivals, but fans of the sport. It's been this way for over 100 years.
Moreover, both Aston Martin and Girard-Perregaux were founded by visionaries with an innate passion, commitment and vision.
Aston Martin made its start in 1913 by Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford. Girard-Perregaux can trace its origins all the way back to 1791, when Jean-François Bautte, aged 19, produced his first watch.
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But one of the greatest names in watchmaking when Constant Girard married Marie Perregaux in 1854, and here is where the legend really begins.
The now-iconic Aston Martin DBR1 (1956), a car made specifically for competitive racing, was a precursor for some of the marque’s most well-known heritage ‘DB’ road cars many of us drive today to much enjoyment.
That model was styled in-house by a uniquely talented designer, Frank Feeley, a name known to many hardcore fans of the brand, and indisputably represents his finest hour - the shape of the DBR1 remains one of the most beautiful and graceful of all time. An Aston-Martin is always peggable even from a distance, and its exhaust note can be identified from blocks away.
Aston-Martin DBR1 Sotheby's
The Aston-Martin's signature functional attribute – its side air vent, which debuted on this car and remains a key characteristic – is incorporated into the watch.
Girard-Perregaux/Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One pairing. Aston-Martin
Similarly, when Girard-Perregaux released its now-famous Tourbillon ‘With Three Gold Bridges’ in 1867, it transformed three functional components, often hidden from view, into attractive aesthetic features. With the advent of this watch, the once invisible is now - deliberately – on display. Throughout its 230-year history, the Swiss Manufacture has demonstrated its creativity, often playing with different shapes.
While both organizations have amassed a wealth of skills and traditions, no company can any longer afford to rest of its laurels as each generation comes to age and wants something new and different.
Other automakers are also pairing up with watchmakers. On Feb. 4, TAG Heuer announced its new long-term partnership with Porsche, and today, Scuderia Ferrari announced a new pairing with Richard Mille for a new timepiece as well.
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06796c0fb79994796ee78a56c10b599b | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshmoody/2018/08/05/survey-republicans-and-democrats-agree-higher-ed-is-on-the-wrong-path/ | Survey: Republicans And Democrats Agree Higher Ed Is On The Wrong Path | Survey: Republicans And Democrats Agree Higher Ed Is On The Wrong Path
Photograph: Taylor Weidman/Bloomberg
In an age of polarization where everything from pizza to pro sports is politicized, bi-partisan agreement is rare.
But Republicans and Democrats (and those leaning toward the respective parties) agree on at least one thing: both believe U.S. higher education is headed in the wrong direction, according to a recent Pew Research Center Survey.
In the survey of 4,587 people, 61% of all respondents said the higher education system is off track, though — in true partisan nature — Republicans and Democrats disagree on the reason why.
A higher number of Republicans think higher education is headed in the wrong direction, with 73% of GOP respondents agreeing, compared to 52% for Democrats.
The most significant area of concern was the cost of tuition, which 84% of respondents believed was too high; breaking that down by party, 92% of Democrats believed that was the case and so did 77% of Republicans.
Both parties are right to worry as tuition has spiked in recent years. According to the College Board's "Trends in College Pricing 2017" report, tuition climbed by 213% at public four-year institutions and by 129% at private schools.
But when it comes to reaching an agreement on how to make college affordable the partisan divide returns. Recent Republican legislation emphasized deregulation while simultaneously tightening oversight of federal student loan and grant programs, while Democrats have, among other measures, suggested creating federal and state partnerships to provide tuition-free community college for two years.
Republicans and Democrats also can’t agree on why higher ed is so expensive or who to blame for soaring costs, but both believe schools are failing to provide necessary workplace skills. According to the Pew Research Survey, 65% of all respondents felt colleges are not providing students with skills needed to succeed, with 73% of Republicans reporting these beliefs, compared to 56% of Democrats.
Republicans also are highly skeptical of the campus climate, with some party members claiming that colleges are liberal bastions indoctrinating students with leftist ideology. Last month Attorney General Jeff Sessions, while speaking to conservative student group Turning Points USA, accused the American higher education system of creating a “generation of sanctimonious, sensitive, supercilious snowflakes.”
https://twitter.com/CNN/status/1021797062600355840
Similar attitudes were reflected in the survey with 54% of all respondents saying that colleges were too concerned with shielding students from offensive views. Breaking that down by party, 75% of Republicans expressed that view, compared to 31% of Democrats. Similarly, Pew found that 50% of respondents believe that “professors are bringing their political and social views into the classroom.” Again, this response split along partisan lines with 79% of Republicans believing this was the case and a mere 17% of Democrats.
Lynn Pasquerella, president of the Association of American Colleges & Universities, told The Chronicle of Higher Education the results were frustrating though unsurprising due to the “prevailing national rhetoric.”
Pasquerella also took exception to Sessions’ vitriol aimed at college students, noting most aren’t “protesting and asking for therapy animals and safe spaces. … They’re trying to do their work and pay their bills."
The findings of this poll come a year after another Pew survey found that 58% of Republicans and those identifying with the party believe that colleges and universities have a negative impact on the U.S.
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d9e7a41f119c13369d85b1cddc2b5cf0 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshmoody/2018/08/22/colleges-are-betting-big-on-the-multimillion-dollar-esports-market/ | Colleges Are Betting Big On The Multimillion-Dollar Esports Market | Colleges Are Betting Big On The Multimillion-Dollar Esports Market
Commentators are seen on a screen during the League of Legends World Championship at the Staples... [+] Center in Los Angeles, California, U.S., on Saturday, Oct. 29, 2016. (David Williams/Bloomberg)
Nearly 20% of academic programs are out at the University of Akron but competitive gaming is in as the school plans to build the world’s largest esports facility, which college officials see as a step forward, into the future.
“The University of Akron and its students will benefit significantly from the creation of an esports program,” former Akron President Matthew J. Wilson stated in a 2017 university news release announcing the addition of esports. “Embracing esports allows the University to continue attracting top students while providing an innovative pathway for students to flourish academically, socially and professionally.”
The plan has been met with pushback — particularly from the Ohio Conference of the American Association of University Professors, which has suggested Akron is prioritizing video games over academics.
“It is as though you are saying: Well, we are bored with education so let’s play games instead,” wrote John T. McNay, president of the Ohio AAUP chapter in a letter to the university.
“So playing games is the same as educating Ohio’s students for life and careers,” a copy of the letter obtained by the Akron Beacon Journal said. “This shows a serious lack of judgment and indicates that you are violating the trust that has been placed in your hands for protecting and enhancing the University of Akron.”
Despite the controversy, Akron is pushing ahead — and it’s not alone. With esports surging, so are plans to capitalize on its popularity.
Southern New Hampshire University Students will be able to try out for the school’s new esports program this fall.
Ashland University announced a scholarship for Fortnite players earlier this year, joining dozens of other programs offering financial aid to competitive gamers, though ESPN reported it was the first for that specific game.
Hardly outliers in higher education these three universities are among the 80-plus schools in the U.S. and Canada that offer competitive gaming programs according to the National Association of Collegiate Esports. Founded in 2016 the nascent nonprofit counts more than 1,500 student competitors in its ranks with associated colleges doling out $9 million in gaming scholarships and related financial aid.
NACE member schools compete against one another on popular PC titles such as League of Legends, Overwatch, and Fortnite.
Scrawling through the NACE website turns up numerous schools with newly minted esports programs: Marietta College, Lackawanna College, Ohio Northern University, Northern Virginia Community College, and so on.
Colleges are investing in esports programs, hoping to tap into a potential market that has mushroomed in recent years.
Alongside traditional sports, ESPN now has a section of its website devoted to compeitive gaming. In 2015, ESPN dedicated an issue of its magazine to esports, noting that the League of Legends Championship in 2013 sold out the Staples Center and brought in another 27 million viewers almost as many as the combined audience for NBA finals (15.5 million) and the MLB World Series (13.8 million).
Only the NFL Super Bowl, with 112 million viewers attracted more eyeballs than the League of Legends Championship ESPN reported. By 2018, the livestreamed League of Legends Championship drew more than 360 million viewers, according to CNN.
Not content to just write about esports, ESPN also plans to broadcast live competitions on ABC, ESPN, ESPN 2 and Disney XD.
The Chronicle of Education reported that as Akron hacks academic programs, the university will pour $750,000 into three esports facilities and spend another $400,000 into program operating costs and $70,000 for game licenses and other associated costs. According to the Akron website, more than 5,200 square feet will be dedicated to competitive gaming at the varsity, club, and recreational levels. Akron said it will stock the space “with more than 90 state-of-the-art gaming PCs and 30 next-generation consoles.”
The nerve center for competition will be in a 1,222-square foot gaming area on the first floor of the Zips football stadium complete with a viewing area for spectators and broadcast studio.
While Akron may have more total space dedicated to esports, the University of California, Irvine was the first public college to build a gaming arena, opening a 3,500-square-foot-facility in 2016.
Other schools also have opened expansive arenas, such as the 4,000-square-foot facility at Tiffin University and a 3,000-square-foot space at Hawaii Pacific University.
Not to be outdone by Akron, Boise State University is expanding its current esports space to 6,400 square feet.
Robert Morris University Illinois was the first school to launch a varsity esports team back in 2014 and develop a gaming arena.
Earlier this year, Robert Morris program founder Kurt Melcher told the Chicago Tribune that it is just a matter of time before schools are building out esports arenas to attract coveted recruits, competing in the same type of arms race that colleges have long engaged in by developing bigger and better facilities for traditional spotlight programs such as football and basketball.
“I think we’ll see over time a facilities war similar to top-end athletic departments,” Melcher said. “It’s important to high-level players. What kind of access will they have to their (gaming) system? What is the system? Do they have to share it?”
In addition to top-notch facilities, some colleges are offering significant scholarship opportunities, such as $40,000 (over four years) at Schreiner University or $60,000 at Missouri Valley College, on the high end.
So far, it’s mostly small colleges getting in on the action. Comparatively, it’s far cheaper to dive into this emerging market than to develop more expensive traditional programs. The $750,000 Akron plans to spend to develop the largest college esports facility in the country is only a sliver of the cost to build football stadiums that run into hundreds of millions of dollars. Esports offers small schools a chance to level the playing field.
“There really was no perceived differences between larger and smaller schools,” Averett University President Tiffany M. Franks told the video game website Kotaku earlier this month. “We used machines that were comparable to other schools, and with everything based on network lag times (or ping rate), we saw no deficiencies on our end.”
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858b809f0adaca36325c0d3eadbccdde | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshmoody/2018/09/28/student-loan-default-rates-slightly-down-per-new-data/ | Student Loan Default Rates Slightly Down Per New Data | Student Loan Default Rates Slightly Down Per New Data
Despite soaring education debt, there is a sliver of good news on that front: student loan default rates are slightly down.
According to new data released Wednesday by the Education Department, the national student loan cohort default rate slipped to its lowest point since the three-year rate was first released in 2012. Per the Education Department, the default rate dropped from 11.5% to 10.8%, with 531,653 students in the fiscal year 2015 cohort defaulting while another 4.9 million borrowers began repaying loans received through financial aid. Data shows that default rates at nonprofit public institutions (10.3%) and private colleges (7.1%) dropped while for-profit schools ticked slightly up from 15.5% for the 2014 cohort to 15.6% for 2015.
Though the default rate has slightly shifted, some feel that measure falls short, only examining those who default on student loans within the first three years.
“The decline in student loan defaults announced today is encouraging, but it is only a part of the story,” Debbie Cochrane, vice president of the Institute for College Access and Success told Inside Higher Ed, adding there should be better consumer protection from the federal government for those in default. “Today's rate captures students who default within three years of leaving school, but many more of these students are likely to default in the coming years, especially students who are low-income, African American or attended for-profit colleges. A million students continue to default every year and nearly nine million are now in default.”
A New York Times opinion piece, authored by Ben Miller of the Center for American Progress, suggests the problem is worse than we think. According to documents obtained via the Freedom of Information act, Miller said that more students default beyond the initial three-year timeline that is tracked, bringing the actual student loan default rate higher to 34.4%.
“Official statistics present a relatively rosy picture of student debt,” Miller told CNBC. “But looking at outcomes over more time and in greater detail shows that hundreds of thousands more borrowers from each cohort face troubles repaying. That both shows student debt outcomes are worse than we thought, but also that the system created by Congress to hold schools accountable if too many borrowers struggle, is failing.”
Borrowers go into default when they have not made a payment for more than 270 days, and may experience wage garnishment, loss of financial aid benefits, decreased credit ratings, and more.
It isn’t just recent college grads or dropouts who are struggling to repay their student loans: a 2017 Consumer Financial Protection Bureau report found nearly 40% of borrowers over 65 are in default.
Borrowers aren’t the only ones who suffer the consequences of default. Institutions with high default rates also can be sanctioned. This year 12 schools were added to the list. Three schools sanctioned this year are nonprofit, while nine others are for-profit. Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College, with a default rate of 34.8%, was the only public nonprofit to be sanctioned following the release of the 2015 cohort default rate. On the private nonprofit side, United Tribes Technical College (41.7%) and Theological University of the Caribbean (45.4%) also were sanctioned by the Education Department.
For-profit schools sanctioned were Advance Beauty Techs Academy (40.4%), Florida Academy of Health & Beauty (35.5%), Larry's Barber College (50%), Rob Roy Academy (37.8%), Cheryl Fell's School of Business (47%), Sharp Edgez Barber Institute (45.2%), Champ's Barber School (57.6%), Nashville Barber and Style Academy (39.4%), and First Class Cosmetology School (34.9%).
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6649d444014d8310e2cbf0429ff00970 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshsteimle/2013/09/01/why-great-ideas-are-worthless/ | Why Great Ideas Are Worthless | Why Great Ideas Are Worthless
So your idea got a perfect 10. So what?
An idea combined with successful execution can change the world. An idea by itself is worthless. It’s one reason VC’s are hesitant or refuse to sign non-disclosure agreements (NDA’s). Why bother? They don’t have time to implement your idea. And if your idea is so easy to implement that the only barrier to entry is competitors not knowing about the idea, then they don’t want to invest in it. An idea only has value when combined with proper implementation, which includes the right team in place to perform the implementation. If you need further proof, consider my own experience.
Over the past 15 years I have created some of the most innovative companies on the planet. These include WordPress, iStockphoto, and AngelList.
WordPress. Oh, you thought WordPress was launched in 2003 by Matt Mullenweg and Mike Little? Wrong. I created WordPress in early 2001. It’s true that Blogger was launched in 1999, two years prior to my invention, but I had never heard of Blogger at this point. The entire concept of blogging was something I created on my own. iStockPhoto. In 2003 my firm was hired to redesign the Garage.com website. Imagine my surprise when they asked us, instead of using expensive stock photography from Getty Images, to use cheap photos from a relatively unknown startup named iStockPhoto (Getty acquired iStockPhoto in 2006 for $50M). It was one of their portfolio companies, and it connected independent photographers with consumers of stock photography. The photographers could post more or less whatever they wanted, and consumers could buy it, with iStockPhoto being the facilitator in the middle and getting a cut. Simple, genius, and the reason it was surprising was because it was my company! I had created the business plan for the company in 2001, even going so far as to reach out to photographers and pitch them on the idea. AngelList. Launched in 2010? Hardly. It was launched in February 2001 under the name MyAngelInvestor. Seeking to connect entrepreneurs with investors, my website allowed both groups to create profiles and pitch each other to create dealflow.
2001 was a good year for me when it came to great ideas. The only problem is I never did anything with them. In some cases I got as far as launching a preliminary website or writing a business plan, but I never put together a team, raised funding, or acquired a single paying customer. These were just ideas, and nothing more. As a result, the total revenue generated to date from my great ideas is a whopping $0.
I’m sure I wasn’t the only one who “created” WordPress. 100 other people likely had the same idea and never executed, or executed but didn’t get far for one reason or another. Mullenweb and Little had the idea and combined it with brilliant execution, which is why WordPress today powers 22% of all new websites.
Perhaps you have a great idea. You’re considering pitching it to investors, but you don’t want them to run away with your idea, so you’re going to bring in an NDA. When the investor smirks or refuses, now you’ll know where he's coming from. He recognizes the value is not the idea, but a combination of the idea, the team that wants to implement the idea, and external factors. The idea is an important part of that combination, since nothing gets started without one, but by itself it’s worthless. Understand this and it may not seal the deal with a potential investor, but it will help you to avoid being written off as ignorant and immature.
What I’ve shared above is nothing new. I learned this the hard way over 10 years ago. At the time smart entrepreneurs didn’t just pitch an idea, they pitched a great business plan, a great team, a great market opportunity, and a great idea. Today even this isn’t enough. I recently attended a pitch event in Hong Kong which has a relatively undeveloped tech startup scene. Every one of the six presenters was pitching an existing company with paying customers. Having a great idea is all well and good, but if you were an investor who had to pick between a great idea and a company that has a great idea and is proving it by making money, which would you choose?
If you’ve got a great idea then get busy and launch it. Start executing. You’ll be infinitely better placed to land an investor, and in a best case scenario you’ll discover you don’t need one. Maybe that’s because you discover your idea isn’t as great as you thought it was and you quit. Maybe it’s because you become profitable and are able to bootstrap the operation. Either way, you’re better off. Let me know how it goes.
What’s a great idea you’ve had that you never implemented? What did you “create” only to see someone else beat you to it?
Connect with Joshua:
Google+ | @donloper | Facebook | Linkedin | Goodreads | Medium
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038cb9213cd21646271c38c96e9244f0 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshsteimle/2013/10/12/social-entrepreneur-profile-david-bishop-soap-cycling/ | Social Entrepreneur Profile: David Bishop Of Soap Cycling | Social Entrepreneur Profile: David Bishop Of Soap Cycling
This is the second in a series of profiles on social entrepreneurs. I started interviewing individuals I had met who were involved in social enterprises to see what makes them tick. I enjoy working with clients through my day job running an online marketing firm, but I wonder sometimes if I should be doing something more meaningful, something where I can see the direct results of how it helps people. These social entrepreneurs are an inspiration to me. They’re less worried about getting by or getting ahead then they are about changing the world for the better. These folks aren’t against making a profit, it’s just not where their attention is focused. Last time I profiled Peter Harris, a venture capitalist with a penchant for assisting citizens of third-world countries launch new ventures. This time it’s David Bishop, a law professor at Hong Kong University and the founder of Soap Cycling.
The idea is simple enough. Have you ever stayed in a hotel? You know the bars of soap the hotel gives you? When’s the last time you used all of it? Chances are, you used that little bar of soap a few times, and 90% of it was left behind to be thrown away. It’s not as though the hotel is going to give the used bar of soap to the next guest. In the United States alone hotels throw away approximately 1 million partly used bars of soap each day. This becomes chemical waste in landfills.
At the same time, children around the world are dying because they don’t have access to soap. If that sounds simplistic, almost flippant, consider this--diarrhea kills 800,000 children under 5 years old each year. That’s the equivalent of 5 jumbo jet airliners full of children crashing each day with no survivors. It’s a staggering statistic, and many of these children could be saved by something as simple as a little soap and water on their hands before a meal.
Soap Cycling collects used soap bars from hotels, processes them, and works with NGOs to distribute the soap to children and families in disadvantaged communities in Asia. It was funded by a grant from the Chow Tai Fook Charity Foundation, and has since attracted several partners including Hilton Worldwide and the Lee Hysan Foundation.
Bishop had the idea to start Soap Cycling in 2011 after a year spent searching for internship and leadership opportunities for his students. Students in Hong Kong often graduate from college with a lack of work experience due to a culture that encourages students to study rather than get part time jobs or internships. Of the 18% of Hong Kong high school graduates who score well enough to attend college, many are unprepared for decision making, leadership roles, teamwork, and strategic thinking. Accordingly, businesses do not place much trust in student interns, and the duties of interns are often limited to getting coffee, making copies, and shadowing people. Bishop wanted to provide meaningful experiences for his students and decided if he couldn’t find good opportunities for them, he would create them. He asked a group of them if they would be willing to run a company if he agreed to put up his time and capital to start the business. After giving them some plausible business ideas, the students selected Soap Cycling.
Soap Cycling just passed its first anniversary of operation, and in that time has received commitments from almost every major hotel in Hong Kong. Soap Cycling is working with Hilton Worldwide to collect soap from Hilton hotels in Japan and other APAC countries. In the past 6 months almost 300,000 bars of soap were sent to the ultra poor in countries like Vietnam, Cambodia, the Philippines, China, Kenya, Ghana, Myanmar, as well as within Hong Kong.
Soap Cycling has been able to achieve this without any paid staff. The management and director level roles in the company are filled by students, with Bishop acting as mentor and advisor. These students handle everything from logistics to marketing. “Today’s middle class youth in Asia, especially China, are the most important generation in the history of the world,” Bishop says. “They need better opportunities than what they're getting. Society is failing them, and it could drive the world to the brink. I'm trying to help a few of them get a little leadership experience before they leave university. I hope that students from Soap Cycling go on to make the world a better place.”
Because of this in-depth student interaction, Soap Cycling has received significant support from Hong Kong professionals, including pro bono legal and accounting services, trademark and web design, and public relations support. People are starting to see the youth empowerment mission of Soap Cycling as relevant and impactful.
As Soap Cycling has matured and stabilized, Bishop has begun working on two more student-run social ventures. The plan is to have a portfolio of enterprises where students can integrate what they learn at college with real life problems and challenges, thereby improving their university experience and preparing them for life after graduation.
There are at least two other organizations with the same focus on recycling soap, the Global Soap Project, with whom Bishop’s Soap Cycling has formed an alliance, and the Clean The World Foundation. Also see the Global Public-Private Partnership For Handwashing. If you are aware of other organizations recycling soap or promoting hand washing as a mean of eliminating disease in third-world areas, please post their names and links in the comments section below.
Connect with Joshua:
Google+ | @donloper | Facebook | Linkedin | Goodreads | Medium
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05d02a7b168ca6ed9c7efb04f9bf8df2 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshsteimle/2014/09/04/9-steps-to-prepare-your-website-marketing-for-the-holiday-shopping-season/ | 9 Steps To Prepare Your Website Marketing For The Holiday Shopping Season | 9 Steps To Prepare Your Website Marketing For The Holiday Shopping Season
Despite the hassle, it’s possible to put one’s holiday shopping off until the last minute. But for those whose businesses depend upon the holiday season to end the year on a high note, waiting too long to prepare for the holiday shopping season can be disastrous. Websites have become increasingly important for taking advantage of this time of year, not just for online retailers, but for offline retailers as well, since many shoppers find information online before making a purchase at a bricks-and-mortar retail store. This practice is so common, in fact, we even have an acronym for it--ROPO (research online, purchase offline).
Smart retailers are already preparing their websites and online marketing campaigns for the holiday shopping season. If your company hasn’t started you may have a few weeks to get things in order before it’s too late. Here are 9 steps to help you get on your way.
(Credit: iStock Photo)
1. Analyze past and current data. Dig into your reports from Google Analytics or whatever other analytics tools you use. What worked well last year? What didn’t work? What has changed during the past several months that might impact how you interpret the data and apply it to this year’s activities? Oh, you didn’t collect good data last year? See step #9 below.
Also analyze the current data, and not just for your website but for those of your competitors. What are your competitors saying about the holiday season? If you pay attention to what they are saying, you can adjust your own strategy to better compete with them.
2. Think mobile. Mobile usage is growing steadily, and if you don’t have a mobile strategy this year it’s likely you’ll be driving customers into the arms of your competitors. Thinking mobile means having a responsive website, mobile site, or mobile app, or a combination. Google specifically recommends you use responsive design, but the point is to consider all your options and how your customers want to interact with you, and act accordingly. Simply ignoring mobile users should not be an option.
3. Prepare your PPC campaigns. Start building landing pages and pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns now so when the holiday season comes around all you have to do is flip the switch on the campaign. Then you can start optimizing those campaigns immediately and you’ll have at least a few weeks’ head start over your competitors who wait.
4. Work on SEO--right now. If you’re planning on launching a new website and hoping to capitalize on the holiday season this year, you’re too late. For a new website in an area that’s halfway competitive it takes months to get SEO going. Now would be a good time to start on SEO for 2015. But if your website is already well-established then you might be able to launch new content right now and get it ranking quickly, in time to still get a substantial return.
5. Start a conversion rate optimization (CRO) program. Getting lots of traffic to your website is great, but if you don’t focus on conversion rate optimization you may be leaving a lot of business on the table. Using A/B testing data from Optimizely you can perform tests that will tell you whether you should change the color of a button or the text on that button, whether you should change a headline or the content on a page, or whether altering an image results in more sales or conversions. These tests take time to set up, run, and analyze, so waiting until November will mean you’ve missed your chance.
If you don’t have the time or expertise to engage in a process that is quite this scientific, at least spend some time thinking about it and make common sense changes to improve conversions on your website. “Make it easy for people to buy!” says Stuart Barker, Country Manager, Hong Kong at the customer engagement platform company Emarsys. “Help consumers by arranging products into lifestyle bundles where suitable products are ‘curated’ together.” Barker recommends going beyond “Gifts for Him” or “Gifts for Her” to identify more specific customer profiles and then create “The Fitness Fanatic,” “The Gastronaut,” or “Cosmetic Crazy” collections.
6. Begin content marketing. Content marketing is an under-appreciated form of marketing, and for precisely this reason now is the time companies can gain an advantage over competitors because not as many have jumped on this bandwagon compared to PPC and SEO.
The trick with content marketing is marketing without marketing. The producers of the 2014 hit The Lego Movie got it right, because most of us left the theater saying “Wow, what a great movie!” rather than feeling as though we had sat through a 2-hour long Lego commercial. That’s great content marketing. But most of us won’t be spending $60M on feature film production as part of our content marketing efforts. Instead, we’ll be creating infographics, shorter videos, apps, or online games. But the objective of marketing without marketing remains the same. “When producing content for the holiday season, you have to strike a balance between not only making something that journalists want to talk about and that gains the site links, but that also aids the sales funnel,” says Darren Kingman, Senior Digital Marketing Consultant at the UK-based agency Builtvisible. “In many ways this is the holy grail of content marketing, and there's no better time to get it right than the holidays. Striking that balance is tricky, but by ensuring the content topic is popular and people are able to engage with the content, you'll create something that will not only gain links and drive traffic, but create a positive affinity with a potential customer.”
Start by creating an editorial calendar, building out holiday-related content, and optimizing it--now, before launching it. This way when the timing is right for that content to go on the site, it is already available and optimized.
7. Get social media content ready to post. Start writing and scheduling social media posts. You’re going to be busy once the season starts with everything else you need to do. If you have all the content planned out, written, and optimized, you can save themselves a lot of time when time is precious. Then you can focus on interacting with followers rather than writing posts.
8. Engage in PR. PR has become a potent tool for driving traffic to websites. Need to get the word out about your new products? You can’t turn PR on in a day. Journalists are creating their own editorial calendars right now. If you want to become a source in a story or get a feature story written about your company or product, you need to be developing relationships with the right journalists right now.
9. Create processes to collect and analyze this year’s data. It’s never too early, or too late, to start collecting data, and generally speaking the more the better. At a minimum make sure you have Google Analytics (free) installed on your website with proper conversion tracking set up, or opt for a more robust, paid analytics platform like Adobe Analytics. Even if you don’t have time to analyze it yourself, you might hire someone two years from now who will be able to turn that data into digital marketing gold. Additional measures you can take to collect data include using call tracking and call analytics, heatmapping software like CrazyEgg, user surveys using sites like Qualaroo, and services like User Testing.
The next few months can make or break companies. Make sure you have the right plan in place when it comes to your website marketing and you can make sure you have the right strategy not just for this holiday season but for years afterward.
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58c2c9d52b0c43e6f0898495abe81845 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshsteimle/2015/05/05/reverse-mentoring-investing-in-tomorrows-business-strategy/ | Reverse Mentoring - Investing in Tomorrow's Business Strategy | Reverse Mentoring - Investing in Tomorrow's Business Strategy
Reverse mentoring is when you pair an ol...err, let’s say “seasoned” executive with a young up-and-comer. For over a decade, reverse mentoring has been used to help C-level executives get up to speed on evolving technology. Whether it’s learning how to use a new operating system or navigating social media, reverse mentoring is a great way to use existing company resources to bolster tech savviness in senior colleagues. Jack Welch, the former CEO of General Electric, popularized reverse mentoring in 1999, when he required 500 of his top executives to pair up with junior associates for the purpose of learning how to use the internet. Today, many organizations like Cisco, HP, and The Hartford, have adopted reverse mentoring enthusiastically and set up formalized programs to ensure best practices and maximize success.
Not only is the practice of pairing millennials with seasoned, high-level leaders a real benefit in terms of helping older executives bridge the gap techwise, it can also benefit a company’s business strategy. According to Gary Lee, head of Learning and Development at Soo Key Group, 75% of employees are projected to be millennials by 2030, making them the fastest ever growing generation in the workplace, twice as big as either Gen X or the Baby Boomers. Millennials’ values and beliefs will influence business enormously in the coming years. Not only are these young individuals the best candidates for mentoring CEOs in the latest tech, they’re also the best-suited to help create the business strategies that will maximize a company’s relevance and potential in the digital age of tomorrow.
Chris Riquier, the Asia Pacific CEO of TNS (Taylor Nelson Sofres) hosted a CEO roundtable to find out how CEOs and other senior members of the executive suite were fairing in today’s digitally dominated marketplace. He found out that many CEOs are struggling in terms of the adoption of all things digital, and that companies need reverse mentoring to figure out how to move forward. According to Riquier, “consumers are adopting technology quicker than firms can adapt, and people in all types of industries are struggling to transform, in order to accommodate how the consumer has shifted.”
Riquier went on to cite a notable example of how businesses make mistakes when they lose touch with evolving technology. Ad agencies are taking commercials off television and putting them on Youtube, the most visited social network in the world. With all the web traffic, a newcomer to Youtube might think this is a fantastic idea, but anyone with a bit more familiarity with the platform knows that after five seconds viewers can skip most ads with a simple click. According to Riquier, there is no significant branding in the first five seconds of 40% of these ads, which means the viewers don’t even know what company the ads are for.
He went on to discuss Colgate as a case study in companies getting in high gear with digital marketing. Colgate’s marketing department was in the early stages of brainstorming an online company strategy. Executives from Colgate were surprised to find that unbeknownst to them, there were 100K hashtags related to “the Colgate smile” posted on Instagram, and this was entirely consumer-driven. Riquier termed this consumer content creation phenomenon “a radical transformation” and insisted that companies need to have the flexibility to respond to and manage marketing opportunities like this one.
Regarding the operating procedures of corporations today, Riquier comments that many businesses are used to operating in a “rigid environment” with a high degree of structure and control, but in the digital age of real-time consumer participation, these organizations need “flexibility in their approach”. Being mentored by younger, more tech savvy associates allows executives to see with new eyes, which brings the agility necessary to create forward-thinking business strategies.
Mentoring done well is a two way street. Millennials stand to learn valuable organizational and leadership skills from their older mentees. Today’s millennial mentors will be tomorrow’s Chief Digital Officers, the individuals who will ensure that their companies continue to stay relevant enough to stick around for the longer term.
Not only are millennials fast becoming the dominant generation in the workforce, they’ll soon represent most of the global marketplace as well. Right now, in 2015, 65% of India’s population is under 35. If businesses are to succeed, they’ll need to know what motivates millennials, so that they can market to them. According to CEB (The Corporate Executive Board Company), millennials' core values are happiness, passion, diversity, sharing and discovery. Companies that can connect with these values will be better able to communicate and connect with this younger generation. Who better to teach today’s leadership how to relate and market to millennials, than millennials themselves?
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a992f5f302169bbb8658f70142ebe8bf | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshsteimle/2015/08/24/how-startup-todoist-manages-a-global-team/ | How Startup Todoist Manages A Global Team | How Startup Todoist Manages A Global Team
It’s hard enough getting things done when you can simply walk across the office and ask your colleague a question. Now, imagine that you work with 40 people located in 20 different countries spread across 4 continents and 16 time zones who speak no less than 16 native languages. That’s the challenge faced by Amir Salihefendic, founder and CEO of the to-do list app Todoist. But Amir and the rest of the Todoist team make it work to their benefit.
Background
Salihefendic was born in Bosnia, grew up and studied computer science in Denmark, and started his first company in Taiwan with co-founders from Canada and Malaysia. Todoist was a side project which Salihefendic worked to turn into a profitable business while participating in Startup Chile, a government-run incubator program. While bootstrapping the company on a shoestring budget he realized it was getting too big to handle on his own. He found that the fastest, cheapest, and most reliable way of finding high-quality employees was reaching out to candidates on sites like HackerNews, Github, and Reddit, regardless of location. Salihefendic began to hire employees from around the world, and he now lives and works in Portugal with his Chilean wife. Those international foundations have also turned out to be one of the company’s biggest engines of growth.
Todoist employees in the Porto, Portugal office. Photo courtesy Todoist.
Aggressive Localization
International roots have been a boon for Todoist when it comes to localization of their app. In the last 12 months, the company more than doubled their user base to over 5 million users. Todoist for Business–the company’s enterprise option launched just last year–has more than tripled its user base in the same time frame. Salihefendic credits this rapid growth to an aggressive localization strategy: Todoist has been translated into over 20 languages. The company runs blogs and social media accounts and answers customers’ support questions in 6 different languages, in addition to English. They’ve built strong partnerships with Asian tech giants like Huawei, and Sony. They wouldn’t have had the vision or ability to do this without the international makeup of their team.
While the U.S. is still Todoist’s single largest market, it represented just 36% of total downloads in the past month. Asian countries accounted for 16% of new downloads with China, by far Todoist’s fastest growing market, representing 10% alone. These numbers reflect economic trends around the globe as smartphone purchases and mobile Internet usage in countries like China, Brazil, and India experience growth rates far above those in the U.S. and Europe where markets are saturated.
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Diversity As An Asset
Salihefendic says employees’ diverse backgrounds has allowed the team to design their apps for the productivity needs of a global user base. “Being an international team is a huge competitive advantage,” he says. “It allows us to see projects and tasks from many unique points of view. It has helped us build a product that’s extremely flexible because our team represents the diversity in how people work around the globe.” He continues, “It also helps us avoid the groupthink that can happen when your team is concentrated in tech hubs. Everyone on the team brings experience and insight from their own communities which serves to make our app stronger for all of our users, not just those in the U.S.”
To serve even more consumers, Todoist recently launched a natural language date parser that recognizes over 300 natural language rules like “go for a run every Monday starting August 1.” It would have been easy to stop with English, but instead the team set to work translating each and every one of the 300 due date phrases into 13 different languages. “Creating a natural language date parser that performs just as well in Chinese as it does in English definitely kept me up at night, but it was completely worth it,” Salihefendic says, “It was never really a decision to translate the date parser into as many languages as possible--it was a given from the beginning because we come from so many countries and speak so many languages ourselves.”
As the company grows Salihefendic and his team plan to double-down on a global strategy, both in terms of app localization and hiring. “The fact that we work from all over the world has bred a team culture that respects diversity and values new perspectives. Every day I see how that culture is driving innovation and growth in markets that other companies our size just aren’t prioritizing. Today’s start-ups ignore diversity at their own peril.”
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cb30f58b5004692b1de7f5f08975b539 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshuabecker/2016/06/14/8-ways-minimalism-can-help-maximize-your-wallet/ | 8 Ways Minimalism Can Help Maximize Your Wallet | 8 Ways Minimalism Can Help Maximize Your Wallet
At first glance, the minimalist lifestyle has a simple goal, “Own fewer things.”
However, below the surface, minimalism is about something much greater. It is about re-evaluating our pursuits, our habits and our motivations.
My family was introduced to minimalism eight years ago and immediately removed unneeded possessions from every room in our home. Today we own only a third of the items than we did prior. We have more time, more energy and less stress and distractions as a result. Plus we’ve seen numerous financial benefits.
Here are eight ways minimalism can help maximize your wallet.
1. Selling Unneeded Clutter. The L.A. Times recently reported the average American home contains 300,000 items. That's a lot of clutter and that's a lot of money sitting around—probably more than you realize. Bob Lotich, a personal finance blogger at Seedtime, even reported making more than $2k his first month selling off clutter.
2. Buying Less Stuff. Minimalists routinely spend less on retail purchases than their consumeristic peers—this should come as no surprise. What is surprising is how easy that transformation occurs for some people. Once a person experiences the freedom of owning less, they routinely become more and more attracted to living with less. At that point, the grip that consumerism holds on their checkbook begins to break.
3. Maintaining Fewer Belongings. Too often, when we purchase an item, we only look at the sticker price. But this is rarely the full cost. Our purchases always cost more in the long run. They also require ongoing energy and focus. And because everything eventually fades, breaks, or becomes obsolete, many of our existing possessions often require additional financial investment. This can clearly be seen in large items (houses, cars, appliances). Small fixes and maintenance costs also tend to add up.
Gallery: 11 Life Hacks – For Your Wallet 13 images View gallery
4. Storing Fewer Possessions. The structures we build, buy and rent to store our ever-increasing number of possessions is quite unbelievable. Our houses have tripled in size over the last 50 years, off-site storage is the fastest growing segment of commercial real estate, and only 33% of Americans can park both cars in their two-car garage. Those who choose to live a minimalist life return all that added expense of storing possessions back into their pocket. Just imagine how different your finances might look if you lived in a smaller home.
5. Taking Tax Deductions from Donations. As people begin to experience the benefits of owning less, they are drawn to remove even more clutter from their home. This almost always results in more possessions being minimized than can be sold. But even in this case, the financial gain remains as the IRS provides opportunity for taxpayers to deduct the fair market value of donated clothing, household goods, used furniture, shoes, books and so forth.
6. Experiencing Improved Emotional and Physical Health. Every possession adds increased anxiety into our lives. Recently, the New York Times referred to our generation as the most stressed, tired, and rushed generation of all-time. Many of the statistics cited in the article can be traced back to the fact that our generation simply owns more physical possessions than any generation in history. Minimalism brings greater emotional health to our lives. Emotional health brings physical health. And both are among the greatest investments we can possibly make.
Pocketing Cash: An eBook From Forbes No matter how much you make now, it never hurts to make a few extra bucks. From freelancing to participating in the sharing economy, this simple guide will show you how.
7. Finding Increased Intentionality in Spending. Minimalism brings greater intentionality in all areas of life. It begins by forcing us to evaluate our possessions—why we own what we own. But often times, the principle of keeping "only the best" extends to other areas of life too: schedules, relationships, health and habits. Once we begin to practice healthier habits in other areas of life, wiser decisions are easier to implement in our spending as well.
8. Freeing Up Time for Extra Income. One of the greatest benefits of minimalism is the amount of time that is returned to our lives. When we have less to clean, organize, maintain, and repair, we have more time for other pursuits. Whether you are working hard to reduce debt, build up a savings account, or fund an early retirement, minimalism allows you the opportunity to direct that free time towards extra income—if that's how you choose to use it.
Maya Angelou once said, “We need much less than we think we need.” This truth lies at the heart of minimalism. And it may be an important realization to maximize your pocketbook as well.
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a91aa03655fba152501ef52efddddce4 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshuabecker/2017/05/24/shopping-online-is-easy-here-are-5-ways-to-make-it-harder/ | Shopping Online Is Too Easy, 5 Ways To Make It Harder & Save Instead | Shopping Online Is Too Easy, 5 Ways To Make It Harder & Save Instead
"The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it.” —Henry David Thoreau
When I was a young parent, shopping was surprisingly challenging. The journey would require scheduling time, cajoling the kids, checking in with my wife, driving round trip, and pulling out a card. This time and energy delayed every potential purchase.
There was a friction involved with shopping. My family, driving times, and physical payment methods all had a hand in slowing down instant gratification. And in those moments before the swipe, I could more critically evaluate any items’ place and purpose in our home.
The most traditional malls and “big box” stores could do was decorate for the seasons, provide signage for sales, bright lights, and smiles.
In comparison, online retailers are juiced up, 24/7 machines -- on-demand and always ready. Previous areas of resistance have been meticulously obliterated.
Buying is now a click away.
I needn’t pull out cash, budget much time, spend gas money, deal with unexpected “sold out” moments, or inconvenient store hours. And I’m not alone when I look at online stores for pricing before ever going to brick and mortar stores; in fact, 84% of consumers looked at Amazon.com first.
Today’s retailers have perfected the art of selling online. There are near-constant nudges for you to buy more and shop longer:
If you sign up for the newsletter you could save 10% today!
That shirt you added to your cart is commonly paired with this hat.
If you add $50 to your shopping cart, we’ll give you free shipping!
Buy this book right now, as there’s only one more copy left.
You have five items waiting for you in your cart.
Remaining mindful of your values can be challenging amidst these repeated prompts. They can delay your ability to critically evaluate what you “need.” Fortunately, there are specific strategies that can reduce your spending online.
Here are five methods you can use to shop less and leave more room for what’s important:
1. Unsubscribe from newsletters and catalogs
Retailers know that consumers who sign up for newsletters and catalogs are more likely to return. Some websites send weekly or monthly emails -- others opt for random intervals -- to spur consumption. By seeing these messages for what they are -- reminders to shop -- we can reevaluate their need in our lives. Steering clear or unsubscribing is a quick, smart decision that’ll remove yet another nudge to buy more. Trust me, your mind will likely be intrinsically pulled to shop in the future when you actually need something.
2. Remove your saved credit cards
Whenever I’m having trouble spending too much online, I think about how I can slow the process down -- that “time to swipe.” In the Internet age, websites frequently ask and expect you to save credit card details. These time-saving, convenient features can also wreak havoc on your budget. You don’t even need to pull out your wallet to buy! By deleting a saved credit card from your profile, you’ll be forcing yourself to spend more time and dig it up. Increasing your effort will likely be inversely correlated with purchasing an item. Give yourself additional critical thinking time before buying -- you’ll never regret that.
3. Tell friends and family about your values
Competition and accountability are essential components to habit forming. For instance, scientists at UCLA’s ENGAGE Project tracked people’s household energy consumption for years. What they discovered was amazing. When people compare energy consumption with their neighbors, they are more motivated to cut back and reduce usage than for cost savings alone. This tells us something meaningful about us humans: we are competitive creatures. We can take this energy and use it to reduce online shopping, as well. Thinking about cutting back? Try telling a few friends and family members. Let them in on your goals. Even better, invite them to compete with you to reduce their online shopping!
4. Block access to shopping websites
Oftentimes, the key to reducing the hooks that online shopping is to circumvent them entirely. Entering a website address for a favorite retailer takes mere seconds. Before the behavior is realized, you might be sifting through the deals, bargains, and suggested items. To reduce and prevent access to these sites, consider installing browser extensions (e.g., StayFocusd) or formally take breaks from shopping by having a loved one you trust change the password of an account. That way, even if you want to buy something, you’ll be unable to purchase it.
5. Consider deleting your accounts
Maybe you’re unable to stop buying online, thinking you’ve got a problem, and/or struggling to balance your budget; regardless, you might consider deleting your account. This last ditch effort will allow you step away from temptations to engage in frictionless payments, instant gratification, and ultimate convenience. As nice and tempting as online stores can be, their hooks can be addictive and problematic for some. If you’re fearful of deleting your account, rest assured that these companies will welcome you back with open arms -- no offense taken.
This world of online shopping and payments has led to more rapid purchases. It’s reduced the friction.
Amidst this shopping revolution we must continue to find ways to increase “time to swipe.” The more time we can build, the more we can save and simplify.
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35d1a37f24eb23e8b45d04df05d3a4c6 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshuabecker/2017/07/11/five-life-giving-truths-about-living-simply-and-saving-money/ | Five Life-Giving Truths About Living Simply And Saving Money | Five Life-Giving Truths About Living Simply And Saving Money
People have set out to more remote places of the world, built homes of their own, and lived off the land. They’ve followed the sun—up at dawn, sleep at dark.
Our ancestors lived simply, by default.
Nowadays, however, people are challenged to live this way in a time of great technological advancement. Without wholly removing themselves from the world around them — their friends, family, workplaces, and devices — people are looking for a life, simplified.
Amidst material abundance and availability, our lives can sometimes look quite foreign from the homesteaders of yesteryear.
Today, intentional living is even more necessary. And in a world of increasing complexity, it is becoming more and more desired.
Here are Five Truths You Can Use to Save Money and Live Simply:
1. You can’t take it with you.
You’ve probably heard the truism “you can’t take it with you.” Or, perhaps you’ve heard “you only live once.” Both phrases seem to suggest that you should spend your money with little regard for the future—because you could be gone tomorrow. These sayings oftentimes can encourage consumption, spending, and debt.
Instead, let’s consider how we can use these statements to live simply.
If we cannot take something with us, should we lust after it? Should we go into debt to buy it? Should we spend countless hours maintaining it?
To live simply, we should adopt a rental philosophy for the goods we purchase. From this standpoint, we are temporary holders to the many material possessions we store. And not a thing we own will be ours after we pass. So, what’s important given this truth?
2. The most frugal or greenest product is the one you didn’t buy.
Over the last decade, people have been quick to embrace “green” products such as LED lightbulbs and hybrid vehicles. Some of these advancements really do cut down on energy bills and emissions.
But many businesses have responded by using “greenwashed” marketing to confuse and appeal to more consumers. A shocking number of products are now “environmentally friendly” without any certifying body to confirm or standardize what that even means.
“Going green” has been coopted by corporations.
The kindest decision for your wallet or the environment usually isn’t marketed in magazines or on product packaging. Whether you’re looking to save money, live simply, or be greener, there’s a simple rule you should follow: the cheapest or most environmentally friendly product is the one you didn’t buy.
3. No individual product can make you a minimalist.
These headlines should frighten you: “Get This Unique Minimalist Watch While You Still Can” or “The Best Gifts For the Minimalist In You.” They are laced with affiliate links and goods that could occupy more space in your life and further empty your bank account.
What the writers are actually saying is, “Here’s another item that looks cool and you can spend money on.”
Similarly, stores that sell containers and organizational tools cannot make you a minimalist. They can help you spend money, hide clutter, and manipulate the appearance of your home. But the products contained therein require consistent maintenance, care, and careful organizational efforts.
The problem remains when we buy more to become simpler. Organization can help, but minimalism always comes from less stuff, not more. It is better to de-own, than merely reorganize.
4. The best gifts don’t take up room in your home.
As a father, I recognize my children sometimes want gifts. And when holidays and birthdays come around, I cherish opportunities to make them smile.
I also recognize my inner values.
I want to be kind, receptive, and understanding to my family, and I want to give the gift of my attention to them. When my family started letting go of extraneous possessions nine years ago, I was better able to be there for them. I was a better listener, and could spend more time focused on their needs. I started realizing the importance of giving gifts they would never forget.
My friends know that the best gift they could ever give me is their friendship. That never costs a dime or gets old.
5. Material possessions never provide lasting happiness.
Endless research has found that material goods and purchases rarely provide lasting happiness. Buy the Corvette today, and you’ll get used to it. The shine and sheen will wear off. Then, the insurance payments, gas, maintenance/repair prices, and other burdens come into focus.
Wellness comes from purchases that lead to stories, experiences, and help for others.
My family is taking a couple week vacation to see family. While we’ve tried to save money, it’ll still cost a couple thousand dollars. Similarly, I’ve poured sweat and time into creating The Hope Effect, which is a non-profit organization changing how the world cares for orphans.
Every dollar spent in these areas are deeply meaningful for me. I carry these moments and experiences, not things.
We live in a time of always-on Internet, 24/7 business hours, and credit cards that can allow for purchases despite our budgets. The consequences are readily evident: the average American has over $16,000 in debt.
Living simply can be our way out. By realizing these five truths, we can begin to focus again on what’s more important.
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5c3d67c3658dbd6fa2f27eb127efa757 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshuabecker/2018/11/27/why-we-buy-more-than-we-need/?sh=48f1ba4c6417 | Why We Buy More Than We Need | Why We Buy More Than We Need
The amount of stuff we own these days is staggering.
Consider some of these statistics:
The average American home size has grown from 1,000 square feet to 2,500 square feet. Personal storage generates more than $24 billion in revenue each year. Reports indicate we consume twice as many material goods today as we did 50 years ago. All while carrying, on average, nearly $15,950 in credit-card debt.
My new book, The Minimalist Home, has already sold thousands of copies—and it won’t even be released until next month.
When my publisher approached me with the idea for the book—a room-by-room guide to a decluttered home and refocused life—I jumped at the chance. I knew it would be a bestseller. People own more stuff than they need and are looking for a new way to live.
These numbers should cause us to start asking some difficult questions. For example, “Why do we buy more stuff than we need?”
When you stop to think about it, it becomes a very fascinating question. What thinking would compel somebody to spend money on things they didn’t actually need in the first place?
Some might blame marketers, advertisers, corporations or capitalism. But in my opinion, that’s only half the answer. No marketer is pulling out our credit card at a register or clicking to ship. We’re making the final decision to buy.
So why is that?
If we could successfully answer this question, we could more easily free our lives and our resources for more important pursuits than material possessions.
Asking this question can be difficult as it forces us to admit weakness and insecurities in our lives. But self-exploration is always worth the effort.
For that purpose, consider (and wrestle with) some of the reasons we buy more stuff than we need:
1. We believe possessions will make us secure. Our logic goes like this: if owning some material possessions brings us security (a roof, clothing, reliable transportation), owning excess will surely result in even more security. But after meeting our most basic needs, the actual security derived from physical possessions is much less stable than we believe. They all perish, spoil, or fade. And they can disappear faster than we realize.
2. We think stuff will make us happy. Nobody would ever admit they search for happiness in material possessions—we all just live like they do. As a result, we pursue bigger houses, faster cars, cooler technology and trendier fashion—all the while hoping we will become happier because of it. Unfortunately, the actual happiness derived from excess physical possessions is temporal at best.
3. We are more susceptible to advertising than we believe. Some studies indicate we see 5,000 advertisements every day. Every ad tells the same story: Your life will be better if you buy what we are selling. We hear this message so many times and from so many angles, we begin to subtly believe it. This is a call to realize their messaging affects us more than we realize.
4. We are hoping to impress other people. In a wealthy society, envy quickly becomes a driving force for economic activity. Conspicuous consumption is a phrase invented years and years ago—but it’s never been more prevalent than today. Once all of our basic needs have been met, consumption must become about something more than needs. Unfortunately, it too often becomes an opportunity to display our wealth, our importance and our financial success with the world.
5. We are jealous of people who own more. Comparison appears to be a natural state of our humanity. We notice what other people are buying, wearing, and driving. Our society encourages these comparisons. And all too often, we buy stuff we don’t need just because people in our friendship circles have done the same. But if you need nice things to impress your friends, you have the wrong friends.
6. We are trying to compensate for our deficiencies. We mistakenly look for confidence in the clothes we wear or the car we drive. We seek to recover from loss, loneliness, or heartache by purchasing unnecessary items. And we seek to satisfy our discontent with material things. But these pursuits will never fully satisfy our deficiencies. Most of the time, they just keep us from ever even addressing them.
7. We are more selfish than we like to admit. It can be difficult to admit that the human spirit is hardwired toward selfishness and greed, but history makes a strong case for us. We seek to grow the size of our personal kingdom by accumulating more things. This has been accomplished throughout history by force, coercion, dishonesty, and warfare. Unfortunately, selfishness continues to surface in our world and our lives even today.
Excess material possessions do not enrich our lives. In fact, buying things we don’t need keeps us from experiencing life-giving and life-freeing benefits. We would be wise to realize the cause and become vigilant in overcoming it.
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c5a06faab009dab39cd3089e4fdd8c42 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshuabecker/2018/12/26/the-ten-best-personal-finance-resolutions-for-2019/ | The 10 Best Personal Finance Resolutions For 2019 | The 10 Best Personal Finance Resolutions For 2019
It is wise, from time to time, to stop and evaluate our lives as we seek to make the most of them.
The start of a new year provides a natural opportunity to look back and offers an extra push toward new adjustments going forward. That's why New Year's resolutions are so popular.
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If you are looking for some changes in your financial circumstances, here are the ten best personal finance resolutions to consider. Choose just one or two to accomplish in 2019 and you'll be surprised at the difference in your life:
The Ten Best Personal Finance Resolutions for 2019
1. Save $1,000. Less than 40% of Americans have one thousand dollars in savings, but almost every successful financial wellness plan available today includes the creation of a $1,000 Emergency Fund. Finding that much money overnight might be difficult. But if you can find $83/month to put away, you’ll complete this resolution by the end of the year... and be in better financial position than 60% of the country!
2. Make one extra payment (over the course of the year) on your mortgage. One extra monthly payment per year on your mortgage shortens the length of your loan by 4-5 years. You can spread this out over the course of the year or plan now to direct an expected windfall toward it (tax refund, year-end bonus, etc.).
3. Put money into retirement (any amount). Your year of retirement is now one year closer. That is true for every single one of us. But 78 percent of Americans, say they are extremely or somewhat concerned about not having enough money for retirement. There is only one way to change that—start saving. Even if it's just a little. If you haven't saved anything yet, find out this year how to open an account, put some money in, and begin directing a percentage toward it each month.
4. Embrace a 2-week Shopping Ban to challenge your shopping habits. Pick the dates, mark them now, and commit yourself to not spending a single dollar for two weeks (groceries may be a worthy exception). There’s no downside to the experiment—only upside. You’ll learn more about yourself, rethink your consumption habits, and save some money along the way.
5. Sell $250 worth of clutter. The premise is very simple. Turn your unwanted stuff into cash money. Free your home of clutter and build up savings along the way! Minimizing your stuff is a win-win—this is probably the biggest no-brainer on the entire list. If you’re looking for help knowing what to get rid, check out some of the suggestions offered in The Minimalist Home.
6. Remove 1/4 of your wardrobe. Decluttering can have a positive impact on our financial circumstances beyond the simple selling of clutter (as mentioned above). Decluttering also frees up space and creates a more healthy living environment. It can change our relationship with our stuff and our money. For example, a closet filled with only items you love, often results in greater contentment—and better control over your urges to accumulate. Additionally, getting ready in the morning is less stressful, allowing you to be productive during your day ahead. That's always good for the bottom-line.
7. If you are a dual-income family, seek to save one spouses’ entire salary. One of the best pieces of financial advice I ever received was this one from a mentor just prior to my marriage, “If you and your wife are both working, determine to live on only one salary and put the entirety of the other person’s salary into savings.” We did exactly that—and set ourselves up for financial success at the very beginning. This resolution will take planning and won’t likely happen as soon as the calendar turns to January, but it is a goal you should choose to work toward in 2019.
8. Make a budget. No seriously, do it, this year. No more stalling. You’ve been told the importance of setting a budget since you were in high school (or maybe even younger). If you haven’t, do it now. No more putting it off. This is the year! If you’ve found traditional-style budgets don’t work for you, try something with a different approach, like a spending plan.
9. Invest money in the stock market. Buying stock is essentially the same as saying, “I trust that Jeff Bezos knows how to make money better than me.” And with new and free apps like Robin Hood with no minimums, getting started investing in companies you believe in has never been easier. Take any dollar amount (even as small as $10 or $20) and find a stock to invest in. You’ll learn a lot and likely grow your money in the process.
10. Become a recurring monthly giver to one charity. Most people with a beating heart want to live generous lives. We all desire to solve problems and support causes we believe in. For most people, the only thing keeping them back is they can’t seem to find the extra margin to do so. Stop waiting for excess money to be left at the end of the month to get started, Instead, decide to get started today—right now. Pick one charity and set yourself up as a recurring monthly giver—even if it’s just $2-$5 per month. Not only will you feel good solving problems in the world, the action will show you that you do have the margin to give.
Adopting all ten resolutions is almost certainly too much to ask. But choose one or two specifically that will help you and you can be passionate about. You’ll be surprised how quickly they make a difference in your outlook toward personal finance.
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4cb077fda3e65d1a508b07092b5e147c | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshuabecker/2019/04/24/10-steps-you-can-take-to-keep-advertisers-from-dictating-your-life/ | 10 Steps You Can Take To Keep Advertisers From Dictating Your Life | 10 Steps You Can Take To Keep Advertisers From Dictating Your Life
“Civilization is a limitless multiplication of unnecessary necessities.” —Mark Twain
Advertisements Dennis Maliepaard via Unsplash
The task of living an intentional life focused on things that matter is enormously complicated these days by modern propaganda.
Commercials, advertisements, and marketers work tirelessly to convince us that products manufactured on assembly lines will make us happier. But in reality, these unnecessary purchases separate us from our dollars and add stress, burden, and obligation to our lives—they do not bring happiness.
The goal of Madison Avenue is to distract our desire. Their messaging changes our attitude from “That’s extravagant” to “That would be nice” to “I want that” to “I need it.” They are so subtle at their craft we hardly realize we are being brainwashed. Subconsciously, they take control of our desires, our checkbooks, and ultimately, our lives.
To stop letting advertisers dictate our lives, we must make firm moves to counter their assault. Here are ten steps you can take today:
1. Realize that happiness is not an item to be purchased, it is a decision to be enjoyed. Beware of destination addiction—the belief that happiness will be realized in your next purchase. The dopamine rush from a new purchase is immediately fleeting. Happiness is a decision to be made... it is not for sale on Amazon.
2. Identify what advertisements are trying to sell you. The emphasis in advertising has moved away from fact-based proclamations to creating associations in the mind of the viewer. Advertisers appeal to our subconscious desires (status, sex, prestige, happiness, appearance, self-esteem, identity, or reputation) and fears (loneliness, security, weaknesses, uncertainty). Be aware of their strategy so you will not be fooled by it.
3. Buy things for their usefulness, not their status. Purchase items for their ability to meet your needs, not their ability to impress your neighbor. Apply this principle everywhere, but your house, your car and your clothes are good places to start. You don't have to live like everyone else. In fact, you'll probably be happier if you don't.
4. Limit marketing messaging. Unsubscribe from email lists. Cancel junk-mail. Mute your radio/tv during advertisements or better yet, stop watching television altogether. Enjoy outdoor recreation (biking, exercising, hiking, gardening, camping) or occupy your mind with reading, art, conversation, philosophy, or meditation instead.
5. Recognize your trigger points. Are there certain stores that prompt unnecessary purchases in your life? Products, addictions, or pricing patterns (clearance sales) that prompt an automatic response from you? Maybe there are specific emotions (sadness, loneliness, grief) that give rise to excess consumption. Identify, recognize, and understand these weaknesses. This is one of the most important steps in taking back control of your actions.
6. Count the hidden cost of purchases. The price of purchasing any item is not limited to the sticker price. Our purchases always cost more. They require our time, energy, and focus (cleaning, organizing, maintaining, fixing, replacing, removing). They prompt worry, stress, and attachment. Each purchase takes up physical space in our homes and mental space in our mind. Henry David Thoreau said it best, “The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it.” Look beyond the price tag.
7. Practice gratitude and generosity. Gratitude turns what we have into enough. When we stop focusing on the things we don't have, we are better able to appreciate the things we already do. This mindset shifts our passions away from the promises of advertisers. Equally important, generosity reminds us that we already have enough and brings greater fulfillment and satisfaction into our lives.
8. Embrace the sharing economy. The Internet has brought many new opportunities to us. One of the most important is the emergence of the sharing economy. Whether people are sharing homes, vehicles, tools, toys, or clothes, there is less need today for ownership than ever before. Ownership is being replaced by relationship—and that's always a good trade-off.
9. Enforce a 30-day wait period on major purchases. Avoid regrettable judgments by implementing a month-long waiting period on items over $100 (or pick a dollar amount more applicable). This cooling period will provide opportunity and space to better answer these questions: "Do I really need this?" "Will it make me happier in the long run?" "Are there any subconscious motives to this purchase?" and "Can I find it cheaper elsewhere?"
10. Do more of what makes you happy. Your possessions are not making you happy. Once our basic needs have been met, the happiness found in consumerism is not noticeable. Instead, find what it is that truly makes you happy and do more of it. I find my happiness in faith, family, friends, and contribution. Your list may differ slightly. But either way, owning a whole bunch of stuff is almost certainly not on it.
The only release from the influence of marketers and a consumerist society is to exit—to decide that enough is enough and the relentless pursuit of possessions will never lead to an intentional life. The first step is to be intentional in overcoming it.
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09a9d77a8e20749f2672c08771bbd534 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshuabecker/2020/03/03/how-one-woman-eliminated-stress-from-her-life-by-simplifying-her-wardrobe/?sh=7e9806ad7763 | How One Woman Eliminated Stress From Her Life By Simplifying Her Wardrobe | How One Woman Eliminated Stress From Her Life By Simplifying Her Wardrobe
For the last ten years, I have owned less than 40 articles of clothing, but that wasn’t always the case.
When I first decided to minimize my possessions in order to focus my life on things that actually matter, I had an entire closet full of clothes, shoes, coats, and accessories. Well over 100 items—as is the average in the US.
First time through, I minimized half of my clothes—leaving me somewhere around 60 items remaining. But then, in late-2010, everything changed when I read about Project 333, a fashion experiment started by Courtney Carver where you commit to wearing just 33 articles of clothing for 3 months.
I found a capsule wardrobe, wearing basically the same thing every day, to be life-changing, literally. It was freeing, calming, iconic, and time-saving. And now today, in my closet, you’ll never find more than 33-35 articles of clothing.
Recently, I asked Courtney if she could tell me a little more about her decision to start Project 333 and how it has impacted her. It has, after all, changed my life in so many ways.
Courtney’s Story
Courtney Carver lives in Salt Lake City. She writes weekly at Be More with Less and her new book, Project 333, The Minimalist Fashion Challenge That Proves Less Really is So Much More will helps people create a simple, capsule wardrobe and a beautiful life.
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“I started to simplify my life in 2006 when I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. Learning how stress impacts the disease motivated me to take action. I simplified my diet, my debt, my home and my work but my closet was off limits to simplicity.
I used to think I loved shopping and that buying new clothes and accessories relieved stress. When I felt stressed, or bored or frustrated, shopping temporarily eased that pain, not to mention I thought I needed new clothes to look the part at work, and to feel successful and confident.
The simpler my life became outside of my wardrobe, the more apparent it became that something had to change inside my closet. I wasn’t ready to make a permanent change, so I decided to sample closet simplicity by creating a minimalist fashion challenge. By framing the change as a challenge (or experiment), I removed all of the stress and pressure around the change itself. That was important to me as eliminating stress was the goal for living a healthier, happier life.
I promised myself (and the internet) that I would dress with 33 items or less for 3 months. Those 33 items would include clothing, accessories, jewelry, outerwear and shoes. Since I probably had 33 pairs of shoes, the challenge sounded daunting … at first. I wondered …
Would I have enough?
Would people at work notice I was wearing the same things over and over again?
Would I miss shopping?
Was this a crazy idea?
I’ll tell you how I answered those questions in a minute, but first I want to tell you what happened after I chose my 33 items. I had four pairs of shoes, two pieces of jewelry, and six accessories which only left twenty-one items of clothes. There were items I didn’t include like underwear, sleepwear, lounge-wear (things I planned on wearing around the house but never leaving the house in) and workout clothes. But I actually had to work out in my workout clothes, which meant no more running errands in yoga pants if I wasn’t going to yoga.
I thought this 3-month challenge would end after three months, but because it helped me to reduce so much stress, I kept going and have been practicing for almost 10 years! I saved an enormous amount of money, created more time for myself in the mornings and developed more self-confidence. There were other benefits too but the biggest benefit was the way removing items from my wardrobe reduced stress in my life.
The Benefits
Every morning, instead of being stressed out with “what to wear,” I chose from my small collection and had more time to engage in my morning routine. I wasn’t trying on multiple outfits searching for the “right one,” so I spent more time doing yoga and meditating and less time wondering if what I wore would be good enough.
Since I committed to no shopping for three months, I stopped worrying about sales and special offers that seemed to be emailed to me relentlessly. I unsubscribed from all of those emails and started appreciating what I had instead of focusing on what I thought was missing.
I started paying off debt faster. Being in tens of thousands of dollars in debt was one of the most stressful things I was dealing with. Because I wasn’t spending on any extras, the debt repayment started to speed up. It still took a long time but that sense of momentum and action made me feel hopeful vs. stressed.
When I stopped blaming my boredom and frustration on my wardrobe, I started looking at what was actually bothering me and came up with solutions that didn’t involve shopping.
Because I hid all the clothes and other items that I wasn’t including in my 33 items, I wasn’t stressed out by my bad purchase decisions, overspending and other emotions that seemed to be attached to my clothes. Out of sight, out of mind. And later, when the challenge was over, the distance I had created made me feel less emotionally attached. I was able to make decisions about what to keep and what to donate based on what I wanted and needed in my closet instead of how I was feeling about my clothes.
When I stopped trying to prove who I was by what I wore, more stress was lifted. I didn’t need a little black dress to be sexy, a pair of heels to be powerful or a business suit to attend a meeting. I traded stress for confidence, the kind of confidence that comes from the inside.
More Than Fashion
It still amazes me that you can reduce a significant amount of stress from your life simply by removing items from your wardrobe. This three-month challenge turned into a lifetime of dressing with less for me and many others. It’s encouraged me to look at other areas of my life too to see where I make more time and space, and how I can continue to eliminate stress. Of course, stressful moments still pop up but with the simplified lifestyle I created, I have more resilience to navigate them when they do.
As it turns out, I did have enough, no one noticed (or cared about) what I was wearing. I didn’t miss shopping and yes, this is a crazy idea, a crazy-successful idea that has made me more curious and open to change because it always reminds me to ask the question, “Wouldn’t it be crazy if …”
So, what about your closet? Wouldn’t it be crazy if …?
How could simplifying your wardrobe help you reduce stress?
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ce8425caaefd7f2cfb3566c87d939b18 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshuabecker/2020/12/08/10-top-personal-finance-bloggers-to-follow-in-2021/ | 10 Top Personal Finance Bloggers to Follow in 2021 | 10 Top Personal Finance Bloggers to Follow in 2021
Coins spilling out of jar - personal finance. Photo by Michael Longmire on Unsplash
With the new year right around the corner, one of the top things you'll inevitably want to focus on will be your finances—especially after a year like 2020.
To help you accomplish that, here is a list of some of the best financial blogs in the space to help make your journey easier, along with a little entertainment along the way.
From up and comers in the space, to long-time veterans, there are enough tips on these sites to get you past the next decade of new years.
While this list offers a wide range of diversity, you’ll find two things in common throughout: each blogger is both inspirational and applicable—because the best personal finance are always both.
10 Top Personal Finance Bloggers to Follow in 2021
1. Afford Anything by Paula Pant.
Life-changing advice in the title alone. You can afford anything... but not everything. What's it gonna be?
Afford Anything explores answers to two critical questions: How can we make smarter decisions about our money, time, and life? And how can we align our daily behaviors and habits with the lifestyle we value most?
2. Financial Samurai by Sam Dogen.
Financial Samurai delves deep into investing, real estate, retirement planning, career strategies, and more, so we can all achieve financial independence sooner, rather than later.
With an MBA from UC Berkeley and two decades working in the finance industry, the Financial Samurai will help you slice through money's mysteries.
3. Four Pillars Finance.
In 2019, at age 25, Zach quit his day job as a data scientist because he began earning enough income through profitable websites to support his entire lifestyle.
Four Pillars Finance is a financial blog that uses the fields of philosophy, psychology, work ethic, and personal finance to teach you how to live your best life.
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4. Rich & Regular by Julien and Kiersten Saunders.
Over the course of five years, Julien and Kiersten paid off $200,000 in debt, dramatically boosted their net worth, and learned a lifetime of lessons.
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5. Wallet Hacks by Jim Wang.
Created to to help demystify money, Wallet Hacks is a blog on how to manage your money better, and in less time. No products, no services—just information to help you become better with your money. Simplicity is elegant. Complexity is ugly (and slow).
Jim studied Computer Science and Economics as an undergrad and followed that up with a Masters in Information Technology – Software Engineering. He then added a Masters in Business Administration from Johns Hopkins University a few years later.
6. A Wealth of Common Sense by Ben Carlson.
Ben is the Director of Institutional Asset Management at Ritholtz Wealth Management. He's been managing institutional portfolios for his entire career and is the author of several books on investing.
His blog focuses on wealth management, investments, financial markets, and investor psychology.
7. Get Rich Slowly by J.D. Roth.
Get Rich Slowly was one of the first financial blogs on the scene and one of the first I read consistently. The site contains thousands of articles about how to master your money.
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He shares his secrets of how all this can be done and how you can create a life that is better than your current one, that just happens to cost 50-75% less.
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Ready to make 2021 your best year financially? With these 10 Top Personal Finance Bloggers, you’ll be well equipped to do just that.
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e5a538bb8c4b2db0d12f691b3bd2c82b | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshuabrown/2010/09/28/wal-mart-a-good-plan-in-africa/ | Wal-Mart: A Good Plan in Africa | Wal-Mart: A Good Plan in Africa
Big news on the Frontier Investing front: The biggest retailer in the world is making a bold new push into what most regard as the final frontier market. There is plenty of doubt, but I'm going to give you the real story about how significant this move is for investors.
When Wal-Mart first announced its intentions to launch a presence in India back in 2006, many onlookers said they were crazy. Yes, India has an estimated $250 billion retail market and is the second largest country by population, but the government is very protective of its domestic businesses and Wal-Mart at the time was fresh from humiliating defeats in both Germany and South Korea.
Once again, the critics are scoffing at the company's latest announcement - an entry into the South African market via a takeover of the local chain Massmart Holdings. As can be seen in the map above above, Massmart has 232 locations across South Africa. This is one of the largest chains there, but the naysayers claim that Wal-Mart has drastically over-payed and may have done this deal just to turn our attention from their stagnating US business. I disagree completely.
Wal-Mart will win. Again. The critics (like this shortsighted one on Seeking Alpha) will slink back into the shadows.
Here's why:
What the critics and pundits failed to understand about the India initiative was that Wal-Mart is one of the most gangsta companies in the history of the world. They are as ruthless as their customers are fat. Fine, some of them are fat but you get the idea. They will go to any lengths and twist themselves into whatever contortions they need to in order to build the beachhead. And once they get a foot in the door, everything changes and the takeover begins.
In the 1990's when Wal-Mart began establishing their beachheads in China and Brazil, there was similar talk of how the company didn't understand the lay of the land or the culture or whatever. Meanwhile, they've since opened hundreds of stores throughout both countries - there is a Wal-Mart directly facing the massive statue of Chairman Mao in the middle of Beijing, talk about a juxtaposition!
Their foray in India has not been quite as successful yet, and the qualifier "yet" is important when you consider the hoops the company is jumping through just to be there. For starters, there is a law that says foreign retailers are not allowed to sell goods directly to the public, so Wal-Mart built a wholesale distribution center instead of their typical retail outlet. They launched a joint venture with the big Indian wireless company Bharti and it is Bharti that owns and operates the retail stores with Wal-Mart acting as supplier and "consultant". See what I mean about the ruthlessness?
Indian opponents of Wal-Mart are calling it "backdoor retailing" in violation of the country's laws. And they are right of course, but again, Wal-Mart is straight gangster. Besides, they've bought the local farmers' loyalty as they not only pay 7% more for wholesale crops, they actually arrange for trucks to pick up the goods right from the farms themselves. No one else in India has the scale or the logistical know-how to compete with that. Wal-Mart still has just one distribution center in India, but having laid the groundwork over the past 2 years and established themselves favorably with the farmers, you can bet that their expansion plan throughout the massive nation is about to accelerate.
And if the foreign retailer restriction ever gets eased or lifted? Forgetaboutit.
So what will the South African launch mean? A few things:
1. If you're an investor, you can consider this your official wake-up call on Africa. When companies like McDonalds and Wal-Mart make a big foray into a market, they are telling you that they've done the homework and the population of that market is ready to join the rest of us in the 21st century. You guys know I'm big on frontier markets, Africa growing up already and shaking off the colonial excuse is a big component of my thesis.
2. Nothing that happens in South Africa any time soon is going to be large enough to move the needle as far as Wal-Mart stock is concerned, but it is positive to see the company embarking on the next phase of their overseas expansion now that Brazil, China and other markets have proven successful.
3. Wal-Mart's kicking down doors on the Dark Continent will be watched throughout the corporate world. Other companies will be emboldened to follow their lead as evidence of traction begins to surface. What companies might be next to venture into this high risk-high reward part of the world?
4. You may want to get more familiar with the Johannesburg Stock Exchange and some of its ADRs here on the NYSE. Wal-Mart's entry is guaranteed to mean a heightened interest in these companies among analysts and equity managers in the US and Europe.
5. To be sure, high unemployment, fragmentation in virtually all sectors of the economy and the constant threat of political unrest are serious risks for anyone seeking to do business in South Africa or elsewhere on the continent. But we could have substituted "Russia" or "Eastern Europe" for South Africa in that sentence ten years ago and we'd have missed out on the best performing markets on the planet.
I wouldn't bet against Wal-Mart in Africa and I wouldn't ignore the peripheral investment opportunities that may arise because of it.
Sources:
Wal-Mart Bids $4.6 Billion for South Africa's Massmart (WSJ)
Wal-Mart You've Got India Now, Don't Bungle It (Bloomberg)
In India, Wal-Mart Goes to the Farm (NYT)
Wal-Mart Goes Shopping in South Africa, Why We Are Not Impressed (Seeking Alpha)
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8d22793dc7d39753386db0d96d7d3b1c | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshuabrown/2011/03/04/preview-next-weeks-saudi-day-of-rage/ | Preview: Next Week's Saudi 'Day of Rage' | Preview: Next Week's Saudi 'Day of Rage'
Image via Wikipedia
All eyes are on Saudi Arabia right now, especially on Wall Street, as an upcoming planned protest there could send shockwaves through global markets. Here are some items for investors to be aware of:
1. There are actually two planned protests being organized on Facebook in Saudi Arabia - one on March 11th followed by one on March 20th
2. Unlike what we've seen in Libya and in Egypt, the demands of the protesters are not quite so ambitious as to call for an overthrow of the ruling royal family. Rather, the 17,000 or so members of the Facebook group would like to see free elections for some of the higher government positions and more representation of the people.
3. The Saudi ruling class has just committed to a $37 billion bribe for their subjects and is expected to announce a cabinet shuffle - both ploys aimed at calming the populace down ahead of any protests. They have also offered a 15 percent salary hike for public employees to "offset inflation" and to release scores of people from their state-run debtors' prison.
4. 60% of Saudi Arabia's population of 18 million people is under 30. The official statistics say that Saudi Arabia has an 11% unemployment rate, critics scoff at the legitimacy of those numbers.
5. The two possible hotspots for democratic protest are Riyadh (4 million people) and Jeddah (2 million people). The Shia underclass, inhabitants of the oil rich Eastern Province, are also expected to hold their own demonstrations.
6. King Abdullah is said to have a personal net worth of $21 billion. He is 86 years old and his successor is 82 years old.
7. Saudi Arabia produces 8 million barrels of crude oil a day, roughly 10 percent of the world's daily consumption. One fifth of the world's known oil reserves sit beneath Saudi Arabian soil.
8. Crude oil futures are now trading above $100 a barrel for the first time in almost 3 years ahead of next Friday's first Saudi Day of Rage.
9. While the protests are meant to be peaceful, organizers are alleging that Faisal Ahmed Abdul-Ahadwashas has already been shot. He was 27-years-old and one of the administrators of the Facebook group, his fellow activists say that his body has been hidden by state security.
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7e77d766aa2c95e0722a4e26e9f51fdf | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshuacohen/2018/06/14/current-prescription-drug-pricing-practices-lessons-in-obfuscation/ | Current Prescription Drug Pricing Practices: Lessons In Obfuscation | Current Prescription Drug Pricing Practices: Lessons In Obfuscation
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Across most markets in our economy consumers can easily obtain and process information regarding products for sale. So when, for instance, Ford launches the latest version of the F-150, based on consumer reports and comparative price information, customers can evaluate whether the price is worth it to them. Here, the conditions for an efficiently functioning market are met. There is competition, free flow of information regarding the product’s characteristics, and transparency regarding pricing. Not so with prescription drugs.
Pricing of drugs generally follows a script in which drug manufacturers set a benchmark or list price, then pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) or other purchasers express a willingness to pay at that price or at some other price. Negotiations ensue, usually resulting in a transaction price lower than the list price. Regarding PBMs, the key operative term with respect to price negotiations is rebating; in exchange for increased market share of their product drug makers give PBMs a percentage off of a drug’s list price. PBMs can achieve an increase in market share by designating certain drugs with a preferred status on the formulary, that is, lower patient co-payments and fewer conditions of reimbursement.
Precisely how much of a rebate drug makers provide and what amount ultimately passed through to the end-user remains a carefully guarded trade secret. From published reports of gross and net sales of drugs (after off-invoice discounts, rebates, and other price concessions) the approximate rebate amount can be inferred. Observers note that rebates have been steadily increasing in recent years, perhaps in response to the use of new formulary management tools, such as exclusion lists and co-payment accumulators.
The mutually agreed upon transaction prices (post rebate) could theoretically be considered "value-based" to the extent that they reflect how much purchasers appear to be willing to pay for a drug. But, willingness to pay is not a good gauge of value in an imperfect market. Several key assumptions underlying an efficiently functioning competitive market do not hold in healthcare, which can cause a deviation between the market price and value of a drug. First, drugs are patented as single-source (branded) monopoly products for a period of time without generic competition. This implies that in therapeutic classes with few or no competitors drug manufacturers can more or less dictate the price in the market. Second, third-party health insurance shields end-users (patients) from the actual cost of prescription drugs. Third, the existence of asymmetries in information between suppliers and purchasers, as well as physicians and patients, leads to distortions in the market. Fourth, there is a high degree of uncertainty in healthcare on the demand (incidence of disease) and supply (effectiveness of treatments) sides.
Furthermore, the basis on which rebates are computed and formulary placement determined is not necessarily clinical or cost-effectiveness (gauges of value). A recently published study on the use of PBM exclusion lists suggests that PBMs often do not make value-based reimbursement decisions to determine which drugs to cover on the formulary. It’s observed in a number of therapeutic classes that products that are superior from a clinical and cost-effectiveness perspective may be excluded from coverage, while products that are inferior may be included. As such, formulary positioning of products appears in some cases to be more a function of financial deal-making than a clinical and cost-effectiveness assessment.
Certain market distortions are intentional from a public policy perspective and have positive effects on drug innovation (patent system) and patient access to medicines (third-party insurance). Other distortions, such as the asymmetries in information, a high degree of uncertainty, and rebating are unique characteristics of the complex healthcare market.
Distortions can be exacerbated by market players, specifically in relation to a lack of transactional transparency. Some drugs may be worth more than the price paid for them and may even yield downstream cost savings, while others have a price that is not commensurate with their value. Purchasers often have no way of knowing. A more transparent system of drug pricing and value assessment would lead to a better alignment of price and value, as stakeholders would base their decisions on clinical benefits in relation to actual prices.
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8bf92d5d0204991ec3383f5ee8aeeca1 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshuacohen/2018/07/10/gradual-progress-in-precision-non-oncology-but-challenges-persist/ | Gradual Progress In Precision Non-Oncology, But Challenges Persist | Gradual Progress In Precision Non-Oncology, But Challenges Persist
Molecular and Applied Microbiology, laboratory. Pipetting a sample onto a microscope slide. (Photo... [+] by: Anna Schroll/Fotogloria/UIG via Getty Images)
On the 26th of June 2000, President Clinton and Prime Minister Blair announced amid much fanfare that the first draft of the human genome had been completed. This led to extraordinarily optimistic claims about the ways in which genomics research would immediately impact diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disease, but also reduce drug development time lines and increase the likelihood of R&D success rates.
Of 132 new molecular entities and biologics identified as approved precision medicines by the Personalized Medicine Coalition (PMC) in their 2017 report, an impressive number, 85, are non-oncology products. PMC broadly categorizes personalized medicines as therapeutics for which the label includes reference to specific biomarkers identified by diagnostic tools, which can “help guide decisions regarding the use of therapeutics in individual patients.”
Recently approved non-oncology drugs with pharmacogenomic information on the label include Orkambi (lumacaftor/ivacaftor) to treat cystic fibrosis, Repatha (evolocumab) for hyperlipidemia in the familial form, and Nucala (mepolizumab) indicated for severe asthma.
Breaking down the numbers, however, it becomes clear that a gap exists between degrees of personalization of cancer versus non-cancer drugs. Thirty-six of the 132 precision medicines are reliant on a companion or complementary diagnostic for therapy selection; 26 of which are oncology, and 10 non-oncology drugs. Twenty of the 26 oncology drugs have Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved companion diagnostics. The 36 drugs generated approximately $25 billion in revenue in 2016. Ninety percent of this revenue was attributed to oncology drugs.
Examining the drug development pipeline, researchers at M.I.T. identified what they termed “Likely Precision Medicines” (LPMs) in development. Narrowing LPMs to those which in clinical trials specifically employ biomarkers for selection of therapy and prediction of treatment efficacy and toxicity - a much narrower definition of precision medicine than the one PMC employs – researchers found that, for the years 2015 and 2016, approximately 25% of all cancer drug trials were "LPM" trials, but only 1-2% of trials for non-cancer indications were "LPM" trials. This suggests that most non-oncology trials which make use of biomarkers are employing them for diagnosis and screening, and not selection of therapy, or prediction of treatment efficacy and toxicity.
In oncology, companion diagnostics measure genetic mutations of a therapeutic target in tumor tissue, linking the biomarker identified by the diagnostic test to the drug’s mechanism of action. At present, in most non-oncology indications, this is usually not clinically feasible given the difficulties in obtaining diseased tissue for sampling.
Furthermore, there are many unapproved Laboratory Development Test (LDT) tests being used to monitor patients for therapy response and disease recurrence in the non-oncology space. Many of these LDT tests may aid physicians in benefit-risk decision-making about the use of a drug, but such information is not considered “essential for the safe and effective use of a therapeutic,” as would be the case with an FDA-approved companion diagnostic.
In cardiology, precision medicine has resulted in the ability to measure gene variants associated with increases in risk for diseases. For example, Roche is in the early stages of developing complementary diagnostic tests to help select the appropriate medicines to be used for acute coronary syndrome. But thus far, in cardiology, pharmacogenomic measurements are not meaningful in most instances, because relative risks associated with given gene variants are quite small and therefore not actionable.
Drug companies are also identifying biomarkers across neurological conditions that have genetic ties to disease, such as depression, schizophrenia, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases. For example, several companies have drugs in the pipeline targeting deposits of amyloid β-peptide in plaques in brain tissue, which is hypothesized to cause neuro-degeneration in Alzheimer’s. Late-phase failure has been the norm recently, however, as Lilly’s solanezumab and Merck & Co’s verubecestat bowed out in phase III. Two phase III amyloid targets remain in clinical trials - Biogen’s aducanumab and Roche‘s crenezumab.
Amyloid imaging has been established as a robust biomarker of the presence of abnormal amyloid deposition in the brain. The use of positron emission tomography (PET) with florbetapir F18 identifies abnormal deposits of amyloid. Florbetapir may accelerate research by helping to identify people at high risk of developing Alzheimer’s and to enroll them in clinical drug trials. But, to date florbetapir has done little to impact treatment decisions. It is a validated biomarker test without a companion therapy. It appears that this has prevented many payers from reimbursing the diagnostic.
In spite of significant challenges, drug and diagnostic companies have been increasing their investment in discovery of exploratory biomarkers that focus on non-oncology areas such as infectious diseases (eg, hepatitis), rheumatology, and cardiovascular diseases.
In rheumatology, precision medicine is gradually emerging as scientists begin to employ genetic profiling of joint tissue to assess which drugs will work for which rheumatoid arthritis patients.
Notably, several rare diseases outside of oncology are heavily reliant on pharmacogenomics, including cystic fibrosis, for which several precision medicines have been launched.
And, a promising sign of progress in precision non-oncology is reflected by the fact that as of March of this year 18 of 52 (35%) companion diagnostics in the pipeline are intended for use in non-oncology indications. As more companion diagnostics are being developed close to or in conjunction with precision therapies, a concomitant higher degree of personalization in the non-oncology space will likely be achieved.
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713c7039c099d144ceebe469cbe87d87 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshuacohen/2018/07/19/diseases-of-despair-contribute-to-declining-u-s-life-expectancy/?sh=51428fde656b | 'Diseases Of Despair' Contribute To Declining U.S. Life Expectancy | 'Diseases Of Despair' Contribute To Declining U.S. Life Expectancy
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According to preliminary data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 2017 will likely mark the third straight year of decline in U.S. life expectancy. It’s not all bad news, however, as cancer deaths are declining. Nonetheless, deaths from other major causes, including heart and lung diseases, stroke, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, and suicides have been rising. And, deaths from unintentional injuries, including drug overdoses, are soaring.
In 2015, Princeton economists Anne Case and Angus Deaton first pointed out a disturbing trend disproportionately impacting white middle-aged Americans. Specifically, they highlighted three “diseases of despair:” Drug abuse, alcoholism, and suicide.
According to the CDC, in 2016 alcohol abuse was linked to 88,000 deaths; more deaths than guns, opioids, or even HIV/AIDS at its peak. Drug-related deaths were at 63,500 (two-thirds of these involved opioids). And, almost 45,000 suicides were recorded. Increases in deaths due to diseases of despair are contributing to declining life expectancy in the U.S.
The Surgeon General stated that drug and alcohol abuse are costing the U.S. $442 billion annually. The opioid crisis alone – illicit and prescription opioids - is costing as much as $500 billion a year. And, the annual cost of suicide attempts and suicides is over $90 billion.
What is being spent by the federal government to avert deaths of despair?
The opioid epidemic has taken center stage in political and policy debates on public health. As a result, state and federal legislators as well as the Trump Administration have stepped up funding. In fiscal year 2018 the federal omnibus bill adds $3.3 billion to address the opioid crisis, in addition to $500 million earmarked in the 21st Century Cures Act. Nevertheless, the total sum pales in comparison to the annual budget for HIV/AIDS, which is $32 billion.
The budget for National Institutes of Health (NIH) sponsored research on alcoholism, alcohol use, and health is less than $500 million per year. And, in spite of rising numbers of suicides since 2013 federal suicide prevention grants to state governments have leveled off at a paltry $35 million a year. Annually, the federal government spends an additional $68 million on programs targeting the broad category “suicide.” The suicide research budget for the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) has been shrinking since 2011. The NIMH spends a miniscule amount on suicide prevention and research compared with what the NIH allocates to research on diseases such as breast and prostate cancer.
The Affordable Care Act established the Prevention and Public Health Fund to invest in a wide range of evidence-based activities, including drug and alcohol abuse prevention initiatives, surveillance and tracking, public health infrastructure, immunizations, and tobacco prevention. However, owing to budget cuts, the Fund is slated to receive $750 million less in 2018, and an incur an additional $1.4 billion in cuts between 2019 and 2028.
Public health may be out of fashion and seen as paternalistic in some circles, but its return on investment should not be overlooked. Penny wise, pound foolish policies may lead to continued increasing numbers of deaths due to diseases of despair.
There are no easy fixes for any of the diseases of despair. And, committing public health resources alone will not solve the problem. However, in the face of growing alcohol-related and suicide epidemics, flat-lining or declining federal and state budgets are not the appropriate response. Moreover, the resources earmarked for combating the opioid crisis would appear to be insufficient in relation to the gravity and enormity of the problem.
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e15b40c67c82db708c7518b9750fb8c6 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshuacohen/2018/12/16/texas-judge-deals-obamacare-a-major-blow/ | Texas Judge Deals Obamacare A Major Blow | Texas Judge Deals Obamacare A Major Blow
File- A federal judge in Texas on Friday, Dec. 14, 2018, declared the Affordable Care Act “invalid.”... [+] In a 55-page opinion, U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor ruled Friday that last year’s tax cut bill removed the constitutional foundation from “Obamacare” by eliminating a penalty for not having coverage. The rest of the law cannot be separated from that provision and is therefore invalid, O'Connor wrote. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz, File) Photo credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS
A judicial attempt to invalidate the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was given a major boost on Friday, December 14th, when a federal judge in Texas ruled that the ACA, otherwise known as Obamacare, is unconstitutional.
As part of the tax overhaul passed last year, the ACA penalty for not having health insurance was abolished. This went into effect in January, 2018. In a Federal District Court case, Texas v. Azar, in which oral arguments were heard in September of this year, the plaintiffs - Republican officials in 20 states led by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton - argued that with elimination of the health insurance requirement there is no longer a tax, and therefore the law loses its constitutionality. In brief, “once the heart of the ACA — the individual mandate — is declared unconstitutional, the remainder of the ACA must also fall,” the lawsuit stated.
In a 55-page opinion, federal judge Reed O’Connor writes regarding the lawsuit: “The court finds the individual mandate can no longer be fairly read as an exercise of Congress’s tax power and is still impermissible under the interstate commerce clause ― meaning the individual mandate is unconstitutional…. [T]he court finds the individual mandate is essential to and inseverable from the remainder of the ACA."
This case will likely to go to the U.S. Court of Appeals 5th Circuit, and then possibly on to the Supreme Court, which implies that for now the ACA remains in effect.
Suffice to say, removing the individual mandate does not invalidate ACA on policy grounds. It weakens it, for sure. Indeed, the individual mandate is an integral component of the law, because it facilitates pooling of risk and expands population-wide access. But, it is not a necessary part of the law. ACA can function without it.
I'm a health policy analyst, not a legal expert. So, I won't weigh in on the constitutionality of the individual mandate. Rather, I'll focus on if when one part of ACA, the individual mandate, is found to be unconstitutional the remainder of the law must be jettisoned. Legally, severability implies that if any part of a legislative act is ruled unconstitutional, the remainder shall not be affected. Court decisions tend to favor severability, which, in cases in which certain parts are deemed unconstitutional, preserves as much of the original legislation as possible. In several landmark cases, the Supreme Court held that an unconstitutional provision is severable unless it is evident that "Congress would have preferred no legislation to legislation without that provision, or unless the legislation is incapable of functioning independently without it."
As it turns out, when in 2012 Chief Justice Roberts characterized the individual mandate as a tax he implicitly considered the law to be severable. While Roberts determined that the individual mandate was constitutional, he deemed another part of the law - coercing states into participating in Medicaid expansion by threatening them with the loss of existing federal funding - unconstitutional.
To those who wish to nix ACA and say the individual mandate is non-severable, be careful what you wish for. Politically, this is a highly unpopular move. The White House's official response appears aimed at preempting political backlash to Judge O'Connor's decision, as the spokesperson Sarah Sanders declared that "pending appeals, the law remains in effect." On the eve of the deadline to enroll for health insurance on the ACA exchange, Sanders' statement seeks to mollify the immediate concerns of those who recently signed up, the President's Twitter response to the O'Connor ruling notwithstanding.
Declaring a law that President Trump views as anathema is still in effect will do little, however, to assuage concerned citizens about the future of ACA. It bears remembering in this regard that in June of this year, in a highly unusual move, the Department of Justice (DOJ) declared it would not defend existing law - ACA - in Texas v. Azar. The DOJ further asserted that because the insurance mandate’s penalty was removed this invalidates the ACA’s consumer protections, such as the ban on levying surcharges or refusing to cover people with pre-existing medical conditions. Hence, the upheaval in recent months about the potential loss of federal protections of those with pre-existing conditions who seek health coverage.
The consequences of striking down ACA are stark. Health coverage is at stake for millions of people. Without certain ACA insurance regulations, protections for those with pre-existing conditions are no longer guaranteed nation-wide, and are subject to individual states' discretion and (in)action. The implications of nullifying ACA extend beyond consumers who obtained coverage on the ACA exchanges. They could have a potentially devastating impact on the solvency of community hospitals and healthcare clinics.
Finally, if ACA is ultimately gutted entirely, then the demonstration projects the Department of Health and Human Services has begun in 2018 or proposed doing in 2019 to address prescription drug pricing, bundled payments, and value-based payment reforms will be declared null and void, as many of these operate through the ACA-established Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation Center. This would put the Trump Administration in an uncomfortable position as it's forced to retract initiatives that appear to have broad, bipartisan support.
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3160108a3e6f18501d30b1bc539acf36 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshuacohen/2019/05/10/hhs-to-implement-pay-for-performance-models-for-primary-care-practices-serving-medicare/ | HHS To Implement Pay-For-Performance Models For Primary Care Practices Serving Medicare | HHS To Implement Pay-For-Performance Models For Primary Care Practices Serving Medicare
Seema Verma, Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, speaks during the... [+] Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills, California, U.S., on Monday, April 29, 2019. The conference brings together leaders in business, government, technology, philanthropy, academia, and the media to discuss actionable and collaborative solutions to some of the most important questions of our time. Photographer: Kyle Grillot/Bloomberg © 2019 Bloomberg Finance LP
Two weeks ago, the Department of Human and Health Services (HHS) unveiled the "Primary Cares Initiative," a program that aims to "reduce administrative burdens" and enable primary care physicians to earn "performance-based payments" if they deliver care to Medicare patients that meets certain targets and decreases downstream healthcare costs.
CMS has posted a request for applications for the first cohort of primary care practices. The program is intended to go into effect January 2020 and continue for five years.
It is hoped that if the Primary Cares Initiative is successful in Medicare, state Medicaid programs and commercial payers will follow suit. The ultimate purpose of the initiative, according to the Director of HHS, Alex Azar, is to move primary care from a fee-for-service to a value-based system, predicated on paying for healthcare outcomes rather than numbers of procedures.
The Primary Cares Initiative includes five value-based payment models that will be tested along two tracks: Primary Care First and Direct Contracting. The former track is geared towards comparatively small primary care practices that are ready to assume financial risk.
At the base of the first payment model are risk-adjusted population-based payments and flat primary care visit fees. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will provide primary care practices with a flat fee for each patient, and they will pay practices bonuses as high as 50% of their revenue if they meet certain blood pressure, hemoglobin A1c, and colorectal cancer screening targets, in addition to reduced hospitalizations, patient satisfaction indices as measured in a patient care survey, and proof of incorporation of advance care planning for patients.
Primary care practices will be responsible for added costs, if patients end up sicker than expected. Physicians in these practices could lose 10% of their revenue.
Primary Care First will offer a second payment model option that focuses on care for seriously ill and high cost patients. Under this "high need populations" payment model option, primary care practices will receive a greater payment that risk-adjusts for the high needs of seriously ill sub-populations.
Perhaps the greatest difficulty with respect to the second payment model option is that it requires accurately adjusting for variability among providers' sub-populations of patients. Certain primary care practices have disproportionate numbers of relatively sicker groups of patients, which translates to added risk for these practices. Such risk is contingent upon patients' average age, specifics regarding their pharmacy and medical benefits and co-payments (e.g., Part D coverage and MediGap), geographic area, clinical stability, and non-clinical attributes, such as socioeconomic status and patient preferences.
Physicians in these primacy care practices must also manage the cost of collecting and reporting a wide array of data on patients to CMS, as performance-based payments invariably imply the need to compile and report data.
Accordingly, any payment formula will need to accurately account for all risk factors that could significantly increase utilization (i.e., costs of care) as well as the costs of collecting and reporting data.
Participation in Primacy Care First is voluntary, so CMS will have to convince large numbers of primary care physicians that it will benefit them. CMS expects 25% of smaller primary care practices will join.
Physicians may be reluctant to take on financial risk. This is demonstrated by low enrollment by doctors in the precursor to Primacy Care First - CMS's advanced alternative payment models - that has been in existence for several years.
While attitudes have changed over the past two decades, it's instructive to learn from experiences with managed care and capitation during the 1990s when physicians were highly skeptical and distrustful towards capitation and the assumption of risk.
To be successful, therefore, primary care physicians will need to be actively involved with CMS in providing input in the design of viable risk-adjustment models.
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432b1950f8ce3b41e16c006d42741479 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshuacohen/2019/06/20/drug-pricing-should-reflect-value-not-recoupment-of-investment/?sh=148a431e680c | Drug Pricing Should Reflect Value, Not Recoupment Of Investment | Drug Pricing Should Reflect Value, Not Recoupment Of Investment
The other day I was reading a piece on reframing the conversation on drug pricing. I came across the following sentence: "Prices for drugs must recover research and development (R&D) costs and encourage investment in innovation."
The pharmaceutical industry often explicitly propagates the recoupment of investment line to justify its price setting. And implicitly, the industry sometimes defends its price setting by referring to the need to have resources to invest in future research and development.
There's no denying the pharmaceutical industry invests a tremendous amount in research and development. And, to be a going concern drug companies must have sufficient revenue to recoup their costs, R&D and otherwise. Furthermore, there's a legitimate argument to be made that imposing price controls in the U.S. would reduce investment in research and development, as investors factor in a loss of revenue and profit. Moreover, for drugs targeting rare diseases, the ability to generate revenue is limited by the small numbers of patients eligible for treatment. This partly explains higher prices for orphan drugs. And, in some instances, higher prices of certain treatments, such as difficult and costly to manufacture biologics as well as cell and gene therapies which require specially designed treatment centers, reflect significantly higher marginal costs of production.
But ultimately end-products are not valued for the labor and capital that went into developing them. Nor are they valued for their production and delivery costs for that matter. Rather, they're valued for what they produce for patients: Extended life, improved quality of life, and alleviation of symptoms. It's not in a patient or payer's interest to pay for the pharmaceutical industry's sunk costs and future investment expenses without regard for value. Higher prices of new drugs should therefore relate to meaningful clinical advantages over current existing standards of care.
Orphan drug prices are in the spotlight, given the large numbers of approvals in recent years, many of which have annual per patient treatment costs of over $100,000, and many of which provide good value for money. The prices of orphan drugs reflect in part the fact that they address significant unmet medical need. Judging from the percentage of newly approved orphan drugs that form unique therapeutic classes – approximately 50% are first in class - manufacturers face relative price inelasticity. Furthermore, orphan drugs have often flown under the payer radar as the budget impact of individual products is limited by the small numbers of patients.
The budgetary impact of rare disease therapies could increase significantly in the coming years. For example, over 900 cell and gene therapies are currently in development, with dozens expected to apply for regulatory approval by 2022. This will increase the need for innovative payment models. In particular, it's imperative that prospective reimbursement arrangements that account for therapies' value proposition replace the current system of large upfront payments without a performance guarantee. For payers, it will not suffice to simply say that a lot of time, effort, and resources have been put into a particular therapy, and that's why it's got such a high price tag.
In the case of cell and gene therapies alignment of price and value will require appropriate methods of patient selection, measurement of the durability of effectiveness, means to stagger payments over time, and pay-for-performance if treatments meet certain outcomes.
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504e853eb82f36a58371ee65e6e30907 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshuacohen/2020/03/04/super-tuesday-results-ease-concerns-in-the-pharmaceutical-and-health-insurance-industries/ | Super Tuesday Results Ease Concerns In The Pharmaceutical And Health Insurance Industries | Super Tuesday Results Ease Concerns In The Pharmaceutical And Health Insurance Industries
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 03: Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe ... [+] Biden (C) arrives with wife Jill Biden (R) and sister Valerie Biden Owens (L) at a Super Tuesday campaign event at Baldwin Hills Recreation Center on March 3, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) Getty Images
After his campaign was left for dead, Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden's resurgence on Super Tuesday appeared to trigger a rally today on Wall Street, sparked by healthcare stocks, such as UnitedHealthcare.
Other factors also played a role, including the Federal Reserve’s cut in interest rates and a bipartisan $8 billion package to combat the novel coronavirus.
But, there’s little doubt Biden’s victories eased fears among investors of a potentially radical shift in healthcare under a possible Sanders Administration. It would appear that under a possible Biden Administration the healthcare industry wouldn’t face a major shake-up. Except for shoring up of the Affordable Care Act, Biden hasn’t offered radical reform proposals. And, while Biden has publicly been critical of high drug prices he’s privately praised pharmaceutical firms.
Prior to Super Tuesday, Senator Bernie Sanders (I - Vermont) was the front runner in the race to become the Democratic nominee. Sanders’ populist message demonizes the pharmaceutical industry for high drug prices and profits, which, he maintains, are due to “greed and corrupt practices.” Among Democratic candidates, Sanders also goes the furthest by making health insurers a dual target in repeated excoriations. His Medicare for All proposal would effectively abolish private insurance. So, naturally, health insurers perceive this as an existential threat, even though passage of Medicare for All would be highly unlikely, even under a Sanders Administration.
Apart from the Biden effect, there were signs last week, in the middle of one of the worst routs in stock market history, that segments of the pharmaceutical industry would come out unscathed, or perhaps even in a better position, as was the case with Regeneron Pharmaceuticals. President Trump’s meeting this week in the White House with members of the Administration's coronavirus task force and executives of several leading pharmaceutical firms further bolstered the position of the industry. It’s clear the pharmaceutical industry plays a critical role in the national response to the coronavirus outbreak.
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Some are in fact saying the novel coronavirus could help "reset" the reputation of the pharmaceutical industry. While that may be so, it's odd that it takes the novel coronavirus to restore confidence in and help heal the wounds (some of which are self-inflicted) the industry has suffered for years. Many of the same players in drug and vaccine development targeting the coronavirus have been in the trenches waging battle for decades against HIV, many types of cancers, autoimmune disorders, malaria, and Ebola, among others.
Perhaps messaging has been the problem. Being on the defensive on drug pricing has not proven to be a successful strategy. In the wake of Biden’s comeback and, ironically, as a consequence of being front and center in the fight against coronavirus, maybe the pharmaceutical industry can polish up its image.
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6255333c27790ecc963462691b0ac666 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshuacohen/2020/04/12/us-may-be-plateauing-in-terms-of-number-of-new-coronavirus-cases-but-beware-of-the-fat-long-tail/ | U.S. May Be Plateauing In Terms Of Number Of New Coronavirus Cases, But Beware Of The Fat, Long Tail (Update) | U.S. May Be Plateauing In Terms Of Number Of New Coronavirus Cases, But Beware Of The Fat, Long Tail (Update)
A man jogs in Central Park on April 11, 2020, in New York City. - The U.S. overtook Italy on April ... [+] 10th to become the country with the largest death toll in the novel coronavirus pandemic, according to a tally kept by Johns Hopkins University. On April 10th, the US reported 2,108 new deaths, the highest daily toll of any country since the outbreak was first reported. (Photo by Johannes EISELE / AFP) (Photo by JOHANNES EISELE/AFP via Getty Images) AFP via Getty Images
On Wednesday, April 15th, the U.S. recorded 2,618 new deaths, the highest daily toll of any country since the novel coronavirus outbreak was first reported. As of Friday, April 17th, the moving 5-day average of new deaths is over 2,300. At the same time, the U.S. may now be plateauing at between 25,000 and 32,000 new daily confirmed cases of coronavirus. This is a good sign in terms of potentially flattening the curve and preserving healthcare system capacity. Several states with major outbreaks have started to see doubling rates slow considerably. These rates indicate the number of days it takes for new coronavirus cases, hospitalizations or deaths to double.
But, this doesn't mean the battle is won. It's evident from the path that other countries have been on, such as France, Italy, and Spain, that plateauing can last three weeks or longer before a consistently declining trend is observed in numbers of daily new cases, and, as a lagging indicator, deaths. And, plateauing in the U.S. will include tens of thousands of new deaths.
In the figure below, after a brief period during which very few cases are detected because testing isn’t widespread the curve’s ascent is shorter and slope steeper than most of the descent. If the U.S. follows the path other countries have traversed, coming down from the peak of 34,000 new daily cases will be a long, drawn-out process.
Fat-tailed curve Author's analysis
The curve of new daily confirmed cases has tended to be right-skewed, fat-tailed, and elongated. In the figure, the median number of cases is to the right of the dashed line demarcating where the peak is, and the mean is to the right of the median. France, Italy, and Spain are still on the portion of the curve that is relatively flat. Consider, Italy, for example. It peaked in terms of numbers of new daily cases on March 21st at 6,557. On April 10th it had approximately the same number of new cases (4,204) as it did more than three weeks ago on March 18th (4,207). Peak deaths in Italy – 919 - occurred on March 27th. Since then, Italy has averaged approximately 685 deaths a day.
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Following the trajectory China was on, at a certain point there may be (it is hoped) a precipitous drop off. This is where the curve slopes steeply downward.
Model projections of total U.S. deaths attributed to COVID-19 have been variable in recent weeks, with a revised estimate of 60,000 deaths - published by the University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation - popular in media and government circles. Whether that number will verify depends on the validity of the model assumptions, one of which is that most social distancing measures will remain in force for the next few months to continue flattening and then bending the curve.
The flattening of the curve will help ease the acute burden on the healthcare system. However, it’s going to be a long slog moving forward. Plateauing at between, say, 25,000 and 34,000 new cases a day implies there will still be a very substantial number of old and new cases for the healthcare system to process.
Part of the reason why plateauing will likely persist in the U.S. is that the nation doesn’t have a single outbreak to contend with at one point in time. It has multiple outbreaks, with distinct timelines and characteristics, that are primarily managed on a local (state) level.
The purpose of flattening the curve for new coronavirus infections is to decrease and delay the peak demand for healthcare. It appears that, on the whole, the U.S. is showing signs of flattening the curve. However, soon the nation will be dealing with the fat and long tail of the curve, and this may last for months.
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f681f90c8add689b6ed1cb61c71c0123 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshuacohen/2020/04/15/trumps-decision-to-defund-who-throwing-the-baby-out-with-the-bathwater/ | Trump’s Decision To Defund WHO For Coronavirus Response: Throwing The Baby Out With The Bathwater | Trump’s Decision To Defund WHO For Coronavirus Response: Throwing The Baby Out With The Bathwater
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 14: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during the daily briefing of the White ... [+] House Coronavirus Task Force in the Rose Garden at the White House April 14, 2020 in Washington, DC. President Trump announced that he is halting funding for World Health Organization WHO.(Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) Getty Images
Yesterday, President Trump declared he would withdraw funding for the World Health Organization (WHO), pending a “review” of the organization’s “role in severely mismanaging and covering up the spread of coronavirus.”
In the initial stages of the public health crisis surrounding the novel coronavirus the WHO was evidently misled by the Chinese authorities. It appears that from late December though the middle of January Chinese authorities concealed, and in some cases quashed reports regarding a then nascent, mysterious pneumonia-like illness.
The Chinese government did inform the WHO’s China office on December 31st about dozens of cases of “mysterious pneumonia” in Wuhan. But, what the government didn’t reveal is that the virus had already been sequenced in Chinese laboratories, and found to be very similar to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). Subsequently, the Hubei Provincial Health Commission ordered the laboratories to stop testing and destroy existing samples. Given that SARS is transmitted human-to-human – though, as it turned out, less contagious than the novel coronavirus – obfuscating such a vital piece of information for several weeks would have serious repercussions.
On January 18th, the WHO tweeted “preliminary investigations conducted by the Chinese authorities have found no clear evidence of human-to-human transmission of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) identified in Wuhan.”
It is clear that at the beginning of this pandemic the WHO was led astray by the Chinese authorities. However, by late January, the WHO began posting repeated warnings to nations around the world about the novel coronavirus and its human-to-human transmissibility. On January 30th, the WHO declared a global health emergency. Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus expressed particular concern about the “potential for the virus to spread to countries with weaker health systems and which are ill-prepared to deal with it.” The WHO also offered to supply diagnostic test kits, which the U.S. refused, but many other nations accepted.
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The U.S. is the largest funder of the WHO. Last year, the U.S. provided approximately $400 million, which comprises about 15% of the 2019 WHO budget. By defunding the WHO Trump is throwing the baby out with the bathwater. No other organization is better equipped or positioned to mobilize the international response needed to address the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in low and middle income countries. Furthermore, the WHO is indispensable in global efforts to eradicate HIV, malaria, tuberculosis, and dozens of neglected diseases.
The WHO was founded in 1948 and is based in Geneva, Switzerland. It is a subsidiary organ of the United Nations (UN). As a specialized agency of the UN, the WHO is responsible for international public health. Here, its role is to coordinate with all 194 member states in a wide range of public health activities, such as vaccination campaigns, water sanitation projects, and support for countries dealing with health emergencies.
Since its inception, the WHO has spearheaded numerous programs that have saved tens of millions of lives. One of the first major projects the WHO was involved in was a global immunization campaign that led to the eradication of smallpox in 1980.
Since 1977, the WHO Essential Medicines List - which is revised and updated every two years - has been a vital guide for many nations in their medication procurement policies. Essential medicines are intended to be available in all healthcare systems, at all times, in adequate amounts, and in the appropriate dosage forms.
More recently, the WHO has been instrumental in coordinating and executing healthcare for people affected by HIV, malaria, tuberculosis, and neglected tropical diseases. Its roadmap for neglected tropical diseases, drawn up in London in 2012, contains targets to be achieved by 2020, in addition to public-private partnership commitments with respect to logistics for distribution of existing products, drug donation programs, and R&D funding of new drug development. In the last 8 years there has been major progress in the implementation of large-scale preventive treatment, case management, and care of patients suffering from neglected tropical diseases.
Lately, the WHO has also been actively involved in supporting countries with designing plans to strengthen surveillance systems to help prevent and manage antimicrobial resistance.
Finally, WHO remains an essential participant in the global fight against the novel coronavirus. The WHO funds the COVID-19 responses in dozens of countries around the globe, many of which are extremely vulnerable to the disease as they have limited capacity to deal effectively with critically ill patients.
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1e5df8650f1089dcd3e2e564cb330a67 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshuacohen/2020/09/01/predicting-a-covid-19-outbreak-with-wastewater-analysis/?sh=468ca4f818dc | Predicting A Covid-19 Outbreak With Wastewater Analysis | Predicting A Covid-19 Outbreak With Wastewater Analysis
Detecting presence of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater samples getty
Early in the Covid-19 pandemic, research showed that people infected with the novel coronavirus shed viral material in their feces. This has led to interest in what is sometimes called “sewage epidemiology” by public health officials.
Routine wastewater surveillance can be used as a vital early warning tool to alert communities to new coronavirus infections. This is because sewage or wastewater that goes through the drainage system to a treatment facility can indicate the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in an area before the virus would normally be detected by way of individual PCR tests.
The Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) has outlined plans to map the outbreak of coronavirus across the Netherlands, using wastewater analysis. For this purpose, RIVM will be expanding the number of measuring points at water treatment plants from 80 to 300.
The RIVM wants to be able to establish not only that there are virus particles in the wastewater, but also approximately how many households those particles originate from. The agency has begun publishing the test results - number of virus particles in a milliter of wastewater - on the country’s coronavirus dashboard.
In late March, right after the peak in coronavirus transmissions, the RIVM began reporting wastewater measurement. The figure below shows that virus particles in wastewater fell sharply from the end of March through May, plateaued at a low level in June and the first part of July, rose in late July through mid August, and then began decreasing again.
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Measurement of SARS-CoV-2 Particles in Dutch Wastewater
Number of virus particles per milliliter wastewater in the Netherlands, from the 29th of March ... [+] through the 16th of August, 2020. RIVM
Public health officials don’t regard wastewater testing as a replacement of regular testing, rather as complementary to it. By itself, conventional PCR testing of individuals isn’t sufficient. This is due in part to the fact that many people are asymptomatic, and so they’re much less likely to get tested. And even when some people have possible symptoms of Covid-19 they may not be willing to get tested.
Wastewater testing offers a predictor map of the outbreak in a particular region that doesn’t rely on individuals’ willingness to get tested. Similarly, prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, efforts in sewage monitoring in a number of countries enabled detection of outbreaks of norovirus, antibiotic-resistant bacteria, polio, and measles.
Wastewater testing isn’t just something being done in the Netherlands. Tests at wastewater treatment plants in France have revealed levels of coronavirus that rose preceding an increase in confirmed clinical cases. In Israel, public health authorities regularly screen sewage and waste, as part of an early warning system. And, in the city of Ashkelon, researchers at Ben-Gurion University have been attempting to estimate the number of virus particles that patients shed. In the U.K., a network of scientists have collaborated with local water companies to collect samples of untreated sewage from treatment plants for testing.
In the U.S., municipalities in several states, including Colorado, Ohio, and New York, have taken steps toward implementing systematic wastewater surveillance efforts. On Thursday, September 3rd, Ohio’s Governor DeWine touted his state’s Coronavirus Wastewater Monitoring Network, a new effort to study wastewater at a number of sewage treatment plants to help contain the spread of coronavirus.
And, this summer at the University of Arizona scientists and staff set up a system to test wastewater across campus. At the end of August, using wastewater testing, school authorities were able to discover the presence of coronavirus in a particular dorm on campus. In turn, this triggered testing of individuals in the dorm, and isolation of two who tested positive. This possibly prevented a larger outbreak from happening.
The University of Arizona example illustrates how wastewater testing in conjunction with follow-up testing with rapid results can halt a campus-wide outbreak in its tracks.
Wastewater surveillance appears to be expanding to other places of higher education in the U.S. The Rochester Institute of Technology in New York is currently testing wastewater for coronavirus. And, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte is planning to deploy wastewater analysis at its dorms once students arrive there later this month.
Sewage sampling provides a relatively inexpensive, yet comprehensive overview of the actual viral load in a community, a week or two earlier than existing PCR tests done on individuals. But, the U.S. lacks comprehensive state and local efforts in this area, let alone a national coronavirus wastewater testing program.
A national wastewater surveillance program could offer a potentially cost-effective approach to track coronavirus across the U.S. population and provide early warning of an initial outbreak or a recurrence of the virus.
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a3351a10f7f5070f0451a651737c5020 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshuacohen/2020/11/06/on-healthcare-price-transparency-may-be-lasting-legacy-of-trump-administration/?sh=19291b757f63 | On Healthcare, Price Transparency May Be Lasting Legacy Of Trump Administration | On Healthcare, Price Transparency May Be Lasting Legacy Of Trump Administration
New York, New York - December 5, 2019: Administrator for the Centers of Medicare & Medicaid ... [+] Services, Seema Verma, attends the 2019 Forbes Healthcare Summit (Photo by Steven Ferdman/Getty Images) Getty Images
Establishing price transparency has been a cornerstone of the Trump Administration’s set of strategic initiatives to improve the functioning of the healthcare marketplace.
On October 29th, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) finalized its rule on health insurer price transparency. This may turn out to be the Trump Administration’s lasting legacy with respect to healthcare. This is not grandiose, like the promised repeal and replace of the Affordable Care Act, or the pledged overhaul of the prescription drug rebate system. Nevertheless, the rule represents an important step forward on the road towards improving the conditions under which the healthcare market operates.
The rule requires most private health insurers to begin posting their negotiated rates by 2022. Secretary Azar stated that the rule applies to health plans that cover approximately 200 million Americans who will soon have “real-time access to information about negotiated prices and cost-sharing, beginning with a list of the 500 most shoppable healthcare services in 2023.” In 2024, the rule will apply to every healthcare item and service.
In addition to the shopping tool, the rule’s provisions include requiring that health plans make pricing information publicly available through three data files starting on January 1, 2022. The first file will enumerate the in-network prices for all items and services and across all healthcare providers. The second file will list pricing for out-of-network healthcare providers. Finally, the third file will post in-network prices for all prescription drugs, as well as their historical net prices, which account for rebates and other discounts health plans and pharmacy benefit managers obtain.
Until now, patients receive cost estimates after services have been rendered, by way of an Explanation of Benefits form. But, with the new rule patients can obtain this information in advance to inform their choices of healthcare items, services, and providers.
Going back to 2018, the Trump Administration has issued several price transparency initiatives. In 2018, CMS published a rule requiring hospitals to post their chargemaster prices, which are list rates. Then, in 2019, CMS followed up by requiring that hospitals post their negotiated rates, or the prices insurers actually pay for services and technologies. This rule will go into effect on January 1, 2021.
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Seema Verma, Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), asserted that by introducing what she calls “free market principles“ the rule will enhance competition which will drive down costs by helping patients make better, more informed decisions.
The rule also permits health plans to incorporate “shared savings” payments in their medical loss ratio calculations. As a result, this will create incentives for health plans to encourage patients to shop for the best deal.
The hope expressed by top HHS officials is that over time cost data transparency will “empower patients to be value conscious healthcare consumers” by allowing them to compare costs and quality between healthcare providers and services.
However, the degree to which these changes actually impact patients’ decisions and their out-of-pocket spending remains to be seen. A patient’s out-of-pocket costs depend on insurance status, how generous their coverage is, and where they are in the deductible and coverage phases of their drug and medical benefits. Furthermore, for the sickest patients unable to make decisions on care having choices may be irrelevant. And even for well patients, processing information on different healthcare providers and services may be a daunting task.
Complicating matters, HHS may be faced with challenges on the rule’s legality, given the lack of precedent. Congress has never passed laws requiring this kind of transparency. Like several other Trump Administration initiatives, such as mandating price disclosure on direct-to-consumer advertisement, courts will have to consider whether these rules are permissible.
And, paradoxically, this rule along with several other important initiatives brought forth by the Trump Administration may be moot if the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is ruled unconstitional by the Supreme Court. The Court is hearing a landmark case this month that could lead to the ACA’s demise. The healthcare price transparency rule is contingent on the continued existence of the ACA, a law that the Trump Administration has asked the Supreme Court to eliminate. HHS has frequently exploited key features of the ACA, namely its creation of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, also known as the “Innovation Center,” to propose and implement important changes in price-setting and health insurance coverage. In the event the ACA is repealed, the price transparency initiative will likely go along with it, as well as other Administration initiatives.
Interestingly, a more consequential change to the healthcare market - prescription drug rebate reform - which the Trump Administration vowed to disrupt, remains elusive. Compelling PBMs to either forgo rebates entirely or pass them on directly to Medicare beneficiaries would have directly impacted out-of-pocket costs in a way that price transparency measures won’t. But despite an executive order issued in July of this year resurrecting a proposed change to Medicare Part D rebates first outlined in 2018 – a narrowing of the safe harbor for rebates under the anti-kickback statute - it’s unlikely at this point that any immediate action will take place to revamp the system.
In spite of the caveats, the healthcare price transparency rule is a welcome initiative, one that Verma and Azar have for several years worked hard on to accomplish. Surely, incremental progress in opening up the healthcare markets is better than remaining stuck in the status quo situation of opacity.
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9e24fb350d82f8ed65c82ad9f4db7392 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshuacohen/2020/12/01/us-and-french-high-courts-approach-coronavirus-restrictions-on-religious-services-very-differently/ | U.S. And French High Courts Approach Covid-19 Limits On Religious Gathering Sizes Very Differently | U.S. And French High Courts Approach Covid-19 Limits On Religious Gathering Sizes Very Differently
Chief Justice Roberts ASSOCIATED PRESS
Governor Cuomo of New York imposed specific limits on religious gathering sizes to stem the rise in coronavirus infections. However, last week the U.S. Supreme Court barred these restrictions on religious services.
As part of its effort to slow the spread of coronavirus, the French government issued attendance limits at religious services. On Sunday, rather than ruling to bar such restrictions, France’s highest administrative court - the Council of State - ordered that the government reconsider the 30-person attendance limit. The Council of State has demanded that Prime Minister Jean Castex modify the measure. Castex has until tomorrow to adjust the decision.
Unlike the U.S. Supreme Court, the French high court decision implicitly references the need to balance competing principles of public health and religious freedom.
French limits on the size of religious gatherings
In France, this past weekend, churches, mosques, synagogues, and other religious gathering sites were permitted to have congregations convene again for the first time in four weeks. On October 30th, France had imposed a stringent lockdown on secular and non-secular activities to slow the spread of coronavirus.
While the ban on religious gatherings was lifted, the government imposed a 30-person attendance limit at religious services. The gathering size restriction faced immediate opposition by places of worship and people of faith for being “arbitrary and unreasonable.” A number of Catholic bishops have declared they will not abide by it. According to the bishops, stores are open without similar limits. And, it is much more difficult to physically distance in shops than in churches. The Council of State concurs with the bishops, and suggests that the measure is “disproportionate” because the chance that “someone attending a religious service would become infected with the coronavirus is small.” However, rather than prohibiting all restrictions the Council has asked that the government justify the attendance limits and ensure secular and non-secular activities are treated alike before the law.
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New York’s limits on numbers attending religious services
In October, two federal judges upheld New York’s plan to temporarily limit the size of religious gatherings. This was after an emergency hearing in a lawsuit brought by rabbis and synagogues, arguing the restrictions are unconstitutional.
The rules had limited indoor prayer services to 10 people in so-called Covid-19 hot spots, or areas where the virus is spreading fastest. In other areas, indoor religious services were capped at 25 people.
The federal judges’ ruling stated that the state of New York had an interest in protecting public safety.
However, upon appeal by Orthodox Jewish synagogues and the Catholic diocese, last week, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the federal judges’ decision. The Supreme Court barred restrictions on religious services. The vote was 5 to 4, and newly appointed Justice Barrett played a decisive role.
In Justice Gorsuch’s majority opinion he argued that Governor Cuomo had treated secular activities more favorably than religious ones. But, as Justice Sotomayor noted, throughout the pandemic Cuomo has actually treated “houses of worship far more favorably,” because churches are allowed to remain open while many businesses, including movie theaters, concert halls, and sport arenas are closed.
In his dissenting opinion, Justice Roberts did make an explicit reference to public health by maintaining that “it is a significant matter to override determinations made by public health officials concerning what is necessary for public safety in the midst of a deadly pandemic.”
Ultimately, in backing the religious groups that raised objections to the size limits, the majority of Justices on the Supreme Court effectively ignored the public health aspect. They rendered an absolute judgment in favor of religious freedom.
Notably, there have been court decisions at the state and federal levels that have affirmed that freedom of religion in the U.S. is not an absolute right. This includes the federal court decision two months ago in New York to uphold the Governor’s limits on numbers of congregants attending religious services. Here, owing to exceptional circumstances, “general welfare” has taken precedence. This does not imply the absence of religious freedom, rather it accounts for a careful weighing of principles of public health and the safety of congregants, and freedom of religion. Because the state is “responsible for regulating harmful conduct, if there is disagreement between a religion and the state over some element of religious practices, civil law must be observed.” It would appear that the Covid-19 pandemic involving a known contagious and deadly pathogen is precisely such an instance.
The French Council of State, on the other hand - and curiously, Catholic bishops in France, who objected to the limits on church services - do reference science and public health. Specifically, the Council of State requires that gathering size limits have a scientific basis and not be more restrictive than secular activities. By contrast, the U.S. Supreme Court decision doesn’t reference science or public health. And, the majority opinion only mentions the Covid-19 pandemic in passing. Religious freedom is viewed seemingly as an absolute right, and therefore any restrictions are deemed unconstitutional.
There is of course a middle ground. By demanding that the government justify limits based on public health, the French Council of State is appealing to reason and compromise; ensure non-discriminatory application of public health measures and the use of non-arbitrary limits.
In reality, in such complex cases, there is a large gray area between having no restrictions whatsoever and completely banning non-secular or secular activities. It’s too bad the U.S. Supreme Court doesn’t see it that way.
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1865249e2909746dd724a186497d0ac3 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshuacohen/2020/12/07/us-healthcare-markets-lack-transparency-stakeholders-want-to-keep-it-that-way/ | U.S. Healthcare Markets Lack Transparency; Stakeholders Want To Keep It That Way | U.S. Healthcare Markets Lack Transparency; Stakeholders Want To Keep It That Way
Disconnection between dollars spent and outcomes achieved in the U.S. healthcare system Getty
The U.S. healthcare market, and pharmaceuticals in particular, does not work the way economists envision markets are supposed to. Asymmetries of information are omnipresent, first and foremost being the fact that healthcare providers know much more about diseases and treatments than patients. Furthermore, because most of the costs of treatments are paid for by third parties, patients and healthcare providers are unaware of their true costs.
The pricing of healthcare services and technologies that emerges from the maze of intermediaries and contracts, across a wide array of stakeholders, is arcane and inscrutable, even for experts in the field. Until there’s more transparency for all stakeholders in the healthcare marketplace inefficiencies will persist, leading to multiple market failures. The rather incredible variation in prices of the same healthcare service or technology - even in the same geographic region - points to stubbornly inefficient markets in the U.S.
What gives rise to market failure is the pervasive lack of transparency throughout the healthcare system, which compounds the asymmetry problem. And, several key stakeholders benefit from the confusion. It’s in their financial interest to keep the system opaque. Pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), for example, establish proprietary rebate schemes and co-pay accumulator programs that don’t necessarily benefit patients.
Prices for many medical services and technologies are considered trade secrets. Try calling your local hospital or health insurer and asking for the actual cost of a standard medical procedure. While charge master or list prices may be provided, you’re very likely to hear that transaction prices are proprietary information.
Stakeholders in the healthcare ecosystem claim that secrecy provides a certain competitive advantage. And so, they argue, the actual paid amounts for services and technologies need to remain confidential. Is this a ruse to make us believe stakeholders are working on our behalf? Well, it certainly seems that way. PBMs have invariably maintained the mantra that through secrecy they secure a competitive advantage. Though surely it helps to stave off competition, and not increase it, by blocking access to information.
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Although theoretically providers could misuse price transparency to leverage competitors’ negotiated rates and demand higher reimbursement rates, that concern has not materialized in the healthcare context, at least not in the limited cases in which transparency was legislated and its impacts examined. New Hampshire, for example, launched a website in 2007 that allows consumers with private insurance to compare healthcare costs and quality. This has given rise to increased competition.
For patients, the lack of transparency of plan benefit design has meant there’s little they can do to resist the slide in generousness of their benefits and corresponding increase in out-of-pocket expenditures. It’s said that the ultimate goal of any healthcare system is to serve patients and achieve improved outcomes for them. Well, it’s far from obvious that stakeholders involved in the payment end of the healthcare system prioritize patient care and outcomes.
From 2015 to 2020, patient out-of-pocket healthcare spending increased from $338 to $425 billion. It’s been empirically established that higher out-of-pocket costs - for example, deductibles, co-payments for physician visits, cost sharing for prescription drugs - can lead to poorer adherence to treatment. The rise in patient cost sharing for pharmaceuticals, especially in the form of co-insurance as a percentage of the list price of medically necessary products, such as insulin, has been well-documented.
Perhaps an even more egregious example is the cynically termed “benefit,” co-pay accumulators, the gains of which accrue to health plans, sponsors, and PBMs, not patients. Traditional benefit plan designs allow for manufacturer co-payment assistance to count toward a beneficiary’s deductible and overall out-of-pocket maximum. Co-pay accumulator programs, on the other hand, prevent manufacturer co-payment assistance contributions from counting towards a beneficiary’s deductible and maximum out-of-pocket spending limits.
Under an alternative version of accumulators - co-pay maximizer - the full value of the manufacturer’s co-payment program is applied evenly throughout the year. The two largest PBMs - CVS Caremark and Express Scripts - have each partnered with secretive, non-transparent companies to operate maximizer programs for their plan sponsor clients.
PBMs and payers maintain that co-payment assistance programs undermine their formulary design, and that precluding the use of co-payment assistance amounts from counting towards deductibles and out-of-pocket maximums helps restore a functioning formulary management system.
But, patients lose as a result of co-pay accumulators and maximizers - especially when on medically necessary specialty drugs - while payers gain. Besides negatively impacting patient’s out-of-pocket cost burden - by redirecting funds intended for the patient to the health plan - co-pay accumulator programs suffer from lack of transparency.
Third party intermediaries, such as PBMs, assist in mediating between buyers and sellers in the marketplace. However, for the end-user - the patient - there is little or no transparency regarding pricing and positioning of products on the formulary. Clarity in benefit design ought to be striven for, allowing beneficiaries to make informed choices about which health plan and formulary option to select.
Until getting sidetracked by the coronavirus pandemic, legislators in the House and Senate were attempting to do something about transparency of healthcare prices, from hospital billing practices to prescription drug rebates. But, in light of the pressing nature of the economic downturn and concerns with public health stemming from the Covid-19 crisis, pricing transparency has been moved to the back burner of legislative priorities.
Nevertheless, the Trump Administration has continued to pursue an opening up of the healthcare market. Indeed, establishing price transparency has been a cornerstone of the Trump Administration’s set of strategic initiatives to improve the functioning of the healthcare marketplace.
For example, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) enacted a rule requiring hospitals to disclose the prices they negotiate with insurers. On June 23rd, a federal district court affirmed this rule’s legality.
And on October 29th, HHS finalized its rule on health insurer price transparency. This may turn out to be the Administration’s lasting legacy with respect to healthcare. The rule requires most private health insurers to begin posting their negotiated rates by 2022. Specifically, the rule’s provisions require health plans to make pricing information publicly available through three data files. The first file will enumerate the in-network prices for all items and services and across all healthcare providers. The second file will list pricing for out-of-network healthcare providers. Finally, the third file will post in-network prices for all prescription drugs, as well as their historical net prices, which account for rebates and other discounts health plans and pharmacy benefit managers obtain.
Whether the Biden Administration continues down the path of unlocking healthcare price secrets remains to be seen. Though it behooves the incoming Administration to do all it can to address the universal lack of transparency in the U.S. healthcare system.
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a46d2b3387fa82329b1941e90ad77000 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshuacohen/2021/01/03/covid-19-vaccinations-bumpy-rollout-in-the-us/?sh=1cc90aa53ff6 | Covid-19 Vaccination’s Bumpy Rollout In The U.S. | Covid-19 Vaccination’s Bumpy Rollout In The U.S.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 23: Members of the FDNY EMS speak in the waiting area receiving the ... [+] coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine at the FDNY Fire Training Academy on Randall’s Island in New York City. Members of FDNY EMS were given doses of the Moderna coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine allotted for the department. The vaccine will not be mandatory for EMS workers or firefighters.(Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images) Getty Images
The latest figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) show that between 431,000 and 470,000 excess deaths have occurred since the Covid-19 pandemic began. An additional 200,000 deaths are projected by April.
Along with strong mitigation measures to curb the spread, vaccines are powerful tools that will enable us to subdue and eventually end the pandemic. Last month’s emergency use authorization of two vaccines offers real hope in this regard. But, availability of vaccines is not the same thing as actual uptake.
Trump Administration officials had previously predicted there would be 20 million first dose vaccinations by the end of December, but as of January 2nd, only about 4.2 million people have had their first dose, according to a CDC tracker.
At an average of 225,000 administered doses per day, the U.S. daily new infection total often exceeds the daily rate of first dose vaccinations.
It is encouraging that the pace of first dose vaccinations has picked up in recent days. Nonetheless, at the current daily level of uptake it’s going to take years to vaccinate the American people.
Is this a supply problem? A demand issue, such as vaccine hesitancy? Or both?
Clearly, there have been supply problems. Ten days ago, General Gustave Perna of Operation Warp Speed, said he took sole responsibility for confusion regarding allotment of the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine to states, shortly following its emergency use authorization by the Food and Drug Administration. More than a dozen governors complained that they had received far fewer doses than originally promised.
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Evidently, there are glaring demand issues as well. For instance, 60% of people working in nursing homes in Ohio are electing not to be vaccinated. This begs the question why taking a vaccine is elective for those working in nursing homes. Given that for many decades schools – primary, high school, and college - require proof of multiple vaccinations prior to enrollment, as do many employers in the private and public sectors, it’s puzzling that nursing homes wouldn’t require that caregivers be vaccinated for Covid-19.
Ultimately resolving supply and demand issues related to a public good like the Covid-19 vaccine requires adequate planning and logistics.
The Trump Administration purposely did not establish a national plan for the distribution and administration of vaccines. On December 29th, President Trump tweeted: “It is up to the States to distribute the vaccines once brought to the designated areas by the Federal Government.”
The logistics of the rollout have therefore largely been left up to states to navigate. But most states lack the capacity to properly administer the rollout. Moreover, hospitals and pharmacies are scrambling, trying to figure out where to set up vaccination sites. And, long-term care facilities are sorting out who can administer vaccinations, to whom, and where.
For quite some time, state and local public health officials have warned that they would need more than $8 billion in additional funding to create the infrastructure required to administer vaccines. Instead, the Trump Administration provided states with a paltry $340 million in funding to prepare for vaccinations. This implies that on average states have received less than $7 million each for vaccine readiness.
As Professor Jha, Dean of Brown University’s School of Public Health, lamented “the worst part is no real planning on what happens when vaccines arrive in states. No plan, just hope that states will figure this out.”
Perhaps this reflects a larger problem in the U.S. in which medical advances, such as the Covid-19 vaccines, capture an inordinate amount of attention from the media, the public, and politicians. But, ensuring breakthroughs are given to patients in a timely, efficient manner is equally important. Yet, this requires a universally well-functioning system to deliver care, which the U.S. doesn’t have. The federal government invests billions of dollars in the development of breakthroughs enterprise, but much less in the delivery side. The saying all breakthrough and no follow-through may be a slight exaggeration, but it gets the point across that there is insufficient investment in the follow-through part.
Many leaders have chimed in on the need for more federal involvement in follow-through, as certain issues like the Covid-19 pandemic are uniquely federal because of their interstate and international scope. Senator Romney (R – Utah) bemoaned the fact that comprehensive inoculation plans have not been developed at the federal level and sent to the states as models. He considers this “as incomprehensible as it is inexcusable.”
Sooner rather than later the nation is going to have to vaccinate people at a rate that’s much faster than the current pace of infections. President-elect Biden is pushing for 100 million vaccinations in his first 100 days, which he said would require a pace five to six times as fast as is currently the case.
Perhaps the Biden Administration can learn from Israel’s warp speed inoculation of its population.* Israel’s daily vaccination rate of nearly 2% of the population is astonishing. Israel has already vaccinated 12% of the population, including 42% of people over the age of 60. By comparison, it was pointed that Israel, with roughly the same population as New York City, has at least 10 times as many people.
While vaccinating round the clock, the Israeli government is simultaneously carrying out an extensive public education campaign against anti-vax dis- and misinformation.
As a relatively small nation with a national health insurance and patient registration system Israel has a distinct comparative advantage. Nevertheless, there are other small countries with similar health insurance and patient registration systems which are not (yet) doing nearly as well.
Several European countries, for example, haven’t even begun to vaccinate, including the Netherlands. It appears, however that government officials there as well as other European nations want to first ensure that they’ve got an executable plan in place for comprehensive, mass vaccinations of priority groups to take place safely in, among other sites, long-term care facilities, hospitals, clinics, arenas, convention centers, school gyms, and libraries.
Covid-19 vaccines are public goods. As such, their appropriate distribution isn’t governed by free market principles. Ideally, inoculation programs are informed by a system carefully planned by federal and state authorities for distributing vaccines as effectively and equitably as possible. A lesson to be drawn from the bumpy rollout is that prior to vaccine emergency use authorization there ought to have been a comprehensive distribution plan that included continuous federal assistance to help states establish and maintain a robust vaccination infrastructure.
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a97df01509e095269a10d598d0a077da | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshuacohen/2021/01/08/the-grimmest-days-of-the-covid-19-pandemic-coincide-with-the-most-severe-forms-of-rationing/ | The Grimmest Days Of The Covid-19 Pandemic Coincide With The Most Severe Forms Of Rationing | The Grimmest Days Of The Covid-19 Pandemic Coincide With The Most Severe Forms Of Rationing
LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 08: A patient arrives by ambulance at the Royal London hospital on January ... [+] 8, 2021 in London, England. London Mayor Sadiq Khan has warned that "if we do not take immediate action now, our NHS could be overwhelmed and more people will die" as cases of Covid-19 in the capital skyrocket. There are currently 7,034 people in London hospitals with COVID-19, over a third higher than the first peak of the pandemic in spring 2020. (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images) Getty Images
The second wave of Covid-19 is proving to be the deadliest. This week, the U.S. has had three days in succession of record numbers of Covid-19 deaths. The daily death tally swelled to more than 4,000, with numbers of hospitalizations also reaching record levels at more than 133,000. Daily increases in caseload have also been staggeringly high. While vaccines offer the prospect that better days lie ahead sometime later this year, the reality is that we are currently in the grimmest phase of the pandemic.
For a plethora of reasons the rate of vaccinations has been insufficient to this point in time to have a significant impact. And so, with hospitals running at or near capacity in many areas, hospital administrators and physicians in the U.S. - as in many other nations - are grappling with extremely difficult choices. They are determining who can be treated and who can’t.
As Covid-19 continues to overwhelm California hospitals, Los Angeles County officials are doing what they previously deemed unthinkable: Explicit rationing of medical supplies, including oxygen and drug treatments, and ICU space.
The Los Angeles Emergency Medical Services Agency has also instructed emergency responders to limit the use of supplemental oxygen and not transport patients who cannot be revived.
In the event a crisis level of care is declared - which appears to be imminent - the Los Angeles county’s four public hospitals are also preparing to designate specially appointed “triage officers” who would decide which patients are likely to benefit from continued treatment in hospital and which are not. As case numbers in Southern California continue their seemingly inexorable rise, the use of triage officers will surely be brought to bear.
In London, Mayor Sadiq Khan said today that one in 30 Londoners now has coronavirus. “We will run out of beds for patients in the next couple of weeks unless the spread of the virus slows down drastically.” The occupancy of hospital beds is nearing 100%. Indeed, as a whole the National Health Service (NHS) in Britain is under the most intense pressure it has experienced yet during this pandemic.
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All this is happening as the new B.1.1.7 variant of the coronavirus is leading to exponential growth in cases in the U.K. The Imperial College in London has researched the B.1.1.7 variant and calculated that it’s as much as 70% more contagious than the previously dominant variant. This has caused the R0, or reproduction number, to rise by between 0.4 and 0.7. Accordingly, this explains the almost vertical ascent in cases in recent weeks in Britain. At the beginning of December, the number of daily new coronavirus cases was around 13,000. This week the average daily number exceeds 60,000.
In light of this, four days ago Prime Minister Boris Johnson declared the strictest lockdown yet deployed. It is an enforceable stay-at-home order, which bans people from mixing with other households, and prohibits people from leaving their homes for anything other than essential activities. Police will break up public gatherings and fine people found violating the rules. Universities, most schools, and all shops, gyms, and places of worship are closed until mid-February.
Rationing in the Context of Covid-19
In the 1930s, the British economist Lionel Robbins defined economics as “the science which studies human behavior as a relationship between ends and scarce means which have alternative uses.”
This definition encapsulates the essence of allocation decisions. For an economist the ends are different from a hospital decision-maker or physician. But, ultimately, no matter what the ends, decisions must be made about how to allocate scarce resources with alternate uses.
There are multiple such scarce resources for critically ill Covid-19 patients, including ventilators, oxygen, drug treatments, and ICU space. Invariably, the question is how to allocate such scarce resources. Should allocation go towards patients in the greatest need or those most likely to benefit? Or should age or disability be a factor? Alternatively, should a patient’s profession or status be taken into consideration? These are the kinds of questions triage officers in Los Angeles and London will be faced with.
Americans may not like the word rationing. But, like all other healthcare systems the U.S. rations, and not just in circumstances such as the Covid-19 pandemic. Most healthcare rationing in the U.S. is implicit rather than explicit. For example, access to private health insurance is rationed on availability of employer-sponsored coverage and price of premiums.
In addition, private health insurers ration, but do so implicitly. For example, they may, under cover of vaguely worded “medical necessity” clauses, deny coverage of treatments, remove drugs from formulary, raise out-of-pocket patient cost-sharing which could make certain medical therapies un-affordable for some, or impose onerous conditions of reimbursement, such as prior authorization, step edits, and indication restrictions.
By contrast, Britain’s NHS has always been quite explicit and transparent about rationing of healthcare services. In this regard, having to now explicitly make, implement, and justify hard choices regarding which critically ill Covid-19 patients to care for will not be entirely foreign to those involved in the decision-making.
In the context of Covid-19, it turns out, for instance, that from the outset of the pandemic the use of intensive care services for Covid-19 patients has consistently been limited in Britain to those “reasonably certain” to survive. Furthermore, ventilator treatment is not considered “in many elderly patients’ best interests.”
Until the vaccination rollout improves dramatically, stronger mitigation measures are adopted, and the effects of such policies are felt, the continued extremely elevated level of new caseload of infections will lead to situations like the ones being experienced in the Los Angeles area, as well as Greater London.
What this implies is that hospital administrators and clinicians will be placed in an especially uncomfortable role of being the ones rationing care, effectively granting death sentences to some. Not every patient can be helped, and this of course will also include non-Covid-19 patients as lack of ICU space applies to them as well.
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d4f1b15abf77a96269a648016ef5a41f | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshuacohen/2021/01/17/hhs-regulations-with-enduring-impact-on-pricing-and-reimbursement-of-medical-services-and-technologies/?sh=18210b3d55f5 | HHS Regulations With Enduring Impact On Pricing And Reimbursement Of Medical Services And Technologies | HHS Regulations With Enduring Impact On Pricing And Reimbursement Of Medical Services And Technologies
Seema Verma, Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, speaks with an ... [+] attendee during an Operation Warp Speed vaccine summit at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2020. Photographer: Al Drago/Bloomberg © 2020 Bloomberg Finance LP
The Trump Administration’s grandiose healthcare plans didn’t come to fruition, like the promised repeal and replace of the Affordable Care Act, the pledged overhaul of the prescription drug rebate system, and international price indexing for Medicare Part B (physician-administered) drugs. Yet, Secretary Azar’s Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Administrator Verma’s Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) have implemented a number of high-profile regulations that will likely have a lasting impact on the pricing and reimbursement of medical services and technologies.
For well over a decade, policymakers have declared the healthcare system is moving towards value-based pricing of medical services and technologies. Nonetheless, the movement from volume- to a value-based system of pricing has occurred at a snail’s pace, especially in the pharmaceutical and device sectors. Numerous barriers have prevented value-based pricing from being implemented; among others, the Medicaid best price rule, lack of billing and pricing transparency, and the complex and often archaic pricing and reimbursement of medical devices and diagnostics.
The Department of HHS has tackled these issues - with CMS spearheading much of the effort - and come up with a series of regulation changes.
Medicaid Best Price
In late December 2020, CMS issued a final rule change to adapt Medicaid’s best price regulation to the modern era of value-based pricing. Rather than only allowing one best price for each drug covered by Medicaid, CMS is permitting arrangements in which there can be more than one price for a drug.
In 1990, Congress established the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program. In exchange for guaranteeing their drugs are reimbursed by Medicaid, pharmaceutical manufacturers must pay rebates to states. Since 1990, the statutory Medicaid rebate ensures that states obtain rebates for brand-name drugs of 23.1% of the Average Manufacturer Price (AMP), or the difference between the AMP and the “best price,” whichever is greater. Here, best price is defined as the lowest available price to any wholesaler, retailer, or provider, excluding certain government programs, such as the Department of Veteran Affairs program.
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The best price stipulation can hamper efforts by manufacturers and payers to experiment with value-based contracting arrangements. Suppose a manufacturer offers a payer a money-back guarantee in case a treatment it’s selling is ineffective. This implies the possibility of a Medicaid best price of zero dollars if the treatment fails to work, which in turn would require that the drug be given away free of charge to every state Medicaid program.
The CMS rule aims to facilitate value-based outcome deals between payers and drugmakers, which until now have seen relatively little uptake, due in part to the best price regulation barrier. The new rule, which may go into effect as soon as March 1, 2021, allows manufacturers to report multiple “best prices” for a therapy if the prices are tied to one or more value-based pricing arrangements. Specifically, in determining their best price of a product, manufacturers can “proportionally allocate the discounts provided under a value-based pricing arrangement, based on actual patient outcomes across the total dollar value of the drugs dispensed to all patients under that arrangement.” Alternatively, manufacturers may report a best price range, depending on the different discounts incorporated in the value-based pricing arrangement.
Critics of the regulation change have urged CMS to “protect and strengthen the statutory discounts drug manufacturers pay to Medicaid.” Specifically, there is concern that the changes would imply removal of guarantee best price discounts, critical to ensuring affordability of prescription drugs to the Medicaid program.
Although CMS says the intent of value-based contracting agreements is to lower drug prices, the government acknowledges this is not guaranteed. In reality, value-based contracting arrangements are not necessarily aimed at lowering prices. They’re more subtle than that; they’re about aligning price and value.
In announcing the regulation change, CMS Administrator Seema Verma has made it clear that the new rule is to be viewed as a tool which facilitates value-based pricing arrangements. These “tools shift us away from our typical negotiations around drug pricing - which are usually volume-based [towards] … having negotiations around outcomes.”
Price Transparency
From the outset of the Trump Administration, establishing price transparency has been a cornerstone of the Department of HHS’s set of strategic initiatives to improve the functioning of the healthcare marketplace.
In October 2020, HHS finalized a rule on health insurer price transparency. The rule requires most private health insurers to begin posting their negotiated rates by 2022. Secretary Azar stated that the rule applies to health plans that cover approximately 200 million Americans who will soon have “real-time access to information about negotiated prices and cost-sharing, beginning with a list of the 500 most shoppable healthcare services in 2023.” In 2024, the rule will apply to every healthcare item and service.
In addition to the shopping tool, the rule’s provisions include requiring that health plans make pricing information publicly available through three data files starting on January 1, 2022. The first file will enumerate the in-network prices for all items and services and across all healthcare providers. The second file will list pricing for out-of-network healthcare providers. Finally, the third file will post in-network prices for all prescription drugs, as well as their historical net prices, which account for rebates and other discounts health plans and pharmacy benefit managers obtain.
And, on January 1st of this year, a new CMS rule went into effect requiring hospitals to publish the prices (estimates) they negotiate with insurers for at least 300 “shoppable” various medical procedures. Previously, these prices had been proprietary. Prices (estimates) of these items must now be provided upfront in an easy-to-read format, so patients can shop around for what they perceive to be the best value.
Medicare Coverage of Innovative Technology
On January 12, 2021 CMS finalized a Medicare Coverage of Innovative Technology (MCIT) rule that seeks to eliminate the lag between Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of medical devices designated with “breakthrough” status, and CMS approval based on a “reasonable and necessary” determination for the purpose of Medicare coverage decisions.
The MCIT rule provides immediate Medicare coverage for all devices approved by the FDA as a “breakthrough” for an initial period of four years. During this time period, manufacturers are expected to develop robust real-world evidence. They can submit this data to CMS prior to the end of the four year period to ensure continued full coverage of their medical devices.
Critics of the MCIT rule have countered that without evidence on the impact of breakthrough devices on real-world outcomes, offering automatic coverage following FDA approval may not be warranted. It also restricts the leverage payers have since prices can be set independent of value added.
However, perhaps CMS was trying to rectify a situation in which many diagnostics and devices have faced numerous pricing and reimbursement challenges over the years; more so than prescription drugs. For molecular diagnostics, for example, cost-based reimbursement or code stacking - adding up the cost of each discrete step needed to perform a particular test - has limited the ability of manufacturers to set prices in accordance with value.
In recent years, CMS has not only approved coverage and payment for a large number of innovative medical diagnostics and devices, such as continuous glucose monitors for diabetics, it has also bolstered reimbursement rates for products deemed to be of high value. For instance, CMS has provided an add-on Medicare payment for equipment and supplies that can be used in the home for dialysis treatment of patients with End-Stage Renal Disease.
According to departing CMS Administrator, Seema Verma, the “actions CMS has taken over the last four years will revolutionize healthcare for generations to come and will transform healthcare for every American patient. They represent a true turning point and will have an enduring effect.”
It remains to be seen how revolutionary these steps are. Nevertheless, under Azar and Verma’s stewardship, HHS and CMS have pursued an ambitious policy agenda on transparency, drug pricing, and medical device reimbursement, one the Biden Administration is unlikely to abandon.
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2d41e78b0f890aea0fb0fc5743b2e109 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshuacohen/2021/01/22/president-bidens-plan-to-tame-covid-19-faces-considerable-challenges/ | President Biden’s Plan To Tame Covid-19 Faces Formidable Challenges | President Biden’s Plan To Tame Covid-19 Faces Formidable Challenges
WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 21: U.S. President Joe Biden signs executive orders as Vice President ... [+] Kamala Harris looks on during an event at the State Dining Room of the White House January 21, 2021 in Washington, DC. President Biden delivered remarks on his administration’s COVID-19 response, and signed executive orders and other presidential actions. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) Getty Images
The Covid-19 pandemic continues to ravage the U.S. While daily new cases and hospitalizations have declined from their peaks 10 days ago, they’re still exceptionally elevated. Daily recorded deaths hit a record high this week of 4,409. New variants of the novel coronavirus, such as the B.1.1.7 variant, pose an additional threat to the ability to contain the pandemic.
President Biden’s top healthcare priority is taming Covid-19, and so far he is doing so by way of executive orders accompanied by a roadmap.
In a 200-page document released Thursday called “National Strategy for the Covid-19 Response and Pandemic Preparedness,” the Biden Administration provides a fairly comprehensive framework for how it will deal with the pandemic.
The plan contains five broad objectives:
Vaccinate 100 million people in 100 days Address supply gaps Enforce masking Reduce racial and ethnic disparities Reopen schools safely
These are lofty goals. As is invariably the case, the devil is in the details; specifically how the Biden Administration intends to reach those goals. Implementation will face considerable challenges.
While the vaccination rate has started to accelerate in recent weeks, the rollout has been bumpy since the approval of two vaccines in December. The logistical hurdles for vaccine manufacturing, distribution and prioritizing vaccination of at-risk groups are immense, especially in a federal system in which states have substantial autonomy and supplies are now running short.
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The Biden Administration has stated it will invoke the Defense Production Act if necessary to expand vaccine supplies. And, to fulfill the pledge of 100 million vaccinations in 100 days, the federal government can mobilize pharmacies and utilize the Federal Emergency Management Agency to add mass community vaccination sites. But, these measures will take time to yield the desired results.
In order to address the disproportionate and severe impact of Covid-19 on communities of color and other under-served populations, Biden has signed an executive order. The action is aimed at remedying disparities in Covid-19 healthcare and outcomes. However, meeting the goal of a more equitable distribution will be extraordinarily difficult. To illustrate, preliminary data from states show that while Black and Latino people represent a disproportionate number of Covid-19 cases and deaths, they are getting vaccinated in disproportionately smaller numbers than Caucasians. In all 16 states that report Covid-19 vaccination data by race and ethnicity, the share of vaccinations among Blacks is smaller than their share of cases. There are multiple reasons for this, including vaccine hesitancy and inadequate community outreach, both of which will require steadfast and long-term commitment to improved communication and engagement with communities at the local level.
The Biden Administration recognizes that relying solely on vaccines to end the pandemic won’t suffice. The new message from the Department of Health and Human Services reflects this, as it depicts a person saying: “So, I’m masking up, avoiding crowds, staying at least six feet apart from others, and not socializing indoors with people I don’t live with. Vaccines can help, but so can I.”
However, in terms of executive action, thus far, the Biden Administration has been singularly focused on masks as a preventive measure. The President signed an order requiring mask-wearing in federal facilities as well as airports, public transportation, trains, ships, and airplanes. Needless to say, this was largely a symbolic action. Masks are already being worn nearly universally on federal property and public transit, on Amtrak trains, in airports, and on airplanes.
More importantly, masks alone are not a panacea. While the executive order on masks mentions social distancing in passing, it is silent on gathering size restrictions, guidance on non-essential activities, household visitor policies, and (international) travel quarantines.
Also, the mask mandate is very limited in scope in that it doesn’t pertain to non-federal property. With only narrow federal authority at his disposal, Biden must convince non-federal officials - state and local governments - and ordinary Americans to wear masks to help curb the spread of the coronavirus. To this end, the White House is “directing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to provide specific evidence-based guidance for how to turn the dial up or down relative to the level of risk and degree of viral spread in a community.”
New guidance should be forthcoming soon in the form of recommendations to states on when to open or close businesses and schools, impose gathering size restrictions, and issue stay-at-home orders.
Consistent compliance with such guidance will be a tall order as many states and municipalities are opposed to (re)imposing restrictions.
Yet, to win the battle against Covid-19, the Biden Administration will need to accelerate vaccine production and distribution and, equally important, persuade many more people nationwide to change their behavior.
Full coverage and live updates on the Coronavirus
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a0aef2cd05a2bb08d44dfab9e3129b01 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshuacohen/2021/02/01/bidens-healthcare-agenda-in-2021-shoring-up-the-affordable-care-act/?sh=1228521d39a4 | Biden’s Healthcare Agenda In 2021: Shoring Up The Affordable Care Act | Biden’s Healthcare Agenda In 2021: Shoring Up The Affordable Care Act
President Joe Biden signs executive actions in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, ... [+] D.C., U.S., on Thursday, Jan. 28, 2021. Biden will make it easier for Americans to buy health insurance during the pandemic, reopening the federal Obamacare marketplace for open enrollment between February 15th and May 15th. Photographer: Doug Mills/The New York Times/Bloomberg © 2021 Bloomberg Finance LP
On Thursday, January 28th, President Biden signed an executive order that will direct the federal government to open a special enrollment period from February 15 to May 15 for Affordable Care Act (ACA) exchanges that serve 36 states. This measure is designed to boost coverage for people who are uninsured. Several of the 14 states which manage their own marketplaces had already reopened enrollment.
It’s unclear how meaningful the measure will turn out to be. Last year, when a number of states ran an extra enrollment period, numbers of new sign-ups were fairly modest.
However, the executive order does tie into what will presumably be the focus of the Biden Administration early on; shoring up the ACA.
For those hoping for a radical overhaul of the U.S. healthcare system - Medicare for All, for example - they’re not going to be that enthusiastic about the Biden Administration’s proposals. Nevertheless, instrumental changes to public programs, including the ACA, Medicare, and public health, are in the offing.
With the Democrats in (narrow) control of the House and Senate, Biden may be able to pursue key items contained in his healthcare agenda. The key pillars of Biden’s healthcare roadmap include:
Fortifying the ACA, which includes augmenting the law with a public option; Expanding ACA for lower-income Americans in non-Medicaid expansion states; Introducing legislation on Medicare for More; Revitalizing public health.
Here, the common theme is improving people’s access to health insurance. In a survey conducted in 2019, nearly 75% of the approximately 30 million uninsured cited the high cost of health insurance as the main barrier to obtaining coverage. This problem has been further compounded by the Covid-19 pandemic. As a result of an economic implosion in 2020, the number of uninsured has risen. The Commonwealth Fund estimated that as many as 15 million people may have lost employer-sponsored health coverage. Some will have found alternate coverage through another job, Medicaid, a state insurance exchange, or the federal ACA marketplace.
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Notably, a second item in the executive order on establishing a special open enrollment period is the resumption of federal funding for advertising and outreach. The Trump Administration had cut such funding. With increased advertising more unemployed people will likely seek alternate coverage on the federal ACA exchange.
However, what Biden has proposed but cannot do by way of executive order is reinforce the ACA. For example, during the campaign Biden proposed a cap on marketplace premiums at 8.5% at all income levels. This could be a game-changer in terms of spurring enrollment. Yet, it would have to go through a legislative process. Likewise, Congress would have to pass proposals to increase the size of premium tax credits, eliminate the 400% of federal poverty level cap on tax credit eligibility, and reduce deductibles and co-payments for subsidized beneficiaries.
It’s probable that Biden will want to bring back the penalty attached to the ACA’s individual mandate, requiring people to have health insurance, reversing its elimination as part of the December 2017 Tax Cut legislation. Biden has said he would like to reinstate the penalty for not being covered. While he might do this through issuing an executive order, alternatively Congress could amend the legislation to reinsert the penalty into the existing ACA law.
During the campaign, the Biden team emphasized what it perceived as the need to strengthen the ACA with a public option. Here, Americans would have a choice of signing up for a “Medicare-like” plan or maintaining their private coverage. Anyone without insurance could be automatically enrolled. The public option could serve as an affordable option for individuals who are unable to obtain private coverage or aren’t satisfied with their current insurance. Details haven’t yet emerged on the costs of adding a public option, how much such plans would reimburse hospitals and healthcare providers, and whether hospitals and physicians would be required to accept all patients with public option coverage.
At the same time, Biden has proposed a substantial expansion to ACA, specifically adding approximately five million people living in the 14 states that decided not to expand Medicaid. These are mostly individuals who earn too much to be eligible for Medicaid, but too little to afford their own insurance.
And then there’s Biden’s Medicare for More proposal, which aims to expand Medicare by lowering the age of eligibility to 60. It’s estimated that approximately 20 million more Americans would be eligible for Medicare. Enrolling in Medicare between the ages of 60 and 64 would be voluntary. Employers would be prohibited from dropping newly Medicare-eligible persons from their plans. Premium and cost-sharing subsidies would be offered to lower-income beneficiaries.
Ideally, adding relatively healthy, younger people to Medicare’s risk pool would reduce per capita costs in the Medicare program. Correspondingly, removing some middle-aged adults from marketplace risk pools could make health insurance more affordable for younger adults.
As a backdrop to changes that are hoped to yield more equitable access to healthcare coverage, the Biden Administration has also made it clear it will prioritize public health. This is partly in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. For example, as part of the recovery plan unveiled by then President-elect Biden in mid-January, 100,000 public health workers would do vaccine outreach. But, more importantly, the Administration is aiming for improved sustainability of public health moving forward; a revitalization of a neglected area of healthcare.
The Covid-19 pandemic has caused U.S. life expectancy to plummet by 1.3 years in 2020. And, the long-term trend for life expectancy in the U.S. has been dismal for quite some time.
The Biden Administration looks to improve pandemic preparedness, and at the same time ameliorate socioeconomic determinants of health, such as nutrition, education, housing, and certain social supports.
All these healthcare reforms won’t be cheap. The total cost of Biden’s proposal is estimated to be $750 billion over the next 10 years, which would be paid for by repealing tax cuts for the wealthy and raising the top income tax rate to its previous level of 39.6%. With a newly austere Republican Party, costs could prove to be a major stumbling block. Even a number of conservative Democrats may balk at the price tag.
It remains to be seen how much the Biden Administration is willing to forge a compromise to reach a deal. Regardless, revamping the healthcare system - ACA and public health, in particular - will be a priority of the new Administration in 2021.
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55749ea9c346e007fa1926e4853aff19 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshuadines/2018/03/14/tiger-woods-is-back-but-for-how-long/ | After Tiger Woods' Strong Finish, A Look Back At The Surgery That Got Him Here | After Tiger Woods' Strong Finish, A Look Back At The Surgery That Got Him Here
Tiger Woods on the 13th hole of the final round of the Valspar Championship on March 11 in Palm... [+] Harbor, Florida. (Photo by Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
In the wake of Tiger Woods’ second-place finish at the Valspar Championship in Florida, many people in the golfing community are wondering how he was able to return to such a high level of play after his most recent back surgery, last April.
When he announced that he had undergone an anterior lumbar interbody fusion, many thought that his competitive golf career was over. It was his fourth back surgery since March 2014, which involved removing the L5-S1 intervertebral disc and then inserting fusion material to connect the L5 and S1 vertebrae. Although he has apparently recovered quite well from the operation, this surgery is quite rare among professional golfers. Only one other PGA player, Dudley Hart, had had a fusion in the same location as Woods.
So how common are spinal fusions for golfers? How is the surgery performed? What is the normal recovery timeline?
The two most common back surgeries performed for golfers are the lumbar discectomy and lumbar fusions. For the purposes of this post, I will focus on the minimally invasive lumbar fusion since it is most relevant to Woods’ case. Woods’ particular fusion took place where the fifth spinal vertebrae meets the first vertebrae of the sacrum, which is an area where there is almost no rotation. The material inserted between the vertebrae is designed to adhere and harden, preventing more disc fragments or fluid leakage from contacting the nerves in the area. It is the compression or irritation of the nerves that causes the severe back and/or leg pain as well as potential numbness and weakness in the legs.
A benefit, particularly as it relates to golfers, of performing the fusion via an anterior approach is that it spares the large muscles of the back that are critical to the golf swing, which potentially makes the recovery for athletes a bit easier.
In order for the bone graft and fusion to solidify, internal and external immobilization is required. Internally, there are metal screws and rods placed to augment the fusion and act as a brace to maximize stiffness in the region. Externally, the athlete would wear a brace for three months after the surgery.
During the first 12 weeks, activity is limited to walking only. At this point, X-rays are obtained to verify that the fusion (bone healing) process is progressing as would be expected. From weeks 12 to 16, a light stretching regimen is recommended, which involves abdominal and low-back muscle stretching. After 24 weeks, the athlete may begin practicing with putting, chipping and short wedge shots, progressively working up to full swings with irons and woods over the ensuing four to six weeks.
By eight months after surgery, golfers can typically be playing full rounds, although often a cart is used instead of walking to help take some stress off the back. Throughout the recovery period after surgery, stretching and core/low-back strengthening is critical.
Although there is very little literature describing the relationship between lumbar fusion recovery and golf, a study on 34 golfers found 77% were able to play the same amount of golf as before fusion surgery, or more. Unfortunately, these were not professional golfers, who need to hit thousands of balls a month to stay competitive and whose swing speeds are way above 100 miles per hour. While the stresses generated on the lower back during the golf swing by average golfers are significant, the forces generated, repeatedly, by Woods' swings are astronomical.
For me, Woods' runner-up finish this past weekend made for one of the most exciting golf tournaments that I have watched over the last few years. My only concern is how long the fusion will hold up to allow Woods to play at the level he was at for years. We can only hope it is a long time, as his being relevant on Sundays is the best thing for the sport.
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dfcdb4fd2c1ddf6681fde924379ca2c2 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshuadines/2018/04/02/steph-curry-and-royals-salvador-perez-out-with-knee-mcl-injuries-could-biologic-injections-help/ | Stephen Curry And Salvador Perez Are Out With Similar MCL Injuries, But Timetables Look Different | Stephen Curry And Salvador Perez Are Out With Similar MCL Injuries, But Timetables Look Different
The Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry in 2016. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
Stephen Curry is out again with an injury, and this time his right ankle isn't the problem.
On March 23 against the Atlanta Hawks — Curry's first game back from a right ankle sprain that had caused him to miss six games — he sprained the medial collateral ligament in his left knee when his teammate JaVale McGee jumped for a block attempt and fell on his leg. An MRI the next day showed a Grade 2 MCL sprain, and Curry was expected to be re-evaluated in three weeks.
Demonstrating that these aren’t always contact injuries, the Kansas City Royals’ five-time All-Star Salvador Perez suffered a similar injury when carrying a suitcase upstairs in his home on March 27, after the Royals had returned from spring training. Perez heard a “pop” and immediately called Royals trainer Nick Kenney, who advised him to ice the knee and come in for an MRI the next day. The result of the exam was a Grade 2 MCL injury.
Neither athlete will require surgery for the injury, but given the different requirements of their sports and where they stand in their seasons, will the recovery times be different?
The MCL is on the inner part of the knee, but outside the joint itself. It connects the top of the tibia (leg bone) to the bottom of the femur (thigh bone), and provides stability and strength to the knee joint. MCL injuries are often caused by a direct hit to the knee, which is common in contact sports such as basketball and football. MCL injuries are classified by severity:
Grade 1: least severe; the ligament has been stretched, but not torn. Grade 2: moderately severe; the ligament has been partially torn, causing instability to the knee joint. Grade 3: more severe; the ligament has been completely torn, causing significant knee instability.
Diagnosis is made by a physical exam, during which a valgus stress is applied to the knee. In layman’s terms, this means applying a force from the outside the knee, by bending and putting pressure on the outside of the joint, to see if there is pain or a sense of laxity on the inside of the knee. An MCL injury would be indicated if the the inner knee is “loose” or unstable during these tests. An MRI is used to confirm the diagnosis and help classify the degree of injury.
Treatment is predicated on the degree of the injury. The first steps, in all scenarios, center on reducing the pain and stabilizing the knee. This involves frequent icing to reduce inflammation, elevation of the knee above heart level to reduce swelling, and compression. A brace is used to protect the knee to avoid more valgus stress being applied, and crutches are used to keep weight off of the injured knee. The second phase of the rehabilitation process involves physical therapy to improve strength and range of motion. Only Grade 3 injuries typically require surgery.
Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez during a spring training game in March. (AP Photo/Ross D.... [+] Franklin)
Recovery timelines vary depending on the severity of injury. Grade 1 injuries are similar to routine ankle sprains in that they usually take only a few days to heal. Grade 2 MCL sprains typically take four to six weeks to heal.
With that in mind, Warriors Coach Steve Kerr said on March 25 that “there’s no way” Curry will be ready to return to the team in time for the start of the 2018 playoffs on April 14. Clearly, since we are talking about the playoffs, Curry will do everything he can to safely speed up the timetable. Maybe the use of biologic injections such as platelet-rich plasma (PRP) or stem cells is being considered.
With a PRP procedure, a sample of one’s own blood is spun in a centrifuge to concentrate the growth factors or healing factors. The PRP is then injected to the site of injury with the goal of improving the healing process. Although there isn't great data to prove that biologics speed up healing, it may be worth a shot (pardon the pun) because even if it gets Curry back only a day or two sooner, that could be a huge help to the Warriors.
The Royals will likely take a slightly more conservative approach with Perez because their season is just starting. Even if he misses the first six to eight weeks, there would still be more than 110 games left. The last thing the Royals want to do is rush him back too soon, only to lead to a reinjury of the ligament, making it something that bothers Perez throughout the season.
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0924257ff4f785f42662214872c90333 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshuadudley/2019/04/30/the-bible-recap-podcast-aims-to-talk-through-the-entire-bible-in-a-year/ | 'The Bible Recap' Podcast Aims To Talk Through The Entire Bible In A Year | 'The Bible Recap' Podcast Aims To Talk Through The Entire Bible In A Year
The Bible Recap by D-Group
Johannes Gutenberg famously invented the printing press in order to print the Bible and make the word of God more widely accessible. Since then, Christians have often been quick adopters of new technology and so it's somewhat surprising that there hasn't been a podcast that reads the entire Bible to you. Into that Bible shaped hole comes The Bible Recap hosted by Tara-Leigh Cobble, a daily podcast that aims to read through the entire Bible in a year and since its first episode on January 1 has reached over 2 million downloads.
The podcast is an extension of D-Group, a nationwide community-focused Christian discipleship group with dozens of locations all across the U.S. and scattered across four other continents as well. Tara-Leigh founded the group ten years ago in someone's living room out of a desire to read the Bible more and to have others come alongside her and hold her accountable in her passionate pursuit of joy in knowing who God is.
D-Group has always encouraged daily Bible reading for its members, but Tara-Leigh discovered that a lot of them weren't connecting with the text or its overall meta-narrative. Her idea to solve this problem was to teach through the Bible day by day following the story chronologically so it can be more plainly seen how it fits together. She reasoned that daily devotionals take things out of context and "you get a bite-sized chunk that makes you feel good about yourself, but you don't have any idea what the verses were saying in their original context."
D-Group and the Bible Recap follow a one-year chronological reading plan on the Bible app that is available in many languages. Tara-Leigh says its a great way for people around the world to do the same Bible reading plan, no matter what language they speak, or what version they read, as long as they have a smartphone or a computer. They even have a printable version for older people and for those without access to technology so they can see in advance what they're going to read.
The response to the podcast has far surpassed her modest expectations and is now much bigger than D-Group in size and influence. Tara-Leigh has heard that entire churches and Christian schools are doing it together, homeschool parents are reading it to their kids, husbands and wives are following along and "just all kinds of cool connections that we didn't anticipate" she says.
Tara-Leigh says she was very surprised that there wasn't another podcast already doing this. She found some that do similar things like recapping a Bible story or teaching on a theme from scripture and she's happy to link to those other podcasts in the show notes, but no one was doing a daily Bible reading podcast. After discovering the exhausting workload involved she says can begin to see why. She says that the seven minutes a day of the average episode translates to about five to six hours of work for her and the ten person team every day. That time is not only writing, recording, editing and producing but research as well. To prepare she usually reads the days passage in different versions of the bible like the ESV and Matthew Henry commentaries as well looking through Greek and Hebrew resources when she comes to a section she can't understand. One website that she's found particularly helpful is called the Blue Letter Bible because its easily searchable and it'll even pronounce words for you.
The show doesn't merely talk through the Bible like an audio book, Tara-Leigh tries to examine the passage in context and from it what we can learn of the nature of God. She calls it a "God shot".
I wanted this to be different from a lot of daily Bible reading plans that always end with an application of how you should apply the lessons you've learned. They're usually something about what does it tell you about your life and how you should live. I just feel like that's a broken lens through which to view scripture. The primary role of Scripture is to show me who God is, and if I behold God then my life will naturally begin to conform around what I learned about him.
Tara-Leigh Cobble from her archives
She says that a lot of Christians are trying to live their life by a to-do list or a moral code of a God they don't even know or love and that's why she ends each episode with the God Shot of the passage. "What did you learn about God?", she wants to know. "What does he love? What does he hate? Why does he do what he does? What does he say about himself in this text?" Her goal is for listeners to stop looking for themselves and start looking for him.
Originally the team wanted to call this the "God filter" using Instagram terminology but she says that the God filter would be what you're seeing through, not what you're seeing. She wanted the listeners to think about the content of the thing that they're looking at and not at the filter they're putting over it. She says that "God shot" jumped out at her as the picture of God that you took that day and what you saw about God's character. She's been greatly encouraged by the response to it, because they're saying things like, "I've never looked for God in scripture. I've always looked for what I'm supposed to do."
I think it's so in our culture, the whole idea of us accomplishing great things, and us living our dreams, and all that is, can be really debilitating. It puts too much focus on such a small story. God's story is so much bigger than any individual human, and I think it puts a lot of weight on me if I'm trying to live some great life or live my dreams. That is such a small thing to focus on right? When you find out it's not about you it frees you to fail or frees you to succeed without becoming prideful and arrogant.
One of her daily challenges is trying to assume what people's questions and frustrations might be and so she has to put herself into the mind of a first time Bible reader and what would they want her to address. To figure this out she starts by seeking the Lord for wisdom and direction and still she doesn't always hit the mark which is why she does a reflection and correction episode at the end of every month to recap what they've talked about and to go over or correct anything she's missed or misspoken on.
As every serious Bible student knows, there are a lot of passages that don't seem to make a lot of sense to our understanding, like when the Ark of the Covenant was being transported by laypeople and not priests, and one of them touches it and falls down dead. The Bible Recap doesn't shy away from discussing those passages and Tara-Leigh says she doesn't want it to be like a "Well God is good so let's just accept it" kind of thing. She takes the time to talk through with the listener how harsh it might sound and uses her God shot to zoom out and tries to engage with the troubling section as best as she can. "I want to honor the fact that there's tension," she says.
"I can't wait to see how you handle the book of Revelation," I tell her.
"Me too!" she says with a laugh.
New episodes of The Bible Recap are available daily and will finish recapping the Bible on December 31 and repeat after that with bonus content TBD
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79f1a3674cc5a6e55c2415461691308c | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshuadudley/2020/01/31/i-just-took-the-gimlet-academy-heres-what-i-learned/?sh=79d2446b7ad0 | I Just Took The ‘Gimlet Academy’: Here’s What I Learned | I Just Took The ‘Gimlet Academy’: Here’s What I Learned
Gimlet Academy Gimlet Media/ Spotify for Podcasters
On Wednesday, January 29, 2019 Gimlet Media opened up their archives and released Gimlet Academy - a five-part podcast training series hosted by Alex Blumberg that teaches the listener how to make non-fiction audio storytelling. On Friday, January 31, 2019 I binged all five episodes to get a crash course on the in’s and out’s of podcast storytelling and to talk about what’s in it.
As part of the release of this series, Gimlet published a short explainer blog to give an overview of the show that includes numerous quotes from Gimlet Media co-founder Alex Blumberg about the intention of the series and the difficulty in keeping listener attention. “Think hard about what you actually want to say,” Alex says. “Consider what it is that only you can offer and how you can speak directly and honestly to a community that matters to you.”
Some quick notes before I begin my overview: Spotify owns Gimlet and this series release is part of Spotify for Podcasters which are a series of free online tools to help prospective podcast makers create the show of their dreams.
The show was originally created as a training tool for Gimlet employees and according to PJ. Vogt, co-host and editorial director of Reply All, has been in use for a couple of years with only a few small tweaks for public release. Also, it’s only available to listen to on Spotify on a desktop or their mobile app which has no option to change the listening speed and the only controls other than play/pause are skip forward and backwards 15 seconds.
Every episode features a few key points that Blumberg highlights effectively by first explaining them and then “showing not telling” by using a clip from a Gimlet show like Reply All, or Mogul to illustrate the point along with a Gimlet colleague to give the context of the clip. Before going on to the next point he re-summarizes the previous point and at the end of the episode does a quick recap of what we’ve learned.
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These lessons were specifically designed for making Gimlet podcasts but many of them can be applied to any field and it’s always fascinating hearing a masterclass on how some of your favorite things are made.
Part 1 - Great Pitches Make Great Episodes
Blumberg calls the pitch the most important step and says it has to answer the question “so what?” As in, “why should I care?” The audience needs a reason to listen. Your pitch needs to have a character because these podcasts have to educate and entertain.
In most of the episodes Alex Blumberg provides us with a personal example of the good or the bad thing he’s referring to. Here he tells us one of his bad pitches was about nuns, just nuns and why they do the things they do. These kinds of examples humanize him and leave the listener relaxed knowing that no one knows how to do everything well at first.
This first lesson is about being specific and being passionate about what you’re working on so you can share that passion with others.
Part 2 - The Search for Engaging Voices
The second episode is is all about finding the person or persons interesting enough to speak on the record about the subject of the investigation. In this phase you are either looking to book an individual or a category. An individual is the key person of the story and they’re usually easy to identify be they the producer or the star of something or the focus of the story; if you need an individual, the story hinges on them. Booking a category means finding someone to speak across a wide range like someone that went to a particular school or any friend that knew the subject of your story.
The second lesson has 4 main points
1: Get creative
Poke around social media. If you can’t find the person you’re looking for online look for their friends or acquaintances.
2: Be Human.
When identifying yourself for the first time with someone you’re trying to book be courteous when introducing yourself and if they’re known say something you admire about them, or find some other point of connection.
3: Don’t give up
A good story depends on finding these people. Let the panic work in your favor.
4: Strike while the iron is hot
If someone agrees to speak you then setup the interview immediately. Don’t wait for a better time as it allows them to change their mind or for something else to come up.
Flora Lichtman the host of the Every Little Thing podcast said that she looks for people who have expressive quotes from an article that she calls the “color quote.”
There were four rules for booking a category
The usual suspects. This would be the person that’s quoted often in an article Widen the circle by using them to find others. Get on the phone with other potential voices Listen to your gut when talking to them. If you like listening to someone, the audience will too. Go with your gut.
Part 3 - Now That’s Good Tape
An interesting tidbit at the top of this episode is that “tape” refers to the time when actual analog recordings were physically cut. Now that everything’s digital the term is still used.
When looking for good tape you’re going for stories and emotion. Stories are nuggets of narrative that form the foundation of the narrative. For a story to succeed it is has to have four elements to command the listeners attention.
1) A sequence of actions
When you hear a sequence of things, you naturally want to find out what comes next.
2) Your story has to have a point
If the sequence doesn’t have a point, then you’ve lost your audience.
3) Details
Good details in audio create an image in the mind of your audience. Dialogue creates vivid detail in audio.
4) A moment of feeling
How did the story make the subject feel? You need a moment of reflection that gives the audience a release.
At this point Alex played a tape of a great example of a story that has all four elements working for it. Tiffany Haddish went on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and recounted how Jada Pinkett Smith invited her to dinner with Will Smith and in turn Tiffany invited them to go on a swamp tour. Jada came back and said “yes” to her invitation. It was obvious that we all wanted to know what happened on that swamp tour.
Part 4 - How To Get Good Tape
This episode emphasizes the importance of preparation. At Gimlet they use a prep document which is a one-line summary of what you want to get on tape.
Your tape will have several beats and each beat in your prep document should have a set of open-ended questions in it. The audio example from this episode is talking to Warren G. and trying to get him to say what it was like signing with Def Jam Records.
The interviewer wasn’t getting what he needed from Warren G., so he politely rephrased the question even when Warren seemed irritated because he knew that if he didn’t get what he needed for the story, then he would be wasting everyone’s time. He was able to pursue his questions confidently because of the work he had done in his prep document.
His final example was about listening and he uses audio from a Mr. Rogers interview that will just break your heart. He had to listen to Mr. Rogers and probe what he said to ask the right question that would open him up. His question was about handling conflict and at first Mr. Rogers response was: “It’s so easy to condemn what you don’t know.” That answer seemed a little pat, so he probed further and waited and got this new response that Alex says gets him emotional whenever he hears it.
“Perhaps we think we won’t find another human being inside that person. Perhaps there are people in this world who I can’t ever communicate with so I’ll give up before I try.” - Fred Rogers
Part 5 - Putting It All Together
Alex says that good audio has three distinct parts, the beginning, the middle and the end. He acknowledges that this sounds glib, but explains that each one has a different distinct role.
In the beginning you have to give the listener a reason to listen, which is sometimes called “the sell.” In the sell phase you might open by asking a question or by dropping into a specific scene with a lot of details that intrigue the listener.
Another sell is to promise something amazing that Alex says is called “signposting”, meaning it’s a clear route to something interesting. A signpost preserves the joy of the route.
The job of the middle is to deliver on that sell, and in the middle something new has to happen every 45 to 90 seconds, such as a shift in emotion, a new character, etc.
The job of the ending is to get out gracefully, and the less you do in the end the better, because the story should have already done the work for you.
If you’re trying to say something big in the ending, it may not come across. It’s better to have a scene that does what you’re trying to say.
And those are my notes! Hopefully reading this will inspire you to go to school yourself because nothing can replace the full audio experience of the show. I think this is a fantastic series that’s incredibly helpful for anyone learning to make audio or doing any kind of storytelling.
All episodes of Gimlet Academy are available now!
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7a67ce746b49faac64288319c644e5bd | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshuadudley/2020/03/28/comedians-are-making-new-podcasts-while-in-covid-19-quarantine/ | Comedians Are Making New Podcasts While In Covid-19 Quarantine | Comedians Are Making New Podcasts While In Covid-19 Quarantine
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 30: (L-R) Janie Haddad Tompkins and Paul F. Tompkins attend "The ... [+] BoJack Horseman" Finale Event, presented by Netflix, at The Egyptian Theatre on January 30, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Netflix) Getty Images for Netflix
Right now we’re all finding out new ways to operate our lives while barely leaving our house and comedians who are normally filling our lives with joy at comedy clubs and on stage and screen are no different. Some of them are turning to Instagram live to connect with their audience and feel alive while others have made temporary podcasts to talk about their new lives as shut-ins.
What I found from listening to these shows was that these comedy couples really like watching television and they all want us to stay safe and practice social distancing while maintaining our sanity and they’re here to help us do just that by giving us a glimpse into their inner lives while they recommend television shows, ponder the meaning of their own lives in this situation, and hoping that we all find connection.
Here are some of the best that I’ve seen and now listened to:
Stay F. Homekins logo Stay F. Homekins: with Janie Haddad Tompkins & Paul F. Tompkins photo by: Rebecca Sanabria
Stay F. Homekins has released two episodes so far and while Paul F. Tompkins and his wife Janie Haddad Tompkins are both very funny, it will come as no surprise that in their conversations Paul is the consummate jokester doing funny voices while Janie plays it more straight talking honestly about things.
Janie: “Let’s hope this doesn’t unravel our marriage.”
Paul F.: “But it would make a great podcast though!”
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Together they tell funny family stories, suggest that you should watch Band of Brothers and suggest ideas for new content in a future world where things are being made outside of homes.
She had some suggestions for things she would love personally, like a channel that aired an entire day of programming of one old channel from a particular day in time.
She thought her nostalgia was based on people born in the 70s like her being the first generation obsessed with nostalgia because the older they got the more flooded with information they were starting with just three channels to now with wall-to-wall programming.
Honestly, the podcast is a delightful way to spend time with a very funny duo who are having a great time being together who as she points out are not raising money for charities, not doing ads, but simply wanted to make the podcast to have connection with people.
Fast Company described the show as “slightly elevated banter from what they’re like in real-life,” but I think it’s probably closer to what they would be like at a dinner party.
It is also great to listen to for fans of Bojack Horseman, like myself, because Paul F. Tompkins style of talking is very similar to his character in the show Mr. Peanut Butter, and when he gets excited in conversation, I can’t help but imagine the cartoon dog’s ears standing straight up like when he mock yelled about Fast Company’s description of them.
“Slightly elevated!”
Staying In with Emily and Kumail podcast logo Emily V. Gordon and Kumail Nanjiani
Unlike Stay F. Homekins, Emily Gordon and Kumail Nanjiani are very upfront that one of the main reasons for their quarantine podcast is to raise money for relief charities of Covid-19. At the time they recorded the first episode they hadn’t chosen charities yet but since then it’s been revealed that all proceeds will be donated to the Center for Disaster Philanthropy, Feeding America, and the Restaurant Workers Community Foundation.
Emily is immune compromised, has gone through surgery, and been diagnosed with Still’s disease, a situation that was the basis for the film that Kumail starred in The Big Sick.
They spend a lot of time in the early going describing their living conditions and their life and how she already had to be careful before the virus. “I barely leave the house anyway,” she says. “You’re like a reverse vampire,” he responds lovingly.
Like the rest of us they’re clearly feeling the weight of what they’re supposed to be doing now and in the first episode called “Fumbling for Normalcy” they describe the timeline of the outside world as before and after the time that Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson were diagnosed with the coronavirus. “Pre-Hanks Wilson,” he says in a recurring funny voice that’s an homage to the 80s cartoon The Jetsons.
Like the Tompkins, Kumail is more the jokester of the two, keeping things light while Emily, who has a background in couples therapy, describes helpful things people can do.
“If you’re having a panic attack list all 50 states,” she says pulling from her experience.
“I would have a panic attack listing all 50 states,” he responds.
They mix in entertainment recommendations with practical advice that runs the gamut of going on walks, to checking in with friends by text, and fun things you can do at home.
“I get excited when I have to pee,” he says. “Ooh now I have something to do.”
By the time they make the second episode they remark that a week ago seems like a million years ago, which I think most of us can relate to right now. But on the bright side, Jeanine points out that it’s the end of FOMO because no one is having parties right now and if they are, you can watch it on Instagram live because it’s in their house.
The Next Binge Thing Amber Rollo & Gabe Pacheco
Our last comedy couple podcast The Next Binge Thing turns out to have a twist. Endlessly upbeat Brooklyn comedians Amber Rollo and Gabe Pacheco were engaged very recently, but due to the quarantine were unable to physically separate their living situations, so they decided to make a podcast out of it.
Despite their breakup, they’re still very friendly to each other and they’re candid in talking about having separate rooms in a railroad style apartment. “He still pees with the door open,” Amber jokes.
They open up about their differences and how it’s funny that before this he loved being in crowds and she was the paranoid one.
They end by discussing Zoom calls with their families, but ultimately there’s not much chit-chat here about their lives or how to stay sane. Mostly they talk about their binge recommendation of the week which makes sense because that’s the title of the show.
This week they binged the HBO docu-series McMillions about the family that scammed McDonalds and people around the globe out of the big prizes from the long running McDonald’s Monopoly game.
The series is so well done that even though it’s a corporation, it brought Rollo back to her childhood and reminded her of the love she had for McDonalds as a child playing the game and the life lessons she learned such as “never order the fish filet with the wierd tartar sauce.”
They go deep into analysis of the show as Pacheco jokes that the ringleader of the scam, Uncle Jerry, reminds him of Dr. Claw from Inspector Gadget and wonders if the FBI investigators had to study Meisner acting technique because they were so convincing.
The verdict is: they really liked the show and Rollo notes that it’s worth a watch “if you like true crime and how the FBI protects McDonalds and the health-care industry.”
What will they binge next week? Will they discuss how wierd it is to be living with your ex and making a show together? You’ll have plenty of time to tune in next week because it’s not like you’re going anywhere.
All shows are available to listen to free wherever you get your podcasts.
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4af5906d87a353ac48b68e9d58c3812e | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshuadudley/2020/04/30/the-missionary-asks-difficult-questions-about-what-it-means-to-help-children-overseas/ | ‘The Missionary’ Asks Difficult Questions About What It Means To Help Children Overseas | ‘The Missionary’ Asks Difficult Questions About What It Means To Help Children Overseas
The Missionary iHeartMedia
It was a story that shocked the world last year. Renee Bach, a Christian missionary serving in Uganda, was being blamed for the deaths of over 100 children that were in the care of the non profit she founded called Serving His Children.
Everyone wanted to know how someone who had devoted her life to helping malnourished children in Uganda could be responsible for something like this.
And now, launching on May 15th from iHeartMedia, comes an eight-part podcast series called The Missionary that explores this surprisingly complex story.
Renee Bach first arrived in Uganda in 2009 as a 19-year-old missionary with no medical training or schooling when she founded Serving His Children in order to help malnourished children there. Her mission house quickly filled to capacity and she expanded it to include medical care for fragile infants. She quickly got in over her head, as her personal blog detailed stories of blood transfusions and feeding tubes being inserted by people who weren’t doctors because of the overwhelming need. The people reading her blogs and listening to her interviews hailed her as a hero, but unfortunately, the truth is she may have done much more harm than good.
Hosted by three journalists Rajiv Golla, Halima Gikandi and Malcolm Burnley who spent a year investigating the story and interviewed over 100 people, The Missionary focuses on Renee’s story but expands it to look at the “White Savior” complex and ask the question “how do you know if you’re helping or hurting?”
Malcom told me that Renee represented a new missionary archetype similar to startup culture where she raised her own money through blog posts and social media and approached it from a very entrepreneurial way as opposed to allying herself with a larger church or organization. In doing, so she represented a power vacuum because she was able to get access to supplies and medicine that hospitals in the area could not. Halima told me that put Ugandan health professionals in the middle between trying to aid this foreign missionary with no training and trying to exercise caution.
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Malcolm says that there is an assumption of authority that a westerner with better resources immediately assumes. “What I think what we found out,” he says, “is how the line between helping and hurting is really hard to see sometimes.”
Halima tells me that in the course of her investigation she uncovered many accusations towards foreign missionaries, but Renee’s was one of the worst. In their interviews with Renee, she framed herself as a victim and suggested she was being singled out, which Malcolm says became a compelling theme to the story.
They told me there's a big debate about whether she helped or hurt the children, while some people say that any child who died under her care in a facility that was not licensed for the majority of the time, was murdered.
The history of Christian missionaries helping overseas presents many difficult questions that won’t be answered anytime soon, but in the meantime The Missionary is poised to present a closeup look at Renee’s work and the larger questions that it raises.
The first three episodes of The Missionary will release on May 15th.
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2ac8feb3dc49798dafe6acfab045ded6 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshuagans/2012/04/01/what-the-humble-sippy-cup-always-needed-gps/ | What the humble sippy cup always needed: GPS | What the humble sippy cup always needed: GPS
When I received the press release the other day (embargoed until April 1), it was like they were reading my mind.
“Munchkin, Inc. understands that wasting precious time looking for missing sippy cups, or worse, accidentally locating a forgotten cup by its smell, can be frustrating,” said Steven Dunn, chairman and CEO, Munchkin, Inc. “To solve this problem, we have enhanced our Click Lock™ cups’ already advanced leak-proof technology with GPS functionality. Parents will save money and time now that they can track the location of their children’s lost sippy cup online.”
This is what I have always dreamed of. And Dunn doesn't know the half of it. We are still finding these cups laden with spoilt milk 5 years after our last child drank from one and an intercontinental move later! What we would have given for some location based capabilities built into the cup itself.
So I immediately went to investigate. The economist in me realized that perhaps it was all too good to be true. Surely, the first company to place GPS technology in a sippy cup would be one ordinarily selling very expensive sippy cups; the Tiffany of sippy cups if you will. But, much to my surprise, no. The Munchkin cup without GPS costs just $3.99 (plus shipping and handling). At $29 for the new GPS version, that means that the cup pays for it with just 7 lost cups. And that is if we forget the time taken to buy those extra cups. And let's face it, new parents, who has that sort of time?
But I did have some questions. Was it dishwasher friendly? Could GPS sitting so close to your baby be harmful? What about battery life? And then I realized, how could a company that is so innovative as to finally crack the sippy cup location problem not take all of this stuff into account. There was no reason to worry myself with such probing questions especially on a day like today. Doubt holds true progress back.
Apparently, the GPS cup also has some technology, "which provides tactile, visual and audio cues to confirm the lid is properly locked in place," so as to give "complete assurance that the cup is ready for mess-free use." Well, I wasn't born yesterday. "Mess-free use" for a sippy cup! No way. What kind of fool do they think I am?
Going on, you might naturally ask: OK, so you get use out of the cup for a child or two but what about after that? Well, I requested a sample version to try on my own children. When I handed the cup to my 13 year old daughter, you should have seen the look on her face. To be sure, it was the usual "what do you think of me, Dad" look I get for most things. However, as a trained, experienced parent I knew that what her expression really meant was "this is so cool, it will never leave my side."
And therein lies my sinister purpose. I can use the sippy cup to keep tabs on her activities. We were able to leave her alone at home knowing that I could use the handy iPhone app to track the cup's movement and, therefore, assure myself that she wasn't skipping out to have fun with her friends. And sure enough, it worked a charm. Everytime I checked in the cup was right there, in her room. Talk about peace of mind.
Now I got all that parental security even without the opportunity you new parents have: to get your child to bond with the cup from birth. For me, I lucked out. My teenager daughter was attracted to its bright colors right from the start. But I'm savvy enough to know that for most teenagers, it could be hard getting them to accept the cup. But new parents who start from birth, can establish that bond and when you baby grows up, you can know that the cup will never leave their side. You can track them and they will never be the wiser.
For more information, follow the company's Facebook page. Oh, that gives me an idea for the next generation sippy cup: Facebook integration! I need to phone my patent attorney right now.
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c892520c6e5d3e5641b9b12577a67eb9 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshuagans/2012/06/21/can-the-wisdom-of-crowds-transform-your-diet/ | Can the Wisdom of Crowds Transform Your Diet? | Can the Wisdom of Crowds Transform Your Diet?
As pretty much everyone knows, it is hard to face the choice, several times a day, of whether to choose 'fit' or 'fat' food or something in between. When I noticed that my wife was taking pictures of her food in order to keep a record of how she was doing diet-wise I wondered if there was an app to make such data management easier. It turns out that there was and it was something different from a personal tracking service.
The Eatery is a beautifully design app -- a model for app design actually -- that lets you take pictures of your food and rate them on a scale of 0 ('fat') to 100 ('fit'). But it doesn't just leave it there. After all, you may think that chicken salad sandwich is
on the healthier end, but would others agree? To counter this, what you do is you submit your food pictures and then others turn in their ratings of your food. Who are these others? Users of The Eatery of course. Because when you submit a meal you are asked to rate those of others. It is really easy to do and let's face it, you are already in a judgmental mood when you are playing with this app. So pretty soon you have 10 to 15 people and you can see whether you are really eating well or not.
My wife was immediately hooked and was thrilled to see her food choices put her in the 99 percentile of healthiness amongst Eatery users. I then hopped onto the bandwagon. I didn't do quite so well as you can see from the picture of my progress to the right. But what I did notice is that the whole exercise put pressure on me towards healthier options. What was the crowd going to think? It turned out that that mattered. I even suggested forgoing cake on my birthday but my youngest child told me to eat the cake and just not take a picture. But I felt that keeping with the program was more important. I got a small slice, took a picture and saw my day's average plummet. Nonetheless, there was a wealth of information being collected here.
Now while it was all very well for a couple of weeks, frustration with the crowd started to step in. I didn't think everyone was playing fair. People would submit glasses of water. Come on? Yes it is 'fit' but aren't you just trying to up your average? And then I found myself disagreeing with the crowd. Yes, eggs may be bad for your cholesterol but that isn't my problem? I yearned for a jury of my peers. People I could rely upon to do this right. I wanted people I knew -- like on Facebook.
Now The Eatery realizes this and you can connect all this to Facebook. But it didn't take. So left only with anonymous minions, I dropped the experiment.
That flaw aside, it appears that enough data has been collected from this experiment worldwide that folks behind the Eatery are learning about peoples' eating habits. As reported in MIT's Technology Review today, the healthiness of peoples' food consumption declines over the course of the day. We do worse on weekends than weekdays. A good breakfast actually keeps us healthier thought the day. We also tend to rate our own food more healthier than others do. Vegetarians and those on no carb diets do better than others. Coffee gets rated poorly even though studies show it is not unhealthy. Move West across the US and healthy eating rates increase. But move East across Europe and Asia and they fall. You can see the data here.
Of course, there is another path to healthy eating. That is the path pursued by British 9 year old, Martha Payne. She had the idea of photographing her school lunches and posting them and some ratings to a blog, NeverSeconds. Here is a typical entry:
Food-o-meter- 10/10 Mouthfuls- 32 not including licks. Courses- main/dessert Health Rating- 2/10 Price- £2 Pieces of hair- 0 Ease of eating with wrist in stookie- 5/10 hard to hold ice lolly Wristband- Orange
The blog has been a sensation. She has attracted readers from around the world who submit their own pictures. And, of course, when the press got interested and then criticised some of the lunches, Martha was banned from taking pictures by her local council. Suffice it to say, that council, clearly unaware as to how powerful the Internet could be, was forced by outcry to lift the ban in less than a day. Martha Payne by exposing the cafeteria to the open light has created new pressures to improve outcomes there. All this suggests that we haven't seen the end of what digital technologies can do to our diet just yet.
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e3cabbe1b8125c8e2ad58ff297a92045 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshuaklayman/2019/06/10/a-swift-kik-or-a-slow-roll-crypto-lawyers-address-tough-questions-about-sec-v-kik-interactive-inc/ | A Swift Kik Or A Slow Roll? Crypto Lawyers Address Tough Questions About SEC V. Kik Interactive Inc. | A Swift Kik Or A Slow Roll? Crypto Lawyers Address Tough Questions About SEC V. Kik Interactive Inc.
As crypto litigation hits the headlines, many in the blockchain space are focused on the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's (the “SEC”) recently filed complaint against Kik Interactive Inc. (“Kik”). However, at least some crypto lawyers believe that, in the near term, the New York Attorney General’s (the “NY AG”) ongoing proceeding against Bitfinex, Tether and others may have greater consequences for the industry.
On June 4, 2019, the SEC filed a complaint in federal court in the Southern District of New York (the “Kik Complaint”) against Kik, a Canadian corporation that, in 2017, raised roughly $100 million in the aggregate through its popular and well publicized private pre-sale and public sale of the Kin token. The Kik Complaint was not entirely unexpected. In late 2018, Kik released publicly a Wells Submission prepared by its counsel following Kik’s receipt from the SEC of a Wells Notice, asking for reasons for which the SEC should not take enforcement action against Kik. More recently, Kik announced that it already had spent approximately U.S.$5 million funding its legal defense and launched a Crypto-Defense Fund for which some prominent companies and individuals within the blockchain ecosystem lent their support.
Indeed, some believe that Kik – as the first token seller to publicly contest the SEC’s determination that it sold digital tokens constituting securities and did not qualify for an exemption from registration – is an important industry test case. To Kik's supporters, the SEC's case against Kik presents an opportunity to try to apply limits, in the digital asset sale context, to the so-called “Howey” test, an over 70 year old test used to determine whether an investment contract (and, hence, a security) exists.
Not everyone in the blockchain and crypto space shares that view. Others have expressed – whether publicly, like Coin Center, or more privately – the view that the Kik case very well may turn on questions of fact, rather than questions of law. In other words, that a finder of fact (such as a jury) could determine, based on the facts presented at trial, that Kik may be liable for selling unregistered securities, without the court ever having to address whether Howey (and its case law progeny) is the appropriate test for all digital asset sales – including ones for which the digital tokens sold are immediately usable by purchasers for such tokens' intended consumptive purposes.
While, according to Kik’s Wells Submission, the Kin token currently is integrated and usable on a variety of platforms, including some that are not controlled by Kik, the Kik Complaint alleges that, at the time of both the Kin presale (which was effected via the sale to U.S. accredited investors and non-U.S. purchasers of a Simple Agreement for Future Tokens – commonly called a “SAFT”) and broad public sale, the Kin token was not yet functional.
After reading the Kik Complaint, I reached out to a few of my friends in the U.S. crypto space, including two experienced litigators (Kayvan Sadeghi, a securities litigation partner at Schiff Hardin LLP, and Jake Chervinsky, general counsel of Compound Finance) and three seasoned transactional lawyers (Jay Baris, a partner at Shearman & Sterling LLP, Lewis Cohen, a partner at DLx Law LLP and Joel Telpner, a partner at Sullivan LLP), for their views on some tough questions concerning the Kik case, as well as another high-profile case recently filed in the United States, In re Letitia James v. iFinex Inc., et al. (more commonly referred to as the NY AG's case against Bitfinex).
Important: This article is intended for discussion purposes only and should not be relied upon for any purpose. Nothing in this article constitutes legal advice or investment advice. In addition, it is important to remember that none of the allegations against Kik made in the Kik Complaint or described in this article have been proven. Statements made in this article represent the speaker's personal views and not necessarily those of their employer, clients or any other person or entity.
Topic 1: The Kin ICO as a test case
In 2017, with the Munchee Cease and Desist Order (the “Munchee Order”), the SEC reminded the market that, among other things, “manner of sale” matters when determining whether a sale of digital tokens was the sale of securities. In 2017, Munchee Inc., a California corporation (“Munchee”), launched an initial sale, for fundraising purposes, of a self-described “utility token” that would be used in connection with an app to rank restaurant meals. In the Munchee Order, there was no assertion by the SEC that Munchee had engaged in fraud or a scam offering. Instead, the SEC focused on numerous instances, including statements made on social media and in documentation, in which Munchee had marketed the MUN token in a way that primed purchasers to have a reasonable expectation of profit based solely or primarily on the managerial or entrepreneurial efforts of others.
For a moment, let's hold aside, among other things, questions relating to the Kik SAFT, or the Kik Complaint’s allegations that Kik failed to disclose to purchasers certain information (including financial data and risk factors) that may have been material to a purchase decision.
Question: Could a jury determine, based on facts at trial, that Kik’s alleged statements concerning potential profits (as in Munchee) were enough to demonstrate that Kik sold a security, assuming that the other Howey factors (such as investment of money and common enterprise) were shown to be present? And, in your view, is Kik is a good test case for those in the crypto space who may want to evolve the existing law?
Kayvan:
First, it is important to keep in mind that cases like this rarely go to trial and when they do it can take years to get there. I would not bet on this case going to trial, but if it did, the alleged statements from Kik’s CEO could prove very impactful to a jury in finding that investors were led to expect potential profits based on future efforts of the CEO and his team at Kik. However, it is not clear from the Kik Complaint whether those statements were made only in the context of presenting to accredited potential SAFT investors, as opposed to the general public, and Kik may argue that distinction matters. The Kik offering is a difficult test case because it involved a fundraising ICO with tokens for an Ecosystem that was not functional at the time of the offering. That is a pretty direct assault on the Howey test. Even if a court is persuaded that the Howey test needs updating, it may feel constrained to follow the Supreme Court and find it difficult to distinguish Howey on these facts. To evolve the law, edge cases—such as projects with a functional system in place before the offering, or who distributed a token without using it for fundraising—might shed more light on the line between security and non-security. Those edge case could make it easier for courts to distinguish and limit the reach of Howey, rather than squarely rejecting it.”
Jay:
The SEC drew a line in the sand when it announced that it would apply the Howey test to determine whether a particular token, in a particular offering, is a security for purposes of the federal securities laws. The expectation of a profit from the efforts of others is a clear part of that test. When the issuer cites potential profits as a reason to buy the token, it bumps into the four corners of the Howey test. The issuer’s real beef is not that it passes the Howey test, but that it doesn’t think the Howey test is the correct approach. For now, that is an uphill battle.”
Jake:
Kik's statements concerning potential profits should not alone suffice to prove that Kik sold a security. Those statements may help the SEC show that Kin purchasers expected profits, but they don't prove that purchasers expected specifically from Kik's managerial efforts -- an entirely separate prong under the Howey test. As Kik argued in its Wells response, if Kin purchasers expected profits based on the efforts of a diverse group of entrepreneurs and developers rather than Kik alone, then the Howey test cannot be satisfied. Kik will likely press this argument in the litigation, and if its Wells response is any indication, there are plenty of other statements on the record to support the point.”
Joel:
One of the things that makes applying the Howey test difficult in reality is that the “expectation of profit” prong is by definition subjective. Courts cannot see into the minds of purchaser to know whether the purchase decision was driven by an expectation of profit. So courts instead must look for objective factors. The extent to which a seller may have “primed the market” with statements regarding future profits to create such expectations is the type of objective factor courts have historically looked at when finding that an expectation of profits existed. Unless as a legislative matter, we decide that the Howey test should no longer apply to token sales, I believe it is impossible to ignore the statements made by Kik’s CEO.”
Topic 2: Is the Kin token itself a security?
Paragraph 91 of the Kik Complaint appears to make clear the SEC's view that, not only was the sale of the SAFT the sale of a security, but that the underlying Kin tokens sold pursuant to the SAFT also were securities.
Paragraph 91 says,
91. Although Kik’s SAFT specifically stated that the SAFT was itself a security, it failed to state that the Kin to be delivered under the SAFT were securities sold pursuant to the SAFTs. And although Kik’s PPM claimed that the offer and sale of the SAFTs were subject to an exemption from registration under Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act and Regulation D promulgated thereunder, among other United States laws, Kik did not claim any exemption for the offer and sale of Kin through the SAFT. As such, Kik’s offer and sale of the SAFTs and Kik’s offer and sale of the Kin purchased under the SAFTs were not registered.”
In the Kik Complaint, the SEC also alleges, among other things, that the Kin presale should be integrated with the Kin public sale. The Kin public sale reportedly followed soon after the Kin presale – and Kik allegedly was contractually required by the terms of the SAFTs to launch the Kin public sale by a particular date. In addition, according to the Kik Complaint, the Kin tokens sold under the SAFTs allegedly were identical to, and fungible with, the Kin tokens sold in the public sale, and, allegedly, none of such tokens could be used for their intended consumptive purchase at the time of initial sale. While the Kik Complaint alleges that, pursuant to the terms of the SAFT, SAFT purchasers had certain restrictions on the timing of a portion of the Kin tokens purchased by them, the Kin tokens themselves allegedly were not subject to any transfer restrictions and, presumably, Kik had not programmed into the applicable smart contracts any transfer restrictions.
Members of the SEC staff previously have indicated that digital asset sales, including token sales made pursuant to SAFTs, should be evaluated on a case-by-case, facts-specific basis.
Traditionally, those promoting sales of tokens via SAFTs characterized the sale of the SAFT itself as the sale of a security. However, the release of the underlying tokens typically were not contemplated to take place until such tokens were fully functional with their intended platform or ecosystem, at which time, SAFT proponents believed, such functional digital token would be less likely to constitute a security. In a sense, the SAFT Whitepaper conceived of the sale of a token pursuant to a SAFT as a bifurcated process: first, the sale of the SAFT, a self-described security, and, second, the release of a functional digital token that would not be a security.
While some have criticized the SAFT concept, it is not necessary to debate it here. In the case of the Kin token, according to the Kik Complaint's allegations, Kik did not wait until the Kin token was functional before releasing it. For that reason, presumably, it is unnecessary to determine whether the SAFT “process” could have worked had the Kin token been fully functional at the moment of its initial delivery to SAFT purchasers.
Question: In your view, what is the significance of Paragraph 91? Does it suggest that the SEC views present-day transactions involving Kin as transactions involving securities?
Kayvan:
Paragraph 91 of the Kik Complaint indicates the SEC viewed the Kin token itself as a security, at least at the time of the offering. It is less clear whether the SEC views every transaction using a Kin token as a securities transaction today. The Kik Complaint does not include any allegations or causes of action directed at current use of the Kin token. Kik’s press release responding to the complaint argues that ‘the SEC's decision not to bring such claims acknowledges that the transactions currently taking place within the Kin Ecosystem do not fall under the federal securities laws.’ While it may not be an acknowledgement, the SEC’s decision not to bring any claims beyond the initial offering does reflect real hesitance by the SEC to take on the issue of whether a token that operates like Kin today is a security. Kik may have opportunities through the litigation to force the SEC to clarify its position on that issue, and it will be interesting to see how the SEC walks that line.”
Lewis:
I find it interesting that the sole reference in the entire Kik complaint to the Kin token itself being a 'security' under US law comes only indirectly in a allegation that Kik 'failed to state that the Kin to be delivered under the SAFT were securities sold pursuant to the SAFTs' (emphasis added). That a direct allegation that 'the Kin token is a security' does not otherwise appear in the Kik Complaint – particularly, in the 'Conclusion' section – may suggest that this is not a point the SEC want to test, at least in this litigation. The reminder of the references to Section 5 violation refer to 'the offer and sale of Kin.' Why is this significant? In those references in the complaint, we can easily substitute for 'Kin tokens' any of the other assets which in the past have been objects of an investment contract but which are self-evidently themselves not 'securities,' such as the whiskey in the Glen-Arden Commodities case, the bank certificates of deposit in Gary Plastic or the beavers, chinchillas or silver foxes in the 'animal' cases. This would support a conclusion that it was the investment contracts representing an 'offer and sale' of an asset that was the 'security' – not the asset itself. To be clear – that is not the wider position the SEC are taking but it is notable that they don’t seem to want to litigate this issue here.”
Joel:
The real question is somewhat a philosophical one: If I enter into a contract to prepay for a good or service to be delivered to me in the future, if that future good or service is not a security, why should the contract to purchase that good or service be treated as an investment contract and, thus, a security? To buy a Tesla, a purchaser must enter into a contract, make a prepayment and wait for the Tesla to be built. No one believes in this case that the Tesla is a security--it’s a car--and as far as I know, no one would treat the contract to buy the Tesla as an investment contract. Therefore, this raises an important question. If, as Kik maintained, the Kin is not and was never intended to be treated as a security, then why did they treat the contract that purchasers entered into to prepay for Kin as an investment contract? They sold an investment contract, thus a security, that they intended to convert into a non-security. There is nothing wrong with this conceptually. If when purchasers entered into contracts to buy Teslas there was no factory and Teslas were merely a vision on Elon Musk’s drawing board, under current law, those purchase contracts might very well be considered to be investment contracts because purchasers in that instance would be taking a risk on Musk to actually build, not simply their car, but the enterprise itself. Nevertheless, the cars when ultimately delivered would not be securities. So why is this not the same with Kin? Kin were delivered to purchasers before they could be used for their intended purpose. It would be the equivalent of Tesla delivering to purchasers the key to their future car before the car itself was completed and telling purchasers that they can either hold their key and wait for the car to be built or they can sell their key to someone else for a profit on a secondary market. In this scenario, Teslas are still not cars but the keys that are being traded may very well constitute investment contracts.”
Question: Does Paragraph 91 suggest that all token sellers who sell tokens pursuant to a SAFT (which is a self-described security) should limit transferability of the underlying tokens to only the same universe of purchasers (such as U.S. accredited investors or non-U.S. persons) who purchased the SAFT itself – in other words, should tokens sold pursuant to SAFTs be structured as a different “class” of tokens (i.e., not fungible with tokens sold pursuant to a public sale)? Should token sellers who sold SAFTs obtain SEC assurance that their tokens have morphed into non-securities before releasing such tokens, if such tokens will be salable to, or otherwise fungible with tokens sold to, retail or “Main Street” purchasers?
Kayvan:
It would be nice to get assurance from the SEC but it is not clear how realistic that is for most projects. The first and only ‘no action’ letter I am aware of so far involved a project that was so clearly not a security that no letter should have been necessary. That said, the complaint against Kik makes pretty clear that the SEC is very likely to view any unrestricted tokens sold pursuant to a SAFT as securities that should be subject to the same restrictions. In the current environment, many projects may have good reason to consider alternatives that do not involve using the same token for fundraising and for subsequent platform functionality.”
Lewis:
I agree with Kayvan on this. It is very difficult to extrapolate from the SEC’s position in the Kik compliant how they would look at other situations. The best approach in most cases will be to talk with the Staff before undertaking any significant activity in the U.S. with tokens.”
Joel:
This definitely gets into the so-called morphing question. Had Kik waited to release tokens until the point that they were fully useable, the outcome might have been different. However, it is important to remember that the SEC’s recent “Framework” identified a number of other factors that would need to be satisfied in determining when a digital asset that was considered to be a security when sold will no longer be treated as such. The SEC might take the view that Kik is an “active participant” and as a result, Kin continue to be securities.”
Topic 3: Did Kik have sufficient notice of applicable law, and does it matter?
The Kik Complaint alleges that Kik had sufficient notice that the Kin sale was likely to be the sale of a security because, among other things, in July 2017, the SEC released its 21A Report of Investigation concerning The DAO (“The DAO Report”).
Indeed, at least one court (in the RECoin/Diamond case, U.S. v. Maksim Zaslavskiy) previously has determined that, based on The DAO Report and other public statements by the SEC and its staff, the defendant had received constitutionally sufficient notice about the applicability of U.S. federal securities laws to digital token sales, explaining:
[T]he abundance of caselaw interpreting and applying Howey at all levels of the judiciary, as well as related guidance issued by the SEC as to the scope of its regulatory authority and enforcement power, provide all the notice that is constitutionally required.”
In addition, the Kik Complaint alleges that Canadian securities regulator, the Ontario Securities Commission (the “OSC”), already had informed Kik that the Kin sale would be viewed as a sale of securities under Canadian law. The Canadian test for whether an investment contracts exists, articulated in the seminal case, Pacific Coast Coin, is very similar to the Howey test. In addition, the Kik complaint alleges that a “consultant” had cautioned Kik that the Kin token sale could be the sale of a security, if sold to U.S. persons.
Question: In your view, should Kik have been aware that its sale of the Kin token was likely to be the sale of a security? How much weight should be given to the alleged guidance provided by the OSC or a consultant? Does it matter that the Munchee Order, addressing manner of sale in the so-called “utility token” context, came after the Kin sale was completed, or should token sellers and their counsel have been aware of the line of cases that came after Howey?
Kayvan:
As a legal matter, I do not think that the allegations about the consultant carry much weight. The cause of action for failure to register does not have an intent requirement and the argument that the securities laws are unconstitutionally vague would be a hard one to win. Those allegations may be intended to blunt criticism of the SEC. It is unfortunate that this high-profile test involves a Canadian company that started its offering before the SEC issued any guidance. It lends credence to industry criticism that you can’t take any action in the United States for fear that it might conflict with future guidance, and if you can’t change course when that happens the SEC will try to put you out of business. The SEC seems to be making the point that people in the industry were well aware of a risk that tokens might be classified as securities before the SEC put out The DAO Report, as you, I, and others in the space at the time are well aware. However, the SEC has not so far taken a draconian stance. It is hard to draw any conclusions without knowing the details of any settlement discussions between Kik and the SEC. This may not have been the SEC’s preferred course of action, and Kik’s approach may have left them little choice but to sue. The Complaint attacks Kik far more than was necessary to state the claims. For example, the SEC goes out of its way to allege that Kik was warned that its initial coin offering (“ICO”) may be a securities offering even though this is not a fraud case and Kik’s intent is not an element of the claims. The SEC may be trying to blunt any criticism that it is unfair to go after a project that started its offering before the SEC issued guidance. It will be interesting to see whether the case results in publicizing any of the legal guidance Kik received. While that advice is generally privileged, Kik could seek to waive privilege over certain subjects to use that legal advice affirmatively.”
Jake:
The SEC has often implied that The DAO Report sufficiently informed the crypto industry that token sales might qualify as securities issuances. However, while the Report did consider the application of the Howey test to public token sales, its high-level analysis provided very few details for future projects to use in determining whether their own activities might come under the SEC's jurisdiction. Because of the unique facts and circumstances surrounding each token issuance and the novelty of treating a digital token as a security, The DAO Report did not adequately clarify how the SEC would later view the interplay between ICOs and the federal securities laws.”
Jay:
The DAO Report put the world on notice that it was looking closely at whether particular tokens would be securities for purposes of the U.S. securities laws. While The DAO Report, by itself, is not dispositive of the status of a token going forward, any token issuer was on notice of the potential risks of proceeding with an ICO under the assumption that the token is not a security.”
Joel:
The facts in The DAO Report are distinguishable. According to written materials prepared by Slock.it, it was intended that The DAO would earn profits by funding projects with the proceeds received from selling the Slock.it Tokens and would, in exchange, provide Slock.it Token holders a return on their investment. It is not surprising that the Slock.it Tokens were considered by the SEC to be investment contracts. Kin do not operate in a comparable way. However, both The DAO Report and the Munchee Report did provide important warnings that perhaps Kik should have heeded that the manner of sale is important. As we discussed above, creating an expectation of profit in the marketplace is an important factor in determining the existence of an investment contract."
Topic 4: What should the crypto market expect next?
Question: Do you anticipate that the Kik case will be resolved quickly, or do you think that the industry will be watching this case for years to come? For non-litigators (including this author), can you describe what is likely to happen next, from a procedural perspective?
Kayvan:
The SEC v Kik Interactive case may set crucial precedent someday, but do not expect any rapid developments. The road to trial is long, risky, and very expensive. Companies rarely go the distance against the SEC and it is still likely that Kik will settle along the way. If Kik is really set on getting rid of Howey, that will require a trip to the Supreme Court that would be years in the making. Normally in a case like this we would expect Kik to file a motion to dismiss arguing that the complaint fails as a matter of law even if you accept the factual allegations as true. It would be months before the court heard argument on the motion and it could easily be 2020 before a decision. If that motion is denied, a trial could be years away. Of course, this is not a normal case. Normally companies do not publicize their Wells submissions, raise a defense fund, and goad the SEC into suing them. Kik is defending this case in the press as much as the courts. Kik will probably still file a motion to dismiss but may use the opportunity to tell its side of the story more than we typically see.”
Joel:
Regardless of the outcome with Kik, it is important to remember that the SEC’s Framework was published subsequent to the date that Kin was sold. Over time, assuming there is no intervening Congressional action, we are likely to have further clarity as to when and how a digital asset that is treated as security when first sold can evolve so that it is no longer considered to continue to be a security. Among other things, we may very well have additional SEC guidance or no-action precedents that we can utilize. So unless we get a court outcome that has the effect of throwing out the Howey test in the context of the sale of digital assets, I don’t believe we should give too much weight to what is happening with Kik. The Kik situation is being played out in a very public way that will force both sides to dig in their heels. As a result, one side is likely to be unhappy with whatever the ultimate outcome is. However, we should be cautious in assuming that whatever that outcome is becomes an all-encompassing precedent for other digital asset sales.”
Question: Is litigation against the SEC similar to, or different from, private securities litigation?
Kayvan:
There are some similarities but a lot of very important differences. Litigating against the SEC is in some ways the opposite of private securities litigation. In private securities litigation, the burden of discovery falls on defendants. But, here, Kik would have produced most relevant documents during the SEC’s investigation. Now the tables are turned, and Kik has the opportunity to seek discovery from the SEC. That may present opportunities to force the SEC to clarify its position on key issues early in the case.”
Question: Which high-profile case do you think will have a greater legal impact on the crypto space in the near term, SEC v. Kik, or the NY AG's case against Bitfinex, Tether and others – or do you think that it likely will be a draw?
Jake:
In the near term, the Bitfinex matter will likely have a greater impact on the crypto space. For better or worse, Bitfinex has become a systemically important company, serving as one of the largest fiat on-ramps outside of the United States and as the issuer of the the most-used stablecoin in the industry. Yet, the company is also widely suspected of engaging in improper conduct that could have significant implications for global crypto markets. The NY AG's effort to reveal that conduct should be top-of-mind for anyone with a stake in the crypto industry."
Kayvan:
While everyone is focused on the Kik case, the NY AG’s proceeding against Bitfinex may be more consequential, especially in the near term. It is quite possible that the court in the Kik case will deny a motion to dismiss without breaking any new ground legally, and any eventual change in the law based on the Kik case could be years away. The NY AG case against Bitfinex, however, is slated for argument in July on a motion that raises threshold questions about the scope of the NY AG’s territorial and subject matter jurisdiction over crypto companies. That case could have a real impact the scope of NY AG investigations in the near future. Bitfinex and tether are also challenging the definitions of securities and commodities in the context of a stablecoin, which presents more of an edge case than Kik’s fundraising ICO. It is a state court, so it will not have the same force nationally as a federal court decision, but it is a well-funded case and could generate decisions soon that quickly rise to appellate courts.”
Joel:
I disagree on this one. To a certain extent, the Bitfinex/Tether situation revolves less on questions as to the definition of securities and commodities and instead on questions of contract law and potentially fraud. If Tether promised purchasers (including those located in New York) that Tether would always be backed one-for-one by a dollar but that wasn’t true, the NY AG would have a legitimate basis to potentially pursue a claim against Bitfinex and Tether. The outcome with respect to Kik can have a much further reaching impact on the entire digital asset market.”
Question: What final predictions, questions or thoughts concerning the Kik or Bitfinex cases would you like to share?
Joel:
The market is going to continue to push the SEC for additional guidance and clarity regarding the sale of digital assets beyond what we have already received. The possibility of Congressional action is also likely to increase. Therefore, barring an unlikely judicial outcome that narrows or eliminates the applicability of the Howey test to digital asset sales, the ultimate Kik outcome is not likely to have as much of an impact on the market as will come from additional SEC guidance and future no-action letters. As we have discussed, there are facts in the Kik case that are unique to Kik and that may not have that much relevance on other future situations. Additionally, we are seeing a growing trend of attempts in the market to better separate token sales that are intended to be used for raising capital from those tokens that are sold following the completion of the capital raise and the launch of a platform for consumptive purposes.”
Kayvan:
People should not get their hopes up that these early cases will do much to shift the law anytime soon. The judge in the Bitfinex case has seemed hesitant to directly take on the definition of a security, and the federal court in the Kik case may also steer clear of disrupting the law if at all possible. Finally, I hope everyone will appreciate good lawyering on both sides of these cases. Many of us have good friends and former colleagues at the SEC, the NY AG’s office, and on the bench. Fighting aggressively, but respectfully, is one of the best aspects of our profession. It is an art that I hope and expect will be on display in these cases and could serve as a model for the broader industry dialogue around these issues.”
Lewis:
As a non-litigator, my main concern is how this case will impact other projects moving forward. I would agree with Kayvan that a settlement appears likely as it is probably in the best interest of both sides. What I would like to see is a court looking closely at the facts and concluding that an 'investment contract' that involves a sale of a token may well constitute a 'security' without the token itself necessarily also separately being considered a 'security.'”
For now, the blockchain and crypto market will have to wait and see. But, judging by the many Tweets, LinkedIn posts and other content pieces produced in the past week, that waiting is unlikely to be quiet.
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979c853320d5bce582d311fe8c86f99a | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshualaw/2019/11/15/how-frank-lampards-management-of-christian-pulisic-at-chelsea-will-benefit-the-usmnt-for-years-to-come/ | Frank Lampard’s Management Of Christian Pulisic At Chelsea Will Benefit USMNT For Years To Come | Frank Lampard’s Management Of Christian Pulisic At Chelsea Will Benefit USMNT For Years To Come
NASHVILLE, TN - JULY 03: United States midfielder Christian Pulisic (10) celebrates with United ... [+] States forward Jordan Morris (11) after scoring a goal during the Gold Cup semifinal match between the United States and Jamaica on July 3, 2019 at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
A couple of months into his Chelsea career and the debate surrounding Christian Pulisic was already fraught. Between the start of September and October 6, there had not been a single minute of Premier League action for the man Chelsea had deemed worthy of spending $73m on just nine months prior.
Where was he? What was wrong? Did Frank Lampard, the Chelsea legend who had taken over as manager in July, not rate the American forward? If the answer to that last question were a ‘Yes’, then the implications for Pulisic’s development as a player and even for the USMNT’s progress under Gregg Berhalter would have been severe.
As it turns out, nobody need have worried. The way Lampard has managed Pulisic, both on the professional and the human level, has been excellent. Even that spell on the sidelines – the cause of so much consternation – was part of a carefully thought out plan to help him settle in west London and improve as a player.
In just one and a half years as a head coach, Frank Lampard has already proved that he is extremely adept at working with young players. And that, lest we forget, is what Pulisic remains. In all the hype and excitement that surrounds him, it is easy to forget that the Hershey, PA native is still just 21. A lot of players of his age are yet to break into the first team set up at their clubs.
LONDON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 09: Christian Pulisic celebrates with Emerson after scoring the second ... [+] Chelsea goal during the Premier League match between Chelsea FC and Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge on November 09, 2019 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Visionhaus) Visionhaus
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Unfortunately, owing to the hip injury he picked up in Chelsea’s recent game against Crystal Palace, Pulisic will not be able to pull on the red, white and blue of his country during this international break, as Berhalter’s boys play Canada and Cuba in the CONCACAF Nations League. But one of Lampard’s contributions to Pulisic's development could have an extremely positive long-term impact for the USMNT.
In his time at Borussia Dortmund, Pulisic had already shown his predatory instincts. Last season, he managed close-range, first-time-finish goals against Hoffenheim, Union Berlin, Stuttgart and Fortuna Dusseldorf. But his overall record of 13 in 90 Bundesliga games is not enough to make him a true elite forward.
Since Pulisic established himself in the Chelsea team in the middle of October, though, he has been flying. His strike against Crystal Palace made it five goals, one assist and three man-of-the-match displays in seven games. And while Pulisic deserves credit for his mental toughness, bouncing back after what must have been a tough spell, Lampard must share in the adulation. The way in which Pulisic’s goals have come is clearly influenced by his new manager.
His strike against Palace is the perfect example. The young American cuts in from the left and plays a pass to Michy Batshuayi in the penalty area, who finds himself in a shooting position. Yet instead of stopping to admire his pass, Pulisic drives towards the six-yard box, anticipating the rebound from the goalkeeper’s save. That it falls to him of course involves an element of fortune, but you cannot score if you do not put yourself in the right positions to do so.
In the Burnley game, too, Pulisic earned the third of his three goals by placing himself in the most dangerous area. After a corner was deflected back out to Mason Mount, Pulisic positioned himself on the corner of the six-yard box nearest the front post, ready to flick Mount’s delicious delivery into the far corner of Nick Pope’s net.
Chelsea's US midfielder Christian Pulisic (R) scores the opening goal during the English Premier ... [+] League football match between Burnley and Chelsea at Turf Moor in Burnley, north west England on October 26, 2019. (Photo by Oli SCARFF / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. / (Photo by OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images) AFP via Getty Images
In his post-match interview with Sky Sports, Lampard was clearly delighted and took the opportunity to explain why he had kept Pulisic out of the team in September. “I get asked about it a lot,” said the Chelsea coach, “because of the size of the deal and because he’s such a big star back home. But I saw that he’d played for his country in the summer, in tournament football, and [only] had one week off. I had to take that into consideration, freshness wise.”
Lampard has, then, played his cards perfectly. If he had thrown Pulisic in time and again when he was not up to speed physically, then his performance levels and consequently his confidence would have dropped. By giving him an extended period of rest, he has kept him fresh for the rest of the season.
And those extra training sessions were clearly put to good use. Lampard, during his playing career, was a master of the late run into the box. He would make a well-timed dart towards the penalty spot and would do it again and again, until the ball eventually fell his way. It was from that area that he scored more than 100 of his 147 Premier League goals for Chelsea.
Despite Pulisic playing in a wider position, Lampard has clearly imparted a bit of that opportunistic mindset on his young charge.
After the Watford game, in which Pulisic again scored from inside the box, Lampard spoke about him once more. “It’s great to see Christian scoring a goal from four yards out,” The Independent quoted him as saying, “I love to see that because he could have decided not to go the extra mile and then that ball flashes across the face but nobody gets on the end of it. If he continues doing that sort of thing then the goals will rack up because there are a lot of goals to get in the six-yard box.”
Positioning is the essential skill of the most prolific attackers. And if Lampard keeps encouraging Pulisic to get in the right areas, he will doubtless become one. In the long-term, that will be of benefit not only to Chelsea but also to the USMNT.
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0f4af9ba2cf93d73d0b4b84028b7c6c9 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshualaw/2020/06/09/who-is-tottenham-and-chelsea-target-gerson-and-is-he-worth-40m/ | Who Is Tottenham And Chelsea Target Gerson? And Is He Worth $40 Million? | Who Is Tottenham And Chelsea Target Gerson? And Is He Worth $40 Million?
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - FEBRUARY 26: Gerson of Flamengo celebrates after defeating by 3-0 (5-2 on ... [+] aggregate) Independiente del Valle in the second leg of Recopa Sudamericana 2020 at Maracana Stadium on February 26, 2020 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Buda Mendes/Getty Images) Getty Images
According to reports from Brazil, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea are ready to go head-to-head for the signature of Brazilian midfielder Gerson, who currently plays for Rio de Janeiro giant Flamengo. The story began last Friday with the news that Spurs had submitted a $20m bid for the player, which was confirmed on Sunday by sources inside the club. Now, Goal and Fox Sports have both claimed that Chelsea are preparing to double Tottenham’s offer, which would be in line with Flamengo’s valuation.
Flamengo directors would not countenance selling for $20m and Gerson is reportedly keen to stay in Brazil, where he was one of the standout players as Flamengo stormed to the Série A title and the Copa Libertadores in 2019. Likewise, his manager Jorge Jesus has stated his desire to keep him around.
Yet if Chelsea or Spurs is prepared to meet that $40m asking price, Flamengo would be forced to open discussions, against the Portuguese manager’s wishes. The club, despite its status as the richest in Brazil, has suffered heavy losses during the coronavirus outbreak and would see the sale as a perfect way to fill that financial hole. The Brazilian currency, the real, has crashed in recent months, adding another incentive to sell: once converted into reals a big transfer fee from a European club would cover Flamegno’s wage bill for months.
Flamengo's Gerson (left) and Liverpool's Andrew Robertson (right) battle for the ball during the ... [+] FIFA Club World Cup final at the Khalifa International Stadium, Doha. (Photo by Adam Davy/PA Images via Getty Images) PA Images via Getty Images
For fans of the two London clubs, that raises the question of whether Gerson, a relative unknown to Premier League PINC followers, would be worth such an investment. Chelsea has already spent big this year to bring in Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech and Tottenham manager José Mourinho has openly stated that this summer’s transfer budget will be limited.
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For Tottenham fans, bringing in a box-to-box midfielder from the reigning Copa Libertadores champion will give them cold chills. The last time they did so, Paulinho arrived in north London from Corinthians in the summer of 2013, only to leave 18 months later without too many happy memories of White Hart Lane. As that move proved, any signing from South America involves some risk and Gerson’s last experience in Europe – two seasons with Roma and one on loan at Fiorentina – was far from a rip-roaring success.
That said, Gerson has turned a corner since his return to Brazil, flourishing under the management of Jesus to the point where he is drawing admiring glances from Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund, as well as Chelsea and Spurs. So good was he at the end of 2019 and beginning of 2020 that many Brazilian pundits were calling for national team boss Tite to include him in his squad for the friendlies that should have taken place in March.
ROME, ITALY - DECEMBER 20: Gerson of AS Roma in action during the TIM Cup match between AS Roma and ... [+] Torino FC at Olimpico Stadium on December 20, 2017 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Paolo Bruno/Getty Images) Getty Images
The 23-year-old former U20 international is a smooth, intelligent, left-footed midfielder capable of playing a box-to-box role in a midfield two, as he has done for Jesus' team, as the player behind the striker in 4-2-3-1 or as a No.8 in a 4-3-3. He has a sharp eye for a pass and endeared himself to Flamengo fans last season by consistently threading balls through to Giorgian De Arrascaeta, Gabriel Barbosa and Bruno Henrique, the club’s prolific front men. Additionally, Gerson is comfortable taking on opposition players in central areas, a rare skill that sees him regularly draw fouls.
Under Jorge Jesus, Flamengo has played a free-flowing, attacking brand of soccer and often presses its opponents high up, trying to win back the ball in advanced areas. Gerson thrives in this system and particularly in his role of taking the ball from the more defensive central midfielder, Willian Arão, and distributing it to those running ahead. Given that skillset, he would appear more suited to Frank Lampard’s front-foot style of play at Chelsea than the more direct game of Mourinho’s Tottenham.
At Spurs, he would also face competition from Giovani Lo Celso – another left-footed central midfielder with good vision and dribbling skills – who was in excellent form before COVID-19 hit. At Chelsea, on the other hand, there are currently no left-footed central midfielders and very few left-footed players in general, so Gerson would bring balance to the squad.
LIMA, PERU - NOVEMBER 23: Exequiel Palacios of River Plate fights for the ball with Gerson of ... [+] Flamengo during the final match of Copa CONMEBOL Libertadores 2019 between Flamengo and River Plate at Estadio Monumental on November 23, 2019 in Lima, Peru. (Photo by Raul Sifuentes/Getty Images) Getty Images,,
Even if he would seem to fit in well for the Blues, the move from Brazil to the Premier League would be a substantial step, both in terms of quality and the pace and physicality of the game. Gerson is relatively slight and struggled when faced with strong marking in the final of the Copa Libertadores against River Plate in November 2019. He was withdrawn after 70 minutes with his team 1-0 down.
In his defense, he had played a huge amount of football by that point in the year and the pitch was dry and uneven. At 23, there is also still time for Gerson to develop the combative side of his game, something he has already worked on with Jorge Jesus. But the match against River could be a warning to both Chelsea and Spurs.
His passing ability alone may be enough to tempt one of Europe's elite to take a punt. But if they do, patience may be required.
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e05c57919fc461f81b59a66af4c18da9 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshualaw/2020/11/30/jimenez-and-luiz-clash-reignites-soccers-concussion-discussion-key-figures-call-for-law-change/ | Jimenez And Luiz Clash Reignites Soccer’s Concussion Discussion: Key Figures Call For Law Change | Jimenez And Luiz Clash Reignites Soccer’s Concussion Discussion: Key Figures Call For Law Change
LONDON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 29: David Luiz of Arsenal wearing a headband following an injury after a ... [+] clash of heads with Raul Jimenez of Wolverhampton Wanderers during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Wolverhampton Wanderers at Emirates Stadium on November 29, 2020 in London, United Kingdom. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by James Williamson - AMA/Getty Images) Getty Images
A clash of heads between Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Mexican striker Raul Jimenez and Arsenal’s Brazilian defender David Luiz during Sunday evening’s Premier League PINC game between the two clubs has reignited discussions around concussion protocol in professional soccer.
Former players and campaigners have questioned the reaction to the incident and called for the introduction of temporary substitutions in cases where a player is suspected to be suffering from concussion.
The clash occurred in the first half of the match at the Emirates Stadium in north London and resulted in a 10-minute stoppage, with Jimenez, who came off worse, being given oxygen on the pitch before being stretchered away and taken to hospital in an ambulance.
Jimenez suffered a fractured skull, but Wolves released a statement on Monday, which read; “Raul is comfortable following an operation last night, which he underwent in a London hospital. He has since seen his partner Daniela and is now resting. He will remain under observation for a few days while he begins his recovery.”
Wolves went on thank the Arsenal and National Health Service medical staff who attended to the player.
The consequent discussion, however, has centered around the Arsenal club doctors’ decision to allow David Luiz to continue playing after he had taken the blow to the head. Luiz was assessed before returning to the field with blood seeping through a bandage on his head but was eventually withdrawn at half time.
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Arsenal have stated that protocol was followed correctly, but questions have arisen as to the suitability of the protocol currently in place.
The brain injury association Headway released a statement addressing the incident, expressing its “anger and disappointment at football's continued failings to protect its players from concussion.”
LONDON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 29: David Luiz of Arsenal receives medical treatment after a collision ... [+] with Raul Jimenez (Can not be seen) of Wolverhampton Wanderers during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Wolverhampton Wanderers at Emirates Stadium on November 29, 2020 in London, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by John Walton - Pool/Getty Images) Getty Images
The organization’s deputy chief executive Luke Griggs called for temporary substitutions to be introduced to allow doctors more time to assess players who have suffered a blow to the head, as happens in rugby union.
Griggs said, “Too often in football we see players returning to the pitch having undergone a concussion assessment only to be withdrawn a few minutes later when it is clear that they are not fit to continue.
“That is the very reason why we urgently need temporary concussion substitutes in football. You simply cannot take a risk with head injuries. One further blow to the head when concussed could have serious consequences.
“The question that has to be asked is, had the concussion substitutes rule been in place, would Luiz have been allowed to return to the field of play? Would that extra time in the treatment room have led to a different decision being made?
“The concussion protocol clearly states that '…anyone with a suspected concussion must be immediately removed from play', while the sport continues to promote an 'if in doubt, sit it out' approach to head injuries.
“Time and time again we are seeing this rhetoric not being borne out by actions on the pitch. Something is not right. This cannot be allowed to continue. How many warnings does football need?”
Whilst the body that governs the laws of soccer, IFAB, has discussed trialing a change that allows extra permanent substitutions in the case of concussion, beginning from the start of the 2020-21 season, it has been criticized for prevaricating and failing to consider the temporary substitute solution.
On the BBC's Match of the Day 2 highlights program, Premier League record goal scorer Alan Shearer expressed a similar opinion to Griggs on the introduction of temporary substitutions, saying that it is a matter of “life and death”.
“Football needs to get real; it needs to wake up,” Shearer said. “It needs to get serious not next year, not next month, not next week, now. This has been going on far too long, the protocols in football are not acceptable. We are talking about a player’s welfare here. The cricket do it, the NFL do it, rugby union and rugby league have better protocols. We are talking about life and death, players’ careers.”
Former Tottenham Hotspur and Hull City player Ryan Mason, whose career was ended by a head injury aged just 26 has also spoken out on the issue. “I was quite upset to see something like that happen on a football pitch again, it’s very concerning,” Mason told talkSPORT.
“It’s a real shame my incident didn’t change the perception; what is it really going to take for people to start realizing this is something really, really serious? I’ll be honest, I was shocked David Luiz was allowed to play on. I’m not criticizing the Arsenal doctor because there’s a protocol in place and I’m sure he’s followed that.
“But that protocol that is currently in place is not enough; it’s not enough just to have two or three minutes, it’s not enough. It was a bad one; the noise, the impact, the speed of the challenge as well – it was a bad one. It didn’t help that there were no fans and you could actually hear the point of contact… This current protocol we have in place isn’t okay and it’s dangerous.”
On Monday, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola added his voice to the chorus, backing the idea of temporary substitutions and saying that he believes the current protocol is insufficiently clear.
This discussion around concussion protocol comes in the context of a wider debate about the traumatic effects a soccer career – and in particular repeated heading of the football – can have on players' brains. Research has found that former professional players are 3.5 times more likely than the general population to die of dementia.
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7f4bade547481189f3156c74f2fff5ef | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshualaw/2021/01/16/mourinho-must-stop-shirking-responsibility-if-tottenham-are-to-get-out-of-their-rut/ | Mourinho Must Stop Shirking Responsibility If Tottenham Are To Get Out Of Their Rut | Mourinho Must Stop Shirking Responsibility If Tottenham Are To Get Out Of Their Rut
LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 13: Jose Mourinho, Manager of Tottenham Hotspur reacts during the Premier ... [+] League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Fulham at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on January 13, 2021 in London, England. Sporting stadiums around England remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Matthew Childs - Pool/Getty Images) Getty Images
Tottenham Hotspur have stumbled across a drawing formula. They have bumped inertly into a sure-fire way of snatching tedious mediocrity from the jaws of potentially brilliant success. Their consistency in doing so in recent weeks has been nothing short of remarkable.
In three of their last six league games, each of them against bottom-half opponents – Crystal Palace, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Fulham – Spurs have taken an early lead and put themselves in the box seat.
Against Wolves the opener came almost immediately, but against Fulham and Palace, the pressure on the opposition goal was sustained for a good spell, chances created repeatedly until the breakthrough came.
The logical thing to do in such a situation would be to maintain that pressure, to turn a one-goal lead into two or three and put the game beyond reach. Instead, in all three games Spurs have proceeded to do quite the opposite.
Following their opening goal, they have sat back, passively inviting pressure, attempting to imitate José Mourinho’s 2010 Inter Milan side, Eric Dier scrabbling around eight yards from his own goal, seemingly certain that he is Walter Samuel reincarnate.
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Yet they are, of course, not José’s Inter. Eric Dier, as much as he has improved this season, is not Walter Samuel. And in each game, Spurs have eventually succumbed to their opponent’s second-half onslaughts, conceding late equalizers every time.
LONDON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 13: Jeffrey Schlupp of Crystal Palace celebrate with his teammates ... [+] Cheikhou Kouyaté, Gary Cahill, James McArthur, Jaïro Riedewald after scoring goal during the Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Tottenham Hotspur at Selhurst Park on December 13, 2020 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Sebastian Frej/MB Media/Getty Images) Getty Images
Even from a neutral standpoint it is a frustrating spectacle, so one can only imagine Spurs fans are sat on their sofas tearing their hair out.
Spurs lack of gumption, though, has absolutely nothing to do with José Mourinho. Or at least that is what José Mourinho has tried to convince us of.
“I am quite experienced in the Premier League PINC ,” he said after the Crystal Palace game. “I told the players what could happen, and it happened. Against Palace… you need to create, you need to kill the game.”
After the Wolves draw, he was there again, extolling his attacking instincts on the BBC. “I know the way I prepare the team, I know what I asked of the players, I know all that and don't want to say much more.
I give some credit to Wolves of course because they put pressure on us, pressure that we coped quite well with, controlling the game very well. But we didn't have that ambition, that desire to go for more."
After Fulham had equalized in the 74th minute on Wednesday night, he was back at it. “Again, we didn't kill the game,” he said. “It is costing points and many times it happens in the last part of the game. There are things that are individual – individual qualities and individual mistakes. Basically, I cannot say much more than that.”
WOLVERHAMPTON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 27: Romain Saiss of Wolverhampton Wanderers scores their team's ... [+] first goal during the Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Tottenham Hotspur at Molineux on December 27, 2020 in Wolverhampton, England. The match will be played without fans, behind closed doors as a Covid-19 precaution. (Photo by Carl Recine - Pool/Getty Images) Getty Images
Except, José, you really could say more, couldn’t you? You could examine the reasons that this is happening over and over, explore possible explanations that go beyond the individual errors and delicate disposition of your playing squad.
But then, of course, José might have to lay some blame at his own door. Heaven forbid.
Yet for Spurs to break this frustrating sequence, a little introspection on their manager’s part may be useful.
Before this poor run that has seen them take six points from the last 18 available and tumble from first in the league to sixth, Tottenham enjoyed a heady few weeks, taking seven points from nine in a run of fixtures that read: Manchester City (H); Chelsea (A); Arsenal (H).
They way they did so, in true Mourinho fashion, was to abdicate possession of the ball, pack the defensive third with bodies and break with lightning speed and unerring accuracy, led on their cavalry charges by Harry Kane and Heung-min Son.
The strategy is an entirely valid one and has brought Mourinho a great deal of success. But inculcating players in that style may have unwanted knock-on when it comes to games where it is not so useful.
If you were a conductor and spent weeks forcing your orchestra to practice Mahler’s fifth, you could not complain when it came to concert night and they were not quite up to scratch on Beethoven’s seventh.
WOLVERHAMPTON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 27: Jose Mourinho, Manager of Tottenham Hotspur reacts during the ... [+] Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Tottenham Hotspur at Molineux on December 27, 2020 in Wolverhampton, England. The match will be played without fans, behind closed doors as a Covid-19 precaution. (Photo by Lindsey Parnaby - Pool/Getty Images) Getty Images
More than it being purely tactical, there is almost certainly a psychological element to Spurs’ poor form, too, one that can also be traced back to their manager.
Mourinho’s safety-first style is built on the basic tenet that the opposition is superior. If they were not, there would be no need for it. And that belief needs to be instilled into the players for the tactics to work. If they do not believe it, then why would they follow the plan set out rather than playing openly, going toe-to-toe?
Perhaps the lack of “ambition” and “desire” that Mourinho spoke of after the Wolves match were not such a mystery after all.
This is not to rubbish everything José has done this season. In difficult circumstances, he has led a very successful recruitment drive and has got the team performing – in some games at least – at a level far above anything we saw last term. It is not by chance that they remain just two points off a Champions League spot.
But in order to take another step, Spurs will need to find some variety in their game. As well as the rear-guard actions that are so effective against the league’s biggest and best, they need a convincing strategy for swatting aside less powerful adversaries.
A useful first step would be their manager taking his share of responsibility.
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1fc37663d9a1bf8fea931828da1a48c9 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshualaw/2021/01/22/pogbas-form-for-manchester-united-proves-the-enduring-value-of-the-brilliant-maverick/ | Pogba’s Manchester United Form Proves The Enduring Value Of The Brilliant Maverick | Pogba’s Manchester United Form Proves The Enduring Value Of The Brilliant Maverick
Manchester United's French midfielder Paul Pogba (C) and Manchester United's Portuguese midfielder ... [+] Bruno Fernandes (2nd L) bump fists ahead of the English Premier League football match between Manchester United and Manchester City at Old Trafford in Manchester, north west England, on December 12, 2020. (Photo by PHIL NOBLE / POOL / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. / (Photo by PHIL NOBLE/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) POOL/AFP via Getty Images
When the ball dropped to Paul Pogba just in front of a mostly empty Johnny Haynes stand at Craven Cottage at about quarter to ten on Wednesday night, BT Sport commentators Darren Fletcher and Jermaine Jenas were engaged in idle chitchat about the heading ability of Fulham center-back Joachim Anderssen. There was nothing really on, so who can blame them?
Pogba was near the touchline, the ball he had received was a difficult one to bring down, there were no good passing options available and there were 35 yards and five Fulham players, including the ‘keeper, between him and the goal.
Six seconds later, the ball was in the back of the net, Fletcher was squealing and the Fulham players looked at each other in stunned silence, as if to say, ‘We didn’t see that coming.’ Then again, Fletcher didn’t see it coming, Jenas didn’t see it coming, I didn’t see it coming, and – more than likely – neither did you.
It was a goal from nothing – one that perfectly summed up the unique brilliance of Paul Pogba and one that proved the difference between the sides in a tight, cagey game. Fulham had a few chances late on, but Pogba and his teammates battled through, saw out the game and secured three more points, three more points that took them back to the top of the Premier League PINC .
LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 20: Paul Pogba of Manchester United celebrates with team mate Bruno ... [+] Fernandes of Manchester United after scoring their side's second goal during the Premier League match between Fulham and Manchester United at Craven Cottage on January 20, 2021 in London, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images) Getty Images
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United top after half the season is something few expected in October. Frankly, it feels incongruous; not just because it was unexpected, but because, if we are brutally honest, Manchester United haven’t really been that good this term. Or at least they haven’t been good in the way we have come to define ‘good’; they haven’t played well in the way we’ve come to think of playing ‘well’.
In the last three seasons, we have seen two of the most complete, coherent and articulate club teams that England has ever produced going head-to-head for the title. Both Manchester City and Liverpool have crushed all in their way with their differing takes on a suffocating high press and inhumanly well-coordinated attacking moves.
It was, it seemed, the completion of English soccer’s gradual shift away from a game based on the heroic individual into a super-conformist, carry-no-passengers exercise of mechanics and perfect geometry, populated by dozens of highly technically competent and exceedingly obedient running bots.
Seeing United lead, then, is jarring.
Solksjaer's are not a complete mess collectively. They are organized, solid and, when necessary, compact defensively, as they showed against Liverpool last weekend. And more recently, they have had a clear plan; or rather, two variations on a clear plan. Against more powerful teams, they play a 4-2-3-1 with two holding midfielders and Pogba out wide; against lesser, more cautious teams, they play a 4-2-3-1 with Pogba as one of the central two.
But there is no sense that Solskjaer is contributing anything to the tactical development of football more widely, like there was with Guardiola and then Klopp. United remain a side that rarely, if ever, puts together a scintillating, 90-minute display of irresistible collective soccer.
Instead, they often look to individuals to produce match-winning moments around the edge of the 18-yard box. Like the goal Pogba conjured on Wednesday, or the volleyed finish against Burnley eight days prior; like Bruno Fernandes’s pass and Marcus Rashford’s skill that led to the winner against Wolves; like Edinson Cavani’s brilliant assist for Fernandes against Leicester or Marcus Rashford’s magnificent first goal against Sheffield United.
Manchester City are bookies’ title favorites and if they win their game in hand, the league is in their hands. But United’s progress this season, the fact that they are up there and fighting, perhaps shows the enduring value of taking the remarkable individual, the player that can come to the rescue when their team is in need, and handing them the liberty to perform remarkable individual acts.
While City and Liverpool clearly have fantastic players, it often seems that their individualism, their freedom to take games on alone, is subsumed by the commitment to the collective. It certainly felt that way as, in the absence of Sergio Aguero, we watched Pep Guardiola’s side flop lifelessly out of the Champions League in August. And again, it seemed so as Jurgen Klopp’s men huffed and puffed against Burnley at Anfield on Thursday.
Indeed, Liverpool’s signing of Thiago Alcantara was a glaring admission of the fact that they still needed that unique, free-thinking player with the tools to unlock a tight rear-guard. Unfortunately for them, he has spent most of this season injured and on Thursday was forced to play in the deepest of the three midfield roles, from where he could not affect the game as he wished, as Fabinho again dropped into central defense to cover for the absent Virgil van Dijk.
Yet in Pogba and Fernandes, and to a lesser extent Cavani and Rashford, United do have those mavericks, those individuals capable of magic moments even when the team is playing poorly. And the lack of an all-consuming idea of how the team should function in all situations at all times, they are perhaps a little frreer to do what they believe necessary to win any given game.
Though he may not have reinvented the wheel, through good man-management and getting some semblance of a basic structure, Solskjaer has been able to put Pogba and Fernandes in the right places, both physically and mentally, to demonstrate their supreme talents. For that, he deserves at least a little credit, even from those of us who doubted him.
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4781dacff356a12f3fed11544585f0e6 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshuapollard/2019/01/28/irs-welcome-back-opportunity-zones-need-your-attention/ | IRS: Welcome Back, Opportunity Zones Need Your Attention | IRS: Welcome Back, Opportunity Zones Need Your Attention
Boarded up facade of foreclosed building in Harlem, New York City Getty
14,000 unpaid IRS workers decided not to show up to work last week, due to the prolonged government shutdown, according to the Washington Post. Now that the government has reopened temporarily, the IRS’s timely focus on Opportunity Zones will be critical if the program is to become the boon for investors and low-income communities that many have anticipated.
Tax season, which starts this week, may prove to be a higher priority for the IRS, but hopefully the IRS can manage both. The Opportunity Zone program, which was rolled out as part of President Trump’s 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, has garnered support from investors and community advocates around the country who are eager to begin igniting the economic revitalization that Opportunity Zones are likely to create.
But the end of 2019 is a critical deadline for investors to receive a 15% capital gains tax reduction through investing in an Opportunity Zone. If they are to maximize on this tax holiday, they need the IRS’s urgent attention.
In October 2018, the US Treasury released interim guidance on the program, saying buyers could begin investing in OZ-qualified properties or businesses right away. What’s prevented some investors from doing so is the lack of clarity about the program, with no new timeline in place for when final, specific guidelines will be written into the law.
“An eligible taxpayer may rely on the rules…before the final regulations’ date,” says the interim guidance, “…but only if the taxpayer applies the rules in their entirety and in a consistent manner.”
In other words, invest now under this set of rules, consistently and in their entirety, but be warned that those rules could transform in multiple ways once public comment is taken into consideration and specificity is ultimately decided upon.
This is fine for projects that are conservatively within the bounds of the interim regulations. But bolder real estate projects and any investment in businesses within Opportunity Zones are still fraught with too many questions.
At best, uncertainty about the final guidelines makes investors extremely conservative and risk-averse. At worst, it could be preventing them from participating in the program at all, which will no doubt present challenges for low-income communities that are in need of recovery projects and are relying on Opportunity Zones to kindle investment interest.
Investors have patiently awaited clarification, but the public hearing that was supposed to have been held on January 10, 2019, before the IRS, which would have answered looming questions and shaped the final guidelines, was indefinitely postponed because of the government shutdown.
US Senators and House representatives even expressed concern last week, in particular over details about operating a business within a qualified Opportunity Zone. In a bipartisan letter sent on January 24, Senators Tim Scott and Cory Booker, among others, urged Treasury Secretary Mnuchin to “address key issues that are critical to this provision working according to Congressional intent.”
By the December 28, 2018, deadline for public input, no fewer than 145 comments about the OZ program were submitted by representatives of housing agencies, development councils, real estate associations, local municipalities, property investors and private citizens nationwide, according to the Regulations.gov docket.
They covered issues as widespread as:
How Opportunity Zones will work alongside other tax incentives, like the Low Income Housing Tax Credit and New Markets Tax Credit; Whether the program would be open to Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs); If it would include clean-fuel transportation vehicles, like barges, that are docked inside OZ’s but that deliver goods outside of them; How to guarantee real benefits get built into low-income communities (e.g. hiring local labor for new businesses and ensuring investors of color get adequate access to new contracting opportunities); Vague verbiage (e.g. what precise fiduciary requirements are needed to operate an Opportunity Fund?)
Without answers to these and other questions, investors may be shying away from the program. Unfortunately, the clock is ticking. 2019 is the last possible year to maximize on this 15% capital gains tax reduction, which is an enticing incentive in the legislation. A 10% reduction in capital gains tax is still achievable for investments made by 2021. But the 15% savings will only apply to investors who:
Take capital gains from the sale of a previous investment, Reinvest those capital gains, within 180 days of the previous sale, into an Opportunity Zone-qualified property or business during calendar year 2019, and Hold onto that new investment for a minimum seven years, or until December 31, 2026, whichever comes first.
Given the stringent 180-day requirement that’s imposed on buyers to use their funds to reinvest in an OZ, every day that passes while the IRS gets back to full operations narrows the timeline investors can maximize on this generous tax holiday.
Even while they are accustomed to uncertainty, investors don’t want to miss out on the chance to spur economic revitalization. All they can do right now is prepare to jump aboard as soon as the Opportunity Zone final regulation process kicks back into gear.
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6c66d2366070cc6c741680512e6e8388 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshuarhodes/2017/12/22/final-gop-tax-bill-more-confusing-but-not-terrible-for-wind-and-solar/ | Final GOP Tax Bill More Confusing, But Not Terrible For Wind And Solar | Final GOP Tax Bill More Confusing, But Not Terrible For Wind And Solar
While the reconciled tax bill is not as damning for renewable energy as either of the individual tax bills (in their own way) it still leaves the space with more uncertainty.
No one will be doing these tax returns on a postcard. https://pxhere.com/en/photo/1043193
In short, the reconciled bill keeps the wind and solar tax credits (but could slightly reduce their tax equity value), keeps the EV credit, but ditches the nuclear and ‘other’ technology credits like geothermal, micro turbines, etc. – these might be looked at again in the new year.
There is some concern that these tax credits might not be as easy or timely to monetize as they have been in the past. Utilizing the solar Investment Tax Credit (ITC) and the wind Production Tax Credit (PTC) will now likely require more math than they did before. Some of these tax considerations will not be easily calculated until the tax year is over, thus possibly making companies less hungry for the credits for fear that, in the end, they might not be able to fully use them.
The way that the wind and solar tax credits are monetized changes with the Base Erosion Anti-Abuse Tax (BEAT) provision. The BEAT is designed to stop some businesses from moving money off shore in order to reduce their tax burden beyond 10% of their taxable income. However, the wind and solar tax credits get caught up in this provision. An amendment reduced the effect of the BEAT (on wind and solar credits) by 80%, but this provision only lasts until 2025. On the other hand, the ITC/PTC will be trailing off by then anyways.
The original House bill would have reduced the tax credits for wind and solar, while the original Senate bill would have left the credits in place. But the original Senate bill included the BEAT provision, which at 100% strength, would have been devastating for renewable energy finance.
One interesting outcome of this change in the tax bill is that some wind farm owners might elect to use the optional upfront 30% (but also declining over the next few years) Investment Tax Credit for wind because the BEAT provision could makes one’s tax equity status more uncertain in future years.
Also, the reduction in the corporate tax rate from 35% to 21% will mean there is less tax equity to use for wind and solar projects, so the share of financing might lean more heavily towards debt in the future.
In all, the tax bill doesn’t spell disaster for the renewable energy sector, but it does seem to make the tax math more complex. No one will be doing these tax returns on a postcard.
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53f1d63a1dbe4492e69b91f75adf9e58 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshuarhodes/2018/01/19/the-home-heating-debate-heats-up-as-texas-gets-really-itssocold/ | The Home Heating Debate Heats Up As Temperatures Plunge In Texas | The Home Heating Debate Heats Up As Temperatures Plunge In Texas
You could make a lot of toast with this one! https://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/iotd_02.html#lowerAccordion-set3-slide128
The Texas grid recently hit a new winter peak record of about 65,731 megawatts (MW). If Texas' residential heating were 100% electrified, as many climate change mitigation strategies call for, that peak might have been closer to 80,000-90,000 MW, up to about 10,000 more megawatts than we have.
Texas recently joined the rest of the country in experiencing some frigid winter weather. On Tuesday, the high temperatures throughout most of the state didn’t break freezing, setting up Wednesday morning to be one of the coldest daybreaks this decade. Clear skies drove temps down into the teens across most of the state and even sent the Mexican border towns into freezing territory, a rare occurrence indeed.
This doesn’t happen often, but when it does, the result is pretty much the same. Electricity prices within the Texas grid, known as the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or ERCOT, rise as people try to keep their homes warm when they wake up and get ready for work. In some parts of Texas, wholesale electricity market prices spiked to over $5,000/MW. Quite a jump when you consider average prices are usually in the mid-$20/MWh range.
High prices in South Texas. ERCOT
So why the spike? Most of Texas (and in the South generally) uses electricity for heating. In fact, it’s our preferred heating "fuel." We use electricity to heat our homes and some businesses because these heating systems typically have the lowest upfront costs and we don’t use them that much (we’re a summer peaking state).
Some of these heating systems are direct electric resistance heaters, big coils of wires that heat up when turned on — think of a big toaster in your attic that you blow air through and the air heats up. Some systems are heat pumps, which are basically an air-conditioners running backwards. Heat pumps also use electricity to heat, but are much more efficient than big toasters. However, when the outdoor temperature gets around the low 20s, these systems can’t operate anymore, and therein lies the problem.
Heating fuel choice trends by region, 2005-2013. Can't wait for refreshed data! https://t.co/XoBBubfKJ1 via @EIAgov pic.twitter.com/5RqIsZbU8Q — Mackay (@mackaymiller) January 17, 2018
So when that rare cold weather strikes and the heat pumps are no longer able to provide heat, their “auxiliary” or “emergency” heat kicks in, and the system reverts to being a big toaster. And if you want to heat a whole house with a toaster, you need a really, really big toaster.
A few numbers.
During the summer, because of Texas’ many air conditioners, residential demand increases about 400% from off peak (~9,000 MW) in the spring to summer peak (~35,000 MW).
While commercial and industrial load only fluctuates about 35% from low to high, ERCOT is built to service all those residential air-conditioners that keep us sane. ERCOT’s all-time peak demand is 71,110 MW, set on Aug. 11, 2016. Most summers see new peaks, but during the Jan. 16-17, 2018, freeze, EROCT hit a new winter peak record of 65,731 MW and blew past the previous winter peak by over 2,800 MW.
A quick back-of-the-envelope thought experiment.
There has recently been a considerable amount of interest in electrifying everything in the U.S. economy. Doing so can make the economy more energy efficient, as well help fight climate change. With that in mind, the National Renewable Energy Lab recently announced the Electrification Futures Study to look at the consequences of a highly electrified US energy sector.
Let’s use this Texas cold snap as a quick case-study. There are 7.4 million households in Texas, with an average home size of about 2000 ft2. We built an energy model and simulated the average Texas home, equipped with a heat pump, and fed it the past few days’ worth of weather data. As expected, the outside temperatures were too cold for the heat pump to operate and the auxiliary heat kicked on. This meant that, during the coldest hours (when ERCOT happened to be peaking and the home’s auxiliary heat was on), the house was drawing over about 2-3 times more power than when the heat pump was operating normally.
If all 7.4 million Texas homes were operating like this, it looks like ERCOT’s peak would have been instead been about 90,000 MW. That is about 20,000 MW more than the summer peak, and about 10,000 MW more generation (depending on how you count) than ERCOT has in its entire system. See my rough calculations here.
In the end, the amount of total energy (MWh) consumed is pretty small because the auxiliary heat might not be on for very long, but the instantaneous power demand (MW) of 'everyone' being on auxiliary heat at the same time is very large. If we want to electrify the home heating space, we need to be honest with what that might mean – lots of generation available for short amounts of time and we will likely need to throw all of our smart grid/Internet of Things/storage(?)/transmission solutions at it. Using higher performance heat pumps and better insulating our homes would help too. It can be done, and to reduce carbon emissions long term, it will probably have to be done, but it is going to take more infrastructure than we have now.
By the way, the weather report has Austin back in the 70s this weekend.
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d30b873f6b3f518e2f4bd8ec97f6e0a6 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshuarhodes/2018/02/18/energy-storage-coming-but-big-price-declines-still-needed/ | Energy Storage Is Coming, But Big Price Declines Still Needed | Energy Storage Is Coming, But Big Price Declines Still Needed
Tesla's big ol' Australian battery. https://www.flickr.com/photos/daveclarkecb/38799934795/
Cheap energy storage, long hailed as renewable energy’s younger cousin that, once of age, would create a dynamic duo strong enough to upend the electricity system as we know it, got a steroid shot this week when FERC announced that it was going to let energy storage operate in the wholesale markets as both a buyer and a seller.
While this development plays to storage’s benefit, the market (at current prices) is still relatively small. For energy storage to make a big play, costs still needs to come down by about half, and the market itself might have to change.
In the U.S., most energy storage comes from pumped hydro facilities, but these systems require large amounts of co-located land, elevation and water. Batteries have been (or will be) built in both Texas and Arizona in order to defer expensive transmission line upgrades.
But battery prices are now declining to the point where they are starting to move into new markets. Tesla’s 100MW/129MWh battery in South Australia appears to be taking full advantage of market price fluctuations and helping the grid ride through multiple coal plant trips this (Australian) summer.
In the U.S., Tucson Electric Power recently entered into a power purchase agreement with a 100MW solar + 30MW/120MWh battery project for about 4.5 cents/kWh and Arizona Public Service (APS) just this month contracted with First Solar to build a 65MW solar + 50MW/135MWh project with the stipulation that its capacity be available summer afternoons from 3-8pm. At other times, the battery is free to provide other services to the market. Both of these projects benefit from the fact that, if a battery charges mainly from solar, it is eligible for the same 30% investment tax credit as the solar itself.
Battery energy storage is starting to target peak demand hours. Peak demand usually happens on summer afternoons (both north and south) when people are getting home from work and air-conditioners are straining to keep homes cool. There are also winter peaks for cold weather which can occur on cold mornings when people are just waking up and getting ready for the day.
In the U.S. we usually meet our peak demand with natural gas combustion turbines. These types of power plants are basically jet engines bolted to the ground and hooked up to a generator. They can start and ramp their output quickly, making them good for following swings in load. Some areas of the country utilize diesel engines as peakers and lately natural gas internal combustion engines (diesel engines reconfigured to run on natural gas) are frequently deployed.
However, natural gas combustion turbines constitute the bulk of peaker capacity. Of the roughly 1.2 Terawatts (all kinds) of power plants in the U.S., about 10% are gas turbines that are used to meet peak demand. These power plants account for ~$100B of capital that is utilized less than 10% of the time.
Estimated peaker plant capacity by balance region. Joshua Rhodes, PhD | Energy Institute, UT-Austin | @joshdr83
These peaker plants only produce about ~1% of our total energy. Peakers are cheap to build, have high operating costs, and are not used very often, but they serve an important role for the grid – keeping the lights on when power demand (and the price) is high.
One reason that FERC's recent decision is so important is that it lets energy storage buy and sell in wholesale markets at wholesale prices. This will make sure that energy storage can arbitrage the market (buy low and sell high). However, many studies have looked at the economics of arbitrage and not many have seen cases where energy storage systems are profitable. Because arbitrage will increase demand when prices are low and increase supply when prices are high, the more energy storage deployed, the worse the economics become.
There has been some work that has shown that if batteries can “stack” benefits, i.e. get paid for energy arbitrage and providing ancillary services to the grid, an economic case can be made. However, one should proceed with caution because the price of these ancillary services will approach a batteries marginal cost to deliver them, about $0. High penetration of batteries can destroy their own markets.
And, because energy storage is not 100% efficient, you don’t get as much energy out as you put in, this means that energy storage systems are a net energy sink. In 2016, energy storage in the U.S. (mainly pumped hydro) on net (output - input) consumed 6.7 TWh of energy. The more energy storage we deploy, the more energy we are likely to consume, ceteris paribus.
Net electricity generation in the U.S. by type for 2016. Joshua Rhodes, PhD | Energy Institute, UT-Austin | @joshdr83
But, if energy storage allows for this energy to come from cheap and clean sources on demand, maybe the increased energy use is not a bad thing.
Going after peaker plants will likely be the first major play (besides infrastructure deferments) that batteries make into the markets. But that still leaves ~99% of delivered electricity on the table. To compete with natural gas and coal (~62% of electricity generated), wind/solar + storage is likely going to have to beat the average marginal cost of our most efficient natural gas plant (natural gas combined cycle with a 65% capacity factor), or about $25/MWh (2.5 cents/kWh).
If we reach this point, we could find ourselves at an interesting crossroads. Up until now power plants usually bid their marginal cost of generation (the cost to produce the next MWh of electricity, not including servicing capital) into the markets and are dispatched from lowest cost to highest cost. In a world where most market participants have zero marginal cost, current market structures might not be able to provide enough revenue to recoup capital costs, and a major shift would be needed.
But until this milestone is reached, deployments of storage (sans mandates) will likely be chasing the average marginal cost of our gas peaker plants, or about $52/MWh, which is where we appear to be today.
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6fad6e2f863460dedfbf6a1532642b64 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshuarhodes/2018/09/25/why-republican-leaders-love-renewable-energy/ | Why Republican Leaders Love Renewable Energy | Why Republican Leaders Love Renewable Energy
Wind turbines on the Great Plains
Or at least they should? A common misconception in today’s hyper-polarized world is that people more aligned with the political left are more in favor of renewable energy than those that politically lean to the right, who presumably want more fossil fuels. While this might feel like the case given the current state of our national caricature, the local story can be more nuanced.
Republicans from Texas to Iowa regularly extoll the virtues of renewables like wind and solar power, and for good reason. Rural Republican districts are often the locations with the best solar and wind resources, and when those resources are harnessed they bring good jobs to places where new sources of employment are often otherwise scarce. In fact, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ #1 and #2 fastest growing jobs in the U.S. are solar panel installers and wind turbine technicians. These jobs are good, solid middle class jobs with annual salaries pushing close to six-figures. Beyond construction, the plants (particularly wind farms, with their many moving parts) offer good jobs in the long term.
Not only do wind and solar power bring jobs, they increase the local tax base for revenue-starved public schools and other districts. For example, Nolan County in Texas has seen its tax base increase almost eight fold to nearly $3 billion dollars since the West Texas wind rush began. A cash influx like that can make the Friday Night Lights even brighter.
So why the disconnect between the rhetoric and reality? Well since all politics is local, let’s go local, real local. The first map below comes from a study that The University of Texas at Austin’s Energy Institute released in 2016 called The Full Cost of Electricity. The study was comprised of a total of 15 white papers that examined the all-in cost of electricity from power plant to wall socket, and will soon be re-released with more up-to-date data. In one of those papers researchers analyzed four types of coal facilities three types of natural gas plants, three types of solar, nuclear and on-shore wind to calculate the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) for new power plants in every county of the continental U.S. (see this paper for a detailed explanation of underlying costs of each).
The cost assumptions that underlie each generating technology were recently updated, and this map, on a county-by-county basis, shows the updated results (green = wind, purple = utility solar PV, red-orange = natural gas combined cycle).
Levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) map of U.S. counties (green = wind, purple = utility solar PV,... [+] red-orange = natural gas combined cycle). Joshua D. Rhodes, UT-Austin | @joshdr83
The map is online and interactive so users can change the capital costs assumptions, discount rates, fuel costs and even include externalities such as CO2.
Note that all maps (and their respective cost figures) in this article do not include any externalities, but do include the tax credits .
In the original study, wind, solar and natural gas were the cheapest options in most places, and since their costs have continued to decline, much has stayed the same. However, in this new release, users are also given the option of viewing the same data aggregated to Congressional districts.
Same levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) map, but aggregated to congressional districts (green =... [+] wind, purple = utility solar PV, red-orange = natural gas combined cycle). Joshua D. Rhodes, UT-Austin | @joshdr83
For each Congressional district, the cheapest county (and its cheapest technology) was selected to represent that district. On the website users can also download the data aggregated to the county or congressional district-level.
The online version also lets you show only districts from each political party, showing not only where those districts are, but what technologies might be a good fit.
Same levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) map, but with just Democratic districts highlighted (green... [+] = wind, purple = utility solar PV, red-orange = natural gas combined cycle). Joshua D. Rhodes, UT-Austin | @joshdr83
Same levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) map with Republican districts highlighted (green = wind,... [+] purple = utility solar PV, red-orange = natural gas combined cycle). Joshua D. Rhodes, UT-Austin | @joshdr83
These maps perhaps provide a good picture of why local Republicans love renewable energy – it is often the cheapest technology to build in their districts and brings jobs with it. Of the 240 Republican districts (in the continental U.S.), 157 have wind or solar as their cheapest electricity option. For the 192 districts represented by Democrats, 105 have wind or solar as their cheapest technology.
The levelized cost of electricity is not a perfect metric for assessing the viability of building a new power plant as it only provides part of the answer (the other part being the value of electricity at that location), but it is a useful screening tool. Already, many of the fuel and technology options highlighted on these maps are being built in those locations. And since renewable energy seems to be one of the few things these days with bipartisan support, surely we can afford to double down on it.
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1e7362407ce4a31b9fa35d9d8ec04ffc | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshuarhodes/2019/01/04/the-people-want-evs-but-who-will-sell-them-to-us/ | The People Want EVs, But Who Will Sell Them To Us? | The People Want EVs, But Who Will Sell Them To Us?
There is a lot of buzz (sorry!) around how electric vehicle will soon make up a large share of vehicle sales. While customers seeking a new EV haven’t had a lot of options to date, the range of makes and models will be significantly expanding in the next few dozen months as car makers roll out new lines, including a 400+ mile range 4x4 electric pickup truck that comes with external power outlets and a built in air compressor.
Of the 17.3 million cars and trucks sold in 2017, about 1.2%, or 200,000 of them, were EVs. However, many dealerships appear to be less than enthusiastic about selling them, leading to poor buying experiences and possibly fewer EV total sales. There are multiple reasons for this, including a lack of knowledge and longer sales time, but one major one seems to be that since EVs require less maintenance than conventional vehicles, the dealership service departments stand to lose revenue.
While it might be a downside for dealerships, less maintenance is also one of the biggest selling points of EVs, which cost about one-third per mile to drive (electricity vs. gasoline) and have significantly fewer moving parts. But, since about half of car dealers’ revenue comes from their service departments, and vehicle service is about a $250B per year industry, more EVs could mean billions of dollars in lost service revenue.
Over the recent winter break, my sister and brother in law were looking to buy their first EV. Given their rural location and lack of EV charging infrastructure, they had their eyes on a plug-in hybrid, like a Chevy Volt. However, their experience seemed almost tailored to dissuade them. They went to five dealerships, with no luck. Responses from salespeople included:
“Noooooo! You don’t want one of those, that’s a dinosaur. Let me show you some cars you would rather have.” “We don’t see those around here much, and frankly don’t want to look for one. We have one we get our mail with and it gets good mileage, but we’re not looking to sell one.”
And they are not alone in their experience.
Some carmakers, like Tesla, don’t sell through 3rd party dealerships – which allows them to cut costs, but also means that in some states, including Texas, you can’t buy a Tesla. If you want a new Tesla in Texas, you have to buy the car out of state and go pick it up, or have it delivered and then have the title transferred to Texas to get your license plates.
Currently, there are over one million EVs on US roads and between four and five million globally. Multiple forecasts have EVs making up the majority of total US car sales within a couple decades. China, which supplies more than half of the lithium-ion batteries worldwide that power most EVs, has doubled down on them and has nearly 500 companies dedicated to EV development. While US-based Tesla sold more units than any other individual EV company this year, China’s biggest EV companies together sold almost three times as many as Elon’s company.
The addition of more EVs will translate into a significant change in how we fuel our mobility. If all 3 trillion light-duty vehicle (the cars and trucks most people drive) miles driven in the US were driven by EVs, 170 billion gallons of gasoline and diesel would need to be replaced with over 1,100 TWh of electricity, an increase of nearly 30% compared to how much we currently use.
Even with this increased electricity use, EVs are still more than twice as clean per mile than gasoline powered cars. And as the electric grid gets cleaner, so do the EVs that are powered by that electricity. This, among other topics, is a focus of the current UT-Austin Energy Institute’s study The Energy Infrastructure of the Future.
General Motors Co. (GM) Chevrolet Volt vehicles sit under a solar charging canopy on the lot at... [+] Phillips Chevrolet car dealership in Frankfort, Illinois, U.S., on Thursday, April 30, 2015. Domestic and total vehicle sales figures are scheduled to be released on May 1. Photographer: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg © 2015 Bloomberg Finance LP
If the demand for EVs materializes as the projections indicate, someone will sell them to us. As things currently stand, however, certain key players are resisting change for their own short-term self-preservation. Car dealers will need to change their current business model and figure out how to survive in an increasingly electrified world.
My sister was highly motivated to buy an EV, but couldn’t purchase one without driving to a larger city, many hours away. She ended up going with a gasoline-powered compact crossover SUV instead. Here’s hoping her experience won’t be the norm for too much longer.
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d03395c0c5530e5f1851eb5ef1240104 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshuarhodes/2020/02/10/will-the-explosive-growth-of-the-us-oil-and-gas-sector-continue/ | Will The Explosive Growth Of The US Oil And Gas Sector Continue? | Will The Explosive Growth Of The US Oil And Gas Sector Continue?
The oil pump on the background of the sunset Getty
This is the third of a multi-part series on the state of the main sources of energy in the US and how they compare globally. The series will cover solar, wind, oil & gas, coal, nuclear, and geothermal (so far) and will answer the same four questions for each.
1. How big is the U.S. oil and gas industry, and what is its growth trajectory?
The US oil and gas sector employs about 880,000 workers and contributes about $1.5 trillion towards the US gross domestic product, the growth of which has been heavily driven by shale production. Production of oil and gas hit record levels in 2019, with natural gas production exceeding 100,000 million cubic feet per day and crude oil exceeding 12,000,000 barrels per day.
The US has very recently moved from being a net importer of oil and petroleum products and natural gas to a net exporter. The fundamentals underlying these changes represent a seismic shift in world oil and gas markets.
The US is now a net exporter of crude oil + petroleum products. US Energy Information Administration
The US is a net exporter of natural gas. US Energy Information Administration
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The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that, by 2024, the US will export more oil than Russia and will come close to the exports of Saudi Arabia. The IEA goes further to estimate that, under stated policies, over the next decade, 85% of the increase in global oil production will come from the US. However, there is limited ability for the US to move in a way to influence oil prices as individual producers in the US are subject to anti-trust laws in the US that OPEC nations with state oil companies are not.
Domestic consumption of natural gas has been increasing as electric utilities move away from coal and pivot towards renewables and natural gas. However, short term growth in natural gas generation could plateau as renewables continue their epic rise.
Change in US electricity generation by fuel type. US Energy Information Administration
The US Energy Information Administration’s 2019 reference case projects the US to become a major exporter of natural gas with growth highly driven by liquified natural gas (LNG) exports. Even though the current LNG market is soft, US producers are likely to remain competitive.
The US is expected to increase LNG exports of natural gas. US Energy Information Administration
This is all, of course, absent of any meaningful action towards combating climate change. While most signs point towards continued oil and gas extraction to meet the world’s growing thirst for energy, steep reductions in CO2 emissions are required to stick to 1.5 or 2° C pathways, reductions that would likely mean a very different future for the US oil and gas sector.
2. Which US states lead in oil and natural gas?
Texas, living up to its stereotype, produces the most crude oil and natural gas of any other state, mostly driven by the Permian, Eagle Ford, and Haynesville regions. While Texas has a commanding lead in crude oil production, Pennsylvania and Louisiana are not far behind in natural gas production.
US crude oil production is increasing. US ENERGY INFORMATION ADMINISTRATION
US natural gas production is increasing. US ENERGY INFORMATION ADMINISTRATION
There is so much natural gas production (as a byproduct of oil extraction) in West Texas that there is often not enough room in pipelines to take it away. Gas prices have gone negative at times and Texas has also become the number one state for flaring/venting of natural gas, at times flaring more natural gas than homes in the state consume.
Flaring in Karnes City, Texas. Webber Energy Group | Jeffrey Phillips
3. What are the biggest challenges faced by the oil and gas sector today?
Well over half of US greenhouse gas emissions come from burning petroleum products (in the transportation sector) and natural gas (in the energy sector). Globally, the charity CDP found that, in 2017, 100 energy companies were responsible for about 70% of greenhouse emissions via their products, including many oil and gas companies. While oil and gas companies are starting to move on climate, major climate legislation could force them to move much faster as, at the end of the day, their major product, fuels that, when burned, put carbon in the air must be greatly reduced.
Oil and gas companies are also finding it harder to recruit the talent that they need as more people entering the workforce are wanting to make a positive difference and fewer are seeing that in the oil and gas sector.
Electrified vehicles also have the potential to reduce the demand for traditional transportation fuels. While estimates for EV deployments vary widely, each year brings more bullish projections.
Projections for electric vehicle adoption vary widely: ... [+] https://qz.com/1620614/electric-car-forecasts-are-all-over-the-map/ Quartz
Concerns about the impact of the current coronavirus outbreak are affecting global (and thus US) oil and gas markets, but unless this virus takes a significant turn for the worse, the market effects are likely to be short-term.
4. How does the US oil and gas sector compare globally?
The US has moved from a distant third place in crude oil production to the number one producer in less than a decade, while also remaining the number one consumer of petroleum. The US is also the leading producer, importer, and exporter of refined petroleum products. In addition, the US produces more natural gas than any other country, and will likely soon move into the top three for liquefied natural gas exports.
The US now leads the world in petroleum and natural gas production. US ENERGY INFORMATION ADMINISTRATION
The growth of the US oil and gas industry, production in particular, has been nothing less than explosive. Currently, US vehicle fleets are taking longer to turnover as we drive more miles, air travel is projected to continue to expand, and plastics consumption is slated to increase, all increasing demand for increasing petroleum inputs. And even electric utilities that have pledged to go 100% carbon-free in the next couple of decades are still trying to build natural gas plants in the short-term while they wait for the costs of lower carbon options to fall. With no major hurtles in the short-term, it appears continued growth is likely.
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4c2975b47a480d494ac42835d12c4ed0 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshuarhodes/2020/09/25/even-renewables-are-bigger-in-texas/?sh=fc357eb6a9ac | Even Renewables Are Bigger In Texas | Even Renewables Are Bigger In Texas
Central Texas Solar Energy Farm Aerial over thousands of Solar Collectors near webberville , Texas a ... [+] massive solar energy plant produces clean renewable energy for a sustainable energy future right outside Austin , TX in June 2016 on a partly cloudy day with plenty of sunshine. The Modern Futuristic Power Plants of the future right now right here in central texas , USA . getty
This year, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas or ERCOT, the electric grid that services about 90% of Texas electricity, is scheduled to add almost as much wind as it has in the past five years combined and almost triple its solar capacity. Yes, in 2020. The grid operator’s latest figures indicate that they expect, by the end of the year to have 31,069 MW of wind and 6,035 MW of solar on the system, up from 23,860 and 2,281 MW of wind and solar at the end of 2019.
Texas has long been a leader in wind power, but is quickly catching up on solar. The ERCOT Interconnection Queue, which shows the latest list of projects that are trying to connect to the system is, in fact, dominated by solar projects. Almost 77,000 MW of solar projects are in some stage of connecting to the grid. For reference, the all-time high peak power demand in ERCOT is just shy of 75,000 MW. Not all projects in the interconnection queue will get built, but the amount of solar (76,961 MW), wind (25,886 MW), and energy storage (17,436 MW) vs. natural gas (7,042 MW) in the queue does give a snapshot of what types of projects that investors see as most worth looking at. A preliminary analysis of historical projects in the ERCOT queue indicated that roughly 70% of projects that made it to the latter stage of the queue ended up being completed – solar and wind each have roughly 13,500 MW worth of projects in that latter stage.
The ERCOT interconnection queue as of August 2020. Joshua Rhodes
Perhaps even more interesting than solar’s ridiculous rise has been that of energy storage projects. The total capacity of energy storage projects is up over 400% from August 2019 and, as recently as Spring 2020, surpassed the capacity of natural gas projects in the queue to take the third spot behind solar and wind. Few projects are in the latter stage of the queue, but interest is rising fast. This trend is not unique to ERCOT, anywhere where markets are competitive, the queues look similar.
Captain Solar to the rescue
The arrival of solar in Texas is very timely as ERCOT is an energy-only market and has had a historically-low reserve margin for the past few years. This reality has caused some consternation because low reserves lead to price spikes that can be over 100 times higher than average. But, again, this is how energy-only markets work, it is a design feature of the system, not a bug.
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Wind sometimes gets a bad rap because West Texas wind does tend to produce less energy during times of peak demand, but peak isn’t everything and it (all wind) still produces a lot of (20% of total) energy that keeps costs low. However, the new crop of coastal wind is a different story, strongly showing up when needed on peak. Solar shows up even stronger.
ERCOT counts on utility-scale solar to produce about 76% of its rated capacity during peak demand. Assuming that and that 70% of the approx. 13,500 MW of solar projects in the latter stage of the queue gets built, it indicates that over 7,000 MW of on-peak generation is coming soon, not to mention even more from distributed solar, wind, and energy storage. The system is ever-evolving, but I think Texas is going to be just fine.
Show me the money
A recent report, funded by Conservative Texans for Energy Innovation & Powering Texas, and, full disclosure, authored by myself, found that renewables not only help the grid, but also help those areas where they are built.
Through an analysis of state tax documents and discussions with developers, landowners, and energy-focused lawyers the report found that, over their lifetime, the current fleet of utility-scale wind and solar projects in Texas, inclusive of all tax abatements, will generate between $4.7 billion and $5.7 billion in new tax revenue to local communities. And, if all projects with interconnection agreements are built, existing and planned utility-scale wind and solar projects will pay between $8.1 billion and $10 billion in total tax revenue over their lifetimes. Over 70% of these revenues flow to more rural counties in Texas and help provide funding stability and capital improvements in areas that typically lack much investment.
Figure showing the estimated local taxes that renewables will pay to counties in Texas over their ... [+] lifetime, by county. Joshua Rhodes
According to Oldham County Judge Don Allred, the county (population approx. 2,112) has lost 80-90% of its oil and gas revenues in the past 10 years. He notes that the sectors boom and bust cycle make it difficult to rely on them for making long-term plans. Today, about 50% of Oldham counties’ revenues come from wind.
“Wind has been a Godsend – it allows flexibility in budgeting by providing a constant source of revenues that you know will be there when you need them.” – Don Allred, Oldham County Judge.
The report also looked at the landowner payments that were made to those who own the land where renewables are located and found that the existing utility-scale solar and wind projects in Texas will pay Texas landowners between $4.8 billion and $7.3 billion over the lifetime of the projects. And, if all of the projects with signed interconnection queues are built, Texas landowners will directly receive between $8 billion and $13.1 billion over the existing and planned project lifetimes.
Figure showing the estimated landowner payments that renewables will make in Texas over their ... [+] lifetime, by county. Joshua Rhodes
“…In times of drought, electric power sales continue to create rainfall-independent financial stability like the oil and gas sector provided for so many other ranchers…” – Michael Manning, Bar T-Black Angus Ranch
In short, the report found that both county leaders and landowners appreciated the financial stability that renewables bring with them. The county officials were able to plan longer-term investments and landowners were able to have a consistent, drought-resistant source of revenue that could help ride them through tough times.
Wind energy has already tied output from coal in Texas, and paired with solar and storage, the renewable portion of Texas’ electricity mix will only grow. While revenues and royalties from oil and gas are tied to global markets that are stubbornly stalled out and declining, all indications are that, especially in Texas, electricity demand is only going to grow. That growth will mean more renewables along with the grid and financial stability they bring.
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417ea009c3fefe6ffdd78de337334c94 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshuarogers/2016/10/05/why-are-more-and-more-investors-betting-against-hurricanes-like-matthew/ | Catastrophe Investing: How Investors Are Betting Against Hurricane Matthew & Other Disasters | Catastrophe Investing: How Investors Are Betting Against Hurricane Matthew & Other Disasters
Investors seeking better returns without loading up on unwanted risk are turning towards something unexpected: catastrophe.
We’ve had a number of them this year, yes. There were the floods in Baton Rouge in August — the worst natural disaster since Hurricane Sandy pounded New York. There was a major train wreck on Sept. 29 in Hoboken, New Jersey. No hurricanes have hit Florida yet, but the state is now rushing to prepare for Hurricane Matthew, which hammered the Caribbean earlier this week.
All these events have ruined lives. They’ve also sent insurers scrambling. And that brings us back to the investors I mentioned.
With interest rates languishing near generational lows for years now, more investors are seeking yield by ditching U.S. Treasury bonds. Historically, you might offset low bond yields by purchasing assets that are “uncorrelated” — that means not in sync with the bond market. Commodities, quite often. But that market is in a prolonged slump, so many investors have opted to go into riskier assets, increasing allocations to such things as stocks, junk bonds and high-yield bank loans.
That’s all fine and good, but what if you’re risk-averse? Some of the wealthier, more conservative investors I know have been putting money into catastrophe bonds. These so-called “cat bonds” are essentially slices of reinsurance. And some wealthy investors have found that cat bonds can provide a decent yield during a low-yield era.
Reinsurance is insurance that spreads out the risk that big insurers take on, and it’s a growing business. The market for cat bonds has grown in recent years, with almost $25 billion such bonds issued to date, covering losses from hurricanes, earthquakes and other horrendous events.
The good news is that owning cat bonds doesn’t mean you’ll be cheering if disaster strikes. The bonds pay higher yields if little or nothing goes wrong in a calendar year. The annual returns tend to accrue in the later part of year, during the August-November hurricane season. If few hurricanes hit, returns can be very, very good.
And it turns out that while anything named “catastrophe” might sound risky, not every bad storm is a disaster for holders of cat bonds. If there are a lot of bad weather events, the cat bond returns can still be OK.
For example, in August, severe rainfall (three times the rain of Hurricane Katrina in 2005) flooded 12 parishes in Louisiana, leading to as much as $15 billion in economic losses. However, most losses were uninsured (a great deal of those losses will be absorbed by the U.S. government, unfortunately), so the event will have little impact on the reinsurance market. Similarly, a magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck central Italy in August, leading to economic losses that could top $1 billion, but not much of that was insured.
Even when things do impact the reinsurance market, often such outcomes are already priced into actuarial assumptions. A case in point was the SpaceX explosion of a rocket on a launch pad in Florida at the start of September. Losses from the explosion — which destroyed a Facebook satellite intended to bring better Internet access to sub-Saharan Africa — were hardly a catastrophe for reinsurers. That’s because the historical rate of failure of satellite launches for the past 20 years is 6%. By comparison, SpaceX has had 18 successful launches and one explosion, making its launch failure rate 5.3%.
Reinsurance is nothing new; it’s been around since 1370, when financiers figured they needed to find a better method of easing the risk for insurers. Cat bonds are a more recent development. They have been around for about 20 years, since the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew, which walloped Florida and resulted in $20 billion in claims. After Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and Superstorm Sandy in 2012, demand for cat bonds spiked.
Historically, such bonds have paid well. A study found that in the decade ending in 2014, they posted negative returns in only seven months, the worst in 2011 when they lost 4% due to Japan’s Tohoku earthquake.
Gallery: The Worst U.S. Storms Of All Time 11 images View gallery
Because cat bonds are not publicly traded, information on specific deals can be sparse. But The Wall Street Journal provided a glimpse into one issue: USAA’s floating of $250 million in cat bonds in May, where the riskiest level paid 11.5% and the least risky, 3.25%. These four-year bonds factor in a 7.6% chance that losses will hit $1.2 billion.
Estimates are that the cat bond market will quadruple over the next decade, providing ample access to these instruments. While cat bonds are concentrated in North America, other regions such as Asia are getting into the act. An earthquake in Turkey in 2011 has goosed interest there, for instance.
Investors also seemingly are drawn to these because they are not correlated to the stock or bond markets. They may perform well in years when the S&P 500 does quite poorly. They tend to have short-term maturities, usually three to five years.
Cat bonds are usually issued by large insurers such as USAA and AIG in the U.S., and Swiss Re and Munch Re in Europe. They normally are sold in multimillion-dollar increments to pension plans, hedge funds, sovereign wealth funds and wealthy individuals.
However, individual investors can add reinsurance to their investments, too. They can look, for example, at the Stone Ridge Reinsurance Risk Premium Interval Fund, launched in late 2013. The fund invests in cat bonds and also in a similar vehicle called a quota share note, where premiums are higher but the insurance has no deductible.
The reinsurance funds charge higher fees than your typical mutual fund. (Stone Ridge charges an annual management fee of 2% plus 0.42% in other expenses.) But the fees are less than those charged by most hedge funds, which usually demand a 2% annual management fee plus other expenses and another 20% of profits.
Don’t mistake my laying all this out as a recommendation. I happen to know a bit about Stone Ridge because some of my clients have bought into it. But you, like any other individual investor considering adding reinsurance to their portfolio, should discuss the idea with your financial advisor, including a frank discussion of risk factors.
Will Matthew make land in Florida? Hard to be absolutely sure. It’s certainly too early in the year — and in this year’s hurricane season — to get a proper feel for how the Stone Ridge fund will finish the year. (By the end of August, SRRIX returned 3.7% for the year to date, slightly lower than the 4.25% return for the S&P 500.) Since the fund is strongly tied to hurricane season, investors are hoping for its return to spike after the season concludes in November. But the fund’s volatility has been significantly lower than stocks and junk bonds.
It’s a fact of life that disasters will happen. And that raises an interesting side-discussion about the growth of the catastrophe bond market. As the cat-bond market becomes bigger, more liquid and more efficiently priced, it may provide benefits to society at large. It may make it less expensive to insure homes in places like Florida or insure important projects like SpaceX. If more Americans owned cat bonds, would they become more empathetic to far-away neighbors or countrymen harmed by storms, rising seas, engineering disasters and other misfortunes? Would they be even more likely to rejoice with them when hurricane seasons pass or rockets launch without incident? We’ll have to wait and see.
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a17bae9cce9abe84b3bda7a5e7263491 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshuastein/2021/02/22/a-limited-liability-company-buyout-and-a-quick-flip/ | A Limited Liability Company And A Quick Flip | A Limited Liability Company And A Quick Flip
What happens if an LLC manager buys out an investor and then scores a home run in selling the LLC’s ... [+] property? RANJAN SAMARAKONE
Once in a while the manager of a limited liability company that owns commercial real estate buys out the interests of an investor member of the company, and then, soon after, sells the LLC’s real estate at a price far higher than anyone expected. The investor that sold its interest then regrets it sold its interest in the company and sues, claiming the manager violated its fiduciary obligations to the selling member, the investor.
These litigations tend to be nasty and complicated, very dependent on their particular facts, and expensive. But these buyouts happen, and so do the litigations that sometimes follow. They raise important issues about the rights and obligations within a limited liability company, and whether they still apply in the context of a buyout of an investor member.
New York’s limited liability company law says a manager must act “in good faith and with that degree of care that an ordinarily prudent person in a like position would use under similar circumstances.” The reference to “good faith” certainly suggests the manager should have disclosed to the bought-out investor member the details of the company’s opportunity to execute a profitable sale of its property.
In the context of a manager’s buyout of an investor member, though, maybe it’s not that simple. Is it reasonable for the selling investor member to rely on information from the manager about the value of the company’s assets? Is “value” something that is fixed, immutable, and objectively determinable, or merely a judgment call at a particular moment?
Before selling, should an investor member demand full disclosure about the company’s affairs and possible opportunities, and representations and warranties about any possible sales that might be pending? Should the seller do enough homework to figure out its own view of the value of the company’s property? Do the answers to these questions change if the relationships within the company have been unsatisfactory and tense? What if the selling investor member is highly sophisticated and knowledgeable about market conditions and commercial real estate generally? Should the selling investor member, as a condition to being bought out, demand a right to participate in a later profitable sale of the company’s property?
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These are fascinating questions, of course. The New York courts have answered them in somewhat inconsistent ways over the years.
Some cases suggested that the manager’s obligations of good faith required full disclosure, and that obligation could not be waived. Many sections of New York’s limited liability company law do say the parties can agree to something other than what the law states. But the section on good faith doesn’t expressly provide for that flexibility.
Other cases, including some more recent ones, take a more “Wild West” view of the relationship. They recognize that if the relationship between the manager and the investor member has degenerated, maybe it’s not reasonable for the investor member, when selling, to rely on the manager. Maybe once it’s obvious the manager and the selling member have an adversarial relationship, the selling member should no longer expect full disclosure. That’s especially true for something as vague and judgment-based as a determination of the “value” of the company’s property.
From the perspective of the manager, the buyer, it helps if the buyout documents include a full waiver and release of claims, and an acknowledgment that the selling investor member isn’t relying on the buying manager for any disclosures at all. Particularly in the context of language like that, courts have sometimes displayed impatience with a selling investor member’s claim that it was entitled to blindly rely on whatever information the buyer (manager) provided, or didn’t provide, about the company’s affairs.
On the other hand, a quick flip by the manager can look quite bad, especially if it turns out the manager’s profitable sale of the property was well underway at the time of the buyout and the closing occurs very soon after the buyout.
If a selling member would be upset if the manager made a quick profit on the transaction, perhaps it’s up to the selling member to raise the issue.
Conversely, if the manager/buyer sees any possibility of a quick sale on the horizon, the manager/buyer ought to proceed with great care. At a minimum, the manager/buyer ought to obtain as many waivers and releases as great legal minds can create.
The manager/buyer might even want to disclose the pending discussions, and thus perhaps avoid the issue entirely. If the selling member still wants to sell in the face of those disclosures, their claims become much less sympathetic.
Of course, the manager might hesitate to make those disclosures. It may represent another demonstration of the principle that if someone feels uncomfortable about making disclosures, those are precisely the disclosures that ought to be made. Making those disclosures might mean the manager will miss out on a great opportunity. The manager will also miss out on a really interesting litigation.
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b164ba32c376d52dda6b5b548600630f | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshuastein/2021/02/23/should-real-estate-contracts-allow-notices-by-email/?ss=real-estate | Should Real Estate Contracts Allow Notices By Email? | Should Real Estate Contracts Allow Notices By Email?
Formal notices by email might get lost in the deluge. RANJAN SAMARAKONE
Leases and other real estate documents typically include a short paragraph saying that if either party wants to give a formal notice of anything (such as a default or the exercise of an option), that notice must be given in a certain way – typically by hand, by certified mail, or by FedEx or similar service. And it must be sent to certain addresses. A notice that doesn’t comply might not be valid.
In 2021, most ordinary business communications take place by email. Is it time for contracts and leases to allow formal notices by email? If you ask a lawyer who spends time in court litigating over disputes, the answer will often be no. A litigator will worry that email notices create too many issues about whether they were actually sent or actually received.
It’s still true that most communications take place by email. That’s how most people expect to communicate in 2021. And if a particular notice must be given, if at all, by a certain date, then email might be the very best way to give that notice. It avoids a frantic scramble to send a FedEx package or hand delivery a day or two before the notice deadline.
Contracts ought to allow formal notices under legal documents to be given by email. And many people in real estate and their attorneys are trying to figure out how to do that, especially for notices that might have to be given just before a deadline.
As one simple solution, some contracts say an email notice will become effective as soon as it’s sent, provided that the sender dispatches a paper copy of the email by overnight delivery within the next business day or so, even if it’s sent or received after the actual notice deadline. That arrangement may create a little bit of uncertainty for a while at the receiving end, but not much, and it seems tolerable.
Some contracts say notices by email must be given from a specified email address and must contain some magic language in the subject line, to try to assure that the recipient sees the message and realizes its importance.
Other contracts require that email notices go to multiple specified addresses with a request that the recipients acknowledge receipt. The notice becomes effective only when a certain number of recipients acknowledge receipt. If that doesn’t happen quickly, then the notice sender can pick up the telephone to try to make it happen, or can send the notice by some other means. This process helps assure an email notice will actually be received and taken seriously, but it doesn’t solve any problems when an email notice must be given before a certain deadline.
Since any contractual relationship is likely to spawn a vast volume of email communications, the parties might worry that one of those emails might be deemed (or not deemed) a formal notice when it was intended not to be (or to be) a formal notice. As one way to assure that email notices are recognized as such and taken seriously, perhaps the contract should require that formal notices given by email must consist of an email attachment with the actual notice itself, including a signature. Any other email communications are just chitchat.
Measures like these should help make email notices practical, reliable, and safe. They would also help bring real estate documents into the 21st Century.
If these measures are not enough, perhaps there is a business opportunity for someone to create a third party service to receive copies of email notices and then confirm that the notices were actually sent and received. If any uncertainty existed about receipt of an email, that service could take specified extra measures to make sure the recipient actually received the email notice, such as picking up the telephone and telling the recipient to read the incoming notice, then making sure the recipient actually did that. The use of such a trusted third-party service ought to eliminate issues of proof and any concerns at all about the wisdom and practicality of giving notices by email.
One way or another, it’s probably about time for real estate contracts to catch up with modern communications techniques.
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dc7ad623feef8923d13d4a31225ed6e6 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshweiss/2019/04/01/nat-geos-hostile-planet-producers-on-making-a-new-breed-of-nature-series-with-current-undertones/ | Nat Geo's 'Hostile Planet' Producers On Making A New Breed of Nature Series With Current Undertones | Nat Geo's 'Hostile Planet' Producers On Making A New Breed of Nature Series With Current Undertones
Meerkats get ready for their close-up in Nat Geo's "Hostile Planet" National Geographic
If you think that all nature documentary series are created equal, you’d be dead wrong. National Geographic is looking to change the way we think about natural history and the majesty of the world around us with its brand-new show, Hostile Planet, which premieres tonight.
Highlighting some of the most intense environments on this giant blue marble we call home, the series will show how animals of all kinds (those of frozen tundra, deep oceans, parched deserts, and more) struggle to survive in some of the harshest conditions imaginable. Sure, some of those conditions are natural, while others are caused by (yep, you guessed it!) humankind.
And while David Attenborough won’t be narrating this one (Bear Grylls is stepping into the role of host here), his absence isn’t the only thing that makes Hostile Planet different from what’s come before. For one thing, the project had the input of producer Guillermo Navarro, a celebrated cinematographer known for his cinematic collaborations with Oscar-winning director, Guillermo del Toro. Together, the two have built incredible fantasy worlds in movies like Pan’s Labyrinth, Hellboy, and Pacific Rim.
“I was able to bring film narrative into the documentary by doing this project, so for me, it was completing a very interesting narrative circle,” Navarro tells Forbes. “That was one of the elements that I was able to bring from the feature world to this and how to tell stories that could be told in a different way from the traditional way of natural history films throughout the years. Just because of the fact that the planet has evolved so rapidly and it’s not the same [as it was] 50 years ago when the all this genre [began].”
For instance, the simple hatching of sea turtles on a beach was transformed into something out of a war film that would make Spielberg or Nolan proud. Crawling out of a shell and toward the water is a lot more dangerous than you might think.
“The …. [sea] turtles, coming out of the sand. That was a very good example of how the film language tells a story,” adds Navarro. “We were able to shoot it as if you’re shooting a scene [in a movie]. Not just registering that the turtles are trying to get to the water, you make a dramatic arc because the challenge of this turtle [is] going through the incredible [process] of reaching the ocean. It is the way of the visual language, the film language, is taking you there … It’s the visuals that are allowing you to be with [them]. So, the journey of the turtle is some sort of version of Dunkirk. It’s really chopped like it was in the middle of a war [movie]. All the predators are there, they know—they’re just waiting for the turtles to get out and start trying to get to the ocean. And they go after them.”
Where Navarro brought cinematic experience to the series, Tom Hugh-Jones delivered on documentary know-how. Another producer on the show, he's a veteran of the natural history genre, having produced original nature programs for the BBC like the original Planet Earth, Human Planet, and Planet Earth II. Even with so many years working on these kinds of docuseries, he was completely devoted toward shaking up the traditional format.
Some of the animals featured in Nato Geo's "Hostile Planet." National Geographic
“We just tried to make it feel more contemporary and try to make it slightly more dramatic,” he tells us. “We just watched as many wildlife shows as we could and [got] as much outside inspiration from people who weren’t so familiar with this genre, what they thought worked or what they thought could be changed up, so interrogated the editing, the music style, the narration style, the filming. We thought, ‘How can we make this different?’”
Some of the expected ideas they wanted to avoid was the “voice of God approach” one has come to associate with Attenborough’s many soothing narrations over the years; indeed, he's bringing it back for Netflix's Our Planet. That being said, some things never change, particularly when you’re dealing with wild animals that won’t do what you want from them, and understandably so. They're not our play things and more importantly, they're not trained thespians!
Bear Grylls hits his "peak" on Nat Geo's "Hostile Planet" National Geographic
“You can come up with, on paper, really interesting new shot designs and that kind of thing and then the cold reality of filming kicks and you can’t even see the animal because there’s too many trees in the way or the weather’s really bad. So you’re saying, ‘Ok, I remember the problems of wildlife filming.’ It’s not the lack of creativity, it’s the practicalities in the field,” continues Hugh-Jones.
“They don’t hit a mark, and they don’t walk wherever you want them to walk,” offers Navarro, alluding to his many years of shooting movies for big budget Hollywood projects. “I’m not saying that we’re [working] like how you do with actors because actors, you can interact and they will do what is meant to happen in the scene. But here, the awareness of the film language had to be the storyteller. Then we were able to actually put those sequences together and build this tremendous dramatic arc that the sequences have now.”
And, like Jones says above, the show had to feel more current, underscoring the affect of humans on the planet, its climate, and many diverse ecosystems. That way, Hostile Planet would feel less timeless and more relevant to what’s going on in the world today. Navarro relays a moment from the episode on oceans, where two groups of whales start feasting on a massive school of herring when, all of the sudden, the net from a fishing boat comes down to capture a vast majority of the whales’ food supply. Another example applies the migration of a certain species, which makes the trek to a certain part of the planet for its grasslands. Because of the changing climate, however, those grasslands aren't thriving around the same time as the animals' migration periods.
A group of orcas come up for air in Nat Geo's "Hostile Planet" National Geographic
"There’s no adapting, there’s surviving. You can see clearly, not knocking it on the head, how our role of mankind, that acceleration, is affecting the planet. And not only in terms of our climate change per se, but also the consequences of that," Navarro says. "Things like that that are completely affecting what they know of how to survive, so it’s super challenging for them. It’s really extreme what they go through."
Of course, none of this meant to make people feel guilty or bash them over the head with a cloying eco-friendly message. Rather, the hope is that viewers at home will connect with the animals onscreen and maybe (just maybe) alter their lifestyles in response.
“We just want to give them the facts,” finishes Jones. “My hope would be that, having fallen in love with these animals and the huge amount of respect for the things they have to do just to survive, people will slightly change their behavior, just be a bit more aware of their consumption or a bit more aware of the things they do that contribute climate change and just change their behavior that little tiny bit and even [those] slow, small changes are worth quite a lot; as people make small changes, it can have a huge impact. I think it’s that soft-and-slow approach that, hopefully, over time will have a big impact.”
Hostile Planet premieres on National Geographic tonight at 9/8c.
Some of the animals featured in Nat Geo's "Hostile Planet" National Geographic
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e3df8f61ebe821e4cf8cb507236aa40b | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshweiss/2019/06/07/here-are-the-sci-fi-films-i-am-mother-was-influenced-by/ | Here Are The Sci-Fi Films 'I Am Mother' Was Influenced By | Here Are The Sci-Fi Films 'I Am Mother' Was Influenced By
Netflix
You think your parents are overbearing bummers? Well, what if they were emotionless robots tasked with overseeing the continuation of the human race? What if they were also harboring a dark secret? Yeah, I bet your mom and dad aren't looking so shabby now, eh?
Anyway, that whole robots-making-sure-we-don't-go-extinct-while-keeping-major-secrets thing is actually the premise of I Am Mother, the sci-fi project Netflix scooped up at this year's Sundance Film Festival. Mainly taking place in an isolated bunker after humanity has gone extinct from a deadly virus (or so we're told), a young girl (Clara Rugaard) is raised by her "mother," who is actually a cold machine (physically portrayed by Luke Hawker, but eerily voiced by Rose Byrne). When a mysterious, unnamed woman (Hillary Swank) shows up in the fully-equipped bunker, the girl, simply called "Daughter," begins to question her entire reality.
"I think I Am Mother is special because it explores fundamental themes of sacrifice and ‘the greater good,' what it means to be a parent, and what it means to be human," editor Sean Lahiff told me. "There are some heavy ideas in there, which gives our sci-fi a hefty dose of substance and theological weight ... In the AI- centric age we live in, our film offers a modern take on how spectacularly it could all go wrong for humankind."
In addition to editing the picture, Lahiff also hand-delivered it to Sundance for the world premiere.
WARNING! The following contains certain spoilers for the film!
Filled with twists and turns, the low-scale flick (it's only got three main characters) was written by Michael Lloyd Green and directed by Grant Sputore.
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With one mechanized foot in the past and one in the bright future, I Am Mother was influenced by some of the best classic and modern science fiction movies ever to be released. Looking to Alien, The Terminator, and Blade Runner, Lahiff wanted to ramp up the mystery and the suspense as far as it would go without snapping until it was time for the big reveals to see the light of day. Even so, you can't dwell in the past, but must emulate what's being done in the context of 21st Century sci-fi as well.
"There are more contemporary independent films like Moon, Ex Machina and Annihilation which don’t rely on quite as many classic ‘tropes’ of the more action- or horror-oriented genre films," he said. "The sophistication of the way those newer stories were told and how information is gradually released to the audience as the central characters discover things was inspirational to me."
In the end, however, the iconic features from over 30 years ago stood as a golden exemplar of how to let your characters take the wheel and keep the audience engaged.
"Deep down those classic sci-fi films resonated greatly with me because of the characters telling the stories, so with I Am Mother, it was important to keep our characters at the heart of our film," Lahiff added. "Those classic sci-fi films are so engaging and have stood the test of time because of the love for the characters. Visual and practical effects gradually age, but I believe the character’s journeys have made them timeless."
Netflix
For example, Daughter's character arc takes her from wide-eyed wonder and curiosity to full-blown maturity and seriousness. Lahiff compares this flip of the coin to some of the most badass females in the world of genre.
"I love coming-of-age stories and hers is a ripper," he said. "Her transformation is one reminiscent of Sigourney Weaver playing Ripley in Alien or Linda Hamilton playing Sarah Connor in The Terminator. Daughter goes from a neatly-dressed teenager to an axe-wielding, grime-covered saver of humanity! She learns what it means to be human (and humane) and her transformation from Daughter to Mother is to be admired."
Like the editor stated above, themes of humanity and compassion sit at the crux of the story. To let those motifs really shine through, the main action is told through the eyes of Daughter, who knows what humanity is (she's regularly schooled by Mother), but craves the company of others like. Indeed, one of the pressing plot questions asks why no other frozen embryos—of which there are thousands housed in the bunker—were realized as people. Then there's the mystery of whether or not it's actually dangerous to go outside.
Netflix
"The big twists definitely affected the editing," Lahiff continued. "In the lead-up to Daughter discovering she wasn’t the first born child of Mother, we needed a way to keep ahead of the audience and present that revelation in the most impactful way possible. Jumping forward in time to see Daughter enter the furnace room, pull open the furnace drawer, sift through the ashes and finds the human remains, all intercut with her finding the failed test results from a previous Daughter - was a way we could hold off the reveal for as long as possible."
With hands-on input from Sputore, the editing room for I Am Mother became an incredibly creative space founded on a system of trial and error. There were no wrong answers and when all was said and done, the finished cut was a beautiful mosaic of different storytelling approaches.
"In every facet of production, Grant would strive for perfection," Lahiff said. "He brought this to the edit room and it influenced my process in a fundamental way. We left no stone unturned when investigating the potential of every scene. We’d push ideas until we broke a scene, then we’d retreat to the point we felt was perfect. This was our way of ‘pressure testing’ everything. If something wasn’t working, we’d investigate why instead of just cutting it out. If there was a clunky edit, we’d find a way to fix it: split-screens, fluid morphs, speed ramps—we did it all. My timeline was a work of art."
Netflix
And yes, it can get tedious if you keep flitting back and forth between the same three characters for almost two hours with no variety in the roster. In order to avoid audience fatigue for Mother, Daughter, or Woman, a lot of emphasis was put on the post-apocalyptic haven that serves as the main setting. As Lahiff puts it:
"We let the bunker shine as the future birthplace of humanity and showed off its vast dark corridors and great set design With such great imagery from cinematographer Steve D. Annis, we showed off the technical marvel in all its glory."
That being said, Rose Byrne is so good as the voice Mother, that you'll be enthralled by the character, increasingly scared of her as she arrives on the screen. The on-set body work by Luke Hawker completes the illusion, but his voice, which they used for filming, posed a bit of a unique problem during the editing stage.
"We all got very used to Luke’s voice in the edit room and admired his gallant efforts to speak-up over the motorized fans built into the suit to keep him cool and the servos to help control the robot’s facial features," Lahiff added. "But, eventually the time came to replace his voice with Rose Byrne’s, who brought another level of depth and warmth to Mother. It took me weeks to go through and re-craft the sound work to fit in Rose’s voice but I carefully re-matched her dialogue to fit in with Mother’s head turns, 'eye-ris' spins, smiles, and tense pauses."
While Netflix has gained a bad rap for its movies, I Am Mother is a tense and satisfying entry into the company's streaming pantheon that could just as easily have played widely in theaters. As such, it's definitely worth a watch for any and all sci-fi fans.
"Editing I Am Mother was an amazing opportunity to help create the kind of film I grew up admiring," said Lahiff. "It is the type of film that inspired me to become a filmmaker, so this was a great case of loving your job!"
I Am Mother is now streaming on Netflix, but I've gotta give you another warning before I go: the movie opens with a tender sequence set to "Baby Mine," which will bring all those Dumbo tears rushing back. Make sure a box of tissues is nearby!
Netflix
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47f3172606098dc6718f8d82d1f96886 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshweiss/2019/08/01/scary-stories-to-tell-in-the-dark-composer-teases-classic-spielbergian-vibe-to-movie/ | 'Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark' Composer Teases Classic Spielbergian Vibe To Movie | 'Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark' Composer Teases Classic Spielbergian Vibe To Movie
CBS Films
In just one week, the palpable sense of dread evoked by Alvin Schwartz's Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark books will finally hit the big screen. Produced by Guillermo del Toro and directed by André Øvredal the film not only adapts Schwartz's tall tales of terror, but the iconic and skin-crawling illustrations by Stephen Gammell.
Penned by the sibling duo of Dan and Kevin Hageman, the horror-centric movie turns the clock back to 1968 and takes place in the fictional town of Mill Valley, where a cursed book unleashes a host of nasty creatures and afflictions upon the unassuming citizens of Midwestern America. With the adults unable (and unwilling) to believe what's going on, it's up to a small band of kids, led by Zoe Colletti's Stella Nicholls, to try and quell the evil descending upon their home. As a result, Scary Stories feels like a throwback to the classic adventure films of the 1980s that have enjoyed a resurgence thanks to Stranger Things on Netflix and Andy Muschietti's It: Chapter One.
"From the very first screening it was clear that the film already had a very specific atmosphere and style, as well as a clear artistic message. Music just had to intensify all these and go together with what was there already," the project's composer, Anna Drubich, told me during a phone interview. "Guillermo and Andre were convinced that music was going to be a crucial element in bringing everything together. And after watching the director’s cut, Marco [Beltrami] and I looked at each other and realized that it needed a ghoulish and orchestral kind of score. I mean, the movie felt like an homage to Spielberg's Amblin movies and other great old films. So, we had to acknowledge that in the music, too."
Recounting her first meeting with the Øvredal, she said:
"At our first meeting, Andre said a terrifying phrase for any film composer: ‘When I listen to music, I only listen to soundtracks,’ which means he knows the drill and the history of soundtracks. He’s not afraid to use music and really believes that it’s part of the picture. He’s a master of suspense and knows how to make the most out of the score ... He loves John Williams and Jerry Goldsmith and really wanted us to be free to go in that direction. That was a very helpful pointer. And then a lot of work was connected to figuring out where the music was necessary, and where we could skip on it. But we were on the same page in regards to the style of music and the vibe it had to give off. In the end, his musical erudition helped me a lot."
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Given the late '60s time period, Drubich admitted that the film's utilizes a few licensed songs along with the original score she composed with Marco Beltrami. Given the fact that the flick paints a nostalgic portrait of American youth (a la America Graffiti), it makes a lot of sense.
"There are a couple of 60’s-era songs," she continued. "Plus, these beautiful long melodies and motifs that feel like a 60’s thing [and] really evoke the retro setting. But it’s really a large orchestra—I’m in love with the orchestra ... It was a lot of music to write for one project. That was probably the biggest challenge for me. But when you’re working with so many talented people—Marco, Andre, and Guillermo—it also becomes the best thing. They inspire you and the challenges themselves become fun ... In many of Guillermo’s movies, some very clear message for the real life hides behind the fairy tale and the fantasy world. This film makes familiar stories strange, even though you recognize their core."
CBS Films
CBS Films
Since the movie is a mash-up of the different stories found in Schwartz's books, Drubich and Beltrami wanted each manifestation of the yarns—be it "The Pale Lady" or "The Red Spot"—to have its own unique musical sound.
"There are all these different textures, which we wanted to use to inform the story," she continued. "We came up with the idea that every horror sequence was going to have its own 'sound center.' For 'Harold,' we recorded these raw-sounding guitars and a broken banjo; 'The Big Toes' came to be a brass-centered piece; 'The Red Spot' revolved around strings; 'The Pale Lady' turned out as a woodwind sequence; and 'Jangly Man' came to be a percussive thing. We tried to be traditional in a modern way. The audience will never pay attention to it, because, all in all, it’s one single orchestral score, but we added a twist for every [story]."
While Drubich is a native of Russia and didn't grow up reading the Scary Stories books like many kids in the U.S., she was still raised on a healthy dose of her own country's spine-tingling folk tales, allowing her to easily identify with the project's screenplay.
"I grew up in Russia and every culture has its own spooky stories for kids," she explained. "They are all similar, but my heart stays with the Russian versions. I read the books when Marco told me about the project, but they just were not scary for me ... But when I read the script, I was spooked out. The script made a great impression on me. I was curious about how they were going to integrate all these different characters into one narrative ... I wanted to free myself of all the other things to work on the score, so I sent my kids to Moscow, and stayed home alone, working away. At some point it, was too much. I’d react to every noise and I’d keep the lights on. At some point, I decided that I’d call it a day when the sun was down. By the end, I got used to all the monsters."
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark hits theaters everywhere Friday, August 9.
CBS Films
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be7954097281c3604dea27eca383eb44 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshweiss/2019/09/25/ring-in-the-jewish-new-year-with-a-wildly-inventive-graphic-novel-about-famous-mensch--mobster-meyer-lansky/ | Ring In The Jewish New Year With A Wildly Inventive Graphic Novel About Famous Mensch & Mobster, Meyer Lansky | Ring In The Jewish New Year With A Wildly Inventive Graphic Novel About Famous Mensch & Mobster, Meyer Lansky
H1 Comics
Shana tova to one and all! The Jewish holiday known as Rosh Hashanah—which begins this Sunday evening—is a time to place on foot in the past and one in the future. Those celebrating look forward to what the next year will hold for them, but they must also look back at what missteps they may have taken during the previous one. All of it leads to Yom Kippur, that “really sad” day when your Jewish friends aren’t allowed to eat or drink anything for 25 hours straight—all while standing in a packed synagogue.
This philosophy of anticipation and introspection is perfectly summed up in a brand-new graphic novel after famed Jewish gangster—the crime-committing chutzpah who helped turn Last Vegas into what it is today—Meyer Lansky. Aptly titled Meyer, the comic (now on sale from Humanoids) was written by Jonathan Lang, who imagines a world in which Lansky faked his own death from lung cancer in the early 1980s, and began to live a much quieter existence in a Miami Beach retirement home.
Not long after, however, life ends up throwing him a Godfather III-sized curveball and Meyer is pulled out of retirement for one last job that he might just be able to pull off with the help of an innocent bystander. What follows is a sun-soaked, Florida-based noir that would make Sonny Crockett and Rico Tubbs pack up and go home for good.
Proud of his Jewish heritage throughout his life, one could say that Meyer Lansky was just as much of a mensch as he was a mobster. As someone who can’t resist an alternate take on history with a Jewish twist, I just had to catch up with Lang and learn more about a graphic novel that makes for the perfect Rosh Hashanah reading...
August 1971: Headshot of Russian-born criminal Meyer Lansky (1902-1983) standing outdoors and ... [+] wearing sunglasses at Mount Olive, Israel. In the background is the city of Jerusalem, with a view of the Omar Mosque on the right. Lansky fled to Israel in 1970, to avoid charges of tax evasion, but was later captured. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images) Getty Images
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Josh Weiss: You posted on your Facebook page that this book was 20 years in the making. Where did the idea for it come from?
Jonathan Lang: My Meyer’s origin story derives from a couple of sources. Meyer has always been a figure that held sway in my home. In the 1940s, like many new Jewish immigrants, my family did what they could to earn a little extra money. I had relatives that had very low-level jobs for Murder, Inc. (then the Lansky/Luciano gang). Also, around 1982, my father, a neurosurgeon remembered seeing Meyer in the hallway of Jackson Memorial Hospital. His presence struck my father; this little man had the entire wing hopping to attention. My father isn’t impressed very easily, so this was quite noteworthy.
In 1999, I had returned to Miami after finishing film school at The University of Amsterdam and was looking for a “Miami Noir” story that could compete with Miami Crime fiction. My thesis was about films such as Body Heat, Wild Things, and more, and though these were fantastic entries, I felt something was missing. I was in a library in Fort Lauderdale, and I found a book I had used for a middle-school report on Al Capone called Bloodletters and Badmen. In it, I stumbled on a photo of Meyer Lansky walking up Collins Avenue with his dog Bruiser in tow. He looked sharp in his black suit and sunglasses. The feds had taken this photo.
Where was he going? Who was following him? I couldn’t believe he was in Miami Beach in the early 1980s, at the same time as my Bubbie [grandmother] and Zeida [grandfather].
Somehow, this fused with an experience of mine in college. I had visited an elderly home once a week while at Brandeis to spend time with a companion, Fred Flagg, who was 101-years-old. Mr. Flagg spoke of a cemetery he saw in Waltham when he was younger where he read an inscription of a one-year-old child that read, “If I was so soon to be done for, why on Earth was I begun for?” As a scientist, he always chased this question and never got any closer. There was something about the pursuit of knowledge and a lifelong singularity of existentialism that deeply resonated with me at that age.
At that moment in the library, perhaps due to the existential questions one experiences post-graduation, the two connected. I thought, “What if Meyer Lansky had been hiding out in a retirement home, and I was visiting him?”
Josh Weiss: There’s something very cathartic about seeing tough Jews in pop culture. Is that what you were going for with Meyer?
Jonathan Lang: I definitely agree that Tough Jews in popular culture are inspiring. They shake-off the burden of the mama’s boy, neurotic-intellectualism Jews are typically saddled with. It was more than that, though. I personally have never seen the anti-semitism that we are currently witnessing globally during my lifetime. It has made me realize that being a Jew isn’t a choice. And it’s more than just a religion. It’s more than lighting candles on Shabbat. Nazism never went away. Tough Jews in pop culture should inspire people to fight for their identity.
Humanoids
Josh Weiss: How does Meyer’s Jewish background make its way into the story?
Jonathan Lang: Meyer isn’t Jewish, he’s a Jew, and it’s part of his identity from page 1. When Jews were immigrating into the U.S. during the 1930s, they were an ethnic group and treated like the out-group du jour. Meyer was targeted for being a Jew from the beginning. Irish gangs in the Lower East Side would threaten the “dirty Jew.” He had to fight for his identity, whether he liked it or not.
Josh Weiss: While it’s super cool to see Jews standing up for themselves, Lansky wasn’t exactly the best role model. How do his past transgressions factor into the story? Is he wracked with guilt over the crimes he committed prior to his “death” in this reality?
Jonathan Lang: In my version, Meyer never views himself as a criminal. He was a businessman. So many great fortunes that are now legitimate, were built on the backs of criminal enterprises. For Lansky, bootlegging was a means. In Meyer, Lansky has reached the point in time where there is more past than future, and his past transgressions are amplified. He always wanted his religious grandfather’s (who is buried in Israel) approval.
Wealth in the new world was the shortest distance to acceptance for Lansky, but he wanted to be viewed as legitimate. This tug between economic necessity and moral ambiguity was at the heart of Lansky’s struggle. What is not widely known, nearly enough, is that Lansky was a patriot and a proud Jew throughout his life. He helped the Navy during WWII monitor the docks for German U-boats. He and Bugsy Siegel were ordering the break up of Brown Shirt rallies throughout New York and New Jersey. He was a complicated guy.
Josh Weiss: This is obviously a work of fiction, but Meyer Lansky was very real. What research did you do on him for this project?
Jonathan Lang: I relied on a book that I believed was the pinnacle of Lansky biographies called Meyer Lansky: Mogul to the Mob. It claimed unparalleled access to the man through personal interviews. The guy rarely spoke publicly, so in my mind, this was the source. I only learned recently from Meyer Lansky II (Meyer’s grandson and a new friend) that he completely disavowed the book.
Essentially, some facts are indisputable, but timelines are fuzzy, even quotes. I feel this mystery only adds to Meyer’s allure and reflects his calculated decision to stay in the shadows. He knew that true power was invisible. His partners, Bugsy and Lucky Luciano, adored the spotlight. Meyer had the longest life of those three.
Paddington Press
Josh Weiss: The Amazon description for the book mentions Breaking Bad. What were some of your other influences that helped make this comic a reality?
Jonathan Lang: The jumping-off point is from a Miami Crime writer who is grossly overlooked these days, Charles Willeford. His Hoke Moseley trilogy inspired me for many reasons. His setting, Miami in the 1980s, transported me instantly to a time I knew well. It wasn’t only the world he built, but his understanding of criminals, of their language, of their psychology was so formative. His use of violence, the way it can tip from the maniacal to the comical and back, has been a catalyst for many creators, including Quentin Tarantino.
Billy Corben’s documentary Cocaine Cowboys helped me get the facts right and get a sense of just how insane the Miami I grew up in actually was.
And of course, the comics: Ed Brubaker and Shawn Phillips’ books. All of them are textbooks for me. I also really wanted to understand pace differently so, I looked toward The Killer books by Matz.
Josh Weiss: You talked about the Coen Brothers in your THR interview, and that really intrigued me. Can you discuss that a little more here?
Jonathan Lang: The Coen Brothers have a way of pivoting from the existential crises to pure slapstick. They understand that trying to understand your place in the universe is hilarious because it’s a fool’s quest. None of us know. None of us will get closer. We grasp at the Golden Fleece, and it brings us no closer to happiness.
We just get more entangled. And yet, their work is not sadistic: it’s communal. We are laughing with them, and it makes me feel less lonely. They can ground those ideological flights in a pure crime aesthetic that is warbled, comical. Their larger-than-life characters are both Loony Toons, simultaneously hilarious and deadly terrifying.
That ability to shift tone is unparalleled. Nobody does it as well.
Humanoids
Josh Weiss: How does the artwork of Andrea Mutti inform the story?
Jonathan Lang: Andrea’s work is the story. I could not have taken the flights of fancy narratively without grounding the aesthetic in real-world, genre-specific visuals. Our editor, Fabrice Sapolsky, knew this from the beginning. Andrea created a language that makes sure all the marks hit.
Representing the landmarks that were specific to Miami and Islamorada, from a Farm Store’s convenience store to Robbie’s Pier, Andrea was as familiar with this world as I was. And you feel that. His authenticity bleeds on the page. He did not go at it alone. Andre Szymanowicz (color artist), Shawn Martinbrough (covers), and Dave Lanphear (letter art) round out the incredible team that brought the story to life.
Josh Weiss: Aside from this book, what has been your favorite depiction of Lansky in the media thus far and why?
Jonathan Lang: By far, Lee Strasberg’s Hyman Roth. His quiet menace, his seemingly, painfully ordinary existence screamed Lansky. Meyer was a far better dresser, but Strasberg nailed the “hiding in plain sight” that was so essential to Lansky. Every gesture by Strasberg seems calculated. I like to believe Meyer planned his every move with as much exactitude.
Josh Weiss: What famous historical Jewish figure would you be interested in tackling next and why?
Jonathan Lang: I really want to create an imaginary biography about [director/producer] William Castle. To me, he is absolutely the opposite of Lansky and personifies the first-generation American Jew’s freedom to be noticed.
Castle was ALL about spectacle—he did not have to hide from the prying eyes of his neighbors. His story is not just a Hollywood story, it’s an American story about reinvention. Castle, much like Lansky, relied on his genius. He simply did not see the world like other people. Plus, I love his films, and it would be a return to horror for me, but through a different prism.
Josh Weiss: And since we’re talking about the Jewish new year, was the release of the book timed to line up with the holiday or was it just pure coincidence?
Jonathan Lang: I would like to say that it was, but in reality, it was beshert.
Bettmann / Contributor / Getty Images
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dead8c484f14ca91a11e9acb9ce07d59 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshweiss/2019/10/23/in-search-of-darkness-is-a-scary-good-oral-history-of-80s-horror-with-a-little-some-thing-for-everyone-review/ | ‘In Search Of Darkness’ Is A Scary Good Oral History Of ‘80s Horror With A Little Some-THING For Everyone (Review) | ‘In Search Of Darkness’ Is A Scary Good Oral History Of ‘80s Horror With A Little Some-THING For Everyone (Review)
CreatorVC
Before Stranger Things, there was Firestarter and Poltergeist…
If you like TV shows and films influenced by the 1980s, you seriously need to watch In Search of Darkness—a wildly ambitious and exhaustive documentary that pulls back the curtain on our current cultural fascination with genre movies of the Reagan Era. Making his directorial debut, David Weiner has crafted a scary good magnum opus on his very first attempt.
A full-length documentary could be made about any of the horror flicks released in the ‘80s, but instead of choosing to focus on one, In Search of Darkness chooses to dissect them all. The result is a 4-hour deep dive into movies like The Shining and Child’s Play (those are just two out of dozens) and while that may sound unwieldy for some, you can rest assured that this is something you never knew you needed until you’ve laid eyes on it. At times, you’ll be lost in wonder at how this comprehensively epic behemoth was cut together in the first place.
Covering every single year of ‘80s horror, In Search of Darkness doesn’t just look at how the iconic films of that era were made; it also adopts a sociological approach to try and understand what led to their conception and why they’ve endured all these decades later.
For example, the documentary posits that the root of all these famous flicks can be traced back to the hair-raising concept known simply as politics. According to some folks, the gore, nudity, and social commentary seen in ’80s horror films were all a knee jerk reaction to the rise in conservatism and capitalist ideology following Ronald Reagan’s ascent to the White House in 1980.
Well, that and cocaine. Lots and lots of cocaine.
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But just when you think the film is staying in one area, it pivots to another bone-chilling topic. Like the shape-shifting alien in John Carpenter’s The Thing, In Search of Darkness is an ever-changing creature that doesn’t fit into just one category. One could say it’s got the DNA of multiple movies in one body. You’ll learn about A Nightmare on Elm Street one minute and The Toxic Avenger the next—whether it’s cult or mainstream, the documentary has you covered.
Because of the project’s wide scope, it has a little something for everyone, die-hards and casuals alike. This is mandatory viewing for lovers of horror-comedy, sci-fi horror, creature features, allegorical horror, or any other kind of horror, really.
Even if you don’t like being scared, there’s just too much history here to ignore. Since the films of the 1980s offer excellent case studies in psychology, marketing, and franchise creation, screening certain sections of In Search of Darkness college classes would be totally justified. You’re welcome, professors!
To break up each year of the decade, Weiner employs fascinating and critical interludes that tackle eye-popping poster art; the advent of home video; the holiday-horror sub-genre; great slasher villains (e.g. Michael, Freddy, and Jason); in-camera practical effects; sound design and music; and the concept of the “Final Girl.”
All of it gives you a better appreciation of what tropes and practices contributed to what we consider to be ‘80s horror, and how the shockwaves of it are still being felt to this day. It’s really cool seeing what bits and pieces have been carried over into the 21st Century.
A sizable handful of films (a good chunk of them Stephen King adaptations) is explored for each year and with them, the viewer is treated to behind-the-scenes tidbits as well as hindsight reflections stemming from a modern day lens. There’s just so much to unpack here, and it’ll surely warrant multiple viewings from fans and historians. At a certain point, it begins to resemble those “1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die” books more than it does a documentary.
That may sound like a criticism, but this “Greatest Hits” method actually makes the finished product feel breezy and fun. Nothing overstays its welcome and just when you might feel like things are lingering an iota too long, you’re on to the next spooky adventure. There’s always something new and frightening to discover.
That said, there is cursing, gore, and nudity on display here, so you may not want to watch this with young kids. Even so, the choice to not censor the more sensitive elements of ‘80s cinema is an indication of the seriousness and respect Weiner has for what he is documenting.
In Search of Darkness truly understands that scares are best enjoyed with some company. To that end, it couldn’t have a better collection of actors, directors, writers, and horror hosts if it tried. Joe Dante, Keith David, Caroline Williams, Brian Yuzna, James A. Janisse, Bob Briggs, Tom Woodruff Jr. Cassandra Peterson, Jeffrey Combs, John Carpenter, Tom Atkins, Alex Winter, the late Larry Cohen, and so many others are all present for an ‘80s high school reunion of sorts.
It’s the equivalent of hanging out with your friends on a weekend afternoon and shooting the breeze about your favorite pop culture moments until the shadows grow long and menacing. The documentary takes on a fitting campfire-like quality where everyone is just sitting around and swapping literal horror stories. There’s just something very earnest about that and by the end, you’ll feel like you’re buddies with Barbara Crampton, Alex Winter, Joe Dante, and the rest.
This is a definitive, intimate, anecdotal, thematic, funny, and loving oral history of a decade that changed the face of big screen horror forever. Fulfilling the dearest wishes of Ray Cameron in Night of the Creeps, it will thrill you.
You can pick up the film on Blu-Ray or DVD right here. Purchases can only be made until midnight on Oct. 31 (aka Halloween). Deliveries are expected to be completed in November.
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7761861d13336033105bbeb0ec2dc8e0 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshweiss/2019/11/29/harley-quinn-composer-embraced-classical-and-punk-roots-while-scoring-new-dc-universe-series/ | ‘Harley Quinn’ Composer Embraced Classical And Punk Roots While Scoring New DC Universe Series | ‘Harley Quinn’ Composer Embraced Classical And Punk Roots While Scoring New DC Universe Series
DC Universe
It’s finally here, folks! The Harley Quinn, the animated comedy is now streaming its very first episode on the DC Universe platform.
Showrun by Justin Halpern and Patrick Schumacker, the comedy program gives Harley (voiced by The Big Bang Theory’s Kaley Cuoco) the spotlight as she breaks up with the Joker (Alan Tudyk) and pursues her own criminal career in Gotham City. Moving in with Poison Ivy (Lake Bell), Quinn plans to build her own team of henchmen and secure a coveted spot on the Legion of Doom.
“I wanted to create a palette for Harley herself. The first step was just for me think about it. Because animation takes such a long time to make, I had plenty of time to come up with ideas,” said series composer Jefferson Friedman who had previously worked with Halpern and Schumacker on Powerless. “I wanted to make her theme sound like a cross between what her two personas look like: the Harley Quinn suit versus the sort of more punky look from the recent films.”
What he ended up settling on was “power punk crossed with carnival music ... we wanted it to be not only this punky sound, but also like give nods to traditional superhero scores and traditional orchestral superhero scores and also more contemporary versions of that.”
As a high school student, Jefferson (also a graduate of Juilliard) would study piano at the New England Conservatory in Boston on the weekends, but ditched his musical theory classes to check out the latest punk rock records at Newbury Comics.
“This whole process was very natural for me, I guess, because of my roots. Sometimes, I think that I just was the only person or I was perfectly designed to make this score because … my roots are in punk rock and in classical music,” he said. “The idea that I get to write for this hybrid score of punk references and big orchestral superhero scores—it’s just in the wheelhouse. In that sense, it wasn’t easy, but I knew immediately what the idea for the show should be musically and it was a very natural process for me to create the stuff that I created for [it].”
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DC Universe
With Harley and Joker headlining the story, you just know that the rest of the Gotham rogues’ gallery can’t be far behind. To that end, Harley Quinn employs the villainous voice of talents of major actors and comedians like Wanda Sykes (Queen of Fables), Jim Rash (Riddler), Tony Hale, (Doctor Psycho), Giancarlo Esposito (Lex Luthor), and Jason Alexander (Sy Borgman).
“I wanted to make sure that every character had a distinctive theme and so, how do you make something sound like Batman? Or how do you make something sound like the Riddler? That is a process of finding unique sound palettes that reference the character in one way or the other,” Jefferson said. “The Riddler theme has harpsichord in it, but also like tech-y-sounding stuff ... Batman, obviously, is big and epic [with] lots of orchestral horns and stuff.”
Since Poison Ivy is “the secondary lead” and one of Harley’s best friends, Friedman went to great lengths to perfect the theme for the botanically-powered character.
“Poison Ivy in this show is portrayed as kind of emo and she doesn’t, inside of herself, think that she’s a villain. She just thinks that she’s helping her plants and people get in the way of that,” Jefferson said. “So, I just wanted her to theme to reference the idea that she’s organic in a way. There’s an organic sound to [her theme], lots of nature sounds in it, but then also she’s portrayed as kind of an emo cool kid in a way. So there’s more of a contemporary sound to her theme because she’s hipper, I guess.”
Definitely not for kids (I cannot emphasize that enough), Harley Quinn is a violent, expletive-filled, self-aware, and hilarious deconstruction of the entire Batman lore. Speaking of which, Friedman was thrilled to add his own take on the canon with a new theme for the Caped Crusader (Diedrich Bader).
“It was kind of terrifying because there are a lot of good Batman themes out there,” he said, admitting that he avoided listening to the previous musical cues conceived by the likes of Danny Elfman and Hans Zimmer in order to avoid being “derivative.”
DC Universe
DC Universe
One unique advantage he had over those other composers, however, was the fact that Bruce Wayne is pretty much the butt of the joke within the framework of this series. The more serious he made the hero’s theme, the more laughs he would get.
“Writing a big huge sincere Batman theme, for example, in the context of this show itself is funny,” Jefferson explained. “Because the more you sort of play these antagonists to Harley, which are the people you normally thing of as the protagonists, the more you play them straight and sincere. The funnier the stuff that surrounds them becomes. Not only does the animation and the storyline place these characters within a funny context, [but] when you see Batman show up, in and of itself is kind of a joke within the context of the show.”
If you’ve seen the first episode already, you’ll note that Harley Quinn, with its fourth wall-breaking humor, does carry shades of Marvel’s Deadpool. Indeed, some have compared the show to the animated Deadpool project that Donald Glover was working on for FX before it was canceled due to creative differences.
“People were describing that [our show] was in the vein of that or the spirit of that. It didn’t really affect the way I wrote [the music],” added Friedman. “This is ... very referential, for sure, and super funny, but it’s also got a really really good heart to it in a way that the Deadpool franchise doesn’t. Because it’s just so sarcastic. I wouldn’t say that this show is sarcastic. It’s funny, but sincere and these characters’ motivations are sincere and there’s a three-dimensionality to these characters in a way that the writers have written them and the way that the animators have animated them. It gives me the opportunity to help create some really good emotional moments.”
As for what you can expect from the rest of Season 1, that’s easy, puddin’.
“Lots of characters that everyone knows and loves being made of endlessly. And tons of fan service in that sense,” Jefferson concluded. “The people involved with this show are huge comic book nerds and know the whole lore backwards and forwards and really use that as a resource all the time. I think that anyone who’s big into comic books is gonna be really really happy with this show because it’s both aware of and respects the legacy, but also mercilessly makes fun of it.”
DC Universe
DC Universe
Oh, and did I mention that Friedman also teased “an on-camera musical number that references a very popular Disney movie”? Yep, definitely be on the lookout for that as well!
This is basically the year of Doctor Harleen Quinzel, who is also getting her own live-action movie in early February with Cathy Yan’s Birds of Prey.
You can catch a new episode of Harley Quinn on DC Universe every Friday.
J.B. Smoove (Frank the Plant), Sanaa Lathan (Catwoman), Christopher Meloni (Commissioner Gordon), Jacob Tremblay (Robin), Rahul Kohli (Scarecrow), Vanessa Marshall (Wonder Woman), Phil LaMarr (Black Manta), James Adomian (Bane), Andy Daly (Two-Face), and Ron Funches (King Shark) all co-star.
Read the Forbes review of the show here.
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0434fe74709936e714ab27ac56a2d449 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshweiss/2019/12/13/how-jeff-chans-code-8-crafted-a-superhero-movie-that-has-nothing-to-do-with-saving-the-world/ | How Jeff Chan’s ‘Code 8’ Crafted A Superhero Movie That Has Nothing To Do With Saving The World | How Jeff Chan’s ‘Code 8’ Crafted A Superhero Movie That Has Nothing To Do With Saving The World
Courtesy of XYZ Films
With so many comic book movies available these days, it’s easy to become jaded about the genre as a whole. That’s not to knock the production, entertainment, and artistic value of modern superhero blockbusters, but as with any trend, things can become wearying if you’re given the same thing to consume day-in-and-day-out.
Should you be on the lookout for a breath of fresh super-heroic air, look no further than Jeff Chan’s Code 8. Inspired by the director’s 2016 short of the same name, the film takes place in a world where individuals with special abilities (they make up 4% of the population) are ostracized by “normal” society. It’s similar to Marvel’s X-Men, but the stakes are even more grounded, because no one is trying to save the planet.
“Code 8 is less a superhero movie (I do love superhero movies, though!) and more a heist thriller with a lot of character development and a slice of the fantastical,” said the movie’s production designer, Chris Crane. “It's not about someone saving the world, or even their city. It's more about people saving themselves, both powered and not. Don't get me wrong, there are lots of fun action sequences and people using their abilities and powers (for good and bad) but no one goes to space. It's more about people and how they can better their situations, even when you have the ability to shoot electricity out of your body.”
Courtesy of XYZ Films
Robbie Amell (A Series of Unfortunate Events) plays the movie’s main character, Connor Reed, a man with electric abilities who turns to a life of crime to pay for his mother’s mounting medical bills.
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Reed, who makes his home in the fictional Lincoln City, joins a group of super-powered thieves led by Garrett. This character is portrayed by Robbie’s real-world cousin, Stephen Amell, who you may know as Oliver Queen from The CW’s Arrow.
“We did have a lot of fun and creative freedom when it came to world building this society,” continued Chris. “Because it's a fictional city, we came up with our license plate system with Q R Code registration, the graffiti seen in the background of scenes to show the constant protest of the military-type state 'Lincoln City' is constantly under. And [there are] posters for both sides: the pro and anti-power/abilities movement that is just below the surface of the story’s main action.”
As Connor comprises his morals for some easy cash, he falls squarely into the sights of a militarized police force that keeps the meta-human population in line.
“We really tried to show the difference between the two sides of this world whenever we could,” explained Crane. “More orange and brown tones, more clutter, graffiti, and natural light and warmer light sources for those living in the not-so-nice parts of the city. More sleek concrete structures, blacks and silvers, LED light sources and harsher colors like red or green whenever we could for those in the 'good' part of society.”
Courtesy of XYZ Films
While Chris wasn’t the production designer for the 2016 short film, he did have the advantage of referring back to it for inspiration. Original production designer Brandon Mendez (a vet of music videos for Eminem and Billie Eilish) didn’t come back for the feature film, but cinematographer Alex Disenhof (Captive State) did.
“I definitely used the mood and feel of the short when putting things together for the feature film, the story had so much more added to it: addiction issues, more extreme prejudice, more characters, locations, etc. I definitely wanted to honor the work done in the short film, but I had a lot more creative freedom when it came to all the new elements introduced in the feature,” Crane admitted.
Courtesy of XYZ Films
For Chan, the project, which shot in Toronto, represented a precarious tightrope walk between grand sci-fi concepts and a more humbling, relatable narrative.
“Jeff wanted the film to be both advanced in tech, but also grounded in reality. He had the motto of 'We're 5 seconds in the future,’ meaning, this isn't a sci-fi film about the future, but more a slightly more advanced society, that has ended up where it is because certain people were born with something other people were not,” Chris said.
Somewhat of a passion project for the cousins Amell, Code 8’s production was made possible by an Indiegogo campaign that brought in over $2 million.
“The [crowdfunding] nature of the film was quite fun and exciting,” finished Crane. “We had set visits from people who contributed, who were already fans of the film and what we were trying to achieve. A lot of films, you toss a lot of the graphics once the show wraps, but on this film, a lot of Indiegogo donors were happy to take them. We had a few junior producers who came on board because of Indiegogo, who were great to work with and get to know.”
Code 8 is now playing in theaters.
Sung Kang, Aaron Abrams, and Chad Donella co-star.
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dadd2181deb8f5a81f3eaf418028c67c | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshweiss/2020/03/18/mythic-quest-ravens-banquet-cast-on-season-2/ | ‘Mythic Quest: Raven’s Banquet’ Cast On What To Expect From Season 2 | ‘Mythic Quest: Raven’s Banquet’ Cast On What To Expect From Season 2
Courtesy of Apple TV+
While I was rather sad when my binge of Mythic Quest: Raven’s Banquet ended, I took some solace in the fact that a second season is already in the works at Apple TV+.
My curiosity over the future of the video game-inspired workplace comedy followed me all the way to the show’s New York City press junket in early February. Sitting down with the cast and creators, I just had to know what Season 2 might hold.
In my first interview of the day, I asked Charlotte Nicado (Mythic Quest’s lead engineer, Poppy Lee) how her character’s promotion to co-creative director would affect the story moving forward. We got a taste of her clashing with the game’s conceited mastermind, Ian Grimm (series co-creator Rob McElhenney), at the very end of the season finale. The triumphant partnership between Poppy and Ian is quickly shattered when the game’s beleaguered executive producer, David (series EP David Hornsby), receives a late night FaceTime from the quarreling creators.
“I think Poppy, and maybe even the audience, think throughout the entire first season, that if only she had the power that she deserves, everything would be ok,” Nicado said. “And what you see at the end of the first season, is the problem with having two huge egos both in charge. Now, no one is the final decision-maker. It’s very difficult for any decision to ever be made, and I think those are the challenges that they’re both gonna face in Season 2.”
Charlotte Nicado Courtesy of Apple TV+
Ashly Burch (who began as a writer on the show before being cast as game tester Rachel) didn’t want to give too much away about the upcoming sophomore season, but voiced her excitement at seeing new dynamics play out onscreen.
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“I will say the most fun thing about having a Season 2 of a show, is that you know your cast and you know the characters better. You just get to dive deeper and also try new, fun permutations and pairings,” she explained “The pairing of Rachel and C.W. in the first season is really fun, and what would a pairing of C.W. and Poppy, or C.W. and Brad look like? You get to play now. It's more like writing fan fiction now that you know who you’re dealing with and who your cast is.”
Danny Pudi, who plays Brad—the video game’s sociopathic head of monetization—echoed that sentiment.
“Any ensemble comedy show is when you get paired up with new people and new dynamics,” he said. “I’m not involved in any of the writing and I try not to hypothesize too much because I like being surprised. I look forward to seeing a little bit more of bouncing off other characters in the show and seeing other ways that Brad can try to manipulate people.”
Ashly Burch & Danny Pudi Courtesy of Apple TV+
“In Season 2, we get paired up in new groups and so, it’s really fun to see how different personalities will work with the personalities we haven’t yet seen them paired up with. There’s a lot of fun stuff coming up and I really can’t wait for people to get to see it,” added Jessie Ennis (David’s unhinged office assistant, Jo).
Elsewhere, F. Murray Abraham knows exactly what he’d like to see for C.W. Longbottom. An old school genre author and Mythic Quest’s grandiose head story writer, Longbottom fears that machines are going to replace him any day. Perhaps some passion will assuage his 21st century fears.
“I see some kind of romance. I want him to fall in love,” the Oscar-winning Abraham admitted. “I want him to discover this other world. I want him to take another step. I’m not too sure how, but I want him to have more of an entrance into that technological nightmare that he thinks it is right now.”
That said, the actor wants another character to see things from Longbottom’s point of view. He alluded to the events of Episode 4 (“The Convention”), where Rachel introduces C.W. to the fun of gameplay and he, in turn, shows her the benefit of good, epic storytelling.
“I would like it to be a trade-off, for someone to possibly see my side of it, too. To understand the value of swashbuckling,” Abraham continued.
F. Murray Abraham & Rob McElhenney Courtesy of Apple TV+
Like Burch, Pudi, and Ennis, Imani Hakim (Dana, Rachel’s fellow game tester) promised “a nice mix-up” of character interactions, but also teased the fallout of Dana losing her gig as the official Mythic Quest streamer. When her viewers realize that she works for MQ, she’s branded as a company shill and loses her job. Rachel, who has a budding romance with Dana, pulls some strings with Brad to get her re-hired.
“It’s always unfortunate when you see someone really love what they do, and then it sort of gets stripped away from them,” Hakim said. “She’s climbing the ranks in ‘Mythic Quest Land,’ but then she gets outed and she has to figure out what her next steps are going to be. Luckily, we’ve been picked up for Season 2, so there is a continuation to the journey for Dana.”
Imani Hakim Courtesy of Apple TV+
The complete first season of Mythic Quest: Raven’s Banquet is now streaming on Apple TV+. For more MQ:RB content and interviews, click on the links below:
• Level Up! Cast & Crew Of ‘Mythic Quest: Raven’s Banquet’ Tease Apple TV+ Series Ahead Of S1 Premiere
• ‘Mythic Quest’ Producers Unpack ‘A Dark Quiet Death’ & That Episode 8 Shocker
• ‘Mythic Quest’: Cristin Milioti & Jake Johnson Explain The Universal Appeal Of Their “Indie Movie” Bottle Episode
• Did You Catch These ‘Futurama’ And ‘Chernobyl’-Related Cameos In ‘Mythic Quest: Raven’s Banquet’?
• ‘Mythic Quest’: Brad’s ‘DuckTales’ Monologue In S1 Finale Was No Coincidence, Says Danny Pudi
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efcbde3beab32c15f05bca877862a730 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshweiss/2020/05/12/paul-is-dead-the-beatles-graphic-novel-exclusive/ | ‘Paul Is Dead’: New Psychedelic Comic Explores Beatles Conspiracy Theory (First Look) | ‘Paul Is Dead’: New Psychedelic Comic Explores Beatles Conspiracy Theory (First Look)
Courtesy of Image Comics
Coo coo ca-choo!
The Beatles are so inextricably linked with rock n’ roll and 1960s culture, that it’s almost impossible to imagine our world without them. At the same time, their profound impact on music (and society in general) offers up some interesting “what if?” questions about the tenuous nature of history. Had things gone even a little bit differently for the band, what would reality even look like?
In his 2017 alternate history novel, Once There Was a Way, author Bryce Zabel dared to ask: “What if The Beatles stayed together?” Two years later, director Danny Boyle probed a world where the group never existed in Yesterday. And now, writer Paolo Baron and artist Ernesto Carbonetti (the duo behind Punk is Undead) are the latest creatives to ponder their own Fab Four conundrum: “What if Paul McCartney died during the recording of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band in November of 1966?”
Courtesy of Image Comics
On sale next month from Image Comics, Paul is Dead: When The Beatles Lost McCartney presents a fictionalized account of the famous conspiracy about Paul dying and being replaced with a perfect lookalike. The hoax cropped up at the tail end of the ‘60s and captivated the world’s collective imagination as fans attempted to discover the truth, going so far as to try and discern hidden messages in Beatles records by playing them backwards. It was absolutely nuts...or was it?
"First, me and Ernesto are both musicians, we feel a special attraction to music legends. I had a band for more than 20 years and The Beatles were my first idols, never to be surpassed,” Baron said in a statement to Forbes Entertainment. “The urban legend known as P.I.D. was always hard for me to believe. I always laughed it off, but still, I was curious about it for years. So, now that I am working with this amazing medium, the comic, I can share, with people, all my research from newspapers, books, documentaries, and interviews about the conspiracy of Paul being dead. It is just like investigating a ‘cold case’ and giving a very personal opinion."
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Day trip below to feast your eyes on three exclusive interior pages from the graphic novel. You’ll find that Carbonetti adopts an impressionist style that recalls the psychotropic decade in which the story is set. It’s like being flung into the trippy universe of a Sgt. Pepper song as John, George, and Ringo set out to investigate the site where Paul was said to have died in a tragic and fiery car crash.
Courtesy of Image Comics
Courtesy of Image Comics
Courtesy of Image Comics
After reading these pages, I can’t be the only person who wants to see a Hardy Boys-type spinoff about The Beatles rocking sold out concern by day and solving mysteries by night. I mean come on — how awesome does that sound?!
"We’re talking about the greatest band of all time. It’s a way to let the readers take a tour of Abbey Road Studios while the band was recording one of the most important albums of music history (Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band),” Carbonetti said in a statement of his own. “We’ve scrupulously reconstructed the studio of the ‘60s: the same recording rooms, instruments, clothes, and so on. It’s a psychedelic experience for the eyes, and it’s touching to see how the Fab Four get along during the sessions and their everyday life. At the same time, it's a detective story about the search for a missing friend in the special atmosphere of London in the ‘60s.”
Paul is Dead goes on sale Wednesday, June 3.
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f8560ec227f85366c47bc267bd1a0708 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshweiss/2020/05/18/action-bronson-f-thats-delicious-interview/ | Action Bronson Dishes On The Return Of His Vice Cooking Show & Staying Busy Amid The Pandemic | Action Bronson Dishes On The Return Of His Vice Cooking Show & Staying Busy Amid The Pandemic
Courtesy of VICE Media LLC
Action Bronson is as laid back and unfiltered a celebrity as you’re likely to find. He prides himself on being a real, genuine person. None of that fake stuff — what you see is what you get. It’s an admirable philosophy that carries over into his pursuits of rapping, acting, writing, entrepreneurship, and, above all, cooking.
Bronson is a modern day Renaissance man with an infectious lust for life and good food. Whether the latter is served up in a five-star restaurant or on the hood of a car in Harlem, is totally immaterial to him. As long as the food tastes good and he’s surrounded by friends, nothing else matters.
Those two elements are the impetus for F***, That’s Delicious, a not-so-subtly named Vice docuseries that also happens to be Bronson’s passion project. After nearly two years away, the half-hour show is back for a fourth season, as the rapper continues his globe-trotting quest for the planet’s greatest gastronomic delights. Along for the ride is his usual entourage: Meyhem Lauren, Alchemist, and Big Body Bes.
With his show back on the air, a new album (Only for Dolphins) ready to drop, two more books in the works, and a newborn to care for, Bronson is busier than ever — even if he is stuck at home like the rest of us. Speaking with the culinary/musical maestro last week, I got a small taste of the ingredients that make Action Bronson tick.
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Josh Weiss: So tell me a little bit about Season 4 of F***, That’s Delicious. What sets it apart from the first 3 seasons?
Action Bronson: At this point, we’re seasoned travelers, seasoned eaters, seasoned life-livers. We’re just living life to another notch and I feel like this [season] is a great representation of all us at this time.
JW: What was your favorite part of filming Season 4 and why?
AB: I love filming, period. Everything about it. I love getting out there, meeting people, doing fun things. [I love] walking around the city, going up in Harlem and everyone’s screaming out my name while I’m eating fish off the hood of a car. I’m eating fried fish on 145th Street and people are screaming my name in the street, saying, ‘Yo, Bronson I can’t believe you’re up here. It’s just crazy, I love it!’ And it feels good.
JW: What were some of the tastiest things you got to try this season?
AB: Man, there were honestly so many great things. From meeting one of my PBS legends, Ming Tsai, and eating at his restaurant in Boston, to creating unbelievable ice cream delicacies in Manhattan with Nick Morgenstern, to everything in between. Philadelphia, the surprising cuisine of Dublin, one of my favorite places on Earth: London. Every time I go back there, I instantly stop at Lahore Kebab House. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime flavored lamb chop that you’ll ever taste.
Courtesy of 2020 VICE Media LLC
JW: Since you brought up my beloved home of Philadelphia, what are your favorite joints to hit up when you’re here?
AB: I’ve been to my favorite restaurant in the country many times in Philadelphia called Zahav. It got voted the best restaurant in the country and we didn’t even realize. Once again, we got lucky on the day we [went] to see them. Zahav is a definite [place] to hit up in Philly. Everyone goes to the Pat’s, the Geno’s, even to Tony Luke’s and other stuff. But we took it to another side of the Philadelphia cheesesteak, which took me to Max’s. Max’s is definitely a different scene that anything else. It’s a one-of-a-kind scene and one of my favorites.
JW: Any special guests we should be on the lookout for?
AB: I’m trying to think, were there special guests? Hmmm, you know what? I don’t even f***in’ know. I don’t remember. I just enjoy the company of my friends and to be honest with you, everyone that’s there is always a beautiful additive. They add something amazing to it and I think that we just had our friends around this time. I don’t believe that there was anyone like, ‘Oh my god!’ It’s just us.
JW: Looking at that core group, what does everyone bring to the table?
AB: We’re all uniquely individual. I’m uniquely Queens and New York City. Body is the person you could only find in America. Mayhem brings your elegance and delight and all kinds of crazy commentary. Al is the food villain, he’s the one that everyone loves to hate, but he’s everyone’s uncle. He’s a great guy. And I think we all bring our each individual angle of culinary expertise.
I’ve cooked in restaurants my whole life, this is what I love to do — I love ingredients, I love stuff like that. We all love to eat like that, it’s just everyone explains it in a different way with their own life experiences.
Courtesy of VICE Media LLC
JW: It’s nice to live vicariously through someone else, especially now that many of us can’t go anywhere and try these experiences for ourselves. Do you think the show will be even more popular as it airs during the pandemic?
AB: This has been a proven commodity for years. The moment it came on the screen, it’s been a hit. People love this sh**. They love seeing real people doing real things and I’m nothing but a real person and I do nothing but real things. I’m from f***ing Queens, Flushing, New York. You know what I mean? There’s no frills, there’s no bullsh**, I give it to you straight-up.
Me and my friends are fun, we enjoy life, we enjoy culture, we enjoy people, we enjoy each other, we enjoy food, and we enjoy traveling. Just to watch everyone in pure bliss and in their element, it’s captivating for a lot of people. It’s like watching animals migrate; just watching animals run. I love watching animals run.
JW: How would you describe Season 4 in a few words or sentences?
AB: Explosive, heart-wrenching, balls-to-the-wall energy, passion, elegance, class. My music is my life’s work, my art is my life’s work, this is my life’s work. F***, That’s Delicious is my baby and it means a lot for this to come out. It means a lot because we filmed in Kosovo, we went back to my grandmother’s house [and] we did a lot of things out there. We did a whole concert with Dua Lipa and her family. It was just special times that were captured that could never be forgotten.
Courtesy of VICE Media LLC
JW: How have you been passing the time at home during the lockdown?
AB: I’ve just been taking care of myself. Taking care of me, taking care of my family, working out, eating healthy, keeping busy. Just making sure that [I] stay on top of everything because once this breaks, you don’t want to be behind and be down in the dumps and sh** like that. So, I’m just continuing life as we know it from wherever I possibly can, trying not to get down too much. It’s easy to fall, so you gotta keep yourself busy, stay occupied. Work out, read, draw, pick up a new hobby.
JW: What have you been cooking in quarantine?
AB: Sh**, man. You name it, I’ve made it. I got f***in’ octopus in the freezer, I got all kinds of different chicken parts in the freezer, I got duck in the freezer, I got a pork secreto in the freezer. I don’t know if I’ll ever use any of these things, but I just have [them] in there.
JW: You mentioned that you’ve also been doing a lot of reading. What books have helped you pass the time?
AB: I like reading a lot of old magazine [issues] like Sports Illustrated and little things I used to like as a kid, from the source. I like looking up all kinds of sports trivia and sports knowledge. I’m reading a lot of art books, a lot of artistic design books. I just dive into all kinds of different genres at once.
Courtesy of VICE Media LLC
JW: Have you been writing any new songs as well?
Action Bronson: I have a whole album ready to come out. I have so much stuff on the horizon, from all different artistic endeavors: music endeavors, film endeavors, and now, thank God, F***, That’s Delicious back on the screen for another 11 weeks. Life is feeling good right now. Everyone’s healthy, can’t really complain.
JW: Speaking of film endeavors, you were in The Irishman. What was the experience of working with Martin Scorsese like?
AB: It was pretty surreal, pretty life-changing. It puts your whole perspective on another [level] after you’ve done something like that. Like, ‘Ok, I’m here. I can do this type of stuff. I didn’t f*** it up, I didn’t ruin the scene. Maybe I have a future in this sh**.’
JW: Did you get any advice from Scorsese or De Niro that’s really stuck with you?
AB: Honestly, Martin was just like, ‘Be yourself, just be normal, let it flow.’ Just hearing somebody telling me to wing it makes me feel much better [laughs]. Because I’m a winger, I like to wing it. De Niro busting balls on the set was fun. Just interacting with those fellas, being in a huddle with them before the scene, like, ‘What are we gonna do now? What angle are we gonna come at with this?’ It was exhilarating.
JW: What can you tease about your new album? What should fans get excited about?
AB: If you love me, if you love Mr. f***in’ Baklava, you’re gonna be in for a treat. I work hard in everything I do and this is no exception. I came to win. Nothing, but fire on this album. This is Only for Dolphins right here, this is for the people that get it. This is for people on the same telepathic wavelength as me. This is my sensibility and it’s by far, some of the best stuff I’ve done in my opinion, and it’s all out there in its entirety. It’s the best stuff goin’.
JW: What vibe did you want to go for with the album?
AB: This album is very worldly. I’m very worldly, so I’d like for that to reflect in my music as well. Samples from all over the world, vibes from all over the world. I was all over the world when I wrote a lot of this stuff, so you’re gonna feel that.
JW: In terms of being out in the world, what’s one of the first things you want to do when the pandemic is over?
AB: Man, it’s a hard question. I don’t know what is going on with this thing, but I know this for sure: I just wanna be healthy, I want my family to be healthy. It’s the only thing that really matters. Get out of this and everything’s a bonus. I’m gonna get back on the road; I wanna get out there and reach my fans and touch them and give everybody the concerts that we were supposed to have and just continue on with my legacy. That’s really it. Ain’t nothing stopping me now, but I can’t go out there and do what I do best, and that’s perform with a passion that has been unmatched.
JW: Are you working on a new cookbook right now?
AB: Yeah, I’m working on a new cookbook and I’m also working on a new self-improvement, short story-type of motivational of book as well.
JW: Anything else you can tease about that?
AB: That book is gonna be pretty f***in’ unbelievable. It’s not a cookbook, it’s more of me saying stories from the past and really getting into the psyche of you. The psyche of being a human being and things I think about and the trials and tribulations, the joys, the victories. How I’m able to overcome [them] and how you can overcome them as well. But not being preachy [about it]. I’m not a preacher, I don’t know how I did anything that I’ve done. I’m just give you what I recall. It’s all recollection.
Episode 2 of F***, That’s Delicious airs on Vice TV tonight at 10pm EST. You can watch the season premiere for free below:
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c785b498d0450c2e0660ff8f64f452f3 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshweiss/2020/07/14/inception-christopher-nolan-oral-history-jeffrey-kurland-costumes/ | An Oral History Of Christopher Nolan’s ‘Inception’ Part 2: The Costumes | An Oral History Of Christopher Nolan’s ‘Inception’ Part 2: The Costumes
(L-R): Dileep Rao as Yusuf; Tom Hardy as Eames; Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Arthur; Leonardo DiCaprio as ... [+] Cobb; and Ken Watanabe as Saito Courtesy of Warner Bros.
“Inception...is it possible?”
When he was chosen to create the costumes for 2010’s Inception, Jeffrey Kurland (Erin Brockovich, Mission: Impossible - Fallout) had no way of knowing the complexity of the project or that the film would spawn a fruitful partnership between him and writer-director Christopher Nolan. The pair eventually went on to make Dunkirk (2017) and Tenet (still in pandemic limbo), but it was their shared journey into the human mind that forged them into kings of the summer blockbuster.
Part 1 of my oral history on Inception covered the musical aspect of the mind-bending movie. In Part 2, Mr. Kurland details how he navigated the various levels of Nolan’s screenplay to dress each member of the dream burgling team: leader Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio); right-hand man Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt); architect Ariadne (Ellen Page); forger Eames (Tom Hardy); chemist Yusuf (Dileep Rao); and financier Saito (Ken Watanabe).
Instead of stealing an idea, the group is tasked with planting one in the mind of Saito’s business competitor, Robert Fischer (Cillian Murphy). Their mission becomes all the more challenging when deadly memories of Cobb’s late wife, Mal (Marion Cotillard), start to get in the way.
Kurland and I also covered more minor characters played by Tom Berenger (“Peter Browning”), Lukas Haas (“Nash”), Michael Caine (“Professor Stephen Miles”), and the projections (background characters in any given dream).
While Inception is set in a future where dream-sharing technology exists, the costumes helped the finished product feel both grounded and timeless.
Josh Weiss: What did you think of Inception’s premise when you first read the script?
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Jeffrey Kurland: My initial impression of the story was, ‘Whoah!’ This is the most convoluted story I think I’ve ever had to break down. It took many reads before I could actually sit down with Chris and talk about it to understand it. It’s so in-depth and there’s so much to it. There’s nothing surface about Inception, everything goes deep down and comes right back up at you. It was a very complicated breakdown and obviously, a complicated movie to make. But once I got the idea in my head, I just started going from there and Chris and I had many great conversations about it.
JW: How did you go about defining the look of the costumes?
JK: We knew that we didn’t want to date it. We didn’t want to go futuristic, that was not going to serve our purposes. Inception is a movie that I hoped ... in 20 years, you could watch it and it would not date itself visually. That you would look at it and accept it for what it is. It has overtones of the future, but that’s within the storyline and within the practically of it. It is not laid down upon it, but stylistically, it has a futuristic feel without going into heavy futurism.
JW: What kind of input did Chris give you?
JK: I’ve worked with him three times now and he’s so fantastic in the way that he presents an original story off-script; it’s always interesting in one way or another. Obviously, Inception is extremely interesting, but we talked about character as far as he saw [when] he wrote it: ‘Who Ariadne might be? Who is Cobb? Who is Mal?’
Individually, we went through every character as it’s scripted and just talked about them. Who they were, where they came from, what their background might be. Then I went and started drawing and presented sketches, drawings, and such. We’d look at that and talk about it and he’d point out one thing or another that he liked, didn’t like, thought was almost there, what might change. Then another meeting ensued, I’d come back with changes and that’s how it went on until it trickled down to what we eventually ended up with.
JW: Going off that, I was curious if you could do a short breakdown of the looks for each character...?
COBB: Dom is at the top of the pyramid. Stylistically, everything in my mind falls down from him. He’s presented as the every man of the group and then everybody else trickles down within their own character, but within that same stylistic milieu that he’s in. They all look like a cohesive group, yet extremely individual …
If I started him in a T-shirt and a pair of jeans, I’d have no place to go. I had to — with Chris — decide, ‘What were his financial circumstances? What do we want to present him as?’ There is a successful business man quality to him and you wanted to see that. It’s, shall we say, conservative, but not without style — it definitely has style.
In a color wheel, you have a neutral [color], so Cobb is the neutral from which everything else could be blended and built.
Courtesy of Warner Bros.
ARTHUR: Arthur is a far more conservative kind of guy. You also have to understand, each character, at some point, becomes an architect of a dream. And so, their dream should then tie into who they are and their personality, which then, of course, ties in with their clothing ... Arthur is far more conservative with suits and ties. Usually three-piece suits that are very nicely tailored, but more on the English side of tailoring than the French or Italian side.
Courtesy of Warner Bros.
ARIADNE: I was dressing a physically diminutive person. Not in personality, but in physicality and I wanted to stress that because I thought that that difference between her physicality and the rest of the group was really good and really major. So, I kept her a little more casual and tomboy-ish, but obviously her look changes for whatever dream she may end up in. When you see her in the lobby of the hotel [in the second dream level], she’s in her suit. That’s Arthur’s architecture and that’s Arthur’s idea, so that’s what I perceive him thinking what Ariadne would go to.
Courtesy of Warner Bros.
SAITO: Ken’s look is the ultimate successful, very wealthy businessman. Someone who has the power, someone who controls. [His suits] are double-breasted … very, very beautifully tailored — very sleek, but powerful.
Courtesy of Warner Bros.
EAMES: My immediate reaction to him in reading the script several times was like an ex-pat. He’s very individual in his look and who he is and his opinion. But in his dress as a human, as a character, you see him at the bar and that’s who he is, just featuring his individuality. He’s wearing it on his sleeve — literally and figuratively. You see him in that shot when the camera backs up and you see the socks. He is definitely an individual, and it was great fun to do that. When he was in the dream, he was dressed appropriately for the dream, but in his own way.
Courtesy of Warner Bros.
YUSUF: We’re in a foreign country [Mombassa], we’re trying to feature who this person is. He’s obviously not of the same world, necessarily, as the rest of the guys and I wanted to create that world within his wardrobe. He’s got very textured [pieces that] are a bit worn, a little shoddy. Obviously, he’s making it through and that’s kind of where we were with him.
Courtesy of Warner Bros.
MAL: The mystery character, the person that you meet, but never really meet. That’s who Mal is. In the dream, she is always Mal, but she’s always featured as the person that [conforms to] whomever the architect is of the dream. She takes on the look of the dream or flashback she happens to be in. As it goes on, you [have to know] the difference between ‘What is a flashback?’ and ‘What is a dream?’ ... We just had great fun in fittings and dealing with things and tweaking things here and there. Just to make that character come to life.
Courtesy of Warner Bros.
FISCHER: Cillian is a character who’s quite wealthy and obviously, [you have] the age difference. I definitely wanted to feature that. There’s definitely a difference in there, where Cillian is the son of the wealthy man who is dying [played by the late Pete Postlethwaite]. I wanted to separate him, [make] him a little younger than Ken would be. Yet obviously, he’s very, very wealthy and his suits and clothing — although traditional — are very elegant, but conservative in look. It’s as if he was emulating his father.
Courtesy of Warner Bros.
BROWNING: He was, shall we say, not as wealthy, not as elegantly set out. But by no means shoddy. He’s quite well-dressed, but not as pristine and beautifully-tailored as Cillian’s character.
Courtesy of Warner Bros.
MILES: He is professorial, but he is an architect. That was his job. I wanted very much to show that. I researched many English architects of the period and the time to see what their looks were. I came to his costume by going through all that research and then putting it on Michael, so that it looked real and comfortable on him. Again, a lot of texture, a lot of individual touches. The nehru collar on the shirt, the collarless shirt, the kind of nubbly jacket, and such, so that he had some gravitas in his look.
Courtesy of Warner Bros.
NASH: Lukas Haas’s character is kind of a…I hate to say a minor character because he’s not … it’s got to make an impact right then and there because you don’t have two hours to explain to the world the nuances of this character. So, it’s done with a certain amount of simplicity and aging. He obviously isn’t a wealthy person, he’s very individual as to what he does and who he is.
Courtesy of Warner Bros.
PROJECTIONS: For each dream, you had to create the look of a scene sartorially on all the extras when everybody else is around. You follow the lead of the story. You also had to pay attention to who the architect of the dream was and what [their] taste level was. That influenced the way it looked.
So if Arthur was the architect, it would have a bit of a conservative look to it; it would have a more precise, crisp look to it as opposed to if the architect was Eames. That [would lend] a laissez-faire to it; a little more kind of imagination to it. The dream in the castle [at the very beginning], which then goes to the riots, switches from being Arthur’s dream to being Nash’s dream and you see the quality and textural look of the dream changes from architect-to-architect. That had to be taken into account.
JW: What was your system for keeping track of everything?
JK: We broke down the script in such a way that separated: ‘What is a dream? What is a flashback? What is reality?’ Then we broke it down according to what took place on land, what took place in water, what took place in the air. It broke down in so many different ways, but you have to do that, not just for the style and look of the picture, but also for the practicality of putting it together. It was very complicated breakdown, but it served us very well ... I wanted everybody to have an individual look, but like I told you before, it needed to be cohesive and when they were all together, you had to look at them as a band of brothers, achieving what they needed to achieve.
JW: Was everything custom made?
All the suits and shirts and ties — everything was made individually for each piece because I didn’t want to depend on the marketplace to make decisions for what this movie was going to look like as far as texture and color and style. You have two women, but mostly men and you want them to each have an individual look, yet still be normalized. You don’t want anybody [to look] like they’re from another movie.
Designing them and choosing all the fabrics and all the colors was very important. The palette was very important, to follow that palette with [production designer Guy Hendrix Dyas] in each set and each place, so that it made sense; so that there was a cohesive look to the entire thing, which I think we achieved.
JW: Can you elaborate on the importance of color and the palettes you chose?
JK: Each character has a color palette of their own. Either a cool look or a warm look, a patterned look, a textured look. All those things come into play and each character calls out for certain things that need to be there as far as that’s concerned.
You look at Tom Hardy’s character, who is far more free with color and texture than Saito would be. Saito is much more conservative and very beautifully done with pinstripes. But he’s different from Arthur, who is much less grand, but very conservatively put together. With each one, a decision was made to go in a certain direction, color-wise. But then you’ve got to know that when they all come together, you don’t want anything popping out and jarring unless it’s story-driven.
JW: How did you maintain secrecy during the shoot?
JK: Outside of the people who are making the film, you don’t talk about. My family had no idea what Inception was about until they went and saw the movie when it came out ... If you went to a vendor, you didn’t say the name of the movie and you didn’t say what you were doing. You said, ‘This is what I need’ and no questions asked. You just never talk about and if people would ask what I was doing, I would say, ‘I’m sorry, I can’t say.’ That was the easiest way to deal with it. It’s military, it’s mum’s the word. The entire crew knows to not talk about it. There is no social media shared with this, that’s it.
JW: Do you have an interpretation of the film’s ending?
JK: To be honest with you, I don’t. I really don’t. I go with Chris on that. If the top is spinning, the top is spinning. The movie cuts off, the top is spinning, that’s where I’m going. I always go with Chris, it’s always the smartest way to go and it’s usually the most satisfying.
JW: This was your first collaboration with Christopher Nolan. What would you say you learned about him as a director?
JK: He’s a fantastic storyteller and he’s got an incredibly facile mind for all sorts of things. Chris can wax eloquent on books of all sorts and still talk to you about 1970s television. He’s so inquisitive and so knowledgable about so many things that he brings to his scripts. It’s just a learning curve and you’re lucky to be on with him because there just aren’t a lot of directors out there like Chris. You always know with Chris that you’re doing something special.
Inception was my first one and it was special. And they continued to be special: Dunkirk and then Tenet, which I can’t talk about. Each one is a joy and a privilege to collaborate on ... I really can’t wait for [Tenet] to be released and for people to see it. I believe it’s really enjoyable ... Chris is an original. If there’s anyone who can be called that, he is an original.
JW: No spoilers, but would you say your work on Tenet was similar to your experience on Inception?
JK: Working with Chris Nolan, every experience is a new experience. It’s never the same. It may have hints of what might’ve been before, but it’s never the same. That’s the beauty of Chris Nolan. It’s always an original, it’s never a copy.
JW: What are you most proud of when it comes to Inception?
JK: I’m proud of its enduring legacy. That’s the thing Like I said to you in the beginning of our conversation, we never wanted to date it in any way. We wanted to make something that would around forever and in 20, 30, 40 years from now, you could watch Inception and it would feel like a new movie. It would feel like you just made it. I think we succeeded in that and I’m extremely proud of that.
JW: Any recollections from when it first opened in July 2010?
JK: The initial reaction to it was great because here you have an original piece written that, as an audience member, you are so challenged to get into. People went and saw the movie 2-3 times just to even understand it.
Someone would have a discussion with somebody and say, ‘What was this when this happened?’ And [the other person] went, ‘Oh man! I missed that!’ They would go back and see it again, so they could see it. Not just accept it from somebody else, they also wanted to experience and see it.
The idea of the top spinning at the end: was it reality? Were the kids real or was that in the dream? People would question those things, but then go back to see it again. It’s a very wonderful thing to be involved with an original production that didn’t blow things up and didn’t have people flying in the sky. That whole story was so complicated, that it just encompassed everybody’s imagination. I think it’s a film that deserves to be remembered, certainly every 10 years, if not more.
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fb0c4594b9290ac51e3c2462909ffaf5 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshweiss/2020/07/29/tales-from-the-umbrella-academy-you-look-like-death-gerard-way-exclusive/?sh=29086a1c3310 | Gerard Way On Klaus’s Hollywood Hijinks In ‘Umbrella Academy’ Spinoff ‘You Look Like Death’ | Gerard Way On Klaus’s Hollywood Hijinks In ‘Umbrella Academy’ Spinoff ‘You Look Like Death’
Courtesy of Dark Horse Comics
With three Umbrella Academy story arcs under his belt, writer Gerard Way is branching out with the series’ very first spinoff, You Look Like Death. Forbes can exclusively debut the book’s official trailer below. The story centers around Klaus/The Séance, perhaps the most troubled member of the Hargreeves brood, who suffers from a horrible drug habit and a supernatural ability to commune with the dead.
“Of all of the siblings, Klaus was always the first one I wanted to explore, because I had a lot of ideas about what happened to him in the ten years before ‘Apocalypse Suite,’” Way, who is also known as the frontman of My Chemical Romance, told me via email. “It felt like a big story in itself. Since then, I’ve filled in the gaps on what the other siblings were up to in that ten-year span and I’d like to explore those stories as well. Klaus was always the first, though.”
After he’s kicked out of the UA mansion by his father, Sir Reginald Hargreeves (aka “The Monocle”), an 18-year-old Klaus heads to Hollywood, where he contends with magical narcotics and a vampiric drug lord. For Way, the glamorous and sun-soaked Tinseltown setting was the perfect place in which to test the troubled young hero.
“Los Angeles is a place where you can very easily lose sight of who you are, and that is what is happening to Klaus in this series,” he explained. “We see him develop stronger habits and explore more extreme things than he had before. Los Angeles is also a place with a strong dark side, as well as this undercurrent of the occult. It is also a place where somewhat nefarious people transplanted here can more easily thrive and spread out roots, so there’s a good chance Klaus runs the risk of getting chewed up and spit out.”
Watch the trailer:
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For this project, Way re-teamed with his Fabulous Killjoys co-writer, Shaun Simon. In terms of artwork, he recruited I.N.J. Culbard (Everything, The New Deadwardians) for the interiors. Way’s Umbrella Academy co-creator, Gabriel Bá, is drawing the covers for each issue, while Nate Piekos (The Umbrella Academy: Hotel Oblivion, Fight Club 3), oversees lettering.
“I absolutely love I.N.J.’s art. I had seen some of his older work, as well as his horror work that made us feel like he would really capture the moodiness, darkness, and emotions of a story like this,” Way said. “He also captures the fading glamour of the setting and characters. I was inspired by Bret Easton Ellis’s novel, Less Than Zero, and the film version of it as well, and I think Ian is great at capturing that seedy raw energy. And he draws a great Klaus — as well as the other characters we see — and the rest of the siblings.”
Staying true to past UA releases, the spinoff adopts an pseudo-anachronistic aesthetic that’s meant to keep the reader unsure of the time period. It’s a stylistic choice that fits nicely into the Los Angeles backdrop, which, as the nexus of the American entertainment industry, can’t help but evoke romantic (and seedy) thoughts of bygone eras.
“You definitely get to see more of the world, specifically Hollywood, in the Umbrella Academy universe,” Way continued. “Like all things Umbrella Academy, you can’t exactly tell what year it is, but things tend to look classic, or like they did during the heyday or golden age of something, where our first understanding of the place or activity came from. This Hollywood feels like the Hollywood we have seen in old classic films, but has that slight alternate reality, and sometimes more modern feeling, that Umbrella Academy things do.”
As Way alluded to earlier, You Look Like Death is just one piece of a larger puzzle that fills in the gaps of what happened in the 10 years before the Hargreeves children were brought back together in the wake of Sir Reginald’s death. However, it might be some time before we see all of those other stories told.
“There are other ideas for sure as far as Umbrella Academy siblings getting their own series, all of them very different from each other — and there are other writers and creators I want to work with on those — but I wanted to bring the focus back to the main Umbrella Academy story arc,” Way admitted.
Courtesy of Dark Horse Comics
On that note, the writer/musician revealed that Vol. 4 of the mainstream series will be entitled “Sparrow Academy.” Dark Horse has yet to reveal any rollout plans for it, but Way promised that the plot would answer a major question fans have been asking since the very beginning.
“[It] deals with a very big reveal in the Umbrella Academy universe, something that had been secret for a long time, and our siblings learn a lot about what was happening behind the scenes, as well as discovering the true nature of some characters that have been with them since the beginning,” Way teased. “The series finally starts to answer the question: ‘What about the other babies born on that day, in that moment?’ The Umbrella Academy siblings are not alone in the world anymore.”
You Look Like Death: Tales From The Umbrella Academy #1 goes on sale Wednesday, Sep. 16. Click here for more details on the book. Season 2 of The Umbrella Academy on Netflix NFLX premieres this Friday, July 31.
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