About the authorCarlos VolcanoShare the loveHave your say Fiorentina boss Montella insists no regrets over his time with AC Milanby Carlos Volcanoa month agoSend to a friendShare the loveFiorentina boss Vincenzo Montella has no regrets over his time with AC Milan.The Viola meet Milan later tonight.“It was a fantastic experience, we won a trophy, which some people conveniently forget,” said Montella, referring to the Italian Super Cup against Juventus.“We didn’t purchase practically any players and still qualified for Europe, which hadn’t happened for a few years. I don’t consider that a negative time at all.“When I was at Milan, Suso, Patrick Cutrone and Davide Calabria were set to be sold. I think we did good work with homegrown talents like Manuel Locatelli and Gianluigi Donnarumma.” 
PITTSBURGH, PA – MARCH 17: Grayson Allen #3 of the Duke Blue Devils looks on against the Rhode Island Rams during the second half in the second round of the 2018 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at PPG PAINTS Arena on March 17, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)Duke and Louisville are locked into a tight battle at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Blue Devils led by as many as 14 but now trail late in the contest.During the second half, Duke’s Grayson Allen drove to the basket and was knocked down. While he was on the ground, he appeared to intentionally trip Louisville’s Raymond Spalding, who had corralled the ball and was dribbling up court.yep, that’s a trip by Grayson Allen … https://t.co/hAfZbZaFGb— Ryan Fagan (@ryanfagan) February 9, 2016Definitely looks like he meant to do that.
Manchester United’s current goalkeeper David De Gea has been looking at opportunities from all around Europe lately. However, he could sign a team no one has ever thought he would.The Spaniard seems sceptical about winning much silverware under the rule of Jose Mourinho while still playing for the Red Devils. Since Real Madrid stopped showing interest in him, he has been searching everywhere and he might eventually end up in – surpise! – Paris.He has been with United since 2011 and is currently considered one the world’s best goalkeepers. De Gea was rumoured to be joining Real back in 2015 but to no success. Despite not coming to an eventual agreement, Madrid’s door was still open for him until recently, when Perez set his sight on Roma goalkeeper Alisson.
Maguire says United need to build on today’s win George Patchias – September 14, 2019 Harry Maguire wants his United teammates to build on the victory over Leicester City.During the summer, Harry Maguire was referred to as the ultimate…Paris Saint-Germain have been chasing the Spaniard for his signature. Despite not being really into it, De Gea might sign as his only desire right now is to leave Mourinho, according to Caught Offside.Jose Mourinho has been underachieving overall since he took over Manchester United in the last season – so far he has been able to win only the League Cup and Europe League, which is certainly not enough for the 27-years-old De Gea.
Stefano Pioli has praised his players and expressed his happiness after Fiorentina demolished Chievo 6-1.Fiorentina thrashed Chievo Verona 6-1 at the Stadio Franchi. Marco Benassi scored a brace and there was late Giovanni Simone nutmeg. Pioli was delighted with the performance of his team. Football Italia reports.“I am happy, but there was more to it than the result. Chievo still caused us a lot of problems and at least it means we are capable of suffering under pressure in difficult moments,” Pioli said.“We started the season earlier than usual actually, as we hoped to play the Europa League preliminary rounds, but then Milan won their appeal and were reinstated.
Karsdorp reveals he had too much stress at Roma Manuel R. Medina – September 14, 2019 The Dutch defender has been with the Gialorrossi since 2017, but he has not enjoyed his time in the Italian Lega Serie A.“We had a lot of friendlies and trained well, but there’s always the doubt in your mind on how it’ll work in a competitive match. This was the big test and Chievo did cause us problems, but we remained a unit and that’s what I wanted to see.“The midfield is where we made the most changes, but we had eight of the old guard starting, so I was confident. Edimilson has been training with us for two weeks and there’s a lot of potential in the team.“What we’re trying to do is provide entertainment for the fans and some beautiful football, because those are the characteristics we have.”
WILMINGTON, MA — Below is an op-ed submitted by State Rep. Candidate Dave Robertson (D-Tewksbury):Over the last few days there has been great media coverage of a long-time issue here in Massachusetts; the release of repeatedly violent criminals who have continued to live a life of crime. Most recently, Judge Tim Feeley released Manuel Soto-Vittini, a longtime heroin dealer, by claiming his crimes were financially based, as if it was similar to providing bread to his family. This, of course, ignores all those who potentially overdosed or had their lives destroyed by Soto-Vittini’s poison. Only a few weeks before Massachusetts lost one of its finest, Officer Sean Gannon. This was by a criminal who started dealing drugs and robbing individuals as a teenager, and deserves no mention by name. I could continue listing heartbreaking issues such as these, but it would take up far too much space. What is apparent is the system needs to be examined.Over the next few weeks you’ll likely hear a pitch that sounds good, and appears to be a silver bullet when it comes to oversight on judges ruling. This, of course, is directly elected judges. There are many aspects of this touted to be better, such as accountability to the general public, which Massachusetts currently lacks. However, when one looks closer at this issue, many issues and flaws with this suggestion also come to late. In fact, elected judges were first brought to the ballot early last century to increased judicial independence, striking down more laws than many who preceded them and upholding criminal accountability by following the rule of law, rather than letting certain folks off due to political patronage. Over the past century, this system has completely reversed itself and when measured, has become more corrupt than appointed judges.Professor Jed Shugerman, a graduate of the top-ranked Yale Law School and now a professor at Fordham, did a terrific in-depth study of elected judges that eventually he published into a book. Through his research he found out that since elected judges must appeal to contributors, judicial rulings become compromised when certain favorable parties appear before the bench. In addition, elected judges have a much higher percentage of their rulings overturned by superior courts, showing that elected judicial authorities choose the correct ruling at rates below those of an appointed counterpart. This research has been since confirmed by Emory University, NYU, and the non-partisan Constitution Center. In Michigan, a battleground state with an even split among Democrats and Republicans, over 13 million dollars was contributed to judge campaigns. With that sort of money floating around, how can justice be fair from either side?So what can we do to clean up our act here in Massachusetts? Long-time, Reagan-appointed Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day-O’Connor actually has a brilliant, common-sense solution. First appoint, like Massachusetts does, then wait and let the judge work. After a certain term, Justice Day-O’Connor suggests, have voters elect these judges back to power if they are doing a good job in the eyes of the public. This hybrid plan is ingenious for several reasons. Political appointments are often more-vetted and experienced, guaranteeing a higher quality of judgeship that elected states fail to maintain. In addition, the removal of any ballot races aside from accountability removes the potential corruption that money donated to judges would otherwise risk. When a judges term is up, say every 7 years as suggest by Justice Day-O’Connor, voters face a simple choice based on the judge’s track record and no more. There are no competitors and no need to raise money, it’s time to send them back to the bench or for the Governor and their council to pick a new appointee.This balanced, while sensible, approach would bring to Massachusetts what we in the state need; accountability. In addition to allowing us regular folks to hold those in government accountable, it preserves the higher quality of rulings that the majority of judges, who tend to do a good job overall, bring to the courts. In addition, it insulates us from potential corruption that many elected judges show, and ensures that in several years we won’t be reading about an elected judge because they let off the relative of their largest donor, who actually was “only selling heroin to get by.”Like Wilmington Apple on Facebook. Follow Wilmington Apple on Twitter. Follow Wilmington Apple on Instagram. Subscribe to Wilmington Apple’s daily email newsletter HERE. Got a comment, question, photo, press release, or news tip? Email wilmingtonapple@gmail.com.Share this:TwitterFacebookLike this:Like Loading… RelatedSTATE REP RACE: Tewksbury Republican Committee Attack Robertson Over Wilmington Democratic Committee Chair’s StatementIn “Government”ALL POLITICS ARE LOCAL: Robertson & Gordon Endorse Ed Markey With Possible Kennedy Showdown LoomingIn “Government”STATE REP RACE: Prinzivalli Campaign Declares Debate Victory; Knocks Robertson On Dandi-Lyons & Sanctuary StateIn “Government”
Raghava Lawrence’s Kanchana 3 review.PR HandoutRaghava Lawrence’s horror-comedy Kanchana 3 aka Muni 4 has registered a fantastic opening at the Tamil Nadu box office on the first day. The multilingual film has, indeed, become the third biggest opener of the year in the state after Rajinikanth’s Petta and Ajith Kumar’s Viswasam.Released in about 500 screens in Tamil Nadu, the audience had given an impressive response to the advance booking of tickets for Kanchana 3 which was a clear indication of the film getting a good start in the state.The early trends indicate that Kanchana 3, which had over 330+ shows in Chennai, touched about 80 per cent occupancy rates with many shows running into a packed house. The movie is estimated to have grossed over Rs 75 lakhin the capital city alone.In Tamil Nadu, Kanchana 3 is estimated to have earned around Rs 10.5 crore on the first day which makes it the third biggest opener of 2019. Earlier, Ajith Kumar’s Viswasam and Rajinikanth’s Petta had grossed about Rs 15 crore and around Rs 13 crore, respectively on the first day of its release.As per the trade trackers, the Good Friday holiday was one of the major reasons why the movie attracted good footfalls in theatres. Further, the success of the past movies in the Muni franchise helped the film to pull the audience to cinema halls, say trade trackers.Outside Tamil Nadu Kanchana 3 has been simultaneously released in Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada languages. The total screen count of the film in rest of South India (Andhra, Telangana, Kerala and Karnataka), is about 800 to take its total tally to 1300 screens in South India alone.The Raghava Lawrence-starrer, which has Bigg Boss Tamil fame Oviya, Vedhika and Nikki Tamboli in the female lead, has got a good start in Karnataka and Kerala, while a decent opening in the Telugu speaking states due to other Telugu release Jersey starring Nani.
May 24, 2011 This story appears in the June 2011 issue of . Subscribe » Attend this free webinar and learn how you can maximize efficiency while getting the most critical things done right. 4 min read More Mobile BrillianceCiviGuard In case of emergency: Government agencies, universities and businesses can use this app to quickly send out alerts and recommendations to the affected public.FaceCash Credit cards are so last year. This payment app verifies purchases by matching a customer’s face with a digital image linked to their account.GadgetTrak Using GPS, Wi-Fi positioning and cell tower triangulation, this app helps recover stolen laptops and smartphones. It even snaps a photo of the thief.GameSalad Mobile gaming made easy: A platform for creating sophisticated games without the need for code or special skills. These gamers raked in a cool $6.1 million in funding this year.Location Labs Helicopter parents unite: This mobile tech company hosts a suite of family safety apps that allow parents to monitor and track the location of their children in real time.Mogwee This social app allows groups of people to chat live, share photos and videos and even play mini games. Who’s up for some Sheep Tennis?SPOT Connect This compact satellite GPS messenger can get even the most adventurous outdoorsmen out of trouble. One click alerts emergency personnel to a person’s location.TransFire Hablas Español? No need. This real-time translation app from TNT Creations allows users to instantly send messages in more than 50 languages.Vers Offers hip, environmentally friendly mobile device cases made from sustainable materials like bamboo, cherry and walnut wood–and a chance to donate $1 to plant a tree.100 Brilliant Companies Home »
Free Webinar | Sept 5: Tips and Tools for Making Progress Toward Important Goals Register Now » For many businesses, creating a mobile app is akin to what creating a website was 15 years ago–it’s expensive and time consuming, and you can probably get along without one for a while. But then again, if you don’t invest now, you’ll regret it when you’re playing digital catch-up in a year.Enter Mobile Roadie, which, when it launched in 2009, was the first self-service app creator on the market, allowing businesses to customize and publish apps on all formats for a tenth of what it would cost to develop an app from scratch. Though many more app-creation services have jumped into the game lately, Mobile Roadie still has the advantage by being first to market.”Being first had even more advantages than it normally does. We’re six months ahead of the competition, and six months in the mobile world is like five years in any other industry,” says Michael Schneider, the former web design agency owner who co-founded Mobile Roadie with Brock Batten. “Our other advantage is that we’re the only service that supports our apps on Android, BlackBerry and iPhone. And BlackBerry is not the easiest thing to develop.”But just because Mobile Roadie is relatively cheap–about $500 to develop the app plus $30 dollars a month to manage it, versus tens of thousands for a custom app–doesn’t mean it produces a cheap product. In fact, Madonna, Taylor Swift, the Dallas Mavericks and the Wynn Las Vegas have all used Mobile Roadie to build their apps.”Just because a big brand can afford to build an app from the ground up doesn’t mean it should,” Schneider says. “We update our software every two to three months. Big brands realize that chasing all the changes in mobile technology is a pain in the butt. It’s easier to hire a third party to do it.”So far Mobile Roadie, which employs 32 people and has offices in Los Angeles, Tokyo and London, has kept on top of the trends. But if the mobile world evolves even further, Mobile Roadie is primed to keep its clients on the cutting edge.”There’s been a lot of chatter about HTML5 and the mobile web. I think users will go wherever the best experience is, and right now the best is an app,” Schneider says. “That being said, we’re going to be wherever the best mobile experience is. We’re about mobile engagement, even in a world beyond apps.
“Technology, in general, and computer science in particular, have been hyped up to such an extreme level that we’ve ignored the importance of not only security but broader notions of ethical computing.”-James Mickens We like to think that things are going to get better. That, after all, is why we get up in the morning and go to work, in the hope that we might just be making a difference, that we’re working towards something. That’s certainly true across the technology landscape. And in cybersecurity in particular, the belief that you’re building a more secure world – even if it’s on a small scale – is an energizing and motivating thought. However, at this year’s USENIX Conference back in August, Harvard Professor James Mickens attempted to put that belief to rest. His talk – titled ‘Why Do Keynote Speakers Keep Suggesting That Improving Security Is Possible?’ – was an argument for scepticism in a field that is by nature optimistic (not least when it has a solution to sell). So, what exactly does Mickens have against keynote speakers? Quite a lot, actually: he jokingly calls them people who have made bad life decisions aand poorrole models. Although his tongue is firmly in his cheek, he does have a number of serious points. Fundamentally, he suggests developers do not invest time in questioning anything since any degree ofintrospection would “reduce the frequency of git commits”. Mickens argument is essentially thatsoftware developers are deploying new systems without a robust understanding of those systems. Why machine learning highlights the problem with computer science today Mickens stresses that such is the hype and optimism around modern technology and computer science that the field has largely forgotten the value of scepticism. In turn, this can be dangerous for issues such as security and ethics. Take Machine Learning for instance. Machine learning is, Mickens sayss “the oxygen that Silicon Valley is trying to force into our lungs.” It’s everywhere, we seem to need it – but it’s also being forced on us, almost blindly, Using the example of machine learning he illustrates his point about domain knowledge: Computer scientists do not have a deep understanding of the mathematics used in machine learning systems. There is no reason or incentive for computer scientists to even invest their time in learning those things. This lack of knowledge means ethical issues and security issues that may be hidden at a conceptual level – not a technical one – are simply ignored. Mickens compares machine learning to the standard experiment used in America since 8th grade: the egg drop experiment. This is where students desperately search for a solution to prevent the egg from breaking when dropped from 20 feet in the air. When they finally come up with a technique that is successful, Mickens explains, they don’t really care to understand the logic/math behind it. This is exactly the same as developers in the context of machine learning. Machine learning is complex, yes, but often, Mickens argues, developers will have no understanding as to why models generate a particular output on being provided with a specific input. When this inscrutable AI used in models connected with real life mission critical systems (financial markets, healthcare systems, news systems etc) and the internet, security issues arise. Indeed, it begins to raise even more questions than provide answers. Now that AI is practically used everywhere – even to detect anomalies in cybersecurity, it is somewhat scary that a technology which is so unpredictable can be used to protect our systems. Examples of poor machine learning design Some of the examples James presented that caught our attention were: Microsoft chatbot Tay- Tay was originally intended to learn language by interacting with humans on Twitter. That sounds all good and very noble – until you realise that given the level of toxic discourse on Twitter, your chatbot will quickly turn into a raving Nazi with zero awareness it is doing so. Machine learning used for risk assessment and criminal justice systems have incorrectly labelled Black defendants as “high risk” – at twice the rate of white defendants. It’s time for a more holistic approach to cybersecurity Mickens further adds that we need a more holistic perspective when it comes to security. To do this,, developers should ask themselves not only if a malicious actor can perform illicit actions on a system, but also should a particular action on a system be possible and how can the action achieve societally-beneficial outcomes. He says developers have 3 major assumptions while deploying a new technology: #1 Technology is Value-Neutral, and will therefore automatically lead to good outcomes for everyone #2 New kinds of technology should be deployed as quickly as possible, even if we lack a general idea of how the technology works, or what the societal impact will be #3 History is generally uninteresting, because the past has nothing to teach us According to Mickens developers assume way too much. In his assessment, those of us working in the industry take it for granted that technology will always lead to good outcomes for everyone. This optimism goes hand in hand with a need for speed – in turn, this can lead us to miss important risk assessments, security testing, and a broader view on the impact of technology not just on individual users but wider society too. Most importantly, for Mickens, is that we are failing to learn from mistakes. In particular, he focuses on IoT security. Here, Mickens points out, security experts are failing to learn lessons from traditional network security issues. The Harvard Professor has written extensively on this topic – you can go through his paperon IoT security here. Perhaps Mickens talk was intentionally provocative, but there are certainly lessons – if 2018 has taught us anything, it’s that a dose of scepticism is healthy where tech is concerned. And maybe it’s time to take a critical eye to the software we build. If the work we do is to actually matter and make a difference, maybe a little negative is a good thing. What do you think? Was Mickens assessment of the tech world correct? You can watch James Mickens whole talk at Youtube Read Next UN on Web Summit 2018: How we can create a safe and beneficial digital future for all 5 ways artificial intelligence is upgrading software engineering “ChromeOS is ready for web development” – A talk by Dan Dascalescu at the Chrome Web Summit 2018
Share in Daily Dose, Data, Featured, journal How Do Closing Costs Differ Across the Country? ClosingCorp, a provider in residential real estate closing cost data and technology for mortgage and real estate service industries released its newest closing data Tuesday. National average closing costs totaled at $4,876 and the top five states with the highest closing costs were District of Columbia at $12,573, New York at $9,341, Delaware at $8,663, Maryland at $7,211, and Vermont at $6,839.By using 20,000 real estate service providers in ClosingCorp’s Network, the data can be compiled using real rates and fees throughout the country. “Closing costs can vary significantly, depending on the state or county a homebuyer lives in. For example, five counties in New York—Kings, Queens, Bronx, Richmond and Suffolk—had the highest closing costs, going well above the national and state average, due to having some of the highest transfer taxes in the country,” said Bob Jennings, chief executive officer of ClosingCorp.The data represents the average closing costs at the national level, which includes the lender’s title, owner’s title, settlement appraisal, transfer taxes, and recording fees. It also includes costs outside of closing, including services that inspect the home, roof and property for pests and land surveys. “Of course, many homebuyers are still surprised closing costs are even required—making it vital for our company to keep educating borrowers and helping lenders improve the accuracy of their loan estimates in order to eliminate any surprises” Jennings said.The CBSA with the highest average closing costs was New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA at $9,046 while the CBSA with the lowest average closing cost was Muncie, Indiana at $2,785.MethodologyThe median fees from ClosingCorp are derived by running preconfigured loan scenarios against the verified rates and fees data it maintains for service providers and tax authorities with coverage in every county nationwide.These scenarios are based on different loan types, purposes, and amounts in $25,000 increments up to $100,000, then $100,000 up to $20,000,000.
October 24, 2017 641 Views Bob Jennings Closing ClosingCorp Costs residential real estate 2017-10-24 Dean Terrell
Digital terrestrial television is booming in Latin America and will be in 94.5% of homes by 2020, according to a new report.This means 132 million DTT homes will be added in the region in the decade between 2010 and 2020, according to the Digital TV Latin America report, and that DTT will account for half of all digital TV homes added by 2020.In comparison, just 18.1% of homeswere DTT-enabled four years ago.“Much of this growth is being driven by satellite TV, especially lower-cost and prepaid packages – although these subscribers are forcing down average ARPU figures,” said Simon Murray, principal analyst at Digital TV Research, the report’s creator.Nearly 14.4 million satellite pay TV households will be added between 2013 and 2020, with 3.1 million added this year alone. Pay satellite TV penetration will be 21.1% by end-2014 – up from 9.6% in 2010 – and up to 25.8% in 2020, which indicates much of the fastest growth has already taken place.Free-to air DTT will overtake pay satellite in 2015, Digital TV Research predicts. This will see the number of primary DTT homes rocket from 4.3 million at end-2010 (3% penetration) to 27.1 million (18%) in 2014 and on to 71.1 million (42%) by 2010.Brazil, Mexico and Argentina are predicted to dominate the region. Brazil alone will add 37 million digital TV households between 2013 and 2020, with Mexico contributing 15 million and Argentina nearly seven million more.Digital TV households will also increase rapidly in the other 16 countries covered in this report – collectively adding 34 million digital homes between 2013 and 2020.The report studied trends in 19 territories across the region, and each will see rapid increases in digital FTA uptake, with a collective 34 million homes added between 2013 and 2020. Pay TV penetration will also rise, but not as significantly – up 12% in 2010 from year-end-2013.Pay TV revenues will be US$4.5 billion higher in 2020 than in 2013, taking an overall US$24.7 billion. Satellite will remain the largest contributor at US$17.6 billion, while cable will add US$6.1 billion.
Take oil and gasoline, for example. Oil is far removed from final use (gasoline) and has varied from $30 to $140 a barrel during the past ten years… and yet the gasoline price (final consumption) is far more stable, varying from $3 to $4 a gallon. But there’s a silver lining in this story. While commodity prices are far more volatile, it also means that commodities and commodity stocks can be much more profitable on the upside… if you buy right. And with commodity prices down 40% or more (with oil being an exception), now may be a great buying opportunity. For example, Newmont Mining (NEM) is currently selling for book value at only eight times current earnings and sports a 5.1% dividend that is rising. It looks like a bargain to me. Good investing, AEIOU, Mark Skousen Editor, Forecasts & Strategies www.markskousen.com “To trace something unknown back to something known is alleviating, soothing, gratifying and gives moreover a feeling of power. Danger, disquiet, anxiety attend the unknown—the first instinct is to eliminate these distressing states. First principle: any explanation is better than none. —Friedrich Nietzsche “Nobody really understands gold prices and I don’t pretend to understand them either.” —Ben Bernanke, July 18, 2013 (6 days ago) As Nietzsche understood, humans like to have an explanation for everything. Unknowns are stressful. Behavioral psychologists will tell you that when you come to understand a previously baffling phenomenon, your brain releases chemicals that make you feel good. Humans are chemically wired to seek knowledge for the sake of certainty, real or imagined. That’s not to say humans who don’t seek answers about a particular subject have some sort of handicap. Some topics are simply of no interest. For instance, I don’t know why my dog likes to lick my face, but I’m not going to spend precious time looking it up, because I don’t really care. However, if I were chairman of the Federal Reserve and didn’t understand the forces that move gold, learning about them would be near the top of my to-do list, if for no other reason than a large swath of the investment community uses gold as a barometer to evaluate how good a job I’m doing. Bernanke’s clueless quote paints a stark contrast between the academic and real world. Upon observing the recent correction in the price of gold, how many asset managers do you think threw their hands up in confusion and proclaimed that no one can possibly know what’s going on, so why even try? My guess is zero. Instead, they researched, reached out to their contacts, and tried to find out what the heck was happening. Collectively, they hatched a multitude of theories—the vaunted QE taper, JPMorgan’s dominance of the paper gold market, stricter gold buying laws in India—as to why the gold price fell. Some were more viable than others. The point is that human nature compels us to seek answers to pertinent questions, especially if those answers impact your wealth, your employment, or both. Bernanke, apparently, is immune to these forces. It’s curious that he doesn’t even try to understand gold. Perhaps he’s short on serotonin receptors… though it’s more likely that he doesn’t want to understand, because doing so would call into question virtually every action he has taken since becoming Fed chairman in 2006. Or maybe he does understand the connection between his printing trillions of dollars and the sevenfold rise in the price of gold, but pretends not to. Only Ben knows for sure. Our feature article today approaches the issue of gold volatility from a broader angle by explaining why not just gold, but all commodities, are so volatile. Have you ever wondered why the price of coffee beans has dropped 34% in the past year, but the price of a venti at your local Starbucks hasn’t budged? Mark Skousen, today’s featured author, has the answer. If you aren’t familiar with Mark, he is an Austrian School economist, investment expert, and newsletter editor. He’s written several books, is the founder of FreedomFest (at which our own Doug Casey was a keynote speaker just a few weeks ago), and is in general a heavyweight in the combined fields of economics, investing, and freedom. Enjoy Mark’s article, and see you next week. Dan Steinhart Managing Editor of The Casey Report Why Are Gold and Commodities So Darn Volatile? By Mark Skousen, Editor, Forecasts & Strategies Why are commodities and commodity stocks so volatile? Commodity speculating is not for the faint of heart, and many investors give up on gold, silver, and mining stocks because they can lose 40-90% of their value in a short period of time. Gold’s recent drop from $1,900 to $1,200 is a case in point. You have to expect a volatile market. The reason why commodity prices vary so much can be found in an understanding of Austrian economics, the free-market school that is endorsed by Doug Casey, Rick Rule, and many other commodity experts. As developed by Ludwig von Mises and Friedrich Hayek in the 20th century, the Austrian school of economics explains why commodity prices are so volatile. Austrian economists call it “the structure of production.” As a follower of the Austrian school, I wrote a book titled The Structure of Production (New York University Press, 1990). Rick Rule told me he loves the book and has bought hundreds of copies to give to his clients. Austrian economists emphasize the structure of the economy—the structure of interest rates, production, employment, and inventories. It is a complex theory, but the basic idea is that price volatility depends on how far away the product or service is from final consumption. Consumer prices are the most stable, producer or wholesale prices less stable, and commodities are the furthest from final use; therefore, those prices are the most volatile. You can see this difference in the graph below, where the Consumer Price Index (CPI) is far more stable than the RBA Commodity Index.
As stories circulated of Iraqi cities falling to Sunni militia groups, I was struck by the words of Former Marine Staff Sgt. Keith Widaman, who spent a tour in Iraq: “When I left in April 2009, I said, ‘In five years there’ll be a civil war.’” Mr. Widaman was right, as we’ve all seen over the past few days, and the “high officials” were wrong. The result – and I say this with sympathy for the dead, injured, and traumatized – is that the fighting, “nation building,” and trauma were all for nothing. When it comes to war, always believe the men and women who spent time on the streets, not the politicians and generals. Iraq is not going to become a Western country. Afghanistan is not going to become a Western country. There is no foundation for Western life there, and as soon as overwhelming force pulls back, life there will return, more or less, to its usual ways. If you want to change a way of life, you have to change the deep cultural assumptions that give it its shape. Armies and corrupt sycophants won’t cut it. Saddam Was Necessary Please understand that I think Saddam Hussein was a monster, and that I’m pleased he’s no longer running around on this globe killing people. But that said, if you want a country like Iraq to hold together, you need more than the usual level of coercion; you require a tyrant. The borders of Iraq were drawn by the Brits in about 1920. In other words, a conquering power (the Brits ‘won’ World War I) drew lines on the map as it suited them. But when they did, they ignored the fact that they were forcibly grouping Sunnis and Shiites together, and that they hadn’t learned how to mix. Forced grouping is a very important subject, and one that is almost totally ignored by rulers. They control the borders and they expect everyone to get along. They have scribbles on papers called laws, after all! But when you force humans together against their will, all sorts of frictions, insults, and misunderstandings arise… and there is no way to escape them, because the grouping is enforced. If you leave people alone, they generally learn to co-exist. For example, there is a street in my old neighborhood lined with stores owned and run by both Indians and Pakistanis. These people – bloody enemies in their old countries – have learned to get along for one reason: No one forces them to live or work on that street. If they want to open a store or rent an apartment there, they can. If they don’t want to, they don’t have to. The result of freewill grouping is that people eventually learn to get along. The result of forced grouping is resentment, sectarianism, and all too often, blood. If you want a nation of Shias and Sunnis and Kurds to function as a single unit, overwhelming force – permanent overwhelming force – is required. Without it, things fall apart, and civil war is the typical result. So, if the Foggy Bottom Gang (that’s the State Department) is religiously committed to sacred, unchangeable borders, the US must become a colonial dominator. That means a permanent military occupation and our sons and daughters spending years, openly and knowingly oppressing people, “for their own good.” Afghanistan Afghanistan is a more homogenous country than Iraq, but it’s not going to become a Western nation either. I spent time in Afghanistan in 2007, outside of the safe bases where politicians and media show up, take a few photos, and leave. I dealt with real Afghans, from the lowly to high military. I saw a tremendous amount during my short stay, including the worst corruption I’ve ever seen, anywhere. Everything was corrupt, from the lowest levels of bureaucracy and police power to the Western aid agencies. It was a riot of domination, bribery, poverty, skimming, and dirty deals. That place is not going to become normal in any way that we understand. Not for a long time. A Few Have Done Well Seeing that the US government has spent about $2 trillion on these escapades (it was officially $1.283 trillion in 2011), someone had to make money on them. Those people were Dwight Eisenhower’s military-industrial complex (MIC), with the new mega-intelligence complex tacked on for good measure. The people who make killing machines have done very, very well. As have the people who build spying machines. Certain engineering and private military contractors have done very well too, but only those who had contacts inside the MIC. Independents got nothing. The people who were in positions to hand out contracts made a lot of money. Perhaps the oil companies and Middle Eastern royalty did well on it too, but that’s beyond my direct knowledge. Who Lost Badly The worst losers, of course, were the dead. I’m not sure how many Iraqis died; estimates range from 100,000 to over a million. That’s a lot of dead people – all of them sons, daughters, fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, and friends. The fact that these deaths were far away doesn’t make them any less tragic. The number of injured must be much higher, of course. On the Westerner side, only a number of thousand died, but that’s not trivial either, nor are the many more thousands of injured. And not only that, but returning soldiers are committing suicide in surprising numbers. Aside from the military-industrial-intelligence complex, everyone has lost, and the situations in both Iraq and Afghanistan are “reverting to the mean.” And there they will stay, unless Americans commit their children to serve as international oppressors. It really was all for nothing. Paul Rosenberg FreemansPerspective.com
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Catalina And Samba TV Partner To Significantly Transform Media And Measurement Landscape PRNewswireJune 4, 2019, 10:00 pmJune 4, 2019 Marketing Technology News: Alorica Taps Business Transformation Veteran Colson Hillier to Be Chief Marketing Officer“This partnership is a massive leap forward for our industry that is still using legacy tools and methodology. Now we have massive datasets integrated to take the guess work out of media buying decisions and solve the cross-platform measurement problem once and for all,” said Ashwin Navin, founder and CEO of Samba TV. “At Samba, we have a real-time understanding of video and TV audiences at global scale. With Catalina, we marry viewership with real-time purchase data to create the most profound understanding of TV and OTT — the medium used to build brands — with the primary ways brand messages are consumed, creating a huge opportunity to drive more personalization and accountability in the media we enjoy every day.””Together, Catalina and Samba TV are establishing benchmarks and norms for campaign design and reporting that enable networks to track campaign performance to make in-flight optimizations, dramatically upgrading the ability to deliver outcome-based selling,” said Dr. Wes Chaar, Catalina’s Chief Data & Advanced Analytics Officer, who previously led major TV industry initiatives in audience estimation, audience targeting and audience demand modeling.Marketing Technology News: Alpha Software Launches Alpha TransForm, Cuts Build Time for Robust Offline Enterprise Mobile Apps from Months to Hours The combination of Catalina and Samba TV data will provide a comprehensive look at how all advertising, including TV advertising, is driving lift and in-store purchases for advertisers. CPG marketers and their agencies will now have a granular, real-time analysis of campaign performance in stores at the UPC-level allowing them to assess the effectiveness of cross-device campaigns across TV, digital and in-store, reach customers on the right platforms, and optimize campaigns mid-flight.“The melding of Samba TV and Catalina’s advanced analytics capabilities and unparalleled buyer intelligence will allow advertisers to make more informed media and marketing decisions, leading to higher ROI,” said Catalina Chief Executive Officer Jerry Sokol. “Our partnership with Samba TV enables tracking of both brand awareness and ROAS, creating stronger combined capabilities. This partnership is yet another example of how Catalina is dramatically evolving to provide greater value to our customers.” “The Catalina/Samba partnership will also fuel a new take on the Marketing Mix Model. The more granular Consumer Mix Model will use ratings that reflect an individual store’s consumer composition, trading area and ratings in near real time instead of weeks after a campaign ends, which is the current norm,” added Chaar.Howard Shimmel, President of U.S.-based research consultancy Janus Strategy & Insights, has played a key advisory role in the evolution of the Catalina and Samba TV partnership. Shimmel is a recognized expert in data integration, audience buying and ROI/Attribution through his work as Turner’s Chief Research Officer and other leadership positions with Nielsen and Symmetrical Resources.“Catalina and Samba’s collective expertise on buyer behaviors, motivations and lifestyles will allow marketers to be more precise in how they engage audiences to drive purchases, and to fuel the ability of media companies to sell based on outcomes,” said Shimmel. “What truly sets Catalina and Samba apart is the analytics they will apply to the data to help their customers with every stage of planning, execution and measurement.Marketing Technology News: StarfishETL Partners with PeopleSense, Inc.
Partnership Enables Media Planning, Execution and Measurement Tied to Outcomes Built on Granular Understanding of What Consumers Watch and BuyCatalina Marketing, the market leader in shopper intelligence and personalized digital media that converts shoppers into buyers, and Samba TV, the leading provider of global TV data and audience analytics, have partnered to integrate shopper behavioral data and video viewership insights at massive, unprecedented scale, encompassing tens of millions of households and billions of data points. Together, the two companies will build advanced analytics tools that fundamentally improve media buying and selling across all marketing channels, including in-store, digital, mobile over-the-top (OTT) and linear TV. analyticsCatalinadigital mediaNewsSamba TV Previous ArticleMedia.net Partners with Amino Payments to Offer Third Party Supply Chain Transparency for All Media.net Marketplace TransactionsNext ArticleB2B Marketers Use AI to Move Beyond the Google/Facebook Duopoly as Research from Marketing Platform InfiniGrow Shows Growth for LinkedIn, Quora, Content Marketing and Events
Reviewed by James Ives, M.Psych. (Editor)Mar 8 2019Prior antibiotic exposure and use of acid suppressing medications known as proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) may increase the risk for hospitalized children to contract dangerous Clostridioides difficile infections, according to a study published today in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, the journal of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America.”In pediatric patients, hospital-acquired infections due to C. difficile have increased over the last 20 years. However, few studies have looked at risk factors for these infections in children,” said Charles Foster, MD, a co-author and pediatric infectious diseases specialist at Cleveland Clinic Children’s. “We found that antibiotic exposure and use of proton-pump inhibitors may be risk factors. Clinicians should continue to utilize antibiotics judiciously in hospitalized children to minimize the risk of C. difficile infection.”The incidence and healthcare burden of C. difficile infection in hospitalized children has increased in the past two decades, mostly attributed to the emergence of a new, hypervirulent strain of the bacteria. While the risk factors are well understood in adult patients, current understanding of pediatric C. difficile is complicated. Many infants and toddlers under the age of 2 are colonized with the bacteria, but do not develop clinical illness.Related StoriesNew network for children and youth with special health care needs seeks to improve systems of careResearch reveals genetic cause of deadly digestive disease in childrenWhy Mattresses Could be a Health Threat to Sleeping ChildrenResearchers performed a meta-analysis and systematic review of 14 studies, including 10.5 million children, 22,320 of whom developed C. difficile infection. Based on this meta-analysis, previous antibiotic exposure and PPI use appear to be the most important risk factors associated with C. difficile infection in children. Children with prior antibiotic exposure may have approximately twice the risk of developing C. difficile infection, compared to patients without a recent history of antibiotic exposure, but the association was not statistically significant after pooling studies with only adjusted data. Researchers said that PPIs are suspected risk factors for CDI because they suppress gastric acid, which may disrupt the normal gastrointestinal microbial diversity in children.”Physicians should remain vigilant and continue judicious use of antibiotics and PPIs in hospitalized pediatric patients to minimize the risk of C. difficile infections,” said Abhishek Deshpande, MD, PhD, a co-author and assistant professor of medicine at Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine. Dr. Deshpande has received research support from 3M, Clorox Company, and STERIS unrelated to this study.The researchers note the limitation of this research, including use of unadjusted data. Additional high-quality epidemiologic studies are needed to better evaluate the risk factors for C. difficile in children.Source: http://shea-online.org/
Reviewed by James Ives, M.Psych. (Editor)Jun 3 2019At this year’s Euroanaesthesia Congress (the annual meeting of the European Society of Anaesthesiology) in Vienna, Austria (1-3 June), doctors present the unique case of a man who suffered a flash fire in his chest cavity during emergency heart surgery caused by supplemental oxygen leaking from a ruptured lung.Dr Ruth Shaylor and colleagues from Austin Health in Melbourne, Australia, where the incident took place, warn that the case highlights the potential dangers of dry surgical packs in the oxygen-enrich environment of the operating theatre where electrocautery devices (using heat to stop vessels from bleeding) are used.In August 2018, a 60-year-old man presented for emergency repair of an ascending aortic dissection–a tear in the inner layer of the aorta wall in the chest. The patient had a history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and had undergone coronary artery bypass grafting one year previously.Related StoriesGender biases are extremely common among health care professionalsImplanted device uses microcurrent to exercise heart muscle in cardiomyopathy patientsCommon cold virus strain could be a breakthrough in bladder cancer treatmentAs surgeons began to operate, they noted that the man’s right lung was stuck to the overlying sternum with areas of overinflated and destroyed lung (bullae; often caused by COPD). Despite careful dissection, one of these bullae was punctured causing a substantial air leak. To prevent respiratory distress, the flows of anesthetic gases were increased to 10 liters per minute and the proportion of oxygen to 100%.Soon after, a spark from the electrocautery device ignited a dry surgical pack. The fire was immediately extinguished without any injury to the patient. The rest of the operation proceeded uneventfully and the repair was a success. Source: ESA (European Society of Anaesthesiology) While there are only a few documented cases of chest cavity fires–three involving thoracic surgery and three involving coronary bypass grafting–all have involved the presence of dry surgical packs, electrocautery, increased inspired oxygen concentrations, and patients with COPD or pre-existing lung disease.This case highlights the continued need for fire training and prevention strategies and quick intervention to prevent injury whenever electrocautery is used in oxygen-enriched environments. In particular surgeons and anesthetists need to be aware that fires can occur in the chest cavity if a lung is damaged or there is an air leak for any reason, and that patients with COPD are at increased risk.”Dr Ruth Shaylor
At any national conference you attend now, burnout is the hot topic because it is worsening across the board. For a doctor, a health care system or medical school, the shared goal is to provide better patient care, but burnout negatively affects the quality of care provided. The purpose of our study is to bring back cheer and meaning in the clinical learning environment that can lead to better resident well-being and patient outcomes.”Prof. Dr. Prasanna Tadi, Creighton University’s School of Medicine Burnout reduces patient satisfaction, as well as physician productivity and effort, and it increases medical errors, turnover and medical costs. It is pervasive throughout the entire health care spectrum, Dr. Tadi said. A unique aspect of the Creighton study is its wide reach. In addition to residents and physicians, medical students, pharmacists, physical therapists, occupational therapists, dentists and nurses will participate in the study. Their well-being will be measured by the Mayo Clinic Resident/Fellow Well-Being Index score from July 2019 to June 2021. Study analysis will be provided semiannually to ACGME.”Our hope is that with this study we will be able to show improvement in multiple areas of well-being and relieve the pressures physicians are facing,” Dr. Tadi said. “We are trying to change the culture of patient care locally, but it has the potential to make a big impact across multiple disciplines nationally.”Related StoriesAMSBIO offers new, best-in-class CAR-T cell range for research and immunotherapyStudy estimates health care costs of uncontrolled asthma in the U.S. over next 20 yearsAn active brain and body associated with reduced risk of dementiaCreighton University’s C.H.E.E.R. study is intended to improve residents’ clinical learning environments by involving them in the process through a series of three interventions – C.H.E.E.R. Rounds, C.H.E.E.R. Meetings and C.H.E.E.R. Emails.Rounds – A central intervention in which each of Creighton’s hospital medicine services (HMS) teams will select one patient with a complex medico-social background for a half-hour of screen-free time at the patient’s bedside. The patient’s family is invited to bring personal photos of the patient to facilitate conversation and learn about the patient’s social background, hobbies and interests. The patient’s understanding of his/her health conditions and challenges in accessing health care will be discussed and all of the participating HMS teams will provide input. The goal of this first intervention is to cultivate a deeper resident-patient connection, enhance resident autonomy and interdisciplinary communication during these weekly sessions.Meeting – The second intervention lasts 60 minutes, occurs monthly, and each letter of the C.H.E.E.R. acronym represents a part of the meeting format:C – Celebrate – Patients celebrate their success and share their progress with residents.H – Hearing – Residents hear the patient’s journey through hospitalization and review areas for improvement.E – Expertise – Experts converse with residents regarding a specific wellness topic.E – Engage – Residents engage by sharing their own ideas on the wellness topic.R – Recharge – Residents discuss implementation of these ideas into their daily lives.Emails – The third intervention involves twice monthly CHEER emails being sent to house staff and faculty, including information about upcoming CHEER meetings and recognizing the personal and professional accomplishments of the residents.”Medical organizations throughout the country are prioritizing evidence-based research on this topic, and our study is designed to establish a long-term connection with the patients, who are the reason we entered into the medical profession in the first place,” Dr. Tadi said. Source:Creighton University Reviewed by James Ives, M.Psych. (Editor)Jul 2 2019Patients see physicians to address issues with their well-being, but a new study by Creighton University’s School of Medicine will investigate if increasing time spent at bedside with patients increases the well-being of the health care professional, too. The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) awarded Creighton University’s School of Medicine a grant for its C.H.E.E.R. Study: Bringing Cheer Back to the Bedside.Creighton is one of 30 organizations in the nation that had a project selected for ACGME’s Back to Bedside grant is a resident-led initiative that aims to empower the medical community to increase time with patients within a health care environment in which patient care and academic learning is more commonly occurring away from the patient’s bedside. Creighton’s C.H.E.E.R. project will be overseen by Dr. Prasanna Tadi, a Professor in Creighton University’s School of Medicine and neurologist with CHI Health who mentored the development of the study. Dr. Janani Baskaran is principal investigator of the project, which will facilitate some of the first research into how to address “physician burnout,” a priority issue in the national medical community.According to the National Academy of Medicine, burnout among physicians is nearly two times as high among United States physicians compared to any other field. More concerning, 400 physicians commit suicide every year, a rate that is more than double that of the general population.
The Falcons have another key piece of their defense locked down.Atlanta extended linebacker Deion Jones on a four-year deal, the team announced Wednesday. NFL-NFLPA end ‘productive’ talks about new CBA early, report says The new contract is worth $57 million, with $34 million of that guaranteed, his agent told ESPN.Falcons are signing LB Deion Jones a four-year, $57 million extension, including $34 million guaranteed, @RosenhausSports tells ESPN. Jones is now tied to the Falcons through the 2023 season.- Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 17, 2019The Falcons’ announcement comes two days after the team agreed to terms with Grady Jarrett, who had the franchise tag placed on him. Jarrett agreed to a four-year deal worth a reported $68 million. Related News Jones, 24, was selected in the second round of the 2016 draft by Atlanta. He missed 10 games last season due to a foot injury, but was able to return for the latter part of the year.
Falcons, Grady Jarrett reach 4-year deal before franchise tag deadline In three seasons in the NFL, Jones has 297 tackles, 27 pass defenses, 15 tackles for a loss, eight interceptions and three touchdowns. He would have been a free agent in 2020.Atlanta is working on a contract extension with the team’s top wideout, Julio Jones, as well. It has been reported that both sides are trying to come to an agreement before training camp starts next week.
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