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Alexander Weiss case reaching rare territory with potential for a third trial – KTTC

Posted on October 24, 2019 by Danzig

ROCHESTER, Minn. (KTTC) On Tuesday, the jury for the Alexander Weiss case couldnt reach a verdict, forcing Judge Joseph Chase to declare a second mistrial, turning this into a complicated process.

KTTC talked to Meshbesher and Spence Law Partner, Zach Bauer, a legal expert, independent from the case, to talk about what this means and what could be coming next.

He says in his experience, it would be rare and uncommon to see a case tried more than three times, but the future of the case is now in the hands of the prosecutor, whether they want to go through a third trial.

Theres really no limits to the amount of times it can be retried, said Zach Bauer.

He continued by saying mistrials happen about one in every 12 or 15 jury trials, especially when youre dealing with high level felony offenses.

For the defendant, a mistrial basically means you kind of go back to square one, continued Bauer.

With a jury, they must be unanimous in their decision to either convict or acquit, which means how the jury is split, could help decide whether they go for another retrial.

Often times there will be feedback that both the defense attorney may get, as well as the prosecutor may get, on whether or not that jury was split 10-2 to convict or 6-6, and that that may sometimes lead to decisions being made by the state as to whether or not they truly believe that they could get another outcome if they tried again, explained Bauer.

While the jurys split is not known at this time, Bauer says it isnt a surprise a case like this would have a hard time reaching a unanimous decision.

When you have cases that involve things like self-defense, like firearms and second amendment rights, racial issues as well. Those are all different things that 12 of us in a vacuum sometimes cant agree upon, let alone in a situation where youve got a person standing trial that they could face prison time on, said Bauer.

According to Weiss defense attorney, the maximum time he could be facing is 15 years in prison.

Sometimes Im assuming they would get input from the victims family on what their wishes may be, but they have the sound discretion to make the decision of whether theyre going to go ahead and re-try a case, or whether they decide they dont believe that even if the evidence came in perfectly, based upon their first two experiences, that that would likely change the outcome, explained Bauer.

With a third trial potentially on the horizon, that means another group of jurors would have to be found, something Bauer says shouldnt be too much of a problem given Rochesters size.

It may be more difficult to find a fair and impartial jury moving forward, with the amount of media attention this case has gotten, but typically youre able to find 12 or 13 people that either dont know enough about the case or on the alternative can set aside the feelings they do know about the case and deliberate thoughtfully and truthfully, said Bauer.

From the mistrial declaration, the prosecution will have about 30 days to decide whether or not to go through with a third trial.

READ MORE:UPDATE: Judge declares mistrial in Alexander Weiss second-degree murder retrial

Alexander Weiss case reaching rare territory with potential for a third trial - KTTC

Q&A: Tacoma City Council Member Ryan Mello talks about his proposal for a firearms and ammunition tax and his ongoing battle with the NRA – Washington…

Posted on October 24, 2019 by Danzig

Gun violence is a hot button issue in cities around the country and Tacoma is no exception. Grappling with an uptick in gun violence this year, Tacoma city officials began looking for new policy solutions. Enter Ryan Mello. The council member has proposed a tax that would add $25 per retail firearm and $0.05 per cartridge of ammunition. I spoke with Mello yesterday by phone to discuss the policy roots of his proposal as well as the fierce opposition its faced from the NRA.

The first reading and public comment period for the ordinance took place last night at a city council meeting. There will be another council meeting and public comment period next week, likely followed by a council vote. If passed, the ordinance would take effect on January 1st, 2020.

Michael Goldberg: Can you go into greater detail about what type of programming your proposed firearms and ammunition tax (ORD28624) will help fund?

Ryan Mello: Anything from free trigger locks for individuals so they have the tools to keep their gun safe when at home, more funding for the YWCA, legal services for protection orders for women fleeing domestic violence, community liaison positions to build relationships with community members which is proven to reduce violence in communities or Boys & Girls Club programing, especially for at-risk youth to provide alternatives in neighborhoods to joining gangs.

MG: Id like to hear your response to a popular criticism leveled by those who might oppose this tax and similar gun control measures around the country. The criticism is that it does not address certain social factors, like family turmoil, that may exacerbate gun violence. Can you identify the role this proposal would play alongside other policies as it relates to reducing gun violence?

RM: I dont put all gun owners in the same bucket, the NRA and some of their chief allies for decades now have been absolutely opposed to anything, the most reasonable things, which is incredibly frustrating to policymakers and those of us who want to see some advancement of common sense gun reform. So yeah there are critics out there, and I think there are some reasonable ones and I think there are some critics that go hell no to anything because anything is a slippery slope to infringing on my second amendment rights, which is incredibly frustrating to a policymaker that is trying to take seriously this community challenge that our cities are facing.

About parenting and home life, I think thats part of what contributes[to gun violence]. I dont think thats nearly the preponderance of what contributes to gun violence in our community. I think its important that we remember that gun violence is a uniquely American problem, and I think we often forget about that when were having these conversations about American public policy and local government public policy related to gun violence. No other modern democracy has this problem, yet other modern democracies have similar rates of single parent homes or parents who are both working long hours, or folks with mental health issues. The thing that is different is the prevalence of guns in our cities in America. So I dont think you can identify cause and effect there when you look at the dataif youre a single parent trying to make ends meet working long hours, its all the more important to have community based programs so that your children have something productive to do thats low cost.

MG: What do you want Tacoma residents, particularly those who own guns to understand about this tax?

RM: What I would hope to convey is that I have full appreciation that the vast majority of gun owners are responsible. This is not meant to be punitive to responsible gun owners. This is a way that is legal, deemed by the state supreme court, for cities to generate revenue for a super serious and clear problem. And theres a direct nexus to it. For example, we tax and add fees to hunters and fishermen so that we can create more boating access land and conserve ground for hunters. Americans tend to like direct nexus of taxation, it seems to me. Car tabs for street repairs, so on and so forth. To me, this is a direct nexus of a product that very demonstrably has negative economic and social consequences for our community, and the consequences need to be mitigated with public resources.

MG: Should this tax be successful, can you talk about the idea of Tacoma being seen as a harbinger for similar cities across the country with a similar socioeconomic standing?

RM: I suspect at the heart of your question, youre alluding to the reason behind the NRA and their chief allies ferocious and vehement opposition to this proposal in Tacoma. It has been vehement and ferocious. We are getting emails from folks all over the state and perhaps the country. This is not an easy issue to talk about, but I think a very necessary topic to be discussed at the local level even though we are preempted in large part by federal and state law. We are very much preempted from doing much of anything to really get at gun violence, except for taxation to fund proven prevention programs. I think when you show Tacoma can do something progressive like this, this is why the NRA is really amped up. Because they know that if you can do it in Tacoma, then you can do it in Bellingham and Olympia and Vancouver and Everett. They do see it as a harbinger, they do see it as a slippery slope and to that I would very respectfully say, I hope its true.

MG: I think a lot of people wonder what it looks like when the NRA zeroes on a community. I know you said you received a lot of incandescent messages but can you explain the general feeling in the air knowing that the NRA has it sights set on the activity of your council, and the city of Tacoma as a whole.

RM: As a consumer of the communication generated and inspired by the NRA, I think its meant to intimidate chiefly. A lot of folks arent putting their physical addresses down which, in my experience, usually indicates theyre not a constituent. So its really a statewide action theyve inspired. They belittle a lot, I think they make claims that are largely baseless like what happened in Seattle was a failure, and, by what standard was it a failure? In Seattle, theyre using the resources to fund public health research at Harborview Medical Center to study gun violence from a public health perspective because the federal government has defunded studies looking at gun violence from a public health perspective, so I dont know why thats a failure.

MG: Anything else youd like to add?

RM: I would like to underline that [the tax] is estimated to generate about $40,000 in revenue, which, yeah, its not that much revenue, but the federal government and the state government have really tied our hands on this issue and taken away so many of the right policy levers for us with preemption. I think we must do something, anything, to prevent gun violence and if this funds one program, one outreach worker, if it saves one life, its worth it. All the political pain is worth it. This is not a politically popular thing to take on. But i think its serious and important, and I dont think well be able to live with ourselves if we cant say that we have done absolutely everything we can in local government. Part of the purpose here is to show that Tacoma can do it, which I really hope gives courage to other communities to stand up to the NRA. Collectively, those resources will make a much bigger impact and hopefully scale up to state government. This is the theory of incrementalism, this is how public policy is often advanced in this super polarized world.

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Q&A: Tacoma City Council Member Ryan Mello talks about his proposal for a firearms and ammunition tax and his ongoing battle with the NRA - Washington...

Bedford County candidates address concerns of voters during town hall meeting – Lynchburg News and Advance

Posted on October 24, 2019 by Danzig

BEDFORD About 150 people turned out to hear 16 candidates seeking election in local and state offices offices answer questions from Bedford County voters during a town hall meeting Wednesday night.

The candidates for local contested races on hand were Bedford County Capt. Tim Hayden, Bedford County Capt. Mike Miller and Bedford County Deputy James Kirkland, who are looking to become Bedford Countys next sheriff; Incumbent District 6 Supervisor Andy Dooley and District 6 challenger Bob Davis; Incumbent District 7 Supervisor Kevin Willis and District 7 challenger Tammy Parker; Incumbent District 5 School Board representative Julie Bennington and District 5 challenger Georgia Hairston; and Incumbent District 7 School Board representative Martin Leamy and District 7 challenger Patti Kese.

Wednesdays event at the Bedford Columns was organized by the Bedford Area Chamber of Commerce, Smith Mountain Lake Regional Chamber of Commerce and Smith Mountain Lake Association.

Miller, Hayden and Kirkland were asked about their opinion on gun control legislation proposed by Gov. Ralph Northam, including a red flag bill that permits police or family members to petition a state court to order the temporary removal of firearms from a person who may present a danger to others or themselves.

All three candidates said they oppose any legislation that would impede the Second Amendment rights of Bedford County residents.

If I am elected I will do everything in my power to make sure that does not happen, Miller said. I will go to Richmond and fight to make sure that does not happen in Bedford County.

If that happens, it will be a sad day for everyone, Hayden said. We cant let people try to regulate the lives of others like that.

This bill is being pushed to try and prevent incidents like we have seen across the country, Kirkland said. But the problem is not the guns. I will not enforce a red flag law and would stand with my fellow sheriffs and go to Richmond to fight it.

Bedford County supervisor candidates were asked about concerns raised by current county residents who will be annexed into the Town of Bedford within the next few years as part of the agreement the town made during its reversion from a city in 2014.

The good news is that we have good friends with the Bedford Town Council to work with, Willis said. We have to make sure that we try to make this a smooth transition and make sure that these citizens are receiving the same services as current town residents.

This will be about a 60% tax increase for these citizens and I think there will be a lot of unhappy people when this happens, Dooley said. However, this was something that was planned during the process of reversion so I dont think it can be stopped. It is going to be an issue, and I think everyone has to sit down and make sure these citizens are getting what they pay for.

I know I would be upset if I was annexed into the town and all of a sudden my taxes almost double, Davis said. We need to make sure the town provides the services these people will be paying for.

We have seen board of supervisors meetings where a 1% tax increase brings people out, Parker said. Just wait until it is a 60% increase. In order for this to happen the town has to provide all of the core services that these tax dollars are being charged for.

Bedford County School Board candidates were asked if they favored renovating existing elementary schools or building new schools, which were options presented in a recent elementary school study for the division.

Leamy and Hairston both said they favored renovating existing schools in Bedford County.

We have schools that are already paid for, Leamy said. We dont need to be spending money building new schools. That is not being good stewards of the taxpayers money. Lets fix the schools we have and not waste money on building mega schools that we dont need.

Im all about small schools, Hairston said. Our small elementary schools are the heart of our communities. It is crucial that we keep and maintain our elementary schools.

Bennington and Kese said they were not opposed to renovating existing schools if it is in the best interests of students in Bedford County.

It really depends on the options we have, Bennington said. We have to look at whether renovating or expanding a school is what the students need or if it makes it a school of the future. We have to determine what is in the best interest of our learners.

We have to look at fiscal responsibility, Kese said. We have to look at whether renovating a school makes more sense in the long run than building a new and bigger one. I think there are some schools that can be fixed but that is something we are going to have to have more discussions on to determine the best decision for all of the students.

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Bedford County candidates address concerns of voters during town hall meeting - Lynchburg News and Advance

Kroger Health and Ascension Saint Thomas Health Partner to Better Serve Communities in Middle Tennessee – Cleveland American

Posted on October 24, 2019 by Danzig

CINCINNATI, Oct. 23, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Kroger Health, the healthcare arm of The Kroger Co., is partnering with Tennessee hospital and medical network Ascension Saint Thomas Health to expand access to high quality healthcare in Middle Tennessee. The goals of the collaboration are to improve patient and clinician experiences by providing high quality care at lower cost. Kroger operates 114 stores, including 116 Pharmacies and 40 Clinics throughout Tennessee, and Ascension Saint Thomas Health operates 97 practice sites with more than 500 physicians and advanced practitioners. By joining forces, the communities served will gain increased access to quality and personalized healthcare.

This partnership extends Kroger Health's 360carethat enables hospitals and healthcare networks to leverage Kroger resources to provide broader access and value-based healthcare for their patients. Kroger's Clinics, located inside the stores, offer licensed medical care for everything from common illnesses to on-going health management for chronic conditions and are conveniently open seven days a week.Kroger also offers the services of Registered Dietitians and Nutrition Techs for in person or on-line visits to promote proper nutrition and support the company's core belief in "food as medicine."

Kroger Health and Ascension Saint Thomas will work together to establish clinically integrated programs to coordinate care through their respective health and wellness teams. Patients will benefit from easier access to healthcare professionals, additional locations and extended hours, and lower cost benefits and promotions.The partnership with Ascension Saint Thomas greatly expands the overall scope of services being offered to patients with 32 different specialties available throughout the multiple Hospital, ER, Express Care Clinic and Medical Partner locations.On-line care is also offered 24/7 for certain conditions.

"Collaborations and partnerships are key to transforming the way healthcare is delivered in America," said Colleen Lindholz, President, Kroger Health. "We are excited to partner with Ascension Saint Thomas. Combining our resources and expertise will allow us to better support the communities we serve. Our vision at Kroger Health is to help people live healthier lives this partnership is a great example of our vision in action."

Saint Thomas Health is part of Ascension, the largest non-profit health network in the United States and the largest Catholic health network in the world. Ascension Saint Thomas operates nine hospitals throughout Middle Tennessee as well as a number of medical practices across its network.

"Ascension Saint Thomas shares Kroger Health's vision to help people live healthier lives," said Tim Adams, President & CEO of Saint Thomas Health. "Partnering with Kroger Health will maximize our reach in the communities we serve and positively impact patient outcomes."

About Kroger Health:Kroger Health, the healthcare arm of The Kroger Co., is one of America's leading retail healthcare organizations, with over 2,000 pharmacies and 200 clinics in 35 states serving more than 14 million customers. Our team of 22,000 healthcare practitioners - from pharmacists and nurse practitioners, to dietitians and technicians - help simplify healthcare by providing solutions that combine health, wellness, and nutrition, connecting with customers on an emotional and personal level. We're also pioneering new work to help drive food as medicine in order to prevent illness before it starts. Learn more at http://www.krogerhealth.com.

About The Kroger Co.At The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR), we are dedicated to our Purpose: to Feed the Human Spirit. We are nearly half a million associates who serve nine million customers daily through a seamless digital shopping experience and 2,800 retail food stores under a variety ofbanner names, serving America through food inspiration and uplift, and creating #ZeroHungerZeroWaste communities by 2025. To learn more about us, visit ournewsroomand investor relationssite.

About Ascension Saint Thomas HealthIn Tennessee, Ascension's Saint Thomas Health operates nine hospitals in addition to a comprehensive network of affiliated joint ventures, medical practices, clinics and rehabilitation facilities that cover a 68-county area and employ more than 8,000 associates. Across the state, Saint Thomas Health provided more than $127 million in community benefit and care of persons living in poverty in fiscal year 2018. Serving Tennessee for 15 years, Ascension is a faith-based healthcare organization committed to delivering compassionate, personalized care to all, with special attention to persons living in poverty and those most vulnerable. Ascension is the largest non-profit health system in the U.S. and the world's largest Catholic health system, operating more than 2,600 sites of care including 151 hospitals and more than 50 senior living facilities in 21 states and the District of Columbia. Visitwww.sthealth.com.

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Kroger Health and Ascension Saint Thomas Health Partner to Better Serve Communities in Middle Tennessee - Cleveland American

Eyewitnesses describe tornado, downed power lines and falling bricks along MS River in Ascension – WBRZ

Posted on October 24, 2019 by Danzig

This radar snapshot of noon Monday shows the severe storm that eyewitnesses said produced a tornado and injured a person when winds blew over bricks.

GEISMER - The National Weather Service said a person may have been injured from falling bricks as a severe storm rolled through Ascension Parish Monday afternoon.

A trained storm spotter reported to the NWS that power lines were blown over and the bricks fell and hurt the person around 12:01 p.m. near the intersection of Hwy. 75 and Hwy. 73 along the Mississippi River levee.

The area was under weather alerts Monday as a strong cold front and a Gulf disturbance moved through our area from west to east.

The storm spotter reported the damage was caused by a "possible tornado," according to a weather bulletin.

A spokesperson for the Ascension Parish Sheriffs office said there were no immediate damage reports at any chemical plants, but confirmed people saw what appeared to be a tornado touchdown in the area.

Click HERE for WBRZ weather information.

Storm surveyors determined Tuesday, it was an EF-0 tornado - the weakest on the tornado scale.

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Eyewitnesses describe tornado, downed power lines and falling bricks along MS River in Ascension - WBRZ

CWA, Ascension agree to terms to move from Stevens Point to Mosinee – Stevens Point Journal

Posted on October 24, 2019 by Danzig

STEVENS POINT - Central Wisconsin Airport in Mosinee and Ascension Wisconsin Spirit Medical Transport Serviceshave reached a deal on a hanger expansion that was first planned for Stevens Point.

Ascension revealed earlier this week it was planning to move its Spirit 1 Helicopter and Stevens Point Municipal Airport base to Central Wisconsin Airport after negotiations fell apart in September between the health care organization and the city. CWA and Ascension came to terms on an agreement to bring the project to Mosinee on Friday, according to a news release from Ascension. Ascension approached the Mosinee airport in late September.

The project at CWA will build an 18,000-square-foot hanger on about 75,000 square feet of land leased from the airport. Ascension Spirit's lease with Stevens Point ends Nov. 30. Spirit will temporarily operate out of existing hanger space at the airport until the project is completed in August 2020, according to the news release. Spirit's relocation will be finished by mid-November.

Once the relocation is complete, work will resume on planning and development of the new hangar that will provide new permanent space for the helicopter and maintenance crew as well as sleeping quarters and office space, said Ted Ryan, director ofAscension Wisconsin Spirit Medical Transport, in a news release.

RELATED: Ascension Spirit Medical Transportation Services plans to move from Stevens Point to Mosinee airport

RELATED: UW-Stevens Point rainbow crosswalk vandalized by vehicles doing burnouts, police say

The project in Mosinee will accommodate the storage of two medical helicopters, a fixed-wing aircraft and ambulances. Spirit 1 has been located in Stevens Point since 2017.

Ambulances based at Ascension hospitals and facilities in Stevens Point, Weston and other locations in the surroundings areas will remain at their current locations. The Spirit 2 helicopter will remain at the Howard Young Medical Center in Woodruff and Ascension Spirit 3 airplane will remain in Arbor Vitae.

Ascension will also need the approval from Mosinee's plan commission and the state for the project.

Contact reporter Alan Hovorka at 715-345-2252 or ahovorka@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ajhovorka.

Read or Share this story: https://www.stevenspointjournal.com/story/news/2019/10/18/cwa-ascension-agree-terms-deal-move-mosinee/4021716002/

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CWA, Ascension agree to terms to move from Stevens Point to Mosinee - Stevens Point Journal

The Young Bucks Talk AEW Exceeding TV Expectations, Private Party’s Ascension, Full Gear PPV – eWrestling

Posted on October 24, 2019 by Danzig

AEW superstars Matt and Nick Jackson (Young Bucks) recently spoke with TV Insider to discuss their promotion's hot start since debuting on TNT three weeks ago. The Bucks reveal how collaborative the backstage roster has been with developing angles and spots, explaining that each individual brings a fresh perspective that gives the program that fresh feel. Check out highlights below.

Having an "all hands on deck" approach:

Its really just all hands-on deck still. There are some instances where Kenny would be more involved in terms of the womens match. He will literally call it move-for-move. He is passionate about that. When it comes to the tag team booking and putting matches together, Nick and I are influential on those decisions. But really no one decision is made without all of us either in a room or on the phone deciding these things. What you see on that television show, were part of every decision that happens.

The collaboration within their roster:

If were working with a particular talent, we go to them with, What do you think is best? Jon Moxley has a great mind and something the five of us have seen, he may see differently He might have a different idea because he knows his character better and those nuances. Same with Pac. What a great mind he has and useful tools he has. Hangman Page, too. Its not just us. Chris Jericho, who is a genius, hell come up with an idea completely than what we had. Something well call in a production meeting the night before, and hell go, No, I think we should do it this way. And we listen. Thats what is fun about all this. Thats why it has come across so well the first few episodes because we are open-minded, and our ears are open. Were willing to adjust and go with the flow.

Their match with Private Party:

We wanted to face this tag team in the first round. We know that moment would be huge for them, Nick Jackson said. For them to deliver such a great performance four or five years into their professional wrestling career, it was mind-blowing. Isiah is 22-years-old for crying out loud. If I was 22 years old and was in his same spot. If I was about to perform in front of a TNT audience, I would be nervous. You couldnt read that on both of them. I told Matt afterward that they are obviously ready to become stars.

It really felt like they belonged, Matt Jackson added. We can talk and plan for months like we did. We set the whole thing up, but sometimes things dont really happen the sameBut sometimes things click. Story was told almost perfectly. I watched the match back, and usually I cant stand watching my matches back because Im a bit of a perfectionist. However, for me, with the time given, the story we were able to tell, that is almost as perfect as a match you can have. They played their roles flawlessly. I feel that night they were made. Im really happy for them.

Exceeding television rating expectations:

I heard the expectations were possibly in the 400 or 500,000 range, Matt Jackson said, referencing what numbers were anticipated for Dynamites premiere. The fact we crossed a million was great. I think opening we expected a big number. I dont know if we expected the number, we got in 1.4. Of course, a week or two after there will always be a drop. We expected that.

If we can keep around a million, wed be thrilled. That would be amazing. Were such a brand-new thing for them. The next week is tough with Major League Baseball, NBA coming up. We understand that. This whole thing is a whirlwind. We are thrilled right now. And of course, you think about the other wrestling playing that night. And you want to best them, and the fact we are is great. We are also not taking that for granted because they have a great show too. Right now, we have one step foot forward and think about our brand, our television show and making it the best we can make it.

Their upcoming Full Gear matchup against Ortiz and Santana:

We got the challenge. Thats something we want to see, Matt Jackson said. The only time we only faced them was in a tag in the middle of the ocean. Nobody has ever seen it. I remember people saying it was one of the best tag matches theyve ever seen. If and when that match happens, it would be an honor to get in the ring with those guys.

Having the best tag division:

Our main objective is to have the best tag team division in the world. As far as I know, theyve had a hell of a body of work. We like that competitive nature. It fuels us and wants us to do better. I think they will bring out a new side of us. A more aggressive, less graceful side for us. Maybe when we get into the ring with them, it wont be such a beautiful match. It will be a little more violent. I think that is a side I want to show the world.

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The Young Bucks Talk AEW Exceeding TV Expectations, Private Party's Ascension, Full Gear PPV - eWrestling

Almond ascension: How Linda Monique rode the new-age milk wave before it was cool – SmartCompany.com.au

Posted on October 24, 2019 by Danzig

Almo Milks founder Linda Monique tells SmartCompany her global experience in both food and business allowed her to foresee Australias demand for almond milk even before it reached our shores.

Generally, there is a trend rule, she says.

If something starts in the US and becomes mainstream, it will eventually trickle down into Australia about three to five years later.

Almo Milk was launched in 2014 with the goal of becoming entirely Australian grown, owned and operated. Monique is also uncompromising on the quality and standard of operation within the business model itself.

But living up to these lofty standards didnt come easily.

What we truly believe is we are one of the worlds best almond milk companies, she says.

Starting Almo Milk as her third business, Monique says the experience has shaped the way she considers potential and opportunity.

As a university student in Melbourne, Monique says she watched the rise of Bonsoy, a popular soy milk alternative, which sparked a huge level of curiosity.

I observed what their strengths were and it was fundamentally quality, integrity and taste, she says.

Originally, as we were launching, we were meant to be the Bonsoy of almond milk.

After graduation, Monique worked as a high-end food professional across Europe, where she noticed the international food scene trend away from soy milk and towards almond milk.

What I saw in the US in the space of five years, almond milk had completely taken over the non-dairy beverage industry where soy milk used to have 90% market share, she says.

So I saw it as a tsunami.

Adding to the viability of plant-based beverages in Australia, Monique notes the growing local market for veganism, specialised diets such as paleo, lactose intolerance and the highest rates of autoimmune diseases and allergies.

She also credits the influx of Asian population up to 90% of the Asian population are lactose intolerant and that continues to grow.

So there was this unspoken need for both almond milk and premium health foods, she adds.

Having lived with an autoimmune disease for the past 15 years, Monique also has a personal investment in the health food industry.

The need for healthy alternatives has given rise to what Monique dubs the teams number one priority, which is health.

On the surface, Almo markets itself as a homegrown, delicious alternative to dairy milk.

Driving the engine, however, is its key value: meliorism, which according to Monique, summarises the belief that the world can be made better simply through human effort.

Its so fundamental to everything we do, from the people we hire through to the business relationships, she explains.

Without prompting, Monique also lists health, integrity, simplicity and valour as core to the way she operates Almo Milk.

These values are manifested in Almo Milks commitment to being sustainable, local and nutritious, she says.

From the outside, the most tangible proof is in Almos supply chain from materials to operation, everything is done entirely in Australia.

Its a simple sentence but, according to Monique, it took grit and doorknocking to establish the current supply chain.

Fortunately, Moniques first business, Melbourne Macaron, had given her a working relationship with a co-op in South Australia making up 85% of all Australian almond growers. Having them on board from day one gave them one less worry, Monique says.

I spent a year begging and pleading for companies to manufacture our almond milk, Monique says.

Sometimes, out of value, they didnt want to. Sometimes, they didnt have the right equipment. And generally, because almonds are an allergen and many companies didnt want the risk.

So, out of necessity, when the business launched in 2014, it did its processing in New Zealand.

It wasnt until just last year that Moniques goal of a 100% Aussie product was achieved, when a new manufacturer opened its doors just 30 kilometres away from the co-op where the almonds are grown.

Although Monique attributes the rise of almond milks popularity to the United States, where the majority of the worlds almonds are farmed, she is determined not to follow in their footsteps in terms of practices and standards.

Her insistence starts at the farming phase, where she says Australias irrigation and fumigation regulations are superior.

For nutritional purposes, Monique also balked against the standard process of making activated almond milk, which involves soaking almonds and discarding the solids either as waste or as pig feed.

Monique says the process wastes valuable proteins, so Almo Milk liquifies whole almonds instead.

Even Almo Milks business model follows the beat of Moniques drum, each year picking a specific goal to strive towards.

The first year, Almo Milk focused on distribution. The second year, it was determined to bring manufacturing back to Australia. This year, a new line of products was released.

Next year, Almo Milk will focus on marketing, while paying particular attention to packaging.

With all this in mind, it can be easy to forget Monique juggles three businesses but she says the secret lies in enjoying the process every day.

Find what it is that brings you energy and incorporate that into your day-to-day, even if that doesnt relate to your company, she says.

It will give you the drive to get through the mundane.

READ MORE:Crying over plant-based milk: Should dairy-free dairy products be reclassified?

READ MORE:Are supermarkets really milking dairy farmers dry? The myth obscuring the real problem

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Almond ascension: How Linda Monique rode the new-age milk wave before it was cool - SmartCompany.com.au

East Ascension wide receiver Steven McBride commits to Kansas – The Advocate

Posted on October 24, 2019 by Danzig

One of the Baton Rouge areas rising football prospects brought his recruitment closer to earth. East Ascension High wide receiver Steven McBride committed to Kansas Tuesday night.

The 6-foot-4, 190-pound McBride has seen his recruiting stock and receiving numbers go up since the summer. Kansas is one of approximately 18 schools to offer McBride a scholarship. After committing Tuesday to the Jayhawks, McBride also acknowledged a new offer from Virginia.

Why Kansas? Why now? McBride has solid answers.

I went to camp there over the summer and Kansas has been with me all the way since then, McBride said. I believe they had a decommitment and they called and told me I was their No. 1 guy, so I committed.

"I really like the city of Lawrence and Kansas. It is nice there. Right now I'm focused on getting better every day for my (East Ascension) team."

McBride ranks among the area leaders with 37 catches for 801 yards and 11 touchdowns through seven games.

McBride and teammate Jyrin Johnson garnered some social media acclaim in last weeks 29-24 win over Dutchtown. Both players had a one-handed catch in the game. Video of Johnsons catch caught the eye of New Orleans Saints receiver Michael Thomas, who retweeted it.

For McBride catching the eye of Kansas coach Les Miles, the former LSU coach, was another telling event.

LSU has always been one of my favorite teams and coach Miles was legendary there, McBride said. It was exciting for me to see that he has an interest in me. I know he will be legendary at Kansas too.

McBride said he plans to sign during the February signing period in order to be part of a ceremony with teammates.

Former Zachary High star Douglas Coleman III of Texas Tech is now a semifinalist for the Jim Thorpe award given to the nations best defensive back.

Coleman, who played on the Broncos first Class 5A title team in 2015, is one of 14 Thorpe finalists, along with LSUs Grant Delpit. He leads FBS players with six interceptions and has 41 tackles for the Red Raiders, a total that ranks second on the team.

Holden softball player Emma Hutchinson committed to Louisiana Tech earlier this week.

Hutchinson is an infielder/pitcher for the Rockets,winners of the last three Class B softball titles. As a junior, Hutchinson batted .341.

"I fell in love the moment I stepped on campus," Hutchinson said of her recent visit to Ruston-based Tech. "It is a family atmosphere/feel. There is a great culture and tradition. I am going to pitch while I'm there, but I am going to do whatever I need to so we will have success."

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East Ascension wide receiver Steven McBride commits to Kansas - The Advocate

Report: Gonzales man disappears from boat ramp in Toledo Bend ahead of fishing tournament – The Advocate

Posted on October 24, 2019 by Danzig

North Toledo Bend State Park, located on the Toledo Bend Reservoir.

A search is underway for an Ascension Parish man who reportedly went missing earlier this week at a boat ramp in Toledo Bend ahead of a fishing tournament.

KSLA reportsauthorities in Sabine Parish received a call late Tuesday afternoon regarding a pickup truck idling at a boat ramp with a trailer attached. An empty boat was also found floating nearby.

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The ramp is located at Tranquility Bay on the Toledo Bend Reservoir.

Reports say the 70-year-old Gonzales man's keys and wallet were left inside the truck. Investigators believe the vehicle had been running for three hours before their arrival.

Officials from multiple agencies are assisting in the search, along with family and friends.

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Report: Gonzales man disappears from boat ramp in Toledo Bend ahead of fishing tournament - The Advocate

Oct 18 | The Church of the Ascension Friendship Fair | Rockville Centre – Patch.com

Posted on October 24, 2019 by Danzig

The church of the Ascension will be holding its bi-annual Friendship Fair on October 18th & 19th at 71 North Village Avenue, Rockville Centre from 10am to 8pm both days.

As in the past, there will be home cooked meals, baked goods and jams. Also a large lawn sale with quality household items, furniture, faux furs, toys, holiday items and much more.

The ever popular silent auction has many treasurers such as Royal Doulton dinnerware, Benson Hedges humidor, sterling flatware, Bushnell telescope, depression glass, Mickey Mouse collection, grandfather clock, Tiffany Type lamp and baseball cards. We also have a large collection of books, jewelry and collectibles.

Phil Weiss, who appears on The Antique Roadshow will be present to appraise your treasures on Saturday, October 19th from 11am to 4pm. No furniture or jewelry please. $10 per item or 3 for $25.

For further information please call 516-766-0693.

Originally posted here:

Oct 18 | The Church of the Ascension Friendship Fair | Rockville Centre - Patch.com

Melissa McCarthy And Ben Falcone Have Decided To Release ‘Superintelligence’ Via HBO Max Ins – Science Fiction

Posted on October 24, 2019 by Danzig

Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock.com

The new Melissa McCarthy sci-fi comedy Superintelligence will not open theatrically as planned. Instead, the comedian and her director husband, Ben Falcone, have decided to release the movie via the new HBO Max streaming service. Superintelligence had been slated for release during the busy holiday season, on December 20, but have chosen a different route, at least in part to reach a wider audience.

McCarthy told Deadline:

It was actually Bens idea, it came from the filmmaker himself. We had a release date, a full marketing plan, and I had all my press lined up. We were really ready to go. When the announcement came that HBO Max was really happening, Ben had this idea. And we thought, is this better? Different doesnt mean worse, and how arewewatching films ourselves? To us, each movie is near and dear to our hearts. You just want people to see it and love it and you want them to feel good.Superintelligenceat its core is, love wins, and people matter. I want that to get to as many people as it can. We need that today, and this seemed like the best way to do it. So no, [this wasnt imposed on us]. We were ready to go the other way, and we decided to make the detour.

Falcone added:

Honestly, you can release a mid-budget movie, and if wed stayed in the theaters, we could have done incredibly well. There still are those examples of movies like this one that do. But for this movie, at this time, we felt like it was the best way to go. The PG rating, the fact they are starting this thing. All these streaming services are starting, and here, we are up there withSesame Street, and Meryl Streep and JJ Abrams and Hugh Jackman and Jordan Peele. There are cool people doing this. So following my fear-based mentality, I thought it was the best move.

In addition to Superintelligence, HBO Max will also be offering Let Them All Talk from Steven Soderbergh and starring Meryl Streep, Greg Berlantis Unpregnant, and Bad Education starring Hugh Jackman and Allison Janney, which HBO paid $17 million to acquire.

Carol Peters life is turned upside down when she is selected for observation by the worlds first superintelligence a form of artificial intelligence that may or may not take over the world.

Superintelligence also stars Bobby Cannavale, Jean Smart, Michael Beach, Brian Tyree Henry, and the voice of James Corden as the titular Superintelligence. The release will now be delayed, as HBO Max isnt expected to launch until next spring.

Falcone and McCarthy are re-teaming for Thunder Force for Netflix, which also stars Octavia Spencer.

Jax's earliest memory is of watching 'Batman,' followed shortly by a memory of playing Batman & Robin with a friend, which entailed running outside in just their underwear and towels as capes. When adults told them they couldn't run around outside in their underwear, both boys promptly whipped theirs off and ran around in just capes.

Melissa McCarthy And Ben Falcone Have Decided To Release 'Superintelligence' Via HBO Max Ins - Science Fiction

Melissa McCarthy & Director Ben Falcone On Choosing HBO Max Bow Instead Of WB Xmas Release For Superintelligence – Deadline

Posted on October 24, 2019 by Danzig

EXCLUSIVE: In a move that could become more common as major studios lean in heavily toward their streaming launches, the Ben Falcone-directed Melissa McCarthy-starrer Superintelligence has exited its December 20 theatrical release date to instead become the first Warner Bros Pictures Group film to premiere on HBO Max.

This comes before an HBO Max presentation on October 29 where it is expected that other projects might become part of a streamer launch slate that now will have Superintelligence; the Steven Soderbergh-directed Meryl Streep-starrer Let Them All Talk; the Greg Berlanti-produced YA novel adaptation Unpregnant;and sooner or later Bad Education, the Hugh Jackman/Allison Janney-starrer bought at Toronto for north of $17 million to bow on HBO. The original programming will be part of a service that launches with WarnerMedias own library titles including Friends and The Big Bang Theory and third-party acquisitions including Sesame Street.

Amid the high-stakes battle for subscription streaming service launches by WarnerMedia, Disney, Comcast and Apple to go along with Netflix and Amazon, it isnt hard to see how the prospect of being among the first marquee titles on HBO Max is enticing. Especially when mid-budget comedies and dramas are plagued by the optics of eight-figure P&A spends and heavy scrutiny on opening-weekend box office grosses. That doesnt exist if you are launching on an OTT to a wide audience.

McCarthy and Falcone, long married and longtime frequent creative collaborators they are now making their first Netflix film, Thunder Force said the decision to move out of theaters and onto HBO Max was theirs, and that it wasnt imposed on them by WarnerMedia, Warner Bros or New Line, which developed the comedy and shepherded the film through production.

It was actually Bens idea, it came from the filmmaker himself, McCarthy told Deadline. We had a release date, a full marketing plan, and I had all my press lined up. We were really ready to go. When the announcement came that HBO Max was really happening, Ben had this idea. And we thought, is this better? Different doesnt mean worse, and how are we watching films ourselves? To us, each movie is near and dear to our hearts. You just want people to see it and love it and you want them to feel good. Superintelligence at its core is, love wins, and people matter. I want that to get to as many people as it can. We need that today, and this seemed like the best way to do it. So no, [this wasnt imposed on us]. We were ready to go the other way, and we decided to make the detour.

When I brought up the perilous track many theatrical releases face these days, Falcone acknowledged it is something a filmmaker thinks about.

I pride myself on living a fear-based life, and that wont stop, Falcone joked. I dont exactly remember the question, but I wanted to make that clear to you, and to everyone. Honestly, you can release a mid-budget movie, and if wed stayed in the theaters, we could have done incredibly well. There still are those examples of movies like this one that do. But for this movie, at this time, we felt like it was the best way to go. The PG rating, the fact they are starting this thing. All these streaming services are starting, and here, we are up there with Sesame Street, and Meryl Streep and JJ Abrams and Hugh Jackman and Jordan Peele. There are cool people doing this. So following my fear-based mentality, I thought it was the best move.

McCarthy and Falcone also felt a thematic fit as the film explores relationships in the backdrop of technological evolution. McCarthys character finds herself getting messages from her TV, phone and microwave and what she doesnt realize is she has been selected for observation by the worlds first superintelligence, a form of artificial intelligence that is contemplating taking over the world. Steve Mallory wrote the script, James Corden voices the A.I., and Bobby Cannavale is playing her love interest.

We made the film for New Line and Warner Bros, and there are different challenges in the way people watch films, how and where they see them on different platforms, McCarthy said. We were all geared up to open theatrically, and Ben was the one who said, this would be better for HBO Max. What a way to reach a massive amount of people, and to be put in pretty amazing company. It seemed like a win-win. We have two young kids, and we thought about how we watch movies. Superintelligence is PG, and we thought about how we watch these movies with our kids. We still go to the theater, and we love going to the theater. I would cry if that ever went away. But we watch a lot of movies at home, and a lot of people do. This just seemed like an exciting new way to get it in front of a lot of people.

The move pushes the release of the film until sometime in the spring, and though a specific date hasnt been decided, the couple is really warming to the platform.

I urge you and all your friends to immediately subscribe to HBO Max, Falcone said.

Added McCarthy: Just give us your credit card, Mike, and wed be happy to process it for you. And maybe give us your bank account numbers, too.

AMC Is Still In the Theater Business, But VOD Is a Funny Way of Showing It – IndieWire

Posted on October 24, 2019 by Danzig

Was I the only one who found it weird when AMC Theatres announced that it was getting into the streaming business with the launch of AMC Theatres On Demand? When it comes to places to buy and rent movies, weve got Apple, Amazon, Fandango, Vudu, Google Play, YouTube, and a few more that I dont need to remember because its too many already.

I also thought it suggested some seriously mixed messaging, but maybe that was just me until I got a call from an NBC affiliate who wanted to do an interview about AMCs new streaming service. That seemed like a curious topic for local news; why were they interested? The answer: They wanted to know if it meant AMC was getting out of the theater business.

Of course, AMC is very much dedicated to theatrical business, but this is a funny way of showing it. Launching a platform for VOD transactions something that runs counter to going out to the movies is not what Id expect a theater chain to worry about right now. Theres far more pressing issues at hand, starting with the sacred cow of The Theatrical Experience.

Its the theme of every CinemaCon, repeated like rosary as exhibitors and distributors take the Caesars Palace stage and talk about how worldwide audiences continue to share the primacy of the theatrical experience. However, that audience also has the option to stay home with their couches, pause buttons, and very large TV sets to watch an infinite number of entertainment options. By contrast, choosing to go to the theater means spending a lot of time, money, and effort on a very small selection of premium products. So whether youre going to the AMC to see Avengers, or to the Alamo to see Parasite, the act of going to the movies is now a bespoke experience.

But is that what chain theaters deliver? If youre Alamo with the fun beers on tap and no commercials and weird short films, sure. If youre a chain that inspired the ire of Edward Norton, who encountered low-light projection and crappy sound while preparing for the November 2 nationwide release of Motherless Brooklyn, that would be no. Its the theater chains that are destroying the theatrical experience, he said. Period, full-stop. No one else. Meanwhile, he sang the praises of Netflix as it represents an unprecedented period of ripe opportunity for many more types of stories and voices to be heard. (Netflix is also looking at a long-term lease for the tony, single-screen Paris Theater in Manhattan. Oh, the irony.)

Netflix turned to the Paris, the Belasco, and the Egyptian as showcases for Oscar contenders Marriage Story and The Irishman because major chains wont let them book their theaters but a much more significant threat to exhibitors is coming from inside the house. This week, Warners chose to move Melissa McCarthys Christmas title, Superintelligence, out of theaters and on to its upcoming streaming platform, HBO Max, which is scheduled to launch sometime next spring.

Melissa McCarthy and Ben Falcone at the Warner Bros. Cinemacon presentation, April 2019

Rob Latour/Shutterstock

Speaking to Deadline, McCarthy spun it as all being the idea of her husband, director Ben Falcone:

It was actually Bens idea, it came from the filmmaker himself, We had a release date, a full marketing plan, and I had all my press lined up. We were really ready to go. When the announcement came that HBO Max was really happening, Ben had this idea. And we thought, is this better? Different doesnt mean worse, and how arewe watching films ourselves? To us, each movie is near and dear to our hearts. You just want people to see it and love it and you want them to feel good. Superintelligence at its core is, love wins, and people matter. I want that to get to as many people as it can. We need that today, and this seemed like the best way to do it. So no, [this wasnt imposed on us]. We were ready to go the other way, and we decided to make the detour.

Ultimately, it doesnt matter if the idea came from Falcone, or from the studio (sources told IndieWire that the film didnt test well). What matters is this is likely the first of many films in which a distributor weighs its options: Invest many millions and see what you get back from theatrical, or substantially fewer millions on a global streaming platform and see what you generate in subscribers? Studios may find themselves following in Netflixs footsteps and sorting their slates: These movies demand a theatrical investment, and these will do well on streaming.

Last May, when HBO Max was only a twinkle in the eye of current WarnerMedia CEO John Stankey, Warners released the McCarthy and Falcone comedy Life of the Party; at $53 million domestic, it wasnt a blockbuster. But with box office on track to fall nearly 6% behind 2018, exhibitors need every $53 million they can get. And with almost every major studio now tied to a streaming outlet, they now have a no-friction solution for theatrical releases that might struggle: Whats dull on the big screen can look very shiny on the smaller ones. And, as McCarthy said: How arewewatching films ourselves?

Increasingly, were watching them at home. But probably not on AMC Theatres On Demand.

Heres some of the best work from this week on IndieWire:

Disneys Most Valuable Screenwriter Has Had Enough of the Strong Female Trope, by Kate ErblandLinda Woolverton, the woman who brought Belle, Maleficent, and a billion-dollar animated movie to Disney, speaks her mind.

Large-Format Cameras Are Changing Film Language, From Joker to Midsommar, by Chris OFalt

With the advent of cameras like the Alexa 65, a new generation of large format filmmaker is using its immersive qualities in exciting ways.

Peak TV Is Only a Concern in the Gated Community of Hollywood, by Libby HillThe average Joe doesnt care about The Morning Show. They already have all the TV they need and can afford.

Bombshell and Jojo Rabbit Share an Oscar Superpower: Theyre Made For the Mainstream, by Anne ThompsonFilms like Parasite and Pain and Glory are critical darlings, but the truth is that when it comes to Oscar votes, popularity counts.

Is This Is Us Making You Seasick? Youre Not Alone, by Leo GarciaDigital image stabilization mixed with the shows penchant for shaky camera work make it seem as if certain scenes were filmed out at sea.

Disney+: 200 Must-Watch TV Shows & Movies Available on Launch, by LaToya Ferguson

From the beloved Star Wars trilogies to the Marvel Cinematic Universe to Pixars greatest achievements, heres the best of the content that will be available to subscribers for $6.99 a month.

Have a great weekend,

Dana

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AMC Is Still In the Theater Business, But VOD Is a Funny Way of Showing It - IndieWire

Idiot Box: HBO Max joins the flood of streaming services – Weekly Alibi

Posted on October 24, 2019 by Danzig

HBO Max joins the flood of streaming services

Viewers of visual media can be forgiven for thinking that todays streaming services have turned into a veritable deluge. Every other week it seems like Im educating/warning people about another streaming service with a catalogue of original programming, an archive of old TV shows and a random selection of movies available on your mobile devices for a low monthly subscription fee. Since I didnt talk about one last week, I guess Im obliged to this week. Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, Disney Plus, Apple TV+: Meet HBO Max.

Like a lot of Americans, you may be confused at this point. Isnt HBO already a pay-per-view station full of movies, TV shows and original content? Sure. And cant you already subscribe to HBO Now, a streaming service for portable devices that bypasses the need for cable or satellite? Yup. But HBO Max is a long-brewing corporate mash-up from AT&T-owned multinational mass media conglomerate WarnerMedia. Not only will it consist of HBOs normal slate of movies, miniseries and TV showsit will also have access to all of WarnerMedias corporate catalogue. Basically, whatever Disney doesnt own, WarnerMedia does (HBO, CNN, TBS, TNT, TruTV, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, TCM, Warner Bros, New Line, Crunchy Roll, Looney Tunes, The CW, DC Comics).

HBO Max, for example, will be the new home for the Warner Bros.-produced series Friendsnow that the beloved 90s sitcom is free from its $100 million dollar contract with Netflix. Also lined up: The Fresh Prince of Bel Air (which is owned by Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution) and any Warner Bros.-produced dramas on The CW Network (like, for example, Riverdale). Throw in some Bugs Bunny cartoons, all the Nightmare On Elm Street films (from New Line Cinema) and stuff like Full Frontal with Samantha Bee (thats TBS), and youve got a solid back catalogue on which to build.

In addition to everything WarnerMedia owns, HBO Max has signed contracts to re-air BBC shows including Doctor Who, The Office, Top Gear and Luther. The network also signed a deal with Japans Studio Ghibli to secure US streaming rights to all of its animated films (My Neighbor Totoro, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, Ponyo, Howls Moving Castle, Kikis Delivery Service, to name a few). These deals add some impressive weight to HBO Maxs lineup (while, at the same time, stealing these shows away from cable/streaming rivals).

As far as the new programming is concerned, the floodgates have already opened. Dozens of emails have been pouring into my inbox this week, touting HBO Maxs new projects. Director Denis Villeneuve (Blade Runner 2049) will adapt Dune: The Sisterhood, a series based on Brian Herbert and Kevin Andersons sequel to Frank Herberts sci-fi classic. The classic 1984 horror-comedy Gremlins is being turned into an animated series. The Hos is a multigenerational docu-reality series about a rich Vietnamese-American family in Houston. Monica Lewinsky (yes, that Monica Lewinsky) executive produces 15 Minutes of Shame, a documentary series about the public shaming epidemic in our culture and our collective need to destroy one another. Brad and Gary Go To finds Hollywood power couple Brad Goreski and Gary Janetti traveling around the globe sampling international cuisine. The streaming service has also ordered up Grease: Rydell High, a musical spin-off which brings the 1978 film Grease to todays post-Glee audiences.

There will be original movies on tap as well. Emmy-winning comedian Amy Schumer climbs on board with Expecting Amy, a documentary about the funny ladys struggle to prepare for a stand-up comedy tour while pregnant. Melissa McCarthy (Spy, Bridesmaids) will star in Superintelligence, about an ordinary woman who is befriended by the worlds first artificial intelligence with an attitude.

As far as when we can get a look at HBO Max, WarnerMedia has pushed the premiere date several times and is now simply saying spring 2020. What will it cost the consumer? Given that HBO Now costs $15 a month, and HBO Max will include all of HBOs streaming product (plus all that other stuff mentioned above), we can only assume that it will cost more than that. With Hulu starting at $6 a month, Disney+ banking on charging $6.99 a month and Netflix running $13 a month, HBO Max is looking kinda pricey. But what do you say, American consumers? Are you ready to fork out for one more monthly streaming service? Its the last one. I swear. (Its not. Not by a longshot.)

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Idiot Box: HBO Max joins the flood of streaming services - Weekly Alibi

Here’s How to Watch Watchmen, HBOs Next Game of Thrones – Cosmopolitan

Posted on October 24, 2019 by Danzig

The DC universe just keeps getting bigger, and the newest addition to the comic world is HBOs Watchmen, a series based on the 1986 graphic novel where the superheroes are the outlaws (dont worry, Ill explain what that even means in a bit).

Youve probs already heard about it because its being dubbed as the new Game of Thrones, which means our hopes are high for the beginning and our expectations for the series ending are at an all-time low.

The Watchmen graphic novel is about superheroes. (Yes, thats in quotes for a reason.) These superheroes arent born with crazy superhuman abilities but instead are really, really good at one specific thingso they might have, say, extremely high intelligence or insane detective skills.

The comic takes place in a world where these everyday people would dress in superhero costumes and act as vigilantesuntil the practice was outlawed in 1977 after a riot involving said vigilante superheroes. A lot of the former superheroes went to work for the government, using their powers for good, but some ignored the law (aka a man named Rorschach) and continued their work in a more anarchic way.

The show is being described as more of a continuation, not an adaptation. It picks up a little over 30 years after the novel ended.

Queen Regina King stars as the main character, a police officer in Tulsa who goes by the name Sister Night and is super protective over her husband and child. Also, she has a BADASS costume that is part Catwoman, part Xena Warrior Princess. Serious Halloween inspo.

Dr. Manhattan *might* be making a return. If youre not familiar, hes a blue guy and the only one in the series with actual superpowers. His godlike capabilities include teleportation, total clairvoyance, and telekinesis. At the end of the graphic novel, he leaves Earth to go to Mars, BUT hes in the HBO previews, so fingers crossed.

Youll definitely see Adrian Veidt (also known as Ozymandias)a retired superhero with superintelligence who is known for faking an alien invasion with a giant squid. (Ya, this show gets weird.)

Of course, Rorschach (who was killed by Dr. Manhattan at the end of the series) will returnbut not exactly. His name, mask, and overall evil mission will be carried on by a group of white supremacists.

You can catch the series on HBO or HBO Now every Sunday at 9 p.m. ET. But if you cant be held to a strict TV-watching schedule, it can also be streamed with an HBO Go account! TG for streaming services.

Link:

Here's How to Watch Watchmen, HBOs Next Game of Thrones - Cosmopolitan

Newly Discovered Interstellar Comet Appears Indistinguishable from the Native Solar System Comets – Planetary News

Posted on October 24, 2019 by Danzig

A second interstellar object, designated C/2019 Q4 (2I/Borisov), was discovered on August 30, 2019, by Gennady Borisov at the MARGO observatory in Nauchnij, Crimea. A new paper published in Nature Astronomy reports on the initial characterization of this object using images taken with the William Herschel Telescope and the Gemini North Telescope, which showed an extended coma and a faint, broad tail. 2I/Borisovs high orbital velocity indicates that it originated outside the solar system and is not gravitationally bound to the Sun. This makes it the first certain case of an interstellar comet and the second known interstellar minor body identified in the solar system (after Oumuamua). Moreover, its estimated nucleus size, approximately 1 kilometer, and measured slightly reddish color make it look much more like an ordinary comet than Oumuamua did. Astronomers will continue to study 2I/Borisov as it will make its closest approach to Earth on December 28, 2019 at 1.9 au. READ MORE

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Newly Discovered Interstellar Comet Appears Indistinguishable from the Native Solar System Comets - Planetary News

Beyond Jupiter, Researchers Discovered a ‘Cradle of Comets’ – UANews

Posted on October 24, 2019 by Danzig

Comets are known to have a temper. As they swoop in from the outer edges of our solar system, these icy bodies begin spewing gas and dust as they venture closer to the sun. Their luminous outbursts can result in spectacular sights that grace the night sky for days, weeks or even months.

But comets aren't born that way, and their pathway from their original formation location toward the inner solar system has been debated for a long time. Comets are of great interest to planetary scientists because they are likely to be the most pristine remnants of material left over from the birth of our solar system.

In a study published inThe Astrophysical Journal Letters, a team of researchers including Kathryn Volk and Walter Harris at the University of Arizona Lunar and Planetary Laboratory report the discovery of an orbital region just beyond Jupiter that acts as a "comet gateway." This pathway funnels icy bodies called centaurs from the region of the giant planets Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune into the inner solar system, where they can become regular visitors of Earth's neighborhood, cosmically speaking.

Roughly shaped like an imaginary donut encircling the area, the gateway was uncovered as part of a simulation of centaurs, small icy bodies traveling on chaotic orbits between Jupiter and Neptune.

Centaurs: Icy Rogues on Haphazard Trails

Centaurs are believed to originate in the Kuiper belt, a region populated by icy objects beyond Neptune and extending out to about 50 Astronomical Units, or 50 times the average distance between the sun and the Earth. Close encounters with Neptune nudge some of them onto inward trajectories, and they become centaurs, which act as the source population of the roughly 1,000 short-period comets that zip around the inner solar system. These comets, also known as Jupiter-family comets, or JFCs, include comets visited by spacecraft missions such as Tempel 1 (Deep Impact), Wild 2 (Stardust) and 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko (Rosetta).

"The chaotic nature of their orbits obscures the exact pathways these centaurs follow on their way to becoming JFCs," said Volk, a co-author on the paper and an associate staff scientist who studies Kuiper belt objects, planetary dynamics and planets outside our solar system. "This makes it difficult to figure out where exactly they came from and where they might go in the future."

Jostled by the gravitational fields of several nearby giant planets Jupiter, Saturn and Neptune centaurs dont tend to stick around, making for a high-turnover neighborhood, Harris said.

"They rattle around for a few million years, perhaps a few tens of millions of years, but none of them were there even close to the time when the solar system formed," he said.

"We know of 300 centaurs that we can see through telescopes, but that's only the tip of an iceberg of an estimated 10 million such objects," Harris added.

"Most centaurs we know of weren't discovered until CCD's became available, plus you need the help of a computer to search for these objects," Volk said. "But there is a large bias in observations because the small objects simply aren't bright enough to be detected."

Where Comets Go to Die

Every pass around the sun inflicts more wear and tear on a comet until it eventually breaks apart,has a close encounter with a planet that ejects it from the inner solar system, or its volatiles mostly gas and water are depleted.

"Often, much of the dust remains and coats the surface, so the comet doesn't heat up much anymore and it goes dormant," Harris said.

By some mechanism, a steady supply of "baby comets" must replace those that have run their course, "but until now, we didn't know where they were coming from," he added.

To better understand how centaurs become JFCs, the research team focused on creating computer simulations that could reproduce the orbit of 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1, or SW1, a centaur discovered in 1927 and thought to be about 40 miles across.

SW1 has long puzzled astronomers with its high activity and frequent explosive outbursts despite the fact that is too far from the sun for water ice to melt. Both its orbit and activity put SW1 in an evolutionary middle ground between the other centaurs and the JFCs, and the original goal of the investigation was to explore whether SW1s current circumstances were consistent with the orbital progression of the other centaurs.

To accomplish this, the team modeled the evolution of bodies from beyond Neptunes orbit, through the giant planets region and inside Jupiters orbit.

"The results of our simulation included several findings that fundamentally alter our understanding of comet evolution," Harris said. "Of the new centaurs tracked by the simulation, more than one in five were found to enter an orbit similar to that of SW1 at some point in their evolution."

In other words, even though SW1 appears to be the only large centaur of the handful of objects currently known to occupy the "cradle of comets," it is not the outlier it was thought to be, but rather ordinary for a centaur, according to Harris.

In addition to the commonplace nature of SW1s orbit, the simulations led to an even more surprising discovery.

"Centaurs passing through this region are the source of more than two-thirds of all Jupiter-family comets," Harris said, "making this the primary gateway through which these comets are produced."

"Historically, our assumption has been that the region around Jupiter is fairly empty, cleaned out by the giant planet's gravity, but our results teach us that there is a region that is constantly being fed," Volk says.

This constant source of new objects may help explain the surprising rate of icy body impacts with Jupiter, such as the famous Shoemaker-Levy 9 event in 1994.

A Comet Worthy of Worship

Based on estimates and calculations of the number and size of objects entering, inhabiting and leaving the gateway region, the study predicted it should sustain an average population of about 1,000 Jupiter-family objects, not too far off the 500 that astronomers have found so far.

The results also showed that the gateway region triggers a rapid transition: once a centaur has entered it, it is very likely to become a JFC within a few thousand years, a blink of an eye in solar system timeframes.

The calculations suggest that an object of SW1's size should enter the region every 50,000 years, making it likely that SW1 is the largest centaur to begin this transition in all of recorded human history, Harris and Volk suggest. In fact, SW1 could be on its way to becoming a "super comet" within a few thousand years.

Comparable in size and activity to comet Hale-Bopp, one of the brightest comets of the 20thcentury, SW1 has a 70% chance of becomingwhat could potentially amount to the most spectacular comet humankind has ever seen, the authors suggest.

"Our descendants could be seeing a comet 10 to 100 times more active than the famous Halley comet," Harris said, "except SW1 would be returningevery six to 10 years instead of every 75."

"If there had been a comet this bright in the last 10,000 years we would know about it," Volk said.

"We take this as strong evidence that a similar event has not happened at least since then," Harris said, "because ancient civilizations would not only have recorded the comet, they may have worshiped it!"

The study was co-authored by Gal Sarid and Maria Womack, both of the Florida Space Institute and the University of Central Florida; Jordan Steckloff of the Planetary Science Institute and the University of Texas at Austin; and Laura Woodney of California State University.

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Beyond Jupiter, Researchers Discovered a 'Cradle of Comets' - UANews

Here’s the Picture We’ve Been Waiting for. Hubble’s Photo of Interstellar Comet 2I/Borisov – Universe Today

Posted on October 24, 2019 by Danzig

Leave it up to the good ole Hubble Space Telescope. The workhorse telescope has given us a photo of the new interstellar comet 2I/Borisov. Take that, fancy new telescopes.

2I/Borisov has wandered into our Solar System from the deep cold of interstellar space, but nobody knows from whence it came, or how long its been travelling. Boris only the second object weve observed thats come into our Solar System from somewhere else in the galaxy, and the Hubble snapped photos of it speeding along at about 177,000 kph (110,000 mph.) So far, the Hubble images are the sharpest ones yet.

Our first interstellar visitor was Oumuamua, which sped through our Solar System in 2017. But that object didnt give up its secrets easily. It came and went and generated a lot of clicking and conjecture, and panicky headlines in some quarters. But it had not coma, and no tail, meaning it had no ice. But Boris is clearly a comet.

Comets contain a lot of water ice and other volatiles. When they get close enough to the Sun, some of that ice sublimates into gas, creating the characteristic coma and tail that is clear in many comet images. A coma and a tail are clearly visible in these Hubble images of 2I/Borisov.

Whereas Oumuamua appeared to be a rock, Borisov is really active, more like a normal comet. Its a puzzle why these two are so different, said David Jewitt of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), in a press release. Jewiit is the leader of the Hubble team who observed the comet.

Of course its more than just a transient piece of curious eye candy. Boris will contain the same building blocks as any other bodies, including planets, in its home solar system. The fact that its behaving like comets in our own Solar System is intriguing too, though its too soon to assume too much as a result of that.

Though another star system could be quite different from our own, the fact that the comets properties appear to be very similar to those of the solar systems building blocks is very remarkable, said Amaya Moro-Martin of the Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, Maryland.

Hubble captured these images of Boris when it was 418 million km (260 million miles) from Earth. At its closest approach itll be two astronomical units away from the Sun, on December 27th, 2019. As it approaches and recedes, other telescopes will observe it, and well learn more about it.

But we wont have long. At 177,000 kph (110,000 mph) it wont stick around for a portrait session. Its going to fall past the Sun and in mid-2020 itll be as far away as Jupiter. Then itll disappear into interstellar space again. Its traveling so fast it almost doesnt care that the Sun is there, said Jewitt.

Amateur astronomers have discovered a lot of comets, and this one is no exception. Amateur astronomer Gennady Borisov, from Crimea, discovered this one on August 30th, 2019. More observations from other amateur astronomers followed (they all talk to each other, you know.) Professional astronomers got involved too, and eventually the IAUs Minor Planet Center and JPLs Center for Near-Earth Object Studies calculated the trajectory. That confirmed the objects interstellar origins.

We know where most comets come from. They have two sources: the Kuiper Belt and the Oort Cloud, which is still hypothetical at this point. So to have an interstellar comet come barging through our Solar System means we need to update our encyclopedias.

Astronomers think theres probably many more interstellar objects thatll come through our neighborhood. In fact, there may be more passing through right now, but we just cant see them. But we may see more of them once the Large Synoptic Space Telescope gets up and running in 2020. (It may be renamed the Vera Rubin Space Telescope by then.)

We may never know exactly where Boris came from. But we do know that there is a circumstellar disk of icy debris around young stars in other solar systems. Theres a lot of gravitational shenanigans going on those situations, before a solar system settles down. Its possible that the chaos in young solar systems ejects comets and sends them out into interstellar space.

But for now, astronomers will use Hubble to keep an eye on this one as it gets closer. Its likely that as it gets closer to the Sun, therell be more activity and we can find out what its made of.

New comets are always unpredictable, said Max Mutchler, another member of the observing team. They sometimes brighten suddenly or even begin to fragment as they are exposed to the intense heat of the Sun for the first time. Hubble is poised to monitor whatever happens next with its superior sensitivity and resolution.

Thanks Hubble. Keep us informed, please.

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Here's the Picture We've Been Waiting for. Hubble's Photo of Interstellar Comet 2I/Borisov - Universe Today

Annual Orionid Meteor Shower Peaks This Week – YubaNet

Posted on October 24, 2019 by Danzig

Orionid meteors appear every year around this time when Earth travels through an area of space littered with debris from Halleys Comet. Credit: NASA/JPL

October 22, 2019 Editors note: This year, the Orionids are likely to peak on Oct. 22nd and will be visible through the beginning of November.

The Orionids, which peak during mid-October each year, are considered to be one of the most beautiful showers of the year. Orionid meteors are known for their brightness and for their speed. These meteors are fastthey travel at about 148,000 mph (66 km/s) into the Earths atmosphere. Fast meteors can leave glowing trains (incandescent bits of debris in the wake of the meteor) which last for several seconds to minutes. Fast meteors can also sometimes become fireballs: Look for prolonged explosions of light when viewing the Orionid meteor shower.

The Orionids are also framed by some of the brightest stars in the night sky, which lend a spectacular backdrop for theses showy meteors.

The Orionids are viewable in both the Northern and Southern hemispheres during the hours after midnight. Find an area well away from city or street lights. Come prepared with a sleeping bag, blanket or lawn chair. Lie flat on your back with your feet facing southeast if you are in the Northern Hemisphere or northeast if you are in the Southern Hemisphere, and look up, taking in as much of the sky as possible. In less than 30 minutes in the dark, your eyes will adapt and you will begin to see meteors. Be patient the show will last until dawn, so you have plenty of time to catch a glimpse.

Meteors come from leftover comet particles and bits from broken asteroids. When comets come around the sun, the dust they emit gradually spreads into a dusty trail around their orbits. Every year the Earth passes through these debris trails, which allows the bits to collide with our atmosphere where they disintegrate to create fiery and colorful streaks in the sky.

The Comet

The pieces of space debris that interact with our atmosphere to create the Orionids originate from comet 1P/Halley. Each time that Halley returns to the inner solar system its nucleus sheds ice and rocky dust into space. The dust grains eventually become the Orionids in October and the Eta Aquarids in May if they collide with Earths atmosphere.

Comet Halley takes about 76 years to orbit the sun once. The last time comet Halley was seen by casual observers was in 1986. Comet Halley will not enter the inner solar system again until 2061.

The comet is named for Edmond Halley, who discovered in 1705 that three previous comets seemed to return every 76 years or so and suggested that these sightings were in fact all the same comet. The comet returned as he predicted (after his death) and it was named in Halleys honor. Comet Halley is perhaps the most famous cometit has been sighted for millennia. It is featured on the Bayeux tapestry, which chronicles the Battle of Hastings in 1066.

Comet Halleys dimensions are 16 x 8 x 8 km. It is one of the darkest, or least reflective, objects in the solar system, with an albedo of 0.03.

The Radiant

Their radiantthe point in the sky from which the Orionids appear to come fromis the constellation Orion. The constellation of Orion is also where we get the name for the shower: Orionids. Note: The constellation for which a meteor shower is named only serves to aid viewers in determining which shower they are viewing on a given night. The constellation is not the source of the meteors.

You should not look only to the constellation of Orion to view the Orionidsthey are visible throughout the night sky. It is actually better to view the Orionids from 45 to 90 degrees away from the radiant. They will appear longer and more spectacular from this perspective. If you do look directly at the radiant, you will find that the meteors will be shortthis is an effect of perspective called foreshortening.

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Annual Orionid Meteor Shower Peaks This Week - YubaNet

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