Daily Archives: January 27, 2020

Micro-financing as a solution to uplifting lives of families in post-war Sri Lanka – ft.lk

Posted: January 27, 2020 at 1:13 am

By S. Thanigaseelan and Dr. K.A. Thulitha Wickrama

In an environment of financial unavailability, microfinance is a mechanism that can be used to uplift the people of post-war regions in Sri Lanka (Rathiranee & Semasinghe, 2012). Taking a page from the successful experiences of impoverished areas and families in the deep south (Galle, Matara, and Hambantota), some of the innovative Grameen banking and other micro credit methods they have successfully employed can also be applied here.

As the background for the need of lending institutions are identical in both regions (post-war areas in the north and east compared with poverty-stricken regions of the south), a comparison justifies a similar intervention.

Similarly, people are disadvantaged through the lack of facilities, resources, support, alienation, marginalisation, and social exclusion. As the basic needs of post-war north/east and rural south are the same housing, material goods, living expenses, health and security and with a view to enhancing their overall quality of life, micro-credit organisations are theoretically justifiable and practically already shown to have benefits for both regions.

In regions of extreme poverty and need, they stand as success stories of the movement started by Mohammad Yunas, the Grameen Bank guru to international development.

Various success stories abound, especially in regions with active rural development and poverty reduction programs through both Non-Governmental and Governmental Organisations. One such is the Grameen Bank-modelled credit organisation established in the Hambantota District (headed by GA Mithrerathne) to alleviate womens poverty and empower them through financial self-reliance.

Established in the mid-1980s, this program is still ongoing today. The womens self-help organisation in Hambantota was especially significant in the post-tsunami financial recovery of families. Similarly, the devastated post-war families are again experiencing even more desperate and needy circumstances.

While the tsunami region had the task of restarting already established businesses, the post-war region has the task of starting and developing businesses that never existed before at a level that can generate income.

Another program started under the stewardship of one of the co-authors (Wijaya Wickramaratne) over a decade ago is still ongoing today and serves over 2000 families as a Grameen Bank-based revolving credit society.

Showing the flexible and multifunctioning nature of credit organisations, this group not only initially gave each other loans for small businesses and housing development but later started organisation that owned and controlled businesses such as a cinnamon oil factory. Sanasa Bank and NDB Bank among many other private and public financial organisations have successfully engaged in this business over the years.

Micro credit facilities and organisations are not only financial but also social service organisations. In addition to the direct economic benefits for women, their quality of life improves through the impact their financial power has on their marital dynamics, resource acquisition, gaining skills and social status.

The evaluation of micro credit involvement among women shows that, due to these beneficial effects, women have clearly gained marital and community power, although poverty alleviation was still elusive. While escape from poverty may not be possible, it has shown significant financial benefits for associated families.

Programs especially showing success with women are crucial, as the population of greatest need in the post-war regions are women-headed households. With over 7,000 such families recorded in Kilinochchi District alone, the need for such micro credit organisations to bridge the gap between poverty and entrepreneur development is essential.

As they prefer self-employment and their biggest concern is lack of credit, intervening with micro credit organisations is a good fit. Moreover, there will be trickle down effects on the local economy, such as its impact on the high unemployment rates in post-war regions of Sri Lanka.

The focus group interviews of single women headed households clearly indicated their frustration at being isolated from banking facilities, business knowledge, supply chain, inefficient public sector and a clear lack of interest to engage with them from the private sector. Ironically, they themselves soundly stated the superior production capacity in their region in the daily and fisheries activities.

The discussion groups were clearly articulating the need to add value to their abundant raw produce and the need to find the most lucrative markets for their products. Again expressing their frustrations, the participants mentioned the lack of knowledge, facilities, and formal or informal social networks for them to accomplish these necessary next steps to grow their small businesses.

To quantitatively explore these financial needs expressed in the qualitative focus groups, the National Human Resource Development Council of Sri Lanka (NHRDC) conducted a census of the most needy families in the post war regionabout 7,000 single-women-headed households.

Kilinochchi region and its people

Kilinochchi is not only a district affected by the recently concluded war, but also one affected by the 2004 tsunami. Previous studies have identified basic experiences of area residents related to water, sanitation, technology, facilities, schools and personal hygiene.

While these were critical aspects, no previous study has conducted a comprehensive assessment of factors that impact the influencing mechanisms behind income and employment needs of the most underprivileged segment of the population in Kilinochchi single mother-headed families.

Such post-war areas of Sri Lanka are desperately poor due to disadvantaged social and economic circumstances. Socially disadvantaged families such as those in financial strain, those with less parenting support (e.g. single parent), families with lower level of educating, lower parenting skills, individuals with mental illnesses, those that lack social support or formal and an informal community network, and individuals specially in the developing work context suffer greater daily strains and stressful events.

The need to improve the lives of youth and adults that live under these disadvantaged conditions because of the risks to their health (behavioural, physical and mental), livelihood, career, trainings, and academic achievements, and the ability to live productive lives.

These families are economically disadvantaged with no business opportunities, credit facilities, banking facilities, lenders or access to markets, and are consequently left out of the supply chain and forgotten by investors and business opportunists.

Sample description

We administered in-person quantitative questionnaires to participants as follows: Poonakary DS division 953 and Pallai DS division 722.

In the Karachchi DS division we sampled 3,399 individuals (3,144 widows and 255 parentless households), while in the Kandawalai DS division we sampled 1,341 individuals (1,188 widows and 153 parentless households).

Individual interviews were also conducted with politicians, INGOs, NGOs, departments, CBOs, business persons, and religious leaders. As described previously, focus group interviews were conducted with widows and women in general. Of these, 86 interviewers were trained in Pallai and Poonakary in order to conduct this study.

Results of the survey questionnaire relevant to microfinance

Most engage in traditional agricultural and fishery industries; producing dairy or fish, as self-employment is the only practical option for most due to the lack of alternative employment and the availability of agricultural and fisheries resources.

They do not profit much from this work, as they are not knowledgeable in ways to add value to their products, have no facilities to do so, are unable to take their products to the market, and have no facilities to store, pack and fulfil other product-related needs. They sell their produce at far below market prices, often to a single vendor.

If they produce 100 litres of milk per day, they sell it for Rs. 49 a bottle to this single vendor, who in turn sells it for Rs. 60 a bottle in Batticaloa. As well as dairy work, many are also engaged in paddy cultivation, and repeatedly express their desire for training to conduct integrated farming. Other obstacles to financial wellbeing are transport and the lack of employment opportunities.

Moreover, it was impractical for these single parent families to leave their children unattended to go looking for work or conduct business activities away from home. There is distrust of the outside in sending their children to far away schools for higher studies.

Most of them are not interested in getting a vocational training mainly because the course schedules will interfere with their daily wage earning work; even if they were aware of its importance, divisions such as these still lack such institutions, and there is also lack of confidence in finding employment even after training at these institutions.

Many with previous vocational training need facilities and equipment to conduct their businesses. Many do not have the money to follow training courses that may develop their entrepreneur skills and are held back by family burdens. Related to the general area of finance is the fact that most of those engaged in labour do not have skills to manage the wages they earn (Rs. 1,000 per day).

Ways micro-financing can intervene

Due to the lack of employment opportunities, many in this post-war region have turned to self-employment as their preferred option. Microfinance can intervene as a stepping stone to facilitate this. Financing groups can be established by womens and mens rural development societies with a built-in monitoring system of borrowers.

Low interest loans for investments can be provided for promising members of a community. Assistance can be given to interested communities in order to organise themselves into financial self-help groups.

Compared to other regions that have used micro-financing with mixed success to due misusing of funds by powerful members of a community, the members of post war regions are equally powerless and need financial help from self-help credit organisations.

In forming micro credit organisations, post-war regions need special assistance due to the lack any prior experience in such activities. In doing so, they must be encouraged to co-ordinate their activities with a Divisional Secretariat (DS) and the local Grama Niladhari (GN) to avoid duplications and to locate the community members most in need of assistance.

Assessments of community members needs must be conducted with the assistance of the GN prior to awarding credit. Thus, the DS can help identify the communities while the GN can help select the individuals within them. An organisation that can act as guarantors and require no collateral is a welcome relief for individuals overwhelmed by their inexperience and severe vulnerability in the post-war regions of Sri Lanka.

The benefits of micro-financing are numerous for these poor communities. Firstly, subsistence-level entrepreneurs will be able make networks with other public and private organisations to grow their businesses in innovative directions and more profitable levels.

Secondly, these beneficiaries will use their existing resources to reap multiple benefits from previously profitable activities. Third, employment will be created through the beneficiaries successful business activities. And lastly, these to immediate and long-term economic and social benefits will create a higher quality of life and standard of living for their families.

(S. Thanigaseelan is the Assistant Director of NHRDC and Dr. K.A. Thulitha Wickrama holds a PhD in Human Development and Family Studies.)

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Forty Years After "Baby Beluga," Here’s Why I’m Enlisting in War World III to Defeat the Climate Crisis – Common Dreams

Posted: at 1:11 am

"Climate change is the defining issue of our time. Science tells us that on our current path, we face at least 3 degrees Celsius of global heating by the end of the century. I will not be there, but my granddaughters will. I refuse to be an accomplice in the destruction of their one and only home." Antnio Guterres, UN Secretary General

"Our house is on fire. Act like it." Greta Thunberg

As a longtime advocate for children and the Earthand in this year when my song "Baby Beluga" turns 40I feel I must speak out for the sake of my beloved fans, the "beluga grads" and their kids, on the climate emergency we all face.

People live with faith that one day will lead to another, that their future lives are not in question, that their kids can imagine adulthood. For many, that's getting increasingly difficult. As New York Yankee catcher Yogi Berra said, "The future ain't what it used to be." Humanity's future is in jeopardy.

Australia is burning in unprecedented megafires. Its climate-denying government just mobilized a military response. And their summer's extreme heat will likely bring more devastation, and an even greater deployment of military support.

"We have ten years to secure the future. To do what's never been done before."

As we run out of time to respond to the existential climate emergency our world faces, I've run out of patience. Since 1989, when I first learned about the global warming danger, in my climate songs and in essays I've done my best to rouse people to action. In a 2011 essay The Right To A Future, I wrote, "Nobody can guarantee a future, but who has the right to steal it?" During the 2019 climate strikes worldwide, young people all over the world were repeatedly protesting their stolen futures.

Given the failure of the last three decades to mount effective action against global warming, given the recent failure of the UN COP25 climate conference in Madrid, and given the 2018 IPCC Report directive to reduce GHG emissions in half by 2030, I am now adding my voice and support to those who recognize the urgent need for nothing less than a wartime response to the climate emergencya massive mobilization of clean energy resources in order to make unprecedented annual GHG cuts, year after year. And I am calling this massive new effort by a solemn name: "Climate World War III."

We have ten years to secure the future. To do what's never been done before.

In a 2016 essay, A World At War, author and climate activist Bill McKibben wrote: "It's not that global warming is like a world war, it is a world war. And we are losing."

Both World War I and World War II pitted nation against nation, resulting in tens of millions killed and wounded and populations traumatized. The Climate WW3 I speak of here is entirely different. This is a truly global war, a cooperative multinational effort to safeguard the right of the world's children to a stable climate, and to speed the transition from fossil fuels to clean renewable energy. Climate WW3 involves a wartime mobilization fueled by love. For all that we hold precious.

In Canada, MP Elizabeth May has been a longtime climate crusader and in a recent stirring speech in Parliament had this to say: "I've had a ringside seat, Mr. Speaker, to decades in which we could have arrested climate change before our glaciers were melting, before we were losing the Arctic, before our forests were on fire... we had a chance in the 1990s and we blew it."

"Climate WW3 involves a wartime mobilization fueled by love. For all that we hold precious."

Who's to blame? There's plenty of blame to go around. Politicians, governments have played deaf, dumb, and blind to the climate science warnings from a number of sourcesincluding the Union Of Concerned Scientists, who issued clear calls to contain climate change before it grew impossible to do so. Decades ago, the oil and gas giant ExxonMobil knew of the possible catastrophic impacts of global heating and the greenhouse effect. They withheld the information, spent millions to cover it up, and deceived the public.

Spring forward 10 years to the year 2030.

Imagine Its 2030

How do we want to feel in 2030? What might we regret? What will we applaud?

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In 2030 I will be 82 years old. I want to feel, looking back, that during the decade of the 2020s I did all I could in the effort to stabilize global climate to secure our children's future. I want to feel that I helped fight the impending climate catastrophe with all my might.

"As a climate emergency responder, I hereby enlist myself in Climate WW3, a war of survival against runaway climate changea 10-year campaign, a decade long war."

As a climate emergency responder, I hereby enlist myself in Climate WW3, a war of survival against runaway climate changea 10-year campaign, a decade long war.

In the fall of 2019, an estimated 7.5 million people in over 150 countries took part in climate strike rallies. I recorded the rousing song "Young People Marching" to commemorate the Fridays For Future movement that the brave young Greta Thunberg made popular. This Is Zero Hour co-founder Jamie Margolin of the US and climate striker Leah Namugerwa of Uganda are two other teen leaders in a rising tide of youth voices shouting in unisonsave our future!

At the UN Climate Summit in September of 2019, Greta Thunbergs emotional "How dare you!" speech had me in tears. Its moral truth is undeniable. "The eyes of all future generations are upon you. And if you choose to fail us, I say, we will never forgive you."

Wartime Mobilization

"Defeating the Nazis required more than brave soldiers. It required building big factories, and building them really, really fast." Bill McKibben

In both Canada and the United States, World War II brought sweeping government mandated changes to the economy. Civilian factories were ordered to change their output to military hardware: airplanes, tanks, munitions. Rationing of goods was mandated, and a steady stream of public service announcements extolled the virtues of sacrifice for the war effort. It was a massive undertaking and a huge success. (McKibben's essay is full of detailed numbers on the dollars spent and the production output.)

This year, pressure on elected leaders will grow to a fever pitch. The US presidential election may herald a total reversal of the climate denial of past years. Green New Deal legislation has already been proposed for the Congress to transform the economy.

Facing The Climate Emergency, a book by ClimateMobilization.org co-founder Margaret Klein Salamon, is one of several notable climate books due this year. Ms. Klein Salamon encourages us to feel the fright of the climate peril, so that we can effectively rise to meet the threat. She urges us to live in "emergency mode."

Living In A Long Emergency

Enlisting in Climate WW3, we're in for the long haul. As we pressure elected officials to enact World War II-style climate mobilization, we'll be living in two streams: daily life and emergency mode. At home, school and at work, we'll talk and share. We need age appropriate dialogue with kids, and climate education in the school curriculum.

"Whatever our conscience bids us to change in our personal lives to lower our own carbon footprint, this must be amplified by a commitment to actively call for systemic change."

Whatever our conscience bids us to change in our personal lives to lower our own carbon footprint, this must be amplified by a commitment to actively call for systemic change. Just as groups of friends and entire families are going on climate strikes, they can also make their views heard in other ways. Emails and calls to the regional and federal offices of our elected officials is essential. A count is kept of how many contact them and why. You do have some influence, provided you act.

For a vision of a restorative future, The Raffi Foundation For Child Honouring offers an online course in Child Honouring, based on 9 principles for conscious living. Among them are Diversity, Sustainability and Ethical Commerce. One way to feel empowered is to take the course, get energized and become a changemaker.

This year as we celebrate Baby Beluga's 40th anniversary, join memake a vow to do your utmost to help win Climate WW3 and secure the future. Enlist today.

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The Clipper Race Leg 5 – Race 6, Day 3: Le Mans Race start and finding the wind – Sail World

Posted: at 1:10 am

by Clipper Round the World Race 22 Jan 08:01 PST 22 January 2020

The Clipper Race fleet has made its way through the beautiful Great Barrier Reef as they navigate away from Australia and start their route to China with the first stop being Sanya in Race 6 of Leg 5: The Sanya Tropical Paradise Race.

The fleet has taken part in a Le Mans Race Start which took place at 0700LT (2100UTC). Imagine Your Korea's Skipper Rob Graham who was the Race Officer for the Le Mans start states that there was a "good clean start by all eleven boats, Punta del Este and Imagine your Korea did well in the centre and Visit Sanya, China and Qingdao did the best either side. Everybody was holding a south tack for the moment but heading up to close-hauled."

So, what is a Le Mans start? Essentially all 11 of the fleet were lined up under engines with their mainsails raised and their headsails ready to go. Upon Race Start, the fleet can proceed forward raising their headsails and it is a rolling start.

Without doubt, the sense of occasion and sight of the Le Mans start was admired by all. WTC Logistics Skipper, Rich Gould says: "A Le Mans start is certainly an impressive sight, with whole fleet all raising head sails at the same time, the sound of 22 sails being raised and many winches spinning filling the air."

Currently sitting in the lead on the Clipper Race Viewer, is Ha Long Bay, Viet Nam, with WTC Logistics and Seattle currently in second and third place respectively.

Some of the teams looked to utilise their extra (and unexpected) day in port with some additional training. Unicef, Imagine Your Korea and Seattle both opted to undertake some additional training.

At this early stage, all crew members are observing the other boats tactics with interest. However, the weather conditions continue to frustrate the crew. Imagine Your Korea's AQP Sam says: In these conditions there is no way out, other than to keep making the best of what little puffs you can find. This can be frustrating and tiring in a way that heavy weather sailing is not."

The delay to the start of the race provided ample opportunity for some fleet members to improve their skills. For new crew members that joined the race in the Whitsundays, this has been an intriguing introduction to ocean racing. Their fellow crew members have been quick to impart their knowledge on to the 'newbies'.The hot and heavy weather conditions do not make for the most comfortable of passages. Qingdao's Skipper, Chris Brooks reveals that: 'It has been a tough day under the scorching sun. There have been very light winds and half of us have fallen into a wind hole."

Unicef's Skipper Ian Wiggin is in agreement. He says: "The going has been slow - we have only managed eight miles as the crow (seagull??) flies in the past seven hours - but we are right back amongst the fleet. It is a real chess match at the moment, as we fight quite a strong current and some very changeable light winds which seem to be both conspiring to drive us south at the moment and undo all those hard fought gains of this morning. The forecast is for more of the same over the next 48 hours or so, so our resolve, patience and determination will be tested to the full."

Keep an eye on the Race Viewer to find out how the race is progressing.

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Facebook And FTC Urge Judge To Approve $5 Billion Privacy Settlement 01/27/2020 – MediaPost Communications

Posted: at 1:09 am

Facebook says it will provide users with privacy protections far beyond thoserequired by United States law," as part of a $5 billion proposed settlement with the Federal Trade Commission.

The company makes the statement in papers filed Friday that urge U.S. DistrictCourt Judge Timothy Kelly in Washington, D.C. to approve the controversial deal.

Facebook agreed to the sweeping terms in the Stipulated Order because it is committed to rebuilding thetrust of its users and protecting consumers privacy, lawyers for the social networking platform write.

The FTC also urged Kelly to sign off on the settlement, arguing it willbring definite and substantial relief to consumers as soon as possible.

In addition to the $5 billion fine, the deal requires Facebook to accept new oversight onprivacy.

If accepted by Kelly, the deal would also immunize Facebook from prosecution for some other potential privacy violations that occurred before June 12 of last year.

Thesettlement, approved by a 3-2 vote at the FTC, has drawn criticism from numerous observers, including Senator Ed Markey(D-Massachusetts), who called it an "insult to consumers."

The new filings by Facebook and the FTC come in response to a challenge to the proposed settlement by five advocacy groups --including the Electronic Privacy Information Center, Public Citizen, Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, Common Sense Media and U.S. Public Interest Research Group -- that argued the deal is toofavorable to the company.

Among other concerns, the advocates say the deal's immunity provisions are too broad.

The settlement releases Facebook from liability for pastviolations that are not addressed or even identified in the complaint, and the settlement does not impose meaningful changes to Facebooks business practices, EPIC wrote in papers filedwith Kelly last October. No one can fairly evaluate the propriety of a settlement whose terms are indeterminate; not the FTC, not the court, and certainly not the public.

The FTCsays in its most recent court filing that the settlement only releases Facebook from liability for alleged violations noted in the agency's complaint.

The proposed settlement does notin fact release any actual violations of the FTC Act beyond those discussed in the complaint, the agency writes. This is because, after extensive investigation and review of submittedconsumer complaints, the FTC knew of no other cognizable violations that occurred before June 12, 2019.

If granted approval, the deal will resolve an investigation into whether Facebookviolated the terms of a 2012 consent decree. That earlier order, which also stemmed from an investigation into Facebook's privacy practices, prohibits the company from misrepresenting its datapolicies to users.

Facebook allegedly ran afoul of the decree in several ways, including by allowing Cambridge Analytica and other outside developers to access users' data. Facebook alsoallegedly violated the prior order by collecting phone numbers for security purposes but then using them for advertising, and misleading people about the use of facial recognition technology,according to the FTC's complaint.

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ESPN is rolling out 500 live shows across YouTube, Facebook and other platforms – Digiday

Posted: at 1:09 am

With a new social media star and a fresh studio dedicated to its digital programming, ESPN is upgrading online game viewing.

The TV network opened 2020 by announcing that it had hired House of Highlights founder Omar Raja. The company has also renovated the studio previously used by one of its most popular TV shows, First Take, to give ESPNs digital programming its own, 2,750-square-foot home. This year ESPN plans to air more than 500 live original shows across its own digital properties and platforms including YouTube, Twitter, Snapchat and Facebook. That figure includes the individual episodes of series like the NBA pregame show Hoop Streams. And the tally tops the more than 400 digital shows that ESPN aired in 2019, which was double its 2018 figure.

ESPNs hire of Raja signals how the sports media landscape has shifted online, in large part because of what he did with House of Highlights. Despite the very name of the original Instagram account, House of Highlights put a spotlight on the world of sports beyond the highlights to document its role in culture overall. Now a wave of media companies from House of Highlights and its parentBleacher Report toBarstool SportsandOvertime are trying to establish themselves as the premier sports publications for those viewers who are less likely to tune into traditional TV and might be as interested in players banter as well as the plays themselves.

Over the past two years, ESPN has been working to develop its voice online and grow its audience across its own digital properties and on platforms such as YouTube, Twitter and Facebook, said Ryan Spoon, ESPNs svp of digital and social media content. While ESPNs College GameDay TV show skews more analytical, its college football pregame show produced for Twitter is meant to be more fun and feature peripheral topics surrounding the game.

These shows are different than the shows we do on TV, Spoon said. If you think about what we did leading into college football, the social shows are often very relaxed. I put [an all-] capital fun in front of the tone we want to see. Theyre about driving interest and enjoyment around it.

Traffic to ESPNs owned-and-operated digital properties has held fairly steady over the past year. In December 2019, all ESPN sites and apps combined received 102.4 million unique visitors in the U.S., a 4% increase from the December 2018 mark, according to Comscore. Meanwhile ESPNs video viewership via social media has ballooned over the past year. Across YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, ESPN received 2.2 billion video views in December 2019, a 58% increase from the December 2018 tally, according to Tubular Labs.

ESPNs viewership on social media channels is likely to swell even more in the wake of Rajas hire. With 794,800 followers across its various Instagram accounts at the end of 2019, ESPN entered 2020 with a significantly larger follower base on Instagram than on YouTube, Twitter or Facebook; none of the latter three channels had 340,000 followers then, according to Tubular Labs. Raja will serve as the primary voice on ESPNs SportsCenter Instagram account and is expected to project there his skills in previously cultivating an active community on the House of Highlights Instagram account. Candidly, thats not something we had done previously, Spoon said.

The expansion of ESPNs live digital programming and social media presence should help its business at a time when TV advertisers are planning to shift more money online, particularly to reach younger people who are less likely to tune into traditional TV.

An exclusive, inside look at whats actually happening in the video industry, including original reporting, analysis of important stories and interviews with interesting executives and other newsmakers.

A couple years ago, we saw a lot of content [from ESPN] on social [media], but it was really just content that was repurposed from the linear broadcast and just putting it on social media, said Chip Johnson, vp of Publicis Sport & Entertainment. Now ESPN is really trying to make an effort to make social-first content.

ESPN isnt setting up conversations with advertisers only about its TV shows. While TV remains its cash cow, ESPN has cultivated an audience on platforms like Snapchat; thus ESPN can pitch advertisers on its ability to reach people who might not be reached through its linear networks.

Seventy to eighty percent of the viewers of SportsCenter on Snapchat never go to the linear channel, said Sean Hanrahan, svp of sports brand solutions at Disney Advertising Sales. ESPN aims to increase its Snapchat viewership following its addition earlier this month of an evening edition of the SportsCenter Snapchat show, which it updates with clips throughout the night as games are played.

But having conversations about sponsoring digital shows can be an adjustment for advertisers that are accustomed to having their brands featured on ESPNs TV programs. Not only is the content of ESPNs digital shows less buttoned-up but so is the advertising.

For example, ESPN produced a live digital show in November upon the release of the college football playoff rankings and drew a Cheez-It sponsorship. The show featured ESPN hosts Jason Fitz and Mike Golic Jr. who appeared on a couch with a branded bowl of the companys crackers between them. A decade ago, ESPN would have never considered doing that, Hanrahan said.

Since 2017 ESPN has tried to warm up advertisers to the idea of sponsoring its live digital shows. That effort seems to have hit an inflection point in 2019. Last year marked the first time that ESPN sold out all the advertising opportunities in three of the college football live shows it airs on Twitter; the sponsors included Coca-Cola, Samsung and Cheez-It. In 2019, ESPNs overall digital programming slate helped to grow the companys digital revenue 92%, as compared to the prior year, according to an ESPN spokesperson.

People are looking for growth areas, but I think they want to look to social [media] first versus adding more in TV, said Johnson. He was referring to advertisers, though the stance could also be ascribed to ESPN.

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Facebook should ban Holocaust denial to mark 75th anniversary of Auschwitz liberation – USA TODAY

Posted: at 1:09 am

Jonathan A. Greenblatt, Opinion contributor Published 7:00 a.m. ET Jan. 26, 2020 | Updated 1:23 p.m. ET Jan. 26, 2020

A 'Holocaust Revisionism' group promotes a 'Holocaust Deprogramming Course' to counter 'Holo-brainwashing.' This is anti-Semitism, not misinformation.

Since the world first learned of the genocide that unfolded in concentration camps across Europe during World War II, there hasbeen much progress toward ensuring the lessons of the Holocaust are not easily forgotten.

As we mark the 75thanniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, theres solace in the fact that world leaders, the United Nations and European governmentscontinue to honor the memory of the 6 million Jews and millions of others who perished. Along with videotaped survivor testimonies and Holocaust education in schools, this goesa long way toward ensuring that the message of Never Again will continue to resonate into the future.

But theres also reason for concern. At a time when anti-Semitism is risingand when public awareness of the Holocaustis waning, we cannot let our guard down and assume the world wont forget. Recent trends suggest that theres much work to be done, both in terms of promoting greater awareness and in guarding against denialism.

The ready availability of Holocaust denial on social media remains one of the most pressing problems.

With a staggering 2.45 billion monthly active users worldwide, Facebook is the largest and most established offender. Facebooks policies still do not specify Holocaust denial to be hate.

This, despite thecontroversy in 2018after Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg suggested that Holocaust denial while abhorrent to him was nevertheless an opinion, not outright hate speech, and therefore not prohibited content. Facebook doubled down on this approach when, in announcing the change to its policy prohibiting white nationalism in March 2019, it reaffirmed that Holocaust denial was a form of misinformation.

The entrance to Auschwitz concentration camp in Oswiecim, Poland.(Photo: Pawel Sawicki/Auschwitz Memorial and Museum via epa-EFE)

This means that even if you report Holocaust denial on Facebook, and even if it is determined by Facebook to be Holocaust denial, it will not be taken down for violating Facebooks policies. You can easily locate pages from notorious Holocaust denial groups on Facebook with just a few clicks. For instance, a group called "Holocaust Revisionism," withover 1,900 members, includes posts promoting a "Holocaust Deprogramming Course" which claims it will free readers from a lifetime of Holo-brainwashing. To Facebook, this is merely misinformation.

Lets be clear:Holocaust denialis nothing more than anti-Semitism. It is an attempt to deny the Jewish people their history, one of many tactics used by bigots in the long-running campaign to delegitimize the Jewish people.Deniers claim that the Holocaust never happened, or that some much smaller number of Jews did diebut primarily from diseases.They also claim that accounts of the Holocaust are merely propaganda generated by Jews for their own benefit. Denialismis often used by some of the worlds foremost anti-Semites among them former Ku Klux Klan wizardDavid Duke, Iranian Supreme LeaderAli Khameneiand 2018 congressional candidateArthur Jonesto foment hate against Jews.

Revive, expand coalition: Martin Luther King Jr. would want Jewish & African Americans to stand united against hate

Holocaust denial and related forms of anti-Semitism are easily available to anyone with an internet connection. According to law enforcement, more thana month before a machete-wielding man stabbed five people at a Hanukkah party in Monsey, New York, heused an online search engine for the query, Why did Hitler hate the Jews?Giventhe well-documented proliferation of anti-Semitism on social mediaand on the internet in general, one would assume he found plenty of confirmation of his alleged biases.

Some popular social media platforms recently have taken steps to mitigate the impact of Holocaust denial. On Jan. 8, TikTok released a new set of community guidelines thatbannedHolocaust denial and conspiracy theories. LastJune, YouTube changed itspolicyto ban videos promoting Holocaust denial, white supremacy and harmful conspiracy theories. These are welcome developments.

Even so, the question remains: With the countless videos and other types of content being shared on these social platforms and others, how does anyone enforce or police this effectively?

Other platforms are struggling with this, too. It was recently brought to the attention of Spotify, the music streaming service,that a cursory search of its playlists for Anne Frank found playlists with disturbing titles such as getting gassed with Anne Frank.Spotify says it isin the process of removingthose offensive playlists.

Online retailer Amazon has struggled to deal with retailers hawking questionable Nazi-glorifying merchandise such as Auschwitz Holocaust Christmas ornaments. Anda recent Anti-Defamation Leaguesurvey found that almost 1in 10 Americans who play online multiplayer gamesare exposedto discussions about Holocaust denial.

Tree of Life anniversary: American Jews see rising anti-Semitism

Addressing these problems will take a concerted effort by the tech industry. For that to happen, though, there needs to be a full recognition of a basic reality: Holocaust denial is anti-Semitismand therefore hate speech. Unfortunately, Facebook, the largest social media platformon the planet, just cant seem to get there.

At a time when online hate speech and white supremacy is demonstrably leading to violent acts witness Pittsburgh, Poway, El Paso, Christchurch, Jersey City, Monsey and Halle, Germanyit is imperative that the history of the Holocaust is preserved and respected.

Social media companies can play a unique role in helping preserve that history by adopting policies that explicitly forbid Holocaust denial. In light of the wave of anti-Semitic violence that has plagued our country over the past year, its time for these companies to step up.

Jonathan A. Greenblatt is CEO and national director of the Anti-Defamation League. Follow him on Twitter:@JGreenblattADL

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Amazon, Facebook, Starbucks, Tesla and More Major Earnings Coming This Week – 24/7 Wall St.

Posted: at 1:09 am

This week will be perhaps the biggest week of earnings season, with many major names reporting. Last week we saw positive results lift the S&P 500, Dow Jones industrial average, and Nasdaq to all-time highs. And with the likes of Amazon, Facebook, Tesla, and more reporting, the markets could keep running.

This is also a huge week for the Dow Jones industrials, with nearly half of the index expected to report.

24/7 Wall St. has put together a preview of the most prominent earnings reports this week. We have included the consensus earnings estimates, as well as the stock price and trading history. Be advised that the earnings and revenue estimates may change ahead of the formal reports, and some companies may change reporting dates as well.

Beyond Meat Inc.s (NASDAQ: BYND) fourth-quarter report is due late on Monday. The consensus estimates call for $0.01 in earnings per share (EPS) and $76.36 million in revenue. Shares ended the week shy of $120. The consensus price target is just $105.84, and the post-IPO range trading range is $45.00 to $239.71.

Fourth-quarter results for Biogen Inc. (NASDAQ: BIIB) are expected early on Tuesday. The consensus estimates are earnings of $7.95 per share on revenue of $3.53 billion. Shares traded slipped below $280 on Friday, while the consensus price target is $304.57. The 52-week range trading range is $215.78 to $338.87.

Starbucks Corp. (NASDAQ: SBUX) is scheduled to report its fiscal first-quarter earnings Tuesday afternoon. The consensus estimates call for $0.76 in EPS and revenue of $7.1 billion. Shares were changing hands near $92 as the week ended. The $95.48 mean price target compares with a 52-week trading range of $65.91 to $99.72.

eBay Inc. (NASDAQ: EBAY) is set to report its fourth-quarter earnings Tuesday after the close. The consensus estimates call for $0.76 in EPS and revenue of $2.81 billion. Shares were changing hands at $35.36 on last look. The $39.54 mean price target compares with the 52-week trading range of $32.77 to $42.00.

Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (NASDAQ: AMD) is scheduled to report its fourth-quarter results late Tuesday. The consensus estimates call $0.31 in EPS and revenue of $2.11 billion. The share price dropped below $51 on Friday. The analysts mean price target is $42.78, and the 52-week trading range is $19.05 to $52.81.

Look for Amgen Inc. (NASDAQ: AMGN) to share its most recent quarterly results after Tuesdays closing bell as well. The consensus forecast calls for $3.51 in EPS and $6.08 billion in revenue for the fourth quarter. Shares closed below $226 on Friday. The consensus price target is just $243.36, and shares have traded between $166.30 and $244.99 in the past 52 weeks.

Alibaba Group Holdings Ltd.s (NYSE: BABA) fiscal third-quarter report is due early on Wednesday. The consensus estimates call for $2.22 in EPS and $22.45 billion in revenue. Shares ended the week near $214. The consensus price target is $237.22, and the 52-week range trading range is $147.95 to $231.14.

The report from AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) is expected Wednesday morning as well. The fourth-quarter consensus estimates are $0.87 EPS on revenue of $46.95 billion. Shares closed north of $38 on Friday, in a 52-week range of $28.92 to $39.70. The consensus price target is $39.17.

Mastercard Inc. (NYSE: MA) is set to release its fourth-quarter numbers before Wednesdays regular trading begins. The consensus estimates call for $1.67 in EPS and revenue of $4.4 billion. Shares were last seen trading at $323.67 apiece. The consensus price target is $339.57, and the 52-week trading range is $197.66 to $327.09.

Look for General Electric Co. (NYSE: GE) to share its fourth-quarter numbers before Wednesdays open. The consensus estimates call for $0.18 in EPS and revenue of $25.59 billion. Shares closed at $11.71 apiece, above the consensus price target of $11.27. The 52-week trading range is $7.65 to $12.24.

PayPal Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: PYPL) will release its most recent quarterly results on Wednesday afternoon. The consensus forecast calls for $0.83 in EPS and $4.94 billion in revenue for the fourth quarter. Shares closed around $117 on Friday. The consensus price target is $129.24. The share price has ranged from $86.62 to $121.48 in the past 52 weeks.

Qualcomm Inc.s (NASDAQ: QCOM) fiscal third-quarter report is due late on Wednesday. The consensus estimates call for $0.85 in earnings per share (EPS) and $4.83 billion in revenue. Shares ended the week below $90. The consensus price target is $99.25, and the 52-week range trading range is $49.10 to $96.17.

Fourth-quarter results for Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ: TSLA) are expected after Wednesdays close. The consensus forecast sees earnings at $1.72 per share on revenue of $7.02 billion. Shares traded near $565 as the trading week closed, while the consensus price target is down at $368.35. The 52-week range trading range is $176.99 to $594.50.

Facebook Inc. (NASDAQ: FB) also is scheduled to report its fourth-quarter earnings Wednesday afternoon. The consensus estimates call for $2.53 in EPS and revenue of $20.88 billion. Shares were changing hands just below $218 on last look. The $245.92 mean price target is well above the 52-week trading range of $143.43 to $222.75.

Eli Lilly and Co. (NYSE: LLY) is due to report its fourth-quarter results early on Thursday. The consensus estimates call for $1.52 in EPS and revenue of $5.91 billion. The share price dropped to about $139 on Friday but was still above the analysts mean price target of $133.08. The 52-week trading range is $101.36 to $142.25.

The Alexion Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: ALXN) fourth-quarter report is due first thing Thursday as well. The consensus estimates call for $2.58 in EPS and $1.3 billion in revenue. Shares ended the week above $105. The consensus price target is $145.11, and the 52-week range trading range is $94.59 to $141.86.

Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) will share its most recent quarterly results after Thursdays close. The consensus forecast calls for $4.04 in EPS and $85.9 billion in revenue for the fourth quarter. Shares closed trading at $1,861.64 on Friday. The consensus price target is $2,181.63, and shares have traded between $1,566.76 and $2,035.80 in the past 52 weeks.

Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: EA) is expected to report Thursday afternoon too. The fourth-quarter consensus estimates are $2.51 EPS on revenue of $1.96 billion. Shares closed at $112.33 on Friday, in a 52-week range of $78.00 to $114.13. The consensus price target is $111.90.

And watch for Honeywell International Inc. (NYSE: HON) to release its most recent quarterly results on Friday morning. The consensus forecast calls for $2.04 in EPS and $9.61 billion in revenue for the fourth quarter. Shares saw a year-to-date low of $176.49 on Friday. The consensus price target is $188.55. The share price has ranged from $138.87 to $184.06 in the past 52 weeks.

By Chris Lange

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Mom finds pictures of her kids on strangers Facebook profile – fox5sandiego.com

Posted: at 1:09 am

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ARCHDALE, N.C. -- A simple scroll on Facebook took a concerning turn for amother from North Carolina.

Becky Smith said she was not expecting to see a portrait of her three kids used on someone's profile, according to WGHP.

She said a man who lives nearly 300 miles away used a picture of her kids as his own profile picture. She didn't know him at all and found it very creepy.

"My mouth dropped and I'm like am I seeing this for real? I was just like, what in the world? I took screenshots of it to make sure it was real," Smith said.

Smith says she was so confused and didn't understand why anyone would do this.

"I definitely describe it as creepy because I just can't imagine what the reasoning is why he would use somebody else's picture," Smith said.

She shared what happened with her friends and reported the photo to Facebook.

"I got two responses from Facebook today saying that they didn't think anything was wrong ... that they investigated it and that that person was not trying to pretend to be me," Smith said.

Smith said she shares pictures of her kids all the time online, especially to connect with friends far away.

"I love being able to see their kids growing up that way and I know they like seeing my kids growing," Smith said.

Smith even took it a step further by sending the man a personal message asking him to remove the picture.

"I sent him a private message and just said, 'Why are you using my photo as your profile picture?'" Smith said.

WGHP reached out to Facebook about the issue All they could tell us is that their team is looking into the matter and will take appropriate action.

"I just want the picture taken down. I mean I just really wish that Facebook would make him take it down and just be more mindful of things like this that happen," Smith said.

Later in the evening, Smith noticed the man took the image down. Facebook also confirmed with us the image was removed.

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The life and career rise of Instagram head Adam Mosseri, the Facebook exec behind ‘like’ counts disappearing – Business Insider

Posted: at 1:09 am

While attending NYU, Mosseri launched his own design firm called Blank Mosseri. The company focused on graphic, interaction, and exhibition design including making a rendering of what One World Trade Center could look like and eventually was able to open a second office in San Francisco.

Source: Yahoo Finance, Adam Mosseri on LinkedIn

After graduating from NYU in 2005, Mosseri moved out to San Francisco to work out of his design firm's West Coast office. He told the New York Times that he created a music-sharing app called Boombox, which promptly got shut down but it did catch the attention of Facebook.

Source: New York Times, Adam Mosseri on LinkedIn

Mosseri took a job the following year as an adjunct professor at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. He stayed on for only one school year, then went to work at a live-video startup called TokBox as its first product designer.

Source: Yahoo Finance, Adam Mosseri on LinkedIn

Mosseri joined Facebook's design team in 2008. His longtime girlfriend (and now-wife), Monica, was already working at the company. The couple got married in 2013 while they both were working at Facebook.

Source: New York Times

In 2012, Mosseri moved over to product management, where he worked on Facebook's mobile app and its failed Facebook Home interface. He was also put in charge of News Feed, tasking him with leading the product through one of Facebook's most difficult periods in 2016, when the platform was flooded with Russian propaganda and fake news during the presidential election.

Source: Yahoo Finance, TechCrunch

In his more than a decade at Facebook, Mosseri has reportedly become a "close confidant" to Facebook CEO Zuckerberg. According to a recent profile of Mosseri in the New York Times, the two men exist in similar social circles, go on morning pre-work runs together, and have children around the same age.

Source: New York Times

Mosseri went on paternity leave at the start of 2018 after his wife gave birth to the couple's second child. When he returned to Facebook in May 2018, Mosseri took over as Instagram's VP of product.

Source: Yahoo Finance, TechCrunch

In September 2018, Instagram co-founders Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger took the tech world by surprise and announced they were leaving their roles at Facebook, where they served as the photo-sharing app's CEO and CTO respectively. The departure reportedly came after growing tensions between the two cofounders and Zuckerberg over "the direction of the product."

Source: Business Insider

A week later, Facebook announced that Mosseri would take over as head of Instagram, after serving in six different roles at Facebook. In the announcement, Facebook touted Mosseri's background in design and "deep understanding of the importance of community." He was also tasked with recruiting a new executive team for the company to replace himself and other recent departures.

Source: Business Insider, TechCrunch

Mosseri's entry into the leading role at Instagram was reportedly met with skepticism internally at Facebook. But in his first year on the job, Mosseri pushed out a number of measures meant to improve user safety and integrity, especially related to bullying and mental health.

After Instagram was blamed for the suicide of British teenager Molly Russell in early 2019, Mosseri acknowledged the platform wasn't doing enough and Instagram banned all graphic images of self-harm soon afterwards.

However, the most significant change that's happened during Mosseri's tenure is Instagram's experiment with hiding public 'likes' on posts internally referred to as "Project Daisy." Mosseri has said the purpose of the test is to create "a less pressurized environment where people feel comfortable expressing themselves." The change is being tested on users around the world, but Mosseri has hinted the rollout could extend to everyone "early this year."

Mosseri said the project was at least partially inspired by an episode of "Black Mirror."

Source: Business Insider, New York Times

Mosseri's family is one of several tech executives who have been victims of swatting: prank calls made to police or 911 in an attempt to get a large police response, like a SWAT team, sent to someone else's home.

In November 2019, an emergency caller reported a shooting at Mosseri's home in San Francisco. Two days later, someone claiming to be Mosseri's brother called 911 to say he shot his wife three times, sending police to the address of the New York City apartment that the sibling owns.

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Father of Alabama man killed during Facebook Live video: The violence has to stop – AL.com

Posted: at 1:09 am

A Montgomery man was shot to death while streaming a Facebook Live video Thursday afternoon.

The victim has been identified as 34-year-old Roosevelt Rankins. Montgomery police Capt. Regina Duckett would not positively say that the man in the live video and the homicide victim were the same person, but the information she released about the deadly shooting matched the chain of events streamed live.

I can confirm that there is a live Facebook video related to this homicide, Duckett said.

Rankins father, Roosevelt Rankins Sr., confirmed his son was the man seen on the video. My family has seen it, but they have advised me not to, Rankins Sr. said Friday. This is the worst thing Ive ever been through. I wouldnt wish it on nobody.

Montgomery police and fire medics responded about 3 p.m. Thursday to the 2300 block of Stella Street on a report of a person shot. At the scene, Duckett said, they located a crash vehicle. In the vehicle, they found Rankins, the driver, who had sustained a fatal gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

A man who had been in the vehicle with Rankins was not injured.

A man with the Facebook name Crum King streamed the video which lasted roughly 45 minutes. Just under 25 minutes into the video, a shadow appears to the right of the victim. He looks to his right, flinches and then gunfire can be heard.

The phone appears to drop to the floorboard. It shows the victim trying to flee the scene before the vehicle crashes and the screen goes black. The livestream, however, continued and the victim could be heard moaning.

Somebody could be heard yelling call 911 and telling the victim dont go and wake up. Ultimately, first responders get to the scene on Stella Street and the livestream eventually goes silent.

The video as of Friday morning had been viewed 228,000 times on Facebook.

Rankins Sr., who served in the U.S. Army and retired after 26 years as an Alabama Department of Corrections officer, said he got a call from his niece telling him his son had been shot. He rushed to the Stella Street scene but could not get close.

Rankins Sr. said he believes his son, who had five children, was set up, possibly for robbery. He said hes had an outpouring of support following the killing, even from former inmates who were in prison when Rankins Sr. worked there.

There are too many young black men killing young black men, Rankins Sr. said. I cant understand whats going on with our people.

The violence has to stop, he said, and Im going to step up and start speaking out about it. Im hurt.

Duckett said Friday morning no arrests have been made and no additional information is available for release. Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 334-215-STOP, Montgomery police at 334-625-2831 or the secret witness line at 334-625-4000.

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