While the European Space Agency has no plans to build its own spacesuits any time soon, it wants to be ready. ESA recently held the Space Suit Design Competition, which allowed the public to submit designs for future European EVA (Extravehicular Activity) suits.
The competition received 90 entries and experts selected five winners. This first design above was created by Oussama Guarraz and focused on “modernity, cutting edge technology, innovation and sustainability”.
ESA invited all winners to an event and tour at the European Astronaut Center (EAC) near Cologne.
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“I am convinced that in the next few decades there will come a time when an ESA astronaut will wear a European space suit to further explore the surfaces of the Moon and Mars,” said Hervé Stevenin, director of EVA and parabolic flight training at the EAC. “With this event at the European Astronaut Center, our imagination has taken a small step in this exciting direction.”
The five winners of ESA’s space suit design competition. Photo credit: ESA.
The competition stimulated the general public to imagine what a future European EVA (External Vehicle Activity) suit might look like. Each design should encapsulate a few things: the extreme conditions that spacewalk suits must endure to protect our astronauts, and a new type of suit that should be immediately recognizable to future ESA astronauts.
There were a few “spacesuit must-haves” as shown in the image below, such as a backpack for a life support system and a visor in the helmet. ESA said they wanted the designs to emphasize ESA’s visual identity and branding rather than technical details, while maintaining realism. The competition was aimed at anyone interested in space and design.
ESA Space Suit Design Competition Rules. Photo credit: ESA
ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer was a member of an exploration jury. The winners of the competition presented their ideas to EAC staff, including ESA’s astronaut candidates, and visited the facilities where future astronauts are currently receiving basic training.
In his proposal, Guarraz wrote: “The choice of color for our space suit focuses on a palette of bright and modern colors, including electric blue, bright white and silver grey.” We chose this color combination to convey a message of high technology and clarity. We also added geometric patterns to the space suit to create a unique texture inspired by European art designs. These motifs add a touch of elegance and originality to the spacesuit, while also reminding us of the importance of art and culture to European identity.”
The winners of ESA’s space suit design competition at EAC: Oussama Guarraz, Alberto Piovesan, Maurizio De Vincentiis, Joao Montenegro and Flavio Gentile. Photo credit: ESA.
ESA said the jury is currently working to bring together elements from the submitted ideas to create an ESA-branded spacesuit design. For example, this design could be used to create replica suits for exhibitions or for filmmakers to educate and inspire people about space exploration and ESA activities in this area.
“Perhaps in the future ESA will develop its own functional space suit and this competition will represent a first step in one of the paths ESA could take to develop its autonomous path to space,” the space agency said.
Some of the world’s leading human and robotic minds travel to the United Nations.
At a UN summit in Geneva next week, tech luminaries from futurist Ray Kurzweil to DeepMind COO Lila Ibrahim will discuss AI forever. It’s a stellar selection of speakers, but the real stars, in our eyes, are the robots.
Over 50 of the beasts – mostly from Europe – will be in attendance. They all deserve a place in your dreams and nightmares, but we’ve narrowed the list down to a list of our 10 favorites.
1.Sophia
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Sophia is arguably the world’s most famous real-world robot – but it’s caused controversy. Saudi Arabia knowngave the android citizenship in 2017, giving it more rights than millions of people in the country.
Meta’s lead AI scientist, Yann LeCun, has called Sophia “complete bullshit” and accused the media of promoting “Potemkin AI.” Nonetheless, the humanoid’s influence and fame deserve it a spot on our list. sorry Yann
2. America
Ameca’s eerily realistic facial expressions went viral in 2021. Built by Engineered Arts in the UK, the bot was conceived as a platform for robotics development.
The system integrates both AI and AB (artificial bodies) into a human form and robotic face. The creators of Ameca claim it to be the most advanced human-shaped robot in the world.
3.Spot
Unless you’re hiding under a rock from the AI apocalypse, you’ll spot Spot. The four-legged friend is the main attraction of the respected Boston Dynamics brand and is mainly used for dangerous inspection work.
Despite the cute name and dog-like resemblance, Spot is a menacing creature. Activists have warned the bot could be used as a weapon – especially after it was tested by the French army.
4. Geminoid
Geminoid is perhaps the scariest member of our list robotic copy of its creator, Hiroshi Ishiguro.
Geminoid reproduces the voice and head movements of Ishiguro, who added hair from his own scalp to his android twin. According to Ishiguro, the robot was created to explore what it means to be human.
5. Nao
Nao is a legend in his field and has been wowing observers for almost 20 years. The Bipedal has made headlines with his synchronized dances, stand-up comedy and soccer skills. However, the greatest influence is in education and research.
The device was developed by Aldebaran Robotics in France, which was acquired by SoftBank in 2015 and renamed SoftBank Robotics.
6. Ai-Da
Described as “the world’s first robot artist,” Ai-Da draws and paints with robotic arms, cameras in his eyes, and algorithms controlling his movements.
The android is something of a celebrity in his native UK and was the first robot to speak in the House of Lords. Unfortunately, the publicity stunt lost some of its luster when Ai-Da seemed to fall asleep and had to be restarted.
7. He steals
As a social robot, Furhat communicates with us humans in the same way as with each other: by speaking, listening, showing emotions and maintaining eye contact.
We are particularly impressed by the adaptability of the system. Furhat’s ethnicity, gender, and language can all be altered to create lifelike, expressive characters for multiple purposes. For example, in the image above, the droid appears to be a resurrected Silvio Berlusconi.
8. Roboclette
Everyone loves a world first, especially when it is vital to humanity. That’s why we’re intrigued by Roboclette – the first machine that can scrape off melted cheese.
The system combines the expertise of cheesemaker Eddy Baillifard with the robotic magic of the Idiap Research Institute to carve Swiss raclette.
9. Pepper
Another graduate of Aldebaran, Pepper is a semi-humanoid designed to read emotions.
The droid’s remarkable life has included working in a grocery store, a stint as a Buddhist priest and a speech in the British Parliament. Unfortunately, the good times couldn’t last forever. Production of Pepper will begin in 2021has been stopped due to weak demand.
10. Stop Seal
Engineer Takanori Shibata’s brainchild, Paro is a therapeutic robotic seal. The device is popular with patients, but raises concerns about using emotional support machines.
Paro secured a spot in our top 10 after beating the Therabot pup for the cutest vending machine at the United Nations.
If you would like to meet Paro or other robots participating in the summit, you can register for a ticket here.
Ryan McGee, senior writer at ESPNJun 27, 2023 12:03 p.m. ET
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Senior Writer for ESPN The Magazine and ESPN.com
Two-time Sports Emmy winner
2010, 2014 NMPA Author of the Year
OMAHA, Neb. — The Men’s College World Series oldtimers have been digging through their memories for nearly two weeks, all with the same question.
“Was that the greatest College World Series I’ve ever seen? Hmmm,” Jack Dotson paused and thought.
It was Monday, about five hours before the national title-deciding Game 3 of the 2023 Men’s College World Series Finals between LSU and Florida. The “far west of here” retiree stood in the parking lot of Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo. He had taken his grandson there to see where Rosenblatt Stadium once stood, which hosted the MCWS from 1950 to 2010. Now there is a small replica ballpark where kids can play on old baseball fields and cross Home Plate, which was once college baseball’s most sacred spot.
“I’ve probably been to 50 games between here and the new ballpark downtown. Most years you could sleep through a few games and not miss a thing,” Dotson said. “I don’t believe[one] slept through it all this year!”
From Game 1 on Friday, June 16, when Omaha party crasher Oral Roberts hit a home run in the ninth inning to close a three-run deficit and beat TCU by one run, to the 18-4 LSU win over Florida in 16th and finals During Monday night’s game, the same question was asked over and over again.
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“Best series we’ve ever seen?” Greg Pivovar, longtime owner of Stadium View Sports Cards, once the social hub of the Rosenblatt years, perused his store for MCWS memorabilia spanning decades of past series — posters and Programs with every character from Dave Winfield and Roger Clemens to Buster Posey and Pete Incaviglia – and surrendered. “Yes man. I’ve been thinking about this for a week. I can’t think of anything better.”
In the end, LSU, one of college baseball’s premier programs, captured its seventh college baseball national title and moved up to second place alone, behind only twelve USC titles, all but one of which were won in 1978 and earlier.
This ORU-TCU game was just the first of eight record-breaking one-run competitions, including six of the first eight held. The two early breakaways weren’t exactly yawns, two late duels against Tennessee, a 6-3 loss against LSU and a 6-4 squeaker against Stanford. The more these games were included in the rating list, the louder the discussion about the “best of all time” became. Even in places where it should be quiet.
“I loved it so much it made me feel like a teenager again! Oh…” Tina Johnson caught herself, put her hands to her mouth and looked to see if anyone around her thought she was disturbing the peace. An Omaha native who now resides in Chicago, stood at the General Crook House Museum about 5 miles north of Charles Schwab Field, aka The Chuck, the ballpark where today’s teams spent their summers recreating the MCWS history books to write. Travelers and locals alike strolled leisurely through the History of Baseball in Omaha exhibit. “I grew up going to College World Series games. I think I’ve sat on some of those old seats in this museum. Think about what those seats saw.”
You saw moments. They saw future MLB stars. You saw walk-off wins. They saw records broken. They watched classic games. But never have you seen a week and a half with so much of all that we don’t have enough space in this corner of our site to list it all. Here are the highlights:
1. A total of eight games were decided in one go, making for a tie matched only twice in 75 previous installments of the series.
2. Three teams overcoming a deficit of three or more runs is the most teams since the MCWS switched to The Chuck in 2011.
3. It has hit 30 home runs, the most since 2010 (32), the year before the MCWS moved downtown.
4. Florida hit a total of 17 home runs, matching a record set by both LSU and USC in 1998.
5. Florida’s Ty Evans hit five home runs, setting an MCWS record. That left the eleven guys in front of him who had scored four goals and all had done their job at the much more goal-friendly Rosenblatt Stadium. He came to Omaha after scoring four goals in over 65 games all year.
6. The longest home run hit in the 12 MCWS played at this “new downtown ballpark” came from Wyatt Langford of Florida, who landed 456 feet from home plate and had a three-run Gators comeback in the ninth inning crowned in arrears to beat Virginia and dodge the losers’ bracket.
7. Two pitchers, LSU’s Paul Skenes and Wake Forest’s Rhett Lowder, set two school and one conference K records in the same game, a semi-final winner against Florida, which incidentally also instantly earned MCWS best games of all Times played, winning by walk-off homer in the 11th inning after becoming the first 0-0 game to come in extra frames since 1985 and only the second since the introduction of metal bats in 1974.
Honestly, this list could go on. The ridiculously long list of future MLB draft picks (six of the top 10 in ESPN.com’s predicted MLB draft appear in this MCWS), the hard drive full of impossible defensive plays, including perhaps another all-time best, the scoop-first baseman LSU’s Tre’ Morgan hit a home throw that set up the semifinals win over Wake.
So when the MCWS 2023 went into finals, there certainly wasn’t anything left in the drawer labeled “Things We Haven’t Seen Yet,” right? Well, to quote the well-known philosopher and mathematician Cady Heron: Wrong. So wrong.
LSU won its first title since 2009. AP Photo/Rebecca S. Gratz
As if a Tommy White walk-off against Wake Forest wasn’t enough, Cade Beloso started another game-winner in Game 1 of the Finals, delivering the first extra-inning roundtripper in the 20 years since the MCWS returned to a best -of-three championship format. In the same game, LSU’s Ty Floyd had 17 strikeouts, the most in an MCWS game since 1972 and the second-most all-time. LSU’s Dylan Crews won the Golden Spikes Award and was the first player to win a national title in the same year since 1995, and Cal State Fullerton’s Mark Kotsay, a face to be found in every college baseball historian’s MCWS Mount Rushmore is chiseled.
Heck, even the only two one-sided results of the month, both of which came in the last two games of the MCWS, made history. Florida’s 24-4 win in Game 2 was the largest loss in MCWS Finals history and the second-highest win in an MCWS game. When LSU responded with a 18-4 thrashing of Florida in the decisive game, it bucked the trend. It was only the fourth time in the last 11 MCWS that a team lost Game 2 of the Finals but came back in Game 3 and won the title. No team had scored more than six runs in a game of this year’s MCWS prior to Game 2 of the title series. No team had ever scored 18 or more runs in an MCWS game at The Chuck, and then that happened back-to-back days…by opposing teams.
And then the Tigers won it all on Monday, setting a final record in the process. Her 24 hits were the most hits of any team participating in a game of the Men’s College World Series, 592 baseball teams from 1947 through Monday night.
It’s exhausting, isn’t it? But only because the series was so engaging. Just because the best way to go about seeing where 2023 stands is to literally do it by the numbers in a 76-year-old record book.
But anyone who has seen those games played at this location in June – and if you use other numbers in terms of TV ratings, many have – knows what makes this series special, at least it doesn’t around statistics or spreadsheets. It’s the heart rate monitor. It’s about smiling. It’s about magic.
Hell, it hasn’t even rained this month. Not even a splash.
“For me, what makes a great College World Series is the big picture,” said 85-year-old Skip Berman during the opening days of the 2023 edition while in town to support LSU, the program he scrapped had to turn it around into a juggernaut and won his first five titles as head coach. “You have the series that ended amazingly, like we did in 1996 [see: Warren Morris walk-off homer barely clearing the right-field fence to beat Miami]. They’ve had the years with some great midweek games. And you have some really must-have players that you know are going to be Major League All-Stars. But since I came here, since 1978 [as a Miami assistant]it’s hard to remember someone who had all of this the whole time.”
This one did it. Served from a slow-cooked 11-Day Perfect Recipe that includes all of these ingredients. A lot of close games. A can of walk offs. A dash of defense. A touch of madness. And a few kilos of memories were made.
“I’m a college baseball guy and I love this game so much,” said LSU head coach Jay Johnson on the field at The Chuck, near his newly engraved 2023 Men’s College World Series Championship trophy. During the As the 46-year-old spoke, his team’s moderator, future top player Dylan Crews, put his arm around the coach’s shoulders. “I can’t imagine how anyone could have watched this series from start to finish and not ended up loving the sport. I think that years from now, anyone who’s acted or coached in that series is going to look at every single one of them and say, ‘Can you believe that happened?'”
Walgreen’s Boots Alliance On Tuesday, the company lowered its full-year earnings guidance as it fell short of Wall Street expectations for the fiscal third quarter on the back of lower consumer spending and a slowdown in demand for Covid vaccines and tests.
The retail pharmacy chain lowered its full-year earnings guidance to a range of $4.00 to $4.05 per share, down from its previous guidance of $4.45 to $4.65 per share.
CEO Rosalind Brewer told analysts during the company’s earnings call that she was disappointed with the reduced earnings guidance for the year.
Brewer said weak demand for Covid vaccines and lower consumer spending are likely to continue into next year. She said the company is closing the deal and views the end of fiscal stimulus and the resumption of student loan payments as potential headwinds.
“Our customers are feeling the strain of higher inflation and interest rates, lower SNAP benefits and tax refunds, and an uncertain economic outlook. They’re cutting back on discretionary and seasonal spending and are highly responsive to promotional activity,” Brewer said.
Brewer said it’s increasing Walgreen’s cost-cutting initiative to $4.1 billion, which includes savings of $800 million for fiscal 2024. The company is also working to increase the profitability of its healthcare segment, she said.
Brewer said while she wasn’t happy with Tuesday’s results, Walgreens has the right strategy to drive future growth.
Walgreens shares fell about 9% in premarket trading after the release.
Here’s how Walgreens performed versus Wall Street’s expectations for the fiscal third quarter, based on analyst estimates polled by Refinitiv:
Merits: Adjusted $1.00 per share versus $1.07 expected.
Revenue: $35.42 billion versus $34.24 billion expected.
The earnings shortfall marks the first time since July 2020 that Walgreens has fallen short of analysts’ expectations.
But the company beat sales expectations and posted revenue growth. It posted revenue of $35.4 billion for the quarter — up 8.6% from revenue of $32.6 billion for the same period last year — on growth in its retail pharmacy and healthcare segments.
Walgreens posted net income of $118 million, or 14 cents a share (unadjusted), for the quarter, down 59% from the profit of $289 million the company reported in the year-ago quarter. According to the company, the decline is mainly due to lower operating income.
Walgreens’ U.S. pharmacy segment generated revenue of about $28 billion in the quarter, up 4.4% from the prior-year period. Comparable sales at individual locations increased by 7%.
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Walgreens’ pharmacy sales also rose 6.3% compared to the year-ago quarter, with comparable sales rising nearly 10% on brand-name drug price inflation.
The total number of prescriptions filled in the quarter, including vaccines, increased 0.1% to a total of 305 million. The number of Covid vaccines administered fell by 83% to 800,000 in that period, compared to 4.7 million in the same period last year.
“We had designated Covid as a wildcard at the beginning of the quarter and unfortunately found that patients were less willing to vaccinate,” said Brewer.
Walgreens expects to administer 9 million to 10 million Covid vaccines in 2024, equivalent to a typical flu season, compared to 12.5 million projected vaccinations in 2023, Brewer said.
Walgreen’s US healthcare segment revenue was $2 billion, up $1.4 billion from the same period last year.
Primary care provider VillageMD, which also owns emergency services provider Summit Health, saw its revenue grow 22%. Walgreens home health care provider CareCentrix’s revenue rose 15% on additional service offerings.
Still, the healthcare segment posted a loss of $113 million before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization for the quarter, driven by expansion at VillageMD and fewer patient visits at Summit Health’s CityMD emergency clinics due to a weaker respiratory virus season.
“While we are confident in the scale and scope of our healthcare business, we are disappointed with the speed of our path to profitability,” John Driscoll, president of Walgreens’ healthcare business, told analysts during the company’s conference call Tuesday.
“We are taking immediate action to increase profitability,” said Driscoll. “We expect this year to remain a transitional year as we take action to add value and increase profitability.”
Jennifer Lawrence don’t play games when it comes to this rumor.
During her June 26 appearance on Watch What Happens Live, the Hunger Games actress opened up about whether she was romantically involved with her co-star Liam Hemsworth during his relationship with Miley Cyrus.
As a host Andy Cohen Explained during a session of Plead the Fifth with Lawrence, “When Miley Cyrus’ song ‘Flowers’ debuted, there was a lot of talk about the music video referring to a secret affair you had with Liam Hemsworth when he was dating Miley was.” Cyrus.”
Lawrence’s answer? “Isn’t it,” she said to Cohen. “Not true, total rumor.”
However, the Oscar winner noted: “We all know that Liam and I kissed once. That was years after they broke up. So I just assume.” [the music video] was a coincidence.”
In fact, during his appearance on WWHL in 2015, the ‘No Hard Feelings’ star admitted to kissing Hemsworth off-camera.
A storm is brewing in the New York food scene, a storm born of seemingly well-intentioned climate protection regulations. Still, the crucial question remains: is it a storm we have to weather?
According to a recent article in The Post, New York’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has proposed new rules targeting decades-old pizza parlor baking methods. In particular, the ministry is cracking down on coal and wood-fired stoves, calling for a 75% reduction in CO2 emissions. DEP spokesman Ted Timbers explains:
“All New Yorkers deserve to breathe clean air, and wood and coal stoves are among the biggest contributors to harmful pollutants in poor air quality neighborhoods.”
While we can all support the desire for cleaner air, the overall impact of these regulations is questionable at best. A city official admitted fewer than 100 restaurants would be affected by the ordinance, leading us to ask: Is it worth it?
Paul Giannone, owner of Paulie Gee’s in Greenpoint, has reportedly spent $20,000 on an air filtration system in anticipation of the new rules, a price many small businesses can hardly afford. Giannone summarized the situation as follows:
“Oh yes, it’s a big expense! It’s not just about the cost of installation, it’s also about maintenance. I have to pay someone to go there every couple of weeks, hose down the water and do the maintenance.”
Adding to the controversy, many customers argue that the change would alter the taste of pizzas baked in these traditional ovens. Brooklyn Heights resident Saavi Sharma lamented:
“I’m all for environmental stewardship, but tell Al Gore to take one less private jet or something. Give me a break!”
While DEP officials claim they consulted with restaurateurs when drafting the rules, responses suggest the opposite. The truth is that these regulations not only endanger the authenticity and flavor of New York pizza, they also place an unnecessary burden on small businesses already badly hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.
As the anonymous restaurateur pointed out, when this brief is about significantly improving its environmental impact, it is completely misguided.
To echo Sharma’s views, let’s focus on the real culprits of pollution and let’s not interfere in our part. The taste of authentic New York pizza, baked in a coal and wood-fired oven, is a legacy we should cherish, not discard.
Novo NordiskThe high-dose experimental obesity pill has helped overweight or obese adults lose about 15% of their body weight, new late-stage clinical trial results show.
The Danish company presented the data at a diabetes conference on Sunday. Novo Nordisk told Reuters that it plans to apply for Food and Drug Administration approval of the drug later this year.
Novo Nordisk is struggling to maintain its dominant position in the booming weight loss drug market as new competitors such as Eli Lilly And Pfizer develop their own effective treatment methods.
Novo Nordisk’s pill is an oral version of semaglutide, the active ingredient in the company’s successful Ozempic and Wegovy weight-loss shots. Semaglutide mimics a hormone produced in the gut called GLP-1, which signals the brain when a person is full.
Novo Nordisk already has an FDA-approved oral semaglutide marketed under the brand name Rybelsus for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. But Rybelsus’ highest dose is 14 milligrams, while the company’s experimental obesity pill has a far higher dose of 50 milligrams.
The phase III study followed 667 obese and overweight adults who did not have type 2 diabetes.
According to Novo Nordisk, patients who took 50 milligrams of the pill once a day for 68 weeks saw an average weight loss of 15.1% when they added the pill to diet and exercise. This compares to a 2.4% weight loss in patients taking a placebo.
Around 85% of the patients taking the pill lost at least 5% of their body weight, compared to just 26% of those taking the placebo.
The weight loss also led to “improvements in physical performance, which allowed participants to have an improved quality of life in everyday activities,” said Dr. Filip Knop, a professor of endocrinology at the University of Copenhagen who worked on the study, in a statement.
The new data suggests the high-dose pill may be as effective as Novo Nordisk’s weekly Wegovy injection, which also resulted in about 15% weight loss after 68 weeks.
But a pill would be a far more convenient way to treat obesity.
Knop said offering the pill to the public would “give people who are struggling to lose weight through diet and exercise alone an opportunity to take this powerful drug in the way that works best for them.”
Other companies are also developing oral weight-loss treatments to appeal to those who don’t want weekly injections.
Overweight or obese patients taking Eli Lilly’s experimental pill Orforglipron lost 14.7% of their body weight after 36 weeks, according to mid-stage clinical trial results the company released on Friday.
Pfizer is also developing its own weight loss pill called Danuglipron, which patients take twice a day.
But the pharma giant said Monday it was halting development of its other investigational oral drug, lotigliprone, due to elevated liver enzymes in patients.
After Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic and Wegovy took the spotlight nationwide in recent years, the companies have focused more on the weight-loss industry.
Social media influencers, Hollywood stars and even billionaire tech mogul Elon Musk have reportedly used the popular injections to shed unwanted weight.
This popularity led to widespread shortages and a proliferation of cheaper knockoffs of the drugs.
Bottlenecks and other factors such as high deductibles without insurance or unpleasant side effects have forced some people to stop taking Ozempic or Wegovy. Many users have complained of weight gain that is difficult to control.
According to the National Institutes of Health, more than two in five adults suffer from obesity. About one in eleven adults suffers from severe obesity.
CHICAGO — The United States aims to be the team to beat in the 2023 Gold Cup. After all, they are the defending champions and defending champions of the recently concluded Concacaf Nations League. But most of Saturday’s tournament opener against Jamaica was spent chasing rather than being chased.
That comeback was rewarded in the 88th minute when US forward Brandon Vazquez scored a 1-1 draw, preventing a US team’s second loss in the group stage of the Gold Cup.
“I knew I had to move in the penalty area. That’s what I live for,” Vazquez said of his goal after the game. “It means a lot to me. I think we have an extremely talented group. It makes me very proud to be able to come here and make a difference.”
Jamaica performed strongly, centre-back Damion Lowe scoring the opener in the 17th minute from a free-kick from Everton attacker Demarai Gray, who made his Jamaica debut after representing England at youth level.
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The Reggae Boyz missed an opportunity to extend their lead in the 29th minute. Leon Bailey stepped forward and took a penalty. Jamaica were awarded after US midfielder Aidan Morris committed a foul in the box, but US goalkeeper Matt Turner dived and stopped the shot. Bailey’s right-footed rebound attempt went wide and the Americans were able to stay within range of the Caribbean team.
“I think the main thing for us is that intensity is the starting point. We missed that at the beginning, we gave the ball away, loose touches, loose passes,” said Turner. “We grew into it and started doing a much better job.”
“I knew that [save] was a big moment for our team. A 2-0 loss in Concacaf is usually a death sentence.”
After USA were refreshed in the second half with changes like Vazquez, veteran midfielder Cristian Roldan and Under-20 winger Cade Cowell, the Stars and Stripes were eventually able to secure a draw that Jamaica coach Heimir Hallgrimsson described as a fair result.
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How surprising Saturday’s result is depends on how it’s contextualized.
Jamaica had a squad full of Premier League attackers like Bailey, Gray and Michail Antonio, but their winning streak stretched to 11 games across all competitions.
This was always going to be the toughest group game for US interim coach BJ Callaghan’s side, not only because they’re up against a Jamaican team with the strongest squad in a long time, but also because the Americans need to figure out their chemistry. The intimacy among the top US stars was evident in victories over Mexico and Canada in the Nations League Final Four earlier this month; But with just five players from that roster at Soldier Field, it will take some time for the players to get along, both with each other and with the top squad, if they ever do.
“The whole thing is that we try to gain experience for everyone. I think we have a plan in place for how we’re going to get through the group stage with all the players and where they are individually in terms of fitness and health and ability to recover,” Callaghan said. “So I think as we go on everyone will contribute to our success and I think you saw that tonight when the guys came off the bench and performed in different situations.”
A certain inexperience was certainly evident in the first half. Morris conceded the penalty despite being in a relatively calm situation after a long throw-in and struggled to keep up with Jamaica’s speedy attackers. James Sands was at his side and also failed to provide adequate cover for the USA defense as Jamaica won the midfield battle in the first half.
USA owed it to Brandon Vazquez, who salvaged a draw with a late equalizer against Jamaica on Saturday. AP Photo/David Banks
Before them, Alan Sonora got the go-ahead in a creative role. He struggled to hit the crosses he placed into the penalty area and lost seven turnovers from open play. In the 66th minute he made room for Roldan.
Callaghan has scheduled personnel changes for the remainder of the group stage, which on paper are seen as an easier step-up for the Americans than Saturday’s competition. St Kitts and Nevis, the United States’ next opponents, will make their Gold Cup debut against Trinidad and Tobago on Sunday – their other group rivals and a team unable to field as many top European talents as Jamaica, even if it were, is a force that has caused much suffering in the US in the past.
Given their ability to salvage Saturday’s result and the talent in their ranks, USA should be able to progress to the Quarters and still lead the group. But Saturday’s performance gave the US a reality check on how far they can go with their depth options in the continental championship. USA never thought they could claim another Gold Cup title with a different roster like in 2021. Teams like Jamaica have stepped up. Mexico could do with a trophy for momentum. Canada is aiming for its first title since 2000.
Any illusions by USA or their fans that it would be easy this time around were dashed in a nervous evening. With the trophy case recently expanded, USA can rest assured that they are currently the top team in the Concacaf. On Saturday it became clear that it will be much more difficult to back this up with another Gold Cup won by an alternative team.
Police forces across the UK are increasingly receiving bogus calls to 999, the country’s emergency number. This is not attributed to an increase in crime, but is largely due to an Android feature, the National Police Chief’s Council (NPCC) reports.
Nationwide, all emergency services are currently recording a record volume of 999 calls. There are several reasons for this, but one that we believe will have a significant impact is an update for Android smartphones…
📷Thanks to @NYorksPolice pic.twitter.com/TbmRQgTsUe
— National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) (@PoliceChiefs) June 17, 2023
According to NPCC, Android’s Emergency SOS feature prompts the device to call 999 if the power button is pressed five or more times — which, it seems, can easily happen accidentally in your pocket or purse.
This results in “silent calls” to emergency services where operators cannot hear anyone on the line. But because these calls cannot be ignored, the NPCC said operators must spend “valuable time” calling the number back and checking if help is actually needed.
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Devon and Cornwall Police told the BBC it was taking 20 minutes to process silent calls. On Sunday alone, between 00:00 and 19:00, the station received 169 silent calls.
The emergency feature in question was first introduced in the Android 12 update in 2021, but due to the overall fragmented way device manufacturers are rolling out updates, the feature is only now reaching enough users to become a national concern.
Google may have developed the software, but it won’t be the one that fixes the problem. In a statement to the BBC, the tech giant said it’s up to manufacturers to manage how the feature works on their phones and expects to roll out an update “shortly” to fix the problem. Meanwhile, it prompts users to turn off Emergency SOS mode.
Aside from temporarily disabling the feature, the NPCC is also asking citizens to stay on the phone and tell operators they accidentally dialed 999 and do not need assistance.
Android isn’t the only culprit when it comes to false emergency calls. Apple’s accident detection feature has also led to a spate of false alarms at 911 operators across the United States.
A year has passed since then Ray J, Sammie, Bobby VAnd Pleasure P took the stage in a Verzuz opening show like no other. But viral memes and cultural classics weren’t the only outcomes of this performance. RSVP was also born on this day.
Ray J’s way of describing their collective is a “male band” and the “only group that are solo artists in a group”. They all credit Bobby V with the name — an acronym that highlights the artist names that each put them on the R&B map.
RELATED: Ray J, Sammie, Bobby V and Pleasure P rehearse for their first-ever photoshoot in response to their new group
Sammie describes himself and Bobby as laid-back, easygoing, and eccentric RSVP members. Ray J “what you see is what you get” and Pleasure P “don’t make things difficult” and keep the party going!
One thing becomes clear when RSVP joins TheShadeRoom.com Editor Cassandra Santiago in a virtual interview: these R&B icons are brothers who believe RSVP is meant to be.
“I’m learning in this group that it shouldn’t be structured, it shouldn’t be one plus one two. We were created and assembled from dysfunction and for some reason it just seems to work for us,” Sammie tells TSR.
In the months following the hit-for-hit battle, RSVP worked on their debut album. They spent the months of August and September locked up and laying the tracks. But her debut single “Money Everywhere” only premiered in December.
RSVP’s debut album is finished and Mr. “Nasty Time” is their official second single (listen exclusively)
And the album – although completed and eagerly awaited by fans – has still not been released. But the group assures TSR that the project is coming THIS summer. According to Sammie, fans can expect “eternal music.”
“We just have to really get the music out, really. “Money Everywhere” was just a teaser. We wanted something sexy, we wanted something bold because that’s what the group is all about. But as far as the records we did on the album go, we have something for everyone,” added Sammie. “We have love music, we have sex music, we have island music, we have a crossover record, we have a summer hit with Hitmaka. So it’s just about putting out the music and letting everything build on that. Our star power kept growing [us] over, which I appreciate because everything we’ve done has been lit up because they wanted to see us together, but once we put the music out it really puts it into perspective that we’re great as a group, as a collective.”
So what’s holding her back? Bobby V tells TSR it’s a combination of building a structure and handling the business side of music.
“In November we were just on the fringes, and over time we started to get more and more of that structure,” Bobby said. “Actually, the music business is the business of music. We’re just trying to make sure we get the deal done.” He added, “We’ve got a really great first album. I’m so ready to drop this album but I know we need to put out more music to show people we really mean business. We mean business, we have a good time when we’re together. We talk shit to each other and play around a lot, but we have a great album that P kind of orchestrated.”
As for the surprises of the project, Pleasure P says they have an Afro beats single called “Rock The Boat” that is “unexpected of anything.” [supporters] Usually I knew [them] for.”
Meanwhile, the group exclusively shared a snippet of their second single, “Mr. Nasty Time” with The Shade Room – another sexy record with raunchy 90’s/2000’s vibes.
You can find the exclusive first listening pleasure at the top of this article.
RSVP revitalized his group energy after performing at the i Love RnB Festival
When asked about their studio sessions, Ray J, Sammie, Bobby V and Pleasure P respond that it’s the “easy part”.
Our interview is messy in the best possible way – full of lighthearted remarks about Bobby’s love for his piano, laughter at Pleasure P’s persistence in dating, and Ray J showing off his horses before he quits early.
Bobby tells TSR’s Cassandra that the interview reflects how RSVP operates in the studio – “lots of talk and nonsense.” Then Ray J is quick to clarify that they are sometimes “uncut” and “scattered all over the place,” but have textured imperfections in their arrangement . The energy is “simply different,” they say.
The group members were reminded of their different moods as they performed I love the RnB festival End of May. After months of stray engagements for her male group, the festival reignited the spark that brought them together a year ago.
Bobby V said:
“It’s exciting, I left the group every other day, but when we were at the i Love RnB festival and walked out we all just banged it on and just had a good time. Because we did hostings together and stuff like that where we were just in the club, just having fun and just making songs. But when we actually performed the show at the i Love RnB Fest a few weeks ago I think it really reinvigorated us all and gave us all a renewed vision that this is something big and something that was being done at a big price can become high level. I feel like it can be bigger than anything else. I feel like there are no limits, so I’m excited about it.”
According to Ray J, minutes before they took the festival stage, there were two members down (Sammie and Bobby) and no rehearsal time was recorded.
Pleasure P suggested making the stage their party, so they did it together. And performance ATE – surprise and refocus the group.
“…I think what really surprised us all was this i Love RnB festival where we had never rehearsed and we were only five minutes away from the stage. We still didn’t know who would go through first, second or third. We never rehearsed the songs and didn’t know what to do. And we just decided to go out and do all the songs together as a group…it just became like this event, like this party,” said Ray J. He added, “It gave us the energy to go back out there and really do it like to unwind.” I felt like we saw a new vision as we all got on stage and sang together. [i Love RnB Festival] It was really a start for us, like getting back together.”
And in July they return to the festival stage. The headliners this time were the PR representative of the festival, Kalisha Pereraconfirmed to TSR.
RSVP is for the culture and fraternity NOW, despite what critics say
There are no leaders in the RSVP. Role player, of course. But overall, the men agree that they are equal partners. They are past phase one of balancing their solo experience with their group experience and are now in phase two of releasing music.
Why now? For fun, culture, fraternity and the state of R&B. Make boy bands cool again? Yes, that too.
“We also do it for the culture. I feel like R&B is dying, and actually R&B in general, we don’t collaborate, we don’t do anything, we don’t hang out,” said Bobby V. “So we’re trying to set the tone and change the way R&B is viewed . You see, rap is so big and hip because all the boys fuck each other. They hit on each other in the studio and hang out. R&B people are like, “Oh I’m bigger than him, oh I’m better than him.”
Sammie said:
“I’ve been a solo performer my entire career and being with these guys allows me to discover a different side of myself that I didn’t even know I embodied until Verzuz. These are all my brothers. I have genuine love and respect for each individual… We have an opportunity to bring back the boy band or the man band and make them cool again. We’re superstars ourselves, but together we’re like an Avengers R&B group. But I enjoy it, that’s why I said yes, because I really love it [these] People. I admire them and consider them brothers. For me it’s all about the fun aspect. It’s easy to lose fun in this music business because there are so many different obstacles and hurdles to overcome. RSVP is just drop in and have fun and I appreciate that at this point in my life.”
Photo credit: Summer Nicole Photography
If you’re wondering what’s different about Ray J, Sammie, Bobby V and Pleasure P this time around, you’ll agree it’s next to nothing. They already have the fans, the talent and the experience. So RSVP is all of them together and “on steroids,” says Sammie.
“It’s not that different any more, it’s just magnified. You have the awesomeness that Pleasure brings, the awesomeness that Bob brings, the awesomeness that I am, the awesomeness that Ray J provides, and you pack that into a little gumbo. It’s really fantastic music. I think that’s why the album came out so cool and effortless, because individually we’re ready to perform, ready to sing live, ready to write our music, write our verses and bring our gravy, and that is basically the mix of RSVP. So I wouldn’t say it’s different, it’s just steroids. For all of us there is a different synergy, a different energy, a different magnetic force that we can neither explain nor plan for. That just happens when the four of us get together.”
Meanwhile, Bobby V said they were “bringing back real R&B like the R&B of the ’90s and 2000s” rather than trying to keep up with today’s rap influences on their genre.
And RSVP doesn’t worry about the critics, even those with “old” comments. Pleasure P says they focus on who loves and supports them.
“I just care about the people who care about me and us and what we have achieved. There’s so many people trying to take it away from us, calling us old heads and all sorts of things, and we’re still young. And we’ve done our own thing, we’ve led a whole era, and we’re still out here doing what we love. We are blessed to be here.”
