Month: May 2024

Categories
Sport

Progress and recognition pose security considerations and challenges for the WNBA

Growth and popularity pose safety concerns and challenges for the WNBA

  • Michael Voepel, ESPN.comMay 10, 2024, 9:30 a.m. ET

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      Michael Voepel covers the WNBA, women's college basketball and other college sports for espnW. Voepel began covering women's basketball in 1984 and has been with ESPN since 1996.

Connecticut Sun coach Stephanie White was an All-American and national champion for the Purdue Boilermakers in the 1990s and a WNBA star in the 2000s.

But, she said, the popularity and name recognition of today's top women's basketball players, such as B. Caitlin Clark, the No. 1 WNBA draft pick by the Indiana Fever, has risen dramatically since her playing days.

“It's crazy. It’s night and day,” White said. “I have been active in this league for a long time. All I see is the difference between the crowds that come before and stay after to get autographs and the crowds that flood the hotel lobbies. You see the same thing with men.” … That’s the trend [on the women’s side].”

And with growth comes new challenges.

“As an organization we talk a lot about player safety and security. We remind our players that we are putting someone in charge of security,” White said. “I am grateful for the growth of our sport, but we must also stay one step ahead in protecting our players.”

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The league announced this week that it is taking a major step — one players have been demanding in recent years — and getting charter flights for the entire 2024 season. The WNBA said Thursday that the charters would be “phased in” starting this regular season “as soon as possible.”

The players see charter flights as a great help for both health and safety reasons. It will save time and wear and tear on your body. But it also allows teams to avoid potentially awkward situations in airports, like what happened last season when a YouTube provocateur confronted Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner.

“We have always been a league that has been touted as incredibly accessible to fans, and we don't want to change that,” said Seattle Storm forward Nneka Ogwumike, president of the players' union. “But as our game evolves and grows, we need to pay a little more attention to what that accessibility looks like.”

“We are all entering new territory and will experience things we have never experienced before. The influx of these new, younger players bringing their following with them is going to require things that maybe we haven't done yet.” It doesn't take away the authenticity of our accessibility, but still maintains the necessary boundaries for players to feel safe.

Fans were able to attend the WNBA Draft for the first time in years, which meant lots of autograph requests for Caitlin Clark. David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images

Clark's popularity skyrocketed over the last two seasons in Iowa and continued in the WNBA. Other players in the 2024 draft class also built their profiles during their studies, supported by NIL deals that made them more visible through endorsements.

No. 2 pick Cameron Brink of the Los Angeles Sparks said she doesn't think she has any issues with safety herself. However, the Stanford graduate worries about others.

“I’m worried about my friends — Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark,” Brink said.

Clark and Reese, the Chicago Sky's No. 7 prospect out of LSU, gained notoriety while still in college. This is exactly what women’s basketball needs. Reese and Clark are outgoing and relate well to fans, and their impact on the WNBA's popularity is already being felt.

But popularity can also attract followers with questionable intentions.

“Chicago did a great job of making sure I was protected,” Reese said. “I know [Sky personnel] Got my back. You say no to something that I may not see [isn’t] best for me. I’m still learning how to say the word “no.”

“It’s obviously a big change in women’s basketball and things we’ve never seen before.”

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Indiana general manager Lin Dunn said the Fever noted the safety measures Iowa took to deal with the crush of fans around Clark.

“It all depends on visibility,” Dunn told ESPN. “In the past, our players weren’t recognized as much. But look at the millions who watched the Final Four and the draft. You know who these players are. We’re just paying more attention to safety – all of us, the league and the teams.”

The WNBA conducts safety meetings with teams and provides them with resources and guidance.

“Ensuring the safety of WNBA players is paramount,” Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in a statement to ESPN. “The league’s security policies and stadium standards were developed in consultation with experienced security experts, and the league employs dedicated security representatives in each WNBA team market to work in coordination with the team’s security staff.”

However, Las Vegas Aces defenseman Chelsea Gray reiterated this week that while individual team safety has improved, she remains concerned about the league as a whole.

“The Aces have taken the necessary steps to protect the people in our organization,” Gray said. “Overall I think the responsibility still lies with the teams. With the league, I don't know if the proper precautions were taken. But the Aces organization said, 'If this is a problem for our players, we'll listen to you and let's make a change.'”

Aces coach Becky Hammon played 16 years in the WNBA. She said safety was one of the first topics she discussed with Las Vegas management when she returned to the WNBA before the 2022 season after eight years as an NBA assistant coach.

“If our players want to go out to dinner, I want someone to go there with them,” Hammon said. “I want them to walk to the restaurant and come back. That’s why we hired a security service to accompany us all day and at each of our events.”

She said safety is an issue, particularly for players who already stand out because of their size and/or public profile.

“We want to make sure they are taken care of,” Hammon said.

Categories
Science

Supermassive black holes fashioned from big cosmic seeds

Supermassive black holes formed from giant cosmic seeds

Supermassive black holes are central to the dynamics and evolution of galaxies. They play a role in galaxy formation, star production, and possibly even dark matter accumulation. Almost every galaxy has a supermassive black hole, which in nearby galaxies can be only a small fraction of a galaxy's mass. Although we know a lot about these gravitational monsters, the question still remains as to how supermassive black holes were able to gain mass so quickly.

Most of what we know about early black holes comes from quasars. These occur when supermassive black holes are in an extremely active phase, consuming enormous amounts of matter and emitting intense light that is visible throughout the universe. Observations from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and other observatories have observed quasars as early as 13 billion years ago, meaning they were already large and active just a few hundred million years after the Big Bang. But these brilliant beacons also pose a challenge for observation. Early quasars are so bright that they far outshine their host galaxy, making it difficult to observe the surroundings of early quasars. But a new study in the Astrophysical Journal has used a spectral trick to detect these distant galactic hosts.

The team collected JWST data on six distant quasars known to be about 13 billion light-years away. Because the quasars were observed at different wavelengths, the team then compared the light to model quasars and were able to categorize which wavelengths likely came from the quasar's compact source and which from the more diffuse galaxy around it. By filtering out the quasar light, they obtained the first images of the distant galaxies that are home to these ancient quasars.

Because the brightness of each light source is related to its mass, the team was able to compare the mass of a quasar to the mass of its parent galaxy. The result was surprising. In these early galaxies, the mass of the supermassive black hole is about 10% of the galaxy's mass. This is much larger than the mass ratio observed in local galaxies, where supermassive black holes can make up only a tenth of a percent of a galaxy's mass. This likely means that early supermassive black holes grew extremely quickly and could even have been the seeds of their galaxies. The observations contradict the idea that early galaxies formed first and that their black holes formed later.

Astronomers still don't know how supermassive black holes formed so quickly in the early universe, but it's now clear that they did. While answering a question about the evolution of supermassive black holes, the team raised several other questions.

Reference: Yue, Minghao et al. “OWNER. V. Characterization of the host galaxies of luminous quasars at z ? 6.” The Astrophysical Journal 966.2 (2024): 176.

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Health

Based on Moderna, FDA approval of the RSV vaccine was delayed till the top of Might

According to Moderna, FDA approval of the RSV vaccine was delayed until the end of May

Nikos Pekiaridis | Light rocket | Getty Images

Modern said Friday that the Food and Drug Administration has delayed approval of its respiratory syncytial virus vaccine until the end of May due to “administrative constraints” at the agency.

The FDA was expected to make a decision on the RSV vaccination on Sunday. The agency did not inform Moderna of any issues related to the vaccine's safety, effectiveness or quality that would prevent its approval, the biotech company said in a news release.

Investors are closely watching the pending approval as Moderna tries to recover from the rapid decline in its Covid business last year. If approved, the RSV shot would be the company's second product to hit the U.S. market, following its once-successful Covid vaccine. It would also be the third RSV vaccine to come onto the market after vaccinations Pfizer And GSK introduced last year.

Moderna said its RSV vaccine is still on track to be reviewed by a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advisory panel during a meeting on June 26 and 27. This committee will vote on recommendations for the use of the vaccine and the intended population, which is necessary before it is put on the market.

Moderna tested the vaccine in older adults, who are more susceptible to severe RSV cases. According to CDC data, the virus kills between 6,000 and 10,000 seniors each year and results in 60,000 to 120,000 hospitalizations.

“Moderna is very grateful to the FDA for their continued efforts and diligence,” said Dr. Stephen Hoge, president of Moderna, said in a press release. “We look forward to helping the agency complete its review of our application and look forward to June [advisory] meet.”

The approval would demonstrate the versatility of Moderna's messenger RNA platform beyond treating Covid. The biotech company uses this technology to combat a range of diseases. These include RSV, cancer and a highly contagious gastrointestinal virus known as norovirus.

Investors have high hopes for the long-term potential of Moderna's mRNA product pipeline: The company's shares have risen more than 20% this year after falling nearly 45% in 2023.

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Categories
Entertainment

Lindsay Lohan and others will have fun their first Mom's Day in 2024

Lindsay Lohan and others will celebrate their first Mother's Day in 2024

Lindsay Lohan reveals plans for baby No. 2!

Lindsay Lohan is currently working for two actors.

“I want to do things that my son can see,” the 37-year-old told E! News about her penchant for making family-friendly meals since the birth of her son Luai with the husband Bader Shamas last July. “But I also want to do things that inspire me.”

Well, a sequel to Freaky Friday will certainly inspire a lot of people… However, we digress.

Lohan isn't the only one in the arena where everything has changed. The club for first-time celebrity mothers has grown by more members in the last year Maria Menounos, Suki Waterhouse, Ashley Olsen and many more.

Every woman has a different story from birth to baby and each will approach parenting in the public eye in her own way (the public will probably never see it, but next-generation Olsen baby fashion is certainly perfect), but what? What they have in common is the incomparable feeling of having this little new person in their lives.

Categories
Technology

Pussy Riot's lawyer launches blockchain survey to query legitimacy of Russian elections

Pussy Riot's lawyer launches blockchain survey to question legitimacy of Russian elections

Russian voters who do not believe that the 2024 presidential election was a fair affair can now cast their votes via a blockchain-secured and encrypted referendum via the Russia2024 app.

In this year's presidential election in March, tens of thousands of Russian nationals lined up to cast their votes at embassies around the world. Outside the embassy in The Hague, Netherlands, voters – many of them carrying protest banners – waited for hours to make their voices heard.

In theory. No one was surprised when Vladimir Putin was again declared the winner with 88% of the vote. Not necessarily because the result was directly faked, but as a result of years of fear-mongering propaganda, voter surveillance and the elimination of all real opponents.

Now these voters are being offered another way to express their dissatisfaction with their home country's seemingly immobile political status quo (and for blockchain technology to prove its utility beyond crypto).

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Russian opposition activist and former Pussy Riot lawyer Mark Fegyin created the blockchain-based referendum to challenge the legitimacy of this year's elections. It is now live on the new version Russia2024 app. The application, which was first launched in March, is based on the surveillance-free voting solution Freedom Tool from data protection software specialist RariLabs, based in Kiev, Ukraine.

Surveillance-proof protest route

Oppositional activism and political dissent in Russia are associated with persecution, imprisonment and even death. Despite the desire to speak out, whether against the war in Ukraine or against the increasingly oppressive political climate in the country, people remain silent because they fear – rightly – for their lives.

Furthermore, due to fears of surveillance, it is highly unlikely that voting and survey results reflect actual sentiment.

“Dissidents in Russia are becoming increasingly risky and public opinion is becoming increasingly difficult to track,” said Mark Feygin, initiator of Russia2024. “It is critical that we provide reliable, surveillance-proof options for protests and elections. Russia2024 and the underlying technology have made this possible.”

The Rariro division of RariLab developed Freedom Tool to give a voice to people living under authoritarian rule. It uses blockchain and zero-knowledge cryptography technology to ensure that authorities cannot track the platform's users even after they have verified their eligibility to vote. It is open source and royalty free and can be downloaded by anyone.

Lasha Antadze, co-founder of Rarimo provider RariLabs, said the implementation in Russia is an early example of how blockchain and zero-knowledge cryptography can meet the urgent global need for privacy technology.

Using the app, voters scan their biometric passports with their mobile phones, proving their citizenship and eligibility. They will then receive an anonymous voter ID card for polls and protest voting. So the app publishes votes directly on the blockchain, where they are tamper-proof.

Zero-knowledge cryptography allows one party to prove to another party that it has certain information without revealing any information other than the fact that it knows it.

The spark that faded

Mark Feygin is the former lawyer for the feminist punk group Pussy Riot, whose members stormed Moscow's Christ the Savior Cathedral in February 2012 and performed their anti-Putin “punk prayer.”

A judge then sentenced her to two years in prison for “hooliganism.” (One of their speakers recently received an eight-year prison sentence for posting about the war in Ukraine on social media.)

At the same time, over 100,000 people braved the Russian capital's freezing -18°C winds to express their outrage at what they said was a fraudulent and unfair electoral cycle that was supposed to result in the reinstatement of Vladimir Putin as president after a four-term deputy by Dmitri Medvedev.

The atmosphere was one of outrage and hope as the chant of “Russia without Putin” echoed through the streets. I know because I was there.

The feeling was that it could finally be time – enough was enough. There was an attitude of contempt, as if the people had seen through the deception and were fed up with their rulers patronizing them and blatantly lying to them. Unfortunately, as we saw, it wasn't to be.

Dissenting voices are slowly suffocating

Crude as they may be, the methods of repression and fear politics employed by Russia's ruling elite have proven effective in killing not only those who led a potentially significant wave of change, but also the belief that this change is even possible.

Unfortunately, the propaganda claiming that Putin is the only one who can prevent the country from falling into the same state of disarray and despair as in the 1990s has been incredibly successful.

It has managed to convince people that they are now doing well, when in reality they have only been fed fragments of the wealth that unscrupulous leaders and their cronies have captured for themselves.

Delving deeper into the psychological processes that laid the foundation for this is beyond the scope of this article. In short, Russia's authoritarian leaders have historically benefited from a collective cognitive framework that holds that people exist to serve those in power, rather than the other way around.

The Kremlin strikes back – with fake reviews

The work behind an app like Russia2024 is certainly not without danger, as the recent death of Alexei Navalny so painfully shows.

So far, the Kremlin has only blocked the app by filing a lawsuit that resulted in it being temporarily removed from the Apple Store. Moscow then tried to lower the app's rating by paying for negative reviews, a strategy revealed by a whistleblower.

Initiatives where individuals can have confidence that their privacy is protected and that authorities will not persecute them for their expression are crucial in a country where using the wrong word on Facebook can result in a 15-year prison sentence . If someone wants to use blockchain for this, I'll say no to it.

Categories
Science

NOAA's newest temperature and local weather knowledge exhibits there’s NO CLIMATE EMERGENCY – do you agree?

NOAA's latest temperature and climate data shows there is NO CLIMATE EMERGENCY - do you agree?

Guest essay by Larry Hamlin

NOAA has updated its U.S. Temperature Index Contiguous National Temperature Anomaly data and its national, state, county, and city temperature data (as well as other climate data parameters) through April 2024.

Shown below is NOAA's National Time Series USCRN Maximum Temperature Anomaly dataset for the contiguous United States, with data updated through April 2024.

This NOAA data is clear notes that there is no uptrend anomaly signature for the contiguous US monthly maximum temperature anomalies for the period January 2005 to April 2024.

NOAA's USCRN The maximum temperature anomaly value in April 2024 is 1.91 degrees F (highlighted in red above) with the highest recorded USCRN value in April in April 2006 at 3.62 degrees F.

Furthermore, the April 2024 maximum anomaly value is only the third highest recorded April maximum temperature anomaly in the period January 2005 to April 2024.

NOAA's latest data on the maximum temperature anomaly in the contiguous United States clearly refutes the politically contrived, exaggerated climate alarmism hype that we are experiencing a “climate emergency.”

Shown below are NOAA's National Time Series of contiguous April maximum temperatures in the United States from 1895 to April 2024, making it clear that there is nothing remarkable about the April 2024 result highlighted in red below.

April 2024 is just that 116th highest April high temperature of 130 consecutive US April high temperatures Temperature months since 1895 as shown below with Maximum temperatures in the previous years 1895, 1910, 1915, 1925, 1930, 1934, 1946, 1954, 1977, 1981, 1985, 1987, 2006 (highest value) and 2012 above the value in 2024.

NOAA's maximum April temperatures in the contiguous US between 1895 and 2024 clearly refutes the exaggerated and politically motivated claims of climate alarmists that we are experiencing a “climate emergency”..

Shown below are NOAA's National Time Series of contiguous January-April U.S. maximum temperatures from 1895 to April 2024, which again show nothing notable relative to the January-April 2024 result, highlighted in red below.

The maximum temperature from January to April 2024 is the 123rd highest of 130 contiguous US measurements with Previous year results from 1946, 1986, 1990, 2000, 2006, 2012 (highest value), 2016 and 2017 exceeding the 2024 value as shown below.

NOAA's maximum temperatures in the contiguous United States from January to April between 1895 and 2024 clearly refutes the exaggerated and politically motivated claims of climate alarmists that we are experiencing a “climate emergency”..

Shown below are NOAA's national time series of contiguous U.S. absolute maximum temperatures for all months from 1895 to April 2024, which again show nothing notable relative to the April 2024 result, highlighted in red below.

April 2024 only the 808th highest month of 1552 highest months measured since 1895 as shown below.

NOAA's contiguous US maximum temperature data for all months since 1895 refuted Climate alarmists make exaggerated and politically motivated claims that we are experiencing a “climate emergency.”.

NOAA's statewide time series data for maximum temperatures in California for the month of April between 1895 and 2024 is shown below and, again, shows nothing notable relative to the April 2024 result, highlighted in red below.

April 2024 is just that 86th highest April high temperature out of 130 highest April temperatures measured temperatures since April 1895, as shown below.

NOAA's California Statewide Time Series maximum temperature data for the April months between 1895 and 2024 refutes the exaggerated and politically motivated claims of climate alarmists that we are experiencing a “climate emergency.”.

Additionally, this NOAA database also notes this none One of the 48 contiguous U.S. states recorded an April peak month with record high temperatures in 2024.

The The same result also applies to Alaska, as shown below with the April 2024 result being only the 80th highest maximum temperature among the 100 highest April months.

Shown below are NOAA's statewide time series for California's maximum temperatures for all months between 1895 and 2024, which again show nothing out of the ordinary with the April 2024 result, highlighted in red below.

April 2024 is just that 745th highest maximum temperature of 1552 highest measured monthly temperatures since 1895, as shown below.

Maximum temperature data from NOAA's California Statewide Time Series for all months between 1895 and 2024 refutes the exaggerated and politically motivated claims of climate alarmists that we are experiencing a “climate emergency.”.

Below are the NOAA City Time Series data for Los Angeles, California, with maximum temperature data for the month of April 2024 for the period starting in 1945, and again show nothing notable in relation to the April 2024 result, highlighted in red below is.

April 2024 is only the 49thHighest April high of 80 highs measured monthly temperatures in April since 1945, as shown below.

NOAA's City Time Series for Los Angeles, California, maximum temperature data for the April months between 1945 and 2024 refuted Climate alarmists make exaggerated and politically motivated claims that we are experiencing a “climate emergency.”.

NOAA's City Time Series for Los Angeles, California shows the maximum temperatures for all months in the period 1944 to 2024 and again shows nothing notable with respect to the April 2024 result, highlighted in red below.

April 2024 is only the 359thhighest maximum temperature of 957 highest measured monthly temperatures since August 1944, as shown below.

NOAA's City Time Series for Los Angeles, California, maximum temperature data for all months between August 1944 and April 2024 refutes the exaggerated and politically motivated claims of climate alarmists that we are experiencing a “climate emergency.”.

NOAA recently released its “Assessing the U.S. Climate in April 2024” report (see below), which did not provide detailed temperature data as addressed in this essay (using NOAA's own extensive datasets) and instead provided nebulous “color” charts and generalized statements were silent about what their own data shows on measured temperature results, which clearly do not indicate that we are experiencing a “climate emergency,” as discussed in detail above.

Shown below is one of the charts depicting the “Mean Temperature Deviations from Average” for the contiguous United States, but does not provide specific temperature data that provides insight into the large natural variations in measured temperature results that occur over time, such as stated in This paper is based on data from NOAA.

A similar chart (see below) is also provided that shows the “deviations of mean temperature from average” for the period January to April 2024, but again does not provide specific temperature measurement data that provides useful insights into the patterns and extent of the natural Temperature behavior provides time as reported in this paper using NOAA data.

What is particularly concerning is that this NOAA report did not provide the clearest data on temperature anomalies in the contiguous US (see below and addressed in the essay above) that clearly demonstrate that there is no “climate emergency.”

The NOAA temperature data discussed in detail in this essay does not support and clearly refutes the climate alarmist hype that we are experiencing a “climate emergency.”

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Sport

Vincent Trocheck is the Rangers' all-rounder within the 2024 playoffs

Vincent Trocheck is the Rangers' all-rounder in the 2024 playoffs

  • Greg Wyshynski, ESPNMay 11, 2024, 7:00 a.m. ET

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      Greg Wyshynski is ESPN's senior NHL writer.

Vincent Trocheck counted off the dishes on his family's dinner table in Pittsburgh.

There was chicken parmesan, rigatoni and arancini. There were meatballs, plates of linguine with shrimp and scallops, and chicken schnitzel. There was braciola, a rolled meat roulade with tomato sauce.

The food wasn't just for his own family, but also for his hockey family. Trocheck has made it an annual tradition to invite New York Rangers teammates to an Italian feast during the season: a chance to “mangiare” (eat up), as the Italians say, and a chance to socialize.

“Treat yourself to a good home-cooked meal along the way,” he said. “I just think it’s good to have everyone together.”

Trocheck recently brought everyone together again, albeit in a corner of the rink at Madison Square Garden, where he exuberantly celebrated a goal.

After his double goal in overtime in Game 2 against the Carolina Hurricanes, Trocheck was surrounded by every Ranger on the ice and those who had slid off the bench. The goal horn sounded. The New York fans were euphoric. Trocheck grinned widely in a sea of ​​blue, an instant classic photo that became fodder for Art But Make It Sports' social media feed:

Mme Kupka among the verticals, by František Kupka, 1910-11, 📸 by @themooneyshot https://t.co/9xjofXmK2P pic.twitter.com/l12vTqB3VA

— ArtButMakeItSports (@ArtButSports) May 8, 2024

“If they go to overtime or double overtime, anyone can win those games,” Trocheck said. “Everything can happen.”

What happened in Game 2 happened a lot this season: The Rangers scored on the power play. Just as they did to tie the game with a goal from Chris Kreider in the third period, Trocheck assisted.

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“I think we expect to score. We feel like as a unit the team depends on us to score on the power play,” Trocheck said of their power play, which reached a rate of 34.5%. “Special teams has been so big in the playoffs so far. You can rely on us a lot and the pressure is great. We have this confidence, this rhythm. We just want to keep doing the same thing, keep going.”

The Rangers won the game 4-3, in part because the Hurricanes lacked confidence on their own power play and went 0-5 in 6:53 with the man advantage. Trocheck was on the ice for 4:16 minutes in that shootout, more than any other New York forward.

If this Rangers season were a family dinner, Trocheck would be the one organizing the place settings, stirring the meatballs, refilling everyone's drinks and parking the cars.

In a season where the Rangers are closing in on their first Stanley Cup championship in 30 years, Vincent Trocheck is doing it all.

“He touches every part of the game,” Rangers coach Peter Laviolette said. “All year long, he was a guy you could count on in so many situations, on both sides of the puck.”

THIS REGULAR SEASON Trocheck averaged 21:27 of ice time per game, including 3:29 on the power play and 1:35 on the penalty kill. In seven playoff games, his average is 23:59, spending 4:19 on the power play and 3:36 on the kill.

With 77 points (25 goals, 52 assists) in 82 games, he was second on the Rangers in the regular season behind linemate Artemi Panarin. He is tied with Mika Zibanejad in seven playoff games and has 12 points in seven games (five goals, seven assists). This includes four even strength points, seven power play points and one shorthanded point.

While many thought the Rangers' balanced play would be a liability against the Hurricanes, Trocheck said it wasn't a cause for concern.

“I don’t think anyone thinks we need to score at 5-on-5. If we win 4-0 and there are two power play goals and two shorthanded goals, no one cares. We just have to score,” he said. “We just try to win games any way we can.”

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It's clear that Laviolette believes that one of the most efficient ways to win playoff games is with plenty of Vincent Trocheck. No Rangers skater has played in the first seven games.

“Now it’s the playoffs. There are games that go into multiple overtimes and yet his role doesn't change. He’s a part of every part of the game,” Laviolette said. “I double shift him just to get him back in the faceoff circle. Power play, penalty shootout, 5v5 game. He just keeps answering the bell. That stands out. He is committed. You can see that in his behavior and the way he plays the game.

This could be Trocheck's best season in the NHL. Part of that is thanks to his incredible line with Artemi Panarin and Alexis Lafreniere. No trio in the league played more together than them (864 minutes). According to Evolving Hockey, Trocheck's team averaged 3.76 goals per 60 minutes while conceding 2.27 goals per 60 minutes. They had an expected goals rate of 54.9% at 5-on-5.

“It’s important that the chemistry between the guys is right,” said Trocheck. “This continuity is also important.”

In Game 3 against the Hurricanes on Thursday night, Panarin scored the winning goal in overtime on a deflected pass from Trocheck, who had received the puck from Lafrenière.

“It was a great game for all three. They managed to get the puck out of the corner,” Laviolette said. “Really nice game from Troch and a great finish from Artemi.”

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The Rangers took a 3-0 lead on Artemi Panarin's OT winner

Artemi Panarin deflects the ball between his legs and scores the winning goal for the Rangers in extra time.

It was the second goal the line scored of the game, as Lafreniere scored his third playoff goal early in the third period to give the Rangers a 2-1 lead.

THE DOMINANCE OF This line helped Panarin (49 goals, 120 points) and Lafreniere (28 goals, 57 points) set new career highs in the regular season. Trocheck had his second-best scoring season and set a new career high with 77 points, the highest scoring season of his 11-year career.

He attended the NHL All-Star Game for the second time and brought his hockey-obsessed five-year-old son Leo with him to Toronto. “I was very happy that he experienced that,” Trocheck said.

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Trocheck's career began in Florida in 2013-14, but there has been talk of his second NHL destination lately. He played three seasons with the Hurricanes before signing a seven-year, $39.375 million free agent contract with the Rangers in 2022.

Former Hurricanes center Derek Stepan played with Trocheck during the 2021-22 season and it doesn't surprise him that Trocheck has found another level with the Rangers.

“He just does so many things right,” Stepan said. “He's good at it [faceoff] Point. He can create space for his linemates offensively. He can score goals. Defensively, he is responsible in almost all situations. So he’s just a complete player and one of the guys you have to have on your team.”

There are over a dozen players on the current Hurricanes team who played with Trocheck, including in an intense seven-game second-round loss to the Rangers in 2022. But Trocheck said the emotions of seeing his former teammates in in a playoff series didn't touch him. It has no effect on him.

“It's a playoff series that we have to overcome to achieve our goal of winning the Stanley Cup,” Trocheck said. “I mean, I've played against these guys a lot. Playing against former teammates is nothing new. In this league you change from team to team. It’s just another series.”

Trocheck sees a lot of familiar faces on the Hurricanes' roster, as he played with Carolina before signing a free agent deal with the Rangers. Eliot J. Schechter/NHLI via Getty Images

Laviolette, who won the Stanley Cup with Carolina in 2006, consulted Trocheck before the series for information about the Hurricanes. But Rod Brind'Amour, Trocheck's former coach, said he didn't map out any game plans for Trocheck despite knowing his tendencies from his Hurricanes days.

“He was a great player for us. We wanted to keep him. It wasn't an exchange or anything like that. It’s just a business,” Brind’Amour said. “Obviously he was a great player for them. That's not shocking. We knew that. They have a good player.”

A good game on and off the ice. Stepan wasn't surprised to hear how Trocheck connected with the Rangers behind the scenes, from the locker room to the dinner table in Pittsburgh. He knew this guy in Carolina. He knew what he could become in New York.

“He's a great guy. Likes to hang out, likes to have fun. He understands that the game cannot be taken too seriously,” said Stepan. “He can joke with anyone and everyone. He works hard to be a good teammate with all of his guys.”

Stepan paused for a moment. “I know I'm blowing a lot of smoke up his rear end, but he's really all that. I'm really happy for him.”

Categories
Health

Goldman and American Specific are among the many prime firms for folks: learning

Goldman and American Express are among the top companies for parents: studying

Vadym Buinov | moment | Getty Images

Working parents, guardians or carers know the challenge of finding the difficult balance between work and care responsibilities.

From paid parental leave to quality health insurance and equal pay to cover child care costs, finding an employer that takes parents' unique needs into account has become a priority for employees.

With no federal oversight of workplace benefits like paid leave and care, business leaders are being asked to take the lead.

CNBC partner Just Capital looked at the policy disclosures of America's largest companies to find the best companies in the country that meet these requirements.

“Americans are very clear about what they believe companies should prioritize: their workers,” said Alison Omens, president of Just Capital.

Top Companies for Parents

Goldman Sachs, American Express, Decker's Outdoor, S&P Global and Splunk are the top companies for parents in 2024, according to Just Capital research.

All five companies offer the following benefits: 20 or more weeks of paid parental leave for primary and secondary caregivers; Equality of parental leave for all carers; and support subsidized care for their employees.

“What the pandemic brought to light, and remains true today, is that for working parents, especially mothers who provide a disproportionate amount of care, paid parental leave is an important part,” Omens said.

Courtesy: Lauren and Mario Washington

S&P Global offers 26 weeks of paid parental leave. Company employees and couple Lauren and Mario Washington told CNBC that shared parental leave had a profound impact on their family's dynamics and well-being after the birth of their second daughter in 2021.

“These first few weeks seem fleeting, but they have noticeably improved our family’s balance and relationship,” Lauren said. “Mario's dedication helped our oldest daughter grow from an only child to a big sister and helped me focus on caring for our newborn and my own recovery.”

However, HR has a different perspective on the impact of parental leave on business. The more “direct cost,” according to the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), is an employee’s salary over the number of weeks of vacation. SHRM argues that employers' salaries are already accounted for in their budgets.

The “indirect costs” are the loss of productivity while an employee is on leave, temporary replacement and costs of administering a paid leave program.

“Paid parental leave is an expensive proposition,” said Yvette Lee, HR knowledge consultant at SHRM. “But turnover of key talent can be even more costly.”

Lee said investing in paid parental leave and similar measures could make sense in the long run.

Many companies have introduced measures to ensure equal opportunities in the workplace for all employees.

Deckers Outdoor is aiming for gender parity in leadership positions by 2030, and Goldman Sachs has set a hiring target of 50% and 40% for hiring women in entry-level and leadership roles, respectively.

“We invest in our success as a company by investing in our people,” said an S&P Global spokesperson.

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Categories
Entertainment

How Kelly Rowland and Russell Wilson preserve black love alive

How Kelly Rowland and Russell Wilson keep black love alive

Kelly Rowland And Russell Wilson brought much-needed energy of Black love to social media this week.

Each of them bragged about their partners, Tim Weatherspoon And Ciarain a sweet way. Kelly penned a sweet anniversary post for Tim, while Russell made it clear once again that he's all about Ciara!

Kelly Rowland celebrates her anniversary

As previously mentioned, Rowland released a poem for Tim earlier this week as he honored their tenth anniversary. She shared a carousel post on Instagram with videos and photos of her, Tim, and their two sons, Titan and Noah.

“To the greatest man I have ever known! The best decision I've ever made. I love you with all my heart and more. I'm not a walk in the park all the time, and neither are you (lol), but when we apply God's love to ourselves, our family, and our home, we can get through anything! HAPPY 10 years, my love, forever!”

Kelly and her talent manager husband have known each other since the early 2000s but have been together since 2009. According to PEOPLE, they got engaged in 2013 and married in a small ceremony in Costa Rica in 2014.

Russell Wilson reveals the 'best part' of being single

Over in Russell and Ciara's love bubble, the professional athlete recently gave the sweetest answer when she asked him what “the best thing about being single” is. The couple seemed to enjoy dining out!

“Nothing,” he said. There was nothing good about that at all. Honestly, the best thing about being single was meeting you… It's true, that was the best. Otherwise there was nothing good about it.”

In the meantime, in the rest of the Innanet…

All of this black love is the exact opposite of the intense escalation of the rap dispute between Drake and Kendrick over the last two months.

Not to mention the rap beefs as a whole since earlier this year, which resulted in Megan Thee Stallion and Nicki Minaj delivering major blows from the booth!

In addition to Drizzy and K Dot, there was also Chris Brown vs. Quavo, JT vs. GloRilla, Yung Miami, Saucy Santana and Sukihana.

Phew, thank God for a little black love to celebrate! Tabitha Brown and her husband Chance also recently celebrated over two decades of love and devotion.

RELATED: Come Through Black Love! Tabitha Brown and Chance are celebrating 21 years of marriage
Categories
Science

Right here's the place China's pattern return mission is headed

Here's where China's sample return mission is headed

Humanity got its first glimpse of the far side of the moon in 1959, when the Soviet space probe Luna 3 took our first images of the far side of the moon. The images were shocking and showed a clear difference between the different sides of the moon. Now China is sending another lander to the other side.

This time it will bring back an example from this long-unknown area that could explain the puzzling difference.

Chang'e-6 (CE-6) launched on May 3 and is on its way to the second largest impact crater in the solar system: the South Pole Aitken (SPA) basin. It will land in the Apollo Pool, a sub-pool within the much larger SPA Pool.

China has previously placed a lander on the far side of the moon (Chang'e 4). They also placed a lander on the far side of the moon and brought back samples (Chang'e 5). But CE-6 will be the first sample ever to return from the far side of the moon. It is the latest mission under the Chinese Lunar Exploration Program (CLEP).

This graphic outlines China's lunar exploration program. Photo credit: CASC

A new paper published in Earth and Planetary Science Letters describes the importance of the CE-6 landing site and the samples it will return to Earth. The title is “Long-lasting volcanism at the back of the Apollo Basin: Chang'e-6 landing site.” The main author is Dr. Yuqi Qian from the Department of Earth Sciences, University of Hong Kong.

When the USSR's Luna 3 probe gave us a glimpse of the far side of the moon for the first time, it didn't take long for scientists to realize how different it was from the far side of the moon. The far side of the Moon is marked by vast basaltic lava plains called lunar mares. Mares cover about 31% of the near side of the moon.

But the other side is completely different. Lunar mares only cover about 2% of the far side of the moon. Instead, it is dominated by densely cratered highlands. This is known as the lunar dichotomy. The difference is likely due to a deposition of heat-producing elements beneath the front, which formed the lunar mares. Scientists have also suggested that a long-ago companion moon crashed into the other side and created the highlands.

This global map of the Moon, as seen by the Clementine mission, shows the differences between the near side of the Moon and the far side of the Moon. The familiar near side is marked by dark lunar mares. On the other hand, there are very few of them. This is known as the lunar dichotomy. Photo credit: NASA.

“An important lunar science question is the cause of the lack of mare basalts on the other side,” Qian and his colleagues write in their paper. “The Chang'e-6 (CE-6) mission, the first sample return mission to the far side of the Moon, aims to land in the southern Apollo Basin to sample farside mare basalts that will provide crucial insights into provide early lunar evolution.”

CE-6 samples from the other side can begin to answer the questions about the differences between the two sides. In preparation for receiving the samples, Qian and his colleagues studied volcanism in the Apollo Basin. Their work revealed diverse and enigmatic volcanism.

Their research shows that the Apollo Basin experienced volcanic activity that lasted from the Nectarian period (about 4.05 billion years ago) to the Eratosthenic period (about 1.79 billion years ago). However, because the crust on the other side is much thicker, it influenced volcanic activity. In regions like Oppenheimer Crater, where the crust is of medium thickness, lava dikes remain trapped beneath the crater floor. Lava spreads laterally, forming a crater with sill and floor cracks.

These two images provide context to the CE-6 landing site. The left picture shows where Apollo is in the SPA. The right image shows some features in Apollo Crater, with the landing zone shown in a white rectangle. Photo credit: Qian et al. 2024.

Some regions, such as the inner floor of Apollo Crater, have thin crusts. Here lava dykes erupted directly and formed extensive lava flows. But where the crust is thickest, in the highland regions, there is no evidence that dikes ever reach the surface there.

“This fundamental finding suggests that the discrepancy in crustal thickness between the near and far sides may be the main cause of asymmetric lunar volcanism,” said Dr. Qian. “This can be tested using the returned Chang’e-6 samples.”

They chose the Southern Mare of Apollo Crater, in part because there are at least two historic eruptions there from two different times. Each has a different titanium content. The earlier one took place about 3.34 billion years ago and has a low titanium content (3.2% by weight). The later occurred about 3.07 billion years ago and has a higher titanium content (6.2% by weight).

According to the authors, this image from the study shows the best location for sampling. This region would provide samples of the older low-Ti basalts, the younger high-Ti basalts, and also overlying impact ejecta from Chaffee S crater. Photo credit: Qian et al. 2024.

The titanium content in rocks is relevant to petrogenesis, the formation and creation of rocks. Scientists believe that lunar basalts with high and low Ti content are formed when different geological layers of the moon melt. “CE-6 samples returned from the unique geological setting will provide important petrogenetic information to further address the lack of mare basalts on the far side and the dichotomy between near- and far-side lunar sides,” the authors write.

The authors suggest that CE-6 collects samples from the rim of the later eruption with the higher titanium content. This sample will have greater scientific value because it actually samples three things at once: newer high-Ti basalt, underlying low-Ti basalt, and other materials unrelated to the mares transported by impact events became. “Different sample sources would provide important insights into solving a range of lunar science questions hidden in the Apollo Basin,” said paper co-author Professor Joseph Michalski, also from the University of Hong Kong.

“The result of our research is a major contribution to the Chang'e-6 lunar mission. “It lays down a geological framework for a complete understanding of the soon-to-be-returned Chang'e-6 samples and will be an important reference for upcoming sample analysis for Chinese scientists,” said Professor Guochun Zhao, chair of HKU's Department of Geosciences and Co -Author of the paper.

Chang'e 6 will carry up to 2 kg (4.4 lbs) of lunar material. It should arrive on Earth around June 25th.

“These returned samples could help answer questions about the evolution of high- and low-Ti basalts, the influence of crustal thickness on lunar volcanism, and the most fundamental unsolved question in lunar science: What causes the distinct lunar nearside?” -Farside -Asymmetry?” the authors conclude.

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