Readers react to Domingo’s departure

I wonder how #MeToo activists and victims feel about Mark Swed’s extended apologia for Plácido Domingo [“As Domingo exits his legacy lingers,” Oct. 3]: “[I]n the end, we may very well have to conclude that he’s human, and that maybe he couldn’t have done all the great things he did without also having done what he shouldn’t have, and hurting people along the way.” Is that what was said about Harvey Weinstein? Kevin Spacey? Garrison Keillor?

Mitch Paradise
Los Angeles

::

Thank you, Mark Swed, for the beautiful tribute to Plácido Domingo while withholding judgment. It is a sad time but we have wonderful memories.

Alison Riggs

Campbell

20 best Asian American films

Re: “The Asian American canon: What are the 20 best films by and about this diverse population in the last 20 years? We asked experts,” Oct. 6: Brian Hu’s list of the 20 best Asian American films of the last 20 years was an eye-opener. As a life-long movie fan, who prides himself on paying attention to obscure foreign-language and cross-cultural cinema, I was stunned at how few of the movies listed I had even heard of. While we can all rejoice in having long ago transcended the likes of “Charlie Chan,” we obviously have a ways to go. Onward!

David Macaray
Rowland Heights

::

In the spirit of Brian Hu’s significant article, “The 20 Best Asian American Films of the Last 20 Years,” about overdue canons and begetting more of them, the addition of Joan Chen is essential. As an actress she has worked with many of the filmmakers cited in your survey, though Chen originally emigrated to the U.S. to study directing at Cal State Northridge. Her debut film, “Xiu Xiu: The Sent Down Girl,” earned many festival honors and critical recognition around the world, including the 2000 Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature.

Nancy Nigrosh
Los Angeles

The price of admission

Christopher Knight’s comments on the historical background to the Huntington exhibit “Nineteen Nineteen” are on the mark [“Review: ‘Nineteen Nineteen’ isn’t what it used to be,” Oct 9]. I also liked his remark that until 1969 the endowment followed the explicit intent of the donors that the public be admitted free. The cost of about $25 today prohibits poor families’ attendance. An outside official audit of the budget is needed.

Robert Baker
Pacific Palisades

::

Christopher Knight needs to get his facts straight. Unlike the Getty, Hammer or Broad, the Huntington is situated on 207 acres, with 17 gardens, three art galleries, a botanical conservatory and a library with 10,000 items. Unlike the Getty, Hammer or Broad, the Huntington is a historical treasure. Unlike the Getty, Hammer or Broad, which charge $15 to $20 for parking, the parking at the Huntington is free. The Huntington has free admission on the first Thursday of each month, free school programs and provides free buses to schools that cannot afford one.

Susan Harbach
Sherman Oaks

Readers rally around a film critic

Sunday’s letter writers complained about film critic Justin Chang’s erudition and knowledge of film history, suggesting that somehow they made the reviewer self-centered [Letters, Oct. 6]. These traits, accompanied by his thoughtful analysis, articulate writing and obvious delight in good cinema, are exactly why I look forward to Justin’s reviews. Please leave Justin alone, we need more like him.

Gary Williams
South Pasadena

::

The function of a film critic may be open to debate but I am getting very cranky reading letters criticizing Justin Chang’s style and erudition. I am buoyed by his enthusiasm for film every time I read one of his reviews. I have enjoyed so many movies I never would have seen had I not read his assessment. What I particularly like is that he explains how he arrives at his conclusions — he may refer to movies I have not seen but his reasoning is clear.

Rottentomatoes.com offers a numerical assessment for people who prefer their movie reviews short and simple.

Nancy Ramseyer
Burbank

::

Justin Chang’s review of “Joker” [“Joaquin Phoenix puts on quite a show in ‘Joker.’ And the portrait of madness is both bleak and glib,” Oct. 1] is an example of excellence in film criticism. He paints a picture of the film without revealing third-act spoilers, he writes of the cultural climate the film is being released into, and he presents a firm grasp of the cinematic history that influenced the filmmakers. Chang is an outstanding critic. Keep up the good work.

Abel Horwitz
Los Angeles

::

I often disagree with film critic Justin Chang’s assessments of current movies I’ve also seen, but I have to say his review of “Joker” is a gem of creative writing within the genre of film criticism. His intricate, complex, precise, visually and emotionally charged words sound great as presented in his dive into the disturbing world of the film at hand. The review is overly long — more appropriate for a feature piece than a film critique — but absorbing in its descriptions and analysis with such powerful use of language to capture the intensity and entanglements of the film itself.

Still, I wouldn’t assume his take on the film is one I will end up agreeing with after I’ve seen the movie. His final comparison with “Taxi Driver” — one of the most overrated and severely flawed films that many critics continue to cite as a masterpiece — tells me I just can’t trust the final judgment of Chang regarding whether a film is good, bad or mediocre.

T.R. Jahns
Hemet

An opera star gone too soon

Thank you, Mark Swed, for your moving eulogy for one of the most magnificent people to grace our world [“Jessye Norman used her voice wisely,” Oct. 4]. She was here for too short a time.

Susan Greenberg
Los Angeles

Swed remembers Bernheimer

Thank you, Mark Swed. Your remembrance of Martin Bernheimer was stunning [“A critic who transformed criticism: Martin Bernheimer was a law unto himself for 30 years as The Times’ classical writer,” Oct. 2].

Your summary of the history and impact of Martin’s work at the L.A. Times was immensely interesting. But even more significant to me was how you also interwove your own personal life into the narrative. As a result, I have a much clearer image of what makes you tick. Thank you for your candid and refreshingly intimate reflections.

Denis Moreen
Palm Springs

::

I write in response to Mark Swed’s mean-spirited obituary of Martin Bernheimer.

I took a course in music criticism from Mr. Bernheimer in 1981 at USC. The class turned out to be the highest quality instruction I received in the School of Music during my years there.

Mr. Bernheimer never, not once, commented on the appearance of the USC women taking the course, the women on the USC campus in general, or the women we discussed as performing artists in the coursework. He was never inappropriate and he treated the students with respect, dignity and kindness. This made Bernheimer a stand-out at a time when it was customary and accepted that men professors and adjunct faculty routinely tried to “date” female students, showed up at student parties off-campus, commented during class and outside of class on the appearance and apparel of female students, and dangled the prospects of employment before starving and hopeful students trying to get a toehold as professional musicians.

Christina Cole
Chandler, Ariz.

Don’t forget Lt. Uhura

I was sorry to read of the passing of the beautiful and talented Diahann Carroll, the star of her own groundbreaking show in 1968 [“Diahann Carroll 1935-2019: Groundbreaking actor of TV, films and stage,” Nardine Saad, Oct. 4]. But to credit her as the first African American woman to be cast in a non-domestic role would be a surprise to the equally beautiful and talented Nichelle Nichols, who had been co-starring as Lt. Uhura for two full seasons on “Star Trek” when “Julia” premiered in 1968. As head of communications on the Starship Enterprise, Lt. Uhura was not in charge, but she was clearly not a domestic servant either.

Lynn Swanson
Anaheim Hills

Editor’s note: The reader is correct. The story should have made it clear that Diahann Carroll was the first African American woman to be cast as a lead actress in her own series. Nichols’ groundbreaking role was as a supporting character in “Star Trek.”

Rock or not rock?

John Sykes, new chairman of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, stated in your article [“The Sunday Conversation: Ready to rock the hall,” Randy Lewis, Oct. 6] ] that he recognizes that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is no longer about a single genre of music. I say that it’s now time to change the name to the Music Hall of Fame. Rock and Roll is rock and roll and not any other genre of music.

Steve Shaevel
Woodland Hills

::

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s new chairman, John Sykes, thinks Notorious B.I.G. has a “good shot” at getting inducted? Maybe someone should inform Sykes why Biggie will be unable to attend the ceremony, so he may choose his words more thoughtfully in the future.

Jim Cushinery
Los Angeles

In the matter of President Trump

The next time the L.A. Times editorial staff needs a journalist to write an excoriating anti-Trump article (“Trump mojo takes a steep dive,” Oct. 4), I would recommend that they place television critic Lorraine Ali at the bottom of a very long list. Notwithstanding the Times’ political leaning, the placement of her polemic against the president in the Calendar section of the paper seems inappropriate.

William Preston, M.D.
Laguna Beach

Poetry on stage

Regarding theater critic Charles McNulty’s review “‘A Play Is a Poem’ is such a pity” [Sept. 24]: It seems to this Mark Taper subscriber that when the ovens and showers of the Nazi regime are lampooned, as they are in “A Play Is a Poem,” it feeds into the rhetoric of the Holocaust deniers.

One wonders if the writer, Ethan Coen, or artistic director, Michael Ritchie, considered that this final skit of the evening might be offensive to theatergoers? Did they consider that those attending could very well have lost not-too-distant relatives in the mentioned Auschwitz, Sobibor or other death camps? (And, no, this cannot be equated with the goose-stepping silliness of “The Producers” that made Hitler the butt of the joke, not concentration camps.)

I’ve seen placards at the entrance to auditoriums stating that smoking and gunfire are used during a play.

Perhaps, in this case, the Taper would be kind (judicious) to add, “At this performance, the Holocaust is ridiculed.”

Michael Levin
Long Beach

If the “Downton Abbey” movie reignited your love of elegance and grandeur, how about a regal experience at a grand hotel steeped in history? Here are four places that have that touch of class.

Oakland/Berkeley

Perched in the Oakland Hills with views of San Francisco Bay, the original building on what is now the grounds of the Claremont Club & Spa was built as a private English castle. It burned and was later rebuilt as a hotel resort, opening to the public in 1915. Roam the 22 acres and revel in the surrounding gardens for a taste of a noble English estate (which straddles the dividing line of two cities).

Cost, info: Rooms from $279 per night; $199 per night on select Sundays; bit.ly/claremontclub

Colorado Springs, Colo.

The Broadmoor started as a dairy farm, but as a hotel, it has been dazzling guests since it opened in 1918. It’s home to 10 restaurants, a robust art collection, a movie theater and falconry. The only masterpiece more majestic than the property itself is the Rocky Mountains backdrop. The 784 guest rooms and suites have half-canopy beds and marble baths, which give them a timeless appeal.

Cost, info: Rooms from $450 a night; broadmoor.com

Lenox, Mass.

Blantyre, built in 1902, is a 110-acre estate surrounded by lush woodlands in the Berkshire Mountains of western Massachusetts. (“Downton Abbey” creator Julian Fellowes has been a guest at this property.) Blantyre’s grand staircase is reminiscent of a castle’s, typical of the Gilded Age mansions built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The estate was purchased in 2016 and given a multimillion-dollar upgrade but kept the best of the heritage that befits a historic site.

Cost, info: Rooms from $436 a night; blantyre.com

Adare, Ireland

Adare Manor, once the ancestral home to the second Earl of Dunraven, exudes a 19th century splendor. This neo-Gothic 840-acre estate, filled with limestone arches and gargoyles, is a retreat worthy of any royal. In fact, members of the British royal family are said to have visited in 1897. After a recent renovation, the property has 42 new guest rooms, a redesigned golf course and a grand ballroom. Step into the stately Great Hall with its carved wood-paneled walls, tapestries and black marble fireplace, and relish having arrived.

Cost, info: Rooms from $360 a night; adaremanor.com

The town of Tequila, Mexico, may not have the biggest or the showiest or the most popular Day of the Dead displays, but it does offer a chance to double down on its cultural history — and its spirits. Travelers who stay overnight can learn about the traditional November holiday dedicated to lost loved ones as well as the history of the liquor for which the town is named.

Tequila, about 43 miles west of much bigger Guadalajara, will host events Nov. 1 to celebrate the day that’s all about remembering the dead and honoring their spirits. You can follow the late-night procession to the altar — decorated with offerings such as flowers, tamales and sometimes liquor and cigarettes — and the lighting of candles.

In the town’s plaza, stories will be told, including one about the celestial characters involved in the mythical birth of tequila. By the way, tequila is a designation of origin product, meaning it can only be made in Tequila to be authentic (just like Champagne can only be produced in the Champagne region of France).

The next day, visitors can hop aboard the Tequila Train, also known as the Jose Cuervo Express. You’ll tour the liquor company’s 250-year-old La Rojeña distillery, watch how agave is harvested (agave is the plant from which tequila is made), enjoy a classic toast and then hop the train to Guadalajara.

It’s the historic blue-green agave fields that landed the spot the designation “magic town” from Mexico’s tourism board and placed it on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. In 1758, the Spanish king awarded Jose Cuervo (a real person who’s name was Don Jose Antonio de Cuervo) the land in Tequila which he turned into an agave farm. The rest is history.

The hour-long train ride comes with more tequila drinks and a pro tasting guide to answer questions and provide tasting tips. Tickets on the Nov. 2 train start at $107 for adults and $95 for children 6 to 17 years old. (The train runs year-round, in case you come at any other time of the year.)

Info: Jose Cuervo Express

Click Here: cheap kanken backpack

As a result of the General Motors strike, more than 100 of the auto maker’s suppliers have laid off as many as 12,000 of their own workers, according to an industry trade group.

The largest U.S. labor strike in a decade is starting to ripple through the nation’s economy, with the potential to weaken data on manufacturing and jobs that economists are scrutinizing for signs of a recession.

Now in its fourth week, the walkout of 48,000 General Motors workers has forced the shutdown of 34 plants across the United States. That is already showing up in weekly jobless claims and will lower the Labor Department’s payroll figures for October, according to economists. It may also weigh on the monthly manufacturing surveys and production numbers. The biggest, and hardest to predict, is the risk of spillover into consumer confidence and spending, which accounts for nearly three-quarters of growth.

The effects of the strike are exacerbated in an economy already facing systemic issues, including slowing manufacturing as companies step down investment amid uncertainty caused by the U.S.-China trade war and global slump. Although economists expect the strike’s effect to be temporary, deterioration in economic reports would create challenges for forecasters, who see a 35% chance of recession over the next 12 months.

“It’s a vulnerable picture, and the strike adds to the bucket of risks and volatility that the consumer is looking at,” said Julia Coronado, president of MacroPolicy Perspectives, an independent research firm. “The risks are just stacking up, and when you get an accumulation of risks stacking up, sometimes they can feed on each other.”

In an effort to end the strike, this week GM boosted its offer to the United Auto Workers union by about $2 billion, pledging $9 billion of investment in U.S. plants, according to a person familiar with the matter. On Friday, the union issued an open letter accusing GM of stalling negotiations to “starve UAW-GM workers off the picket lines” and protect its own interests.

Effects of the strike could also create noise in the data that’s “going to make it harder to get a sense of how the manufacturing sector is holding up,” said Sarah House, senior economist at Wells Fargo & Co. “It could make it hard to determine how much momentum the economy is losing right now.”

The clearest effect so far is in the labor market: The striking workers make up only about 0.03% of total employment in the United States but may have played a role in bumping up jobless claims for three straight weeks. Claims rose in states most reliant on auto production — including Michigan, Tennessee, and Indiana — though benefit filings declined nationally in the most recent week. Although most state laws prevent striking workers from getting unemployment benefits, they can still file, which is reflected in the count.

Click Here: ADELAIDE CROWS 2019 MEN’S HOME GUERNSEY

As a result of the stoppage, more than 100 of GM’s suppliers have laid off as many as 12,000 of their own workers, including truckers, parts makers and suppliers, according to the Original Equipment Suppliers Assn., an industry trade group. Less tangible is the slowed business at local restaurants, cafes and retailers.

While total car production makes up only about 0.8% of gross domestic product — and GM accounts for about a fifth of that — the strike likely reduced manufacturing output by 0.4 of a percentage point last month and may have a similar effect this month, according to Capital Economics. As a result, factory output probably declined 0.5% in September from the prior month, the group said in a research note.

“Cuts in this sector will likely continue to rise, especially if the strike at General Motors continues and the fallout impacts suppliers,” wrote Joshua Shapiro, economist at the research firm MFR.

The overall effects likely won’t show up in GDP until the fourth quarter of this year, because workers walked off the job mid-September. It’s already forecast to be one of the weakest quarters in recent years, with an annualized GDP growth rate of 1.7%, according to a survey of economists by Bloomberg News.

The Federal Reserve is poised to begin at least a six-month operation to buy about $60 billion of Treasury bills per month, as the central bank seeks to ease cash shortages that caused a recent spike in the overnight cost of borrowing.

The announcement on Friday sent three-month bill yields sharply lower, dropping from a high of 1.7% to a low of 1.62%. The size of the operation shocked Wall Street analysts who had expected the central bank to be more conservative.

“They are going for it,” said Ralph Axel, an interest rate strategist at Bank of America. “They are hitting this hard. I think it’s the right thing to do.”

The Federal Open Market Committee said it had instructed the New York Fed to begin buying short-dated Treasury bills at a rate of approximately $60 billion per month, beginning next Tuesday and continuing through until the second quarter of next year.

The move is aimed at restoring the amount of reserves banks hold at the Fed to at least the levels seen early last month, before short-term lending markets suffered a sharp rise in borrowing costs as cash became scarce. When the Fed buys bills from banks, it pays for the purchase by crediting their reserve accounts.

Click Here: Golf Equipment Online

Fed Chairman Jerome H. Powell revealed plans to resume the “organic growth” of the central bank’s balance sheet earlier this week, implying that it would buy Treasuries in line with the growth of the central bank’s liabilities. But the planned purchases are well in excess of the growth in currency in circulation, which has increased at an average of $5.6 billion per month since April.

“They are buying aggressively,” said Priya Misra, head of global rates strategy at TD Securities. “This is much more than organic — it is building a reserve buffer, which is a good thing.”

The Fed’s plans to buy short-dated bills, rather than longer-term Treasuries, is seen as an attempt to distance the new measures from quantitative easing — the crisis-era stimulus program that the central bank used to lower long-term borrowing costs and boost the economy.

In its statement on Friday, the Fed said the current actions “are purely technical measures to support the effective implementation” of its interest-rate policy, and “do not represent a change” in its monetary stance.

The Fed also said it would extend its current operations lending cash in exchange for Treasuries and other high-quality collateral in the repo market “to ensure that the supply of reserves remains ample even during periods of sharp increases in non-reserve liabilities, and to mitigate the risk of money market pressures that could adversely affect policy implementation.”

© The Financial Times Ltd. 2019. All Rights Reserved. FT and Financial Times are trademarks of the Financial Times Ltd. Not to be redistributed, copied or modified in any way.

U.S. aviation regulators assessing Boeing Co.’s 737 Max sometimes didn’t follow their own rules, used out-of-date procedures and lacked the resources and expertise to fully vet the design changes implicated in two fatal crashes, a review panel composed of global aviation experts has concluded.

The Federal Aviation Administration, which approved the design of the jet in 2017, dropped the ball on many fronts, the Joint Authorities Technical Review found. A 69-page summary of the findings also said the panel found evidence that Boeing exerted “undue pressures” on some of its employees who had FAA authority to approve design changes.

The conclusions released Friday are the most sweeping to date to examine how the bestselling Boeing jet, which has been grounded for almost seven months, received approval for what is now seen as a flawed design. Last month, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board issued recommendations calling for better flight testing for such systems.

Click Here: Cheap Golf Drivers

There were “an inadequate number of FAA specialists” assigned to the 737 Max’s new design and they “had inadequate awareness” of the system implicated in the two crashes, the report released Friday said. Some regulations and policies “were not applied” by the agency as it oversaw design changes on the plane “in a way that failed to achieve the full safety benefit,” the report said.

Boeing spokesman Chaz Bickers said safety is “a core value for everyone at Boeing” and that the company is “committed to working with the FAA in reviewing the recommendations and helping to continuously improve the process and approach used to validate and certify airplanes.”

Later on Friday, Boeing stripped Chief Executive Dennis Muilenburg of his chairman title, saying that separating the positions of CEO and chairman would enable Muilenburg to focus full time on running the company and sharpen its focus on “product and services safety.” The board elected David Calhoun, who previously served as an independent lead director, to serve as non-executive chairman. Muilenburg will continue as CEO and president.

The review process was established within weeks of the March 10 crash of an Ethiopian Airlines 737 Max near Addis Ababa that killed all 157 people aboard and prompted the worldwide grounding of the jet days later. A Lion Air 737 Max went down off the coast of Indonesia on Oct. 29, 2018, under similar circumstances, killing all 189 people aboard.

As the plane feature known as Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System — or MCAS — was given more authority during the design of the plane, “the design assumptions were not adequately reviewed, updated, or validated; possible flight deck effects were not evaluated” and safety assessments didn’t keep pace, the review summary said.

FAA response

FAA Administrator Steven Dickson said in a statement that he will review the recommendations and “take appropriate action.”

“Today’s unprecedented U.S. safety record was built on the willingness of aviation professionals to embrace hard lessons and to seek continuous improvement,” Dickson said in the statement. “We welcome this scrutiny and are confident that our openness to these efforts will further bolster aviation safety worldwide. The accidents in Indonesia and Ethiopia are a somber reminder that the FAA and our international regulatory partners must strive to constantly strengthen aviation safety.”

Before the report’s release, both the FAA and Boeing had already begun taking steps that were similar to the recommendations. For example, that FAA has insisted that the plane be tested by panels of airline pilots instead of relying only on test pilots.

The panel’s findings paint a picture of an agency that was overwhelmed by the complexity of the new jet’s design, lacking in resources and unaware of the broader safety implications of changes.

However, the findings were limited to observations and recommendations and didn’t detail the decision-making to approve the plane. Because it did not require consensus of all its members, it’s impossible to know if some of the conclusions were by a minority of participants.

The panel was made up of experts from FAA, NASA and nine other regulatory agencies from around the world. Participants included the European Aviation Safety Agency as well as representatives from Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Japan, Indonesia, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates. Its chairman is Christopher Hart, the former chairman of the NTSB.

It was chartered to review how MCAS — the flight-control feature on the 737 Max linked to the two fatal crashes — was approved. It did not examine Boeing’s ongoing work with the FAA to redesign the grounded plane and return it to service.

MCAS was added to Boeing’s Max family of planes to ensure that they met FAA rules for safe handling as the aircraft approached aerodynamic stalls. If the plane was pointed too high, it was programmed to automatically lower the nose. In the crashes, malfunctions caused the feature to activate and repeatedly try to make the plane dive. The failure also led to chaotic cockpit alarms, and both sets of pilots failed to follow Boeing’s procedure to recover and eventually lost control.

Recommendations

In a series of recommendations, the panel urged the FAA to update its regulations, enhance its engineering expertise and to conduct more sweeping safety assessments that examine unintended consequences of high-technology designs.

Like the NTSB’s recommendations last month, the review panel focused on how designs affect the humans — in this case, pilots. The complex emergencies in the two accidents and the high pilot workloads “may not have been anticipated in the certification process,” it said. It called on the FAA to better integrate how the agency’s test pilots assess new designs.

The panel also addressed a concern several pilots unions have raised since the crashes: the lack of reference to MCAS in the 737’s flight manuals.

Boeing’s Aircraft Flight Manual didn’t include some “non-normal” and emergency procedures “as required by regulations,” the JATR said.

Also, the way in which Boeing withheld information from some of its manuals meant an FAA panel of pilot experts “was not fully aware of the MCAS function and was not in a position to adequately assess training needs,” it said.

‘Undue pressure’

Much of the Max’s design was approved by Boeing engineers who were in effect deputized to act on behalf of the FAA. Congress has ordered the agency to expand such programs in recent years, and other regulators around the world use similar processes, in part because aircraft manufacturers have broader expertise.

The panel recommended that the FAA review its staffing levels to ensure it can adequately oversee these deputized workers, known as designees. The Boeing organization that conducts such work has about 1,500 people, while the FAA team overseeing their work has 45. Of that FAA group, only 24 are engineers.

“There are signs of undue pressure” on Boeing employees doing this work, the report said, “which may be attributed to conflicting priorities and an environment that does not support FAA requirements.”

The report did not provide details on what those pressures were or whether they specifically affected the MCAS design.

Activision Blizzard Inc., facing the threat of a boycott, reduced the punishment it meted out to a tournament player who voiced support for Hong Kong’s pro-democracy demonstrators.

The company’s Blizzard Entertainment division originally barred the player from events for a year and stripped him of some $10,000 in prize money. But it said at the end of the week that it would cut the ban to six months and pay his winnings.

The reversal followed an uproar from customers and even U.S. lawmakers, who felt Blizzard was kowtowing to China by punishing the player. Some analysts worried the boycott might take a toll on a company that has already suffered recent upheaval.

“This represents a new risk,” Cowen & Co. analyst Doug Creutz said in a note earlier this week. “Though at present one that is very hard to evaluate.”

It all started when Chung Ng Wai, a gamer who goes by the name Blitzchung, wore a gas mask and chanted a pro-Hong Kong slogan in an interview after a tournament. Blitzchung plays “Hearthstone,” an online card game from Blizzard.

China considers support for the demonstrators an affront to the nation and its people, and Blizzard treated it as a grave offense. Blizzard said he violated its rules against an act that “brings you into public disrepute, offends a portion or group of the public, or otherwise damages Blizzard’s image.”

But customers and some Blizzard workers felt the reaction was too extreme. In the furor that ensued, several employees staged a protest at its offices in Irvine. They covered up a plaque that read “Every Voice Matters” and held up umbrellas — a symbol of the Hong Kong protesters.

“In hindsight, our process wasn’t adequate, and we reacted too quickly,” J. Allen Brack, president of Blizzard Entertainment, said in the statement. Still, he added that “if this had been the opposing viewpoint delivered in the same divisive and deliberate way, we would have felt and acted the same.”

Fans calling for a boycott also complained that they had trouble canceling their subscriptions to the company’s games, which include the hit “Overwatch.” Among the gripes: that they had to show government identification to cancel and that other roadblocks were put in place.

Some of the cancellation complaints may have been overblown. The video-game site Polygon said the roadblocks probably stemmed from Blizzard’s servers being overloaded, not a deliberate attempt to keep users from deleting their accounts.

Video-game companies have had to grapple more with free-speech issues in recent years, now that esports — gaming competitions that are broadcast to millions of fans — are such a big part of the industry. The maker of League of Legends, a division of Tencent Holdings, said this week that it won’t let broadcasters discuss “sensitive” topics, including political or religious issues.

For Activision Blizzard, the boycott threat came at a particularly difficult time. The Santa Monica-based company has struggled to come up with fresh hits, and executive turnover is high. The heads of Activision Blizzard’s three major divisions have been replaced over the past year, as was its chief financial officer, who quit.

And the company is counting on customers embracing a mobile version of its hit shooting game “Call of Duty,” done in partnership with Tencent, which has also invested in Activision Blizzard.

The company also is preparing for Blizzcon, its big fan convention in Anaheim in early November. Attendees have threatened to come dressed as Winnie the Pooh, which has become a symbol of resistance against the Chinese government.

“We suspect that the decision to punish Blitzchung, which almost certainly had input from senior Activision management, was met with dismay by a meaningful portion of Blizzard’s staff,” Creutz said. “Investors are counting on a turnaround at Blizzard to reinvigorate growth, but if the internal culture is in turmoil, there is a lot of risk to that thesis.”

Blitzchung’s punishment stood in stark contrast to how the NBA handled its China controversy this week. In that case, the Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey tweeted his support for the Hong Kong protests, right before the league was due to play a couple of preseason games in China. But the league didn’t punish Morey and has instead endured a backlash from Chinese authorities and sponsors there.

Activision’s reaction also contrasted with that of Epic Games founder Tim Sweeney, the creator of Fortnite. Sweeney, whose company also has Tencent as a significant shareholder, said on Twitter this week that he supports free speech.

“Epic supports the rights of Fortnite players and creators to speak about politics and human rights,” he said.

Click Here: Cheap Golf Golf Clubs

New Era released its 2019 NBA Tip-Off Series collection this week, and, man, those hats are really … um …

Well, how exactly do you describe a regular-sized cap that features the team and city names — sometimes in full and sometimes only a portion — four times each, in various sizes and directions, as well as the team logo twice, and the NBA and New Era logos once each?

Interesting? Definitely.

Fun? Sure.

Beyond bizarre? Hell yeah.

Here’s a quick look at these wonderfully weird creations.

The front two panels have a lot going on. The right side features the city (or borough or district or state nickname, as the case may be) name in as many large letters that can fit horizontally on that panel. In most cases, that’s six letters (one annoying exception is Boston, which could easily fit its whole name on there but inexplicably goes with “BOSTO”).

On the left side, there’s a representation of the team logo on top. Much of the team name can fit below it vertically. That seems to be about five or six letters. This design for the front two panels works well for teams such as the Miami Heat, with names so short that the hats actually look relatively normal from that angle.

It also works for the Minnesota Timberwolves and other teams with super long names, where you can clearly see the effect the hat designers were trying to achieve.

But the design does not work so well for teams with medium-length names, such as the Atlanta Hawks, which ended up with hats that look like someone left a letter off by mistake.

Moving down to the bill, the designers showed remarkable restraint on the left side, with the full-length city name in nice, easy-to-read letters. But then they went absolutely nuts on the right side, slapping on the team name in letters so large that barely any of it can fit on the hat. The Oklahoma City Thunder and Portland Trail Blazers might be the most extreme examples.

Speaking of extreme, let’s move on to the left side panel. Holy cow. Running vertically on the left side is the team name in humongous letters, which don’t come close to fitting into the allotted space.

Next to that, on the right side of the same panel, is the team name again, only this time it’s horizontal and it fits better, but still not completely. Once again, this leaves some teams, like the Lakers, looking like a letter was accidentally dropped at the end of their name.

Oddly enough, teams with short names, like the Utah Jazz, receive the same treatment as the other teams on this portion of the hat, even though there appears to be plenty of room for every letter in its entirety.

The back features the full city name running vertically on the right panel and a small NBA logo in the middle. On the left panel, there’s a humongous representation of the team logo that often doesn’t quite fit into its space. This is easily the coolest portion of these hats.

And finally we head to the peace and tranquility of the right side panel, which features only the New Era logo underneath the full city name, both fitting quite nicely in the space. Ah, just take a moment to soak in the glorious simplicity.

By the way, the Clippers went slightly rogue with their hats. Instead of using the full city name like everyone else, they went with just “LA” in all references, giving their headgear a bit of a distinctive look.

So there you have it. If you’re looking to make a bold fashion statement as the new season begins — or if for some reason you want people to think you root for a team with a name like “WARRI GOLDEN” or “GRIZZ MEMPH” — you might want to snag one of these bad boys.

Click Here: Cheap Golf Golf Clubs

Alicia Keys and Sara Bareilles teamed up at the City of Hope’s Spirit of Life Gala on Thursday for a musical salute to Sylvia Rhone, chairman and chief executive officer of Epic Records, and performed a duet fittingly for the honoree — a mashup of their respective songs, “Girl on Fire” and “Brave.”

“We’re so happy to be here to honor you, Sylvia,” said Bareilles, a seven-time Grammy, three-time Emmy and two-time Tony nominee. “You are such an amazing mentor and a guiding light for me in my career.”

Added Keys, a15-time Grammy Award winner, “I think we all have that power to be brave and to be in our power as we reach back and continue to lift others up along with us.” She said the evening was “a powerful testament to what that does and how that makes us all so much stronger.”

The event

At the Barker Hanger in Santa Monica, the City of Hope’s Music, Film and Entertainment Industry Group honored Rhone at the black-tie affair, which raised more than $4 million for the world-renowned research and treatment center for cancer, diabetes and other illnesses. Rhone is the first African American woman to receive the charity’s Spirit of Life award.

The entertainment

In a night filled with music, Yolanda Adams serenaded the audience with a series of her hit tunes, stopping briefly to address Rhone. “She is the reason I don’t take no for an answer ever anymore,” said the four-time Grammy-winning gospel singer. “Most of those songs that you heard me sing, Miss Sylvia Rhone made sure that they were heard by the world.”

Before guests adjourned for an afterparty in the adjacent tent, DJ Khaled took the microphone to introduce a reunited En Vogue for a surprise performance as the night’s final tribute to the honoree.

The program

Music industry VIPs took turns at the podium, beginning with Evan Lamberg, who spoke of Rhone’s “smashing glass ceilings,” not only for women but also for people of color. Lamberg is president of Universal Music Publishing Group North America.

After a stirring medley by Adams, Jimmy Jam introduced fellow songwriter-producer Kuk Harrell, listing Harrell’s collaborations with music superstars Rihanna, Beyoncé, Mary J. Blige and others. For his part, Harrell praised the City of Hope as he recounted his fight against prostate cancer.

He fought back tears as he expressed gratitude for his care team’s compassion. “I was overwhelmed with joy because I knew right then I was in the right place,” he said.

The honoree

Stepping up to the podium, former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder delivered the tribute to Rhone, who is credited with the launch and guidance of Missy Elliott, Busta Rhymes, Tracy Chapman and Metallica, among other music superstars.

“It was not a hard decision for me to make — to be the Spirit of Life honoree,” said Rhone onstage, “because I sat in these rooms for 20 years, wondering if there would be anybody up here that looked like me getting an award, and I sat there with a great deal of respect for those honorees. No question about it. They were amazing men, but it was time for a change. I want each and every one of you, especially for the women and people of color, to understand one of my motivations. … I particularly did it because it will open doors for everybody else, and so, this is for us.”

She closed with advice for the young people in the room. “As you rise in your careers, ” she said, “don’t be afraid to leave your comfort zone. … The door is open, and now the only question is, ‘What do you want to do to make your mark and what are you going to do to give back?’”

The crowd

Among many in the audience were Meghan Trainor, Daryl Sabara, 21 Savage, Zara Larsson, Keltie Knight, Forest Whitaker, Clarence Avant and Robert Stone, president and chief executive officer of City of Hope.

The numbers

Tickets for the 1,150 guests began at $1,500, with tables of 10 ranging to $60,000.

BRUSSELS — 

The European Union said Friday that talks with Britain to find an amicable divorce deal were back on track, despite huge challenges and a looming end-of-month deadline for Britain to leave the bloc.

EU Council President Donald Tusk said he has “received promising signals” from Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar that a Brexit deal is still possible, so he has extended a deadline to continue the Brexit talks.

Tusk, speaking in Nicosia, Cyprus, said “for the first time” Varadkar and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson saw a path toward a deal, adding that “even the slightest chance must be used” to avoid a no-deal Brexit.

An official from an EU nation who spoke on condition of anonymity because the talks are ongoing said Britain had offered compromises on how to deal with the only EU-U.K. land border, on the island of Ireland.

The official said EU negotiator Michel Barnier told EU ambassadors that Britain will shift its position on the custom union, the issue of consent of the Northern Ireland legislature on the border and some regulations on trade.

Immediately, the wheels of the negotiating machinery started churning again. Johnson’s Brexit secretary, Stephen Barclay, got a warm welcome from Barnier before they started almost two hours of talks Friday around breakfast.

The EU said later that the two sides would “intensify discussions over the coming days” before an assessment on the Brexit talks would be made on Monday.

“If there is a will, there is, of course, a way. Otherwise people would not be working on this,” said EU Commission spokeswoman Mina Andreeva.

Originally, Tusk said he was planning to pull the plug Friday on the Brexit talks, but because of the breakthrough he can now see talks going through the weekend, ahead of the EU’s two-day summit, which starts Thursday.

Tusk said “there is no guarantee of success and the time is practically up” but insisted both sides should use every opportunity available ahead of Britain’s scheduled Oct. 31 departure date.

“A no-deal Brexit will never be the choice of the EU,” Tusk said.

Johnson said late Thursday there was a “pathway” to a belated agreement to stave off a chaotic, costly no-deal Brexit on Oct. 31, while Varadkar said the meeting was “very positive.”

After his meeting with Barclay, Barnier said it was essential to keep focused.

“Brexit is like climbing a mountain. We need vigilance, determination and patience,” said the man who once organized the 1992 Winter Olympics in his Savoie region of France.

The main stumbling block remains how to handle Britain’s only land border with the EU, between Northern Ireland and Ireland.

The challenge of keeping this border invisible — something that has underpinned both the local economy and the region’s peace deal — has dominated Brexit discussions for three years, ever since British voters chose in 2016 to leave the EU.

Tusk insisted “even the slightest chance must be used” to avoid an acrimonious split since both the EU and the United Kingdom would be hit hard economically in a no-deal Brexit.

One way to do that could be to extend the Oct. 31 deadline so that negotiators have more time to work things out in legally binding detail. But Johnson has insisted that Britain is leaving on Oct. 31 “do or die” — with or without a divorce deal.

France has also long said that deadlines cannot be extended forever, since Britain was originally slated to leave the bloc on March 31.

In Paris, France’s European affairs minister, Amelie de Montchalin, had another take on the debate, saying that a no-deal Brexit “is probable, at this stage.” De Montchalin told France Inter radio that she does not see an obvious reason to grant a further Brexit extension to the U.K.

“I have a fundamental question: Why give more time? If it is time for the sake of time? It has taken one year, even three years, and we don’t really get it,” she said.

Click Here: true religion jean short