State’s Re-Opening Task Force Launches Public Comment Portal
The Re-Open Florida Task Force launched a public comment submission portal on Saturday.The task force, which is due to give its recommendations to Gov. Ron DeSantis as the week begins, is seeking the public’s feedback regarding the safe re-opening of the state’s economy.Floridians may submit feedback on any topic related to the re-opening, including the impacts to small business, healthcare, education, tourism, agriculture, retail, recreation and sports, and construction.Access the public comment submission portal here.
By Nick MulvenneyADELAIDE, Australia (Reuters) – Josh Hazlewood snuffed out England’s hopes of a remarkable second Ashes Test triumph with two wickets in the first 16 balls of the final day as Australia wrapped up a 120-run victory in brilliant sunshine at Adelaide Oval yesterday.England, with six wickets in hand, needed 178 runs to win the maiden day-night Ashes Test and level the series at 1-1 but fell well short of their victory target and will head to Perth 2-0 down with three matches to play.Left-arm quick Mitchell Starc mopped up the tail with the new pink ball to take five for 88, his eighth five-wicket haul in Tests, but Hazlewood shared the plaudits after his key early intervention.The paceman delivered a hefty blow when he removed Chris Woakes with the second ball of the day and two overs later landed a knockout punch when he had Joe Root caught behind before the England captain could add to his overnight 67.“If I‘m being honest, I was a little nervous last night,” said Australia captain Steve Smith.“So it was very pleasing that Josh was able to come out and do what he did this morning and obviously to get the wicket of Root really put us in a good position and I was able to breathe a little more easily.”Root’s innings was always going to be crucial to his team’s chances of chasing down a record 354 at Adelaide Oval and although the innings limped on into a second hour, the hope raised among the English on Tuesday was gone.The dismissal of Woakes had an element of fortune in that the feather the nightwatchman got on the ball was picked up by snicko but not the hotspot when it was referred.Root, however, walked after he got late to a good length delivery from Hazlewood and the ball nicked off his bat into the welcoming gloves of Tim Paine.Moeen Ali, who made two off 20 balls, used up England’s last DRS referral when he attempted a sweep off Nathan Lyon, with the ball-tracking only confirming the umpire’s lbw decision.Starc then got to work with the new ball and Craig Overton (7) departed plumb lbw from the first delivery with it, Stuart Broad following not so long afterwards.Jonny Bairstow, England’s last recognisable batsman, had stood tall for 36 in difficult circumstances but edged another Starc fizzer onto his middle stump and the tourists were all out for 233.”Obviously very disappointing,“ said Root. ”I don’t think we did ourselves justice today.“But we’re still massively in the series. We showed that from the way we played yesterday.”Smith had been relying on his bowlers to save his embarrassment after he failed to enforce the follow-on and England’s bowlers got them back into the game.AUSTRALIA 1st innings 442 for 8 decl. (S. Marsh 126 n.o, T. Paine 57, U. Khawaja 53) ENGLAND 1st innings 227 (N. Lyon 4-60) AUSTRALIA 2nd innings 138 (J. Anderson 5-43, C. Woakes 4-36) ENGLAND 2nd innings (o/n 176-4; Target: 354 runs)A. Cook lbw b Lyon 16M. Stoneman c Khawaja b Starc 36J. Vince c Handscomb b Starc 15J. Root c Paine b Hazlewood 67D. Malan b Cummins 29C. Woakes c Paine b Hazlewood 5M. Ali lbw b Lyon 2J. Bairstow b Starc 36C. Overton lbw b Starc 7S. Broad c Paine b Starc 8J. Anderson not out 0Extras: (b-7, lb-5) 12Total: (all out, 84.2 overs) 233Fall of wickets: 1-53, 2-54, 3-91, 4-169, 5-176, 6-177, 7-188, 8-206, 9-224.Bowling: M. Starc 19.2-3-88-5, J. Hazlewood 20-7-49-2, P. Cummins 20-6-39–1, N. Lyon 25-6-45-2.
Update on the latest sports Twins Bob, Mike Bryan end record-breaking doubles careerNEW YORK (AP) — American twins Bob and Mike Bryan announced their retirement after a record-breaking doubles career Thursday, making official what seemed clear when they did not enter the U.S. Open.The 42-year-old brothers collected 16 Grand Slam championships together, 119 tour-level titles and a 2012 Olympic gold medal. They finished 10 seasons atop the ATP doubles rankings and helped the United States win the Davis Cup in 2007.Along the way, they became as famous a doubles team as there was, known for leaping to bump chests at the end of victories.The Bryans, who were born in California, already had said 2020 would be their last year on tour. Associated Press Share This StoryFacebookTwitteremailPrintLinkedinRedditRACIAL INJUSTICE-SPORTSBoycotts leave sports schedules up in the airUNDATED (AP) — The NBA’s board of governors is expected to meet and discuss whether Thursday’s playoff games will be played, after all three games on Wednesday’s schedule were postponed by player protests. NBA players also plan to meet to decide how long the stoppage will last. August 27, 2020 The Milwaukee Bucks started a protest movement that spread to other sports when they declined to take the court Wednesday their playoff game against the Orlando Magic following the weekend shooting by police of Jacob Blake, a Black man, in Wisconsin. Before the day was over, three Major League Baseball games, three WNBA games and five Major League Soccer games had been called off.It’s not clear if more games could be affected. Plans call for the baseball games that were postponed Wednesday to be made up as part of doubleheaders Thursday. Those games are the Cincinnati at Milwaukee, Seattle at San Diego and the Los Angeles Dodgers at San Francisco Giants.Several NFL teams have canceled their Thursday practices.NFL-ALEXANDER-MISSING FATHERSheriff: Missing dad of Bengals player found safe in Florida FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — The missing father of Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Mackensie Alexander turned up early Thursday at a ranger station at a Florida state park.The Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office said in a Twitter post Thursday morning that 65-year-old Jean Alexandre walked up to the ranger station at the Kissimmee (kih-SIH’-mee) Prairie Preserve State Park, which is about 25 miles north of Okeechobee in central Florida. He was reported to be in good health and will be reunited with this family., Alexandre, a Haitian immigrant who uses a French spelling of the family’s surname, went missing after going to pick palmetto berries Monday, according to official. A missing persons report was released Wednesday.His son, cornerback Mackensie Alexander, was jailed Wednesday on a misdemeanor battery charge after deputies say he beat up a man shortly after returning to Florida to help search for his missing father. Alexander had left Bengals training camp earlier Tuesday to assist in the search.TENNIS-BRYAN BROTHERS RETIRE
“Fans deserve the best possible during the festive season. That is why we are marrying music and boxing to provide top class entertainment for fans. GOtv Boxing Night is a family event. We want families to come and enjoy themselves to the maximum. By popular consent, Small Doctor is a big name and has promised us a big performance at GOtv Boxing Night,” the statement said.Small Doctor, a protégé of fuji bigwig, Wasiu Alabi Pasuma, hit the big time with hits like Mosquito Killer, Gbagaun (featuring Pasuma), Olowo, Riches World and Oyinbo Arrest.The self-styled street ambassador has worked with numerous artistes, including Oritsefemi, Terry G, Side One and Dre Sans. He was nominated in the Street Hip Hop Category at the 2015 Headies.GOtv Boxing Night 10 will feature seven professional fights, including the African Boxing Union welterweight title bout between Stanley “Edo Boy” Eribo of Nigeria and Meshack “Smart Boy” Nwankemwa of Tanzania as well as the West African Boxing Union light welterweight title clash between Olaide “Fijaborn” Fijabi and Ghana’s Raphael “Iron King” Kwabena. Share this:FacebookRedditTwitterPrintPinterestEmailWhatsAppSkypeLinkedInTumblrPocketTelegram Boxing and music will converge on GOtv Boxing Night 10, where fans will have the opportunity to watch music rave, Small Doctor, perform live.This was announced in a statement by Flykite Productions, organisers of the event. According to the statement, Small Doctor was chosen to provide more excitement for fans at GOtv Boxing Night 10, which is a commemorative edition and also falls within the festive season.
A team of USC researchers has released a study analyzing the science behind what makes a particular song a hit.Joseph Nunes, a marketing professor at the Marshall School of Business, along with Andrea Ordanini, a marketing professor at Bocconi University in Italy, analyzed Billboard magazine’s Hot 100 list to determine what makes a song a No. 1 hit and what prevents another from ever climbing above No. 90.“There is research on music preferences, but there really [isn’t] a lot that [is] empirical in the sense of going out and getting secondary data, or big data sets and thinking about what became popular and what didn’t based on people’s perceptions of the song,” Nunes said.The goal of the study was to take a consumerist perspective and study what and why certain songs become popular.Nunes enlisted a team of graduate students from the Thornton School of Music to help with the study. The team was led by Brad Sroka, a doctoral candidate studying historical musicology. Together, the research team analyzed all 1,029 songs that took the No. 1 spot on the Hot 100 list between 1958 and 2012, as well as the 1,451 songs that made the list but never climbed above the No. 90 spot. Using the audio recordings of as many of those songs as possible, they coded the types of instruments and vocals audible in each hit.Two different methods were used in analyzing the songs. The first, Qualitative Comparative Analysis, involved comparing the set of songs that reached No. 1 with the set of songs that never surpassed No. 90 to determine which combinations of instruments were most common in each set.The second method utilized logistic regression analysis to examine the relationship between the number of different audible instrument types and the popularity of the song.The study found that the main instrument combinations in top songs were background vocals, synthesizers and either clean guitar or distorted electric guitar.Nunes indicated that the success of a song could partially be determined scientifically.“I do think that like most things in life, there is a little bit of science and a little bit of art, and to be truly successful, you have to mix the two,” he said.
“One-Two Punch” runs Tuesdays. To comment on this article, visit dailytrojan.com or email James at jbianchi@usc.edu. The sophomore slump is as much a part of sports as hot dogs and cheerleaders.The term means exactly what it says — a player, in his second year, fails to come close to living up to the enormous expectations placed on him after the success of his rookie season.Sophomore slumps are fairly common, partly because opposing teams now know exactly what to expect and how to prepare for it, and partly because the players themselves cannot seem to maintain the levels of confidence they had the year before.But after a breakout freshman season in which he posted 792 yards receiving and six touchdowns on 65 receptions, sophomore receiver Robert Woods seems to ignore this phenomenon altogether.The wideout has taken his game to new levels, and hasn’t hesitated a moment to prove it. In the first game of the season alone, Woods had a record-setting 17 catches, torching Minnesota for 177 yards and three touchdowns.In that one game, Woods matched almost a quarter of his receptions and yards, and half of his touchdowns from the entire 2010 season.Since then, the sophomore has had two straight games of eight receptions each, totaling 184 yards and a touchdown.Woods is on pace to reel in 132 passes for 1,444 yards and 16 touchdowns in 2011, which is enough to shatter the single-season records in receptions and yards.He’s just the latest in a long line of star wideouts to start their legacies at USC, but Woods seems to have a step up on even those pass-catchers immortalized in Heritage Hall.A simple glance at the sophomore isn’t enough to reveal why exactly this is — as a 6-foot-1, 180-pounder, Woods isn’t exactly Dwayne Jarret-esque. In fact, he’s one of the smaller guys on the team.So what makes Woods so good?You could point to his rapport with junior quarterback Matt Barkley. Barkley has already spoken of the “telepathic” connection the two share when on the field, and you’d be hard-pressed to find an instance of miscommunication so far this year.It is no coincidence Barkley targets Woods more often than any of his other receivers and has completed more than 80 percent of his passes when doing so.One could argue that his fundamentals — crisp route running, the fact that he uses his hands and not his body to catch passes — can also be credited for his blossoming success.Woods is able to exploit even the smallest advantages he has over a defense and turn them into major gains for the Trojans.Though these attributes have bolstered his skyrocketing numbers, they take a backseat to the true reason for Woods’ meteoric rise: his focus.Woods is 19 years old, and yet he has put himself in a position to be successful from the start of his career.In a season where the Trojans have seen their share of off-field incidents and academic ineligibilities, the kid who is still getting used to seeing R-rated movies in theaters has managed to become the role model most veterans hope to become.Woods has made it look easy to fill the shoes of the great receivers before him, but it wouldn’t be possible without his ability to stay on track and ensure his continued development as a football player. With the common story in sports today centering on the wasted potential of athletes for one reason or another, he makes for a refreshing case study.Though there is a lot more football to be played and a lot left to prove, Woods has made it clear he doesn’t intend on letting up anytime this season. The sophomore’s talent and fundamentals are unparalleled, and his work ethic will ensure he stays at the top of his game.But more than anything, Woods is simply just too focused to be bothered, especially with something as ridiculous as a sophomore slump.
Last Updated: 19th December, 2019 10:42 IST Russia To Decide On Appeal Against Doping Ban Russia’s anti-doping agency will on Thursday decide whether to launch an appeal against a four-year ban from major sporting events over systematic violations READ | UFC: Max Holloway’s Classy Post For Alexander Volkanovski Despite Loss Wins Fans Over’Inefficient and useless’The expected confirmation of an appeal will coincide with the annual marathon press conference of Putin, also on Thursday afternoon, where the president is set to again take a position on the issue. The director-general of RUSADA, Yuri Ganus, who has long argued for a major crackdown by Russia against doping cheats, said he expected the supervisory board to appeal but strongly opposed the move. “The board will decide to appeal,” he told AFP. “I believe this to be inefficient and useless.” READ |Aravindh Sole Leader In National Senior Chess ChampionshipGanus, whose rigorous stance puts him at odds with his own government and supervisory board, argues that Moscow needs to accept the sanctions and own up to its faults in order to be able to reform. The suspension was handed to Russia over falsifying data from a doping testing laboratory that was handed to WADA earlier this year as part of the compliance reinstatement process. The significant extent of state-sponsored doping in Russia, notably between 2011 and 2015, was revealed in the independent report by sports lawyer Richard McLaren, released in 2016.The issue has dealt a colossal blow to the status of post-Soviet Russia as a major sports power after hosting events such as the 2013 World Athletics Championships, the 2018 World Cup and the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. The Sochi Games later became notorious for the number of doping violations by prominent Russian athletes. The situation has also divided Russian sports stars, with three-time world champion high jumper Mariya Lasitskene calling on sports officials to be held to account over the ban. READ | Gerrit Cole Breaks Silence On Why He Joined New York Yankees Press Trust Of India COMMENT LIVE TV SUBSCRIBE TO US First Published: 19th December, 2019 10:42 IST
Written By WATCH US LIVE Russia’s anti-doping agency will on Thursday decide whether to launch an appeal against a four-year ban from major sporting events over systematic violations, a prohibition denounced by the country’s leadership as politically motivated. The supervisory board of RUSADA will hold a meeting and is widely expected to announce its formal rejection of the December 9 decision by WADA to ban Russia for non-compliance. This formal disagreement with WADA would trigger the process of appeal against the ban at the Lausanne-based Court of Arbitration for Sport.READ | Sanjeev, Rahi, Manu, Aishwary On A Roll At Rifle & Pistol NationalsRUSADA supervisory board chairman Alexander Ivlev is due to announce the decision at 1000 GMT. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) on December 10 banned Russia for four years from major global sporting events, including the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, over manipulated doping data. Under the sanctions, Russians will still be allowed to compete at the Olympics next year and the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, but only as neutrals and if they can demonstrate that they were not part of what WADA believes was a state-sponsored system of doping. Russian President Vladimir Putin slammed the ban as a “politically motivated” ruling that “contradicted” the Olympic Charter. Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev lamented it was “the continuation of this anti-Russian hysteria that has already become chronic.” FOLLOW US
Tyrone manager Mickey Harte has named an unchanged side for Sunday’s Ulster semi final with Donegal.Sean Cavanagh captains the side from full forward.The lack of changes means the likes of Cathal McCarron, Justin McMahon and Darren McCurry must start on the bench.
Toornament, a company that provides a platform for creating and managing esports competitions, has added Battle Royale to its offering. Introducing a new tournament structure for Fortnite, Darwin Project, and PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, players will be able to compete in free-for-all matches against other budding competitors.PUBG is steadily hitting its stride in the world of esports, Fortnite just had its biggest competition yet, and H1Z1 recently launched its own Pro League, so Toornament is evidently looking to get a piece of the ever-popular Battle Royale pie.Toornament’s newly-introduced structure allows up to 4,096 participants per tournament, up to 100 competitors per match, a scoring system that calculates standings from in-game ranks and skills across several matches. This update also allows tournament organisers to set up double-elimination bracket grand finals – effectively it allows a lot of freedom for Battle Royale competitions.Michael Daudignon, Marketing Director at Toornament discussed this new feature in a statement: “The Battle Royale phenomenon has broken sales and streaming records. We now believe it can help generalize competitive gaming, and make millions of players want to participate in tournaments, as it has never been this easy to take part in a competition. And with the release of our new Free-for-All features, we want to make it just as easy for organizers.”Toornament also offers a platform for competitors in titles such as FIFA 18, Clash Royale, League of Legends, Hearthstone, Rocket League, Overwatch, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, and plenty of other highly-regarded esports titles.Esports Insider says: Battle Royale is obviously the biggest genre in mainstream, casual gaming, but it’s still very early in its venture in esports. Developments such as Toornament’s platform, as well as big announcement such as PUBG Corp.’s own competition, are all positive steps for the genre.
AddThis Sharing ButtonsShare to FacebookFacebookShare to TwitterTwitterShare to MoreAddThisAlpena First Assembly of God hosted their 8th Annual Wild Game Charitable Dinner to benefit local charities.The dinner was held both on Friday and Saturday night. Friday night was men’s night. Pastor Kerry Clark said the dinner wasn’t just about donating, but finding a way to reach out to men in the community.“We were trying to figure out a way to reach men in the community, because we feel like if we reach men, we will reach families. And so we were talking about how we could make a real difference in the community and so in that conversation it was mentioned to do a wild game dinner, and so we started it and we’ve had great success with it,” he said.Charities that benefited from this weekend’s wild game dinner include: “Options Pregnancy Center,” “Child and Family Services of Northeast Michigan,” “Fall Harvest,” “Christmas Program,” “Camp Scholarships,” and more.AddThis Sharing ButtonsShare to FacebookFacebookShare to TwitterTwitterShare to MoreAddThis Tags: 8th Annual Wild Game Charitable Dinner, Alpena First Assembly of God, local charities, Wild Game DinnerContinue ReadingPrevious ‘We Got the Beat’ Event Honors Heart Health Month Teaching Woman How to Prevent Heart AttacksNext Hope Shores Alliance Trying to Make Impact About Teen Dating Violence