The franchise that appeared in two of the last three World Series advancing in the playoffs yet again.
The team that has made three consecutive American League Championship Series expertly brushing aside annually disappointing Minnesota in a wild-card series that barely even existed.
Dusty Baker’s new Astros are moving on in the 2020 playoffs.
Not because they completely erased everything that has happened to them after blowing Game 7 of the 2019 Fall Classic inside a roaring then stunned Minute Maid Park.
Because these Astros still have enough of the good parts left from 2015-19, even after everything they’ve been through the last 11 months.
The sights were so familiar in a tight but powerful 3-1 Game 2 victory Wednesday inside a near-empty Target Field. The victory coldly ended another Twins playoff run and pointed Carlos Correa, Alex Bregman, Jose Altuve, George Springer and Co. back to Dodger Stadium — this time for an AL Division Series test.
The decisive Game 2 images mirrored what stood out during the final three innings of Game 1.
Experience mattered.
Veteran acumen made the difference.
And when the moment called for a clear breakthrough, the franchise that won 311 regular-season games from 2017-19 again looked and played like a squad ready for the fire of October.
Correa blasted a go-ahead home run that flew 430 feet to center field, turning a 1-0, 82 mph slider into all the run support Jose Urquidy, Brooks Raley, Cristian Javier and Ryan Pressly needed.
The Astros you knew so well and loved so much in previous years — before a sign-stealing scandal changed everything you thought you knew; before the baseball world bitterly zeroed in on Houston’s team — locked in and relaxed when playoff pressure screamed again.
“The guys aren’t afraid of the big stage, and they welcome the big stage,” said Baker, after his Astros held Minnesota to two runs in 18 innings and turned seven road runs into another ALDS appearance. “They told me, ‘Hey, man. We get to the playoffs, you’ll see what we’re really made of.’<TH>”
At their best, the Astros that Jeff Luhnow, A.J. Hinch and Jim Crane rebuilt were made of passion, joy, heart, pride and unity.
Club Astros.
The Astros that inspired and guided Houston after the destruction of Hurricane Harvey.
The young, proud, incredibly driven Astros, who eventually blended us-against-them swagger with veteran poise.
The 2020 offseason changed all those warm stories. The aftermath keeps spilling out and will color the franchise for years, maybe decades.
The only way to write a new story is by winning it all again the right way. And now a 29-31 team that balanced injuries and frustration with underachievement during a surreal 60-game season is already waiting on its next opponent in the 2020 postseason.
Baker made the right calls with a remade pitching staff that was consistently shaky through the initial 60 games. Ace Justin Verlander and closer Roberto Osuna were never going to take the mound against Minnesota. Game 3 starter Lance McCullers Jr. never had to. Baker combined Zack Greinke, Framber Valdez, Urquidy and Javier to get this job done.
The Astros' timely bats and sharp defense finished off a 36-24 Minnesota team that again flatlined when it mattered. The Twins' 24-7 home record was useless in the brief series. The recent presidential debate was more praised than Minnesota in the Twins’ final two games of 2020.
In Game 2, Kyle Tucker stroked two smooth playoff RBI singles that were years in the making.
Javier threw three hitless and scoreless innings, calmly collecting the win and setting up Pressly’s save.
But as much as it was the new guys and still-unproven names, it was really the stars whom you first started falling for midway through the last decade.
The Astros looked more and more confident as the innings stacked up. Correa, Springer, Bregman, Altuve and Co. weren’t ready to go away in 2020, no matter what everyone else thought or wanted.
These Astros were in command of their new playoff future. Not the rest of Major League Baseball.
“That was a big walk that Altuve got (Tuesday),” Baker said. “He didn’t get a hit, but he got a walk and an RBI to put us ahead. Everybody’s contributing. (Josh) Reddick got a big hit that ended up scoring a run. We can just chip in. It’s a game of stacking pennies. One here, one there, one here, one there, one great play, and the next thing you know you’ve got a dollar. At the end of this day, we got a dollar.”
Reaching the Division Series was a given for the 2017-19 Astros. In 2020, making the ALDS after just two wild-card games represents a September triumph.
The below .500 regular-season record no longer matters.
The Astros are playing — and winning — postseason games again.
October 01, 2020 at 03:43AM
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/texas-sports-nation/brian-t-smith/article/Smith-Astros-look-like-playoff-Astros-again-15610078.php
Smith: Astros look like playoff Astros again with easy knockout of Twins - Houston Chronicle
The Rangers just completed their fourth consecutive losing season and packed a whole lot of dreadful into just 60 games. It’s likely the streak grows to five seasons in 2021, which would make it the longest such drought in Texas history.
The easy call: Fire the general manager.
Or spend a bunch of money.
Or both.
Thing is: What might seem “easy” might not be an actual solution. Which brings us to the view of Rangers ownership. On Wednesday, media-shy managing partner Ray Davis engaged in a rare on-the-record conversation to explain exactly that. GM Jon Daniels isn’t going anywhere. Neither, by the way is ownership. Davis said he’d own the team as long as the “good Lord keeps me on the Earth.”
The payroll will be reduced in 2021. Though he said he was “embarrassed” by the team’s 22-38 finish in 2020, Davis explained this, he believes, remains the club’s best path back to contention. Even if that is more than a year away.
“We have made the playoffs, six of the last [11] years,” Davis said in explaining his perspective on Daniels.
“Jon has demonstrated that he and his team can put together winning ballclubs. If you thought about going out and replacing him, all you have is a question mark. We have a known entity. We have a group of guys that know how to get it done and I think they are going to get it done again.”
This pronouncement, of course, will be met with a groan by fans. Fans want action. Nobody roots for the executives. But more on that in a minute.
For now, also know that Daniels and company will have to work on getting things done with less payroll. With more than $70 million in expiring contracts, the Rangers have only $63 million committed for 2021.
Citing the lack of 2020 revenue, the expiring contracts and an uncertain outlook for a short-term economic recovery, Davis said player payroll will be reduced from pre-pandemic 2020 projections. He did, however, indicate the Rangers plan to bring back all furloughed personnel and restore pay for those who took pay cuts on Jan. 1. That is, so long as another wave of coronavirus cases doesn’t shut everything down again.
On the finances, this isn’t surprising. No team had revenues in 2020. As an industry, baseball will lose approximately $3 billion for the season. Even if fans can return in 2021, it’s uncertain if crowds will be limited by social distancing regulations. Davis didn’t get specific on payroll figures. So, we will: Don’t expect anything that goes much past $100 million.
“There’s two major factors there,” Davis said of payroll. “The first is how much baseball is going to lose [financially] in 2020. And also, the life cycle of our club. We have some high-paid contracts rolling off our payroll. We will have some minimum salary players coming on. So, it gives a justification, if you will, to not to spend as much. The economics of baseball has been so sad this year and there is uncertainty about what 2021 will bring.”
Now, back to the general manager. Familiarity in this position usually brings nothing but contempt from fans. As we mentioned: Nobody roots for the suits.
But Davis' perspective is this: In Daniels he has a known commodity he trusts. The Rangers may have been late to make the decision to commit fully to the youth movement, but Davis believes Daniels has proven ability to build a champion. He does.
Consider: In the 15 seasons Daniels has overseen the team, he’s matched wits with 14 other GMs in the AL West. He’s won more AL West titles than any of the other 14. The rest of the group combined have as many AL pennants as he has. Right, he hasn’t won a World Series. Then again, the only guy who has from that group, is currently in exile for, if not the worst cheating scandal in baseball history, then one that certainly is in the photo finish.
This is not to say his past guarantees him a lifetime exemption, but merely the next great thing often isn’t. You’ve heard this here a time or three: It’s hard to win championships.
There have been faults for sure. Once atop the standings the first time, the Rangers may have been a little hubristic. They may have then gotten desperate to extend their championship window. And they may have believed they could extend it without long-term suffering. They struggled in the draft. They have learned all the hard lessons that go along with those mistakes.
Now, they are committed to a long-term plan. This is an area, Davis believes, where Daniels has already demonstrated success.
“I think we’re all judged by wins and losses, but we’re also judged by progress,” he said. "If you’ve got a plow horse trying to win the Kentucky Derby, it’s a little difficult to do versus a Secretariat. But if you’re starting out slow and start out building, it’s going to take longer than if you’ve been coming with a lot veteran players that have experience in winning.
“I don’t know if there’s any standard of [wins]. I know we’ve got to put a competitive team on the field and we have to compete for a world championship if not every year, every two or three years.”
The guy who will guide that horse for the foreseeable future: Jon Daniels.
October 01, 2020 at 06:24AM
https://www.dallasnews.com/sports/rangers/2020/09/30/rangers-ownership-not-looking-to-make-easy-call-thats-why-jon-daniels-wont-be-going-anywhere-anytime-soon/
Rangers ownership not looking to make ‘easy’ call. That’s why Jon Daniels won’t be going anywhere anytime - The Dallas Morning News
SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The continued work-from-home trend due to COVID-19 has put a strain on some virtual teams as they work to develop products on time and on budget while trying to meet compliance standards.
For those in systems engineering, virtual work coupled with the use of outdated technology has been even more challenging when writing requirements for various products.
In an effort to help make writing and managing requirements more efficient, Visure Solutions, Inc., an award-winning requirements Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) company, is releasing its new Visure ALM 6. The new software includes evolutionary three-tier architecture and an app redesign, enhancing the Visure platform experience with a new look-and-feel and easy-to-use web tool to boost the experience of requirements authoring capabilities.
With a scheduled release date of Oct. 17, the new Visure ALM 6 platform is intuitive and consistent, and enables its users to create their own requirements based on their organization's needs.
"This modern tool is specifically designed for people in systems engineering who are authoring the requirements," said Dr. Moustapha Tadlaoui, Visure's CEO. "The requirements management market is still dominated by old and clunky technologies and by the use of Word and Excel tools. This intuitive easy-to-use app redesign will help increase efficiency and optimize processes while speeding the product development process by saving time, strengthening alignment, ensuring quality and compliance and ultimately increase the overall business results."
Today, noted Tadlaoui, those who author requirements for industries such as automotive, medical devices, aerospace and defense, are still using outdated products such as Word, Excel, DOORS, etc., which can be daunting and subject to error-prone tasks. He added that Visure's new ALM 6 redesign web interface streamlines that process and helps execute a fully integrated Application Lifecycle Management, including real-time collaboration management, bug & issue management, traceability management, change management, risk management, test management and quality management, etc. The new software tool also enables customers' data to be in the cloud or within their own infrastructure.
"At Visure we continue to listen to our customers and anticipate their needs. We built the new platform with our client's business in mind," Tadlaoui said. "Customers now have full control over their ALM process. The desktop app will continue to provide full capabilities for ALM with a richer, smoother experience for users familiar with MS Office, while providing a full featured, easy-to-use web authoring tool for those users that prefer a web environment. "
Visure, which has been developing the Visure ALM 6 platform over the past year, accelerated its release due to increased demand during COVID-19.
"It became more evident that the market needed this now more than ever," said Fernando Valera, Visure's CTO. "The pandemic is pushing people back home, so this is an extra tool to help them collaborate during this difficult time."
"The requirements are the first step in developing a product; it is so fundamental," Valera added. "This type of collaboration platform is becoming the new standard/normal."
About Visure Solutions
Established in 2002, Visure Solutions is a leading requirements management ALM company providing specialized, innovative, and user-friendly solutions to implement efficient requirements management processes, aimed at guaranteeing the highest quality in the development of our clients' products, systems and services. Visure's all-in-one requirements management ALM platform supports requirements management, test management, bug and issue tracking, change management, risk management and variant management. The company's solutions are used across various industries, including aerospace and defense, automotive, banking and finance, medical devices, energy and nuclear, oil and gas, robotics and industrial automation. Visure is also a worldwide certified IREB (International Requirements Engineering Board) training provider of CPRE (Certified Professional for Requirements Engineering) by the IREB. Please visit https://visuresolutions.com/.
October 01, 2020 at 01:43AM
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/visure-solutions-announces-new-easy-to-use-web-based-platform-for-authoring-requirements-301142249.html
With the fall school semester in full swing, parents, students and teachers are faced with a complex and ever-changing set of challenges to learning. And after having to close out the previous school year without notice or preparation many are feeling the stress of keeping children both educated and engaged. But whether in a classroom, at home, or just on a phone, anyone anywhere can now schedule time to ask scientists anything they want.
Skype A Scientist was created in 2017 by Dr. Sarah McAnulty, the executive director of the nonprofit, herself a squid biologist and an Assistant Research Professor at the University of Connecticut. What began as an exploration to bridge the gap between classrooms and scientists – not to mention build trust between the science community and the public – quickly found footing in 2018 and 2019. According to UCONN records, within the first eight months the nonprofit had already expanded across all 50 states, 12 time zones, 17 countries and had almost two thousand scientists volunteering their time and expertise to Skype into classrooms.
But in 2020, the Skype A Scientist team has been put to the test. Dr. McAnulty said over the summer they had already, “seen a huge increase in the number of sessions requested in general. Certainly, we've seen an increase in requests for virologists.” In fact, as this fall school year started, the nonprofit reports over 9,000 classroom and family requests just this year.
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To meet that demand, by late summer nearly 11,000 scientists had signed up. “I think this is one of those watershed moments where people realize ‘Oh no, science communication is so important and I haven't been doing enough of it’ and so everyone I've seen in the scientific community has been banding together over this. It's a dark time, but it's been really wonderful seeing scientists come together,” says McAnulty.
And when she says dark times, she is referring to the increasing lack of trust in the science community that has been growing for a number of years. A trend that has been exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic. Without a consistent, reliable source of information, much of the public disengages - further widening the gaps that exist between scientists and the community. And, because most scientists are so far removed from the spotlight and general public discourse it can be hard to find outlets that allow for a safe space to ask questions and build trust.
But to build those relationships, the team recognizes that video chats with a scientist have to be simple and fun for both the students and the scientists, and allow them an open, honest space to ask questions. More specifically, they had to create a place where there was open dialogue and communication, not one person lecturing others.
In a previous Forbes interview, Dr. McAnulty explained how the process works. It’s as simple as filling in a Google form about what topic you’re interested in and the kind of scientist you’d like to request. The form also allows for families and teachers to request matching with scientists based on everything from language spoken to race and gender – showing students that scientists look and sound just like them. In fact, to make science as assessible as possible, there are currently more than 14 languages offered, including American Sign Language.
The scientists involved have also created a strong presence online, including an active Twitter account with more than 22 thousand followers, where they and the public interact and share passions.
But the importance of opening up lines of communication extends far beyond social media and Skype sessions. And, building and maintaining science conversations isn’t just for kids. In recent months the nonprofit has set up Science After Hours, interactive trivia for adults and Skype A Scientist LIVE (via YouTube), where anyone can log in, submit questions and listen to scientists teach about the work that they do.
As the Covid-19 pandemic goes into winter with us, traditional methods of learning and lecturing will continue to be disrupted. But nonprofits like Skype A Scientist are embracing technology, connectivity and curiosity to literally bring science education anywhere, and to everyone. What started as a few connections, is now thousands of connections (and growing) each year. And hopefully, with more interaction misinformation can be dispelled, trust can be rebuilt, and an entire new generation of children will be inspired and excited to pursue their interests in science.
The Mary Willis Library has returned to fully open status and is advising partrons, as they return to the library, “don’t be surprised to see some big changes.” Appreciation to all patrons has been expressed for their patience and support while the library offered curbside services. “Thanks to the support of the Friends of the Library, we have new shelves […]
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Pumpkin puree is a fall kitchen staple, whether you are preparing pies for Thanksgiving or adding an autumnal touch to a weeknight risotto. If the grocery store is out of cans, or if you’re lucky enough to have a fresh harvest of scrumptious sugary gourds, making your own pumpkin puree is an easy way to bring more flavor to your favorite fall dishes.
When fall rolls around, some grocery stores tend to run out of pumpkin puree. This year, as enthusiastic bakers and pandemic stockists collide, the availability of canned pumpkin puree may be even more limited than usual.
“Finding canned pumpkin every other year (including this one) lately has been a challenge,” said Jay Demers, department chair of culinary arts and restaurant food service management at Eastern Maine Community College.
Making your own pumpkin puree also allows for a fresher flavor.
“The benefits are going to be freshness,” Dumas said. “A low-acid canned food like pumpkin was cooked, packed into that can, sealed up, cooked again. When you cook it in your pie, that pumpkin puree has now been cooked three times as opposed to you cooking it one time. When you take control of the process yourself, you definitely get better flavor.”
Step 1: Choose your pumpkins (or gourds)
Aside from the classic sugar pumpkins, many different gourds can be used to create flavorful purees. Dumas pointed out that, in fact, most canned pumpkin available at the grocery store is made of more butternut squash puree than sugar pumpkin. Dumas also recommended varieties like the New England pie pumpkin, red kuri squash and kabocha, which is sometimes sold as sunshine squash.
You can’t just use any old gourd for pumpkin puree, though. For example, the pumpkins that you use to carve jack o’ lanterns are not going to be good for puree. Dumas said they are high in water content and low in sugar, so the puree tastes bland.
If you’re using home-grown pumpkins, Dumas said to be cognizant of their aging. Like most winter squash, pumpkins are best after they are “cured,” or stored in a well-ventilated area for a few weeks after harvesting so that the squash can release excess moisture and concentrate its sugars.
“Most pumpkins tend to improve in flavor with the time that they’ve been in storage to a degree,” Dumas said. “Think about your curing time. Just because there’s a light crisp to the air doesn’t mean you should be eating pumpkin immediately. They improve a little bit with age.”
Size also matters when you are choosing pumpkins for puree.
“The best [ones are] less than four pounds, smaller than a volleyball,” Demers said. “They [are] sweeter and less stringy.”
Step 2: Prep your pumpkins
Wash the pumpkins thoroughly. Cut them in half from the end where the blossom used to be all the way to the stem, or “North Pole to South Pole,” as Dumas said. Scoop out the seeds and strings. You can compost the bits of the pumpkin flesh that you do not wind up using. You can compost the seeds (Demers warned that they may sprout in your pile), but you can also dry and save the seeds for next year or use them creatively in the kitchen.
Oil each half lightly (Dumas said that a neutral flavor oil like vegetable or grapeseed is preferable to olive oil) and sprinkle it with salt. Dumas said you can also add a little bit of spice based on what you plan to use it for.
Place the cut sides of the halved gourds down on roasting pans lined with parchment paper. Otherwise, oils in the pumpkin and the caramelization from the sugar will stay behind on the pan and make it hard to clean.
Step 3: Roast your pumpkins
Set the oven between 400 and 425 degrees.
“I have a convection oven, so I roast it around 400 [degrees Fahrenheit],” Dumas said. “If you have a regular oven that doesn’t have a fan, you might want to roast it around 425 [degrees Fahrenheit]. You want to drive off that excess moisture. Some people complain homemade puree is soupier, and my suspicion is that they didn’t roast it hot enough to cook off that moisture.”
Cook until tender. Dumas said that the flesh should be soft and easy to scoop with a spoon. The cooking time will vary depending on what you are roasting and how you are roasting it.
“The density of the pumpkins or squashes will dictate your roasting time, as well as the number you put in there,” Dumas said. “One pumpkin [might take] 45 minutes, but a whole tray will take a little bit longer.”
Let the gourds rest outside of the oven. Once they are cool enough to handle, remove and discard stem and skin, which Dumas said should peel right off.
You can transfer the pumpkin flesh to a food processor fit with a metal blade and puree until smooth, but Dumas said this step may be unnecessary.
“It depends on what you’re using it for,” Dumas said. “For most applications, I would say no, you do not need to puree it further. You could take it in a bowl with a fork and stir it really aggressively.”
Step 4: Store your pumpkin puree
If you plan to use your pumpkin puree within the week, store it in the refrigerator. For longer-term storage, it can be frozen or pressure canned.
“[Canned pumpkin] is a good thing to have on hand and I think it’s something that people should eat more of outside of pie,” Dumas said. “Pumpkin is good for you. We serve it at Thanksgiving and that’s it, and that’s too bad.”
Dumas also suggested embracing the beauty of winter squashes’ long shelf life outside of canning and other forms of preservation.
“For me the beauty of a pumpkin is that I don’t have to put it in a fridge or a can,” Dumas said. “I just have a basement full of pumpkins. To me, it’s the ultimate lazy gardening vegetable.”
PARIS — Novak Djokovic’s backhand clipped the net and landed wide, so he shook his head. That was it.
Later, a too-soft drop shot found the white tape and bounced back on his own side, finally ceding a game in a dominant debut performance at the 2020 French Open. Djokovic simply bowed and walked to the sideline.
And when he flubbed yet another drop shot — he kept using them on the slow red clay during a 6-0, 6-3, 6-2 win over 80th-ranked Mikael Ymer — and got broken Wednesday, Djokovic pulled an extra tennis ball out of his pocket and merely gave it a gentle tap with his racket strings.
The ball landed right behind him, safely in the middle of the court.
Playing his first Grand Slam match since his U.S. Open disqualification for smacking a ball after dropping a game and accidentally striking a line judge in throat, Djokovic never really gave himself reason for histrionics or shouts of dismay or displays of anger. Sure, there was some eye-rolling and one sarcastic kiss directed at one of the few fans on hand under the roof at Court Philippe Chatrier.
But otherwise, what was there for Djokovic to be disturbed about?
“I just felt very suffocated out there. It’s just corner, corner; very, very rarely miss. His position is unreal in the court,” Ymer explained.
“You know how the snake kills its prey?” Ymer said, pantomiming a boa constrictor’s attack by bringing his arms around and putting his hands together. “That’s a little bit how I felt being out there.”
Ymer said he didn’t pay any attention to Djokovic’s mood or energy.
And Djokovic, for his part, said what happened in Flushing Meadows was of no concern to him, either, as he began his pursuit of a second title at Roland Garros and 18th Grand Slam trophy overall.
“I have not had any traces of New York in my mind. I’m over it. Honestly forgot about it. I’m not thinking about it,” the No. 1 seed said after improving to 32-1 in 2020, the only blemish being that fourth-round default this month.
“Winning a 6-love first set is the best possible way to start a Grand Slam,” he said. “This is exactly what my intentions will be — trying to get off the blocks very strong, with a good intensity, obviously, because players in the early rounds have nothing to lose.”
Maybe that’s why 17-year-old Clara Tauson of Denmark was able to earn her first tour-level win by knocking off U.S. Open semifinalist and No. 21 seed Jennifer Brady, 6-4, 3-6, 9-7.
Or why No. 19 seed and Peters Township native Alison Riske and No. 26 Donna Vekic also lost.
Riske, whose best showing at the French Open was a second-round appearance in 2014, was defeated by Julia Goerges, a German-born played ranked No. 41, 6-3, 6-7 (7), 6-1.
With Dominic Thiem, the U.S. Open champion and two-time French Open runner-up, watching from the stands in a black winter coat, Djokovic broke Ymer nine times and ended up with a 32-12 edge in total winners.
And when Djokovic did have a rare misstep, dropping a service game to make it 2-all in the second set, he responded in a constructive way: improving his play.
Eighteen minutes and four near-perfect games later, the set belonged to him.
“The way he’s playing,” observed Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin, “he’s unbeatable.”
She found herself in quite a tussle Wednesday but got through it, struggling a bit when a rain delay interrupting things after the first set, but emerging with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 victory against 125th-ranked Liudmila Samsonova.
“Just relieved,” the fourth-seded Kenin said.
Others feeling that way on Day 3 at the year’s last Grand Slam tournament included No. 2 seed Karolina Pliskova, who came back to beat 172nd-ranked qualifier Mayar Sherif 6-7 (9), 6-2, 6-4; and the two men who were finalists at the Hamburg tuneup event that ended Monday, No. 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas and No. 13 Andrey Rublev.
Both dropped the first two sets Wednesday before coming back to win. Tsitsipas trailed Jaume Munar before advancing 4-6, 2-6, 6-1, 6-4, 6-4, while Rublev knelt on court and covered his face with his hands after turning things around to beat Sam Querrey 6-7 (5), 6-7 (4), 7-5, 6-4, 6-3.
Querrey led the third set 5-2 and served for the victory at 5-3 but let things get away from him.
“I went 0-4 in serving out sets. I would like to think that will never happen to me again. It’s probably never happened,” Querrey said. “Someone with my serve, I can’t let that happen.”
Another American who played a five-setter, Marcos Giron, did pick up a win, edging Quentin Halys 7-5, 3-6, 6-7 (5), 7-5, 8-6 to become the eighth U.S. man to reach the second round.
That’s the most in Paris since nine got that far in 1996.
Last year? One did.
Categories: Sports | U.S./World Sports
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Chinmay Malaviya and Charlie Depman are relentless entrepreneurs and when a great idea came by, they knew it was the right time to jump. Having spent years working in personal electric mobility at the likes of Bird, Lime, and Scoot, they had their fingers on the pulse of the industry. CleanTechnica sat down with Chinmay and Charlie to get the lowdown on their latest project.
Image courtesy: Ridepanda
They sensed the emergence of a cavernous gap between the innovative wild west of electric rideables and consumers. Tension was growing as consumer awareness of the potential of rideables clashed with a complete lack of understanding of brands, capabilities, riding characteristics, and cost.
Chinmay and Charlie sat comfortably on the other end of the spectrum. Experts in personal electric mobility and the untapped potential of the vast array of new formats. They envisioned a new paradigm. A new customer-facing platform that existed to share unbiased information with buyers about electric bikes, scooters, electric mopeds, and everything in between. Consumers would be not only able to compare and contrast different brands, but they could also tap into service providers for the long tail of ownership.
Out of their mastery of all things electric, fueled by an entrepreneurial spirit, Chinmay and Charlie launched Ridepanda. The new service filled the gap. It informed would be buyers of the potential of electric rideables, letting them compare all types of formats in a single trustworthy location. Charlie brought his developer experience to bear on building the solution, starting with a quiz to usher interested parties into the market.
Image courtesy: Ridepanda
The quiz pairs customers with a handful of curated quality offerings to choose from. “Our goal is to replace car usage and car ownership with climate-friendly and sustainable vehicle options,” Chinmay Malaviya, co-founder and CEO of Ridepanda said in the press release. Doing this fires on all cylinders for the founders. They firmly believe that electric rideables are the future and that Ridepanda fills a void in the market today.
Making it easy to find a rideable is step one, but the journey doesn’t end there. Ridepanda offers a full complement of helmets, locks, and accessories to kit out new owners with everything they’ll need to get up and running on a new rideable safely. Aside from simply offering an opportunity to upsell a new purchase, helping owners ride safely ensures a better experience from day one.
Image courtesy: Gocycle
The more owners ride their new vehicles, the less they will use their cars, trucks, and vans. That translates to lower emissions and in many cases, a healthier lifestyle. “We believe that e-rides can be a beloved replacement for the car if the user experience for discovery, purchase and support is simple and transparent,” Charlie Depman, co-founder and CTO of Ridepanda said.
The more people ride their new electric acquisitions, the better. That’s lower emissions, better health, and a larger impact on climate change. “E-rides are the future of transportation—the technology is better than ever before, and produces less carbon emissions and less waste,” Chinmay said. “Today, we take a step forward as consumers can select a vehicle that matches their needs, while also contributing to positive environmental change.”
Image courtesy: Bosch
Having worked for massive platforms managing vast fleets of rideables, they knew that getting vehicles onto the streets was just the start. Maintenance was a massive gap for private owners and they felt they had a solution. Leveraging their networks, they built up a service network to let owner pay up front for assembly, Ridepanda support, maintenance, and even extended warranties.
The result is a comprehensive marketplace that aspires to level the playing field across the diverse electric rideables space. Ridepanda is live today with an impressive array of vehicles, services and accessories to gently usher customers into a new world of personal electric mobility. Have a look and let us know what you think.
Kyle Field I'm a tech geek passionately in search of actionable ways to reduce the negative impact my life has on the planet, save money and reduce stress. Live intentionally, make conscious decisions, love more, act responsibly, play. The more you know, the less you need. As an activist investor, Kyle owns long term holdings in BYD, SolarEdge, and Tesla.
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Putting delicious, balanced meals on the table every day is a real challenge for busy, time-crunched parents. But with the pandemic keeping more families at home, this challenge has only intensified as many parents find themselves juggling work and the overhead of managing their children’s hybrid in-school or distance learning. That doesn’t exactly leave a lot of time for preparing and cooking multiple meals each day.
The good news? Whether you’re looking for tasty recipes you can prepare quickly or just want to break out of a recipe rut, Yahoo Life has you covered with quick and easy-to-follow recipes and videos that make mealtime a breeze. Plus, Walmart+ makes it even easier thanks to their unlimited delivery of the ingredients and cooking tools you need to make these flavorful family meals at home.
Who has over an hour to spend preparing and cooking lunch and dinner every day? Not busy parents. These set-it-and-forget-it, one-pot meals take only 5 minutes to prepare and will please everyone in your family. Now that’s a win-win.
One-Pot Pizza Pasta
Chances are, pizza and pasta are in regular rotation for lunch and dinner at your house. Why not combine these fan favorites for the ultimate family-friendly meal? All you’ll need is a large pot with a cover, some pasta, and your favorite pizza toppings.
Key ingredients and cooking tool:
Creamy Crock-Pot Mac N' Cheese
Mac N’ Cheese is a classic comfort dish that kids love. Now it’s even easier to make with this creamy, cheesy recipe: Simply break out your slow cooker, add the ingredients into the pot including shell pasta, and kick back (or more likely, tackle your ever-growing to-do list) while dinner practically makes itself.
Key ingredients and cooking tool:
Instant Pot BBQ Ribs
Love tender, juicy ribs but don’t have hours to cook them? No problem. The key to this recipe is using an Instant Pot for pressure-cooked BBQ ribs in under an hour. All you’ll need are pork ribs, your favorite BBQ sauce, and some seasonings, such as chili and garlic powder.
If only building wealth for retirement wasn't so complicated. It's not enough to save your money, but you have to invest it too. And learning the ropes of investing may not be your favorite free-time activity.
But here's some good news: You can invest successfully without spending hours reading financial blogs, crunching ratios, or unpacking earnings reports. Here are four easy investing strategies that are perfect for the hands-off retirement saver.
1. Buy and hold
Buy and hold is an investing style that involves choosing positions with long-term growth potential and holding them for extended periods of time. As a buy-and-hold investor, you don't trade often or chase quick profits. You instead look to capitalize on long-term trends -- and specifically, on the idea that solid, stable companies generally increase in value over time.
Image source: Getty Images.
The beauty of the buy-and-hold approach is that it has a simple solution for managing through turbulent market cycles. All you have to do is nothing. Your job is to ride out volatility this month or this year, because you know it eventually gives way to growth.
Here's some food for thought. The S&P 500 was introduced in 1957. Between 1957 and the end of 2019, that index produced an annualized return, including dividends, of about 6.5%, adjusted for inflation. That includes 2008, when the index dropped more than 37%, and 2002, when it lost nearly one-quarter of its value. Even at the worst bottoms in stock market history, the growth trend is still up when you stand back and view it in the context of a longer timeline.
2. Own the market with S&P 500 index funds
The S&P 500 index is comprised of about 500 of the largest U.S. publicly traded companies. It's considered a gauge for the entire stock market. If you hear someone say, "the market went up 10% today," that likely means, specifically, that the S&P 500 index increased by 10%.
An S&P 500 index fund builds its portfolio to mimic the performance of S&P 500 index. That means you get something close to market-level returns from a single position. Index funds don't exactly replicate the performance of the underlying index, mostly because funds have operating and administrative expenses while indexes do not. Choose a fund with an ultra-low expense ratio, like 0.1% or less, to keep that gap to a minimum.
3. Choose dividend payers for peace of mind
It's easy to plan on riding out market downturns, but it can be hard to stick to that plan. Once you see your portfolio balance take a big hit, you'll naturally want to do something, anything, to stop the losses.
Dividend-paying stocks and funds can help you stay the course in those tough times. Why? Because the good ones keep sending those quarterly payments no matter what's happening with share prices. You're not going to sell off those dividend payers in a panic if they're the only positions working for you. And hopefully, the income can pacify you enough so you don't panic-sell other positions either.
Look to invest in a dividend-paying index fund rather than individual companies. A fund is already diversified and easier to manage over time than a bunch of individual company stocks. One to look at is the Vanguard High Dividend Yield Index Fund(NASDAQMUTFUND:VHDYX) which tracks the FTSE High Dividend Yield Index.
4. Balance equity ownership with bonds
The equities in your S&P 500 index fund or a dividend fund are great for growth and income, but they can be volatile. If you're in the early years of retirement saving, you may not mind a little volatility. But as you get older, it's important to moderate that volatility with assets that are more stable in value, like bonds or bond funds.
You can buy government bonds, municipal bonds, or corporate bonds with short to long durations. In the vein of keeping maintenance and decision-making to a minimum, though, it makes sense to invest in a broad bond fund like iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond(NYSEMKT:AGG). This fund has a low expense ratio of 0.04% and gives you exposure to a range of investment-grade, U.S. bonds, including U.S. Treasury bonds, mortgage-backed securities, and corporate bonds in the financial, industrial, and utility sectors.
Easy does it
Commit to a buy-and-hold approach, invest in index funds and dividend payers, and add a splash of bond exposure with a low-cost bond fund. That's your easy formula for growing your retirement savings over the long term.
The longest eight weeks of Joe Judge’s coaching career started with a tight loss to LaGrange College.
Then came losses to Rhodes, Trinity, DePauw, Austin and Centre before the Birmingham-Southern football team snapped a six-game losing streak on Nov. 1, 2008. It’s relevant 12 years later because the Giants are 0-3 and Judge’s first season as a head coach includes his first three-game slide since he was a NCAA Division III linebackers coach.
It’s quite the contrast between Judge, whose time as an assistant at Alabama and with the New England Patriots exposed him to frequent winning, and a locker room where a three-game skid barely is a blip on the radar. The Giants lost nine straight last season and five straight in each of the two previous seasons.
“I’ve been on a lot of teams that started off 5-0, 6-0, 7-0, 10-0, and it’s the same feeling in every building across the league right now: All you are thinking about is things you have to work on,” Judge said. “In the NFL, not a lot of things get easier as the year goes, so we have to improve to make sure as the year goes we can be competitive.”
Judge has brought a lot of newness to the Giants, but losing is familiar and could create the same “here we go again” feeling for players that it has for disheartened fans.
“Sometimes early on, you get a vision of what you are and your identity by how you have to correct your mistakes and what you have to learn from,” Judge said. “We had a lot of years when we were the most successful team in the world where it started off really, really rough.
“There are a lot of times you look around the meeting room and the locker room halfway through the year, regardless of your record, and it’s just doom and gloom. You have to make sure you bring it back to perspective and understand it’s a day-by-day process as a team, and you’re all you’ve got.”
Judge lives his message to the players: Watch the tape, then look forward instead of backward. Except the Giants figure to be underdogs in at least 11 of their final 13 games, so it’s no sure thing brighter days are ahead.
“The NFL is not supposed to be easy,” Judge said. “What we’re trying to do here isn’t easy. But we’re going to try to keep it simple for our players.”
Safety Jabrill Peppers (ankle) is considered day-to-day with no timetable for return until after further examination.
Returning to work will likely be a hybrid of office and home.
Shutterstock
Reports that JPMorgan Chase & Co. JPM ordered senior employees in its sales and trading groups to return to the office by Sept. 21 have fueled a discussion about whether and how other companies should make that same transition.
When COVID-19 forced financial firms to relocate their operations from well-equipped office buildings to employees’ homes, they were simply trying to survive and maintain continuity. As the experiment has worn on, both employers and employees have realized some unexpected benefits.
There’s data showing that, as we’ve begun working from home, productivity has increased, employees feel that time management has become more flexible, the costs of commuting and maintaining offices have declined, and businesses have greater accessibility to global and diverse talent. Of course, there are also some problems that have emerged from the long period of working from home: the back-to-back video calls, the move from work-life balance to work-life integration to work-life invasion. Businesses are starting on the difficult task of reconciling their own needs with what works and what doesn’t for their employees.
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A recent Broadridge BR survey that examined our own workforce and many of our clients’ workforces, as well, offers some findings that can be used to guide the best approach for establishing the workplace of the future, drawing from the strongest features of working from home and the office as businesses push to reopen. As president of Broadridge, with 12,000 associates distributed across 17 countries, each amid a different stage of the pandemic, I’m intimately familiar with this balancing act.
Our Broadridge Return to Work survey shows that our associates have, for the most part, adapted well to the remote work environment. The poll says that 88% of associates feel they have the resources to work from home, and 95% feel able to effectively perform their job remotely. While 53% of associates hadn’t previously worked from home, 92% report that, for them, working at home at least two days per week is optimal.
From a manager’s perspective, there are some benefits to working remotely. A study published in the Quarterly Journal of Economics cites a 13% increase in productivity when people work from home. (Workers were more effective because their environment was more convenient, and they took fewer breaks or sick days, the study said.) Having people work from home makes it easier for managers to develop plans that ensure employees are socially distant, particularly those who feel sick or at risk because of underlying conditions. Remote workplaces are also allowing companies to broaden their search for the most talented workers as location becomes less of a barrier than in a traditional workplace environment.
Yet there are other important factors that need to be weighed. Many workers miss some aspects of office life, including socializing with colleagues, access to larger, different spaces than they have at home, and more opportunities for collaboration and career development. They also appreciate having a clearer line between work and home. Some people report feeling isolated or depressed working remotely. One study found that after 9 months of working from home, 50% of participants chose to come back to the office. In our Return to Work survey, taken after only a few months, 23% percent of Broadridge remote associates wanted to return to the office. This data shows how important it is for people to have choices.
The big question companies face is how to balance these benefits and drawbacks of working from different locations once social distancing becomes less necessary and as they plan for the return to work. At Broadridge, we will be facilitating working both from the office and remotely to take advantage of each situation’s respective strengths. The final model will be driven by how our clients adapt, and by our ability to attract top talent in the industry.
There are going to be a lot of moving parts to the eventual solution. After all, it must blend settings and personnel in a way that optimizes collaboration, innovation and productivity as well as employee satisfaction and engagement. We’re going to have to operate in a manner that gives people working anywhere a sense that their role in the process isn’t determined by their location, but by their performance and impact, and that they have the latitude to deliver in a new and different way.
That’s going to involve establishing best practices for running meetings and maintaining connection between colleagues and managers, assessing performance and providing continuous feedback on results and outcomes. A key part of our task is going to be creating a culture that focuses on results over how individuals achieve them, and empowering workers to manage workflow so that they can succeed no matter where they are. And because we’re focusing on results, when we see clients and competitors improve their models, we need to be agile enough to learn from their examples and incorporate what works for our teams.
This approach will require support to ensure that we are providing employees with the necessary technological infrastructure to maintain a level playing field, no matter the location. We’ll also need to have HR help with tools to assess our work models and protect workers from the particular stresses of remote work, such as feeling isolated, depressed or burned out. And these processes will need to be codified so that they become part of how we respond and help our teammates when they need it. We think of it as FACS — Flexible, Accountable, Connected and Sensitive.
We must be a flexible employer because all 12,000 associates are dealing with different situations, from childcare, schooling, elder care, commuting and their own mental state. Today’s company must offer flexibility with trust. Of course, flexibility does not mean an absence of accountability. Rather, with the gift of trust, associates must be even more accountable and deliver on their terms. For all of this to work well we must be connected, communicating like never before; top-down, bottom-up, peer-to-peer, internally and externally. Communication ensures that barriers don’t arise just because we’re not seeing each other in person.
How we manage our office space is also going to change. These changes should help facilitate collaboration between people in the office and those working remotely, while also increasing the informal encounters with colleagues throughout the organization that make being in the office feel rewarding.
Having fewer people in the office will lead to a reduction in space. This is going to be important for all businesses, as the cost of office space averages $12,000 per employee annually, meaning a smaller footprint is a huge opportunity for cutting costs. Our goal will be to shrink offices by up to 50%, while closing some smaller spaces where possible. We’re going to establish hubs in major locations and implement hoteling — that is, reserving space and resources ahead of time — for almost everyone working from the office. We’ll also have to reach agreements on how to allocate space for group meetings and ad hoc needs, perhaps relying on outside locations for certain purposes. While social distancing remains in effect, we’ll limit office attendance to 25% of capacity, increasing to 50% when restrictions are reduced.
We’re going to need to provide a rhythm and structure so that this “new normal” feels, well, normal, and so that everyone gets the most out of their time together. One foundation of that structure is scheduling, where teams rotate in and out, for example on two-day cycles. We’ll determine which teams benefit most from regular collaboration, as opposed to those who do best with a monthly meeting, which can be planned differently.
We’re also going to be scheduling work meetings between managers and teams. Behind that thinking is research showing that formalizing a virtual team’s goals, roles and communications processes at the beginning improves effectiveness. We’ll also work to level the playing field for remote and in-office workers during meetings. One step in this direction is using video conferences as our default, so that remote workers can pick up nonverbal cues, and establishing protocols so people “in the room” don’t dominate discussions. And because we view remote and in-office work as equal, we’re discouraging the idea that people need to be in the office just because their boss is. Understanding that people appreciate the informal mentoring that comes from face-to-face contact, we’ll focus on ensuring there are career development opportunities in this new context.
And while most of us now take access to remote working for granted, some of our associates live in places with limited access to broadband, or have problems establishing privacy. We are developing plans to incorporate them into the workflow.
By considering the needs of those working both in the office and remotely, our goal is to build a culture where we share a sense of purpose and can forge bonds that bridge whatever our physical locations may be.
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