NFL ratings falls
The National Football League's television ratings fell by nearly ten percent during the 2017 season, according to numbers registered by Nielsen.
According to ESPN's reporting, the typical game this year was watched by about 14.9 million people. During the 2016 season, the average game had 16.5 million viewers.
The league had hoped to halt the drop in ratings by attempting to speed up the game and change their television commercial strategy.
Last year's ratings drop was blamed in part on the presidential election. This year, however, some of the decrease can be attributed to fans upset with players kneeling during the national anthem. That action led to a war of words between the league and President Donald Trump.
Other factors in the league's ratings fall include the dilution of Thursday night games, which were aired on the NFL Network, NBC, CBS and Amazon Prime in various weeks.
While television in general has seen a viewership decline, the NBA has seen a 20 percent increase in viewership this year.
Still, 20 of the top 30 highest rated shows on television in 2017 were football games, and NBC and ESPN had the most watched shows in every single week with their Sunday Night and Monday Night Football games.
Tiger Woods to begin 2018 season later this month
Tiger Woods will begin his 2018 season later this month by playing the Farmers Insurance Open, his first PGA Tour event since missing the cut at the same tournament last year.
The 42-year-old Woods has had success at the event before, winning seven times at Torrey Pines near San Diego. He also won the 2008 U.S. Open at the course.
The tournament kicks off on January 25.
Woods also said he will play the Genesis Open at Riviera, an event run by the Tiger Woods Foundation. That tournament begins on February 15.
"I haven't played at Riviera in a tournament in a very long time," Woods wrote on his website. "To be able to play in an event that I used to come to as an amateur, as a junior and now as the tournament host, that is on one of the most historic sites in all of golf, it's a dream come true.''
Woods returned to the course in December, shooting an 8-under par through four rounds at the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas. Woods tied for ninth in that tournament.
San Antonio Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard suffers partial tear in left shoulder
San Antonio Spurs star forward Kawhi Leonard recently worked his way back from quadriceps tendinopathy, which sidelined him for over a quarter of the season.
After appearing in eight games, Leonard is set to miss more time due to a "partial tear" in his left shoulder, according to head coach Gregg Popovich.
Popovich, however, suggested the injury may not be as serious as the one that sidelined Leonard for much of the beginning of the season. When asked how much time Leonard will miss, he responded, "I don't think it'll be awhile."
Ahead of the team's game against the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday, Leonard was ruled out. He suffered the initial tear in the Spurs' game against the Phoenix on Friday, a game in which Leonard scored 21 points.
ESPN repots the organization does not think the injury is serious based on the initial diagnosis and will evaluate Leonard to determine how much time he should miss.
Teammate Manu Ginobili spoke about Leonard's injury after the loss to Portland, expressing disappointment after the star forward worked so hard to get back on the court this year:
"There's not many alternatives. What are going to do, just be crying in the locker room and not go out and play? It's disappointing. We need him. He started to feel better, to feel good and then we lose him for a few games and we don't know how many."
Leonard is a two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year and one of the best players in the league. The Spurs have title hopes once again this season and will look to get their star forward back on the court quickly as the franchise pursues its sixth NBA Championship.
Steve Bannon apologizes for delay in responding to Fire and Fury
Steve Bannon emerged Sunday after five days of silence and apologized for his delay in responding to a controversial book in which he criticized, among others, Donald Trump Jr.
The mea culpa comes after President Trump's former chief strategist was widely lambasted by members of the Trump administration for his participation in the newly released book, Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House, which was written by Michael Wolff. In it, Bannon was quoted as saying that the president's son participated in a "treasonous" meeting with a Russian lawyer who promised dirt on Hillary Clinton in 2016.
“Donald Trump Jr. is both a patriot and a good man," Bannon said in a statement. "He has been relentless in his advocacy for his father and the agenda that has helped turn our country around."
"I regret that my delay in responding to the inaccurate reporting regarding Don Jr. has diverted attention from the president's historical accomplishments in the first year of his presidency," he added.
Excerpts from the book caused a political firestorm last week. Bannon zeroed in on the president's son for the now-infamous meeting with the Russians.
"They're going to crack Don Junior like a egg on national TV," he said, referring to the special counsel's investigation into potential collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia.
"The chance that Don Jr. did not walk these jumos up to his father’s office on the twenty-sixth floor is zero,” he was also quoted as having said in the book.
The White House has lashed out against Wolff and the book, calling it a “work of fiction.” The president has also expressed outrage over Bannon’s participation in it, calling Bannon "sloppy Steve" and a “staffer who worked for me."
"I guess sloppy Steve brought him into the White House quite a bit, and it was one of those things. That's why sloppy Steve is now looking for a job," Trump tweeted Sunday.
The president also distanced himself from his former top aide in a lengthy statement last week.
"Steve Bannon has nothing to do with me or my presidency," the statement read. "When he was fired, he not only lost his job, he lost his mind."
Bannon, who also criticized Paul Manafort, then-campaign chairman for the campaign, and the president's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, stops short of directly saying he was misquoted in Wolff's book. Instead, he attempts to shift any blame for meeting with Russian lawyer away from Donald Trump Jr. to Manafort.
"My comments were aimed at Paul Manafort, a seasoned campaign professional with experience and knowledge of how the Russians operate," Bannon said. "He should have known they are duplicitous, cunning and not our friends. To reiterate, those comments were not aimed at Don Jr."
Trump administration officials defend president's mental fitness
Trump administration officials came to the defense of President Donald Trump against claims in a salacious new book that people around the president question his mental fitness and intelligence.
Senior administration officials and White House aides appearing on Sunday morning political talk shows pushed back against claims made in Fire and Fury by Michael Wolff.
United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley suggested to ABC News Chief Anchor George Stephanopoulos on This Week that the book is an example of "the lengths people will go to to lie for money and for power."
“No one questions the stability of the president,” Haley said. Stephanopoulos asked, "So, you're not concerned that those close to the president don't have his interests at heart?"
"I'm around them all the time," Haley said. "I see these people put everything they have got into their jobs and into respecting and trusting the president. If they didn't, they wouldn't be there."
On Fox News Sunday, CIA Director Mike Pompeo refuted claims that the president doesn’t read and has trouble staying focused as “absurd” and “pure fantasy.”
When anchor Chris Wallace asked directly about the president’s fitness for office, Pompeo paused briefly, then explained his reason for doing so.
“Completely fit. I mean, I paused only because it's just a ludicrous question,” the CIA chief said.
Wallace noted that the CIA does psychological profiles of world leaders and asked what he would say about “a world leader who refers to himself as 'a very stable genius,'" as Trump did in a tweet Saturday.
“I’m not going to dignify the question with a response,” Pompeo said.
White House senior policy adviser Stephen Miller meanwhile squabbled with anchor Jake Tapper on CNN's State of the Union and echoed the president's own characterization of Wolff's book as "fiction".
"The book is best understood as a work of poorly-written fiction," Miller said. "The author is a garbage author of a garbage book."
He added, “The betrayal of the president in this book is so contrary to the reality of those who work with him."
Tapper at one point cut Miller off to tell him to cool his jets.
“Stephen, settle down, settle down, calm down,” Tapper said.
After a heated back-and-forth that went on for some time as Tapper tried to direct the interview, the anchor seemed to cut the interview short.
“I get it," Tapper said. "There is one viewer that you care about right now, and you're being obsequious, you’re being a factotum to please him, OK, and I think I’ve wasted enough of our viewers’ time.”
Trump saw it differently, tweeting that Miller "destroyed" Tapper in the interview.- Source-ABC
Paymaster (Jamaica) and interCaribbean Airways launch payment convenience
interCaribbean Airways and Paymaster (Jamaica) Limited, a leader in the bill payment industry are pleased to announce a new payment channel in the Jamaica market targeted at providing convenience for the Jamaican customers.
Trevor Sadler, CEO of interCaribbean Airways an advocate of alternative payments is confident that this new payment option will benefit the Jamaican traveler. As we enter 2018, we look forward to seeing how we can offer more flights to and from Jamaica.
This agreement will allow for ease and a secure alternative payment option where persons without credit cards are able to make online reservations and make their payment at any of Paymaster's over 200 locations island wide to complete their ticket purchase within 24 hours.
General Manager of Paymaster, Michael Fisher expressed that Paymaster's key business objective is to provide its stakeholders with simple, efficient and convenient bill payment services. The Paymaster team is delighted to have interCaribbean Airways as part of our existing Client portfolio, as our service will undeniably extend the reach to interCaribbean' customers.
Paymaster began operations in October 1997 as the innovator in third party payment collections. Paymaster initiated and transformed the consumer services sector by facilitating easier bill payments and the processing of multiple transactions as a "one-stop shop" that provides the greatest convenience to customers; and today boasts over 100 Clients.
interCaribbean operates EMB 120, Twin Otter and BE99 aircraft connecting Turks & Caicos, Antigua, the British Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Haiti, Jamaica, the Bahamas, the US Virgin Islands, Dominica and St. Maarten/St. Martin. Domestic flights are provided in Jamaica between Kingston and Montego Bay, as well as flights within the Turks & Caicos Islands.
Spiralling murder rate forces private citizens to arm themselves
More Jamaicans are arming themselves with guns, prompted, apparently, by the island's skyrocketing and seemingly out-of-control murder rate, based on figures from the State-run Firearm Licensing Authority (FLA).
Jamaica, with a population of approximately 2.8 million people, recorded 1,616 murders in 2017, a 19.4 per cent increase over 2016, which has played into the view that Jamaica is one of the most violent countries in the world per capita.
Information obtained from the FLA by the Jamaica Observer through the Access to Information Act (AIA) showed that, except for one year, there has been an annual increase in the number of firearm licences issued over the five-year period 2012 to 2016.
In fact, of the 42,136 firearm licence holders on the FLA's record, 20,402 were issued during the five-year period 2012 to 2016 during which murders averaged more than 1,000 annually.
In 2012, some 1,864 firearm licences were issued, with a giant leap in 2013 to 4,494. The number issued in 2014 dropped to 4,043, but the following year, 2015, the figured moved to 4,706, and in 2016 increased to 5,295, the FLA said.
At the same time, more than 700 licensed firearm holders reported their weapons lost or stolen during the same period 2012 to 2016, with 305 in 2016 alone and 274 in 2015. In 2012, the figure was 53; 59 in 2013; and 60 in 2014.
The FLA was unable to say how many licensed firearm holders were killed or injured in confrontation with gunmen.
Three Babies Born on New Year's Day at TCI Hospital
Turks and Caicos Islands Hospital wishes to congratulate three mothers who delivered on New Year's Day.
The first baby of 2018 born at Cheshire Hall Medical Centre on Providenciales was delivered in the early afternoon hours of the New Year.
The 2lbs, 2oz girl entered the world at 1:17 p.m., born to mother Esther Duveau and father Nicolas Dieuffrant.
Just over six hours later, another baby girl weighing 6lbs, 6oz was delivered at 7:35 p.m., to mother Jean Louis Meritable and father Norcillien Doreus.
The names of both newborns cited above were still pending at the time the information was obtained.
The third baby delivered on New Year's Day at 11:37 p.m. altered the pattern of baby girls being recorded as the special day nearly came to a close.
A bouncing baby boy named Bradley Arthur was born to mother Nanoune Celestine and father James Arthur. Little Arthur weighed 6lbs, 4oz at birth.
The parents received a gift bath tub stuffed with infant-care items such as diapers, clothes, bibs, baby wipes, and more, courtesy of Turks and Caicos Islands Hospital.
Commenting on the births, Deputy Chief of Clinical Services at TCI Hospital, Mikette Been said: "Congratulations to each parent on their new born. Our doctors and nurses are always happy to share in this very special moment.
In 2017, there were no babies born on the actual first day of the year at our health care centres, hence, we were hoping for a new year's baby, and surprisingly there was a trio.
This is the first year since opening in 2010 that as many as three babies were delivered on January 1st at our health care facilities.
The low birth weight baby girl is still being cared for in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Cheshire Hall Medical Centre and her mother also required further medical care. The other parents and newborns have since been discharged."
INVITATION TO APPLY FOR MEMBERSHIP OF THE NATIONAL YOUTH COUNCIL
The National Youth Council consists of young adult volunteers between the ages of 18-30 from around the country. They are young professional volunteers, who serve as Council Advisors committed to empower, strengthen and advise Government on issues affecting youth.
If you are interested in working to develop the situation of young persons between the ages of 10-29 years old, you are welcomed to apply.
What defines youth in Turks and Caicos.
Those between 10 and 29 years old are considered youth by the Department of Youth Affairs.
In order to join National Youth Council or volunteer with National Youth council?
Please express your interest by emailing any of our youth officers dparker@gov.tc, nicky71422@yahoo.com or Mr. Nixon Dickenson, Acting National Youth Director at ndickenson@gov.tc.
Apple Could Easily Buy Netflix Now, But Here's Why It Would Be a Surprising Move
With the newly passed tax cuts, Apple Inc. (AAPL - Get Report) has an embarrassing amount of cash at its disposal. Among the uses for its windfall, Citigroup Inc. suggested in a recent note that the company could turbocharge its video strategy, which has struggled at times, by purchasing Netflix Inc. (NFLX - Get Report) .
Shares of Netflix gained about 4.8% to $201.07 on Tuesday, amid speculation about the company's fate and an upgrade from Macquarie Capital.
The gains put Neflix's market cap at just over $87 billion. Even if Apple paid a 20% takeover premium, the roughly $105 billion price tag would be well within Apple's means.
The iPhone maker had about $285 billion in cash at year end, Moody's Investors Service estimates, with $265 billion overseas. The new tax package imposes a 15.5% rate on overseas cash profits, versus the previous rate of 35%.
After taxes, Citi analyst Jim Suva calculated that Apple would be able to repatriate $220 billion, according to reports. The analyst assigned a 40% likelihood to Apply buying the company. Walt Disney Co. (DIS - Get Report) was Suva's second most-likely target, with a 20% to 30% likelihood of a deal. It should be noted that Suva's note preceded Disney's offer to purchase of most of Fox's operations for $66.1 billion in mid-December. Suva was not available for comment on the impact of the Fox deal on his calculations.
A deal for Netflix, however, would involve a radical change in philosophy for Apple, which has favored much smaller purchases in the past. The company's largest-ever deal, the $3-billion acquisition of Beats in 2014, is just about 1/30th of Netflix's current market cap. Apple's 2010 purchase of Siri Inc. for a reported $200 million is a much more typical purchase, with the tech giant buying what at the time a little-known personal-assistant application developer whose technology Apple to be able to plug into the iPhone.
Even though Apple's cash has been stuck overseas, the company has not exactly been at a loss for capital. Apple instead raised billions in low-interest debt to fund acquisitions and returns to shareholders.
"I don't see a big change to the M&A strategy as the foreign cash buildup didn't necessarily preclude Apple from pursuing large acquisitions (i.e., they could have raised additional debt to help fund a purchase)," Moody's Investors Service analyst Stephen Sohn said in an email, suggesting that Apple could boost its dividend and share buybacks.
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Likewise, longtime Apple analyst Gene Munster of Loup Ventures expects Apple to bring $214 billion back to the U.S. but doesn't think the company will go on a spending spree. "We don't expect this cash will change Apple's M&A philosophy, which will likely continue to be focused on sub-$1 [billion] technology acquisitions," Munster wrote in a recent report, suggesting that Apple will increase share buybacks by $69 billion and increase its dividend by 15%.
Given Netflix's global success in the online video marketplace, it could be a worthwhile exception to Apple's playbook.
Reed Hastings' streaming company has 109 million subscribers in 190 countries. Macquarie Capital analyst Tim Nollen upgraded the stock from neutral to outperform on Tuesday, citing its lead in the market for over the top video streaming.
"It seems hardly a week goes by without a new [over-the-top] service entering the market, but Netflix is miles ahead in terms of programming hours, original content quality and time spent, and we don't expect this to change," Nollen wrote. "Netflix has won."
Apple, Amazon.com. Inc. (AMZN - Get Report) , Facebook Inc. (FB - Get Report) and Hulu LLC are spending billions this year to catch up with Netflix, the analyst added. With such deep-pocketed rivals, Netflix could well attract suitors.
Netflix declined to comment for this story, while Apple did not immediately respond to a query.
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