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Monday, April 24, 2017

In French Election, Established Politicians Are Out

French Elections: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)

Centrist independent Emmanuel Macron and far-right leader Marine Le Pen lead the first round of the French presidential election. Both are poised to compete in a May runoff.

RAY SUAREZ, HOST:

We start the show in France where polls have now closed in the first round of the French presidential election. And most of the projections say the centrist Emmanuel Macron and the far-right candidate Marine Le Pen will meet in the runoff in two weeks" time. The conservative Francois Fillon conceded defeat and said he would be voting for Macron in the second round.

NPR"s Eleanor Beardsley joins us now from Paris. Eleanor, you were in Macron headquarters when the first projections came in. What was the atmosphere like?

ELEANOR BEARDSLEY, BYLINE: That"s right, Ray. Well, let me just play a little tape here. As they usually do, every presidential election, they announce the results on the nightly news, and they do a countdown, and then the two top winners come up. And this is that happening.

UNIDENTIFIED CROWD: (Cheering).

BEARDSLEY: So Ray, people just exploded in joy. It"s not like it wasn"t expected, but now it"s real.

SUAREZ: What does this tell us about the political state of play in France to have essentially two outsiders, Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen, finish first and second?

BEARDSLEY: Yeah, this is a year like - a political year like no other. Establishment politicians have been swept away. And there is a growth in the far-right populism. But I think what it tells us is that people are ready to sweep away the old and try the new. They want renewal. And even though these two scores were close, openness and a pro-European feeling won out. We see European flags waving alongside the French flags here. But one thing is for sure, the old ways are gone. The established politicians are out. This is a totally new age.

SUAREZ: The projections only separate Macron and Le Pen by a few points. Is the final runoff likely to be as close as round one?

BEARDSLEY: Yes, they"re separated by two points. That"s because there were 11 candidates. The Socialist Party was split, so all the votes were scattered out. In the second round, there will be two candidates, and it"s not likely to be close at all. But this doesn"t take away the feeling that the far-right got its biggest score ever in a presidential election. And I spoke with Marie Celine Terre, who"s very happy that her candidate won, but here"s what she said.

MARIE CELINE TERRE: First, I feel sorry because I think that Marine Le Pen is too high, and it"s not a good news for our country because there is Donald Trump, there is Putin. Second, I"m very happy because I was voting for Emmanuel Macron, and it"s good news for France. It"s a new era, I hope, and a new - something new is coming.

SUAREZ: Well, yes, and if, as you say, Marine Le Pen can"t improve on her current showing very much, while Macron may be able to. The National Front has contested french elections for decades. the party has a national network in place were Marine Le Pen to become president. But let"s look at Emmanuel Macron. Has France ever had an independent president, a president without a party?

BEARDSLEY: Absolutely never. It"s astounding. He created this movement in August of last year, and he"s just - he wasn"t even known three years ago. So we have this 39-year-old former investment banker. He says he"s not left or right but progressive. He wants to make France innovative and risk-taking. This is something we"ve never seen before in France, and people are just agog.

SUAREZ: That"s NPR"s Eleanor Beardsley reporting from Paris. Good to talk to you.

BEARDSLEY: You too, Ray.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by Verb8tm, Inc., an NPR contractor, and produced using a proprietary transcription process developed with NPR. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPRs programming is the audio record.

Source: http://www.npr.org/2017/04/23/525339879/in-french-election-established-politicians-are-out

Comcast, NASCAR join forces to build up Bristol

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series- Full Race -STP 500

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. Joining more than 1,500 local Comcast NBCUniversal employees and their families, friends and community partners to "make change happen" this weekend, the NASCAR industry and select NASCAR XFINITY Series drivers will be supporting the 16thannual Comcast Cares Day, the nation"s largest single-day corporate volunteer event. These volunteers will participate in 15 different projects across the Greater Knoxville area to celebrate the day, joining more than 100,000 volunteers at nearly 1,000 projects across the country.

Among the events in the area, Comcast volunteers helped assemble housing materials at a Habitat for Humanity "ReStore" Center for a local family in Johnson City on Friday. NASCAR XFINITY Series drivers who are racing in the Fitzgerald Glider Kits 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway joined the project to support comcast"s efforts.

"the nascar family has been so welcoming to Comcast and programs like Comcast Cares Day that are important to us as a company, and the outpouring of support at this years events near Bristol Motor Speedway are no exception," explained Matt Lederer, Executive Director, Sports Brand Marketing, Comcast. "Participation from our drivers and support from NASCAR is a great addition to this project and represents the heart of everyone coming together to volunteer in the community."

Comcast and NASCAR volunteers are also donating their time to support the Appalachia Service Project on Saturday, April 22, through the "Race to Build" project at Bristol Motor Speedway. Volunteers will build homes that will serve families in the Bristol area. Select NASCAR drivers and Comcast employees joined the group on Saturday morning to "wave the green flag" on the start of the project and assist volunteers in the morning in the fan midway at the track.

Drivers Brennan Poole, Tyler Reddick, JJ Yeley, Garrett Smithley, Harrison Rhodes, Joey Gase, Ross Chastain, Justin Allgaier, Jordan Anderson and Quinn Houff participated in the weekend"s service projects. As a part of the NASCAR Race To Green initiative, NASCAR also donated trees to be planted at the family home.

"The NASCAR community is so strong and they"re willing to lend a helping hand at any time," Poole said. "So for me to be a part of this, and do cool things like this thanks to Comcasts partnership with the XFINITY Series is really special."

"It"s great that through XFINITY"s partnership we can come out on a race day and participate in Comcast Cares Day," said Allgaier. "Being a part of the XFINITY Series allows us to be involved in so many different events and projects we wouldn"t normally have the opportunity to, including what we"re doing here today, helping out some local Bristol families through the Appalachia Service Project."

Comcast Cares Day is more than just a day -- it"s the culmination of Comcast NBCUniversal"s commitment to volunteerism that began when the company was founded more than 50 years ago. From using technology to create positive change, such as wiring community centers and libraries and teaching digital literacy skills, to mentoring youth, to beautifying parks, Comcast NBCUniversal employees volunteer on this day, and throughout the year, to make a lasting impact. This year, the Company expects more than 100,000 volunteers to participate in approximately 900 projects across the country and around the world. To date, volunteers have contributed nearly 5 million volunteer hours at 7,700 projects since Comcast Cares Day began in 2001.

"We are proud to team up with so many incredible organizations this year as we celebrate our 16th annual Comcast Cares Day," said Doug Guthrie, Regional Senior Vice President, Comcast. "We are thankful for the participants who are stepping up and helping to make a difference in our community."

The Comcast Foundation will also provide grants to local community partner organizations across the country on behalf of everyone who volunteers on Comcast Cares Day. The grants will help Comcasts community partners continue their mission of serving the community throughout the year. To date, the Comcast Foundation has awarded more than $20 million in grants to local non-profit organizations who have served as partners on Comcast Cares Day.

Source: http://www.nascar.com/en_us/news-media/articles/2017/4/22/comcast-cares-day-connects-drivers-and-community-service-nascar.html

Utah Jazz: Derrick Favors Has to Capitalize on Chance to Redeem Himself

Utah Jazz vs LA Clippers - Full Game Highlights | Game 2 | April 18, 2017 | NBA Playoffs

When Rudy Gobert went down in Game 1 of the Utah Jazzs first round playoff series against the Los Angeles Clippers, immediately the difficulty of winning increased dramaticallyfor this Jazz team. Gobert has played such a major role in Utahs success on both ends of the floor that theres truly no way the Jazz could fully replace him.

However, while Goberts absence has and will continue to cause each and every one of his teammates to have to elevate their game to a new level if Utah hopes to come out on top in the series, a significant amountof pressure, combined with an incredible opportunity, nowfacesDerrick Favors more than anybody else on the team.

Favors was once considered one of the key components to this Jazz team. As recently as last season, many had him pinned as even more vital and talented than Rudy Gobert, especially on the offensive end. Derrick came up huge for the Jazz on several occasions during the 2015-16 season and though his team ultimately fell short and missed the playoffs that year, he had certainly emerged as one of the bright points for the future.

Then 2016-17 happened. In a year that has seen more Jazz injuries than one mayconsider fathomable, Derrick Favors has found himself perhaps the most beleaguered with injuries of any of his teammates. That in turn led him to an incredibly disappointingregular season that saw his points per game plummetfrom 16.4 to 9.5, his rebounds drop from 8.1 to 6.1 and his field goal percentage fall from 51.5 percent to 48.7.

That downturn most certainly isnt what Jazz fans had hoped to see out of their 25-year-old power forward who was expected to take massive strides this year.

The Utah Jazz became so accustomed to playing (and quite frankly having significant success) without Favors on the floor or with him playing extremely limited due to injury, that around this years trade deadline there were several fans clamoring for the Jazz to move the six-foot-ten big man. Even now, speculation is high that Favors no longer figures into Utahs long-term plans.

Thats incredible to think about given that a year ago D-Faves was considered untouchable by most.

Of course, one could write off Favorsseason as simply one lost due to injury. Theres no question that he was hampered all year long and perhaps its not fair at all to evaluate his performance under those circumstances. However, his lackluster season begs a handful of legitimate questions such as, can Favors get back to being the player he used to be? If so, can he improve beyond that? Or was 2015-16 his ceiling?

Most pressing of all is the question, will Derrick Favors ever be reliably healthy to the point where he can consistently be a formidable starting power forward/center option for this Jazz team? With all those questions surrounding a Derrick Favors that has struggled to make an impact all season long, he is undoubtedly in dire need of proving himself.

And while Rudys injury was no doubt a major disappointment for every member of this Jazz team, including Favors himself, at the very least Derrickhas to view this setback as an enormous opportunity to redeem what has been a poor season a season thats shaken the teams ability to trust in him and has put his future in Utah in question.

Therefore, despite all that has gone wrong for Favors this season and although he still appears to be far from 100 percent, given that he is currently in better health than he was for much of the year, he has to take advantage of this chance to redeem himself by having a strong showing in the playoffs in Goberts absence.

So far he has done admirably, logging 15 points on 7-of-10 shooting with six rebounds in Game 1 and 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting with seven rebounds in Game 2. However, although Favors was once considered an elite defender (not quite of the same ilk as Gobert but certainly not far behind him), his defense in the series has been less than formidable so far.

Part of that has to do with the amount of time hes being forced to log at center rather than at his preferred power forward position. Certainly it also has to do with his ailing knee. But if Utah hopes to have any chance to win this series and if Derrick truly wants to prove his worth to this team, hes going to have to get it done defensively.

Utahs typical game plan of sticking close to wings on the perimeter and funneling them towards the shot blocker in the paint only works if they have a solid rim protector. They had that all season long in Rudy Gobert and they used to have it with Derrick Favors. It was crucially missing in Game 2, though, andits certainly something theyll need back if they hope to be successful moving forward.

While elevating himself on defense to help prevent the Clippers from matching their 60 points in the paint in Game 2 will be key for Favors, of course it wouldnt hurt to see an uptick in his offensive production and rebounding as well. Derrick was rounding into a consistent double-double threatlast year and especially considering that Utah is accustomed to upwards of 12 boards per game out of Gobert, Favors has to be able to fill the void in that area as well.

Simply put, Favors disappointing season has put him in a situation where his value and importance are being greatly questioned. However, with Gobert out of action, the once formidable big man ought to be licking his chops and relishing in the opportunity to go out there and prove once and for all that he still very much can contribute for this Jazz team and that he ought to figure into their plans beyond this season.

A breakout postseason performance would most certainly go a long way in proving just that.

Clippers-Jazz: Food poisoning sidelines Gordon Hayward for second half of Game 4

Drake & Travis Scott Perform "Portland" in Portland

Travis Scott Performs "Goosebumps"

Drake and Travis Scott gave fans in Portland a fitting tribute on Wednesday (Apr. 19). The duo teamed up for a surprise performance of Portland at Veterans Memorial Coliseum in the Oregon city.

Although Quavo wasnt in the house for his verse or hook, La Flame and the 6 G*d kept the waves flowing. Meanwhile, the crowd filled in for the Migos spitter on the chorus.

https://twitter.com/travyscotty/status/854938365082439680

the performance of their More Life banger was part of Drakes impromptu surprise on Travis Birds Eye View Tour stop. But Portland wasnt all Drizzy had planned for La Flames fans. He also launched into a performance of Gyalchester.

Earlier in the day, Drake also made an appearance in Nicki Minajs regal No Frauds video along with Lil Wayne. This past weekend, he also popped up at Coachella during Futures set, shortly after surprising fans at a 21 Savage concert in L.A.

The Boy is currently celebrating the success of his ultra-popular More Life playlist. Despite not being an official album, the effort has surpassed 1 billion streams and has topped the Billboard 200 for multiple weeks.

Meanwhile, Scott just performed on Ellen and is headed back to Coachella for Weekend 2 on Saturday (Apr. 22). Following the platinum certification of Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight, La Flame is now gearing up to drop AstroWorld.

Source: http://www.rap-up.com/2017/04/20/drake-travis-scott-perform-portland-in-portland/

Sunday, April 23, 2017

Celtics notebook: Avery Bradley"s defense throws off Jimmy Butler"s game

Chicago Bulls vs Boston Celtics - Full Game Highlights | Game 2 | April 18, 2017 | NBA Playoffs

CHICAGO Though Avery Bradley gives up five inches when he guards the Bulls Jimmy Butler, the Celtics guard doesnt see the difference.

Size doesnt matter. Its heart, Bradley said following yesterdays practice at Roosevelt University.

In Fridays Game 3 of the Eastern Conference first-round playoff series, Chicago increasingly turned to Butler to run the offense in the absence of Rajon Rondo (broken thumb), and going forward that means Bradley will apply even more on-ball pressure. Bradley had a strong hand in Butlers 7-for-21 shooting (0-for-4 on 3-pointers) to go with zero assists in the Cs win that made it a 2-1 series in the Bulls favor.

Im just trying to make every shot tough on him hes a good player and I just want to speed him up a bit and force him into some tough shots, Bradley said.

Bradleys work can certainly be must-see viewing for his teammates.

Im trying to figure it out so I can try to figure out what hes doing, Gerald Green said. I just think he has the instincts of it. He just knows how to read. To be honest, Ive been in the league 12 years and Ive played overseas, Ive played D-League, Ive played a lot of basketball. And he might be the best defender Ive ever had, probably besides Tony Allen (the former Celtic now with the Memphis Grizzlies).

It should be quite a show in tonights Game 4, with Butler intent on elevating the challenge.

You wouldnt say anything if I was making them, Butler said yesterday of his shots in Game 3. Ill continue to take what the game gives me, take jumpers if Im open.

Rondo in Leg-gate

A source said the NBA is looking into Leg-gate, after Rondo was caught on camera sticking his leg out as the Celtics Jae Crowder ran in front of the Bulls bench in Game 3. Rondo, deadpanning his response, blamed it on an old Celtics injury.

When you tear an ACL, your leg gets stiff every once in a while, Rondo said. I had to stretch it out.

Green was willing to take Rondos word for it.

He may have had to stretch his leg out. I dont know. I aint no snitch, so I dont know, Green said. Thats not something I grew up being a part of. Where Im from they know snitches get stitches. So I dont know. . . .

Green is nursing a sore left ankle, but hes not about to let it get in the way.

If I can play without a finger, I can play with that, he said, referring way back to a childhood accident.

As a child he suffered permanent damage to his right index finger after getting it caught in a nerf hoop attached to a door in the family home in Houston.

KG motivates em

Prior to Game 3, the Cs got a taste of what sharing a locker room with Kevin Garnett must have been like, via a motivational audio message from the 2007-08 NBA champion a pep talk the team admitted had an effect.

Coach Brad Stevens wasnt with the team when KGs booming rave-up was played over a speaker system. But he had listened a day earlier.

Obviously everybody looks up to him and he had a great impact and continues to have a great impact as a former Celtic, Stevens said.

Said Marcus Smart: It was big. Everybody felt a little spark that started a fire for us and got us pumped and it was something we needed to hear. Its always good when you got a guy like KG delivering that message. We took that to heart. I just remember it was on the speaker and everybody knows when KG talks, his voice is very demanding and you just listen. So everybody was quiet, just listening to what he had to say.

Source: http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/celtics/2017/04/celtics_notebook_avery_bradley_s_defense_throws_off_jimmy_butler_s_game

Ren�e Elise Goldsberry Hopes "Henrietta Lacks" Movie Will Start Conversations

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks: Official Trailer (HBO)

Henrietta Lacks (Goldsberry) died from cancer at the age of 31, leaving behind four children. Quantrell Colbert/HBO hide caption

toggle caption Quantrell Colbert/HBO

Henrietta Lacks (Goldsberry) died from cancer at the age of 31, leaving behind four children.

Quantrell Colbert/HBO

Back in 2010, science writer Rebecca Skloot published a book that sounded like science fiction except it was real. Skloot told the story of how a tissue sample from a young African-American woman in Baltimore, taken without her knowledge or consent, went on to become "immortal." Her cells contributed to scientific breakthroughs across disciplines and around the world, and they even went up with some of the first space missions.

The woman"s name was Henrietta Lacks. She died from cancer at the age of 31, and while her cells were helping to change the world, her four children were struggling to hold on to their memories of her.

skloot"s book, the immortal life of henrietta Lacks, became an international best-seller and now it"s also a movie on HBO. Lacks is played by Rene Elise Goldsberry, who also appeared in the original Broadway production of Hamilton.

Goldsberry says the movie isn"t meant to replace the book. "It"s designed to be the gateway into more exploration into who Henrietta is and to really kind of see ... where we are in terms of how we"re dealing with people"s tissues."

Interview Highlights

On the most surprising part of Lacks" story

Here"s what"s surprising to me today, right now, in April of 2017, is that there"s not really anything that happened to her that wouldn"t be able to happen to me today. Legally, they do not have to get your consent to research your tissue samples. If you went and had a mole biopsied, anything that has been done to you, if that tissue is not connected to your body there is no need to ask for your consent to study it, to research it, to have it stored. There are banks all over this world filled with human tissue for researchers to study. And so, yes, today, right now today, we have not resolved this question. And if it disturbs you, this is something you should talk about and we should continue to have a conversation about.

On how what happened to Lacks could have happened to anyone

This is not an example of something that only happened to her because she was a poor black woman. I think that"s important to know. ... They were doing this with everybody, whether you had a lot of money to pay for your doctor or not, the same things would have happened. They would have taken those tissues and they would have studied them. So I think it"s important to just distinguish those things, because if we miss that then we fail to be able to address what"s going on with privacy right now.

On what Lacks and her Hamilton character, Angelica Schuyler, have in common

These are two stories that are about two women who actually existed, who are hugely important and nobody really knew who they were. The writers, you know, both [Hamilton"s] Lin-Manuel Miranda and Rebecca Skloot I should actually say and Ron Chernow, since he wrote the biography for Hamilton brought something to our consciousness that I can"t believe wasn"t there already. ... So as an actor it feels like the opportunity to perform a service, to portray somebody that the world really needs to know about.

On how both the HBO movie and the Broadway play are meant to start conversations

It"s funny, I used to say if there was anything I would really want to have as I get older in my career, it would be wonderful to have relevance to somebody in some way so that I could continue to work on some level. And ... I think there will always be a relevance to Hamilton. It"s nutritious. It"s really hard to be commercially successful doing something that I think is so good for us. I feel that way about Henrietta Lacks as well.

There are endless conversations we could have about the themes that are brought up in Hamilton and the characters that we get to explore in Hamilton, and I feel the same way about Henrietta Lacks. And I am honored to be able to say that what I"ve done with my life is start some of those conversations, you know, and play some people that have really made me bring to the surface some things that I actually really aspire to be as a woman. I love that as well.

Radio producer Elizabeth Baker, radio editor Ammad Omar and digital producer Nicole Cohen contributed to this story.

Source: http://www.npr.org/2017/04/22/525044439/ren-e-elise-goldsberry-hopes-henrietta-lacks-movie-will-start-conversations