Arsenal Move into Top 4 with Win over Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Manchester United

Arsenal's Swiss midfielder Granit Xhaka (R) celebrates scoring the opening goal with Arsenal's French striker Alexandre Lacazette (L) during the English Premier League football match between Arsenal and Manchester United at the Emirates Stadium in London on March 10, 2019. (Photo by Ben STANSALL / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. /         (Photo credit should read BEN STANSALL/AFP/Getty Images)

BEN STANSALL/Getty Images

Arsenal won Sunday’s marquee Premier League matchup, beating Manchester United 2-0 in a key contest in the race for the top four. The loss was interim manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s first in the Premier League.

Granit Xhaka opened the scoring early with a wicked swerving strike that caught out David De Gea, and the United stopper couldn’t save a Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang penalty after the break.  

B/R Football @brfootball

Arsenal crash United’s party 💥 https://t.co/V8L6V3t2WK

The win moves Arsenal up to fourth place, just one point behind rivals Tottenham Hotspur.

Aggressive Approach the Right Way Forward for Emery

Unai Emery surprised many with his decision to go for an ultra-aggressive starting XI against United that included Alexandre Lacazette, Aubameyang, Mesut Ozil and Aaron Ramsey.

It was a lineup fans had been waiting to see for a long time:

Frankie Hobbs @Frankie_Hobbs

Ozil, Aubameyang, Lacazette and Ramsey ALL start for Arsenal today. https://t.co/Mj2YPCF9C2

The fact Emery picked all four against an in-form United team coming off a 3-1 win over Paris Saint-Germain was what made it surprising. In a crucial contest for the top four, the often conservative-minded coach finally opened up, and it worked wonders in the first half.

The Gunners caused all kinds of problems in midfield and mustered several great chances, before Xhaka opened the scoring. Per sportswriter James Benge, Emery’s tactics worked so well that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer changed his approach before the half-time break:

James Benge @jamesbenge

Can’t remember many games in final years of Wenger reign where opposing head coach had been so comprehensively ‘out-tacticed’ that he had to rip up his plans in first-half.

Emery has forced that on Solskjaer, who has gone to a back three. United were being bullied in midfield.

The Gunners will have to make up a two-goal deficit against Rennes on Thursday, and there’s no reason they should abandon their aggressive approach for that match. Ozil, Ramsey, Aubameyang and Lacazette are four of the team’s best players, and any formation that uses all four at the same time is worth exploring deeper.

The race for the top four remains a tight one, and now is the time for Emery to push ahead and be as aggressive as he can be.

Solskjaer Still the Man for United Despite Loss 

Solskjaer may have lost his first Premier League fixture in charge of the Red Devils, but the interim boss still made a positive impression in the contest and strengthened his case to win the job on a permanent basis.

His side were outplayed early, but the opening goal came after an individual mistake from arguably the side’s best player when goalkeeper De Gea was badly caught-out by a swerving strike.

Solskjaer noted the issues that plagued his side and changed things up in a timely fashion, per sportswriter James Olley:

James Olley @JamesOlley

It is a credit to Emery that #mufc have changed their system here. They’ve gone to a three-man defence. #afc have been winning the midfield battle so far.

The changes worked, as United mustered several chances and hit the woodwork multiple times. If things had gone their way, the result could have been very different.

Arsenal were always likely to come out strong after their disappointing midweek loss to Rennes, while United seemed to feel the effects from the Champions League hangover after their comeback win over PSG. And despite so many things going in Arsenal’s favour, the Red Devils still lost because of an individual error and a penalty.

One loss against a top team with a point to prove won’t damage Solskjaer’s reputation too much, and if anything, the United interim boss once again made a fine impression Sunday.

What’s Next?

Arsenal host Rennes in the second leg of their UEFA Europa League tie Thursday. United face Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday in the FA Cup.

Read More

from Daily Trends Hunter https://ift.tt/2UvXGSj
via IFTTT

US-backed Syrian forces resume attacks on final ISIL enclave

US-backed Kurdish-led forces have resumed their assault against the final Islamic State enclave in eastern Syria, aiming to wipe out the last vestige of its self-declared “caliphate” that once spanned a third of Iraq and Syria.  

While the Baghouz enclave represents the last shred of populated land held by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, ISIS), the group is still widely seen as a big security threat with remote territory elsewhere and the continued capacity to launch guerrilla attacks.

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have been poised to advance into the enclave for weeks, but have repeatedly held back to allow for the evacuation of civilians, many of them wives and children of ISIL fighters.

Mustafa Bali, head of the SDF media office, said on Sunday no further civilians had emerged from the enclave at the Iraqi border since Saturday and the SDF had not observed any more civilians in the area, prompting the decision to attack.

Syria rebels slow down battle against ISIL to protect civilians

“The military operations have started. Our forces are now clashing with the terrorists and the attack started,” he said.

He said they had given ISIL fighters time to surrender, and that time was over. 

Speaking from Gaziantep, near the Turkey-Syria border, Al Jazeera’s Hoda Abdel-Hamid said that while the fighting has resumed, it is still unclear if this is the final push.

“Whether this is the final battle or not, it is too early to say. A spokesperson for the US-led coalition did say that he has learned not to predict when this last battle will be.

‘ISIL is surrounded’ 

“That’s simply because there has been a pattern over the past few months… [where] there has been fighting then a very dramatic picture of ISIL women and children coming out of Baghouz in the thousands,” said Abdel-Hamid. 

“There is a sense that ISIL is surrounded, weaker and on the verge of defeat, but there is also a lot of caution because nobody knows how many fighters are left inside,” she added.

Tens of thousands of people have streamed out of the shrinking territory held by ISIL over the last months. Aid agencies in the area are struggling to cope with the influx, according to NGOs, including Save the Children. 

Bali said more than 4,000 militants had surrendered to the SDF in the past month.

Earlier on Sunday, a Reuters correspondent saw SDF forces advance into a tented area of Baghouz after ISIL fighters withdrew from it. SDF fighters gathered some ammunition and rifles left behind by the armed group.

Syrian refugees face new challenges as they return home

The SDF announced the military operation to liberate Baghouz in September, but has held off on a full-blown assault after it became apparent that a huge number of civilians were still inside. 

Syrian military air strikes against ISIL fighters further west, in the country’s central desert, were a reminder of the constant warnings by both Arab and Western officials that the group will continue to pose a serious security threat.

After its sudden advance across swathes of Syria and Iraq in 2014, the group held about one-third of both countries, but its wholesale slaughter or sexual enslavement of minorities and its grotesque public killings roused global anger.

Separate offensives by different forces in both countries steadily drove it back, inflicting major ISIL defeats in 2017, and eventually forcing it back on Baghouz, a little cluster of hamlets and farmland on the Euphrates.

Is ISIL close to losing its last territory in Syria?

Read More

from Daily Trends Hunter https://ift.tt/2C7QHYP
via IFTTT

‘Us’ review roundup: Scarier than ‘Get Out,’ led by Lupita Nyong’o

Jordan Peele's sophomore horror delivers scares and inspires conversation, according to critics.
Jordan Peele’s sophomore horror delivers scares and inspires conversation, according to critics.

Image: universal

2018%252f05%252f15%252f8e%252fhttps3a2f2fblueprintapiproduction.s3.amazonaws.com2.b03bf.jpg%252f90x90By Alexis Nedd

Jordan Peele changed the horror game and won an Oscar for 2017’s Get Out, so there was a lot of pressure on Us, his new horror film that debuted at SXSW. 

SEE ALSO: Jordan Peele’s ‘Us’ will haunt you, and not just in the ways you’d expect

Peele described Get Out as a “social horror” movie, and the consensus among critics is that while Us tackles different elements of societal horrors, the overarching themes of the movie play more into the personal. 

Here’s what the critics are saying.

Lupita Nyong’o is the star of the show

Matthew Monagle, Film School Rejects

“Us has at its center two incredible performances by Lupita Nyong’o. From the early scenes of creeping anxiety to the polarizing final conflict between human and duplicate – a literal dance of violence that contrasts the poise of one against the brutality of the other — Nyong’o creates two unique personas with endless depth.”

David Crow, Den of Geek

“A quiet creature of physically devastating effect, Nyong’o’s literally dueling performances become a high-wire act that centers the film’s focus even when its gaze becomes vaguely unwieldy during the finale.”

Justin Chang, LA Times

“But the movie belongs rightly and effortlessly to Nyong’o, and she sustains every moment by distilling innumerable emotional layers — the unshakable resolve of a mother and wife, the stricken gaze of a trauma survivor, the lingering incomprehension of a lost child — into a performance for the scream-queen history books.”

The horror is real…

Evan Narcisse, Gizmodo

“Us demonstrates how Peele is iterating on his social horror recipes, by broadening the scope of his ambitions and fiendishly modulating the use of violence and familiarity to send shivers down our collective spines.”

Monica Castillo, Roger Ebert

“’It Follows’ cinematographer Mike Gioulakis creates unsettling images in mundane spaces, like how a strange family standing at a driveway isn’t necessarily scary, but when it’s eerily dark out, they’re backlit so that their faces go unseen and the four bodies are standing at a higher elevation from our heroes, it looks like evil is swooping in from above.”

Justin Chang, LA Times

“[Peele] gives this mind-bending scenario the moment-to-moment intensity and jolting humor of a George Romero-inspired nightmare.”

…but so is the comedy

David Griffin, IGN

“And while there are plenty of scares and creepy events happening all around, Peele balances the shock and awe with some hilarious moments courtesy of the dad, Gabe (played by another Black Panther alum, Winston Duke).”

Justin Chang, LA Times

“Once again, the director draws upon the sketch-comedy gifts he honed on “Key & Peele” to achieve an artful, ruthless balance of horror and hilarity. “Us” is a tour de force of comic tension and visceral release, a movie that weaponizes our chuckles against us and reminds us that laughing, screaming and thinking are not mutually exclusive pleasures.”

The movie’s tone makes for an unsettling ride

Evan Narcisse, Gizmodo

“Despite all these layers, Us never lacks for momentum. It careens, lurches, and rattles like a rusty roller-coaster determined to squeeze some last screams out of its riders before getting busted down for scrap.”

The comparisons to Get Out are inevitable

Tasha Robinson, The Verge

“Compared to Get Out, Us feels like more conventional modern horror. It follows a familiar storytelling pattern — initial scare, a drop back to calm and familiar scenes that set up the characters, a series of foreshadowing events and fake-out scares, a sudden escalation of tension.”

Matthew Monagle, Film School Rejects

Us is a bit of a departure, a film that isn’t afraid to mash together some of its biggest ideas to create something ambitious and a bit fractured in nature. The various threads may not hold together quite as tightly as in Get Out, but a tighter story would never be worth the loss in ideas.”

Deep cut horror references are there for the fans

Monica Castillo, Roger Ebert

“For me, “The Shining” looked to be the film that received the most nods in “Us,” including an overhead shot of the Wilson family driving through hilly forests to their vacation home, much like the Torrance family does on the way to the Overlook Hotel….

…Peele also pays tribute to Brian De Palma with a split diopter shot that places both Adelaide and her doppelgänger in equal focus for the first time in the movie. There’s also a tip of the hat to Darren Aronofsky’s ‘Black Swan’”

Tasha Robinson, The Verge

“Fans of modern horror will find a lot of familiar ground in Us once the dopplegängers appear. Their initial entrance into the Wilsons’ lives echoes home-invasion thrillers like The Strangers, and the later stalking sequences resemble It Follows in their particular combination of lurking, inevitable terror, and abrupt violence.”

Read More

from Daily Trends Hunter https://ift.tt/2C9SoVy
via IFTTT

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas names ally as new PM

Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority, has appointed long-time ally Mohammad Shtayyeh as prime minister, according to officials.

Presidential spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh said Abbas received Shtayyeh, a member of the central committee of the president’s Fatah party, at his office on Sunday and asked him to form a new government, according to Palestinian news agency Wafa.

Some analysts view appointing 61-year-old Shtayyeh to replace outgoing Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah as part of Abbas’s efforts to further isolate Hamas, a rival political group that runs the besieged Gaza Strip.

The previous government was formed during a period of improved relations between the two most dominant parties in the Palestinian political scene.

The new administration is expected to be dominated by Fatah, though other smaller parties will be represented.

Hamas, which will not be included, said the appointment reflected “Abbas’s unilateralism and monopoly of power”.

“Hamas stresses that it does not recognise this separatist government because it was formed without national consensus,” spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said in a statement.

Shtayyeh, a former government minister, has been part of a number of Palestinian negotiating teams in the United States-brokered talks with Israel, and is a former government minister.

No public successor

Hamdallah’s government submitted its resignation in late January, though it has continued on an interim basis.

Abbas remains the primary decision-maker and interlocutor with the international community.

Hamas has been the de facto ruler in the Gaza Strip since 2007, after defeating the Fatah party in parliamentary elections. It then pushed Fatah out of Gaza when the latter refused to recognise the result of the vote.

Since then Abbas’s governments have maintained limited self-rule in the occupied West Bank.

Abbas has recently been in conflict with US President Donald Trump‘s administration, which is expected to release its long-awaited peace plan in the coming months.

Abbas froze ties with the White House after Trump declared Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in 2017.

Trump has since taken a series of steps against the Palestinians, including cutting hundreds of millions of dollars in aid.

Palestinian leaders call it an attempt to blackmail them into accepting a plan that they believe will destroy their hopes for independent statehood. They view Trump’s administration as blatantly biased in favour of Israel.

Abbas won a four-year term as president in 2005, but he has since remained in office without further elections.

The 83-year-old who has recently had health issues has not publicly lined up a successor and the move to name Shtayyeh could put him among the potential candidates.

Others mentioned as possible successors include veteran leader Mahmoud al-Aloul, Palestine Liberation Organization Secretary General Saeb Erekat, senior Fatah official Jibril Rajoub and head of Palestinian intelligence Majid Faraj.

Polls show the most popular Palestinian leader is Marwan Barghouti, but he is serving five life sentences in an Israeli jail for allegedly organising and authorising a series of killings of Israelis.

Read More

from Daily Trends Hunter https://ift.tt/2Uv7oVf
via IFTTT

Try not to laugh at these really funny tweets from this week

Tweets to chuckle at no matter where you are.
Tweets to chuckle at no matter where you are.

Image:  Weiyi Zhu / getty images 

2019%252f02%252f04%252fdf%252fimg 58811.67a74.jpg%252f90x90By Harry Hill

If I had a dollar for every genuinely funny tweet that was tweeted, I’d probably reach billionaire status, a la Kylie

Instead of money, we get laughter, which is arguably better than money. Just kidding. Unlike most of our bank accounts, though, funny tweets are bottomless.

We must warn you: laughter could occur from viewing these tweets. If you’re trying to remain stoic at your desk while pretending to work right now, these carefully selected gems might blow your cover. 

1. Dog owners will get it.

2. Finally, an essay I can get behind wholeheartedly.

shakira’s “she wolf” is striking commentary on female sexuality in relation to the notion of the foucauldian “ubu”— when dissatisfied, shakira turns into a literal monster, a grotesque embodiment of power. in this essay i will

— billy (@billyjoebaldwin) March 6, 2019

3. For those who’ve wondered what Elon Musk would look like with a pixie cut:

SEE ALSO: Elon Musk and The Rock bonded over these cursed Photoshopped memes

4. It really does feel like spring is gonna flake on us.

Us: “Spring you still comin.?”

Spring: “Who all ova there.?”

— Unkle Ky. (@TheyLuvKyron2) March 5, 2019

5. This old video of Taylor Swift’s reaction to being asked if she smokes weed is definitely a big fibbing-at-the-doctor’s-office mood.

6. Who can resist a baby saying something they definitely shouldn’t?

kids under 3 :

me : “say fuck you”

— he-men-uh (@cxrrea) March 5, 2019

7. If given a choice, I will always choose a 1995 hit single that is now only played ironically.

8. It’s “Nine in the Afternoon” somewhere, right?

oh jeez look at the time, it’s

12

11 ^ 1

10 | 2

9 in<- – ⊙ 3

the afternoon, 4

your eyes 5

are the 6

size of the moon

— zander (@alezander) March 2, 2019

9. The Ashley vs. Ashleigh discrepancy thickens. 

ashley: hey

ashleigh: heigh

— Kristen Arnett (@Kristen_Arnett) March 6, 2019

10. As a first time viewer of this performance, it’s my civil duty to make sure everyone stops what they’re doing and watches it:

I am not kidding you when I tell you I think about this Jessica Simpson and Jewel “Who Will Save Your Soul?” performance daily. pic.twitter.com/IMl42fNmMy

— Matt Stopera (@mattstopera) March 5, 2019

11. Someone alert TurboTax of this new clause ASAP.

I should be able to claim the four people using my netflix account on my taxes

— francie (@indosilverclub) March 4, 2019

12. When Pizza Hut tries to be trendy on Twitter:

13. Lady Bird does her own stunts.

Lady Bird’s mom: “You should just go to city college. You’ll never get in anywhere with your work ethic.”

Lady Bird:

🌳 / 🚘 ||


/ ||

🌳 / ||

/ ||

🌳 / 🚘🤾🏻‍♀️ ||

— Max Grossman (@GrossmanMax) March 3, 2019

14. This story :*)

8 yrs ago, I was crying alone at a park. A dog ran up to me and nuzzled his snout at my knees. His owner was a handsome cardiologist that ended up dating me. But after 6 weeks, he said his life was “so crazy right now” and started dating an Equinox receptionist. This isn’t us. pic.twitter.com/iL7FhtjAr2

— Eden Dranger (@Eden_Eats) March 3, 2019

15. We can all relate. 

Deleting my zero like posts as if I’m an affluent Victorian family locking their problematic child in the attic to save their status in society

— calista (@calistagif) March 4, 2019

16. Finally, a musical more relatable than Wicked.

‘why did i wear that’ the musical

— steph (@stephsstone) March 6, 2019

17. And no Twitter roundup is complete without a contribution from jaboukie:

i stared into the abyss and the abyss told me it wasnt looking for anything serious rn

— jaboukie (@jaboukie) March 4, 2019

OK, you can go back to whatever you were doing now. We just really needed you to see these tweets before they get swallowed by the twittersphere, never to invoke laughter, or at the very least, a reluctant exhale, ever again. 

Read More

from Daily Trends Hunter https://ift.tt/2u21xey
via IFTTT

Disney’s ‘DuckTales’ features an amazing nod to the classic NES game

Disney’s rebooted DuckTales doesn’t just draw from the beloved ’80s animated series for inspiration; it also pulls ideas from companion pieces as well.

In 1989, at the height of the original series’ popularity, video game publisher Capcom released a side-scrolling DuckTales game for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Much like the show that inspired it, the game was a hit, and one that’s proven to be an enduring success in more recent years, following a remastering of the original game.

One of the more popular elements of the 1989 game that fans still carry a torch for is the music. The game’s entire chiptune soundtrack is the stuff of legend, really, but one piece of music in particular, from a level set on the moon, is a standout.

Give it a listen.

Ugh, so good. I still get chills hearing it.

SEE ALSO: Let the star-studded cast of Disney’s ‘DuckTales’ reboot sing you the theme song

Anyway! The rebooted DuckTales miraculously found a way to breathe new life into the classic moon tune. It’s been rewritten as a lullaby with actual lyrics about the moon

Disney shared the scene in which Della Duck voice actor Paget Brewster sings “Della’s Moon Lullaby.” And it’s so good! 

Brb, gotta go play DuckTales again.

Read More

from Daily Trends Hunter https://ift.tt/2VLGf0o
via IFTTT

Jeff Van Gundy: LeBron James Trade Needs to Be Explored by Lakers in Offseason

Los Angeles Lakers' LeBron James, front, is pressured by Boston Celtics' Kyrie Irving during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Saturday, March 9, 2019, in Los Angeles. The Celtics won 120-107. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Jae C. Hong/Associated Press

Jeff Van Gundy is apparently ready to cut bait on the LeBron JamesLakers experiment already.

The ESPN broadcaster and former coach posited the idea of trading James this offseason during Saturday’s game between the Lakers and Boston Celtics (transcript via Jack Baer of Yahoo Sports):

Van Gundy: I think in the offseason, they need to rebuild this roster, right? And to me, it could be a trade for an Anthony Davis, or I think they need to explore trading LeBron for getting as much as they can.

Analyst Mark Jackson: What are you doing, seriously? No, seriously, what are you doing?

Van Gundy: You’ve got to get on the right timeline. I’m going to say, if I could trade him for the Clippers into cap space, which would give me a better chance to get Durant or Kawhi Leonard, would I not do that?

Jackson: OK, LeBron James is not getting traded. OK?

Van Gundy: You’ve got to put everything on the table.

Jackson: No, you can’t.

Bleacher Report @BleacherReport

Jeff Van Gundy says the Lakers should consider trading LeBron over the summer 🤔 https://t.co/yVPGmujBs8

This article will be updated to provide more information on this story as it becomes available.

Get the best sports content from the web and social in the new B/R app. Get the app and get the game.

Read More

from Daily Trends Hunter https://ift.tt/2tYdZMb
via IFTTT

‘Captain Marvel’ smashes the box office with a $153 million opening

Captain Marvel is a hit.

The latest entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe opened Friday, and it’s currently angling toward a U.S. opening weekend total of $153 million. Once you add in all the other regions that hosted a Captain Marvel opening, that number shoots up to a $455 million take worldwide.

Assuming the weekend estimate bears out (or is exceeded), Captain Marvel‘s $153 million weekend is enough to make it the third-highest opening ever for the month of March, behind Beauty and the Beast ($174.8 million) and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice ($166 million). The Hunger Games, which opened with $152.5 million in March 2012, will move to the #4 spot.

SEE ALSO: Who’s who in ‘Captain Marvel’

A big piece of the overseas picture here belongs to China — a familiar story for anyone who pays regular attention to the weekly box office race. Captain Marvel earned an estimated $89.3 million there, making it Marvel’s third-best Chinese opening, behind Avengers: Infinity War and Captain America: Civil War.

In the bigger MCU picture, Captain Marvel‘s $153 million in the U.S. is more than enough to cement its seventh-place position — out of 21 releases to date — among opening weekends across the franchise. The top spots on that list belong to the various Avengers movies, plus Black Panther, Captain America: Civil War (which was basically billed as an Avengers movie), and Iron Man 3.

The other big box office metric people are curious about is Wonder Woman. The Gal Gadot-led DC Comics story opened in June 2017 with $103 million, considerably less than Captain Marvel. A lot of the credit for that goes to Disney’s captive audience of Marvel fans; the studio can virtually count on a certain segment of the audience showing up for every movie, given that they’re all part of a connected story.

Of course, Captain Marvel‘s March opening also means it’s facing very little competition. Alita: Battle Angel, its closest competitor in terms of the type of audience it appeals to, opened multiple weeks ago. The current weekend’s second-place box office finisher is How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World.

Wonder Woman, on the other hand, opened in June 2017 with an assortment of mega-blockbusters crowded around it. There was competition from a Pirates of the Caribbean movie, the second Guardians of the Galaxy, and the usual slate of more family-friendly summer offerings.

All of which is to say: Captain Marvel and Wonder Woman box office performances don’t necessarily compare well. But Captain Marvel is off to a tremendous start, and it’s currently poised to own the box office until at least early April, when DC’s Shazam! hits theaters.

Read More

from Daily Trends Hunter https://ift.tt/2ENFvB8
via IFTTT

Co–Star’s push notifications: Here’s why they’re so wild

Last month, my astrology app told me to investigate the debt industry.

This mysterious but oddly pointed instruction was a far cry from the veiled, flowery language I’d seen on other zodiac sites. It was direct. It was concise. And, especially because I’d just paid my student loan bill, it was kind of eerie.

I’m not the only one who’s been weirded out by Co – Star’s push notifications. Though the feature hasn’t been rolled out to all the app’s users (yet, at least), those who have it enabled have seen a truly wild range of personalized messages. They’ve been encouraged, for example, to read specific books (including one by the psychiatrist R.D. Laing), to research Big Pharma, and to “start a cult.”

SEE ALSO: Zodiac shaming is a real thing. Don’t do it.

Understandably, this has elicited some discussion among users. How does Co – Star come up with these messages? How do they choose to whom they’re sent? And do they know when I log on to FedLoan?

According to Banu Guler, one of the app’s founders, the Co – Star team relies on data from NASA coupled with an AI program that mimics the approach of an actual astrologer. The result, she told Mashable, is a highly personalized astrological experience that was previously only accessible to people who hired (expensive) professionals.

“Every angle has an astrological meaning. Every single planet has an astrological meaning. Every sign and every house has an astrological meaning,” she said. “What we do is take all of that data and cluster it to try to make sense of it, because if we just handed you all the transits, it’s just way too much information to scroll through.”

And the app’s copy — including the push notifications — is intended to differ from the content on other horoscope sites. Co – Star’s aim, Guler explained, is to give people an experience that reflects how they’d discuss astrology with friends.

“A lot of the astrology stuff you read on the internet seems like it’s written for strange people who don’t live like us,” she said. “It’s pretty corny, it’s kind of superficial. It pays attention to strange things. Like … I have never wondered what lottery ticket numbers might be lucky for me.”

(I have wondered this and do not consider myself a strange person who does not live like others, but I’ll admit that lottery tickets are not a primary worry.)

Instead, Guler wants Co – Star to refer to the things she surmises users actually talk about instead of broad, vague concepts. (I suppose I have had a nonzero number of conversations about cults in the past month.) This approach makes sense when you consider the tone of the notifications: They’re written in plain language and fairly grounded in modern reality, but they’re still esoteric enough to be compelling. It doesn’t necessarily explain some of the subject matter, but it makes sense that astrology copy would, to some extent, remain shrouded in mystery.

SEE ALSO: Finstas make online dating so much more complicated

As an example, Guler explained why Co – Star had alerted me about the debt industry. “If your Mercury — your thinking and communication — is at 100, go investigate something,” she said. The debt industry in particular works because, she said, “At this point, everyone knows that the debt industry is a little bit insane.” It’s a good time, according to my chart, to go down that particular internet hole.

While that explanation made sense, it didn’t necessarily quell my concerns about my personal data. However, Guler insisted that neither the Co – Star app nor the company’s freelance team of writers and astrologers use information from users’ iCloud accounts — including their calendars — or browsing history before they jump to the Co – Star site.

“We don’t have that data,” she said.

Will do?

Image: Mashable

Co – Star’s privacy policy acknowledges that the app uses cookies to collect information for Google Analytics, specifically citing device type, how often you look at your Co – Star updates, how many times you’ve made in-app purchases, and what referred you to the app in the first place (Instagram, Facebook, a New York Times article, etc.).

According to Guler’s explanation, then, the app would not have been aware that I scheduled “go to bank” on my calendar, nor would it have known that I’d paid my student loan bill. 

“We’re not looking at where you’ve browsed online,” she said. “Our project is that we think astrology is sick and we want to make it easier to get into.”

So while you might feel personally attacked by Co – Star’s accuracy, you’ve probably just been dragged by the stars. I’d still love to be a fly on the wall in that writers’ room, though. Maybe after I experiment with telepathy.

Read More

from Daily Trends Hunter https://ift.tt/2TsyP5x
via IFTTT

Ex-Wisconsin QB Alex Hornibrook Reportedly Will Transfer to FSU

Wisconsin's Alex Hornibrook warms up before an NCAA college football game against Nebraska Saturday, Oct. 6, 2018, in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Morry Gash/Associated Press

Quarterback Alex Hornibrook will reportedly play his final season of college football at Florida State, according to Chris Nee of 247Sports.

Per that report: “Following an official visit that spanned from Friday to Sunday morning, former Wisconsin quarterback Hornibrook has decided to transfer to FSU, according to a source with knowledge of the visit. Hornibrook has yet to publicly state his intention to transfer to FSU.”

Willie Taggart @CoachTaggart

Ring, Ring, Ring. Great phone call for the Noles. Go Noles! #DoSomething https://t.co/JAXbe8ujwD

Michael Langston of Warchant.com also reported Hornibrook’s transfer to Florida State.

Hornibrook spent the previous three seasons as Wisconsin’s starting quarterback. He went 26-6 in 32 starts and threw for 5,438 yards, 47 touchdowns (33 interceptions) and completed 60.5 percent of his attempts. 

The fifth-year senior wrote in an Instagram post on Feb. 27 he had entered the NCAA transfer portal. 

“Alex informed us of his decision to leave the team earlier today,” Wisconsin head coach Paul Chryst told reporters. “He contributed to a lot of our recent success, and we want to thank him for all he did for our program. We wish him the best of luck.”

The Badgers scored a huge win in recruiting this year with Graham Mertz committing to the school. The Kansas native is a 4-star prospect and No. 3 pro-style quarterback in the 2019 class, per 247Sports

Even though Chryst hasn’t stated Mertz will be the team’s starting quarterback next season, Hornibrook’s decision to transfer opened the door wide-open for the true freshman. 

Meanwhile, Hornibrook will look to re-establish himself coming off an inconsistent 2018 season. He only started nine of Wisconsin’s 13 games because of a concussion and back injury. 

Florida State is the perfect fit for Hornibrook to get back on track, as the team will give him an opportunity to compete for the starting job this season. He brings an excellent resume to the program, including leading Wisconsin to a 13-1 record and appearance in the Big Ten Championship Game in 2017. 

At his best, Hornibrook is a quarterback who can create big plays down the field. He’s susceptible to turnovers while trying to make something happen, but there is plenty of upside for the Seminoles to build around in 2019. 

And the team will get some much-needed reinforcements at quarterback after dismissing Deondre Francois in February.

Junior James Blackman was next in line to take over the offense in 2019. He started the team’s final 12 games as a freshman two years ago when Francois injured his patellar tendon in the season opener against Alabama. 

Blackman looked capable under center with 2,230 yards, 19 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. It’s still possible for him to win the starting job coming out of spring practice, but Hornibrook’s presence at least gives head coach Willie Taggart another option. 

Florida State will be looking for some sort of spark after a disappointing 5-7 record in 2018. It snapped a streak of 41 consecutive winning seasons and 36 straight bowl appearances. 

Read More

from Daily Trends Hunter https://ift.tt/2EUzCCm
via IFTTT