Category Archives: Progress

Showtimes Work in Progress opens on a dark note, with its heroine threatening to kill herself in a hundred and eighty days if happiness doesnt come her way. I mean, Im forty-five, Abby gripes to her therapist. Im fat. Im this queer dyke who has done shit in her lifeand that is my identity? In a funny, curmudgeonly monologue, Abby describes herself as an unfinished building ruining a good neighborhoodan eyesore. When she glances up, her shrink, still grinning supportively, has dropped dead.

Its a Borscht Belt gag, but, then, Abbys whole life feels like a punch line. Still, buried in that Eeyore-ish lament, theres something else: Abbys girlish fantasy of herself as a fucking damsel longing for rescueby a prince or a princess, the details dont matter. Magically, thats just what she gets when she meets Chris, a twenty-two-year-old waiter who Abby (Abby McEnany) initially assumes is hitting on her straight sister. Played by the supremely chill Theo Germaine, Chris looks like Abbys prince in shining tank tops, capable of fixing the unfixable.

This budding romance isnt precisely a Nora Ephron meet-cute, but its a charmer in a new way. Abby is unfazed by the news that Chris is trans, and, despite the generational gulf, theres symmetry to their gender issues: to strangers, Chris, who cant afford top surgery, reads as a cute lesbian tomboy, while Abby, with her shlumpy butch charisma, short-cropped gray hair, and button-down shirts, has spent her life being mistaken for male, even in lesbian bars. In college, she was taunted as Pat, after the Saturday Night Live character, and when, on their first date, she and Chris run into the comedian who played Pat, Julia Sweeney (an executive producer for the show, gamely playing herself), Chris urges Abby to tell her off. I really love conflict, he explains, smiling sweetly. Because hes twenty-two, Chris is stunned to hear of the existence of Patwhats so funny about a person whose gender cant be guessed?

Work in Progress, like its heroine, is sweetly imperfect: not every bit lands, and Chris can feel, at moments, too good to be true. But the series explores, with warmth and originality, the messy gulf between the era when Abby came outas an overall-wearing romantic in a frat-boy world, drinking in lesbian bars full of folksingersand Chriss community of cheerful poly hipsters in Spock ears, corsets, and throuples. When Chris takes Abby to a night club, which features bare-assed burlesque and signs for fisting demonstrations, she groans, I look like Mitt Romney, Jr. Junior? Chris shoots back. In another episode, in a cab, the couple text their sexual preferences back and forth, turning informed consent into flirtation. PENETRATION, Chris texts. I dont think I can fit my Thoughts into one text, Abby texts back, throwing off panicked GIFs of Mr. Furley, from Threes Company.

In many ways, Work in Progress is a familiar entry in an established genre: its an indie comedy by and about a clever, dyspeptic misfit looking for love. Like Pamela Adlons Better Things and Tig Notaros One Mississippi, its about a single misanthrope cautiously dipping her toe into the dating pool. Like Josh Thomass Please Like Me and Maria Bamfords Lady Dynamite, its interested in mental illness and self-help. But Work in Progresswhich is co-written and produced by Lilly Wachowskiis smartly edited, full of odd little montages and visual juxtapositions. It has its own distinctive, salty vibe, driven by McEnanys simultaneously self-loathing and self-aggrandizing swagger. Shes an irritant with charm, along with genuine baggage. (Among other things, she has O.C.D.; as annoyed people bang on the bathroom door, she washes her hands raw.) She also has a secret closet full of notebooks in which shes recorded her whole life. Nobody knows it, but Abby is telling their story. In certain ways, Work in Progress is a mirror image of Hannah Gadsbys Nanette, which argues that self-deprecation, especially for people like her and Abby, amounts to self-harm. Work in Progress takes the position that it might be something better: a tool that, in the right hands, could renovate an unwelcoming culture in Abbys imagecrankiness, grief, and all.

In Dare Me, on USA, a cheerleading team in a depressed Rust Belt town hires a new coach, a blond hot shot who the rich boosters hope will whip their squad into trophy-winning shape. What do I see? Spray tans. Gummy-bear thighs, the coach, Colette French, observes, strutting across the school gym, pinching a girls soft belly as she passes by. (Fix this, Colette says.) I do not see my top girl. One of the cheerleaders, Addy, the striving daughter of a single mom who is also a cop, falls in Colettes thrall, becoming her favorite, her babysitter, and her confidante. Addys best friend, the troublemaker Beth, sees Colette as the enemy.

We know from the start that something bad is coming: those unexplained flash-forwards to a black pool of blood are kind of a giveaway. But while the series, an adaptation of a novel by Megan Abbott, is full of shady twistsblackmail, cyber chicanery, adultery straight out of Double Indemnitythe criminal mystery is not really its central appeal. Its a sharp character portrait and a dreamy mood piece, one style inflecting the other. Beneath the shows poetic, occasionally repetitious narration (there are only so many times we can hear Addy brood, in voice-over, about the fact that people have shadows and wear masks), theres a clear-eyed examination of a small town full of dangerously bored kids, partying in the woods, soft targets for coaches and military recruiters who offer them a ticket out of the busted local economy.

Still, the power of the show flows just as much through its imagerya decadent, unashamedly voyeuristic vision of athletic beauty, with a hallucinogenic verve that keeps it from becoming cheesy. Closeups turn a bruise or a glittering lip into a fetish object. It often feels as if the girls are being shot in slo-mo, even when theyre not. The camera lurks by the lockers, watching the team shower, vomit, and spar; it hovers under the bleachers, ogling muscular thighs. It takes a Gods-eye view of the squads wild lifts, nudges in as they grind at parties, stares out of the mirror when they apply false lashes. To call these shots objectifying would miss the point: they replicate the way the girls see themselves, as both prey and predator. Dare Me is certainly not the only show on TV with bitchy, gorgeous cheerleadersits a clich of many teen series, in multiple genresbut it treats their experiences with a freaky, sensual gravity, not as an arch joke.

The show is especially interested in female ambitionand the ways users can warp a girl-power fantasy to suit their own needs. Who runs the world? Girls!, Beths sleazy dad announces. Youve seen the T-shirt. For him, the team is a lure for investment in a lucrative stadium deal; in private, he bribes his daughters with fancy purses. Some of the best scenes are between Beth and her dissolute mother, a pill-head divorce at the crossroads between Eugene ONeill and The Real Housewives, who is a different kind of coach. You have to play the part: smile and smile, she tells Beth, pressing her to manipulate her dad. Maybe it is my fault. I made you think you can be anything, do anything. Beth answers like a Peter Pan desperate not to go Wendy: I hope I never grow up at all.

Amid a strong cast, Willa Fitzgerald is the standout as the enigmatic Colette, who alternates between spurring her cheerleaders to victory and inviting them over for drunken dance parties. Hanging out with high-school kids seems to work as a contact high for her, normalizing her hidden recklessness. You are the one who wanted the house! she hisses at her husband, as they fight. You love a pretty front. When Colette cheats on him, the show has the respect not to film the sex scenes clinically or from a distance: in the honorable tradition of noir, it looks like the kind of sex youd risk your life for.

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Uncertain Attraction in Work in Progress and Dare Me - The New Yorker

Deutsche Bank has made "positive early progress" in its massive multi-year restructuring program, according to S&P Global Ratings.

In a note published Monday, the independent credit ratings agency retained a "stable" outlook for the embattled German lender, affirming its long and short-term issuer credit ratings at 'BBB+/A-2'.

S&P said the promising signs were "most evident in the refocusing of the investment bank and the runoff of exposures in the capital release unit (CRU)."

Deutsche Bank announced in July that it would pull out of its global equities sales and trading operations, scale back the investment banking division, and slash 18,000 jobs in a bid to bring profitability in line with cost of capital.

Management wants the changes to trim 20% of the 2019 adjusted cost base by as soon as 2022.

Deutsche Bank chief executive Christian Sewing struck an optimistic tone at the bank's investor conference last week, anticipating a marked rise in profitability and improved cost efficiency through to 2022. He said this was based on measures across private, corporate and investment banking.

Despite the German banking system facing substantial economic and industry risks, S&P has agreed that it saw "sufficient progress" from Deutsche Bank to affirm its credit rating.

"Looking ahead, with substantial operational execution due in 2020 across all divisions, we see this as a critical period that will determine whether, amid an adverse environment, the plan can ultimately be successful," the S&P analyst note said.

"We continue to see management's desired result as ultimately more supportive of Deutsche Bank's creditworthiness: a leading, less-leveraged and well-controlled European bank, with focused global reach, that covers its cost of capital, aided by a greater weight of stable revenues, significant contributions from all divisions, and scalable infrastructure," it added.

Shares of Deutsche Bank are lower by around three-quarters of one percent on Tuesday on a down day for wider markets. Since the appointment of Sewing in April 2018, the stock has lost almost 40% in value.

S&P analysts highlighted that the restructuring of the investment bank and establishment of the CRU appears to be "substantially complete" while Deutsche's regulatory capital is likely to finish 2019 ahead of expectations.

"Step by step, regulators appear to accept that the bank's control environment is improving, signaled for example in the European Central Bank's announcement that it will reduce the bank's 2020 capital requirements by 25 basis points to 11.6%," S&P said.

Wall Street analysts have expressed skepticism over the planned scale of the downsizing and reinvestment, and S&P acknowledged that there are "clear downside risks" at this early stage of the restructure.

"These stem principally from the already weak economic and market environment, which could deteriorate further, making Deutsche Bank's already difficult task of covering the cost of capital even harder," the note said.

"While the current management team has demonstrated its ability to cut costs, execution could yet be impeded or delayed, and an even weaker environment could further undermine revenues."

In the event of material setbacks to the possibility of Deutsche hitting its profitability target by 2022, S&P suggested that it could lower its long-term issuer credit rating for the bank.

"This could be more likely in the event of management missteps or a more costly, or longer, turnaround than anticipated, but it would most likely result from an even more adverse environment that severely weighs on group revenue," it added.

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S&P Global Ratings sees 'positive early progress' in Deutsche Bank restructure - CNBC

Writing for Vice, Gabriel Soares takes a look at Civilization and why a standard playthrough tends to get more boring as the player reaches modern day technology:

what is progress in an historical 4X game? To be blunt, its the elimination of difference. The closer you are to us, the more you have progressed.

...

Effectively your only decisions are how to advance through a predetermined trajectory culminating with us, "the US. This is easier to perceive in tech trees, but its also true of those two other Xs: expand, exterminate. Make the world homogenous, make the world boring. Those early turns players like put them into contact with difference. The rest of the game sees them destroy it.

In the course of discussing what "progress" means, Soares describes an effort to study aboriginal culture. A sociologist had planned to derive the "Elementary Forms of Religious Life" by observing the supposedly simplest religion of Aboriginal Australians:

Problem is, if youre going to grade different peoples on their relative simplicity like some kind of Olympic judge, you first need to decide what the sport is. Nobody disputes that Indo-Europeans are great at making products, matter of fact providers of merchandise or people of merchandise is one of the most common names for the white man among Amazonian peoples. But what about everything else?

Because those very same Australian aboriginal populations who have been so continuously discriminated against by generations of academics have also developed the most complex kinship systems on the planet. There is, of course, much diversity between different populations, but many defy the limits of what can be modelled, and almost all require at least a three-dimensional diagram (posted above).

By comparison most current day European kinship systems are among the simplest ever observed, and thats the point: complexity and simplicity is very much in the eye of the beholder. Unsurprisingly, strategy games tend to only engage with complexity when it can be converted into a military or economic trait, the rest is treated as irrelevant or merely aesthetic.

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I remember buying Westwood Studios (miss those guys) point-and-click Blade Runner game to play on my old ThinkPad, back in the late 1990s. It was the first game I can recall owning that spanned multiple disks. While I was surprised to find that the main character in the game neither looked or sounded like Harrison []

The 2020 Game Developers Conference will include alt.ctrl.GDC, a showcase of video game using unconventional, accessible or alternative physical controls. The 20 finalists include Far Away Cage, an Alien-inspired game where you interact with the ship by sliding on a skateboard: Ready? Set. Haiya! is a motion-based fighting rhythm game played by interacting with a []

AI Dungeon, a vastly open text adventure that used artificial intelligence to generate responses to your commands, is now available as an easy-to-use smartphone app (the web version was clunky). The Verge has more: We tested the iOS version briefly, and although there were a few game-breaking errors, its generally as easy to use as []

Bluetooth audio is all about convenience. Its so convenient, in fact, that its somewhat disappointing when you return from a run with those wireless earbuds to home audio or TVs that arent equipped with the technology. Theres an easy fix: The beamit Wireless Bluetooth Audio Transmitter & Receiver. The unit connects easily to most any []

When it comes to bathroom breaks, do you struggle to stayregular? Youre not alone. Most people dont use the toilet correctly, for the simple reason that toilets in the western hemisphere arent actually designed to make eliminations as easy as they could be. For that, you need a stool. And unlike your toilet, the TURBO []

Whether you own or rent your place, insurance on that home is a necessary hassle but a new tech-driven company called Lemonade is starting to show that while it might indeed be a necessity, it doesnt have to be a hassle. Heres the way insurance typically works: You pay premiums and hope an accident []

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The Kinship Hybercube and the meaning of progress in Civilization games - Boing Boing

Starting opposite Beal at corner was rookie DeAndre Baker, who put together his second consecutive strong performance. Baker finished tied for the second-most tackles with six (five solo) and had two pass breakups. Baker did a good job in coverage against Miamis DeVante Parker, limiting the Dolphins number one option until the end of the fourth quarter when the Giants were up by 23 points.

Julian Love has shined since taking over at safety for the injured Jabrill Peppers. The rookie fourth-round pick finished with five tackles (four solo), two tackles for loss, a pass defended and a quarterback hit.

Defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence enjoyed one of the best games of his rookie season. While the stat sheet shows that he recorded just one tackle, Lawrence was a force in the pass rush. The first-round pick had two quarterback hits and finished with a pass rush grade of 90 and an overall grade of 82, according to PFF.

Lawrence wasnt the only young defensive lineman to perform well. Oshane Ximines collected 0.5 sacks and a QB hit, while RJ McIntosh picked up a sack, tackle for loss and a QB hit to go with his two solo tackles.

On top of the performance of several first and second-year players, fourth-year receiver Sterling Shepard led the team with nine receptions for 111 yards, earning the highest grade of any Giant at 87.9, according to PFF. Third-year lineman Dalvin Tomlinson tied with Lawrence for the highest PFF grade on the defensive side of the ball (82.0) after recording three tackles (one solo), one sack, 1.5 tackles for loss and one QB hit.

While this season may not have gone as the team or fans expected, the play of numerous young players has provided hope for a bright future.

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Progress Report: Youth shining down the stretch - Giants.com

SEOUL - There was lots of posturing but little progress in 2019, as the United States and North Korea spent much of the year trying to convince the other side to take the first step in nuclear talks.

With North Korea's end-of-year threats and its misguided belief that it can influence the 2020 U.S. presidential election, some fear the Korean Peninsula could soon return to a state of major tensions

2019 began with Kim Jong Un warning he may take a "new way" if the U.S. didn't soften its stance in nuclear talks. The world may soon find out just what that means.

Talks broke down after Donald Trump walked away from a February summit with Kim in Hanoi.

"They were willing to denuke a large portion of the areas that we wanted, but we couldn't give up all the sanctions for that ... we had to walk away from that, Trump said.

Within weeks, North Korean rockets began flying. And kept flying. By some measures, 2019 was North Korea's busiest year ever for missile tests.

Though Trump shrugged off the short-range launches, the talks never got back on track, even after a third Trump-Kim meeting at the demilitarized zone. In October, North Korea was the one to walk away from working-level talks.

The North's top nuclear negotiator, Kim Myong Gil, blamed the U.S. "old viewpoint and attitude" for the breakdown.

Now, North Korea is giving signs it may conduct a long-range missile test, and is warning on an almost daily basis about Kim's end-of-year deadline, which U.S. officials have ignored.

Trump and Kim may soon return to exchanging threats of war instead of handshakes, says analyst Bong Young-shik.

"If North Korea engages in provocations toward the United States, it will only make Trump rely on Fire and Fury, even for the purpose of his reelection."

Bong is one of many analysts who is concerned things may get more tense in part because North Korea believes it can influence Trump's re-election chances.

"North Koreans are thinking the world revolves around North Korea ... it's a very unfortunate miscalculation and misunderstanding, Bong said.

At least some of that perception may be driven by Trump, who has recently linked the two issues. That, despite polls suggesting foreign policy doesn't typically decide U.S. elections, points out analyst John Delury.

"I would say North Korea is extremely low on the list of key issues that are determining the election, Delury said. It would take almost a war really for North Korea to have an impact on who the next American president is."

Delury said there's a danger for miscalculation in 2020 if North Korea thinks it can influence the U.S. vote.

"Those political considerations won't be that significant, Delury said. And say a provocation at this stage will have a conventional, security, or even military response and they'll be surprised because they thought they were able to play US domestic politics, when in fact they're not. Everyone knows the election is not about North Korea."

Nonetheless, North Korea appears to be hardening its stance, recently suggesting denuclearization is off the negotiating table. It's also threatened am ominous "Christmas gift" to the U.S.

Because of comments like that, many fear that Fire and Fury, round two, could be around the corner.

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Lots of Posturing, Little Progress in US-North Korea Talks in 2019 - VOA News

What began as a project of five cities in 2011 to research whether summer learning programs that offer a mix of academic instruction and enrichment opportunities can boost success in school quickly turned into a commitment to understand and improve the role that summer learning plays in closing the opportunity gap for students. One of the five cities selected to participate in the Wallace Foundations National Summer Learning Project was Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

In 2011, the City of Pittsburgh had over 23 percent of its residents living at or below the poverty level, many of whom were low-income students attending Pittsburgh Public Schools. For some students, just attending school can be overwhelming, but layering on issues of hunger, homelessness, violence and inequitable learning opportunities presents new challenges that low-income students are forced to overcome.

Over summer vacation, its normal for students to forget some of what they learned during the school year, but summer slide (the loss of some of the math and reading achievement gains students make during the previous school year) takes its biggest toll on low-income students, contributing substantially to the achievement and opportunity gap that exists between them and their higher-income peers.

A recent webinar hosted by the National League of Cities featuring Catherine Augustine from the RAND Corporation, Christine Cray from Pittsburgh Public Schools, and Kathryn Vargas from the City of Pittsburgh highlights how these challenges can seem insurmountable.

There are a number of ways that low-income students are at a disadvantage over the summer. They experience slower rates of learning, fewer enrichment opportunities, less access to healthy food and meal options, and spend more time sedentary, Augustine said. She shared RANDs findings from its Learning from the Summer report.

With that in mind and through the support of the Wallace Foundations National Summer Learning Project, Pittsburgh Public Schools and community partners like the City of Pittsburgh set out to expand summer opportunities for low-performing, low-income students.

For 27 days in the summer, Pittsburgh Public Schools students who participate in the school districts Summer Dreamers Academy enjoy a full day of academic learning and enrichment with access to free breakfast and lunch as well as transportation. What once started as a way to invest in a robust and fun summer learning program for elementary school students now serves as both an employment and partnership opportunity across the school district and city.

Today, the Summer Dreamers Academy serves over 2,000 K- 8 students and employs over 60 teens and young adults between the ages of 14 and 21 from the City of Pittsburghs Learn&Earn summer youth employment program. Not only does the partnership support staff capacity for Summer Dreamers, but it also serves as a workforce training program. The City pays for bus passes for the youth workers, while the school district hired staff to teach workforce skills including resume building, coming to work on time, getting a paycheck, etc.

With a 24 percent child poverty rate, city investments like the Learn&Earn summer youth employment program puts money in the hands of young people and provides a job opportunity for them are critical for the city to be considering as we think about best serving our residents, Vargas said.

Summers without quality learning opportunities put our nations youth at risk for falling behind year after year in core subjects like math and reading. High-quality learning opportunities during the summer can make a difference in stemming learning loss and ultimately, closing the achievement and opportunity gap.

According to the results from the National Summer Learning Project, students that participated in high-quality summer learning programs outperformed peers in mathematics, English language arts and social-emotional learning.

In all of the cities, mayors served as strong champions for the work, Augustine said.

Moreover, she outlined ways that mayors serve as champions for summer learning, including:

We are fortunate to have a robust summer Learn&Earn program. Our Mayor, Bill Peduto, is particularly invested in this, in fact, the program has grown under his tenure, Vargas said.

All municipal leaders and city teams are invited to learn more about the role the cities can play to support summer learning programs by listening to our #Cities4Summer: The Role of Cities to Scale Summer Learning Efforts webinar recording here and to check out the Wallace Foundations Knowledge Center for additional resources to support summer learning.

About the Author: Gislene Tasayco is the senior associate for NLCs Institute for Youth, Education, and Families Education and Expanded Learning team.

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How Pittsburgh Made Progress Bridging the Opportunity Gap with Summer Programs - CitiesSpeak

The investigation into the shooting of the 3 -year-old boy outside the Douglass Branch of the Chicago Public Library is ongoing.

On Dec. 12, Chicago police responded to reports of gunfire that occurred around 9:00 am outside the Douglass Branch of the Chicago Public Library located at 3353 W. 13 St. in North Lawndale.

Police say two suspects armed with handguns encountered another individual and exchanged gunfire near the library. The intended victim who was walking in the area was struck in the heel. The gunfire also struck a 3- year-old boy in the arm who was inside a nearby vehicle with his uncle.

The boy was later taken to John. H Stroger, Jr. Hospital in serious condition but was released later that day.

According to a statement given by Chicago police, no suspects are in custody and Area Central detectives are still investigating.

Two male offenders approached a 35-year-old male victim outside at the above location. Both offenders fired shots at the victim, striking him in the heel. He was taken to Mount Sinai in good condition. A 3-year-old male was sitting in a vehicle in the area and was struck in the arm by gunfire. He was taken to Stroger Hospital in serious condition, but has been stabilized. Another adult male inside the vehicle with the child was not injured. A CPD vehicle was also struck by gunfire, but no officers were injured. No offenders are in custody. Area Central detectives are investigating.

Rodney Brown, a member of the executive sub- committee of the NLCCC said the shooting should not discourage North Lawndale residents from using the library.

We cannot allow these kinds of incidents to discourage you from going to the library. We still need to encourage folks to use that facility as a lot of hard work went into getting it redone, hesaid.

Additionally, Brown said that anytime a child is the victim of a shooting its more disheartening. No one should be the victim of something along those lines when it happens to a kid, it's even worse.

Ald. Michael Scott, Jr. (24th Ward) was contacted for comment but has yet to respond.

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Douglass Branch of Chicago Public Library shooting case is in progress - The Real Chi

The New Orleans Pelicans haventsaid muchabout Zion Williamson since his knee surgery. While the team has given updates on Williamsons progress, it hasnt announceda return datefor its star. The team wouldnt even speak on the record about Williamson putting in work on the court. It was just a rumor ... until today.

The Pelicans confirmed Williamson is alive and well Tuesday. The team posted video of Williamson putting up some shots during the teams practice.

The former No. 1 overall pick looked good:

The 19-year-old Williamson hit two of his three attempts in that video. Williamsons third shot may have gone in as well, but Lonzo Ball swatted it away to mess with the rookie.

General Manager David Griffin tried to temper expectations when he went on the teams television broadcast during Tuesdays game against the Nets.

"We're really excited with where he's at,"Griffin said, via ESPN. "He's made really good progress. I know we've reached the eight-week point, and everyone is ready to see him. I think we're a little ways away yet, but today was a really big first step."

The GM said that Williamson is fully weight-bearing, and that this would be the time for a setback to occur.

The teammates, the way they responded to him, the joy he has when he's on the floor is evident, Griffin said. And we've obviously needed that."

While the video of Williamson is promising, it doesnt reveal a lot. He isnt running or taking part in a scrimmage, hes just putting up shots. Thats better than nothing, but it suggests Williamson still has hurdles to pass before he can play in games.

Still, it has to come as a relief for Pelicans fans to see their star rookie in action. At 6-22, the Pelicans havent been fun to watch this season. Williamson should change that once hes healthy.

Tuesdays video didnt show a lot, but at least Pelicans fans finally have confirmation Williamson is inching closer to a return.

Chris Cwikis a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him atchristophercwik@yahoo.comor follow him on Twitter!Follow @Chris_Cwik

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Pelicans GM says Zion Williamson has made 'really good progress' after surgery - AOL

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Construction is coming along at quite the brisk pace here at Tokyo Disneyland. In fact, we just passed the four-month mark to the April 15th opening day of the New Fantasyland expansion! So with all this excitement, lets jump in and check out whats new in this little corner of magic!

Over at the Fantasyland Forest Theater, more scaffolding has come down around the theaters entrance structure. Its rather difficult to see over the planters, but almost all of that structure has been built out. The new home ofMickeys Magical Music Worldis almost ready for Guests! I cant wait to see the inside of the theater!

Despite the bright, shiny sun, we can see now that even more scaffolding has come down along the Beasts Castle. Now the top third or so is out and exposed to the public in all its beauty! And the rest isnt too far behind, it looks like! I bet it wont be more than a month or so before the vast majority of the structure is visible to the public.

Work is coming along swimmingly on the surrounding entrance gate as well. This wont take too much longer either, I bet.

A thing of beauty is a joy forever, as Mary Poppins once said.

The shot of the castle combined with the hill background just looks absolutely breathtaking. Like I said, only four months to go! Im so excited to finally rideThe Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast!

Over in Belles Village, some machine work could be heard within LeFous and La Taverne de Gaston. I would imagine the vast majority of work in this area is interior, since these facades have been out since the very beginning of this area being open. But those caramel apple churro and French toast sandwich will await us soon!

Over on the Village Shops side, this building is uncovered a bit more. Except that one small area right there. Soon, well all be buying Gaston body pillows here. Well, I wont. But someone may maybe?

Its so exciting to see progress continue on this incredible area! The New Fantasyland expansion opens at Tokyo Disneyland on April 15th, 2020. And we here at WDWNT will be keeping an eye on this area until it opens and after! So stay tuned for continuing coverage on New Fantasyland and the rest of Tokyo Disney Resort!

Are you considering or planning a visit to Tokyo Disney Resort? VisitTDRPlansfor every detail (and more) that youll need to make your trip the best it can be! Did I mention its 100% free? Oh, and stay tuned to WDWNT for up-to-date news on Tokyo Disney Resort, Walt Disney World, and Disney Parks worldwide!

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PHOTOS: More Progress on The Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the... - wdwnt.com

Organized chaos: Its an oxymoron that tends to get thrown around in exceedingly satirical contexts.

Usually, the term is equated to something along the lines of efficiently navigating through Costco on Black Friday -- or Los Angeles transit ecosystem today.

In the latter case, the idiom is actually quite accurate despite the fact that 99.9% of commuters likely think LAs mobility is simply chaotic and that there's nothing organized about it.

But I would argue that LA is in a state of transition to something far better. Los Angeles may be exiting the mobility reality of today and entering a nascent world of tomorrow, but it seems like utter chaos right now.

Here are three challenges LA is currently facing in its mobility system, the changes being deployed to turn annoyances into assets, and how mobility leaders around the world can contribute to positive change in our transportation systems.

Addressing TNCs at LAX

Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) relocated its transportation network company (TNC) pickup point to an inconveniently faraway lot, a 21-minute walk (by one estimate) to the farthest terminal. Shuttles that take riders away from the terminals can take 15 minutes to get to the lot.

Once they're in the lot, many passengers have had to wait a long time for their rides. The holdup is reportedly caused by a traffic bottleneck that slows cars to a literal stand-still. The situation is so bad that airport officials even called the maneuver unacceptable in a public apology.

So why did they do it?

It may not appear like it right now, but the shift seems to be a part of a pipeline plan to make airport transit more convenient.And though it still remains to be seen whether this was a faux pas on LAXs part or Uber and Lyft's, LAX is working to fix the situation.

Uniting Planes And Trains

Before the car became Americas transportation mode of choice, Angelenos actually had one of the most impressive rail systems in the country. But as it chased the promise of the automobile, the citys streetcars were retired on the pathway to notorious gridlock.

Today, city officials are working to restore LAs rail system of old -- or at least reincorporate it. And the current focus is the now-underway Crenshaw/LAX line. Visitors to Los Angeles will finally be able to take the Metro from the city to the airport. Well almost to the airport. Then they can hop on a people mover -- three years after the rail line is built.

I believe the mistiming of the rail station is a matter of the Metro and airport operators pulling as many strategic strings as possible while they're faced with mounting challenges.

Among the challenges of bringing a rail system directly into a location like Los Angeles International are budget constraints and the fact that getting TSA approval for a tunnel project below an airport could be difficult for security reasons. And even with TSA approval, the stop -- which would reportedly need to be constructed below ground -- could add a staggering $2 billion to the project.

Optimistic observers, on the other hand, will see the benefits of an indirect rail-airport connection like the development of a future station that creates intersections between the Crenshaw/LAX line and other rail lines. This could be integral for a successful mobility future.

Santa Monicas Parking Problem

When we think of Los Angeles and the surrounding cities, we tend to think of an abundance of cars and the dearth of places to put them. But when we look closely, we sometimes see that not all is as it appears.

Santa Monica, for instance, reportedly has a parking surplus. In fact, the average number of available parking spaces on the five busiest days of the year in nine parking structures has more than doubled in the past four years.

The increase in parking availability in cities like Santa Monica may be indicative of many social and economic changes, such as an increase in micro-mobility (e.g., Bird scooters), remote work opportunities, rideshares and new personal mobility lanes.

These changes may prove extremely beneficial to cities if they harness the curb. For example, cities and businesses can repurpose parking into more effective functions to invite drivers to fill the aforementioned empty parking spaces while leaving valuable curb space open to things like designated loading zones, safer mixed-mobility lanes, valet services and TNC pick-up points.

Curb transformation could even bring about expanded outdoor dining or street-side park and greenery opportunities for businesses.But in the interim of transitions like those, things are probably going to get messy. Its just a fact of moving forward, but its no reason for mobility and transportation businesses to remain inert.

Why Does Mobility Progress Need To Be Messy?

In short, it doesnt need to be messy, per se. It's just that mobility is not as simple as it seems, no matter how many hours youve sat in gridlock thinking, I could fix this. Its simple

Budgets and priorities change as the city itself changes. As officials work to raise funds and write contracts, they simultaneously deal with shifting consumer trends. Here's how leaders in the mobility space can help create progress:

1. Ask and understand what your customer wants when it comes to their parking and mobility experience. For example, if a customer wants to use their Venmo account to pay their parking fee, create a system to let them.

2. Look at how you can repurpose or adapt your building's parking structure to better fit the needs of the user today and into tomorrow. Often, you can find a better use for physical space than what it was originally designed for.

3. Collaborate with your property neighbors so that as you make investments in your parking and mobility technology, they do too. Remember, high tides raise all boats.

If we strive toward cohesive mobility networks, I believe the future of our daily commutes and parking hunts will be remarkably unstressful -- and maybe even enjoyable.

Original post:

Parking And Mobility Progress Is Crucial -- But It's Also Messy - Forbes