Forward Motion: The Fourth Industrial Revolution Is Happening Now

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Forward Motion: The Fourth Industrial Revolution Is Happening Now

Current smart technology has ushered in the Fourth Industrial Revolution, a new era that integrates communications with automated industrial practices and traditional manufacturing.

In short, smart devices can make human intervention unnecessary: Machines communicate, self-diagnose and solve problems. While these new products and services may increase efficiency, analysts say they should be used as ethically as possible, given the impact on our lives.

Yet, advances in AI, the internet of things (IoT), 3-D printing, robotics, genetic engineering, quantum computing often blur the boundaries between the digital, physical and biological worlds.

For more than 20 years, technology has become ingrained in our lives. Email is mobile. Slack, Discord, Microsoft Teams and Cisco Webex are commonplace.  And that reality ushers in a new set of complex challenges for business leaders to negotiate.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken delivers remarks at the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence Global Emerging Technology Summit on July 13, 2021 in Washington, DC. The summit addressed challenges and solutions with cyber and emerging technologies across government, international organizations and the private sector. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

The Fourth Industrial Revolution demands technological products and services be more ethical and inclusive, according to Devon McGinnis, Salesforce‘s senior marketing manager. “Think GPS systems that suggest the fastest route to a destination, voice-activated virtual assistants, such as Apple’s Siri, personalized Netflix recommendations, and Facebook’s ability to recognize your face and tag you in a friend’s photo.”

The question is not whether technology is good or bad, but how it’s designed and used.

“You need to think about what information you’re collecting when you’re designing what you’re going to collect, not collect everything and then say: ‘I shouldn’t have this information,’” said Barbara Grosz, Higgins Research Professor of Natural Sciences at Harvard’s John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.

To navigate the Fourth Industrial Revolution, companies should apply the following four strategies:

1. Design with frameworks that implement product, policy, law and ethics to ensure basic human rights are protected for every user.

2. Maintain diverse teams within the organization to generate insights, provide feedback, and oversee products and services before they go to market.

3. Engage stakeholders and established leaders quarterly to guide company core principles and values.

4. Leverage data-driven research on emerging trends to assess risk and support a movement towards industry-wide applications of ethics while including all segments of society.

Such rules can act as a blueprint for companies navigating unchartered waters.

Consumers love technology because it makes their lives easier. Companies love technology because it makes money. However, consumers are weary of intrusive technology that oversteps its role, and companies, from Enron to Wells Fargo, can take a revenue or reputation hit if ethics are disregarded. Social networks have also come under fire for privacy violations.

Modern tech users are more aware of the misuse of personal data, the spread of false information and manipulation. They don’t want retailers selling personal details without their consent; social media influencing the news they read; or corporate algorithms favoring some groups other others.

Two computer programmers work on code. (Lisa Chau/Zenger)

Penn State University doctoral student Christen Buckley argues that data collection and its use must be done carefully — sophisticated data analysis can identify discrimination in voting, housing, education and other necessary areas of society, but it can also have negative consequences.

“More often, the way data is collected and used reinforces socioeconomic divisions and power hierarchies. Generally, governments and corporate entities alike are startlingly bad at protecting vulnerable communities and their data.  Problematic collection and use of such data is only made worse by a ‘collect first, consider ethics later’ mentality, Buckley wrote.

“The possibility of profiling or inadvertently revealing individuals’ membership to certain groups may be acknowledged, but addressing them is not prioritized.”

Quantum computing is important in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Here, Intel Corp. CEO Brian Krzanich delivers a keynote address at CES 2018 in Las Vegas on January 8, 2018.  (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Grace Barkhuff, a former product manager, and now Georgia Tech graduate student is trying to determine the rights a person has online. These include: the right to access the internet, the right against harassment online and cyberattacks, the right to free speech, equality in access and treatment online, the right to data ownership, the right to personal IP, and the requirement to consider environmental impacts of digital use.

She wants to see General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR, adopted in the United States across industries. The goal of GDPR is to make data privacy laws uniform across Europe.

“Did you know that if you’ve ever used [dating app] Tinder, the company has what would be a binder-full of data on you? Your preferences, times you logged in, every conversation you’ve ever had,” said Barkhuff. “They know when you’re lonely. They know when you’re dating or not dating. Tinder has no interest in deleting this information, that is, until GDPR came around and forced them to at least allow European users to request their information be deleted.”

An executive with cognitive AI technology company Supercharge Lab said businesses are currently in a transitional phase, and companies are being forced to re-evaluate their past practices.

“For organizations to compete in an evolving landscape of ‘rage against the corporate machine,’ building ethical applications of their solutions is critical. This can be accomplished by first ensuring we build technology that does no harm, then by continuously auditing outcomes against a strong moral compass,” said company founder Anne Cheng, who specializes in executive strategy and operations management.

“Generation Z and the generations that come after will lead the change to ensure that only the good will survive,” she said.

Edited by Fern Siegel and Bryan Wilkes



The post Forward Motion: The Fourth Industrial Revolution Is Happening Now appeared first on Zenger News.

Russian Expat Cashes In On Cashmere Clothing Business In Kenya

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Russian Expat Cashes In On Cashmere Clothing Business In Kenya

NAIROBI, Kenya — Elena Kuoni, 49, a Russian-born German citizen, always imagined Africa to be a continent of endless sunshine when she first arrived in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, in 1994, before moving to Conakry, Guinea.

So she mistakenly believed that she wouldn’t need warm clothing on her maiden-trip to Kenya in July 2005.

“Shock on me!” she told Zenger News.

“I arrived in July in the middle of the cold season, and I wasn’t prepared at all. I needed to buy warm clothes for myself. I mean sweaters, scarves, cardigans, and shawls. I moved around Nairobi in search of good-quality clothes. Although I found a few, they were not 100 percent cashmere.”

As she concentrated on her job, Kuoni, a mother of two, designed a business plan for a high-end clothes business but put it on the back burner.

That chilly experience has translated into a thriving high-end cashmere clothing business in Nairobi, KSHMR by Kuoni, a boutique based at the Village Market in Nairobi.

Kuoni initially worked with her husband on school projects funded by the German government in Kenya as a finance manager with Kuoni Architects but always had her luxury clothes business at the back of her mind.

Elena Kuoni’s boutique, KSHMR by Kuoni, at the Village Market in Nairobi. (Elizabeth Okwach)

She took a break from work in 2015 just as the school projects ended to reflect on what to do next. She remembered someone she had met from Mauritius who owned a linen factory who helped her actualize her fashion dreams.

She then started importing clothes and selling them at bazaars to close friends and colleagues until she quit her job in 2016 to concentrate on her business.

In 2017, inspired by her love for fashion and Nairobi’s chilly July weather, Kuoni ventured into the fashion business, selling products made from 100 percent cashmere.

“Our selling point is luxury,” she told Zenger News.

“Our products include sweaters, ponchos, scarfs, gloves, baby blankets, cashmere dresses, caps, shawls, and other warm apparel. The prices range between $175.59 and $231.05.”

Kuoni said the Village Market, strategically located between the diplomatic missions and the middle-class residential areas, gives her a solid customer base of expatriates and high net-worth individuals.

“My yarn is produced in Scotland because I am sure that it is certified. When you order products from China, you are not sure that you are getting 100 percent cashmere. It is possible to get cashmere silk or cashmere wool mixture, making the product less expensive. Since I want to have the best quality product, I need to have a factory that processes only cashmere products, and I found it in Mauritius.”

Sylvia Omina Otsieno, founder of Omina Otsieno, showing her sustainable apparel accessories at her boutique in Nairobi, Kenya. She says Kenya’s fashion industry has experienced tremendous change, but the niche market like Elena Kuoni is doing is the way to go. (Elizabeth Okwach)

Kuoni said business looked promising at the beginning of 2020 before the Covid-19 pandemic ravaged the world. However, the business has picked up again, even though she was reluctant to reveal the turnover information.

She retails online, mainly on Instagram.

“I ventured into online marketing, but it is not yet as strong in Kenya as in Europe,” she told Zenger News.

Kenya was ranked 56th globally and second in the continent after Mauritius in the ease of doing business report by the World Bank.

Kenya generated $0.5billion in luxury apparel, ranking second in the continent below South Africa, according to Africa Wealth Report 2017.

Isaac Wasamba, a lecturer at the Faculty of Business and Management Sciences at the University of Nairobi, said Kenya’s growing middle-class offers a ready market for luxury goods.

“We have high consumption marked by heavy spending on high-end luxury goods including top-of-the-range cars, clothes, and whiskeys which has taken root in Kenya,” he told Zenger News.

“In addition, the country’s geopolitical positioning in East and Central Africa makes it ideal for luxurious items. When a luxurious brand becomes successful in Kenya, expanding into the region is very easy.”

Jamil Walji (center), Kenyan designer and founder of Jamil Walji Couture, says people create shopping trips for high-end clothing, forgetting that Kenya, too, produces luxury items. (Jamil Walji Couture, @jamilwaljicouture/Facebook)

Nairobi is East Africa’s economic hub and one of the fastest-growing cities in the world, according to the Africa Wealth Report 2021 by New World Wealth.

The report said Kenya is showing significant growth in wealth totaling $47 billion, with 6,000 high net worth individuals and 250 multimillionaires, ranking fourth in the continent after South Africa, Egypt, and Nigeria.

However, Jamil Walji, 36, couturier designer for Jamil Walji Couture and former lecturer of fashion and retail design in Lomkokwing University, Malaysia, said Kenya’s luxury clothing market is minimal.

“Kenyan shoppers need to first support the ready-to-wear designers before going for luxury brands,” he told Zenger News.

“The market lacks the eye for fashion, and some believe wearing international designer clothes is better than Kenyan-made products. People create shopping trips for high-end clothing, forgetting that Kenya, too, produces luxury items. These are handmade goods, which gives them a personal touch. Shoppers often disregard little things like these.”

He said online marketing for luxury products proves that Kenya has a lot to offer in the luxury brands segment.

“Besides luxury clothes, Kenya also has growing textile and leather industries. The country has a great potential to serve the global, domestic, and regional markets with its pool of designers who makes luxurious items.”

(Edited by Kipchumba Some and Anindita Ghosh)



The post Russian Expat Cashes In On Cashmere Clothing Business In Kenya appeared first on Zenger News.

Pro Football Color Ban Couldn’t Deny HBCU History Of Talent

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Pro Football Color Ban Couldn’t Deny HBCU History Of Talent

It’s a question seldom asked, much less explained: Why is ending the color barrier celebrated in baseball and rarely mentioned in pro football?

Every year on April 15, Major League Baseball celebrates the day Jackie Robinson played his first big league game in 1947 with the Brooklyn Dodgers, breaking the color barrier in America’s national pastime. Professional football offers no such recognition, even though an informal agreement barred black players from 1933 to 1945. For all the notoriety Jackson deservedly receives, black players who integrated pro football have gotten little recognition for their efforts.

Written by Howard University professor Alois Ricky Clemons, ‘Inbounds’ lists every player from a historically black college or university who played professional football from 1949 to 2020.

That may change with the publication of a new book, “INBOUNDS: The Evolution of Historical Black College Players in Professional Football.” Written by Howard University professor Alois Ricky Clemons, the 215-page reference book lists every player from a historically black college or university (HBCU) who played professional football from 1949 to 2020. It also highlights the 17 black players who played pro football between 1902 and the institution of the ban in 1933.

“There are so many NFL players that people know of who came from HBCUs,” Clemons told Zenger. “But there are hundreds if not thousands of others that people don’t know about who came from black colleges and helped make the NFL what it is today.”

The primary focus of the book, illustrated by artist John Dupree, is to catalog every player from an HBCU who played in the NFL, beginning with Tank Younger of Grambling State in 1949. But Clemons also pays homage to pioneers such as Charles Follis, who played for the Shelby (Ohio) Athletic Club in 1902, and others such as Charles “Doc” Baker, Henry McDonald, and Gideon Smith, who all played before the National Football League formed in 1920. Fritz Pollard and Paul Robeson were among 13 black players who competed in the NFL before the ban.

“I’ve come to the conclusion the ban was made for economic reasons,” Clemons said. “This was the midst of the Great Depression, and there was no way the owners were going to have these black players making money playing football when white people were out of work and starving.”

Howard University professor Alois Ricky Clemons, author of “Inbounds.” (Courtesy of Alois Ricky Clemons)

Washington owner George Preston Marshall, an avowed racist, is regarded as the instigator behind the ban. Still, it wouldn’t have persisted without other owners such as George “Papa Bear” Halas, Art Rooney and Tim Mara being complicit during the 12 years when no blacks played in the league. The NFL barely mentioned this stain during its 100-year celebration last year.

But the ban moved out of the shadows in 2019 when the Chicago Bears had two African-American players, Tarik Cohen and Kyle Fuller, model the Bears’ 1936 throwback jerseys when there were no black players on the team at the time. In essence, they became the first black players to wear those uniforms.

The “unofficial” ban ended in March 1946 when Kenny Washington signed with the Los Angeles Rams amid pressure from black journalists and Los Angeles community leaders who opposed a segregated league using the city-owned Memorial Coliseum. However, Washington isn’t viewed as the Jackie Robinson of pro football because the Rams signed Woody Strode few months later, and the Browns signed Marion Motley and Bill Willis in 1946 as well.

“It’s amazing how the [end of the] ban in baseball is celebrated, and the ban in football is not even talked about,” Clemons said. “There’s no real reason football has gotten a pass. Maybe it’s the amount of black players that have gone in the league since then.”

Clemons’ book, researched with the help of students from North Carolina A&T and Howard universities, includes 30 Hall of Famers, black college All-Americans, and a host of players long forgotten. Among those appreciative of Clemons’ effort is Doug Williams, the former Grambling quarterback and Super Bowl MVP for the Washington Football Team (then known as the Redskins). Williams is co-founder of the Black College Football Hall of Fame along with James “Shack” Harris, another Grambling grad whose pro playing career included stops with the Buffalo Bills, the Los Angeles Rams and the San Diego Chargers.

“This [book] gives me and the people on the committee who vote on the Hall of Fame a whole new group of people that we didn’t even know was out there,” Williams said. “There’s no doubt in my mind that it’s going to be helpful. We can all sit around and think of guys. But there are guys out there that we’ve forgotten. There’s probably a whole bunch of people in that book that we probably haven’t even thought about.”

The American Football League, founded in 1959, built itself on talent from HBCU schools, drafting players who would soon compete and excel against the more established National Football League. Mel Blount (Southern/Pittsburgh Steelers), Robert Brazile (Jackson State/Houston Oilers), Willie Brown (Grambling/Oakland Raiders), Junious “Buck” Buchanan (Grambling/Kansas City Chiefs), Charlie Joiner (Grambling/San Diego Chargers), Willie Lanier (Morgan State/Chiefs), Larry Little (Bethune-Cookman/Miami Dolphins), Art Shell (Maryland State-Eastern Shore/Raiders), John Lee Stallworth (Alabama A&M/Steelers), Emmitt Thomas (Bishop College/Chiefs) are some of the players, who helped validate the AFL and force a merger with the NFL in 1966.

Other HBCU stars made their imprint with NFL/NFC teams. They include Roosevelt Brown (Morgan State/New York Giants), Harry Carson (South Carolina State/Giants), Willie Davis (Grambling/Green Bay Packers), Richard Dent (Tennessee State/Chicago Bears), Bob Hayes (Florida A&M/Dallas Cowboys), David “Deacon” Jones (South Carolina State-Mississippi Valley State/Los Angeles Rams), Leroy Kelly (Morgan State/Cleveland Browns), Walter Payton (Jackson State/Bears), Jerry Rice (Mississippi Valley State/San Francisco 49ers), Jackie Slater (Jackson State/Rams), Michael Strahan (Texas Southern/Giants), and Larry Rayfield Wright (Fort Valley State College/Cowboys).

Many of them served as inspiration for other black players looking for a career in pro football, Hall of Fame cofounder Harris.

“The AFL had so many outstanding players,” Harris said. “You’d watch TV on Sundays, and you’d hear them announce ‘Buck Buchanan from Grambling’ and the great players from Jackson State and South Carolina State. The Kansas City Chiefs and Oakland Raiders were loaded with black college players. Those players represented an opportunity for all of us who were playing for so many different schools. When we eventually played in the NFL, we realized we were playing because of the opportunity made by the guys and also for the guys who would be coming along after us.”

With the coronavirus wiping out several pro days and workouts, no HBCU players were selected in the 2021 NFL Draft. Williams and Harris are working to ensure that doesn’t happen again in 2022. Tennessee State and Grambling face each other on Sept. 5 in the Black College Football Hall of Fame Classic at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio. The two HBCU schools, which have sent more than 300 players to the NFL, have met 40 times, but not since 2002.

In addition, the initial HBCU Legacy Bowl takes place on Feb. 19, 2022, at Tulane University. The nationally televised game will feature about 100 of the top HBCU draft-eligible players. Sponsors include the National Football League, the Pro Football Hall of Fame and Tulane University.

“We’re trying to give the guys coming from HBCUs opportunities they might not get if we didn’t provide it with an all-star game and a big game in Canton,” Williams said. “We’re doing what we feel is a necessity to make them feel like they’re worthy of playing in an all-star game and a chance to be looked at by NFL scouts.”

Clemons said he named the book “Inbounds” to underscore the contribution of black players to pro football started long before the ban kept them out of the game. “Normally, when we write stories about black athletes, it’s about trying to get in,” Clemons said. “We’ve been inside this football game since the beginning and helped revolutionize pro football.  I just wanted to make sure the known and unknown players are highlighted in this book.”

“INBOUNDS: The evolution of Historical Black College Players in Professional Football” is available at www.HBCUNFLPlayers.com and Barnes & Noble as an eBook.

Edited by Stan Chrapowicki and Matthew B. Hall



The post Pro Football Color Ban Couldn’t Deny HBCU History Of Talent appeared first on Zenger News.

Minority Quarterbacks And Coaches Making Headlines As NFL Preps For New Season

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Minority Quarterbacks And Coaches Making Headlines As NFL Preps For New Season

The rise of minority quarterbacks and coaches in the NFL will be in the spotlight as a new season approaches. While the league hopes for a return to normalcy, including teams opening stadiums to full capacity and the addition of two more playoff teams, three black quarterbacks face challenges on the field and off, while a potential Hall of Fame coach’s legacy is tied to his aging QB, and another is looking to build a legacy with a young quarterback to which the organization hasn’t fully committed.

Here’s a look at each of those situations:

DESHAUN WATSON — HOUSTON TEXANS

Six months ago, there seemed to be little to no chance that Deshaun Watson would still be the Houston Texans’ quarterback this upcoming season. However, it appears that will remain the case until his off-field legal troubles are resolved. In January, Watson made it known to the football world he wanted out of Houston because he didn’t like the direction in which the Texans were moving.

Watson has been disgruntled with Texans ownership for not consulting him when it chose to hire general manager Nick Caserio from the New England Patriots and first-year head coach David Culley from the Baltimore Ravens. On top of that, Watson now faces 22 civil lawsuits claiming he engaged in inappropriate sexual behavior during private massage sessions. But for now, Watson and the Texans are stuck with each other. He reported to training camp on time because according to the National Football League’s new collective bargaining agreement, it would cost him $50,000 per day if he held out.

However, with the scrutiny Watson is facing as the investigation continues, the probability that he never sees the practice field to minimize distractions grows with each passing day. Meanwhile, no criminal charges have been filed against the QB, and according to most accounts, Watson has been professional in his approach to camp through the first week.

LAMAR JACKSON — BALTIMORE RAVENS

If not the most talented then certainly the most polarizing quarterback in the NFL, Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson makes plays — and at the start of training camp he made one of the biggest headlines. Jackson, the 2019 NFL Most Valuable Player, has tested positive for COVID-19 as he did last November, despite being fully vaccinated this time. As a result, he once again finds himself dealing with medical protocols.

This is the final year of Jackson’s rookie deal, and head coach John Harbaugh assured fans that the QB’s contract extension would get done sooner rather than later. However, in a division (the AFC North) in which at least three of the four teams have legitimate chances to make the playoffs, Jackson’s inability to perform in the early stages of camp are a setback for a team that is hoping to see him evolve from playmaker to pocket passer. The Ravens were planning to work him more under center to trigger their offense during these preseason practices, but Jackson’s recovery has temporarily derailed that. He is not expected miss any time during the regular season, but the division doesn’t have much room for error, and any downtime for Jackson doesn’t bode well for Baltimore.

DAK PRESCOTT — DALLAS COWBOYS

The Cowboys figured to keep their recovering starter at quarterback in bubble wrap while easing him back into the flow following the gruesome ankle injury that ended his 2020 season. However, two days into training camp, Dak Prescott suffered what is being called a “shoulder strain” that will prevent him from throwing for at least one week and is expected to keep him from playing when they kick off the preseason with the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game on Aug. 5 against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Because the injury is not considered to be serious, Prescott is expected to start when the regular season begins in September. The move is considered more precautionary because the sentiment coming from Cowboys camp is that Prescott basically has to rebuild his arm strength and was too aggressive, so his passing shoulder needs rest.

“We have to see this thing play out,” Cowboys CEO Stephen Jones told DallasCowboys.com. “Obviously we’re going to err on the side of caution every step of the way.”

MIKE TOMLIN — PITTSBURGH STEELERS 

While the Pittsburgh Steelers limped to the finish line and were booted from the playoffs by the Cleveland Browns, they did open the 2020 season winning their first 11 games. Head coach Mike Tomlin has never finished with a losing record, but in a city still defined by the legacy of the “Steel Curtain” era, the longest-tenured coach in the AFC North has work to do to restore order in a division Pittsburgh has dominated going back to its days as the AFC Central.

Pittsburgh drafted running back Najee Harris from Alabama, filling the void that has been empty since Le’Veon Bell parted ways with the organization. The Steelers are expected to go back to the championship formula of running the football and physical defense that defined the early years of the Tomlin era. Harris was drafted to take the pressure off the pass-happy Steelers offense that was firing on all cylinders until last December. Tomlin made his quarterbacks coach, Matt Canada, the Steelers’ new offensive coordinator, hoping that his talented group of receivers — led by Chase Claypool and JuJu Smith-Schuster — will help them advance beyond the wild-card round of the playoffs this year.

Pittsburgh has not won a playoff game since the 2016 season. While there doesn’t seem to be mounting pressure on Tomlin yet, with future Hall of Fame quarterback Ben Roethlisberger in what could be his final season, the Steelers head coach faces pressure to make a Super Bowl run.

BRIAN FLORES — MIAMI DOLPHINS

The Dolphins’ third-year head coach now appears firmly in charge in South Florida. The question is whether Brian Flores becomes the first coach from the Bill Belichick coaching tree to win a championship. His first big decision involves choosing a starting quarterback, and the fate of the entire season could depend upon that move.

Tua Tagovailoa has reportedly earned the trust of his locker room and is the projected starter in Miami. During the opening days of camp, Tagovailoa’s accuracy drew high praise from teammates and coaches alike, and he was lauded for having greater command of the offense at the start of his second training camp.

Flores plays everything close to the vest, so it’s hard to tell whether he’s truly sold on the second-year quarterback. But he appears to be following the playbook of his mentor in New England by creating a climate of competition at every position to keep players on the edge and focused.

Edited by Matthew B. Hall and Stan Chrapowicki



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Ed Herman Looks To Extend His MMA Career With A Win Over Alonzo Menifield

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Ed Herman Looks To Extend His MMA Career With A Win Over Alonzo Menifield

Forty-year-old Ed Herman will enter the UFC’s Octagon for the 28th time on Saturday night, this time in a match against the explosive Alonzo “Atomic” Menifield.

Now competing at light heavyweight, Herman (27–14–0, 1 no contest) has the longest uninterrupted tenure on the UFC’s active roster. He competed as a middleweight for much of his career, but feels fresher than ever now that cutting drastic amounts of weight is a thing of that past.

Herman’s UFC 265 preliminary bout opponent, Menifield (10–2–0), is coming off of a first-round submission of Fabio Cherant in March. Herman, known as “Short Fuse,” hasn’t competed since September 2020. He will be competing in his 41st fight as a mixed martial artist. UFC 265 can be seen live on pay-per-view via the Disney Bundle and ESPN Plus.

Zenger caught up with “Short Fuse” during fight week to discuss his battle plan against Menifield and what his future might hold after the fight.

Percy Crawford interviewed Ed Herman for Zenger.

Zenger: How is everything going, Ed?

Herman: Everything is going really good, man. It sounds a bit cliché, but almost better than ever. I’m feeling amazing at 40 years old.

Zenger: Would you credit that to your ability to continuously evolve with the game, taking good care of your body or a combination of the two?

Herman: Definitely a combination of both and a little of luck on my side.

Zenger: We all need a little of that. You have been in the UFC for a long time. Some of the guys you came in with aren’t even fighting anymore. How different is the game now as opposed to when you started?

Percy Crawford interviewed Ed Herman for Zenger. (Heidi Malone/Zenger)

Herman: It’s a lot different. Back then, it was kind of tough guys in the sport, and now it’s supreme athletes as well. There’s still tough guys, but the level of athletes that are in our sport now is very high. Guys are making the choice to come over now, to where they could be playing other professional sports and instead are choosing this path.

Zenger: You are coming into UFC 265 on a three-fight winning streak. You have shared the Octagon with a lot of great fighters. Do you feel like the experience gained in those fights are the keys to some of the consistency you’re having right now?

Herman: Yeah, a little bit. I would like to take some of the credit myself by putting in the work, continuing being a student of the game and continuing to try and evolve and get better to compete at this level.

Zenger: You have always had a blue-collar approach to fighting. That’s obviously what keeps you relevant and winning, but what keeps you motivated?

Herman: Well, I gotta say those paychecks are a part of it. I got college to pay for, for three kids. That kind of stuff. I like to be able to walk away from this sport and have some things to show for it. Now the money is better than it was before. Before I was making a living, but that was about it. Now I’m able to start to put some money away for my retirement, make some investments, and like I said, save for college for my kids. With inflation and everything becoming more expensive from real estate to gasoline, it’s hard to walk away from the money sometimes. And I’m still winning. I still feel good and healthy, so if I can do that, why not?

Zenger: Menifield is your opponent on Aug. 7. During one of his recent fights, you said you weren’t impressed by him or his opponent for that particular performance. What do you see in him heading into your matchup with him?

Herman: He’s a stud athlete. He’s very explosive. He looks really strong. He’s definitely a dangerous guy, but I feel my experience and my skill level is higher. I feel I can weather that storm, and I’ll have the opportunity to shut him down with my skills and my durability.

Zenger: It always feels like a pick your poison when someone is fighting against you because we have watched your standup get so much better, and obviously the wrestling has always been there. Stylistically, what type of fight are you expecting from Menifield?

Herman: You know, it’s kind of hard to say. I feel like in a lot of his fights, he’s come out with some big bursts, he likes to control the cage. Put a lot of pressure on guys and keep them pinned against the cage, and step back and flurry. He’s definitely strong enough to get a takedown and I can see him trying to get a takedown, but he’s got a smart coaching staff, and I don’t think that would be a very smart option for him. Especially after my last fight when my energy bar was down to the bottom and I still pulled off a submission.

I’m dangerous on the ground, man. I got legit jiu jitsu for fighting. You’re not going to see me rolling underneath for ankle locks or anything, but if it presented itself there, I’m going to look for it. I’m well-versed on the ground. I feel like he’s in trouble anywhere. I feel like he’s going to be nervous. I’ve got the reach on the outside. But he’s got that explosive power and that speed on me a little bit.

Ed Herman will take part in his 41st pro MMA fight on Saturday night, a light heavyweight match against Alonzo Menifield. (Courtesy of Ed Herman)

Zenger: Is it concerning to you that he may be a bit sharper, as he fought in March and you haven’t been inside the cage since last September?

Herman: I’ve been in the gym this whole time because I was supposed to fight in May; that got pushed back. I think I was supposed to fight in July, and that got pushed back. I’ve been in the gym all year. It’s not like before, when I was injured and out of the gym for months at a time. But I have trained this entire time. I don’t see any type of ring rust will be a problem for me. I haven’t fought for a little while, but I have still been really active, so I don’t see it being a problem.

Zenger: You have weathered so many storms throughout your career. What has it been like just making it to the cage and crossing your fingers hoping your opponent does the same, with COVID being a thing?

Herman: It’s been a crazy year. Last year I had a fight canceled the day of, and that was really frustrating. I had to get right back into camp right afterwards and get ready for Mike Rodriguez. At 39–40 years old, it’s a lot harder to do that than when you’re a kid. I use that time to recover. The camp is what takes it out of you a lot of the times. It’s been a tough time with COVID. Not only that, but all the separation of family and friends, and all the chaos throughout the world.

In the gym, you don’t see a lot of that. Every race, religion, none of that matters here. We’re all brothers. But I feel like outside of here, the world has become an ugly place right now. We gotta love each other and love our neighbors and get back to being there for people. Hopefully, that can continue to happen, and we can all get along.

Zenger: This will be your 41st fight, and in October you turn 41 years old, so that would seem to be a bit of an omen for you.

Herman: Ah, I didn’t think about that. That’s kind of crazy. I feel really good. Like I said, a little bit of luck and all that stuff we talked about with taking care of myself has gone a long way. I feel good. My first fight at 205, I didn’t cut any weight. I weighed in at 203. But I’ve been able to actually lift weights between camps and put on a little more muscle. That keeps me from getting injured as easy.

When you’re always too lean and constantly cutting weight, I feel like you get injured easier. Building a bit of muscle mass for this camp, I’ve been able to stay healthier that way. It’s the first time in my life that I have lifted weights on a consistent basis, so you’re going to see the biggest, baddest, strongest Ed Herman that you have ever seen, and I’m going to be shredded, too. That’s wassup, man. I’m ready to go. I feel great.

Zenger: Given your longevity, what’s your approach to these fights now?

Herman: I’m definitely not overlooking Alonzo, he’s a very dangerous opponent. I try to take it one fight at a time now. Each time we go back and talk to my coach and talk to my family to make sure my body’s right, my mind is right. I think a lot of it is mental at this point. I know how to fight. I know how to do all this stuff, but being in the right mindset matters. I’ve lost fights in the past before I even stepped in the cage because I wasn’t in the right place mentally. That’s a lot of it. I gotta enjoy these moments. What’s the worst that can happen, it’s already happened.

Zenger: What does Ed Herman have to do to be successful on Saturday night?

Herman: I just gotta go out there and put the work in. I gotta fight composed, I gotta fight smart, stay with my game plan and not let my emotions control what I’m doing, which isn’t always easy in the heat of the moment. I just gotta go do my thing and do what I do best, get out there and fight.

I’m up for a contract negotiation after this fight, so I’d love to stick around for a little bit longer. I’m taking it one at a time, but at the same time I think I’ve got another three or four fights in me before I hang them up.

Zenger: Win, lose or draw, you have never disappointed in terms of giving your all. I expect much of the same on Saturday night, and good luck to you.

Herman: It’s good to talk to you again. It’s been a long time, Percy. I want to thank all the fans for sticking by me. I got a lot of support coming into this fight. A lot of people giving me a lot of love, respect and support. I appreciate that from the fans and all my people who got my back. My gym here, American Top Team-Portland, my coaches and teammates, I couldn’t do this without them. You don’t do this by yourself, so also my family, of course.

Edited by Matthew B. Hall and Judith Isacoff



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Advantages of Web Accessibility for Business Websites

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Advantages of Web Accessibility for Business Websites

By Sean Hall

Web accessibility has always been a hot topic for business websites. While making your website accessible does sound like a good idea, it also usually comes with a price. If you have been running your website for a while and have a sizable number of blogs and pages, it can take considerable resources to make it all accessible. So, the question that website owners often ask is whether making their website accessible is worth it? Well, to answer this, let’s go over the advantages of web accessibility for business websites and how they impact your online presence.

What is web accessibility?

First, let’s explain what making your website accessible is all about. By increasing the accessibility of your website, you make your content available to people with disabilities. For instance, if a person is visually impaired, you can hardly expect them to read your content. And, if their hearing is impaired, they probably won’t be able to appreciate your videos. For this reason, websites try to make their content consumable in different ways. That way, ideally, no one feels left out.

A girl with glasses listening to a website being read, representing the advantages of web accessibility for business websites.
A person with poor vision will always benefit from web accessibility for business websites. (Photo by: Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels)

Advantages of web accessibility

Unfortunately, making your website fully accessible can be costly. Apart from handling online safety, it is one of the more challenging aspects of website management. In the case of written content, you will have to have someone read all of your content and save the audio format (luckily, some programs can do a decent job with that). In the case of video content, you will have to add subtitles, which can be arduous, to say the least. If you want to take it a step further, you can add special images for the color blind. Or even design your website with larger fonts for those with poor vision. So, is going that extra mile worth the trouble? Well, all things considered, it probably is.

Reaching a wider audience

The first and the most apparent advantage of web accessibility is that you reach a wider audience. We often neglect the number of people who have some sort of difficulty and think that standard content is good enough. But, it is once you make your website accessible that you see how many people you’ve let slip through.

A person using a magnifying glass to view an audience
You’ll never know what part of your audience you’re losing due to not being accessible. (Photo by: pixabay)

Avoiding potential discrimination or even legal complaints

In 2020, there were 2,523 web accessibility lawsuits in the U.S. While this may not sound like much, it is actually three times more than the 814 lawsuits in 2017. Now, by no means is this a large number. But, if the trend continues, we should see a definite increase in cases. And the last thing you want is for your company to be among the statistics.

The reason behind this is that there is a slow turn in making websites accessible to all. More and more agencies are pushing for web accessibility as a civil right. And, while we are still away from this being the case, you really ought to stay ahead of the curve. One dissatisfied customer can bring you a lot of bad press, even if you don’t end up in court. So, if nothing else, try to invest in website accessibility simply as a means of protection.

Improving your overall PR

While we are on the subject of bad press, we should mention how vital web accessibility can be for PR. Public relations often resort to boasting (non directly, of course) that you are better than your competition. And having a fully accessible website is something to boast about. As time goes by, people are taking more and more notice of how companies treat their customers and employees. With social media, it is easier than ever to highlight the bad practices of a company and praise their good ones. So, while even individuals take extra care to have a strong social media presence, companies need to try even more.

If you choose to make your website accessible, don’t shy away from saying that you are doing so. It drives the people who need the extra accessibility to your website and motivates the people who associate with them to check you out.

Helping your SEO

People are often unaware that SEO optimization and accessibility go hand in hand. First, to make your website accessible, you need to make it easy to navigate and overall intuitive to use. Luckily, SEO ranks this as one of the primary ranking factors. Secondly, you get extra room to boost your SEO rating by incorporating extra content (adding reading for written content or subtitles for videos), you get extra room to boost your SEO rating.

SEO + UX written on a chalkboard, showing one of the advantages of web accessibility.
You’d be surprised at how connected SEO and accessibility are. (Photo by: pixabay)

Keep in mind that you will use your keywords in that additional content, which is always a plus for SEO. WordPress is a great platform for this as you can easily see how your extra content impacts your SEO results. Some practices, like adding captions and alt-tags to pictures, naturally boost your accessibility. This only goes to show you how connected SEO and accessibility truly are.

Final thoughts on making your website accessible

All things considered, the advantages of web accessibility for business websites usually outweigh the cost. If you believe that your website primarily focuses on reaching a broad audience, making it accessible only makes sense, especially once you find a couple of plugins that can make this easier on you. One example when you should think twice is when creating a niche website designed for a relatively small group of people. Here you can get some points for making your website accessible. But, overall, there are probably more important aspects that you should focus on.

Author:

Sean Hall has worked as a website designer and manager for over 20 years. He now focuses on writing helpful articles for wpfullcare.com and similar websites. In his free time, he also loves to draw and spend time outside.

Cruiserweight Title — Not Andre Dirrell Fight — In Badou Jack’s Immediate Plans

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Cruiserweight Title — Not Andre Dirrell Fight — In Badou Jack’s Immediate Plans

Badou Jack was set to avenge what many boxing insiders felt was an unjust split-decision loss to Jean Pascal on the undercard of Floyd Mayweather’s June 6 exhibition bout against YouTuber Logan Paul.

Instead, Jack was notified at the end of May that Pascal had tested positive for several performance-enhancing drugs and the fight was canceled. Jack went on to knock out undefeated late replacement Dervin Colina in the fourth round.

Jack has seemingly put Pascal and the light heavyweight division in his review mirror as he prepares to move up to cruiserweight in hopes of capturing his third world title in as many divisions.

Jack opens up to Zenger about the disappointment of not being able to avenge the Pascal loss, shoots down a potential bout against Andre Dirrell and talks about the Badou Jack Foundation.

Percy Crawford interviewed Badou Jack for Zenger.

Zenger: Before our last interview could appear, Jean Pascal tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs, and your anticipated rematch with him was off the week of the fight. This seems to be the Badou Jack playbook where you just roll with the punches.

Jack: Yeah, I mean there have been so many bad things that have happened in my career, bad decisions, and bullshit, so it’s nothing new to me. And the same thing with drug testing happened before when I fought Lucian Bute.

Zenger: Your career seems to be a Hollywood producer’s dream, so maybe that’s the silver lining (laughing).

Jack: (Laughing). Right!

Zenger: You put a lot into landing that rematch. Obviously, you don’t want to fight a drug cheat, but in the same breath, that had to be devastating news.

Percy Crawford interviewed Badou Jack for Zenger. (Heidi Malone/Zenger)

Jack: It was really sad. First of all, they robbed me the first time, then I had to wait 18 months for the rematch. I was actually on my way up to cruiserweight before I was offered the fight with Pascal. Floyd [Mayweather] asked me if I could make the weight, and I said, “Sure!” I had a little time, four months, so I said, “Yeah!” I was up to 220 pounds and then I had to cut all that weight to fight at 175 and got robbed.

Floyd called me a couple of days after and said I had to fight him [Pascal] in April in LA. Then the pandemic happened, and then he wanted more money, excuses, excuses. Then the week before the fight, I was in the best shape of my life mentally and physically. I was so ready to stop him this time.

Zenger: It seems like you always felt that something wasn’t right about Pascal in terms of being a clean fighter.

Jack: Yes. Before the first fight, we asked for VADA [Voluntary Anit-Doping Association] testing, and there was no testing. We were begging for it. It didn’t happen. And then this time we asked from the beginning. It didn’t happen for the full camp, but it was the last five weeks. That was better than nothing.

Badou Jack held the WBC super-middleweight title from 2014–2017, and the WBA light-heavyweight title in 2017. (Courtesy of Team Jack)

Zenger: It served its purpose because it caught him. I’m sure you have moved on from any potential fight with Pascal. You have talked about moving up to cruiserweight for a long time. However, Andre Dirrell respectfully said he would like to test his skills against you at 175. Is that something you would entertain?

Jack: No, definitely not. He’s not in my plans. But you’re right, at least he was respectful. … At the stage where he’s at right now, he brings nothing to the table. He has no title, he’s ranked way below me, there is no money in a fight like that. I have nothing to gain, other than his name, but his name doesn’t mean nothing right now to me. He’s not a part of my plans. My plan is to become a three-division world champion. If it’s a crazy money fight, I will stay at 175, like a Canelo [Álvarez] fight or something. Other than that, he’s not a part of my plan.

Zenger: From light heavyweight [175 pound weight limit] to cruiserweight [200 pound limit] is probably the biggest gap in between weight divisions in boxing. How do you plan to properly put on the weight and grow into the division?

Jack: It takes time to put on real muscle. Also, I’m cutting a lot of weight to make 175. I was cutting at least 30 pounds. We’ll see. I will grow into the weight class. I’m about to be 38, I’m tired of cutting weight. Who says that cutting 30 pounds is better than gaining 30 pounds? Plus, I want to make history. I want to challenge these bigger guys. And stylistically I have an easier time with the bigger guys.

Badou Jack’s record is 24–3–3. (Courtesy of Team Jack) 

Zenger: Do you feel like the speed advantage that one would think you would have at cruiserweight will play a factor in your success in the division?

Jack: Yeah definitely. And I came from super middleweight. I’m not even the biggest light heavyweight. Canelo has conquered a lot of weight classes, Floyd did it, so there is no reason why I can’t try that. Just to be big and heavy, that’s easy. You can just eat and lift weights. It’s gotta be functional strength. I’m going to keep my speed, and it’s going to be fun.

Zenger: Given the time needed you would need to do everything you just mentioned of growing into your cruiserweight frame. When can we expect to see you make your official cruiserweight debut?

Jack: I’m not sure. I hope to be back before the end of the year. It might not be for the title in that fight, but never say never. I’m going to talk to my team and see what’s next.

Zenger: You always have so much more than boxing going on. You are very active in other countries with philanthropy work, and your foundation. Is that the perfect balance for you during your fighting downtime?

Jack: Yeah. Right now, during the pandemic, it’s been kind of slow with the foundation as far as visiting refugee camps and stuff. We still got a lot of stuff done though. My fight before last, we donated a lot to my foundation. I just came back from Dubai. That’s when I saw that Andre Dirrell had called me out.

Badou Jack with a Syrian refugee. His foundation is working with Palestinian and Syrian refugee camps and plans to start working with foster children in the United States. (Courtesy of Team Jack)

Zenger: Tell me a bit more about the Badou Jack Foundation.

Jack: We are trying to make it one of the biggest foundations in the world, especially for refugee kids and orphans in those poor countries. The focus is mostly where my dad is from, West Africa, Gambia and the Middle East. We’re working with a Palestinian refugee camp, a Syrian refugee camp, and we’re going to start with foster kids here in the states, as well.

Zenger: You are an amazing man and fighter, Badou. Continue fighting the good fight, and I wish you the best of luck. Is there anything else you want to add?

Jack: Hopefully, I will have some good news soon. Thank you, Percy.

Edited by Judith Isacoff and Matthew B. Hall



The post Cruiserweight Title — Not Andre Dirrell Fight — In Badou Jack’s Immediate Plans appeared first on Zenger News.

Biden’s Push To Ban Employers’ Non-Compete Clauses Draws Mixed Reaction

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Biden’s Push To Ban Employers’ Non-Compete Clauses Draws Mixed Reaction

WASHINGTON — As part of his overall goal of promoting competition to help keep the economy on track, President Joseph R. Biden Jr. is pushing for a ban or limits on employers’ non-compete agreements.

Three states and the District of Columbia already ban these agreements, while a dozen other states ban their use for low-wage employees.

“Roughly half of private-sector businesses require at least some employees to enter non-compete agreements, affecting some 36 to 60 million workers,” states Biden’s July 9 executive order.

President Joseph R. Biden Jr. delivers remarks on the May jobs report at the Rehoboth Beach Convention Center in Delaware on June 4. (Official White House Photo/Adam Schultz)

While the ban is seen as a boon to workers’ freedom to change jobs, some employment lawyers caution any ban should be carefully considered.

After the executive order, which “encourages the Federal Trade Commission to ban or limit non-compete agreements,” more than 50 trade lawyers signed an open letter to the FTC on July 14 asking it to go slow on developing policy.

The letter aims to emphasize “the severity of one of the key issues that small and large businesses seek to address through the use of noncompetition agreements: 59 percent of ex-employees admit to stealing confidential company information when they leave their job.” The writers cite a 2009 study by Symantec Corp. and the Ponemon Institute for this data.

“While taking no position on whether the FTC legally can regulate this area of law, we suggest the FTC act judiciously, if at all,” Clifford R. Atlas and Erik J. Winton, both of the Jackson Lewis law firm and signatories on the letter, wrote in a July 30 article.

“We believe that more modest regulations can be designed to balance competing interests of employers and employees, especially in light of the state-specific legislation, common law history, and the very capable job courts have done to enforce what is reasonable under the facts of the cases presented.”

In the past, non-compete agreements were applied largely to executives or salespeople — “people who can go out and go after the customers or prospective customers of the former employer” — or those privy to sensitive information, such as workers in finance and accounting, marketing or new products, said Harvey Linder, a partner at the Culhane Meadows law firm in Atlanta. He was not one of the signatories on the letter to the FTC.

“Non-competes generally don’t work to the benefit of the individual employee.”

Adam Shah, director of national policy for the nonprofit  Jobs for Justice in Washington, D.C., said, “For most working people, there’s no there’s no advantage to it. The only reason you agree to it is because to work, you need money, you need health insurance, and other benefits. And so the employer says, ‘You have to sign this.’”

For the worker who may have faced long-term unemployment, “you just sign whatever they say,” Shah said.

“It’s a relatively recent innovation that companies have come up with the non-compete agreements for people that aren’t executives and have no job protection,” Shah said.

A case that drew national attention in 2016 involved the Jimmy Johns chain of sandwich shops, which settled a lawsuit brought by Illinois and New York. The suit objected to Jimmy Johns prohibiting any current or former employee from working at other places that derive more than 10 percent of sales from sandwiches, within 2 miles of any Jimmy Johns in the United States for two years.

Shah said cases like that “show the long-term decrease in worker power and increase in the power of companies and Wall Street hedge funds behind them … to dictate terms so much, and to have workers so in need of jobs, that they’re willing to accept things” not in their interest.

Biden’s executive order also aims at easing “overly burdensome occupational licensing requirements that impede worker mobility” and asks the FTC and the Department of Justice to “enforce the antitrust laws vigorously and … to challenge prior bad mergers.”

Non-compete agreements generally forbid a worker from going to a rival firm within a specified time range, and in some cases also specify a geographic limit. Businesses see such agreements as critical to protecting their competitive position, said Mark Kruthers, director of the employment and labor practice group at the Fennemore law firm in Fresno, California.

Non-compete agreements are unenforceable under Oklahoma, North Dakota and California law. Kruthers said the measure “places a company in a situation where it needs to limit access to information and customers to a few trustworthy individuals as a means of protecting against future competition. That, in turn, often has a dramatic negative impact on profitability and efficiency. It most certainly limits company growth.”

Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser signed a ban on non-compete agreements in January. The measure, which also affects workers starting their own businesses and blocks employers from forbidding moonlighting, wouldn’t take effect until the city passes its next budget, expected in October. But Councilmember Elissa Silverman proposed an amendment in May that would allow business to identify conflicts of interest, and also recommended pushing implementation to April 2022.

Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser signed a sweeping ban on non-compete agreements in January, though the measure has not yet taken effect. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

“The D.C. ban is one of the most all-encompassing, worker-friendly laws regulating non-compete agreements in the country,” the National Law Review said in a March 31 article.

Kruthers said removing non-competes is not good for the workforce overall.

“While proponents of eliminating non-compete agreements claim doing so will provide individuals with greater access to employment, the opposite effect is more likely,” he said. Employers in some fields will be wary about hiring, which “will make it much harder for younger individuals who are more prone to ‘job hop’ to secure employment.”

Shah said non-competes are detrimental to employees in abusive work environments who are blocked from using their skills at a new site.

“So it’s why these places like D.C. and California are cracking down on the idea that employers get to control the worker, not just at work, but off-work hours, after-hours moonlighting or when they quit their job with a non-compete agreement,” he said.

Edited by Judith Isacoff and Kristen Butler



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USA Men’s Basketball: The Dream Renewed

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USA Men’s Basketball: The Dream Renewed

If Team USA men’s basketball can pull out a win at the Olympics, nobody will remember the exhibition losses to Nigeria or the tournament opening loss at the hands of France. The real quest for the gold medal begins with an elimination game as the U.S. men prepare for the defending World Cup champions from Spain early Tuesday.

Despite their flaws, Team USA finds itself three victories from its fourth consecutive gold medal, which just a month ago seemed anything but certain. A disjointed team that was struggling to find its chemistry seemed poised for a collapse that would spin the basketball world off its axis.

According to FIBA, the governing body of international basketball, the United States is still the No. 1 team in the world while Spain is ranked No. 2. Spain will not be in awe of the Stars and Stripes, either — they are led by Pau and Marc Gasol, who have won NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Meanwhile, Brooklyn Nets all-star Kevin Durant has rebounded in this tournament and become the all-time American Olympic scoring leader after his 3-for-10 shooting performance in the loss to France. Against the Czech Republic, Durant scored an efficient 23 points and played a solid all-around game. Durant’s versatility was center stage as he also chipped in with eight assists and six rebounds. In 19 Olympic appearances he has scored 354 points and grabbed 119 boards. Given the lofty standard he’s set playing in the world’s best league, his brilliance has been almost an afterthought on the international stage.

“It’s still pretty weird for me to do stuff like this because I play a team sport, and I try my hardest to make it about the group,” said Durant after the win over the Czech Republic. “But it is special to do something like that. Scoring is something I’ve worked on my whole career and expanded my whole career. To consistently do it is pretty cool.”

After the opening loss to France, which sent shock waves throughout the basketball world, this group of puzzle pieces is beginning to fit together. Jrue Holiday, the Milwaukee Bucks point guard who joined them as the tournament began, has seemed to bring the entire team together. When he was given the task of running the offense there was a rhythm they couldn’t find during a truncated training camp and exhibition games in Las Vegas.

If Team USA wins its next three games to win the gold medal the understated Holiday will join elite company. He would join Michael Jordan and LeBron James as the only players in history to win an NBA Championship and Olympic gold medal in the same year. He would also join his wife, Lauren, who won two gold medals as a member of the USA women’s soccer team.

Holiday has brought to Tokyo the same championship-caliber defense that was a catalyst for the Milwaukee Bucks’ 4–2 victory over the Phoenix Suns in the NBA Finals. He has been able to take advantage of international basketball rules, which allow him to be more physical when guarding the top backcourt weapon of the opposition.

However, he is seamlessly directing an offense that needs a maestro. Holiday is only averaging 12.3 points per game, but he’s made 54.3 percent of his three-point attempts, which was a concern for a team whose perimeter scoring was a problem until he arrived.

“I definitely wanted to be a part of the USA team and win the gold medal,” Holiday said. ”It’s late in my career, so me making it now has been awesome, and I’m super excited about it.”

Holiday’s matchup against Spain’s starting point guard Ricky Rubio figures to be key if the United States is going to reach the semifinals. Rubio is an international veteran with NBA experience and has been a part of Spain’s core for as long as the Gasol brothers. His constant defensive harassing of Rubio while trying to keep him out of the paint will go a long way toward determining whether Team USA will have a chance to leave Tokyo with a medal. Holiday finished their game against Slovenia and Dallas Mavericks all star Luka Doncic with 18 points, but it wasn’t enough to earn them a victory.

Spain and the United States are familiar with each other after meeting in major international competition for more than a decade. Team USA has won 16 of their last 18 matchups. In 2008, they met in one of the greatest gold medal games in Olympic history. The “Redeem Team” led by the late Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, DeWayne Wade and Carmelo Anthony were pressed to the last five minutes before pulling away for a 117–108 win.

While the Americans won the gold medal, that was a seismic shift in the landscape of international basketball. Team USA is regarded as the best team in the world, but the air of invincibility was no more.

Spain is projecting confidence despite heading into the knockout round matchup scheduled for 12:40 a.m. ET Tuesday morning. France’s victory over the United States gives the remaining challengers hope against the three-time defending Olympic gold medalists.

“If you’re going to get that gold medal, you’re going to beat everybody,” said Spain center Marc Gasol. “At that point, it doesn’t matter, the order.”

Holiday’s influence on the team’s chemistry can’t be overstated. He is giving prolific scorers like Durant and Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics a chance to flourish in coach Gregg Popovich’s perimeter-oriented system. These scorers have been able to play off the ball which suddenly turned the Americans into a prolific scoring unit that resembles what the five-time NBA championship coach wants to run.

Tatum is entering the quarterfinals coming off his best game of the tournament. He scored 27 points to lead the Americans in the final game of pool play, including 21 in the second half.

“We obviously had a slow start, but everybody just picked it up on defense and got stops, and the game just opened up in the second half,” said Tatum. “The way we were moving [the basketball], obviously, we’re starting to shoot the ball a lot better now than we did the first game, and we are getting more comfortable.”

Edited by Kristen Butler and Bryan Wilkes



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Real Steele: A Behind-The-Scenes Look At ‘The Gangster Chronicles’ Podcast

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Real Steele: A Behind-The-Scenes Look At ‘The Gangster Chronicles’ Podcast

Norm Steele had a vision to share the stories of respected street figures in a manner that could be used as a teachable moment rather than glorifying the lifestyle. Mission accomplished.

His podcast, “The Gangster Chronicles,” serves as a platform for people who once lived the street life, currently live the street life or have ties to that life.

Steele is the host/moderator,  flanked by former Death Row Records muscle James McDonald and MC Eiht of gangsta rappers Compton’s Most Wanted who has also created his own lane as a solo artist. The show consistently ranks high in podcast lists, and Steele believes the best is yet to come.

“The Gangster Chronicles” takes listeners through some of the toughest ‘hoods in America without leaving their comfort zone.

Steele tells Zenger how he came up with the podcast’s concept, explains why he would love to interview Suge Knight, and much more.

Percy Crawford interviewed Norm Steele for Zenger.

Zenger: I’m loving the content from “The Gangster Chronicles” podcast. When you took over as the moderator/host, did you envision this level of growth?

Steele: I knew with the changes that we made were going to force the show to go in a different direction. I didn’t know how the audience would react to what I did, but it turned out they have received it well.

Percy Crawford interviewed Norm Steele for Zenger. (Heidi Malone/Zenger)

Zenger: From the outside looking in, it seems like this idea should not have worked. James McDonald has always had Bloods gang ties; MC Eiht has always had Crips gang ties; and James admitted to taking DJ Quik’s side in the beef with Eiht. Yet they are co-hosts and work well on one of the most popular podcasts on the air right now. How?

Steele: It’s all about respect. I think what people need to do, instead of looking at people as Crips or Bloods, black or white, or whatever, look at them as a man. They are another human being. We all get along. We are all like brothers. A big part of that is James’ growth. Everything through James’ eyes ain’t about Crips or Bloods. Same with Eiht. We’ve actually got a lot more in common than what people may think. I’m going to always commend him on this — James has grown tremendously. He was always a great man, good person, but he is borderline incredible now. I have a lot of fun.

We wanted to give a voice to the voiceless. Even though we’re interviewing entertainers and different people, everyone that we talk with comes from some element of the streets. “The Gangster Chronicles” ain’t never going to be the show that you come on if you wanna talk about your album or this or that. Even though I love having those conversations, that’s not what we’re about.

Zenger: Which guest would you say that you learned the most about once they came on the show?

Steele: I loved the Geto Boys interview that we just did. Scarface is one of favorite rappers. I also like Willie D, but for different reasons. He always represented the common Southern man that would whoop your ass.  Scarface’s lyrics are just in depth and visual.

I would also say Too $hort. I have been listening to $hort since I was a kid, and I’m an old cat now. It’s crazy to me that he is still up and doing his thing. I knew that he had to be a hell of a businessman for him to have the longevity and the career in a business where the average stay is only two-and-a-half years. He’s been around almost 40 years. I never really thought about that prior to us doing our research for the interview. He’s maintained a level of success for a very long time, and he is still cracking.

“The Gangster Chronicles” crew, from left, MC Eiht, James McDonald and Norm Steele. (Diamonique Noriega/The Gangster Chronicles Inc.) 

Zenger: I love the diversity of the guests, from a street guy like Pistol Pete to learning how much of an entrepreneur TQ is to an interview with Mac Minister from prison. Is that intentional?

Steele: Yeah, it is. It’s supposed to be to inform and educate. I don’t mean to highlight no negative s..t. It’s really to let people know, you sell dope you’re going to jail. You kill somebody, more than likely you will get killed, you reap what you sow. It’s really to inspire, inform and educate. Even though we’re starting to have more artists on the show, and that was something we wanted to do from the beginning, there will always be a place on there for that dude that’s fresh out of prison or been to prison or may still be in prison.

You mentioned the Mac Minister interview. That had an impact on me because the way the media puts his case out there, they make it look like he went and bodied [killed] this cat in Vegas in retaliation for the Mac Dre death. The dude got railroaded. It opened my eyes to his case, and we’re making it our personal mission to put that story out there as much as we can. We got some continuing stuff that we’re going to do with that. We are kind of his only lifeline.

A lot of people will tell me that they didn’t realize the show was as big as it is because our audio numbers are way bigger than the numbers we get on our YouTube channel. YouTube numbers are cool, but we get a million downloads on the audio side. It can always be better and grow more, but we’re not using the platform we got to put any negativity out there. We want to put all positive stuff in the universe.

Zenger: I ask everyone who is doing radio or in that podcast world this question: Who is your bucket list guest?

Steele: I’ve already talked to everybody that I really wanted to talk to. I always wanted to get one with J. Prince. We sat down with J. Prince and chopped it up with him. I always wanted to sit down with the Geto Boys, and we did that. Suge Knight would be my bucket list guest. Suge kept a whole bunch of people out of jail, he changed a whole lot of people’s lives. He brought us the biggest rap star in the history of rap, Snoop Dogg. He had arguably the best lineup ever. He perfected the perfect label. It’s a shame that it went down the way it did. You gotta give Suge his genius. You may think his methods were kind of out there, but he made things happen.

I think what Suge, Irv Gotti and J. Prince had going was genius. Whenever you get some black people talking about starting up their own distribution thing, that can be a very powerful move. I’m working on something right now that’s probably going to shift the culture. It’s going to be one of the biggest things done in media in a long time. I can’t talk in detail about it, but I’m going to definitely come to you first. I’m really about empowering people. James [McDonald] don’t have a standard podcast deal, dog. James is terminally supplanted in everything that I do because he’s such a big reason why. I never came on the show with the pretense of coming from behind the scenes. I wanted to be a behind-the-scenes executive.

Zenger: I know there were some things said about that.

Steele: That’s why I’m glad I’m doing this interview. I could erase a bunch of BS, and I didn’t have to, but I felt the need to. You come up with this idea, and the premise of the show is based on what you wanna do. I talked to Glasses Malone, who I manage. Me and Glasses was in my living room one night, two years before “The Gangster Chronicles” came out. I said, “Bro, I’m going to do a show called ‘The Gangster Chronicles’ and it’s going to really be about the streets. We’re going to interview some different entertainers, but you’re liable to see somebody that used to be a burglar, used to be a drug dealer, or somebody that’s out of their mind.”

But I wanted it done from an angle where we’re not glorying stuff, but we’re going to get to the meat of how and why. People don’t just become who they are for no reason. We’re all born crying and naked. There is always something that happens that makes people who they are. I always felt if people could get a better understanding of each other, then we could make this a better place. Not everybody is gonna get along, but we could all respect each other and understand where we’re all coming from.

Edited by Matthew B. Hall and Judith Isacoff



The post Real Steele: A Behind-The-Scenes Look At ‘The Gangster Chronicles’ Podcast appeared first on Zenger News.

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