- Details On Walt Disney World Expansion, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Revamp Unveiled At Destination D23 Event Deadline
- Disney Teases ‘Encanto’ and ‘Indiana Jones’-themed experiences for Animal Kingdom’s big refresh wdwmagic.com
- BREAKING: DINOSAUR Being Reimagined as Indiana Jones Attraction at Disney’s Animal Kingdom WDW News Today
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- View Full Coverage on Google News
Tag Archives: revamp
Google’s split-screen Android Auto revamp is rolling out now
-
The new Android Auto is super flexible. Here’s a big-screen mode.
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A super wide display.
Google -
The traditional 16:9-ish display.
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Notifications pop up like this.
Google -
And then the music player shrinks and the notification moves to the sidebar.
Google -
Quick replies.
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The Google Assistant offers quick access to your top contacts.
Google
After a big delay, Google’s big revamp of Android Auto is finally here. This new version of Android Auto puts a big focus on a new split-screen interface, which is a lot more flexible than the old, rigid Android Auto display. This update was first shown off at Google I/O and promised in the summer of 2022, but somehow that got pushed back to CES 2023. Car apps have a lot of safety regulations to go through.
Android Auto is an app that lives on your phone and sends a custom interface (wirelessly or wired) to a compatible car’s dashboard. Unlike regular Android, which can scale to any size or shape display, Android Auto was originally designed rigidly around a horizontal 16:9 display. It’s been updated over the years to be slightly more flexible, but it has always wanted to live in this horizontal, widescreen configuration. Not all car screens are widescreen, though, and for cars like the Volvo XC90, which has a big 4:3 iPad-style screen in the center console, Android Auto was just in a tiny window in the middle of the display. Some manufacturers gave it a letter or pillar box. Apple’s CarPlay received a similar flexibility update in iOS 13.
Unlike the old version, the split-screen interface should be able to adapt to any rectangular screen. There are three components: a navigation bar, the main app interface, and a smaller sidebar section that can show one or two additional widgets. These can all be configured in a way that makes sense for the screen’s shape. The navigation bar can be on the right side or the bottom. The main app interface can be next to the sidebar section or stacked on top. The sidebar can be a tall vertical strip or a skinny horizontal strip. Some configuration is going to work!
The sidebar is the most interesting new addition to Android Auto. It seems to work just like Android’s notification bar but is super-sized for cars. It can show controls for the currently playing media or media suggestions. It can turn into a split-screen mode, where the top item will show the latest notification, which can be an incoming text message, an option to share your arrival time, or the weather.
Enlarge / Some manufacturers (in this case, Volvo) would put the old Android Auto interface in a tiny window like this. There is so much more screen you could use, and this new version should fit better.
Volvo
Some of those options are from the new Google Assistant smart suggestions, which include “missed call reminders, quick arrival time sharing and instant access to music or podcasts. On-screen shortcuts speed up message replies and calling favorite contacts.”
Google is also adding a seekable process bar for Android Auto music and podcasts apps, which will automatically apply to every Android Auto media app. Car safety regulations in Android Auto mean app developers don’t get to do things like design a user interface—Google has a pre-built media interface that Spotify, YouTube Music, and every other media app needs to use—the developers only provide a media stream, branding colors, and pick from a few button options. This pre-built interface is being updated, so every app will automatically get it.
While the app update is rolling out now, it’s unclear if existing cars with bigger screens need to be updated to support this new automotive config.
Presidential Vote Counting to Get Revamp After Donald Trump Tried to Reverse 2020 Loss
WASHINGTON—For the first time in more than a century, Congress is poised to pass legislation that would revamp the process of certifying presidential electors, a direct response to efforts by former President
Donald Trump
and his supporters to overturn the 2020 election results.
The Electoral Count Reform Act has been attached to a $1.65 trillion yearlong spending package currently moving through Congress that is expected to become law this week. The ECRA is the result of nearly a year of bipartisan Senate negotiations to update an 1887 law that came into focus during the certification of the presidential results on Jan. 6, 2021.
Current law requires Congress to convene for a joint session on Jan. 6 after a presidential election to count and ratify the 538 electoral votes certified by the 50 states and District of Columbia. The vice president, serving as president of the Senate, has the duty to count the votes in a joint session of Congress.
In 2021, Mr. Trump pressured then-Vice President Mike Pence to reject some electors unilaterally. Mr. Pence refused, saying such a move was beyond his power. After Mr. Trump urged his supporters to march on the Capitol in a speech on the Ellipse, a pro-Trump mob overran the Capitol, temporarily interrupting the proceedings. After Congress reconvened, 139 House Republicans and eight Senate Republicans voted against certifying the election results.
The new legislation would make it clear that the vice president’s role is merely to count the votes publicly and that he or she has no power to alter the results. It also would significantly raise the threshold to sustain an objection to a state’s electors to one-fifth of both chambers, up from one House member and one senator now.
The proposal would also provide for an expedited federal court challenge if a state attempts to delay or tamper with election results. The bill holds that the court decision is final and requires Congress to accept that decision.
The current Electoral Count Act “is a time bomb under democracy, and we learned on Jan. 6 that its ambiguities and confusing terms are very dangerous,” said Maine Sen. Angus King, an independent who caucuses with Democrats.
Sen.
Susan Collins
(R., Maine) credited the work of a group of 15 senators who span the ideological spectrum in negotiating the bill. “The events of Jan. 6 clearly brought home the flaws in the law,” she said.
The Biden administration called the changes “a vital piece of legislation.”
Sen.
Josh Hawley
(R., Mo.) said he opposed changes to the current law. Mr. Hawley was the first senator to say he would object to the results of the 2020 presidential election, a move that forced lawmakers to debate and vote to affirm the states’ tallies on Jan. 6, 2021. As Mr. Hawley entered the Capitol ahead of the joint session that day, he was photographed fist-pumping to cheers from the pro-Trump crowd gathered outside.
“I think it’s fine, this is the democratic process,” Mr. Hawley said about the current rules. “I don’t think the objection caused the riot.”
Other lawmakers have used the process outlined in the Electoral Count Act to object to election results in recent years. Some Democrats objected, unsuccessfully, to certification of both of former President
George W. Bush
‘s wins as well as Mr. Trump’s.
In both cases the Democratic nominee for president had already conceded and wasn’t supportive of the objections. Mr. Trump has continued to call for overturning the results and to claim falsely that he won the 2020 election.
The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack made four criminal referrals for Mr. Trump to the Justice Department on Monday after investigating the lead-up and attack itself. Mr. Trump has denied wrongdoing related to the riot. The Justice Department is currently conducting a parallel investigation of the events.
“I don’t care whether they change The Electoral Count Act or not, probably better to leave it the way it is so that it can be adjusted in case of Fraud,” Mr. Trump said in a post on Truth Social on Tuesday.
Mr. Trump has said the planned changes show that the vice president did indeed have the power to block electors under current law. Backers say they are trying to eliminate any loopholes that could be exploited by future candidates, including Mr. Trump.
Among the Electoral Count Reform Act provisions included in this week’s spending package is a requirement that each state’s governor, unless specified in the state’s laws or constitution, submit the slate of electors. That would keep states from submitting false electors as some sought to do in 2020.
It also would prevent state legislatures from overriding the popular vote in their states by declaring a “failed election,” except in narrowly defined “extraordinary and catastrophic” events.
Edward Foley, the director of Election Law at Ohio State University said the bill’s most significant provision is making sure the courts are the final backstop in case of false electors.
“We can look to courts as being the branch of government that is most immune from this kind of political denialism,” he said.
The version included in the spending bill is the Senate version, which had 38 co-sponsors, including both Majority Leader
Chuck Schumer
(D., N.Y.) and Minority Leader
Mitch McConnell
(R., Ky.).
In September, the House passed its own version of the legislation, 229-203. Nine Republicans joined Democrats in voting to pass the House bill. None of them are returning to Congress next year.
Write to Eliza Collins at eliza.collins@wsj.com and Lindsay Wise at lindsay.wise@wsj.com
Copyright ©2022 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8
Peloton to cut jobs, shut stores and raise prices in company-wide revamp
Aug 12 (Reuters) – Peloton Interactive Inc (PTON.O) said on Friday it would cut jobs, shut stores and raise prices on its exercise equipment including treadmills and top-end bikes as it undertakes a company-wide revamp to shore up its revenue and improve cash flow.
Shares of the company surged about 11% in afternoon trade after the company said in a memo it would cut about 800 jobs and reduce its retail presence in North America.
Under Chief Executive Officer Barry McCarthy, Peloton has implemented a slew of measures including cost cuts to steady its business as a pandemic-driven demand for its treadmills and exercise bikes quickly fizzles.
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On Friday, the company outlined a plan to aggressively reduce its retail presence in the United States and eliminate a number of jobs in warehouses and customer support teams.
Shifting final mile delivery to third-party logistics providers will reduce per-product delivery costs by up to 50%, McCarthy said in the memo seen by Reuters.
The company is also raising prices of its Bike+ and Tread machines in five markets, including the United States and Canada. (https://bit.ly/3peZhNv)
The company, which lowered the prices for its products earlier this year, said it would now raise prices by $500 to $2,495 on Bike+ and by $800 to $3,495 on Tread in the United States.
McCarthy, a former Netflix Inc (NFLX.O) executive, said he was aiming to boost Peloton’s software engineering team, terming it as “right investments” to drive growth.
($1 = 1.2782 Canadian dollars)
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Reporting by Nathan Gomes and Kannaki Deka in Bengaluru; Additional reporting by Deborah Sophia; Editing by Krishna Chandra Eluri and Anil D’Silva
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
No “holy cows” on Mercedes F1 car as it ponders 2023 concept revamp
The Brackley-based squad endured another challenging weekend in Baku as both Lewis Hamilton and George Russell battled the excessive porpoising that has blighted it all season.
And while it remains hopeful it can unlock the inherent performance it believes its current W13 has to help it fight Red Bull and Ferrari, Wolff says that wider scale revisions could be on the cards for 2023 if things do not improve soon.
Asked by Motorsport.com if the team was focused only on improving the current car, or was now switching attention to sorting things for next year, Wolff said: “I think we are looking at all possible solutions under the leadership of Mike Elliot.
“He’s a really strong technical director, and there are no holy cows. Everything is being looked at and we will for sure bring the car back on track.
“If things cannot be solved in the short term, because they’re conceptual, then they will be sorted out over the next few months.”
While Mercedes has not maintained recently the level of form it showed with improvements at the Spanish GP, Wolff insists that the team is moving forwards in terms of its understanding of what has gone wrong.
However, he says it still needs to work out exactly what action is needed to take with the W13 to overcome its problems.
That is why it is continuing with the kind of experiments that Hamilton conducted in Baku and which left him exposed to his back taking a beating.
“I think we know what the root cause of our lack of performance is, but we don’t have the answers yet of what the best solution will be,” said Wolff.
“This is what we are experimenting with at the moment. I still think there’s a short term fix that’s making us much more competitive, but it might not explain everything. I’d like to get the car in the right position for the second half of the year and also for next year. The learning is more key than short-term optimisation for the weekend.”
Lewis Hamilton suffered severe back pain in the Baku race.
Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images
Wolff reckons that the strong showing it had at the Spanish Grand Prix shows it can have good performances at smooth tracks with no kerb riding.
That is why he says this weekend’s Canadian GP – at the bumpy Circuit Gilles Villeneuve where drivers have to abuse kerbs – will be a good opportunity to explore its weak areas.
“I think we made a really good step in Barcelona for a circuit that is with a smooth surface,” he said. “So less bumps, we’re fine.
“I think we have a good car and we were able to unlock the performance in the race, but in qualifying we were lacking a bit.
“That’s easy to explain, because we’ve had now two months that we were trying to solve the porpoising and not being able to add baseline performance, and that bites us a bit.
“For us we understand: we understand what’s going on. We understand also what we need to do. And it means, in a way, Montreal is a really good race for us next week because Montreal is bouncy, Montreal it’s high kerb ride. And after Montreal I expect to have a better view.”
Disney’s Epcot needed a revamp. Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy are here to save the day
The company is counting on a group of intergalactic scoundrels to help. “Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind,” a state-of-the-art indoor roller coaster featuring the popular superheroes who debuted in the 2014 film, opened at the Florida theme park on Friday.
It’s not just any everyday attraction. This coaster is key to future-proofing Disney’s Parks business.
Epcot is going through the “biggest transformation in its history,” the company said. Cosmic Rewind — an attraction that reportedly cost $500 million — is the linchpin of that change.
Disney is incorporating a synergy strategy with Marvel, one of the company’s most popular film brands, to bolster a foundational part of its business as it updates one of its geekiest theme parks.
The strategy
Disney’s focus has turned to streaming, with its most recent earnings report focused heavily on Disney+ and its 137.7 million subscribers. But investing in its resorts remains crucial for Disney because it offers the company a deeper connection to consumers that its streaming rivals can’t match.
“Streaming gives Disney everyday presence in its consumers’ lives, but Parks gives Disney head space with those consumers like no recorded media ever can,” Robert Niles, editor of ThemeParkInsider.com, told CNN Business. “A parks or cruise visit becomes a lifelong memory for millions of consumers — something that drives a lifelong affinity for the Disney brand.”
The ride arrives as Disney parks are bouncing back back from a terrible two years. The company’s resorts were hit particularly hard by the pandemic, losing billions of dollars.
But the segment notched $6.6 billion in revenue in this year’s fiscal second quarter — more than double its sales from a year ago.
The company has spent the last few years updating its resorts around the world, often leveraging its popular franchises. These include “Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge” at Disneyland and Disney World in 2019 and Marvel’s Avengers Campus at California Adventure in Anaheim, California in 2021.
Now it’s Epcot’s turn. Enter “Cosmic Rewind.”
The ride
Epcot offers other thrill rides like “Test Track,” but it’s never been considered Disney World’s most thrilling resort. That distinction belongs more to Hollywood Studios, its theme park with rides based on Star Wars and The Twilight Zone.
In fact, the original Epcot wasn’t supposed to be a theme park at all, but rather Walt Disney’s planned futuristic neighborhood known as the “Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow.” Hence the acronym.
Marvel is the biggest name in entertainment, and now Disney is using it to boost its resorts business to attract families who may have found the previous iteration of the park a bit, well, boring.
Disney gave CNN Business a first look at the ride, and “Cosmic Rewind” is anything but boring. The rotating roller coaster matches the fun of the series, whose two movies have made more than $1.6 billion at the global box office.
In fact, it’s less of a ride and more like living in your own Marvel film.
Guests are plunged into a storyline that plays out from the moment they get in line. Once they’re on board, the coaster weaves through a battle between the Guardians and a giant projection of a Celestial space being set to hit songs like Earth, Wind & Fire’s “September,” which matches the film’s disco vibe.
That full immersion is exactly the point, according to Josh D’Amaro, chairman of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products. “We’re looking at next-level storytelling where our guests will be able to step into their favorite stories in all-new ways,” D’Amaro told CNN Business.
“As Walt always said, Epcot should always be in a state of becoming and it has never stayed the same,” he added. “Our objectives are to keep this special park vibrant, alive and still nostalgic, but ready for the future.”
Big league bound: Cardinals call on Gorman, Liberatore to revamp roster after late loss to Mets | St. Louis Cardinals
NEW YORK — The Cardinals wasted no time Thursday sifting through the rubble from an extra-innings loss at Citi Field before putting pieces together to give them a dramatic new look.
The New York Mets had not yet stopped celebrating their 7-6 victory in the 10th inning when the Cardinals management began revamping the roster in the middle of a road trip. The visitors’ clubhouse remained closed to anyone but team officials for 10 minutes, 15 minutes, 26 minutes after the final out — not because of what was being said to the current team after a sour series in Queens, but who was being added to it overnight.
Nolan Gorman and Matthew Liberatore, the Cardinals’ top prospects and friends since their boyhoods in Arizona, will join the club in Pittsburgh for their major-league debuts. Liberatore, a lefty and one of the top pitching prospects in the minors, will start Saturday at PNC Park. Gorman, the game’s leading power prospect with a Triple-A best 15 homers, will take over at second base Friday.
“We have a need,” manager Oliver Marmol said. “So, he’s coming to fill it.”
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And more changes could follow.
For the second consecutive game, a short start and overextended innings left the bullpen exposed and then it shattered. After allowing nine runs in a loss Wednesday, Cardinals relievers misplaced a lead in the fifth and 10th innings. Harrison Bader ran the Cardinals back into the game with a steal in the ninth and scored to tie the game, 5-5, on Paul Goldschmidt’s fourth RBI. In the final swing of his career during a regular-season game in Queens, Albert Pujols extended his major-league record for grounding into double plays, but this one scored Corey Dickerson to give the Cardinals 6-5 lead for closer Giovanny Gallegos to hold. Spoiler: He didn’t.
Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor had barely reached second base as the free runner at the start of the 10th inning when he headed home on Pete Alonso’s third career walk-off homer.
“We’ve got to get deeper in games,” Marmol said of his starters. “The pace of the game wasn’t really pleasant to be honest with you. It was slow. We’ve got to engage our defense a little more, and honestly there will be some reshuffling of that bullpen to see who can get outs.”
The Cardinals had started to prepare for Liberatore’s likely start Saturday since a rainout forced a doubleheader at Citi Field this past Tuesday. While percolating for weeks because of his power show at Class AAA Memphis, the decision to promote Gorman came fast Thursday.
Left fielder Tyler O’Neill experienced soreness in his right shoulder, had difficulty playing catch Thursday morning with coach Willie McGee, and was diagnosed with an impingement in his throwing arm. The Cardinals placed him on the 10-day injured list and sent him back to St. Louis for examination by team doctors. An additional benefit of the time off the active roster will be at-bats in the minors for O’Neill on a rehab assignment.
That left the Cardinals with an opening for a bat.
They’ve acknowledged for weeks the search for a bat.
“Just what we need,” said rookie Juan Yepez, who homered Thursday and paired with Gorman for a thunderous start to the season with the Triple-A Redbirds. “He’s such a great teammate. Great hitter, too. That power lefty. It will be good for us.”
The Cardinals’ 19th overall selection in 2018, Gorman vanquished any concerns about his sluggish spring training with 15 homers, a.308 average, a .677 slugging percentage, and his 1.044 OPS in the first 34 games of Memphis’ season. He had back-to-back three-hit games this week, and he’s been jockeying with Cardinals Class AA outfielder Moises Gomez for the minor-league lead in homers. Gomez surged ahead with 17.
The Cardinals had been hesitant to thrust Gorman, 22, into the majors too early, too swiftly because of his newness at second base and adjustment to the speed of the game for a gold-laced defense. The club has also wanted to see a reduction in his strikeout rate — 50 in his first 133 at-bats this year.
“He’ll be in the lineup. He’s here to play,” Marmol said. “He’s going to get here and he’s going to show what he’s able to do. He’s been working hard minimizing strikeouts. It’s something he’s aware of, we’re aware of. (He’s been working) at it pretty good. Still making a lot of contact and driving the ball.”
Gold Glove-winning second baseman Tommy Edman will slide over to shortstop to make room for Gorman. The Cardinals placed starter Jack Flaherty on the 60-day disabled list clear a spot on the 40-man roster for Gorman.
The roster move for Liberatore will come Saturday, and it could be telling.
The Cardinals lost three of the four games to the Mets this season, and in the final two the starter did not complete the fifth inning. That put quicksand under the bullpen — and the more the relievers kicked and delivered, the more they sank. Thrust into Wednesday’s game early because Jake Walsh did not retire a batter, Nick Wittgren allowed all three runners he inherited to score and snap a tie game. On Wednesday, Wittgren relieved Dakota Hudson in the fifth inning, inherited a run, and then allowed a three-run inning that flipped the game on the Cardinals. Hudson allowed two runs in the first inning, needed 30 pitches to get three out, and pitched with little pep. Marmol remarked that the game’s soporific pace was dull for the defense, too.
“Just got to be quicker, quicker to make adjustments,” Hudson said. “Quicker to get in rhythm.”
The pace and the partial starts rolled down hill like a snowball, gathering gunk and size, and the bullpen could not help but get bowled by it.
The Cardinals’ bullpen allowed 12 runs, five from lefty T.J. McFarland, in the final 8 1/3 innings of the series it pitched. The Mets bullpen allowed six runs total in 16 innings pitched during the series.
“We just have to get in there and McFarland and Wittgren — get your groundball,” Marmol said. “That’s what they’re here for. A little bit of a tough run at it. They need to get back to doing that.”
Liberatore could be a part of that.
The doubleheader Tuesday left the Cardinals rewriting the schedule to keep starters Steven Matz and Miles Mikolas on normal rest. That created a vacancy for Saturday — and an opportunity for the lefty. Liberatore, 22, has a 3.83 ERA in seven starts at Memphis. In three of his past four starts, Liberatore has pitched at least six innings, twice gone seven, and he had back-to-back seven shutout innings in his final two April starts.
If it’s innings the Cardinals want, Liberatore will get a look. If it’s a lefty the Cardinals need, Liberatore has struck out 15 of the 58 left-handed batters he’s faced this season.
The audition is open-ended.
Like Gorman, it will be obvious if he sticks around.
“He’s coming to throw on Saturday and we’ll get a good look at it,” Marmol said. “And just see where we want to go from there.”
Army poised to revamp Alaska forces to prep for Arctic fight
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska (AP) — The U.S. Army is poised to revamp its forces in Alaska to better prepare for future cold-weather conflicts, and it is expected to replace the larger, heavily equipped Stryker Brigade in the state with a more mobile, infantry unit better suited for the frigid fight, according to Army leaders.
Army Secretary Christine Wormuth said she expects to make a final decision soon about the Alaska troop change, saying she will likely convert the Stryker unit, which uses heavy, eight-wheeled vehicles, to an infantry brigade.
“I think right now the purpose of Army forces in Alaska is much more about creating an extreme cold weather capable formation” that could be used in Europe or the Indo-Pacific, Wormuth told The Associated Press on a recent trip to Alaska to meet with senior commanders and troops. “We’re trying to get to a place where we have Arctic capable forces — forces that can survive and operate in that environment.”
The U.S. has long viewed the Arctic as a growing area of competition with Russia and China, particularly as climate change brings warmer temperatures and opens the sea lanes for longer periods of time. But officials have acknowledged that the U.S. lags behind those nations. Russia has taken steps to increase its military presence there, and China views the region as economically valuable for shipping and natural resources.
The changes in the Army were under consideration well before U.S. tensions with Russia soared following its invasion of Ukraine.
Under the new Army plan, the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, now based in Alaska, would be converted to a light infantry brigade. Combined with the division’s 4th Infantry Brigade Combat team, the two units will become the 11th Airborne Division, based in Alaska. And the large Stryker vehicles, which are somewhat old, would be replaced by other vehicles that are more suitable for the icy and snowy terrain, Wormuth said.
The greater focus on cold-weather war includes a move to conduct major training exercises for the Alaska-based troops in their home state, under the weather conditions they would face in an Arctic fight. The troops had been scheduled to go to the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk, Louisiana, in March, but Army leaders decided to keep them in Alaska so they could train under the frigid temperatures and frozen terrain that they would encounter in any cold-weather battle.
“I think it really makes sense to have forces trained in the Arctic environments that they would be used for,” Wormuth said after spending two days at the still snowy base. “If we’re going to have ground forces in Alaska, that’s what we need them to be able to do. They can’t get that experience going to the Mojave Desert or to Fort Polk.”
Last year, in an initial trial event, Pacific-based forces stayed in Hawaii for their scheduled exercises at the National Training Center in California’s Mohave Desert. Commanders said they have learned from these first two moves, as they try to recreate conditions and relocate personnel and equipment from well-established training centers to more remote locations.
During her visit to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Wormuth met with commanders who called the training shift a success. Maj. Gen. Brian Eifler, commander of U.S. Army Alaska, said the benefits outweighed any shortfalls created by the need to build the infrastructure for the training exercise in the remote north.
“You’re getting the best of both worlds, without losing too much,” Eifler said. “We did get a lot more out of it than we thought we would.”
Eifler said that while they didn’t have as many training observers or civilian role players as they would have at one of the training centers, the trainers that did come were able to learn more about Arctic weather operations.
In addition, Eifler said, the change avoided the costly and time-consuming shipment of vehicles, weapons and other equipment to Louisiana and back. The lengthy packing and shipping process before and after a training exercise in Louisiana or California often forces troops to be without their weapons systems and other equipment for weeks.
During briefings at the Alaska base, commanders said the training included large-scale combat operations under extreme weather conditions in what they called the “most challenging environment on earth.” They said that 10,000 troops — including Canadian Army and Air forces — were involved in the exercise.
But they said the exercise also underscored the need for better cold-weather vehicles, including those capable of carrying Arctic infantry forces.
Gen. Joseph Martin, the vice chief of the Army who was in Alaska this year, said the service has been studying what would be the best type of vehicle for the troops. “Is the Stryker the right vehicle for an Arctic warrior? In the winter, you need vehicles that can move across snow,” he said.
In addition, he said, the vehicle also needs to be able to operate in the spring or summer thaw, when the ground turns to mud.
As Wormuth wrapped up her visit, she suggested that the decision on the Stryker Brigade is moving forward soon. Any final decision would need approval from Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.
“If you’re going to do big movements of equipment and things like that, the summer is a pretty important window because it’s a lot easier to move vehicles around than doing it in the dead of winter,” she said.
And in conversations with congressional lawmakers, including during a hearing this week, she made clear that the change would not reduce the number of soldiers in Alaska. Instead, she said that while the infantry brigade will be smaller, the Army would offset that loss by increasing the size and capabilities of the headquarters.
More broadly, she talked with commanders in Alaska about the potential need for more changes as the U.S. military’s Arctic strategy evolves.
The U.S., Wormuth said, has resisted moves to militarize the Arctic, even as Russia has expanded its military presence and basing there. But, she said, “will that mindset continue given what the Russians are doing in Ukraine? Or will that get revisited? Will that create a window to think about things differently?”
Commanders said there are questions about whether one of the Pentagon’s combatant commands — such as European Command or Northern Command, based in Colorado — should take full ownership of the Arctic and the U.S. military role there. Wormuth said the issue needs further discussion, and any decision may be years away.
Citi to exit Mexican consumer business as part of strategy revamp
A Citibank sign is seen outside of a bank outlet in New York March 4, 2009. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson/File Photo
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NEW YORK, Jan 11 (Reuters) – Citigroup Inc (C.N) will exit its Citibanamex consumer banking business in Mexico, the bank said on Tuesday ending its 20-year retail presence in the country that was the last of its overseas consumer businesses.
Citigroup’s decision to sell or spin off Citibanamex, Mexico’s third biggest bank by assets as of June, is part of chief executive Jane Fraser’s strategy to bring Citigroup’s profitability and share price performance in line with its peers.
After taking up the top job last year, Fraser pledged to simplify Citigroup by exiting non-core businesses, including consumer franchises in 13 markets in Asia, Europe, the Middle East and Africa. While Citigroup’s Mexican exit was not part of the announced plan it is consistent with that “strategy refresh,” Fraser said on Tuesday.
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Citigroup will retain its institutional client business in Mexico, as it has in other overseas markets. It will focus its consumer banking business on a targeted U.S. retail presence, global wealth management, and payments and lending, it said.
The bank’s acquisition of Banamex for $12.5 billion in 2001 was the largest ever in Mexico at the time and came amid a wave of foreign purchases after an economic crisis devastated the country’s banking sector in the mid-1990s.
Mexican billionaire Ricardo Salinas Pliego, who is ranked as the country’s third-richest man with a family fortune estimated in excess of $15 billion by Forbes, said he was analyzing if it was possible to acquire Citibanamex.
Other possible buyers for Citibanamex could come from Canada, where the big six banks have excess cash to spend on deals. Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS.TO) already has a sizable Mexico business. read more
The local arms of Banco Santander (SAN.MC) and BBVA (BBVA.MC) would also have the cash, while Mexican institutions Banorte and Inbursa could use an acquisition of Citi’s operations to challenge this duo.
An industry laggard hobbled by creaky technology and poor risk-management controls, Citigroup’s seeming inability to fix its operational issues and boost its share price has frustrated shareholders. “Investor exhaustion” plagues the bank, Odeon Capital analyst Dick Bove said last month.
Fraser’s revamp amounts to the biggest overhaul for Citigroup since it was forced to unload assets following the 2007-2009 financial crisis. To date the bank has taken $2 billion in charges exiting Asian markets. read more
Before becoming CEO, Fraser was responsible for the Mexico business and for Citigroup’s global consumer bank. In that role she worked to build on investments the bank made to refurbish the Mexico consumer business which had been known as Banamex.
By disposing of the Mexico consumer businesses, “we’ll be able to direct our resources to opportunities aligned with our core strengths and competitive advantages,” Fraser said in a statement, adding Mexico remains “a priority market” for Citigroup’s institutional businesses.
“We expect Mexico to be a major recipient of global investment and trade flows in the years ahead, and we are confident about the country’s trajectory,” she said.
MERGER BINGE
Citigroup’s acquisition of Banamex was one of several led by Sandy Weill, CEO from 1998-2003, who built the bank into a U.S. giant and, some analysts believe, set it up for its problems.
Institutional investors and analysts, such as Mike Mayo of Wells Fargo, have long called for Citigroup to give up Citibanamex which they saw as drag on its investment returns.
Fraser’s predecessor as CEO, Mike Corbat, had invested more in Citibanamex even after it suffered loan losses in a massive fraud involving a supplier to Mexico’s state oil company.
Citigroup shares rose as much as 1% in after-market trading.
The bank did not estimate the cost of exiting the business or what it might receive in a sale. The business currently uses about $4 billion of tangible common equity.
The Mexico consumer businesses provided about $3.5 billion in revenue in the first three quarters of 2021 and $1.2 billion in pre-tax earnings, Citigroup said. They include $44 billion of Citigroup’s $2.36 trillion of total assets.
Citigroup said the timing of the exit is subject to regulatory approvals in the United States and Mexico.
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Additional reporting by David French and Noel Randewich; Editing by Howard Goller, Aurora Ellis and Muralikumar Anantharaman
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
As Apple prepares to revamp the MacBook Pro, this coming week also marks the 30th anniversary of the original PowerBook
Apple is hosting a major Mac event on Monday morning where they are widely expected to unveil a completely redesigned MacBook Pro. Power users have been waiting for Apple to revamp the MacBook Pro since they introduced the 2016 model with the much disliked Touch Bar and notoriously bad butterfly keyboard. But this coming week also marks a special anniversary for Apple notebooks. As pointed out by Steven Sinofsky, this Thursday is the 30th anniversary of the introduction of the original PowerBook.
The first PowerBook
In October of 1991, Apple revolutionized computing with what was really the first modern laptop computer. It was the first machine to push the keyboard up to the top and introduced the palm rest with track ball. The machine was introduced as the PowerBook 100 series at the COMDEX trade show in Las Vegas. In fact, there’s even a recording of the introduction that you can watch below.
Apple launched three machines at the show: The PowerBook 100, the PowerBook 140, and the PowerBook 170. All three computers had TFT active matrix displays and broke the Snow White design language mold with a grey plastic exterior rather than a light beige one.
The PowerBook was an immensely popular product line for Apple, even in the 1990s when the company began to falter ahead of Steve’s return. The PowerBook family was one of the few product lines that Steve didn’t axe when he came back to Apple in 1997. Up until the 2006 introduction of the MacBook Pro, Apple continued to release new PowerBooks with improved processors and gorgeous radical designs. Fun fact: my favorite Mac notebook ever made is the 2003 12″ PowerBook G4.
PowerBook, meet MacBook Pro
Apple discontinued the PowerBook family in 2006 when they began the transition to Intel processors. The first MacBook Pro looked almost identical to the PowerBook G4 it replaced, aside from the built-in iSight camera and revised port selection.
In 2016, Apple was expected to introduce the first major upgrade to the MacBook Pro since it introduced the unibody enclosure in the 2008 revamp. During that event, Tim Cook reminisced about the original PowerBook series and the product introduction video for the 2016 MacBook Pro even started with the PowerBook 100. Apple recognizes that the PowerBook was the very first real consumer notebook, despite it being from a very different era in the company’s history.
So this leads us to today. Apple picked this week to introduce the new MacBook Pros for a reason. It’s likely no coincidence that the all-new MacBook Pros that have been rumored for years and have a lot riding on them are going to be unveiled around the 30th anniversary of its earliest predecessor.
This gives me hope that Apple really will live up to the challenge and recognizes the significance of this moment. Apple Silicon is changing everything and it’s made Apple’s other product lines better than they’ve ever been. Just like in 2006 when Steve walked out on stage and killed the last PowerBook explaining that they couldn’t shoehorn a G5 into it, I fully expect John Ternus to make the same argument on Monday morning when he inevitably introduces the revamped MacBook Pro.
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