If the population continues to grow, we could hit 9.7 billion people by 2050. The world's population continues to balloon. From October 2011 to mid-2015 alone, the planet gained some 300 million people, and the United Nations (U.N.) projects that the population will reach 9.7 billion people by 2050. This growth shows no sign of slowing, but the potential effects of overpopulation are disastrous. More and more people means fewer and fewer resources, which would create plenty of economic and health crises . Keep reading to learn about what could happen to the planet if the U.N.'s projection turns out to be true. And for more views of the future, learn the 30 Craziest Predictions About the Future Experts Say Are Going to Happen. 1. Increased rates of respiratory disease The increase in air pollution that a larger population would inevitably cause could eventually lead to a rise in respiratory disease and asthma. One 2014 analysis published in The Lancet journal found that, in general, exposure to pollution  can contribute to new-onset asthma in both children and adults  and  increase the risk of exacerbations of asthma symptoms.  2. More lung and bladder cancer Air pollution doesn't just cause asthma. Rather, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) recently classified outdoor air pollution as a cancer-causing agent after conclusively linking it to both lung cancer and bladder cancer. And for more on cancer-causing agents, check out these 20 Surprising Habits That Increase Your Cancer Risk . 3. And more skin cancer As air pollution worsens due to a rapidly growing population, it will also cause a depletion in the ozone layer. And, as Dr. Jayakanth M.J., a consultant at the Apollo Clinic in India, explains , increased pollution depletes the ozone layer, which in turn means that it will  no longer protect us from the harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays of the sun causing skin problems such as skin cancers and premature aging of the skin.  And for more on this disease, don t miss the 20 Habits That Increase Your Risk of Skin Cancer . 4. Proliferation of infectious diseases Viruses spread more easily when people are confined in close quarters. In fact, according to the World Health Organization (WHO),  inadequate shelter and overcrowding are major factors in the transmission of diseases with epidemic potential.  Should the population continue to grow at an alarming rate, needless to say that people are going to find themselves with much less personal space and at a much higher risk of contracting deadly diseases like meningitis, typhus, cholera, and more. 5. Overwhelmed and overcrowded hospitals As we've seen after several natural disasters, the combination of too many people and not enough medical resources can create a dangerous situation. WHO notes that when suffering from overcrowding, "public structures such as health facilities not only represent a concentrated area of patients but also a concentrated area of germs." In other words, a larger population could mean both delayed treatment for those who need it and the further spread of diseases. And if you want to avoid the hospital, check out these 30 Smart Ways to Avoid Getting Sick When You Travel . 6. Higher rates of HIV/AIDS Public policy organization Population Action International writes that "there is frequently overlap among countries with youthful populations, high rates of HIV prevalence, and low access to family planning." In Swaziland, for instance, 69,000 children have been orphaned by AIDS, and the country has "been heavily affected by AIDS-related deaths among working-age adults." Given what scientists have observed in modern societies, an increase in population size combined with a shortage of medical care and supplies could easily cause another HIV/AIDS epidemic. 7. More natural disasters What do overpopulation and natural disasters have to do with each other? Quite a lot, apparently. The more carbon dioxide there is in the environment, the more likely there are to be major natural disasters like hurricanes. In the book Environmental Issues Surrounding Human Overpopulation , researchers note that in India, "overpopulation is making the country prone to natural disasters" like tsunamis. 8. Exacerbated climate change Though global climate change is already getting alarmingly worse by the minute, increasing the number of people on the planet will only intensify the problem. One 2009 study published in the journal Global Environmental Change analyzed the environmental impact of having children and found that in the United States, each child that a person has adds about 9,441 metric tons of carbon dioxide to their legacy. (That's 5.7 times more than the average parent's lifetime emissions of 1,644 metric tons.) 9. Mass plant and animal extinction If and when overstuffed cities expand to accommodate additional people, many will be forced to overflow into areas that had previously been untouched. The problem? According to the National Wildlife Federation , this expansion is estimated to result in the extinction of up to one-third of the world s plant and animal species . 10. Deforestation As Swarthmore College Environmental Studies researcher Max Katz-Balmes explains,  overpopulation affects deforestation on a truly global scale, even in relatively uninhabited regions.  According to Katz-Balmes,  a clear correlation exists between extremely low population density and maintenance of forests.  In other words, the larger the population grows, the worse deforestation will become. And if you want to get a head start on helping the environment, check out these 30 Easy Ways to Make Your Home More Eco-Friendly . 11. Miserable morning commutes Of course, horrible traffic would be one of the more immediate results of too many people. While infrastructure improvements would eventually help alleviate some congestion, the sheer numbers of cars filling the freeways and roads would mean that getting places would take much longer. If you live in a metropolitan area like New York or Los Angeles, then it's probably hard to imagine traffic getting any worse, but believe us when we say that it's possible. And to make the most of your Monday-Friday slog, learn the Ways to Make Your Commute the Best Part of Your Day . 12. Overcrowded public transportation Don't think that your commute will be a breeze in 30 years just because you take the Metro to work. A growing population would also put enormous pressure on subways, buses, and other modes of public transportation. Major cities from New York City to Melbourne already struggle to keep up with their patrons, and this would only get worse should population predictions come true. 13. Skyrocketing food prices The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) projects that food production must increase 70 percent by 2050 to keep pace with growing demand but if the world population is already struggling to feed itself, then it's unlikely that it'll be able to stay satiated in some 30 years. If production can't support the growing number of people, overpopulation could potentially result in increased food prices. 14. Food shortages High food prices, frankly, are a good-case scenario. Worst-case scenario is a lack of a food entirely. According to public health resource MPH Online , one in eight people around the world suffered from hunger or undernourishment between 2010 and 2012. This is felt especially in overpopulated parts of the world where demand far outpaces the supply of food and it will only worsen as the population grows. 15. Overfishing When the population grows, it will need something to sustain it namely, protein-rich foods like fish. But, as Dermot O Gorman, the CEO of World Wildlife Fund Australia, writes ,  within 15 years, an additional 115,000 tons of fish will be needed across the Pacific to provide communities with the livelihoods and protein they require.  16. Overgrazing The need to produce more food for a bigger population would put pressure on local and commercial farms, too. This could lead to intensive consumption of plants by livestock, otherwise known as overgrazing . The lack of rotation of grazing animals combined with their overconsumption of the natural resources would degrade the soil and lead to a range of other environmental issues. 17. Increased agricultural runoff A push for more food and therefore, more farming would inevitably lead to an increase in agricultural runoff. This, in turn, would pollute the world's water supplies with things like "sediment, nutrients, pathogens, pesticides, metals, and salts," according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). And the last thing this planet needs is to pollute the freshwater it does have. 18. Severely polluted bodies of water A larger population would threaten the viability of the world's water supplies. As one 2017 article published in the journal Sustainability notes, "human activities pose a significant threat to the water quality of rivers when pollution exceeds the threshold limit," particularly in urban areas that tend to grow at a much more rapid pace. 19. Water scarcity Though an overwhelming majority of the planet is water, only a limited amount of that water is actually fresh water that can be consumed. What's more, the population at its current size is already facing issues related to water scarcity: According to the World Wildlife Fund , approximately 1.1 billion people currently lack access to water, and 2.7 billion people have a limited amount of water available to them for at least one month of the year. And to understand why this is so pivotal, check out: This Is What Happens to Your Body When You Don't Drink Enough Water . 20. Desertification When dry land is overused for cultivation or other purposes, it eventually leads to desertification. According to the International Fund for Agricultural Development , desertification threatens the livelihoods of some 1.2 billion people across 110 countries a number that is only likely to increase as the population grows. 21. Higher unemployment rates An unsustainable number of people has the potential to lead to fewer opportunities in the workforce. This leads to what one paper published in the Asian Forum Newsletter refers to as  an imbalance between the supply of labor and the demand for it,  one that can  [give] rise to unemployment and underemployment.  And if you re currently unemployed, make sure you know How to Ace Every Common Job Interview Question . 22. Decreased economic growth With more people out of work, the economy will inevitably take a turn for the worse. The same paper published in the Asian Forum Newsletter noted that higher unemployment rates have been found to lead to "low savings and investments… low economic growth and a low standard of living." 23. Depleted government funds "Even among developed countries, increasing population growth would demand increased expenditures on basic infrastructure, leading to unproductive capital widening at the expensive of capital deepening," notes one paper published in the journal Ecology and Society . In other words, overpopulation would force governments to spread themselves thin in a way that doesn't lead to any increased output or productivity. 24. Fewer nonrenewable resources Nonrenewable resources are called such because they cannot be easily replaced by natural means. These include things like gas, oil, and coal. And while we have access to nonrenewable resources now, MPH Online notes that our supplies will run out in 35 years even sooner if the population continues to grow as rapidly as it currently is. 25. More war The strain overpopulation puts on resources and opportunities can lead to tension between nations and communities tension that has the potential to start wars. Looking at the conflicts of Angola and Sudan, Population Institute president Lawrence Smith noted that while overpopulation "is not the exclusive factor [for a lack of stability] … it is such an important one that it is probably the key factor." And for more on the future of the planet, check out How Climate Change Affects Your Health Now and in the Coming Years .


As Philly faces record-breaking high temperatures this summer, city officials have unveiled a program to combat the heat. The Heat Relief Plan , which Mayor Jim Kenney debuted Wednesday, is informed by a 2018 Beat the Heat pilot program in Hunting Park. Over the course of last summer, officials collaborated with Hunting Park residents and community groups to see how people in the area cope with the heat, what tools they use to stay cool, how the city could help make the neighborhood cooler, and how best to inform residents about heat relief. The community expressed desires to see more trees planted in the area, cooling centers, gardens, and green roofs. Hunting Park residents also expressed just how serious a problem high heat is in their community. Though 84 percent of community members surveyed said they had air conditioning in their home, 77 percent still said they were too hot inside their homes. "Though not always obvious, surface temperature varies throughout the city. The hottest neighborhoods tend to be predominantly low income Black and Latinx communities. Extreme heat is not just an environmental issue, but it is an issue of equity and social justice as well," Kenney said in a statement on the findings from the pilot program. With resident feedback, officials divided the Heat Relief Plan into three main sections: staying cool inside, staying cool outside, and more gardening and tree planting. Moving forward, the city plans to undertake several projects, including green stormwater infrastructure, tree plantings, and launching a Hunting Park Heat Relief network. The 50-page plan includes recommendations for helping residents stay cool at home, like increasing access to air conditioning, and creating a pilot program for checking in on vulnerable residents during a heatwave. Suggestions for helping residents stay cool in public include more covered bus shelters and community cooling events (where people can access shade and water). Finally, greening suggestions include planting trees on the hottest city blocks and creating more gardens in vacant lots. It also comes with a 10-step heat relief toolkit so communities can undertake cooling efforts themselves.


DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.   Officials say a mother with five young children has been arrested after officers discovered the family in a filthy, "unlivable" home where roaches crawled on a sleeping child. The Daytona Beach News-Journal (http://bit.ly/1Al7BP2 ) reports that 33-year-old Brandy Azad was charged with five counts of child neglect after officers found her house infested with roaches and her children unattended Monday night. Azad told police two of her children are autistic and one has Down syndrome. When officers arrived at Azad's rental house, they found two children under 5 roaming the neighborhood. Azad told officers she was sick and the father of one child was supposed to be watching the kids. It wasn't known whether Azad had a lawyer who could be contacted for comment. It also was unclear who was caring for the children. ___ Information from: Daytona Beach (Fla.) News-Journal, http://www.news-journalonline.com


Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos is once again in the headlines - but this time it's not with regards to a dodgy tackle or transfer request. The Spaniard broke the record for the most international victories following Spain's 4-1 win over the Faroe Islands in La Roja's Euro 2020 qualifier. Ramos , who netted in the win, has now won 122 games in the red of Spain, eclipsing the record held by former Real Madrid teammate Iker Casillas, whose own record had stood for over eight years. The 33-year-old will look to add to his tally of victories in the coming weeks as Spain ramp up their efforts to reach the European Championship next year. The centre-back will expect to feature in Spain's remaining qualifiers as well as at the 2020 tournament so could set a pretty high mark for any prospective challengers to reach. The top five is dominated by the Spanish, with veterans Xavi and Andres Iniesta coming in third and fourth respectively. The only player who is still active and is in with a chance of reaching Ramos' current record is Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo, who himself is 34-years-old and is on 92 wins. 1⃣2⃣2⃣ @SergioRamos overtakes Iker Casillas as the player with most wins in the history of international football  pic.twitter.com/N7qwZOQBxt   B/R Football (@brfootball) June 7, 2019 The next challenge Ramos could aim for is the duration of service to the national side, another record currently held by Casillas, whose La Roja career ended just two days short of 16 years. Ramos made his international debut at 18 so could easily break this record in the next year or so, an impressive feat for any player. He could also become Spain's record appearance holder in September if he plays in La Roja's next four games, overtaking Casillas's record of 167, another outstanding achievement for the player.


Video by NASCAR No one could catch Joey Logano at Michigan on Monday. The defending Cup Series champion led 163 of 203 laps from the pole and pulled away from Martin Truex Jr. and Kurt Busch on the race's final restart for a convincing win. Erik Jones' flat tire set up a two-lap dash to the finish that put Logano's win in jeopardy. He was only passed by other drivers in the laps after restarts. But he accelerated away from Truex right away and kept Busch at bay over the final lap. Truex thought Logano sprinted away from him a little too early ahead of the final green flag. "Then the 22 just went like a whole car length before the restart zone, so I don't know how you get away with that," Truex said. "I thought you were supposed to go in the box." It's worth noting that Truex and Logano aren't exactly on the best terms. Logano roughed up Truex for the win at Martinsville in the fall and passed Truex for the race win and the championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway. But it's also worth nothing that restart gamesmanship is of the utmost importance in the current state of NASCAR. With cars closer together than ever and defending positions on restarts more important than ever , drivers do whatever they can to make sure they have advantages on restarts. And that means going as early as you can get away with on restarts. The win is Logano's second of the season and means that Joe Gibbs Racing and Team Penske have combined to win 14 of the 2019 season's 15 races so far. Kyle Busch, the driver who has won four races so far this season, was fifth after falling from fourth on the final restart. Daniel Suarez finished fourth while Brad Keselowski, Kevin Harvick, Ryan Newman, Ryan Blaney and Alex Bowman rounded out the top 10 after the 2015 champion. The race was run at 5 p.m. ET on Monday after rain postponed the race on Sunday and a poor early-Monday forecast allegedly pushed the race back to the early evening. But it's also (very likely) about the TV windows that Fox had available. The network is broadcasting the Women's World Cup and had a regularly-scheduled game that started at 3 p.m. ET. Putting the NASCAR race right after that Canada-Cameroon game was a logical fit, especially when there were two other soccer games that preceded it earlier in the day. Results 1, Joey Logano 2. Kurt Busch 3. Martin Truex Jr. 4. Daniel Suarez 5. Kyle Busch 6. Brad Keselowski 7. Kevin Harvick 8. Ryan Newman 9. Ryan Blaney 10. Alex Bowman 11. Denny Hamlin 12. Daniel Hemric 13. Paul Menard 14. Kyle Larson 15. Jimmie Johnson 16. Chris Buescher 17. Aric Almirola 18. William Byron 19. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 20. Chase Elliott 21. Matt DiBenedetto 22. Ty Dillon 23. Corey LaJoie 24. Matt Tifft 25. Ryan Preece 26. Austin Dillon 27. Michael McDowell 28. Bubba Wallace 29. Landon Cassill 30. Garrett Smithley 31. Erik Jones 32. Quin Houff 33. Josh Bilicki 34. David Ragan 35. Clint Bowyer 36. Kyle Weatherman Points standings 1. Joey Logano, 614 points (2 wins) 2. Kyle Busch, 605 (4) 3. Brad Keselowski, 541 (3) 4. Kevin Harvick, 539 5. Chase Elliott, 531 (1) 6. Martin Truex Jr., 499 (3) 7. Denny Hamlin, 491 (2) 8. Kurt Busch, 485 9. Ryan Blaney, 434 10. Alex Bowman, 433 11. Aric Almirola, 426 12. Clint Bowyer, 404 13. Daniel Suarez, 401 14. William Byron, 383 15. Kyle Larson, 369 16. Jimmie Johnson, 364 17. Ryan Newman, 361 18. Erik Jones, 357 19. Paul Menard, 336 20. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 326               Nick Bromberg is a writer for Yahoo Sports. More from Yahoo Sports: Report: Ortiz flying to Boston after shooting caused organ damage How USWNT legend Abby Wambach found her voice again Spurs great Tony Parker announces retirement USWNT players respond to Hope Solo's criticism


Have you ever thought about cutting out booze? Quitting Drinking: 7 Incredible Changes Your Body Goes Through When You Cut Out Alcohol Many of us love having a glass of wine at the end of the day, having a cold beer on a hot day or going out for a drink with our best friends. Grabbing a drink once in a while is fun it can even be healthy for you! Drinking a glass of red wine from time to time can promote heart health, fight certain cancers, strengthen your bones and more. Unfortunately, it's pretty easy to go from one glass of wine to two ... to most of a bottle. Many of us have had those nights where we probably could have gone with one fewer drink, but after our hangovers are gone, we forget about it. After a hangover is over, though, alcohol still affects us. Did you know that cutting alcohol out of your diet completely can have huge health benefits? Read on to find out all the benefits you might experience when you quit drinking! Benefit No. 1: You'll Sleep Better One of the many benefits you'll notice when you quit drinking is better sleep. According to a study in Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research , alcohol disrupts sleep, which can lead to tossing and turning, waking up in the night and being sleepy during the day. Quitting drinking can lead to having a better night's sleep, and waking up feeling more refreshed and ready to take on the day. Benefit No. 2: Your Risk for Cancer Decreases Many people know that drinking a lot of alcohol can have negative effects on the liver, but it can also negatively affect many other organs. According to the National Cancer Institute , alcohol consumption has been linked to breast cancer, head and neck cancer, liver cancer, esophageal cancer and colorectal cancer. Luckily, you can reduce your risk of getting these types of cancer by drinking less alcohol or cutting it out of your diet completely. Benefit No. 3: You'll Save Money This might seem obvious, but when you stop drinking, you'll save tons of money. Instead of buying a $12 bottle of wine at the store, you can choose a $2 bottle of water, soda or juice. At a bar, an alcoholic drink could run you $8 or much more, while a soda water will only cost a dollar or two. It may not seem like a lot at first, but it all adds up. You could quickly have a few hundred dollars saved up just from drinking less! Benefit No. 4: You'll Eat Less A study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition explains that alcohol affects dietary intake. What this means is that even moderate drinkers ate more (or ate more poorly) while they were drinking. Cutting out alcohol can help you eat a healthier diet, and help you consume less while you're at a meal. Benefit No. 5: You'll Lose Weight Since people tend to eat less (and more healthily) on days when they don't drink, quitting drinking can help you lose weight! Also, when you cut alcohol out of your diet, you cut out all those unnecessary calories. Some drinks have as many calories as entire meals! According to MyFitnessPal , a frozen margarita may have as many as 300 calories and 23 grams of sugar. Benefit No. 6: Your Skin Will Clear Up Vogue reports that alcohol can do serious damage to your skin, as it causes both dehydration and inflammation. Giving up alcohol will not only make your skin feel more hydrated, it will also give you a more even complexion and reduce the looks of redness and broken blood vessels. Even better, your skin may age more slowly! Benefit No. 7: You'll Reduce Acid Reflux According to the US National Library of Medicine , alcohol consumption may be a risk factor for gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD. NPR explains that alcohol relaxes the muscle between the stomach and esophagus, allowing stomach acid to come back up. Getting Through the First Few Days During the first few days of quitting alcohol, you may experience some symptoms of withdrawal, including tremors, insomnia, anxiety, depression, sweating and more. After about a week, you'll notice some of the first positive benefits, like weight loss, better skin and a healthier body. If you've ever considered cutting out alcohol, please SHARE this article with your friends and family! If you are seeking more information about alcohol addiction and recovery, learn more at American Addiction Centers . This post originally appeared on LittleThings .


His report is done, but Robert Mueller's work will live on for a while longer. Over the course of its sprawling 22-month investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, the special counsel's team referred 14 criminal cases to other offices, Mueller's 448-page report revealed. Only two of those referrals   one involving former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen, the other former Obama White House counsel Gregory Craig   are public at this point. "During the course of the investigation, the Office periodically identified evidence of potential criminal activity that was outside the scope of the Special Counsel's jurisdiction," the report says. "After consultation with the Office of the Deputy Attorney General, the Office referred that evidence to appropriate law enforcement authorities, principally other components of the Department of Justice and the FBI." Mueller had been tasked by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein with investigating "any links and/or coordination between the Russian government and individuals associated with the campaign of President Donald Trump" and "any matters that arose or may arise directly from the investigation." Information on the mystery referrals was redacted for potential "harm to (an) ongoing matter," the report said. Cohen, the report notes, was referred to the Southern District of New York after Mueller's team found evidence of potential wire fraud. He pleaded guilty to tax evasion, bank fraud and campaign finance violations, as well as to lying to Congress about a proposed Trump Tower project in Moscow, and has been sentenced to three years in prison. Mueller's team also referred Craig to the New York office for allegedly making false statements to the Justice Department about work he performed for Ukraine in 2012. He's pleaded not guilty.


JULY 22: The Rockets have made it official with Green over three weeks after agreeing to terms, announcing today ( via Twitter ) that the swingman has officially re-signed with the club. JUNE 30: The Rockets will re-sign free agent Gerald Green on a one-year deal, his agent, James Dunleavy, told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski ( Twitter link ). Green, 33, has spent the last two seasons with the Rockets. In 2018-19, he averaged 9.2 PPG and 2.5 RPG in 73 games (20.2 MPG), with a shooting line of .400/.354/.838. Of his 578 shot attempts, 441 came from beyond the arc. While terms of Green's deal aren't yet known, he played on a minimum-salary deal last season, so another one looks like a strong possibility. Because he's re-signing with his current team on a one-year contract, Green will have the ability to veto any trade that involves him during the 2019-20 league year. If he approves a trade, he would lose his Bird rights for 2020. Luke Adams contributed to this post.


The San Antonio Spurs delivered one of the delightful shocks of the offseason Monday by announcing that they had hired franchise legend Tim Duncan as an assistant on Gregg Popovich's coaching staff . As it turns out, Duncan might not have been their first choice. According to a report in the newsletter of The New York Times' Marc Stein , the Spurs initially had another Spurs great in mind to join Popovich on the bench: The assistant coaching concept, I'm told, was also broached with Ginobili, who has only been retired for one season and was apparently not quite ready to dive back in. But then Duncan volunteered   and happily took second billing to Will Hardy in the Spurs' official news release bearing this predictably saucy headline: "Spurs Announce Assistant Coach Updates." Ginobili is just a year removed from his retirement after a year in which he won four rings, two All-Star nods and a Sixth Man of the Year award, all with the Spurs. Just like with Duncan, Ginobili's basketball IQ, demeanor and experience with Popovich seem like they would form a perfect fit for the Spurs coaching staff. However, it's understandable for the Argentinean to want to take more than just one season off after playing competitive basketball every year of his life since he was a child. And who knows, Ginobili could still join the staff at some point in the future if he gets the itch to return to the NBA like Duncan did. Maybe Tony Parker could even join him and make a Spurs Big Three reunion. More from Yahoo Sports: Equal pay bill backing USWNT introduced in House Report: Sanchez walking away from NFL for ESPN job Zion joins USA players withdrawing from FIBA World Cup 'Jeopardy' star calls Browns 'single worst' Super Bowl bet


After two transgender women were killed in Dallas in the past month, a meeting Monday night between the Fort Worth Police Department and LGBTQ groups in Fort Worth was both timely and needed, attendees and community leaders said. Muhlaysia Booker , a black transgender woman, was killed in Dallas on May 18. After a second black transgender woman, Chynal Lindsey, was found dead in a lake, some Fort Worth members of the LGBTQ community were afraid they were the next target. About 60 people went to a transgender group's meeting last week, and many of them were scared, said Finnigan Jones, executive director of Trans-Cendence International , at Monday night's meeting. "That entire day, I had taken calls from community members, particularly some of our senior citizen transgender women, who were afraid to walk their dog. They were afraid to just go to the grocery store and get toilet paper," he said. "And that is the fear that is happening in the community." About three weeks ago, Fort Worth's interim police chief, Ed Kraus, asked Felipe Gutierrez to help him reach out to the LGBTQ community in Fort Worth in response to the killings in Dallas. Gutierrez, Director Development and Engagement for One Safe Place , helped coordinate Monday's meeting, where about 40 officers, community members and local groups talked about fears in the community, how Fort Worth police can help and how people can defend themselves. Jones asked Kraus and the police department to help set up self-defense training for the LGBTQ community in Fort Worth, particularly for transgender women. He also said some women want help learning how to conceal and carry guns. "They are just scared because they are transgender women. They feel that transgender women are being targeted," he said. Naomi Green, a black transgender woman, said she has felt that fear herself and called the murder of trans women in the U.S. "a state of crisis." As the intervention specialist at the nonprofit Abounding Prosperity , Green said Fort Worth has the opportunity to show the U.S. the benefits of the LGBTQ community and police working together. "We are being killed at alarmingly high numbers," she said about transgender women. "Right now in Dallas and Fort Worth, we have the opportunity to be the face of change." In 2018, at least 28 transgender people were killed in the U.S., according to data gathered by CNN . All but one of the victims were transgender women, and all but one were people of color. The meeting also comes a week after the 10-year anniversary of the Rainbow Lounge raid , in which a "bar check" by Fort Worth police and Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission agents resulted in injuries to two patrons, several arrests and citywide protests. Fort Worth officers and LGBTQ leaders at the meeting said they have seen a shift in LGBTQ acceptance in Fort Worth since the raid. In 2000, Fort Worth was the first city in Texas to protect people from discrimination based on their sexual orientation. In 2009, the law was updated to include the same protection for transgender people. Kraus said sensitivity training in the department and more interaction with the gay community has spurred positive change. Finnigan said he tells group members who are fearful of law enforcement that Fort Worth police are on their side. Fort Worth police are far ahead of Dallas law enforcement when it comes to LGBTQ protections, another panelist, Rafael McDonnell with Dallas' Resource Center, said at the meeting. "Fort Worth is doing right; Dallas needs to catch up," he said. Still, leaders said they are working to provide more protections for the LGBTQ community in DFW. "It was encouraging to hear some of the positive things that were said about the Fort Worth Police Department," Kraus said at the end of the meeting. "I wasn't sure exactly what the feeling was, and it encourages me. But I know we have some improvements we can make, and that's what we'll strive to do."     ©2019 the Fort Worth Star-Telegram Visit the Fort Worth Star-Telegram at www.star-telegram.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.


The U.S. housing market can seem highly competitive and saturated with unaffordable homes - especially for homebuyers looking to close on a house for the first time. According to Zillow, first-time homebuyers account for 46% of all homebuyers and are more likely than veteran homebuyers to go over their budgets. But not every market is filled with competitive prices and low inventory. There are many markets - such as Tampa, Florida and Las Vegas, Nevada - that offer first-time homebuyers low down payments in desirable locations. If homebuyers are able to pinpoint and understand current market trends, these markets can be easy to navigate through. Read more: The 25 US suburbs where home values are growing the fastest, ranked To establish its list of best markets for first-time homebuyers, Zillow evaluated metropolitan areas on four data points: current median home value; strength of home value appreciation forecast; size of current inventory; and current percentage of listings with a price cut. All four data points were given equal weighting. Listing and home-value data represent each market as of May 2019. Keep reading for a ranking of the top 10 best metros for first-time homebuyers. 10. Charlotte, North Carolina Share of listings with a price cut: 15.4% The median home value in the Charlotte, North Carolina metro area is $209,800 and the median listing price per square foot is $135. According to Zillow, home values have increased by 7.7% since June 2018. 9. Nashville, Tennessee Share of listings with a price cut: 14.7% The median home value in the Nashville, Tennessee metro area is $255,500 and the median listing price per square foot is $166. According to Zillow, home values have increased by 4.4% since June 2018. 8. Dallas, Texas Share of listings with a price cut: 20.3% The median home value in the Dallas, Texas metro area is $242,900 and the median listing price per square foot is $140. According to Zillow, home values have increased by 5.6% since June 2018. 7. Detroit, Michigan Share of listings with a price cut: 18.1% The median home value in the Detroit, Michigan metro area is $163,100 and the median listing price per square foot is $135. According to Zillow, home values have increased by 5.8% since June 2018. 6. Miami, Florida Share of listings with a price cut: 15.5% The median home value in the Miami, Florida metro area is $282,700 and the median listing price per square foot is $221. According to Zillow, home values in Miami have increased by 3.2% since June 2018. 5. Orlando, Florida Share of listings with a price cut: 20.5% The median home value in the Orlando, Florida metro area is $240,500 and the median listing price per square foot is $149. According to Zillow, home values in Orlando have increased by 6.4% since June 2018. 4. Atlanta, Georgia Share of listings with a price cut: 16.8% The median home value in the Atlanta, Georgia metro area is $219,700 and the median listing price per square foot is $131. According to Zillow, home values in Atlanta have increased by 7.6% since June 2018. 3. Phoenix, Arizona Share of listings with a price cut: 17.4% The median home value in the Phoenix, Arizona metro area is $267,200 and the median listing price per square foot is $163. According to Zillow, home values have increased by 4.9% since June 2018. 2. Las Vegas, Nevada Share of listings with a price cut: 25.7% The median home value in the Las Vegas, Nevada metro area is $278,700 and the median listing price per square foot is $170. According to Zillow home values have increased by 6.1% since June 2018. 1. Tampa, Florida Share of listings with a price cut: 21.8% The median home value in the Tampa, Florida metro area is $215,500 and the median listing price per square foot is $145. According to Zillow, home values have increased by 5.5% since June 2018.


Williams thinks a mid-season update package that is being prepared for its car will be a key test on to whether its current car's concept is flawed or not. The outfit has had a difficult start to 2019, having been late to the first test and then struggling with the pace of its FW42. Read Also: Williams expects upgrades will bring "significant performance" But as it hopes a significant development push coming before the summer break will deliver a leap forward in form, the team also believes that the changes will prove whether its car is up to the job or it needs a wholescale rethink. Senior race engineer Dave Robson said: "I think those upgrades when they come will be a big guide to where we really are. "I think we know that coming into this year we did change the philosophy of the car for good reason. "Now we need to see whether we are just a little bit behind the curve and can catch up, or actually we've made a mistake and might have to go back. That is the main theme between now and the [summer] break." With F1's regulations remaining stable in to 2020 there is little reason for teams to trying anything too radical for next year. But Robson says that if the upgrades show its car does not work then it may have to try something different. "If it turns out that the concept really is flawed then we have to get a clear answer on that," he said. "We can still evolve our way out of that. I don't think there is anything so heavily baked in that is going to influence next year's car." Robson thinks the team has now fully recovered from its late start to 2019 and has unleashed the most it can from its current car before updates arrives. "We started on the back foot in terms of not having the time we wanted in Barcelona [testing], and so the testing we wanted to do just gets delayed. I think we have caught up with that. "We are now at the point where operationally and getting the most out of the car we have got, we are close to it. That is a lot of what we have seen over the six races we have seen, so it is a case of continuing to do that and waiting for bits to come."


Wedding etiquette in the modern era is less tied to traditional gender roles. Wedding guests are also expected to be tech-savvy. Modern wedding etiquette There are a lot of stresses when it comes to planning and attending a wedding , and a lot of that pressure comes from anxiety over how to behave. Weddings are among the few (mostly) formal occasions most people will attend anymore, and in an increasingly modern and relaxed society, knowing how wedding etiquette has changed from decades past isn't always so easy. From changing gender roles to online invites and registries, here's how wedding etiquette is different today. There are numerous pre-wedding celebrations Engagements used to be a simpler affair. Before the wedding, there might be a bridal shower, a bachelorette and bachelor party , a rehearsal dinner and then the wedding. These days, close friends of the bride and groom can expected to be invited to any number of pre-wedding celebrations. In addition to the more traditional parties, there are also engagement parties, lingerie showers and bridesmaid luncheons. Showers aren't just for the bride Back in the day, weddings were very gendered. Sometime between the engagement and the wedding day, the bride, along with her female family members, bridesmaids and close girlfriends would have a bridal shower (oftentimes in place of a bachelorette party). Here, women would give the bride home goods along with feminine gifts like perfume, lingerie and spa goods. Today, wedding showers with both members of the engaged couple are increasingly common. Men and women are invited to this event, and the gifts exchanged are more centered on items needed for building a home together. If you're in charge of throwing said shower, there are a lot of things you need to know . The bride's family doesn't have to pay for the wedding Women used to be seen as a financial burden on their parents and then on their husbands, so it was expected that the bride's family would pay for the wedding as a sort-of unofficial dowry. And while the idea of a woman being a burden has waned significantly over generations, the tradition of a woman's family paying for the nuptials has persisted. Today, the costs of a wedding are a discussion between the engaged couple and their families. Sometimes both families and the couples split the cost, and sometimes the couple will just pay for the whole party themselves. Invitations are often sent online If the couple is looking to throw a green wedding or a budget-friendly wedding, they may forego paper invitations and send out the official invite via a wedding website. Though it may seem unconventional to old-fashioned folks, e-vites are perfectly suitable. If doing this, the couple should be aware that some older guests may be less tech-savvy and send along a few paper invites as well. Guests are often expected to RSVP online In the further interests of a green wedding and saving money, couples will skip the little RSVP postcard (and postage stamp) and have guests RSVP on their wedding website online. This is also convenient for the couple, who can electronically track who has (and has not) sent back their responses. But you still only have 24 hours to RSVP There are a lot of ways that etiquette has changed over the decades , but a few rules are the same. For instance, guests still really only have 24 hours to respond to an invitation . Weddings are all about numbers. Caterers need to know how much food and drink to prepare, the venue needs to know how many seats to put up at the reception site and the couple needs to know how many wedding favors they need to buy. A person doesn't have to be married to get a plus-one Married couples are (in almost every instance) automatically invited as a pair, but in modern times when not everyone chooses to get married, longtime partners should also be automatically invited guests. Everyone else who does and does not get a plus-one is up to the people hosting the wedding itself. But it's still rude to ask for a plus-one Going to a wedding by yourself may seem like a drag, but asking the couple if you can bring a plus-one either before or after receiving your RSVP card is an easy way to be rude without knowing it. It costs money to host people at a wedding, and those close to the couple need to be prioritized. Asking the couple if you can bring someone just puts both of you in an awkward spot. And, please, don't just bring your friend as a plus-one without even asking. It's still considered rude to include registry info with the invitations Everyone makes etiquette mistakes without knowing it leading up to a wedding, including the couple getting married. While it's remarkably common, including your registry information alongside paper invitations is considered to be rude. While guests should bring a wedding gift, it is not a requirement to attend the wedding. Including registry info in your invite suite makes it feel like a present is a must-have. Registry information goes on a couple's wedding website Luckily, there is a secondary location where registry information can be included: a wedding website. Advertising a wedding website is not considered rude, and directing guests there where they can then coincidentally find registry information is acceptable and convenient for all involved. If there is no wedding website, simply spread your registry information via word of mouth. Wedding registries are almost entirely online now Including registry information online isn't just a way for the couple to spread the word subtly, it's also convenient for guests. Long gone are the days when you'd walk into Macy's and go to a booth to find a couple's registry information; it's all online now. You can find and buy items from registries at most major retailers on the internet. Plus, online retailers such as Amazon and Zola allow couples to register as well. You don't have to bring your gift to the reception Online wedding registries will also give guests a convenient option for delivery: shipping the gift, wrapped, straight to the couple's home. While it used to be considered a faux pas to show up to a wedding reception empty-handed, sending the couple a gift before or after the wedding is perfectly acceptable today. In fact, some couples prefer it, as shipping gifts prevents theft during the reception, which happens even at the most amazing wedding venues across America . Shipping gifts also saves them the effort of hauling presents home after the night is over. It's still a kind gesture to bring a card with you to the reception, however. Couples will use honeymoon funds instead of traditional registries   and that's OK And there are some gifts that guests couldn't bring to the reception even if they wanted to, like the gift of experiences. Back in the day, couples typically would not live together before marriage, so they needed things to build a home together like pots and pans, bed sheets and toothbrush holders. These days, cohabitating before marriage is less scandalous in most cultures (and the average age of marriage is older). So both parties in the couple will already own enough bath towels and dinner plates. Enter: the honeymoon fund, through which couples will ask for money for their post-wedding vacation. You can buy the couple a night in a hotel, spa treatments, a bottle of wine or anything they need to have the best trip ever. While older wedding guests may find asking for money for a honeymoon to be tacky, modern wedding guests know any gift that the couple wants is acceptable. Gifts don't have to cover the cost of the meal There's an old-fashioned expectation that if a meal at a wedding costs $95 a person, then guests should bring a gift worth at least $95. That's not so true anymore. A wedding is a party with guests, not a transaction between a couple and their loved ones. Couples should understand that they're inviting people with all sorts of financial situations. If someone comes to the wedding with $30 worth of hand towels, that's something to be grateful for. You can wear black Break out that little black dress! While black was once a color that was synonymous with mourning and funerals in Western culture, this is no longer the case. Instead, a black dress, jumpsuit or suit is seen as a perfectly suitable   and chic!   thing to wear to any special occasion. And you can wear white   with caution Unless you were the bride or a man in a crisp white dress shirt, wearing white   especially a white dress   to a wedding was once a serious breach of etiquette. Unless you get explicit permission from the couple before the big day, it's still not advisable to wear a white gown or even a white cocktail dress to the big day. But you can wear a white blouse, skirt or jacket, assuming it's being paired with a bright pop of color or bold print. Bridesmaids aren't always women; groomsmen aren't always men Gender roles are thrown out the window when it comes to some wedding parties in the modern era. Bridesmaids were always traditionally female, while groomsmen were always male. But even heterosexual couples may not subscribe to these strict rules. If a groom has a close female friend or sister he wants standing by his side, she should be able to! You can hook up at the reception, but be discreet Weddings are great places to meet new people and potential romantic partners, whether you're looking for something long-term or just something for the night. But guests shouldn't let their romantic escapades upstage or distract from the couple on their big day. Spouses won't always have the same last name after the nuptials "We now pronounce Mr. and Mrs. Jack Smith!" used to be the big proclamation deeming that a couple is, in fact, married as they make their recessional down the aisle. But for a variety of reasons, more and more women are keeping their maiden names. The New York Times reports that about 20 percent of women keep their maiden name after they tie the knot. The officiant should know this as the couple gets married, and family members and friends should respect the wishes of the couple regarding surnames throughout their married life. Stay off social media until the couple says 'I do' If you're a groomsman getting ready with the husband before the big day, can you post photos of him putting on his suit and tie to your Instagram story? Should bridesmaids document their glam before they walk down the aisle? It's fine and good to take photos during wedding prep, but they should not be posted online before the wedding actually occurs. And while you can take a photo here and there of the ceremony, livestreaming the wedding without the couple's consent or trying to play wedding photographer (when the couple has already hired one) is rude. You can wait until after the wedding is over to put it on social media. And knowing how to navigate social media is just one of the modern etiquette questions you need answered . 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It's been an undeniably rough half-decade for the San Francisco 49ers. Their average of five wins per year since 2014 has pushed the boundaries of the "Faithful" moniker the team gives its fans. Michael Lewis, a professor at Emory University, published his annual study that ranks NFL fan bases via a number of analytics, and the 49ers checked in at No. 9 . The study takes into account three criteria that Lewis created for the study: "fan equity," "social equity" and "road equity." These roughly account for fans' willingness to spend, their engagement on social media and how well they travel to road games. San Francisco fell in behind the fan bases of the Cowboys, Patriots, Eagles, Giants, Steelers, Packers, Broncos and Bears. Saints fans rounded out the top 10. There's an obvious advantage for the 49ers in their market size and the rapid increase in optimism following the arrival of Jimmy Garoppolo last season. Lewis' study accounts for these types of variations to try to level the playing field for a big-picture look at the fan base: My approach to evaluating fan bases uses data on attendance, revenues, social media following and road attendance to develop statistical models of fan interest (more details here ). The key is that the models are used to determine which city's fans are more willing to spend or follow their teams after controlling for factors like market size and short-term changes in winning and losing. San Francisco's rank was buoyed by "fan equity" - the willingness to pour money into the team. They were the No. 2 team in the league behind the Cowboys in that category. Their "social equity" was a respectable 11th, but their "road equity" likely kept them from climbing a couple of spots higher overall. They were 28th in the final category. Lewis is careful to mention that his rankings are "a set of numerical scores for each metric," he wrote. "These numerical scores provide a tool for valuing promotions and sponsorships. The numerical scores provide a basis for valuing the passion of fans across teams. The use of multiple metrics is again useful because each metric has a different behavioral interpretation." That is to say that his numbers are just one way of defining fandom and applying financial value to it. It's remarkable that the 49ers have managed to stay in the top 10 through the last several years. There hasn't been a lot of great football played in Santa Clara, on top of internal turmoil, finger pointing at the team owners and roster turnover. Still, San Francisco's fans have continued to earn high marks in Lewis' study. Perhaps the biggest change we may see in the coming years is a significant bump in road equity. It's understandable that fans are less likely to travel when the team isn't playing well. It's also understandable that 49ers fans would be less likely to venture out to enemy territory if they're not thrilled with the on-field product. The 49ers have numerically done a good job of keeping the fan base engaged through the lean years, but it's hard to imagine that's a sustainable model. Their top-10 spot is held up by their No. 2 ranking in fan equity. There has to be some tangible on-field success or the willingness for a large swath of the fan base to spend money will undoubtedly begin to subside. San Francisco appears headed in the right path, and their place in Lewis' fan base rankings will very likely follow the direction of the franchise over the next several years. MORE: This perfect Shaq impersonation at the NBA Awards show had fans in tears NBA Free Agency 2019: The top players Raven Greene looks like a top player to watch at Packers training camp 3 adjustments the Raiders should make on offense in 2019 D'Angelo Russell Rumors: Lakers, Timberwolves Interested in Young Point Guard


This post is aimed squarely at one narrative that has cropped up again and again in June, as Atlanta's bats went the good kind of haywire and the pitching foundered (and floundered). There seems to be some blithe faith in the idea that a team needs pitching to succeed (whatever succeed means), and that "the pitching" (whatever that means) needs to be good enough for a team to meet its goals. For some of you, this narrative needs no disproving. You've either already read the now-half-decade-old Ben Lindbergh Grantland piece , or you grok the general idea without needing it reaffirmed. While this would be a good place in this article to quote some conclusion from it, there's actually no good place to start   it bodyslams that narrative with restrained glee. The next step was to see whether, for the purpose of predicting postseason results, every .600 (or .580, or .560, or .540) team is alike, or whether having good starting pitching adds an extra advantage. Russell examined the first three pitchers who started for each team in each series. He also looked at Game 1 starters only. No indicator of the quality of those starters (strikeout rate, walk rate, home run rate, ground ball rate, l inear weights) proved to be a significant predictor of a team's postseason success, after controlling for that club's regular-season record. So why doesn't the quality of a team's top three starters or its ace register as significant? For one thing, the differences between teams are compressed in the playoffs, relative to the regular season: Teams with terrible staffs don't make it to October, so the gulf between the best- and worst-pitching playoff teams isn't as stark as we're used to seeing during the season's first six months. Perhaps more importantly, there's more than one way to win baseball games, and even under an expanded playoff format, teams don't get to October without doing something well. A team with an inferior pitching staff often makes up for its weakness on the mound by being better on offense. Honestly, though, just read the whole thing. For others, this may not be enough. Some folks might look even at the above and say, "Okay, I'm convinced by this evidence, but that's about aces. What about relievers?" And then you can refer to efforts to try to gauge postseason success like the ill-fated Nate Silver Secret Sauce saga, described as such only because, well, overfitting ended up being a thing . (For those of you not inclined to click links, the Secret Sauce for predicting playoff success, which focused on strikeout rates, good closers, and good defenses was useful in retrospect, but was no better than random guessing or coin flips at predicting future playoff successes, or even ones in the recent past relative to the publication of the Secret Sauce algorithm.) I'm not going to replicate any of the above, I'm going to do something different. But first, let's establish who the Braves are and could be, at least at this point in time. Through the season's calendarial midpoint, here are some Braves team ranks: Non-pitcher wRC+: fifth overall Non-pitcher total offense: fourth overall (flip with the Yankees due to baserunning) Offensive xwOBA (including pitchers): second overall Total pitching fWAR: 23rd overall Rotation / bullpen fWAR: 21st overall / 22nd overall Total pitching RA9-WAR: 17th overall Rotation / bullpen RA9-WAR: 20th overall / 16th overall Bullpen WPA: 14th overall Pitching xwOBA: 16th overall Total pitching FIP- / xFIP-: 20th overall The point is, there's a clear dichotomy in play. The hitting: good. The pitching: not-so-good. Even if you squint and starting including the fielding contribution to pitching, the best you get is average. It's collectively very "ehhhh" as far as guys throwing the ball from the mound are concerned, and it ranges all the way down to "uh oh." Before we talk about the playoffs, though, I want to answer one specific question: say nothing changes   can the Braves even make the playoffs with this team composition? The answer: a resounding yes. Yes, they can. Their playoff odds are currently 94 percent. Now, a lot of that isn't because the Braves have been good (though they have been) but because the rest of the division has faceplanted to various extents. However, the hypothetical question posed isn't necessarily whether a team can make the playoffs with good hitting and bad pitching, but whether this 2019 Braves team can. It seems pretty likely at this point, even if nothing changes. Not set in stone, of course, but likely. That aside, though, take a gander at the below. I've tabulated the relative rank of the team's pitching (by fWAR) versus its offense (by total offensive runs for non-pitchers, so wRC+ plus baserunning) as well as its overall record. In April, with a great offense and terrible pitching, the Braves were a middling team. In May, with a subpar offense and average pitching, the Braves were a good team. In June, with the best offense and average pitching, the Braves were the best team. There's no throughline to be drawn here, unless you want to point out that the Braves have gotten better as their pitching has improved. However, halfway through the season, their pitching is still subpar and the team is a prime contender, so that's not too convincing. If the Braves simply replicate in July, August, and September what they've done so far, they'll coast into the playoffs with said subpar pitching. If the composition of how the team is succeeding on the field changes, that won't make them better or worse, just different. It sounds tautological, but wins matter, not how those wins are achieved. Anyway, on to the more interesting stuff. I went back to 2001 and pulled every team's ranking that year in offense for non-pitchers (again, hitting plus baserunning) as well as total pitching fWAR. (In case it isn't self-evident, I'm adamant about using pitching fWAR because I'm trying to remove defense, which is linked to the same position player personnel accruing the hitting stats, from the equation.) Here's what I found. Fact #1   What the Braves are doing is not very common at all Since 2001, there have been 540 complete team-seasons (30 x 18). The number of team-seasons featuring a top-10 offense and bottom-10 pitching staff is just 35, or about six percent. Now, if you think about it, this perhaps isn't that surprising: the chance that a team finishes in the top 10 of anything is 33 percent (10 / 30), and if you assume hitting and pitching talent are randomly distributed among teams, the chance that that team also finishes in the bottom 10 of something else is around 11 percent (33 percent x 33 percent). However, we know that talent isn't randomly-distributed: good teams tend to be broadly good, while bad teams tend to be broadly bad. It's hard to know exactly how many teams were intentionally good offensively and bad pitching-wise, and it's not like the 2019 Braves are how they are by design, either. So, 11 percent is probably the upper bound, and perhaps six percent, or around half of that "natural rate" is about right. In any case, that's what we see, and it's pretty rare. Note: the "rate" of this occurring hasn't changed much over time. It's six percent in the whole 2001-2018 sample, as well as six percent in, say, the 2010-2018 sample. There's one other consideration here: will the Braves even finish 2019 as one of these teams? After all, the current 23rd-ranked pitching staff is only a small improvement away from rising out of the bottom third of MLB teams, and the Braves already managed to avoid said bottom third in May. We can refer to the Fangraphs Depth Charts and do some very simplistic math to try and get an answer. The Depth Charts estimate that the Braves will have the eight-most-valuable position player group for the remainder of the season. Now, that includes defense, so we can also refer to Fangraphs projected standings , which give the Braves a (non-park-adjusted) projection of the eighth-most runs per game over the remainder of the season, or the sixth-most runs in baseball for the full season, including what's already happened. No matter what, it seems like a reasonable bet that the offense will hold up its end of the bargain. The current 10th-place offensive team has a 106 wRC+, so the Braves (113 wRC+) would need to hit worse than the current 18th-place team (99 wRC+) for the remainder of the season in order to fall out of the top 10 by the end of the year, assuming everything else stays similar. The pitching end is maybe a little more fraught. The Depth Charts see the Braves as having the 11th-worst pitching value going forward, so not quite bottom 10. The projected standings see the Braves as allowing the 11th- fewest runs per game going forward, but this isn't park- nor league-adjusted, and the Braves are middling in the National League (sixth-best) by this measure. The full-season estimate is 15th in MLB, but 9th in the NL at run prevention, and this also includes defense. So, it's hard to tell exactly what will happen here   but it's worth noting that there's still a good chance the Braves do finish as a top-10 offense, bottom-10 pitching team. After all, if the Depth Charts are right, the Braves will end up there, as the average of 20 and 23 is just barely above 21, i.e., bottom 10. Fact #2   These teams have a somewhat harder time making the playoffs This probably shouldn't be surprising. Good teams make the playoffs. Good teams are more likely to have good hitting and good pitching, rather than good hitting but bad pitching. Of the 35 teams meeting these criteria, only eight made the postseason, or about 23 percent. Under the old playoff paradigm, 27 percent of teams (eight of 30) made the postseason; under the new playoff paradigm, it's one-third of teams (10 of 30). Hence, These teams undershoot those thresholds, but just by a bit. If anything, this finding might actually be surprising   before you read this section, what would you have expected the playoff likelihood for these teams to be? Half of that of a randomly-chosen team? This trend also doesn't show much time-bias. In the Lightning Round era (2012-present), there have been 12 good offense, bad pitching teams; four have made the playoffs, exactly the "natural rate" of playoff teams in that span. In the prior era, the "natural rate" was 27 percent, and four of 23 teams (17 percent) made the playoffs. I suppose one could reason that the addition of a second Wild Card made it easier for teams with relatively unorthodox roster compositions to garner a playoff spot, and that does seem to be the case. In any event, pairing bad pitching with good offense is probably not a great way to make the playoffs, but it doesn't seem that harmful. Maybe a bit, and certainly less nowadays. Fact #3   (this is the big one) Playoff success doesn't seem to be hampered for these teams Let's talk about the playoffs, as though all the teams in them were equal. We'd expect: 10 percent chance of winning the World Series ; 20 percent chance of making the World Series; 40 percent chance of making the Championship Series; and 80 percent chance of making the Division Series. Here's how our eight playoff teams that made the postseason with good offense and bad pitching actually shook out: 37.5 percent (three of eight) won the World Series; 50 percent (four of eight) made the World Series; 50 percent (four of eight) made the Championship Series; and 66.7 percent (six of eight) made the Division Series (i.e., two of eight lost the Lightning Round game). I mean, sure, we've got a sample of eight teams, but... from what we know, going back to 2001, these teams don't actually have any problems making waves in the playoffs. If bad pitching were a playoff success impediment, it would hopefully show up somewhere in the last two decades. However, that just doesn't seem to be the case. Even if it does, the effect has not yet been observed. which in turn makes me skeptical that such an effect exists. The eight teams in detail 2006 Cardinals   10th in offense, 27th in pitching. Hey, remember that time an 83-win team won the World Series, giving an infinite supply of ammunition to anyone that wanted to put their weight behind "the playoffs are really, really random" arguments? Thanks, 2006 Cardinals! We owe you one. The worst regular season team to ever win a championship, these Redbirds finished with the third-worst rotation and eight-worst bullpen in baseball. The bullpen was literally just Adam Wainwright and Braden Looper (both quite good) and then a bunch of replacement-level arms, not to mention a hilariously ineffective closer in Jason Isringhausen (-0.9 fWAR, 129 FIP-, 110 xFIP-, but 33 saves) who didn't even pitch in the World Series. In the championship series, the bullpen only pitched 20 percent of the innings. The rotation wasn't much better   Chris Carpenter was awesome and Jeff Suppan was okay, but everyone else was quite bad   yet in the World Series, replacement-level midseason acquisition Jeff Weaver and replacement-level Anthony Reyes combined with Carpenter and Suppan to limit the Tigers to just 11 runs in five games. 2007 Phillies   2nd in offense, 25th in pitching. There's actually not too much to say here, as these Phillies made the playoffs and promptly got swept out of the NLDS by the Rockies . Cole Hamels (good in 2007) and Kyle Kendrick (okay in 2007) didn't fare very well in the first two games, and Jamie Moyer (okay in 2007) did his best in Game Three, but a bullpen full of just-a-guys and Brett Myers (the one good reliever who pitched no meaningful innings in the three games) blew it. 2009 Phillies   2nd in offense, 21st in pitching. Two years later, the Phillies again tried the same formula and got much further. They even beat the Rockies in the NLDS in four games, but ultimately couldn't beat the Yankees in the Series. There's too much to dissect about this team's pitching staff, which added a bunch of high-profile pieces for the stretch run, including the last hurrah of Pedro Martinez , but basically the clobber-the-opposition-while-having-a-few-good-pitchers worked until it didn't and the Yankees (by far the best offense that year, and a top-five pitching staff) clobbered them right back. 2010 Reds   2nd in offense, 22nd in pitching. Ran into a Phillies team that threw Roy Halladay , Cole Hamels , and Roy Oswalt at them in a short series. Got no-hit in one game and shut out in another. Welp. Sometimes you're the 2009 Phillies, sometimes you're the 2010 Reds. 2012 Giants   5th in offense, 22nd in pitching. This team featured two good starts ( Matt Cain , Madison Bumgarner ), an okay starter ( Ryan Vogelsong ), and an okay but nondescript relief corps. It swept the World Series with one big win and then three close games. The Tigers had the league's best pitching to go with a top-five offense that year, and both were on display in the ALDS and ALCS, but the Giants just edged them three times in a row. One bad Justin Verlander start was kind of the difference in the series, as the other games really could have gone either way. 2014 Giants   7th in offense, 26th in pitching. This team was basically Madison Bumgarner pitching-wise and knew it, as he pitched over a third of the team's frames in the World Series, the NLCS, and the entire Lightning Round game. The only real moral here seems to be: ask your one good pitcher to pitch a ton of playoff innings and hope that's enough and that he doesn't fall to shambles in the process. Good talk. 2014 Pirates   2nd in offense, 28th in pitching. They ran into Madison Bumgarner in the Lightning Round game. 2017 Twins   10th in offense, 21st in pitching. The most well-rounded of the eight teams, the Twins lost the Lightning Round to the Yankees because its two best starters ( Ervin Santana , Jose Berrios ) faltered, and while they were able to rough up an elite Luis Severino to a similar degree, the Yankees literally had five relievers worth 1+ fWAR that season and used four of them (plus another decent arm in Tommy Kahnle ) to get 26 of the game's 27 outs. Is there really a difference between these teams, other than their results? The 2006 Cardinals could have easily been the 2014 Pirates or 2017 Twins in a different playoff format; the 2007 Phillies and 2009 Phillies had very different results with similar rosters. The Giants won a World Series with Madison Bumgarner plus other stuff, as well as kinda-sorta-mostly Madison Bumgarner on the pitching end. Anyway, I'm not seeing a pattern, and it doesn't look like there is one. Good pitching teams succeed in the playoffs. Bad pitching teams can get good pitching performances and succeed in the playoffs. Bad pitching teams can even beat the best pitching teams four games in a row. If the Braves make the playoffs, just enjoy the ride. Don't sweat the roster composition; it can't exert enough order over the inherent chaos of a short baseball series to matter.


VIRGINIA BEACH, Va.   A North Carolina woman is behind bars for allegedly assaulting a police officer. On March 23, police said they were called to Alibis Bar and Grill on Holland Road after an intoxicated woman fell and needed medical assistance. Natasha Davis-Wiggins Once there, officers found two intoxicated women. The injured woman was then taken to the hospital. Her friend, 47-year-old Natasha Davis-Wiggins, was arrested for public intoxication. During the arrest, search warrants stated she became belligerent and combative. She's accused of biting an officer on the left forearm, breaking the skin and drawing blood. During the assault, she sustained a cut on her forehead. Related: Suffolk woman arrested, charged with assault and battery on officer The search warrant revealed that she's allegedly HIV positive. According to the court documents, detectives have requested her medical records to provide that she knew she was HIV positive prior to assaulting the officer. She's charged with assault on police officer, public intoxication, refuse ID to police, obstructing justice and malicious assault. News 3 did try speaking with Davis-Wiggins, but she declined. The 47-year-old is due back in court next month. ___ (c)2019 WTKR-TV, Norfolk Visit WTKR-TV, Norfolk at www.wtkr.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.


It's not just Fernando Alonso and McLaren who've suffered the humiliation of failing to qualify for the Indianapolis 500. Some great drivers and teams, from the past and near-present, have fallen short when everything was on the line to make the field. It just goes to show how damned hard it is here! 5: Andretti Autosport 2011 That year might be remembered for JR Hildebrand's epic last-corner fail, but it was also the time that all five Andretti Autosport cars struggled throughout qualifying. Although John Andretti locked himself in early, followed on Bump Day by Danica Patrick, teammates Ryan Hunter-Reay, Marco Andretti and Mike Conway all ended up battling for the final spot on the grid between themselves. Marco bumped Hunter-Reay   who'd go on to win the 500 three years later   with the last run of qualifying. Hunter-Reay did start the race, however, buying Bruno Junqueira's AJ Foyt drive, but Conway was done. 4: James Hinchcliffe 2018 After setting the pole in 2016, a year after he nearly lost his life at the track following a monstrous shunt, the fact that Hinch then failed to make the grid last year seems implausible. Adverse weather conditions played their part in him slipping into the danger zone on Bump Day, but the final chance to save himself was ruined by a tire vibration   due to a sensor failure   and had to be aborted. Then he simply ran out of time to get out on track again, leaving him "devastated". This year, he crashed in qualifying, but scraped in on Bump Day. How many more peaks and valleys can the Speedway add to Hinch's career?! 3: Bobby Rahal 1993 Rahal was defending CART champion when he failed to make the field in '93. He persevered with the Rahal-Hogan (an adapted Truesports chassis), despite struggling for speed all month, and he was bumped out late on by Eddie Cheever, who'd switched teams to drive for John Menard. Having reverted to the spare car, Rahal tried again in the final minute of qualifying but just couldn't find the speed he needed, so the three-time and defending CART Indy car champion was absent from the Indy 500 for the first time ever. Then he almost missed it again a year later, but was bailed out by Roger Penske loaning him a car! 2: Rodger Ward 1965 The two-time Indy 500 winner   who had an exemplary finishing record during a hugely dangerous era   shockingly failed to make the field in '65 after suffering a crash and three blown engines during practice. He made one last attempt in the final 15 minutes, but his run was too slow. "Today it wasn't fun anymore," the former WWII fighter pilot declared tearfully at the banquet and announced his retirement. In fact, he did race again at Indy in '66, but then called time on his racing career and this time stuck with his decision. 1: Penske Racing 1995 A year on from dominating the Indy 500 with its Mercedes-Benz pushrod engines, Penske returned with Al Unser Jr and Emerson Fittipaldi   who had won four of the last six 500s between them   and neither made the field. Penske tried everything, even salvaging one of the '94 cars from a showroom as well as borrowing some Lola chassis from Bobby Rahal. Penske nobly took his lumps and didn't attempt to buy an entry onto the grid.


Jaguars linebacker Myles Jack was just trying to relax, and find something to do during the offseason. Now, he's operating an unlikely small business, selling homemade candles. This story starts in a way that makes sense, but also makes him a target for teasing in the locker room. " I always take baths with candles . . . so I made my own little lavender candle," Jack said, via Tess Demeyer of USA Today . "I lit it, and I was reading in the bath, and I was like, 'Oh, OK. This candle's actually all right.'" He posted a photo of it on social media, people seemed interested, so he started making more of them at home. He taught himself to make them by watching YouTube videos, and has been experimenting with formulas. He was selling his hand-poured creations for $10 each, but bumped the price to $20 when demand outpaced supply. That didn't keep teammates Leonard Fournette and Jalen Ramsey from making fun of him, and he said others "were talking crazy" about it. Then he brought in samples for teammates. "Some people tried to partner up with me on the business, and some people were giving me ideas," he said. "I'm like, 'No, you were being haters at first. Now you want to team up with me.' It's just funny how they switched from one side to the other." Jack is using the proceeds from the venture to help local schools and other groups. He's currently a one-man business, making the candles, shipping them, and handling the bookkeeping. He might want to enlist some help when the season starts, lest he burn it at both ends.


Sun in the sky, wind in your hair, and the rumble of a V8. This Corvette is perfect for some alfresco motoring. Chevrolet's Corvette sub-brand has a long and storied history as America's favorite home-grown sports car. Over the many generations it has been a truly aspirational model, with the desire to own one only growing as each incarnation progresses as a classic. This restored 1967 Stingray L79 offered by Classic Cars of Sarasota appears to be a car that its next owner will cherish. After plentiful success with the C1 Corvette over nine years, the C2 had some big shoes to fill when it launched in 1963. Revealed as a dynamic and throughly modern design, the C2 was actually the first Chevrolet to be created using a wind tunnel. Over its very successful career, it spawned a handful of variants including this L79 convertible. More on Chevrolet 1972 Chevrolet Chevelle SS Resto Mod Is Smokin' Hot True Survivor: 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air Is Unmodified Retaining the pop-up headlights and strong stance of the coupe, the convertible brought some glamour to this sports car with the promise of alfresco motoring. This fully-restored car looks spectacular wearing a vibrant shade of red paint. Appearing utterly immaculate, its original aluminum wheels and chromed details are a wonderful time warp back to 1960s American motoring at its best. For those less than sunny days, this example also comes with a removable hard top. The interior looks brand new with white upholstery serving as the perfect companion to the red exterior. Beyond the pleasing classic color scheme, the quality and attention to detail is truly impressive. No wonder the advert claims 'you will not find a better example out there.' Under the hood is a 350-horsepower 327 cubic inch V8 engine which claims to have only covered 7 miles   presumably after restoration. The whole drivetrain, including the four-speed transmission, is numbers matching and operating at peak performance. The underside of this classic is spotless with a fresh powder coating applied recently. Classic Cars of Sarasota are willing to ship this American beauty worldwide, and with summer just around the corner, this could make for the perfect convertible to be seen in. The current asking price for this 1967 Chevrolet Corvette L79 is $89,500. Source: Classic Cars of Sarasota


Kaulig Racing announced Sunday morning that crew chief Nick Harrison died. Harrison was the crew chief on the team's No. 11 Xfinity Series car driven by Justin Haley. A statement from Kaulig Racing team owner, Matt Kaulig, and President, Chris Rice: pic.twitter.com/kTUoLJA88m   Kaulig Racing (@KauligRacing) July 21, 2019 Harrison, in his first year with Kaulig Racing, served as Haley's crew chief for Saturday's race at New Hampshire. Haley started and finished 13th. Harrison crew chiefed his first Xfinity Series race in 2006 and worked in the Cup Series in 2011 with Landon Cassill at Phoenix Racing. He was Kurt Busch's crew chief for the same team in 2012 and was with the team through 2013. He moved over to the Xfinity Series with Richard Childress Racing in 2014 and won two races with Austin Dillon in NASCAR's No. 2 series in 2015. His final victory as a crew chief came in 2018 when Dillon won at Michigan in the Xfinity Series. Dillon paid tribute to Harrison on Twitter after the team's statement. Words can't describe how I feel about @NickHarrison111 . The man was one of the first people to believe in me in the Cup series. He gave me an opportunity to drive for James Finch which gave me confidence to believe in myself at the top level. We were able to win the together...   Austin Dillon (@austindillon3) July 21, 2019 multiple times in @XfinityRacing and a win in @NASCAR_Trucks . My favorite thing to this day to hear over the radio was his voice saying Hauling Balls. I hope today I hear it on the radio as we give it all we got on the track today for Nick. 🙏🏻   Austin Dillon (@austindillon3) July 21, 2019 - - - - - - - Nick Bromberg is a writer for Yahoo Sports. More from Yahoo Sports: Leake, Mariners brush with perfection vs. Angels Why contract extension for Chiefs' Hill still in play Harden is latest Team USA FIBA World Cup withdrawal Tiger, Phil miss cut at same major for first time Related slideshow: Notable sports deaths in 2019 (provided by imagn)


The former second round draft pick is trying to re-ignite his career after being dealt to the Arizona Cardinals. If you are like me, you remember when the Pittsburgh Steelers drafted Marcus Gilbert in the second round of the 2011 NFL Draft . He was drafted to be the next left tackle of the proud franchise, but after several failed attempts the team decided to move him to right tackle. What happened after the switch was a smooth transition and an evolution into a dominant right tackle in the NFL. At one point, Gilbert was the rock on the right side of the line, but after injuries and a suspension derailed his career, the Steelers decided to forego his final year of his contract and traded him to the Arizona Cardinals for a 6th round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. Dealing with this fact wasn't easy for Gilbert to stomach. "I felt like I disappointed a lot of people in Steeler Nation," Gilbert, told Jeremy Fowler of ESPN in an interview shortly after the trade. "It hasn't been easy." What went from a promising career, which should have started and ended in Pittsburgh, turned into a nightmare when Gilbert injured his quadriceps in a freak injury at practice last year. This per Fowler: But a partially torn quad injury started an avalanche of emotions in early 2018. Gilbert said a "total freak accident" happened during a routine move in practice sometime around the Week 7 bye. Steelers trainers thought Gilbert had tendinitis until an MRI revealed more, he said. Surgery would have shut him down for the year, so he opted for a stem cell shot to trim recovery time. Throughout this recovery process, Gilbert talked about everything from the isolation of not playing, to the social media vitriol being sent his way from a fan base which had become fed up with Gilbert being in street clothes more than his game uniform. "When you go from playing at a high level, then you're not out there on the field, and you're getting a lot from the fans, the coaches and teammates can't rely on you because you're not out there -- all those things mount, and it's tough," said Gilbert. "Nasty tweets, lots of questions, and you read the articles. Athletes can say that doesn't bother them, but you see it." To cope with this, Gilbert turned to therapy. He went to weekly counseling sessions to help him realize the business side of the NFL, and how the decisions made, like being placed on Injured Reserve in 2018, weren't personal. Just part of a business. "You can never be surprised with NFL business," he said. "They respect me, but you have to understand it's a business. I didn't take it personally." The Steelers turn the page at right tackle with a trio of players vying for the 2019 vacancy. Matt Feiler , Chukwuma Okorafor and Jerald Hawkins will all put their name in the hat for the starting role, all while Gilbert hopes to land on his feet in Arizona with former Steelers offensive line coach Sean Kugler. "Once I get on the field, I'll have my play speak for itself," Gilbert said. "I feel like I have a lot of time left. I want to take on more of a leadership role." Steelers fans wish Gilbert well out in the desert, and there will be a reunion between the two parties when Pittsburgh travels out west to Arizona in Week 14, but in the meantime the hope is the Steelers made the right call to let Gilbert walk and go with cheaper, and younger, options at the position.


It's been less than a year since the Los Angeles Rams signed Todd Gurley to an extension and made him the NFL's top-paid running back, but his days of being a true workhorse could be numbered already. Entering his fifth season, Gurley is unlikely to be the bell cow he's been since being drafted by the Rams, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. Rapoport shared some news about Gurley on "NFL Total Access" Monday night, citing his knee, age and number of touches as reasons he probably won't be an "every-down" back for the Rams anymore. "The days of Todd Gurley just being the straight-up, every-down bell cow are probably over, just based on his knee, his age, the position, the amount of carries he's had," Rapoport said. "It's probably not going to be like that, which by the way is maybe why the Rams drafted a running back in the third round, someone they really like a lot. This is a team that is clearly ready to spread the ball around." The Rams aren't lacking for weapons, boasting playmakers such as Brandin Cooks, Robert Woods, Cooper Kupp and now Darrell Henderson on offense. As good as all those players are, Gurley is by far their biggest threat - when healthy. Unfortunately, he may never be as healthy as he was the past four seasons, which is a real concern. Gurley's trainer said the two-time All-Pro wants to play 6 pounds lighter than he did last season in an attempt to become more agile and possibly better as a receiver. Sean McVay doesn't have an issue with that, saying Gurley has earned the right to make a decision like that. "I want him to feel most comfortable and that's the most important thing - what he feels like he can function at, be the all-purpose back he's been and that's where we're at," McVay said at Monday's press conference. "So if he says, 'I'd rather play 5, 10 pounds lighter,' and he's going to feel better about that, then that's exactly what we'll do. I think he's earned the right to be able to tell us how he's feeling with the give and take. As long as he's got a why, which I know he does, then we're always receptive to those things." McVay said Gurley has "always been a guy that has a great command on his body weight and takes really good care of himself," which is a big reason the Rams trust him to play lighter next season. And back in April, McVay said Gurley will still be the "focal point" of the offense, though it's unclear if that sentiment has changed since. "You can expect Todd to be a focal point of our offense going forward… He's in a good place, he's feeling good and will continue to be a central piece of our offense and I don't see that changing." - Rich Eisen Show (@RichEisenShow) April 12, 2019 The addition of Henderson is another wrinkle in the equation because the rookie is certainly going to get his touches after the Rams traded up to draft him. And more touches for Henderson means fewer touches for Gurley, hence him not being a bell cow anymore in L.A. At this point, the Rams just have to maximize the value they get out of Gurley, who's under contract through 2023. MORE: Heavyweight champ Andy Ruiz hits back at Stephen A. Smith after 'Butter Bean' comment Roundup: New Black Mirror Season Premieres; Trump Imposes Cuban Travel Restrictions; Manafort Sent to Rikers Aaron Rodgers sensing Year 2 jump from Packers WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling Did Nike accidentally reveal that Kevin Durant is staying with the Warriors? Cowboys playing a risky game at back-up QB in 2019


It appears that Damien Williams will enter the 2019 season as one of the most underrated running backs in the NFL. NFL Network analyst Maurice Jones-Drew recently released his rankings for each team's No. 1 option at the position . Jones-Drew, a former Jaguars running back, ranked Williams as the NFL's No. 20 starting RB. It's fair to be skeptical about what Williams can do as a starter in the NFL. After all, it's the first time he has had an opportunity to be the lead back for a team. Here's what MJD had to say about Williams in his rankings: Williams appeared in all 16 games, with three starts to close out the 2018 regular season, totaling 256 yards and four touchdowns on 50 carries. A contributor in the ground game and as a pass catcher, Williams really stepped up when the Chiefs appeared to be in a tough spot at the position following the release of Kareem Hunt. After proving to be an asset, Williams signed a two-year extension late in the year. I'm interested to see how Williams handles the pressure of being a starting back for an entire regular season. Luckily for him, Patrick Mahomes' arm attracts most of the attention from opposing defenses. It sounds like Williams is ranked so low for MJD simply because he hasn't been a starter for an entire regular season. Is that really the best way to look at Williams during the 2019 season? He has the luxury of playing with an underrated offensive line, a top notch receiving corps, the best tight end in the NFL, the reigning MVP at quarterback, Andy Reid at coach and the most explosive offense in the NFL. A full season under his belt should yield much better than a No. 20 ranking if all of those things hold true during the 2019 season. If you look at the expected stats of Williams over the course of a full 2018 season and compare them to the expected stats of former Chiefs RB Kareem Hunt, you'll find two very similar players. It's almost as if the running back doesn't matter as much as the system he's playing in. It makes sense that a former NFL back might overlook that notion. It's probably better that the national media sleep on Williams, though. It should make for a nice chip on his shoulder heading into the season. He's already achieved so much in his career, like working his way up from an undrafted free agent to being an NFL starter. That could perhaps influence his success moving forward. MORE: Four potential Kawhi Leonard landing spots in free agency Suspended NASCAR driver still found a way to race this weekend Three Potential Trade Destinations for Chris Paul Raiders DE Clelin Ferrell signs contract, offers message to fans Rams trading Tyler Higbee to Patriots would make sense for both teams


Say goodbye to standing in long lines clutching boarding passes and other travel documents. Step this way, instead. Look into the camera lens and off you go. Sound convenient? Technology companies working with travel providers and the federal government to install facial recognition systems at airports and cruise terminals hope you think so. But privacy advocates don't want you to become too comfortable. They worry that what we're willing to accept for convenience sake today will soften our resistance to the idea of filling public spaces with cameras that can identify us and track our every move. In South Florida, facial recognition systems are popping up at airports and seaports: At the new Terminal 25 in Port Everglades, passengers heading for their Royal Caribbean cruises can breeze through check-in and boarding if they pre-registered at home, thanks to a system developed for the cruise line by California-based biometrics developer Tascent. In its announcement heralding the system's debut in November, Tascent called it a "next-gen biometric traveler experience" that enables "frictionless arrivals." At PortMiami, Royal Caribbean worked with another provider, IDEMIA, on a facial recognition system used to speed debarkation, the process of getting people off the ship. IDEMIA's MFace high-speed 3D face capture technology scans faces of travelers leaving ships and instantly verifies their identities by matching the scans with images collected at the beginning of cruises. Testing of the system at PortMiami and Cape Liberty in New Jersey, announced in 2017, is complete and the system is "now moving into commercial production at these ports," an IDEMIA news release stated. The release quoted Capt. Thomas Hinderhofer, Royal Caribbean's director of northeast port operations, as saying the cruise line has received "very positive feedback" on the new system. "Innovative solutions that improve our guests' total experience   including the final step of clearing Customs in a fast, secure, frictionless process   is Royal Caribbean's way of the future," he said. Miami International Airport launched a biometric entry pilot program in November 2017 at its renovated Concourse E facility that's capable of screening up to 10 passengers a minute   reducing passenger wait times by 20 percent to 80 percent, the airport said on its website. The system works by comparing travelers' scanned facial images to images on their passports. At the airport's Gate J17, Lufthansa fliers can forego boarding passes entirely and present just their faces. Additional airlines are expected to get the technology this year. JetBlue offers a similar facial recognition system to speed boarding for select international flights at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. The new programs join other biometric scanning technologies, such as CLEAR, which identifies passengers using eye and fingerprint scans. That technology, which requires pre-enrollment, enables passengers to skip the document presentation line, but not the physical Transportation Security Administration inspection line. CLEAR is available at 28 U.S. airports, including terminals E and H at Miami International and terminals 1 and 2 at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood, for $179 a year. A free version is available to travelers at participating stadiums and sports arenas, including American Airlines Arena in downtown Miami. Systems that scan fingerprints or eyes aren't as threatening as facial recognition systems, which can identify and track people with cameras installed throughout the public realm, including atop buildings, utility poles, street signs and traffic signals, privacy advocates say. Operators of the new facial recognition systems say they take travelers' privacy concerns seriously. Travelers can opt out of participating in the biometric checks and proceed through their check-in by presenting traditional documents, according to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which is overseeing programs involving international travel. IDEMIA says no images used by its MFace technology to speed cruise ship debarkation will be stored after trips are completed. And the Customs and Border Protection says it retains images of U.S. citizens and exempt non-citizens no more than 12 hours after their identities are verified. Images of non-citizens can be retained up to 14 days except under certain circumstances required by law. Images that fall under those exceptions will be retained by the Department of Homeland Security "as a biometrically-confirmed arrival or departure from the United States." Even if travelers' photos are deleted after they return to the U.S., federal and state agencies retain photos of citizens' passports, visas and driver licenses in their databases that could used at any time to identify faces recorded by surveillance cameras. That's the capability that worries privacy advocates, such as the Electronic Frontier Foundation and American Civil Liberties Union. At thousands of locations across the country, law enforcement agencies capture and store license plate numbers photographed by surveillance cameras positioned along city streets. Law enforcement agencies freely share their databases showing whose cars were where, when, and how many times, the EFF reported. Faces also are photographed by police body cameras, the ACLU pointed out in a letter last year urging Amazon to stop licensing its surveillance system, Rekognition, which can recognize persons of interest in real time, to law enforcement agencies. "People should be free to walk down the street without being watched by the government," the ACLU said in the July letter. "Facial recognition in American communities threatens this freedom." Amazon continues to market the product to police agencies, CNBC reported in December. What makes facial recognition different from other biometrics "is that it's very easy to collect from a person without their noticing," said Adam Schwartz, an attorney at the Electronic Frontier Foundation in a story published in The Hill in December 2017. The story pointed out that the FBI already has 412 million images in its facial recognition database to which surveillance cameras can be easily linked if the government chooses. We're more likely to accept that choice if we first learn to appreciate facial recognition as a time-saving convenience, Schwartz told The Hill. "There's a fear we have of increased normalization of this," he said. "Once people start doing facial recognition on an airplane, they'll get used to it in a supermarket. And then all of a sudden our lives become more and more on display."     ©2019 Sun Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) Visit the Sun Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) at www.sun-sentinel.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.