Latest Posts Under: hodmpzrr
Returning to Randall’s Island Park in New York, NY from June 2nd – 4th, the annual Governors Ball Music Festival has revealed their 2017 lineup. Headlining the event will be Tool, Chance the Rapper, Phoenix, and Childish Gambino, but the talent doesn’t stop there. Lorde, Flume, Wu-Tang Clan, Wiz Khalifa, Logic, and more are all featured on the festival’s lineup.The full billing includes a diverse offering to please anyone’s tastes, including Cage the Elephant, Mark Ronson vs. Kevin Parker, Marshmello, Beach House, ScHoolboy Q, Air, The Avalanches and so much more. With dozens of top tier acts on the lineup, there’s something for everyone at this year’s Governors Ball. This will also be the first New York performance for Tool in over 10 years.You can see the full lineup posted below, and head to their website for tickets and more information.
The Observer General Board elected Maria Leontaras as Editor-in-Chief for the 2020-2021 school year. When she begins her term on March 1, she will be only the second Saint Mary’s student to occupy the role.Marti Hogan was the first Belle to hold the position, serving during the 1977-1978 term. She said she began her career as assistant night editor her freshman year.“At the fall open house my freshman year, most students who attended wanted to write, but I was interested in all aspects of production,” Hogan said in an email. “The position was open, and I accepted it that night.”Hogan was one a small group of Saint Mary’s writers, rising through the ranks to become Saint Mary’s News Editor. In addition, she invited more Belles to join The Observer. Hogan admits she was surprised to be elected Editor-in-Chief.“We had a very dedicated and talented staff, and I was shocked and honored to be selected by the board,” she said. “I looked forward to adding more Saint Mary’s coverage and bringing our campuses closer together.”Hogan reflected on what working on the paper taught her throughout her time in college.“The Observer attracted a diverse group of creative and clever people, not all looking for careers in journalism, and I probably wouldn’t have met most of my colleagues if not for the paper,” she said. “Even when opinions diverged, we discussed and listened with respect. I truly enjoyed those sometimes heated and often hilarious conversations and learned to value variety when working toward a common goal.”Hogan now works at the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) as a communications consultant, joining the company in 2006, according to her LinkedIn page.Maria Leontaras, a current junior at the College, is following Hogan’s path by becoming Editor-in-Chief.(Editor’s Note: Leontaras is currently an Assistant Managing Editor at The Observer.)Leontaras explained her motivation for joining The Observer when she came to Saint Mary’s.“I didn’t just come to campus and just sign up for something random and get on with it,” she said. “I’ve loved journalism since freshman year of high school.”Leontaras credits her initial interest in news stories to an article written about a lost peacock that got into her friend’s backyard. She then became an active member of her high school paper, eventually serving as Editor-in-Chief. She said she was not ready to quit her journalistic career when she was in college.“When I came to Saint Mary’s, I knew there wasn’t a journalism major, but I still wanted to be involved with it because it was such a big part of my life,” she said. “I didn’t want to just let it go.”She said the enthusiastic staff she met at the Saint Mary’s fall activities fair affirmed her decision to join.“I remember the Saint Mary’s editor … Martha Rilley … was so excited for me to be excited to sign up,” she said. “And then I knew that The Observer was going to be something that I really wanted to commit my time to.”Leontaras began as a writer and became Associate Saint Mary’s News Editor the spring of her freshman year. She went on to become an Assistant Managing Editor the following spring and has retained the position until now. She said has greatly enjoyed her time in both positions.”I really liked being able to help everyone and not just be within the Saint Mary’s News department. I really got to talk to more people and make more friends beyond the editorial board,” she said.Leontaras considered applying to be Editor-in-Chief but was hesitant to throw her hat in the ring. However, by the encouragement of her Notre Dame professor Rich Jones — her advisor in the Journalism, Education and Democracy program — she grew more confident and decided to apply.“I’m just really excited to do it and to have the opportunity,” she said.Leontaras said she feels that The Observer is moving in the right direction.“I feel like now more than ever, we have come to a place where we can put aside where we go to school and just see people for their passion and their drive and what they want to do,” she said. “I think that it’s a good step towards The Observer becoming something that truly represents all three campuses and can take this opportunity that we have to build off of it. Make something great happen.”Hogan, for her part, expressed excitement that she will no longer be the only Saint Mary’s alumna to lead The Observer.“I am thrilled that Maria will be the next EIC and look forward to following her progress,” she said. “… The fact that Maria is only the second EIC from Saint Mary’s suggests that SMC students are missing opportunities to lead. … Perhaps the first step is getting involved.”Leontaras encouraged those who are thinking about applying for Observer leadership roles, along with those who have not yet gotten involved in the Observer, to give it a shot.“I always tell everyone, if it’s something you want to do, and you want to do it because you think you’d be good at it, because you have good ideas, [and] because you want to take The Observer to the next level through your contributions, just apply. Just do it,” she said.Tags: Editor-in-Chief, Mount Saint Mary’s Jessica Shepard, The Observer
Show Closed This production ended its run on Jan. 24, 2016 View Comments Related Shows Spring Awakening Don’t do sadness! Deaf West’s revival of Spring Awakening will head on a national tour in 2017. The Broadway production is currently playing a limited engagement at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre through January 24, 2016.Starring Oscar winner Marlee Matlin, along with Broadway.com Audience Choice Award winners Krysta Rodriguez and Andy Mientus and more, Michael Arden’s production previously played two different engagements in Los Angeles. The staging incorporates American Sign Language with the dialogue, as select characters are portrayed as deaf, with additional performers providing their voices.Spring Awakening, featuring music by Duncan Sheik and a book and lyrics by Steven Sater, is based on Frank Wedekind’s 1891 play by the same name. It follows a group of teenagers as they navigate through their sexual and intellectual blossoming, with varying degrees of support from adult figures in their lives. The original production won eight Tony Awards in 2007 including Best Musical.The cast also includes Camryn Manheim, Patrick Page, Russell Harvard as well as over a dozen newcomers, including Austin McKenzie as Melchior, Sandra Mae Frank as Wendla, Katie Boeck as the voice of Wendla, Daniel Durant as Moritz and Alex Boniello as the voice of Moritz.
View Comments Brits, are you ready to “Cha Cha Cha?!” After making its world premiere Down Under in 2014, Baz Luhrmann’s Strictly Ballroom the Musical is heading to the U.K. Based on the much-loved film and the Australian stage adaptation created by Luhrmann and Catherine Martin, the new production will be directed and choreographed by Drew McOnie. Strictly is scheduled to play a limited engagement at West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds November 30 through January 21 and to officially open on December 6.“One of the great joys for us was to take a story that began as a play when I was at drama school and return to our homeland in Australia to birth the musical stage version with all our original collaborators,” said Luhrmann in a statement. “Now that it’s been born, Strictly Ballroom must go on.”Strictly Ballroom the Musical is the inspiring story of a championship ballroom dancer who defies all the rules to follow his heart. It features classic numbers such as “Love is in the Air,” “Perhaps Perhaps Perhaps” and “Time After Time,” as well as several new songs by artists including Sia, David Foster and Eddie Perfect. Terry Johnson has joined the creative team of the British incarnation to adapt the original book. ‘Strictly Ballroom the Musical'(Photo by Jeff Busby)
VSO “CREATE!”To Tour the StateBurlington, VT–Young Vermonters will have the spontaneous opportunity to create music when the Vermont Symphony Orchestra hits the road with its biannual orchestral youth concert tour April 2-6. The SymphonyKids concert is a reprise of the popular program “CREATE!” which premiered in December of 2005 at the Flynn Center in Burlington.David Ludwig, the VSO’s New Music Advisor, will again be the emcee. Young audiences in five magnet locations (see schedule below) will hear music from a wide range of composers, past and present, illustrating such topics as: Can music be recycled? What famous pieces were thought “too modern” at their premieres? Is silence ever music? Percussion soloist D. Thomas Toner will be featured in an excerpt from David Gunn’s “A Tangoed Web,” written for the VSO in 2002, and a woodwind quintet will perform Allie Homziak’s award-winning “Amazon.” Allie is a seventh-grader at Edmunds Middle School.For a grand finale, David Ludwig has the audience vote on various musical components to help him create a new piece, with the orchestra then giving it its world premiere on the spot.Joining Associate Conductor Anthony Princiotti and the VSO for this statewide tour is special guest Roland Clark, a fifth-grader from Johnson, who will play a fiddle variation from Peter Hamlin’s “Green Mountain Variations.” The composer, a faculty member at Middlebury College, wrote this world premiere commission for the VSO, and it was performed at nine “Made in Vermont” Music Festival concerts this past fall. Roland, who studies with VSO violinist Mary Gibson, of Stowe, will also be the soloist for Fritz Kreisler’s virtuosic “Allegro.”Roland’s interest in classical violin took off when he heard Jaime Laredo perform Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto with the VSO just two years ago. Highlights of Roland’s violin career so far include being concertmaster this year of the Vermont Youth Sinfonia, and appearing at Higher Ground in Burlington last fall with the Yonder Mountain String Band. Roland has had additional performing experience working with Vermont fiddler Mark Sustic and his “Fiddleheads” ensemble.He has played the part of the fiddler (of course!) in a local production of Fiddler on the Roof.”CREATE!” is part of the VSOs statewide SymphonyKids education program, which last season reached nearly 26,000 schoolchildren at 158 schools in 132 different communities. Over 5000 students attended the last orchestral youth concert tour in the spring of 2005.For school students and home-schooled youngsters, “CREATE!” is an unforgettable opportunity to learn about music and music-making. The program cost per student is $4, and seats are still available at most performances.For more information and reservations, please telephone Eleanor Long in the VSO office at 1-800-876-9293, ext. 14 or send an e-mail to Eleanor@vso.org(link sends e-mail).Tour schedule:Monday April 2, North Country UHS, Newport, 9:15 & 11:15Tuesday April 3, Barre Opera House, 9:30 & 11:30Wednesday April 4, Lebanon Opera House, 9:00 & 11:00Thursday April 5, Paramount Theatre, Rutland, 9:30 & 11:30Friday April 6, Manchester Elementary School, 9:30 & 11:00
Pregnant women become a magnet for unsolicited advice. When I was pregnant with my son, I received lots of tips, but one of the best was to join AmazonMom and set up a monthly subscription for diapers. AmazonMom was essentially free Amazon Prime for 6 months, rebranded with a mommy twist. Customers received free 2-day shipping on any Prime item and 20% off of diapers with Amazon’s Subscribe and Save program. What happened? Amazon met my life-stage need, made life easier for this busy working mom, demonstrated excellent customer service over many interactions, and captured a loyal customer. My subscriptions expanded from diapers and wipes to household products, I began shopping Amazon over other stores, and my overall spending with the company skyrocketed. Looking back at my annual transactions, I now spend eight times more annually with Amazon than prior to becoming hooked on Prime and Subscriptions. Customer service breeds loyalty – a concept that Amazon gets. In fact, the American Customer Service Index and many other studies, like ForeSee and Zogby Analytics, consistently rank Amazon at the top of its industry – and above others – including credit unions. Credit unions can be a little more like this customer-service All Star by emulating a few successful tactics.Make Member Service Your MissionFirst, to provide great member service, a company must make customers the priority. Part of Amazon’s mission statement is to be the “Earth’s most customer-centric company.” CEO Jeff Bezos has called this his guiding force for leadership. He is known for bringing an empty chair to meetings and telling participants that it’s occupied by the most important person in the room: the customer. Most credit unions strive for (and are known for) good member service. It may even be rooted in your mission. But, what customers consider superior service today – across multiple delivery channels – is evolving. The bar is being set by experiences consumers have with Amazon and other disrupters. To excel at achieving your member-service mission, your credit union needs to be laser focused on the member experience and to use it as the filter for all strategic decisions. Eliminate Pain Points and ObstaclesSecond, a good service experience anticipates customer needs and removes pain points and obstacles for the customer. Bezos has frequently said, “We start with what the customer needs and work backward.” Consider the online retail business. Shipping fees, long delivery wait times, and return hassles are all traditional deterrents. Through experimentation and success Amazon has eliminated them. Prime, offers free 2-day shipping on lots of eligible items, free video streaming, and a host of other goodies for $99 a year. On paper, the immediate ROI doesn’t pan out. But Amazon was willing to experiment because it was best for the customer. What they found out was that it was best for the company in the long run too. Remember, I said my own spending has increase eight fold since becoming a Prime Member. I might be extreme because I became a parent at the same time (good thinking Amazon); however, Consumer Intelligence Research Partners estimates that the Prime members spent about $1,200 on average last year, compared to about $500 for non-members. When the shipping fees are removed and delivery times slashed, it can be easier and cheaper to shop at Amazon than to drive across down for a needed item. What pain points or obstacles exist in your credit union? Try shadowing the call center, interviewing members or mapping out a member experience journey to find out. Then, invent solutions and be willing to test them out. Know your MemberThird, to provide superior member service, get to know your members, and act like you know them – across channels. Truly listen. Amazon does this with analytics as we know, but they also require all managers to spend two days shadowing in the call center and to regularly immerse themselves in customer feedback. The customer’s voice is king. Amazon remembers me and my interests. Does this sound familiar: “Based on your recent activity, we thought you might be interested in this…” Sure, there is a delicate balance between feeling stalked and feeling personally known, but credit unions have an opportunity to leverage past interactions more like Amazon. Have you ever had an experience with your credit union, health care provider or a retail store, where you engaged online, over the phone and in person and had to explain your need each time you began the new interaction? It can be frustrating for you, and the company can miss opportunities to serve your needs. Consider these data-triggered personalization ideas: Yesterday, Joe visited your website to look at auto loan rates. Today he’s in the branch making a deposit. The teller can see he was interested in auto rates and offers to provide extra information or help him get started with a loan. Every Tuesday afternoon Mary visits the branch to deposit a check. When she logs into her mobile app this Tuesday morning, it prompts her to save time and deposit her weekly check remotely. Bill called the credit union this morning and became angry about the service. Unsatisfied, he visits his local branch in the afternoon to seek resolution. When he walks inside, mobile beacons alert the manager about who he is and voice analysis indicates that he was upset with the credit union earlier in the day. The manager quickly reviews the details and approaches Bill ready to amend his experience. Sara uses mobile bill pay to pay her credit card with a big-name bank. When adding the payee or scheduling a new payment, the app lets her know that 70% of members like her also have the credit union’s card and rate it 5 stars. In fact, she’s pre-approved and can apply on the app if desired.To be more like Amazon, leverage data to personalize experiences across channels and interactions. Listen and act on feedback, and make sure management is in touch with the front-line experience.Empower Your StaffFinally, to provide great member service. Empower staff to solve problems.Once, I submitted feedback about an inexpensive baby gate because the locking mechanism snapped in two. I hadn’t anticipated getting another one due to the shoddy design, but Amazon staff proactively replaced the item with one-day shipping. Here’s a snippet from the email I received: “I’m sorry to hear the problem you had with the item. I apologize for it. To make things right for you. I’ve created a replacement for you at no additional charge. Here are the details…” It’s still not a great gate, but I was impressed that they listened and acted. Another time, I was shopping last minute for a birthday gift. It was minutes before midnight eastern time when I selected the gift, and by the time I check out, the Friday delivery date had changed to Saturday. I was so disappointed with my last-minute blunder, that I called Amazon Customer Service. The representative checked on my order, and like a birthday angel, he changed the delivery date back to Friday. I’ve had a handful of interactions with Amazon’s call center, and the representatives are consistently able to solve issues without escalation. Ask yourself… Are member service representatives at my credit union empowered to solve problems and delight members? What would need to change to make that happen?Put it into ActionAmazon is an industry benchmark for customer service. To join the member service of hall fame, always make members the priority, eliminate member experience obstacles (test, test, test), act like you remember your members at every interaction, and empower staff to solve problems. At CU Engage, we are dedicated to helping our credit union clients strategically plan for the future with an emphasis on their members and ensuring they have the tools and vendors to execute on those plans. Contact us for help with your strategic planning or vendor negotiations for Channels and Payments at www.cuengage.com or info@cuengage.com. 146SHARESShareShareSharePrintMailGooglePinterestDiggRedditStumbleuponDeliciousBufferTumblr,Jen Shefner Jen is passionate about motivating innovation and helping bring credit unions to the next level. Prior to joining CU Engage, she held the position of Vice President Digital Banking and … Web: https://www.cuengage.com Details
Auctions are a great way to let buyers know that you are serious about selling within a set timeframe. Picture: AAP IMAGE/Troy Snook. IN the latest of our expert series, Stacey Quaid, the managing director of Colliers International Cairns explains why there’s nothing like an aucton to show buyers you mean business: AN auction is one of the most powerful messages you can give the market when you decide to sell your property, as it provides total focus for a set time frame and shows your commitment to the sale. For buyers, it provides opportunity to contest the property fairly and to see clearly the current market values.As values change with market cycles there can be a risk of under-pricing in a rising market or overpricing when markets are in decline.The best test in those circumstances is to market without price and for this, auction remains the number one choice for residential properties. What to do in the garden this Winter Tax changes hit investor numbers More from newsCairns home ticks popular internet search terms3 days agoTen auction results from ‘active’ weekend in Cairns3 days ago Big property changes starting July 1 Colliers International Cairns managing director Stacey Quaid.When properly managed, auctions allow buyers to make their own decisions in respect to value and, as we have often seen, circumstances can dictate a higher worth to some buyers than expected.Over the years, I have sold many properties well over reserve, not because the buyer paid too much, but because that buyer saw value above the seller’s (and in many cases, our) expectations.With a market described as being in a “steady state” and “at the start of recovery”, we will see market change and more balance as we move from a buyer’s to a seller’s market and in turn we will see more and more auctions as sellers look for the best price possible.With the perfect selling season upon us and the potential of a rising market, now is the time to think of selling and auction should be one of your first choices. *Stacey Quaid is managing director of Colliers International Cairns
“Many of them are also already prepared for the new, carbon neutral fuels of the future and we will continue to scale up our actions to have the most energy efficient fleet in the industry.” According to DEME, this marks only the second ship-to-ship LNG bunkering operation to take place in Germany and the first at the Port of Rostock. Source: DEME Group After joining the company’s fleet, the 216.5m long vessel will head to the Moray East offshore wind farm project in the UK for the installation of 103 jackets. Currently, Orion is at the Liebherr construction yard in Rostock, where it is being outfitted with a 5,000t crane. “Our recent fleet additions are unique in their market segments as the first vessels in our industry to run on LNG. We want to make sure our fleet is future-proof and exceeds the current environmental regulations. Therefore, most of our new vessels are equipped with dual fuel engines, which are capable of running on LNG,” said Bart Verboomen, Head of DEME’s Technical Department. Orion is DEME’s fifth dual-fuel vessel, following the cable installation vessel Living Stone and three trailing suction hopper dredgers. DEME Group’s DP3 offshore installation vessel Orion has undergone the first liquid natural gas (LNG) bunkering. The world’s largest LNG bunker vessel Kairos, operated by Nauticor, supplied Orion with LNG at the Port of Rostock in Germany.
Rapper Ice Cube, Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and longtime boxing promoter Bob Arum led a cavalcade of sports leagues, federations, businesses and teams that navigated a federal loan program designed to help small firms cope with the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic.Data released Monday showed hundreds of thousands of Paycheck Protection Program recipients across a wide range of industries, and sports-related businesses were well represented. However, none of the four major North American sports leagues — the NFL, NBA, NHL and Major League Baseball — were among the businesses that applied, according to the data.Big 3 Basketball LLC, a Los Angeles-based 3-on-3 basketball league co-founded by Ice Cube, received $1.6 million and returned $700,000, Jeremy Watkins, a spokesman for the company, told The Associated Press. The remaining $600,000 was used to pay coaches and players for this season and ensure the league could play its 2021 season.At least four Major League Soccer teams tapped the PPP program, according to the data: D.C. United and Inter Miami were approved for loans in the $1 million to $2 million range, while Orlando City and the Seattle Sounders each applied for between $2 million and $5 million.Under the PPP, Congress created $659 billion in low-interest loans that will be forgiven if employers use the money on payroll, rent and similar expenses. With about $130 billion unclaimed as the application deadline closed June 30, Congress extended the program until Aug. 8. Training camps would open July 13 and games would resume Aug. 1 if approved by the league’s board of governors and players’ executive committee and full membership.The NHL is going straight to the playoffs with 24 teams resuming play. Those teams will travel to one of two “hub” cities July 26. A person with direct knowledge of the agreements told The Associated Press that the NHL has selected Toronto and Edmonton, Alberta, to be the hub cities in hosting the qualifying round and at least first two playoff rounds.MLB-TESTING DELAYSNationals, Astros cancel workoutsWASHINGTON (AP) — Baseball’s two World Series finalists canceled workouts because of coronavirus testing delays. Share This StoryFacebookTwitteremailPrintLinkedinRedditNHL-VIRUS OUTBREAKNHL, players’ union announce plan to resume play on Aug. 1UNDATED (AP) — The National Hockey League and NHL Players’ Association have reached a tentative agreement to return to play this season and extend their collective bargaining agreement by four years. In other NFL moves:The San Francisco 49ers signed cornerback Jamar Taylor to a one-year contract. San Francisco cleared room on the roster by waiving cornerback Teez Tabor with a non-football injury designation. The 29-year-old Taylor appeared in 12 combined games for Atlanta and Seattle last season. GOLF-MEMORIAL-SPECTATORSPlans for spectators are scrappedUNDATED (AP) — The PGA Tour and the Memorial have scrapped state-approved plans to have limited spectators next week in Ohio. NFL-CHIEFS-MAHOMESChiefs, Mahomes agree to 10-year, $503 million extensionThe Kansas City Chiefs made sure they’ll have Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes around as long as possible. Mahomes agreed to a 10-year extension worth up to $503 million, according to his agency, Steinberg Sports. The deal is worth $477 million in guarantee mechanisms and includes a no-trade clause and opt-out clauses if guarantee mechanisms aren’t met. It’s the richest contract in professional sports history, surpassing Mike Trout’s $426.5 million deal with the Los Angeles Angels.The Chiefs had the 2018 NFL MVP under contract for the next two seasons but that wasn’t nearly enough. The contract extension starts in 2022 when the NFL salary cap is projected to be $227.5 million. However, that number could be lower depending on revenue losses due to the cornonavirus pandemic and the possibility any games played this season won’t have fans. Chambers, who is white, later tweeted an apology. Bolton tweeted that Chambers made the noose comment after the coach returned from a one-game suspension for shoving Nittany Lions player Myles Dread in the chest during the previous game. Bolton told The Undefeated he was offended by the reference and confronted both Chambers and the athletic director’s office.EUROPEAN CLUBS-FINANCESEuropean soccer clubs face $4.5B income drop over next yearGENEVA (AP) — European soccer clubs expect to lose $4.5 billion in revenue over the next year because of the coronavirus pandemic.A study by the European Club Association estimates clubs in 55 countries face a collective shortfall of $1.8 billion this season and $2.7 billion in the 2020-21 campaign. Rangers’ Gallo tests positiveARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — All-Star slugger Joey Gallo has tested positive for the coronavirus and is missing the Texas Rangers’ summer camp. The outfielder has yet to show any symptoms of COVID-19. Gallo had been among Rangers players who worked out for several weeks at their new ballpark before his positive test. Rangers general manager Jon Daniels says Gallo has had multiple tests, including one that came back negative. An initial test June 27 was positive, followed by a negative test and then another positive result Sunday. Gallo is isolating at his Dallas apartment and away from teammates. Daniels says the teammates Gallo was around have tested negative.In other MLB news: After a weekend spent stoking division, Trump wrongly accused Bubba Wallace of perpetrating “a hoax” after one of his crew members discovered a rope shaped like a noose in a garage stall. Federal authorities ruled last month that the rope had been hanging there since at least last October and was not a hate crime. Trump is asking whether Wallace has “apologized to all of those great NASCAR drivers & officials who came to his aid.”NFL-REDSKINS NAMENative American groups ask NFL to force Redskins name changeWASHINGTON (AP) — More than a dozen Native American leaders and organizations have sent a letter to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell calling for the league to force Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder to change the team name immediately. — Mookie Betts wasn’t moved by Major League Baseball’s response in the wake of George Floyd’s death in police custody, and the Los Angeles Dodgers’ newest star has a goal of getting the Black community to love baseball as much as he does. MLB released a statement nine days after the death of Floyd. MLB was the last of the major pro sports leagues that either responded to Floyd’s death or condemned racism. Betts says baseball didn’t do a good job with that, but he think voices were heard. —The New York Yankees held their first intrasquad game of summer camp Monday as they prepare for a condensed 60-game season that starts in 2 1/2 weeks. Aaron Judge, Gleyber Torres, Giancarlo Stanton and other regulars from the defending AL East champs took hacks under the lights against teammates for six innings. J.A. Happ’s first pitch came about an hour after Major League Baseball unveiled the schedule for a season it hopes to run through a pandemic. The Yankees will open July 23 against the World Series champion Nationals in Washington — Phillies ace Aaron Nola reported to camp on Monday after waiting a few extra days because he was in contact with someone who tested positive for the coronavirus. The Phillies have had seven players and five staff members test positive for the virus. None has been identified. Nola threw a bullpen session upon arriving and would likely start Philadelphia’s season opener later this month if he’s ready. Nola finished third in NL Cy Young Award voting in 2018 when he was 17-6 with a 2.37 ERA. He was 12-7 with a 3.87 ERA last year.SPORTS-PPP LOANSSports jumps on PPP bandwagon, but big leagues take a pass The Washington Nationals and Houston Astros called off training camp practices Monday after not receiving test results from Friday.The St. Louis Cardinals also scrubbed their scheduled workout for similar reasons. General manager Mike Rizzo of the champion Nationals said it’s not safe to continue with camp without accurate and timely testing. Rizzo called on Major League Baseball to work quickly to resolve issues with its lab to keep the season from being at risk.Astros GM James Click speculated the July 4th holiday weekend contributed to the delay. MLB said it addressed delays caused by the holiday weekend and doesn’t expect them to continue.MLB-BRAVES-MARKAKISMarkakis won’t play this year ATLANTA (AP) — Atlanta Braves veteran outfielder Nick Markakis has become the latest player to opt out of the 2020 season due to increased concerns about the coronavirus pandemic. Markakis is the second Atlanta veteran in two days to announce plans to sit out the 60-game season, following right-hander Félix Hernández. The 36-year-old Markakis says he was uneasy about playing the season without fans and then was swayed by his telephone conversation with teammate Freddie Freeman, who has tested positive for COVID-19 and has fever and other symptoms. Dodgers pitcher David Price, Washington infielder Ryan Zimmerman and Colorado outfielder Ian Desmond are among other players who have opted out.MLB-RANGERS-GALLO The Memorial was scheduled to be the first tournament with spectators since golf return from the COVID-19 pandemic-caused shutdown. Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine approved a plan for there to be 20% capacity at Muirfield Village. The tour said rapidly changing dynamics of the pandemic caused that to change. PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan says golf needs to stay focused on health and safety. Muirfield Village is hosting back-to-back events. The Workday Charity Open this week was not planning on having fans.TRUMP-BUBBA WALLACETrump lashes out at NASCAR, Bubba Wallace over flag, ropeWASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is criticizing NASCAR for banning the Confederate flag at its races and is going after its only Black driver. July 7, 2020 Update on the latest sports The analysis excluded possible transfer market profits. ECA chief executive Charlie Marshall says “the results demonstrate that the financial impact of COVID-19 on European clubs … is already a seismic shock.”FIFA has committed hundreds of millions of dollars from its financial reserves to make grants and interest-free loans to member federations. The letter was signed by 15 Native American advocates and obtained by The Associated Press. It demands the team and the NFL cease the use of Native American names, imagery and logos — with specific importance put on Washington, which last week launched what the team called a “ thorough review ” of its name.The letter was delivered on the same day that President Donald Trump voiced his opposition to any name change by the team. Several team sponsors have come out in favor of change recently and Snyder showed his first indication of willingness to do so amid a nationwide movement to erase racially insensitive symbols.IOWA STATE-COACHES COMMENTBolton left Penn State after coach’s ‘noose’ commentUNDATED (AP) — Iowa State guard Rasir Bolton said he decided to leave Penn State last spring because of a comment by coach Pat Chambers, who said the player had a noose around his neck. Bolton, who is Black, disclosed the reason for his departure Monday in a tweet he titled “a noose around my neck.” Associated Press 
By Richard MartinBARCELONA, Spain (Reuters) – Lionel Messi produced another masterful Champions League performance to knock out Manchester United and fire Barcelona into the semi-finals for the first time in four years, scoring twice in a 3-0 home win yesterday.Barca, who toyed with United for the majority of the encounter, sealed a 4-0 aggregate victory and will meet either Porto or Liverpool in the last four.Messi had failed to score in his last 12 quarter-final appearances, but he settled his side’s nerves after a bright start from United, collecting a misplaced pass from Ashley Young and curling into the bottom corner in the 16th minute.The Argentine then pounced on another lapse from United’s defence four minutes later to win back possession high up the pitch and fire a shot from outside the box, which squirmed under visiting keeper David de Gea.Philippe Coutinho finished off a therapeutic win for the Catalans, after three quarter-final failures in a row, by curling into the top corner in the second half.“This was a spectacular performance, this is what we are all about,” Messi told reporters.“The first five minutes we were a little shy and nervous, perhaps the scoreline gave us a strange feeling, but then we took control of the game.”United coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s greatest night as a player came at the Nou Camp, but after losing the first leg at Old Trafford 1-0, his team needed to become the first side to win a European game there in 31 matches in order to progress.They clung to the hope of another famous European escape act after last month’s miraculous 3-1 win at Paris St Germain and made a strong start as Marcus Rashford hit the crossbar in the opening stages.They also survived a scare when a penalty awarded to Barca for an apparent foul by Fred on Ivan Rakitic was overturned after a VAR review.Yet their hopes were soon extinguished when Young was caught in possession on the left wing and Messi seized the ball, scurrying across the pitch and holding off more United defenders before bending a superb shot past the outstretched De Gea.DE GEA EMBARRASSED The Spanish goalkeeper was left embarrassed for Messi’s second goal as the Argentine’s tame shot crept under his body.“We did well to get here but we could see the difference between the two teams. We started well, in the first 15 minutes we thought we could get something here and then they got the two goals,” said Solskjaer.“You know that at this level you cannot slip up and make mistakes and you have to take your chances when you get them. We didn’t capitalise on our great start, then they have their first two shots on target, they get two goals then it’s game over.”United looked down and out and Messi nearly dealt them further pain before halftime by sparking another quick break, but this time De Gea thwarted the Catalans, pushing away Sergi Roberto’s shot on the goalline.De Gea was taunted by Barca fans in the second half, which turned into a procession for the home side and the out-of-form Coutinho turned up the party atmosphere with his sensational strike.The nearest United came to finding the target after the break was when Barca keeper Marc-Andre Ter Stegen turned an Alexis Sanchez header around the post late on.