Ringling Brothers Circus Comes to an End

The circus billed as “The Greatest Show on Earth” has come to an end after 146 years.

The Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus gave its final performance Sunday in Uniondale, New York, 50 kilometers east of New York City.

Ringling Brothers has its origins in the 19th century with showman P.T. Barnum. 

Circus executives said the wild animals, acrobats, clowns and other circus acts that had entertained audiences for over a century could not withstand the 21st century competition of IPhones, the internet and video games.

A decline in ticket sales increased when the circus removed the elephants in May 2016, following years of protests from animal rights activists who said forcing animals to perform and transporting them around the country was abuse.

In January, Feld Entertainment, Ringling’s parent company, announced the unthinkable – the circus would close.

Sunday night the circus received a standing ovation, prompting ringmaster Jonathan Lee Iverson to say, “I thought the circus was antiquated?  You mean you love the circus?”  He led the circus performers, crew and audience through an emotional rendition of Auld Lang Syne.

From: MeNeedIt

EU’s Moscovici Confident Eurogroup Will Reach Deal on Greece

The European Commissioner for Economic and Financial Affairs, Pierre Moscovici, said on Sunday he was confident an agreement between Athens and its creditors could be found at a meeting of euro zone finance ministers on Monday in Brussels.

Athens needs funds to repay 7.5 billion euros ($8.4 billion) of debt maturing in July.

“We are very close to an overall agreement,” Moscovici told France Inter radio.

“Greece has assumed its responsibilities,” he said, referring to measures on pension cuts, tax hikes and reforms adopted on Thursday by the Greek Parliament.

“I now wish that we, the partners of Greece, also take our responsibilities,” he said.

Moscovici said his optimism over a deal was partly linked to the fact Germany was now aware of the need to find a structural solution to Greece’s problems.

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and German Chancellor Angela Merkel agreed during a call on Wednesday that a deal was “feasible” by Monday.

From: MeNeedIt

WHO Optimistic on Controlling DRC Ebola Outbreak

The World Health Organization’s regional chief for Africa says prospects for rapidly controlling the spread of the deadly Ebola virus in Democratic Republic of Congo are good. WHO reports 29 suspected cases, including three deaths since the outbreak was discovered in a remote region of DRC on April 22.

The World Health Organization’s regional director for Africa does not underestimate the difficulties that lie ahead in bringing this latest outbreak of Ebola in Democratic Republic of Congo to an end.

Matshidiso Moeti notes the outbreak is centered in a remote area where it is difficult to operate and to bring in the personnel and material needed to contain this deadly disease. But, she tells VOA she is very encouraged by the speed with which the government and its national and international partners have responded to this crisis.

“But, I am quite optimistic because this is a government that is experienced at this and which has got off to a very quick start and we are already on the ground with the partners,” she said. “We are getting logistic support from WFP [World Food Program] and from the U.N. mission. So, I am quite optimistic.”

This is the eighth recorded outbreak of Ebola in DRC since 1976. The deadly virus was first detected in Bas-Uele Province, a densely-forested area in northeastern Congo near the border with the Central African Republic.

Moeti calls the remoteness of the area a mixed blessing.

“It is, of course, an area from which we are not expecting rapid expansion of the outbreak to other localities due to population movement as happened in West Africa. Although, we are keeping a close eye on the Central African Republic…where we are concerned that there is insecurity there. There is some population movement there,” she said.

Moeti adds it is difficult to operate and carry out surveillance or investigations in this area because roads for car traffic do not exist. She says the government has fixed up a landing strip to enable helicopters to fly in the experts and material needed to combat this deadly disease.

 

 

 

From: MeNeedIt

Russian Ship Brings Medical Care to Isolated People

Recent studies suggest that as many as 400 million people around the world do not have access to basic health care. In some cases it’s because of conflict, but in some cases it’s just geography: humans live in some very far away places, Siberia for instance. That’s where the medical ship comes in handy. VOA’s Kevin Enochs reports.

From: MeNeedIt

Fans Grateful for One Last Time at the ‘Greatest Show on Earth’

Lions, tigers and clowns, no more. Oh my. It’s curtains for the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus.

This weekend is the last chance for fans to see death-defying acrobats, exotic animals and flashy costumes as the circus ends its 146-year reign as one of the world’s biggest big tops.

Ringling’s parent company, Feld Entertainment, announced in January that it would take its final bow this year. On Saturday afternoon, under cloudy skies, fans streamed into the Nassau Coliseum in suburban New York to pay their last respects to the iconic show.

‘An adult today’

“I’m becoming an adult today,” said 46-year-old Heather Greenberg, of New York City. “I can’t go to the circus with my daddy anymore.”

Greenberg and her parents, and her three children, along with her sister and extended family — 12 in all — clowned around, laughing and joking, as they walked into the show.

Her sister, Dawn Mirowitz, 42, of Dix Hills, New York, sobered as she pondered a future without the Ringling Brothers circus.

“We’ll never get a chance to take our grandchildren to the circus,” she said.

Higher costs, smaller crowds

Feld executives say declining attendance and high operating costs are among reasons for closing.

Ringling had two touring circuses this season, one ending its run earlier this month in Providence, Rhode Island.

The final shows of what was long promoted as “The Greatest Show on Earth” are being staged at the Nassau Coliseum in suburban New York. There are three scheduled shows Saturday and three Sunday. For those who can’t make it, the final circus show Sunday night will be streamed live on Facebook Live and on the circus’ website.

One last show

Clarissa Williams, a 38-year-old stay-at-home mom from West Hempstead, New York, was taking her 8-year-old daughter, Nylah, to the show.

“I’m thankful we get to see it before it leaves,” she said. “I pray that when they end, they take the animals and put them in a safe, sacred place.”

A spokesman for the circus says homes have been found for the animals that were owned by Ringling, including the tigers, horses and camels.

From: MeNeedIt

Pippa Middleton Marries Millionaire Hedge Fund Manager

Pippa Middleton, the younger sister of Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, married millionaire hedge fund manager James Matthews on Saturday in Englefield, England.

Prince William and Prince Harry were on hand for the lavish ceremony at a 12th century church in rural England. The wedding party also included William’s children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte.

Middleton was accompanied by her father as they arrived at the church in a vintage convertible. A large number of reporters and on-lookers gathered outside the church grounds, braving sporadic rain to catch a glimpse of the spectacle.

The ceremony was to be followed by a private reception at Middleton’s parents’ estate nearby.

 

From: MeNeedIt

Iconic American Circus Performs Last Show on Sunday

An American institution, the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus, promoted as “The Greatest Show on Earth,” is closing Sunday after 146 years.

“After a lot of discussion, my family decided that with the decline in ticket sales, it was just the right business decision to close Ringling Brothers,” said Alana Feld, the executive vice president at Feld Entertainment, the owner of the iconic circus.

Elephants and ticket sales

Company officials cited decreasing sales after the circus ended its popular display of elephants for the closure, as well as changing entertainment tastes, high operating costs and prolonged battles with animal rights groups over using animals in the show.

Feld said the elephants have been moved to an elephant conservation center in Florida while the other animals have found new homes, some with the presenters they have been working with for years.

Ringmaster Johnathan Lee Iverson said that when the announcement came out in January that the circus would soon be closing, “all I thought about was the fans.

“I thought about future generations, that really they don’t have this type of entertainment that is this pure and this intriguing and with this high level of artistry. There’s nothing out there [like this],” he said.

The circus has been a staple outing for families for much of the 20th century. The show traveled each year to cities across the country to display exotic animals, flashy costumes and high-flying acrobats.

Entertainment tastes change

Company officials say that in the past two decades youths have become more interested in movies, television, internet games and cell phone texting with friends.

Comedic clown Davis Vassallo said it was “a dream to be part of this show, the greatest show on Earth.

“I cannot even describe how happy it was for me to be part of [this show] and I’m sad of course to wake up from this amazing dream,” he said.

Animal rights groups have long been protesting the use of animals in the circus and welcomed the company’s decision earlier this year to close the show.

Ringling’s last traveling circus will perform Sunday in Uniondale, New York.

From: MeNeedIt

Job Prospects for 2017 College Grads, Best in More Than a Decade

About 3 million Americans will enter the job pool this year as graduation ceremonies get underway at various colleges and universities across the United States. With unemployment at a 10-year low, 2017 is shaping up to be a good year for new grads. But as Mil Arcega reports, success for many will depend on a desire to keep learning and a willingness to go where the jobs are.

From: MeNeedIt

Hollywood Is Ready With More Big-budget Summer Blockbusters

This time of the year, Hollywood rolls out its big-budget films. Monsters and superheroes are framed by spectacular special effects on IMAX screens, and the industry’s big stars flex their muscles, figuratively and literally.

Most of these movies promise chills and thrills for not a small fee at the box office, and though they are not usually Oscar heavyweights, they are meant to quench theatergoers’ summer thirst for adventure. Some of the industry’s big-budget flicks look promising for their originality and good acting and for their revival of classic movie franchises.  

Filmmaker Ridley Scott returns to his iconic Alien franchise with his new Alien: Covenant. It takes place 10 years after his 2012 Alien film Prometheus, which did not fare that well among the diehard fans of the sci-fi horror franchise because it veered off the monster plot line of the genre.

Now, in Alien: Covenant, Scott returns to his fiendishly intelligent and indestructible xenophorms preying on humans on a distant planet. To the delight of Alien fans, Alien: Covenant bursts out following the same formula as the original Alien film almost 40 years ago.

Crew members of a colony ship are lured to an unknown planet after they receive a human signal. When they land, they discover Earthlike living conditions, but what looks at first like a haven soon turns into hell. The crew is decimated by the horrific acid-dripping crustaceans.

Katherine Waterston, who plays Daniels, a terraform expert and captain of the ship, resembles Sigourney Weaver’s Ripley, the heroine of the original films. The designs of the creatures are as horrific and awesome as ever, and the 3-D IMAX technology adds detail to the gruesomeness of their attacks.

 

Michael Fassbender adds a Shakespearean tone with his dual role of two identical-looking “synthetics,” as artificial intelligence is called in the film. The upgraded synthetic, Walter, is part of the crew and human-friendly, while David, the first version stranded on the planet, is ruthless and destructive.

The film’s story line is meant as a prequel to Scott’s original Alien trilogy and the opening chapter to new Alien sci-fi horror installments. And though Scott sacrifices originality for form, Alien fans will probably love it, and Hollywood will likely cash in.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

After the unexpected success of the original Guardians of the Galaxy, filmmaker James Gunn makes a bigger, flashier sequel with the same cast, as the guardians are embroiled in new adventures. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 mixes action with raunchy humor and relies on the successful chemistry among the cast of bankable actors such as Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel.

The impressive visuals and 1970s rock music aim to attract moviegoers of all ages, a formula that has proven very successful for the movie industry. So far the sequel has grossed over $630 million.

 

Wonder Woman

One of the most anticipated superhero blockbusters this summer is Wonder Woman. As a woman herself, director Patty Jenkins creates a dynamic female superhero, an Amazon princess who leaves her realm to go and fight a war to end all wars.

Wonder Woman is fleshed out by actress-model Gal Gadot, who also served as a combat instructor in the Israeli army. Gadot promises to make this DC Comics superhero memorable for many sequels to come. Chris Pine plays Colonel Steve Trevor, a male sidekick, offering Wonder Woman all the adulation and adoration she deserves. If Wonder Woman is meant to show female moxie, Gadot has got it.

The Mummy

Tom Cruz headlines the revamped The Mummy and shows off some wicked stunts while chasing the resurrected malevolent creature in ancient tunnels under modern London. Sofia Butella plays a convincing mummy, a role first played by Boris Karloff in 1932. This is the first time the mummy is fleshed out by a woman. Butella plays ancient Egyptian Princess Ahmanet who wakes up from the dead and unleashes her rage on humanity because her father broke his promise to her and did not make her Pharaoh.

 

War for the Planet of the Apes

In War for the Planet of the Apes, Andrew Serkis reprises the role as simian leader Caesar in a motion capture suit (which creates a special effect that blends human and ape features), who rises against humans to avenge his kind. Woody Harrelson plays the diabolical colonel set to destroy Caesar and the apes once and for all. 

The success of this franchise, mainly due to special effects and Serkis’ fine acting, has whetted Hollywood’s appetite for another robust box office in the middle of summer.

From: MeNeedIt

Summer Blockbusters, Hollywood’s Moneymaking Machines

This time of the year, Hollywood rolls out its big-budget films. Monsters and superheroes are framed by spectacular special effects on IMAX screens, and the industry’s big stars flex their muscles, figuratively and literally. This summer, some of the industry’s monster flicks look promising. VOA’s Penelope Poulou reports.

From: MeNeedIt

Hey, Graduates: Good Jobs Exist With or Without 4-Year Degree

About three million American university graduates will enter the job market this year. And with unemployment currently at a 10-year low, it’s a good time to be graduating, says Nicole Smith, chief economist at Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce (CEW).

“We are at one of the lowest unemployment rates we’ve had since May of 2007, so what that means for the graduating class of 2017 is that the likelihood of getting a job is really, really good,” she said.

The U.S. Labor Department says unemployment for those with a four-year bachelor’s degree or higher is 2.5 percent, compared to the overall jobless rate of 4.5 percent. For those with a high school diploma or less, the average unemployment rate is 6.8 percent.

Demand for graduates with associate, bachelor’s and master’s degrees is particularly strong in the STEM fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, according to the latest survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers.

However, Smith says, a four-year degree is not necessary to compete in today’s economy.

“There are about 28 million jobs or so in the U.S. economy that are good-paying jobs; that are high-skilled jobs for people without a B.A,” she said.

While higher learning can give new workers the upper hand, Smith says almost a third of students with bachelor’s degrees are under-unemployed.

“So we have to do this cakewalk, this tightrope walk, to understand exactly what the market demands,” she said.

Options without college degree

A survey of the hottest employment sectors in 2017 shows some of the fastest-growing fields don’t require a four-year degree, according to Bankrate.com senior analyst Mark Hamrick.

“You don’t have to have a college degree for some of those technical jobs, where, let’s say, a kind of therapy might be involved — physical or occupational therapy,” he said.

Health care and service-oriented jobs aimed at the needs of a graying population are bound to remain strong as baby boomers — those born between 1946 to 1964 — continue to retire. But, Hamrick says, some skills are harder to learn in school.

“One of the skills which has been in strong demand really involves people skills — closing the deal, sales … business strategy; charting the course for a viable enterprise, that’s something that’s needed,” he said.

What is clear is that jobs that fueled the economy three or four decades ago are not the same jobs driving the economy today. In the 1970s, manufacturing accounted for nearly two of every five jobs; today, those manufacturing jobs account for fewer than one in 10.   

“The types of manufacturing jobs that remain are jobs that are really high-skill, high-tech, high-demand manufacturing jobs. So those jobs require a lot more skills than their predecessors did,” Smith said.

Life-long learning key

Today’s job market also differs from the past because rapid technological and societal change demands a commitment to life-long learning, which means that getting a degree is just the beginning, according to Smith.  

“Each year, there’s a new … version of technology that we must use,” she said. “So what the students need to be aware of is that they will need to come back to re-up their certification, to re-up their skills.”

Participating in today’s economy also means older and newer workers must be willing to move where the jobs are. Demand for workers is greatest where local economies are dynamic and where populations are growing, says Bankrate.com’s Hamrick. That means the exodus toward bigger cities on the East and West coasts will continue. 

“That’s a process that’s accelerating,” Hamrick said. “It’s not slowing down, and so having the right skills, going where the jobs are located — those are the keys to obtaining and maintaining employment.”

The most recent jobs report shows the U.S. economy added 211,000 jobs in April, and unemployment fell to 4.4 percent. That’s a sharp contrast to the dark days that followed the 2008 financial crisis, when the U.S. economy was losing 800,000 jobs a month and unemployment peaked at 10 percent. 

From: MeNeedIt

Eurozone Bounces Back as Growth Beats US, Britain – But Is It Sustainable?

After years of stagnation and high unemployment, the eurozone countries appear to be bouncing back with growth in the shared currency bloc, soaring higher than in the United States and Britain.

The eurozone grew at an annual rate of 1.7 percent during the first three months of 2017, while the bloc’s trade surplus doubled in March from the previous month. Unemployment is falling, albeit still stubbornly high at 9.6 percent.

“For a change, Europe is leading this upswing. It’s partly because of the connection between Europe and China, demand from China. But at the same time, we have also some domestic factors which are positive: there is a genuine improvement in domestic demand, particularly consumption. So the recovery is broad-based, and is more sustainable than in the past,” said analyst Lorenzo Codogno of LC Macro Advisors, also a visiting professor at the London School of Economics.

Some of the economies that suffered most in the 2008 debt crisis are bouncing back strongest — the so-called PIGS. Portugal hit a 10-year high with 2.8 percent year-on-year growth. Spain’s economy is forecast to grow 2.7 percent in 2017, and passed a crucial milestone last month as its GDP exceeded pre-2008 crisis levels.

“We’re seeing a cyclical recovery because we finally had the European Central Bank operating like a normal central bank and doing quantitative easing,” says analyst John Springford of the Center for European Reform.

With inflation in the eurozone hitting the central bank’s target of 1.9 percent, many economists expect the quantitative easing program to keep interest rates low to be wound down later this year. There are fears, however, that turning off the money could hurt the eurozone’s poorest performers.

Italy’s economy is still in the slow lane with annualized growth of just .8 percent.

“It’s growing very slowly, its banks still haven’t been sorted out and there’s a lot of political instability,” says Springford.

Meanwhile, Greece is back in recession and the familiar public sector strikes have paralyzed transport systems this week. Police joined the protesters over proposed cuts to in-work benefits and pensions. The government plans further cuts in return for the next tranche of EU bailout money. A decision by EU finance ministers is due Monday.

Economist Codogno says the structural problems underpinning the eurozone have not gone away.

“The eurozone cannot survive without additional major reforms, which means more integration, in terms of fiscal and eventually even political.”

Overshadowing the bounce-back is Brexit. Britain’s decision to leave the EU is weighing on its economy as growth slows and wages fall, says Springford.

“The pain is going to be largely borne on the UK side because it’s a smaller economy. The big question is whether the EU and the UK can negotiate a deal which minimizes the economic costs. And we’ve had a very bad start to negotiations with a lot of bad blood.”

Europe’s politicians hope economic growth can help stop the march of anti-EU populism that saw Britain vote to leave the bloc.

The election of pro-EU centrist Emmanuel Macron as French president has reinvigorated the French-German axis that has long been the eurozone’s driving force. Macron’s political honeymoon could be short, with French unions already voicing objections to his proposed reforms.

From: MeNeedIt