Crone: ‘Signing up for Apple Pay is not a mobile strategy’
ShareShareSharePrintMailGooglePinterestDiggRedditStumbleuponDeliciousBufferTumblr The one who enrolls is the one who controls” is the mantra Richard Crone of Crone Consulting offered attendees of the CUNA Payments Roundtable in New Orleans on Monday.By enrolling in mobile payments,consumers provide themselves not only with the ability to make payments but also with access to personalized shopping lists and histories, loyalty information, actionable digital coupons and other functionality. The mobile device provides a real-time link to their favorite retailers.And while the payments environment may appear daunting to some credit union leaders, financial institutions–including credit unions–are well-positioned to capitalize on the wave of digital services transforming the marketplace, said Crone, who is facilitating the two-day roundtable.That said, “signing up for Apple Pay is not a mobile strategy,” he said. “It’s unlikely a single player will own the digital wallet space.” continue reading »
206SHARESShareShareSharePrintMailGooglePinterestDiggRedditStumbleuponDeliciousBufferTumblr,Scott Butterfield Spend as much time with credit union boards and management teams as I do and you’ll learn that far too many credit union leaders spend too much time focused on the “thin” operational things and not enough time and thought on the “thick” strategic things.The thick important things are the mission, vision, and values that define us. The thick is the bold strategies that inspire us to move forward and motivate meaningful engagement. It’s a fuller understanding of how the world is changing around us, and a constant desire to evolve, adapt, change, grow, and affect others in a meaningful way.The thin, less-important things are operational and tactical. The business we’re in requires a high degree of compliance and exactness, whether it’s timely reporting to examiners, accurate transactions for members, or monitoring internal controls. These things are all very important. However, if we’re not careful, these operational details can easily become all that we regularly focus on, and we become trapped in the thick of thin things.SymptomsIt’s usually easy to spot credit unions trapped in the thin of things. Growth and revenue are weaker at these credit unions. Culturally, they reward good operational results, but don’t reward new ideas or risk-taking at the same level. Ask these leaders where they are headed and they give you a capital, asset, or revenue ratio. It’s sad when the “people helping people” movement is defined first by numbers and ratios. They are thin on strategic plans and thick with every possible operational procedure you can imagine. They are compliant – meaning the only rules they follow are the ones spelled out in a rule or regulation or based on whatever the broader credit union herd is grazing on at the moment (yes, I just compared some credit unions to a herd of sheep). It’s not uncommon to find credit unions that celebrate immaculate exams, audits, and ridiculously low delinquency numbers – all the while, they have failed to keep up with technology, and growth and revenue is weak because they have failed to invest for tomorrow. Review the board minutes or management team minutes of these organizations and you’ll see mention after mention of thin operational issues and very little strategic content. Credit unions must excel both operationally and strategically to survive.RemediesCredit union leadership (board and management) determine the level of strategic thought and action that will occur. Leaders must have the discipline to invest time. For some, it’s easy to drift from strategic to operational – especially if operational is their default comfort zone. Your team will follow your lead and respond to what you recognize and reward.Once you have your priorities straight, make sure you have the right people in place to handle all (or most) of the operational issues. Having the right people in place and delegating the right things will allow you to spend less time on operational issues and more time on strategic issues. I realize this is challenging for smaller credit unions. However, I believe that even though smaller credit union leaders are forced to spend more time on operational things, it’s possible to carve out extra time for strategic thought and action. I work with a lot of best-practice smaller credit unions with very busy leaders who still make strategic action a priority – even though they are still reviewing loans and dealing with examiners. Ask these credit union leaders where they’re headed and you’re sure to get a meaningful answer, and their credit union’s performance and culture reflect their strategic thinking.Management and boards can do a better job structuring board meeting agendas. Everything operational that can be moved to a consent agenda should be. Next, move strategic business to the top of the agenda to be sure you don’t run out of time. I’d rather run out of time on the operational items at the end of the meeting. Each short-term and long-term strategy should have goals and milestones that management regularly reports on. Results on these strategies should be the focus of the board conversation – not budget line items that could easily be addressed offline, or waste-of-time conversations explaining why the number of delinquent loans increased from 25 to 27 during the month.Invest the time in developing the right strategies for your credit union. Spend less time focused on what the credit union down the street is doing and more time looking at the issues that are influencing your members, and the future members you want to attract. You want to anticipate and plan for what their needs will be five years from now, and make sure you are prepared to meet them. Spend as much time considering external opportunities as you do external threats, less time complaining over regulatory uncertainty and more time addressing opportunities to differentiate and evolve.Why it mattersStrategic Planning for Dummies points out that “a strategic plan is a critical management tool that guides an organization to do a better job because a plan focuses the energy, resources, and time of everyone in the organization in the same direction.” Understanding that is easy; constantly doing it is the hard part. You and your team’s ability to think and act strategically will determine the long-term viability and success of your organization. If you’re not sure where your organization is headed or you feel stuck in the thick of thin things, act now. Even if you have to start small, begin now to make strategic thinking and action a priority. Scott is the Principal of Your Credit Union Partner, PLLC.Your Credit Union Partner (YCUP) is a trusted advisor to the leaders of more than 100 credit unions located throughout … Web: www.yourcupartner.org Details
In a statement, BayernInvest thanked Schlick for his services and noted that he had “greatly influenced the company’s image” and “successfully advanced the product range”.The supervisory board said it would finalise the hiring of a new CIO in early 2015.In his introductory note to the 2013 Telos study on German Spezialfonds, in which BayernInvest is a co-financer, Schlick predicted a shift towards “more individualised solutions away from a simple product approach”.He described the current investment environment as one in which “the average return level has fallen, safety has gone, economic cycles are shortened, markets are more dynamic and the regulatory pendulum is swinging heavily to one side”.He also argued that stock markets were following “fundamental economic assessments much less than they used to”, and were much more influenced by political decisions. Oliver Schlick has told the supervisory board of BayernInvest he will not stand for re-election as board member and CIO in February 2015 when his contract expires.Schlick has been on the board of the asset management subsidiary of German regional bank BayernLB since 2008.The BayernInvest KAG has grown its assets under management by more than 13% to almost €50bn year-on-year in 2013, gaining rank 11 in IPE’s list of top institutional managers in Germany.As per mid-2014, the assets under management have grown further to almost €53bn, with 80% of the total in Spezialfonds being managed for “insurers, Versorgungswerke, companies, foundations and church institutions”, according to BayernInvest.
Sharing is caring! LocalNews The cleansing of the Temple by: – March 10, 2012 Share Temple of Aphrodite in Athens. Photo credit:destination360.comThe cleansing of the Temple was among the more highly symbolic acts performed by Jesus before his death. Perhaps only his actions in the upper room at the Last Supper can be regarded as surpassing it in importance. Indeed those actions, and the new notion of sacrifice they inaugurated that night, were all prefaced and anticipated by the cleansing of the temple.Jesus’ action in the Temple had two important dimensions, one more essential than the other, but both interrelated. At one level, he was angry at the travesty of economic trafficking in the sacred precincts, especially since the burden of such trafficking often fell on the poor. Pilgrims to the temple came from the four corners of the empire, and they came with their own currency had to be exchanged for Roman currency at the desks of temple brokers; only there, and with a certain added commission for the temple authorities. Animals also had to be bought for sacrifice. These had to be without blemish, a condition certifiable again by the Temple authorities. Unblemished animals were thus provided on the spot by the latter to avoid the burden of bringing your own, and of course having them declared unfit. Again, a further commission was added to this transaction. According to New Testament historians there was also a matter of mob-like loan sharking and appropriation of property. Temple authorities, in other words, had the whole system sewn up in their favour, and everything was done in the name of God. This was the reason for Jesus’ anger. As he said, they had converted his father’s house into a robbers’ den.The second dimension of the event lies in the action itself. The temple was not just a sacred enclosure, but the very dwelling-place of God, It was where the Holy of Holies was tabernacled. Over time the temple became shorthand for indicating God’s presence in the midst of his people.That Jesus would take it upon himself to turn things there upside down, and do so on his own authority was for the Jews the height of arrogance. That he did so not only on his own authority but from the vantage point of his superiority to the Temple itself was blasphemy added to arrogance. This was of course the real charge behind the several trials Jesus had to undergo. The charge of blasphemy was (as far as the Jews were concerned) accurate; they venue was wrong. The last place the dispute could be settled was a Roman court. Hence the trumped up charge of sedition.A New Testament scholar recently published a book entitled Jesus the Temple, and that in a word was the more important and crucial reason behind the cleansing. The person who did it was superior to the temple. He and not the temple was now the localized presence of God.This changed the very nature of worship. The point of worship thenceforth was not a place, no matter how sacred, but a person, who could be worshipped anywhere in the Spirit. The temple had lost not just its symbolic identification but its status as a religious talisman. In an earlier time Jeremiah had warned Israelites that their faithless ways were not annulled by the chant, “This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord (Jer. 7:4).” Pious chant was not a substitute for godliness in faith and life.Temple sacrifice was displaced, as I said earlier, by the sacrifice inaugurated at the last supper. The deepest religious associations of the temple had also moved to the person of Jesus. He was the definitive form of God’s presence among his people. And he was the new locus of worship.For us Catholics the word “Church” represents a reality of many levels: sacred space, a sacred enclosure, and the location where the altar has pride of place, where the Eucharist is celebrated and tabernacled. At the same time “church” is never entirely free of talismanic associations. To be “in church” if often felt to be a form of spiritual and moral standing quite unlike that of being outside. Indeed it is often regarded, without qualification, as a condition of superiority.A cousin of mine, however, often reminds me that “Church is outside,” that Church is “where the needs are.” And she is right. Outside is where we routinely meet and worship Jesus. Indeed, if we do not meet and worship him there, our claim to worship “in Church” runs right up against Jeremiah’s warning. Pious reliance and belief is no substitute for godliness of life and action. By: Henry Charles PhD Share
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Moses Simon is excited with his consistent performances for French Ligue 1 side Nantes and has expressed his desire to remain with the club going forward.Advertisement Loading… Read Also: Here’s why Wilfred Ndidi is unhappy at Leicester CityMeanwhile, Nantes head coach, Christian Gourcuff has praised the Nigerian international for his good showings and labelled him as threat to defenders in the league .“He is an extremely interesting player. He has an individual capacity to make differences. He is fast, technical, very strong. Obviously, for a defense, he is a poison! He is a very good recruit for Nantes.”FacebookTwitterWhatsAppEmail分享 The Nigerian international is currently on loan at Nantes from Levante of Spain where he struggled for game time following his transfer from Belgian side Gent in the summer of last season. Simon has been a consistent performer for Nantes and has scored eight goals and provide eight other goals in 25 matches across all competitions for Nantes.Ahead of Saturday’s Ligue 1 game against Dijon, Simon told journalists during the pre-match conference that he’s enjoying his time with the team and eager to remain at Nantes.“Yes of course, I want to stay.“I feel very good at Nantes. However, my future does not depend solely on me!” On his best position, he said: “I prefer to play on the left wing, it is naturally my position.“However, I place myself according to the choices of the coach and his needs.” On the Dijon clash, Simon said: “It’s a good team, we go there to win. All points are important in this championship.”
Loading… Promoted ContentDid You Know There’s A Black Hole In The Milky Way?The Very Last Bitcoin Will Be Mined Around 2140. Read More6 Ridiculous Health Myths That Are Actually True14 Hilarious Comics Made By Women You Need To Follow Right NowTop 10 Tiniest Phones Ever MadeBest & Worst Celebrity Endorsed Games Ever MadeThis Is The First Meme Ever, According To The Internet9 Iconic Roles That Could Have Been Played By Different Actors7 Famous And Incredibly Unique Places In Thailand7 Of The Wealthiest Universities In The World6 Extreme Facts About HurricanesA Soviet Shot Put Thrower’s Record Hasn’t Been Beaten To This Day There were reports in Italy that the former Real Madrid icon had contracted the coronavirus but these have been confirmed to be false. Regional health secretary Pedro Ramos confirmed: ‘Both the athlete and his family are asymptomatic.’ Ronaldo remains at home with his family with no prospect of returning to Turin soon Despite remaining in his homeland, Ronaldo is in daily contact with Juventus medical staff and is training in his personal gym. Ronaldo remains at home with his family with no prospect of returning to Turin soon Read Also: Just In: Ronaldo quarantined after Rugani’s positive coronavirus test All Serie A matches have been suspended until at least April 3, with Sampdoria striker Manolo Gabbiadini the second player in the top flight to have been confirmed to have contracted the illness. President of the Madeira regional government Miguel Albuquerque said: ‘I cannot speak of this issue for data protection reasons, but I want to say that the situation has been properly analysed and it is, at this time, guaranteed that there is no possibility of infection.’ FacebookTwitterWhatsAppEmail分享 
Cristiano Ronaldo has not been infected with the coronavirus despite being held in quarantine in his native Madeira, the president of the Portuguese islands has confirmed. The Juventus superstar will remain at home while the fear of infection is still high, with Italy on lockdown. Cristiano Ronaldo has been cleared of contracting Covid-19 despite being held in quarantine Ronaldo’s team-mate Daniele Rugani became the first Serie A player to contract the illness, with Paulo Dybala also reported to have tested positive – information Juventus have reportedly denied. The Italian club confirmed 121 players and staff have gone into self-isolation. Cristiano Ronaldo (left) and Daniele Rugani (circled) shared a dressing room on Sunday Ronaldo initially flew home to Madeira to visit his mother Dolores, who suffered a stroke earlier this month. He is now unable to return to Italy due to strict mobility restrictions across the continent. Juventus defender Rugani posted on Twitter, writing that the ‘virus makes not distinctions’
Police apprehended Gonzales after JohnMark Guevarra reported the suspect to the police on March 27, the report added. BACOLOD City – Police arrested a man ina robbery incident at a laundry shop in Barangay Alijis. Recovered from Gonzales was P15,150cash, police said. Tagged suspect was 32-year-old DonaldoGonzales of Barangay 16, a police report showed. The suspect was detained in the lockupfacility of Police Station 7./PN
Maxine Lucille Horton, age 91 of Rising Sun, formerly of the Napoleon area passed away at Shady Nook Care Center on Sunday November 26, 2017, surrounded by her family. She was born the daughter of the late Arthur Dobbs and Goldie Whittington, in Bartholomew County, IN on May 28, 1926.Maxine had worked for several years at Crown Zellerbach in Greensburg. She was a member of the Pleasant Ridge Christian Church of Aurora and the American Legion Women’s Auxiliary.After the passing of her husband, William Thomas, she met and married Robert Horton on November 27, 2000, and they spent the last years living life to the fullest. They enjoyed attending any dance around, and wasn’t afraid to try any new dance. She was gifted in music and had the ability to play various instruments and sing along. She enjoyed quilting and crocheting and created many lovely treasures.She is sadly missed by husband, Robert Horton of Rising Sun, daughters Lavira (Mike) Trueblood of Marshall, IL and Anna Martin of Indianapolis, step daughter Roberta Rowlett of Madison, daughter in law Nancy Horton of Rising Sun, along with 8 grandchildren, many great grandchildren, and several great great. She was preceded in death by her parents and husband William Thomas, son Dale Curtis, brothers Marion and Charles Dobbs, and sisters Josephine Kohlman and Janie Nasby.A visitation will be held on Tuesday, November 28, 2017 at Pleasant Ridge Church of Christ located at 7250 Salem Ridge Road in Aurora, IN. from 12:00-2:00 p.m. followed by the funeral at 2:00 p.m. Burial will be in St John’s Lutheran Cemetery in Napoleon.
Press Association Burnley defender Luke O’Neill has signed a new two-year deal at Turf Moor, the Barclays Premier League club have announced. The 22-year-old former Leicester player spent time on loan with Sky Bet League Two outfits York and Southend last season. He signed for Burnley from Mansfield in 2012 and has so far made two first-team appearances for the Clarets. 
Press Association Sandra Hughes gained an emotional first Grade One triumph just two weeks after the death of her father Dessie when Lieutenant Colonel won a dramatic Bar One Racing Hatton’s Grace Hurdle at Fairyhouse. Having registered her first success with a licence just 24 hours earlier, Hughes was back in the winner’s enclosure thanks to the Gigginstown House Stud-owned gelding, who was ridden by Bryan Cooper. The turning point of the race came when the hot favourite Zaidpour fell at a flight around the halfway stage, bringing down King Of The Picts and not doing Jetson any favours. 
Little King Robin set out to make all but was stalked by both the remaining runners. There was little to choose between the other pair at the final flight, but Lieutenant Colonel produced the better turn of foot to beat Jetson by four lengths. Returning to a warm welcome, Hughes said of the 7-2 winner: “It was always Dad’s plan to stay over hurdles with him this year. He was beaten first time over fences so we decided to give him an extra year over hurdles. “He’s in at Christmas so we’ll have to have a look at that.” Owner Michael O’Leary added: “He’s only five and when he didn’t win his beginners chase first time out we thought we’d put him over hurdles and see what he could do. “I think we’ll keep him to hurdles now for the rest of the year and hopefully the novice chases won’t be quite as tough next year.” 
West Palm Beach Police have connected a 31-year-old man to a sexual assault that occurred last January following a mistaken car situation.On January 4, an unidentified woman was with family and friends in unincorporated West Palm Beach, according to police.After drinking alcohol, she used a smartphone car service, then got into the wrong vehicle.Police say the suspect, Eddie Lee Thompson, took the woman to a motel at 3911 Broadway Ave., where he sexually assaulted her.pic.twitter.com/YATC4AU9iB— West Palm Beach PD (@WestPalmPD) July 18, 2019 DNA evidence submitted to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office Serology Lab provided a match, as did a new sample which was submitted this week.Thompson was already in jail on unrelated charges when he was informed of the sexual assault charge.
Facebook Twitter Google+ Published on April 21, 2013 at 11:59 pm Contact Debbie: dbtruong@syr.edu | @debbietruong Morgan Nandin doesn’t like the hits that come straight at her — if she’s not diving or sliding, it’s not fun.Manipulating her body to make a play has become a force of habit for the shortstop, dating back to when her father coached baseball at Le Moyne and her brother Matt donned a jersey there.“I grew up on a baseball field,” she said. “After every baseball game, I’d go out there and I’d practice and I would try and copy Derek Jeter, try and do all these crazy plays. It’s kind of just like muscle memory now and it’s just fun.”With that agility propelling Syracuse (17-24, 5-9 Big East), the Orange edged Seton Hall (16-24, 4-10) 4-3 in the final game of a three-game weekend series against the Pirates at SU Softball Stadium in front of 251. On Saturday, Syracuse dropped two games to Seton Hall, including a high-scoring 16-15 affair in which a 10-run Syracuse comeback wasn’t enough.Nandin had plenty of opportunities to dive and slide during the weekend’s three-game series against the Pirates, including a play to open the fourth inning of Sunday’s game. Nandin dove for the ball and turned a razor-sharp throw to first.AdvertisementThis is placeholder textLater in the inning, Nandin spearheaded a double play by making the throw to catcher Ashley Dimon. She was able close in on a runner at third, getting the ball to Corinne Ozanne for the tag. Ozanne turned the ball for another out at second to the delight of the crowd, which stomped in approval against the metal bleachers.Nandin converts on high-drama plays that aren’t conceivable for other shortstops, head coach Leigh Ross said. Watching Nandin practice mid-air spins during practice has become routine.“She just makes plays that most shortstops don’t even get to. It’s not even an option,” Ross said. “She’ll practice that move in practice, just to get extras.”On Sunday, headed by Nandin’s defensive play and three home runs, Syracuse kept the Pirates at bay, staving off a sixth-inning push that tied the game at three. Syracuse managed to recover from a shaky fifth inning from second baseman Mary Dombrowski, who misjudged an infield pop fly that landed feet from her. In the same inning with the bases loaded, Dombrowski rushed fielding a ground ball, allowing it to roll beyond her ankles.Before Syracuse could recover, Seton Hall sent two runners home, leveling the game 3-3.After Nandin snatched the final out to close the inning, designated hitter Danielle Chitkowski answered during Syracuse’s first sixth-inning at-bat, sending the ball sailing left of the scoreboard, but in fair territory. Dombrowski breathed a sigh of relief from the dugout, thanking Chitkowski after she crossed home plate.“When she came out, she was like, ‘I hit that one for you,’” Dombrowski said of Chitkowski.The home run capped off a solid offensive effort. A pair of homers at the bottom of the third by right fielder Shirley Daniels and first baseman Jasmine Watson, respectively, gave Syracuse the early cushion it needed to eke out a win.But Syracuse’s win on Sunday wasn’t confined to the plate or fielding. The pitching was there, too. Ross, who was critical of Syracuse’s pitching following Saturday’s losses, said Stacy Kuwik recovered nicely Sunday.Pitching the entirety of Sunday’s game, Kuwik allowed six hits and had a hand in every seventh-inning out to close the game. She struck out Seton Hall’s Jordan Moses, then followed that play by retrieving an airborne hit for the second out. With two outs and no runners on, Kuwik raced to the first base bag as Watson retrieved a grounder. Positioning herself to beat the Seton Hall runner for the tag, Kuwik closed out the final inning and solidified Syracuse’s win in decisive fashion.Coming back from Saturday’s losses was important for the Orange, but less than three weeks short of the Big East tournament, shortstop Nandin recognizes the team has to approach its remaining games with added urgency.“We really needed this win today,” Nandin said. “The season’s really winding down and we need to buckle down and get every win we possibly can.” Comments
Kampala, Uganda | XINHUA | Zinedine Zidane on Saturday appeared to put a time limit on his second term as coach of Real Madrid as he spoke to the press.It is only two years since Zidane resigned as Real Madrid coach only to return towards the end of last season after the dismissals of Julen Lopetegui and Santiago Solari, but speaking in his press conference ahead of Sunday’s game away to Espanyol, Zidane implied he may not be around for too long.“I don’t know how long I will train Real Madrid, I haven’t got anything in mind,” he replied to a question over how long he would be at the club.“In my mind, I have always been a footballer – I was a player for almost 18 years and I said I’d never be a coach, although now I am. It wears you out a lot and we will see how long I continue, but I’m sure it won’t be 20 years,” he said.He was asked if he thought he was a better coach than a player and replied, “No way! I was a better player, but I am happy with what I have done and also that I finished my playing career here (at Real Madrid)”. Real look to defend their league lead away to bottom of the table Espanyol, who on Saturday sacked Abelardo Fernandez as first team coach – the third coach the club have sacked this season.“I don’t have much to say about that. I don’t know if that will help us or not, but I am very sorry for Abelardo,” said Zidane, who added that “Espanyol need points and they will try and make it difficult for us. This is another final for us and we are going to have to be at our best and also to keep our concentration,” commented the Madrid coach.******XINHUAShare on: WhatsApp
By Ben Deatherage for Grays Harbor RacewayElma, Washington- Grays Harbor Raceway will be the place to be this weekend when it comes to racing for the first ever Harbor Classic Weekend. We mentioned that the Northwest Extreme Late Model Series and Northwest Extreme Winged Sprints will be in the house but so will be the Shipwreck Beads IMCA Modifieds, Cut Rate Auto Parts Street Stocks, and USAC Ford Focus Midgets.Tickets for Saturday and Sunday will be Adults $13.00, Senior (62+)/Juniors (13-18)/Military $10.00, Youths (6-12) $5.00, Youths (5 and Under) FREE, Family Pass (Two Adults and Up To Four Youths) $30.00, and Premium Seating $20.00. Pit gates open at 2:30, front gates, 4:30, and racing starting at 6:30.So far this season Craig Moore, Zack Simpson, and Joe German are the only two drivers to have scored two Shipwreck Beads IMCA Modified features. Scott Miller, Jeremy Shank, Josh Muller, and Jesse Williamson have all achieved a single victory.Jason Tole is the only repeat winner in the Cut Rate Auto Parts Street Stock ranks. Tole has six total victories including the Cut Rate Auto Parts Iron Man 100. Three other drivers that have visited victory lane have been Cory Sweatman, Austin Kerrigan, and Jack Parshall.Chase Goetz continues to take the 2013 USAC Ford Focus Midget season by storm. Goetz has graced the winner’s circle on five occasions during the current campaign including last Saturday night. Jared Peterson is the only driver to have beaten him and he has won twice at GHR so far.The Grays Harbor Raceway is known for its high speeds and side by side racing as well as its large track size. Hosting racing action from April to October regular classes include 360 Sprints, IMCA Modifieds, USAC Ford Focus Midgets, Street Stocks, Hornets, and for the first time the Northwest Extreme Winged Sprint Car Series. Special events include visits by the World of Outlaw Sprint Car Series and American Sprint Car Series-Northwest Region. You can keep up on all the latest activity at www.graysharborraceway.com for the most-recent news and stories. Facebook0Tweet0Pin0
Ginebra beats Meralco again to capture PBA Governors’ Cup title Nadine Lustre’s phone stolen in Brazil Rafale Nadal during the 2019 Australian Open. (AP Foto/Aaron Favila)MELBOURNE, Australia — Rafael Nadal has missed a lot of tennis since last September. He hasn’t missed a beat.The No. 2-seeded Nadal had a 6-4, 6-3, 7-5 win over Australian wild-card entry James Duckworth on Monday in the first round of the Australian Open, his first match back on Rod Laver Arena since he had to retire in his quarterfinal match last year.ADVERTISEMENT High five Philippine Army to acquire MANPADS, self-propelled howitzers Gretchen Barretto’s daughter Dominique graduates magna cum laude from California college LATEST STORIES View comments The 17-time major winner hasn’t played since retiring from his semifinal at the U.S. Open because of a knee injury, and then had surgery on his right ankle in November. He withdrew from a warm-up tournament in Brisbane in the first week of the season because of a muscle strain in his thigh.“Not easy to come back after a lot of months of competition, especially against a player playing super aggressive every shot,” Nadal said. “It’s very difficult to start after an injury — I know it very well. It’s very special to be back.”FEATURED STORIESSPORTSGinebra beats Meralco again to capture PBA Governors’ Cup titleSPORTSJapeth Aguilar wins 1st PBA Finals MVP award for GinebraSPORTSGolden State Warriors sign Lee to multiyear contract, bring back ChrissWearing a sleeveless top, he showed no signs of any issues against Duckworth. His only hiccup came when he served for the match in the ninth game of the third set and was broken at love. He returned the favor very quickly, though, to seal his spot in the second round.Nadal has only lost twice in the first round at Grand Slams — to Steve Darcis at 2013 Wimbledon, and to Fernando Verdasco here in 2016 — and is aiming to be the first man in the Open era two win all four majors at least twice. Maria Sharapova has the second-best record among active women’s players in first-round matches at the majors, and she gave an illustration of why that’s the case with a ruthless 6-0, 6-0 win over Harriet Dart.The 2008 Australian Open champion got play started on Rod Laver Arena and needed only 63 minutes to advance.In her 15th trip to Melbourne Park and her 55th Grand Slam tournament, she’s acutely aware of the toll that the sun and long early matches can have on a player’s title ambitions, so she gets straight to business.The 22-year-old Dart, playing in the main draw of a major for only the second time after getting a wildcard to play last year at Wimbledon, only got a look at one break point in the match — when Sharapova served a double-fault in the second set. She got seven of her 29 points from Sharapova’s double-faults.Sharapova said she was still feeling pain in her right shoulder despite sitting out the end of last season after the U.S. Open.ADVERTISEMENT Ginebra beats Meralco again to capture PBA Governors’ Cup title
Tom Brady most dominant player in AFC championship history Japeth Aguilar wins 1st PBA Finals MVP award for Ginebra MOST READ In fight vs corruption, Duterte now points to Ayala, MVP companies as ‘big fish’ Boeing pitch to PH military: Get Apache, stop being ‘pushed around’ in WPS PLAY LIST 02:48Boeing pitch to PH military: Get Apache, stop being ‘pushed around’ in WPS00:50Trending Articles03:22SEA Games 2019: Charly Suarez stops Burmese foe, advances to boxing semi02:14Carpio hits red carpet treatment for China Coast Guard02:56NCRPO pledges to donate P3.5 million to victims of Taal eruption00:56Heavy rain brings some relief in Australia02:37Calm moments allow Taal folks some respite03:23Negosyo sa Tagaytay City, bagsak sa pag-aalboroto ng Bulkang Taal01:13Christian Standhardinger wins PBA Best Player award Sports Related Videospowered by AdSparcRead Next Stung by a first-round loss at Wimbledon last year, Sharapova said she couldn’t afford to feel any empathy for Dart.“I mean, there is no time for that, I’m sorry to say … when you’re playing the first round of a Grand Slam,” she said. “I think I was just focused on not having a letdown.“I think it’s very easy to be in a position where things are flowing, you know, you’re doing all the right things, she’s making a few errors, you’re comfortable, easy to get complacent, and, you know, complacency is not great. I was glad that I did the right things from the beginning till the end.”Up next for Sharapova is Rebecca Peterson, who beat Sorana Cirstea, 6-4, 6-1.Also advancing were 2017 U.S. Open champion Sloane Stephens, No. 11 Aryna Sabalenka, No. 19 Caroline Garcia, No. 29 Donna Vekic and No. 31 Petra Martic.Danielle Collins advanced to the second round of a major for the first time following a 2-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4 win over No. 14-seeded Julia Goerges, who won the title in Auckland to start the season.Katie Boulter earned the distinction of winning the first 10-point tiebreaker under the Australian Open’s new system for deciding sets.Boulter beat Ekaterina Makarova 6-0, 4-6, 7-6 (6), including 10-6 in the tiebreaker. The new rule was introduced to ensure matches don’t get too lengthy — previously the third set in women’s matches and the fifth set in men’s matches at the Australian Open had to be decided by a two-game advantage.Fifth-seeded Kevin Anderson won his first match at Melbourne Park since 2015 when he beat Adrian Mannarino 6-3, 5-7, 6-2, 6-1. Also advancing on the men’s side were No. 19 Nikoloz Basilashvili and No. 26 Fernando Verdasco.Defending champions Caroline Wozniacki and Roger Federer were scheduled to play night matches later Monday. Don’t miss out on the latest news and information. Will you be the first P16 Billion Powerball jackpot winner from the Philippines?
Japeth Aguilar wins 1st PBA Finals MVP award for Ginebra “I’m just one guy who has a voice and trying to use his platform in a good way,” said Ross during the Players’ Orientation Friday at Meralco Theater. “Hopefully, I could reach one person that’s going through something.”“All it takes is one person to reach, hopefully I could reach one and they could reach another person and we just keep going on from there.”FEATURED STORIESSPORTSGolden State Warriors sign Lee to multiyear contract, bring back ChrissSPORTSCoronation night?SPORTSThirdy Ravena gets offers from Asia, Australian ball clubsRoss joined retired Alaska captain Tony dela Cruz in tackling mental health not only within the league but also outside of it.The two athletes said anyone could suffer from it and one step in helping those in need is to talk openly about the topic. Sports Related Videospowered by AdSparcRead Next View comments Will you be the first P16 Billion Powerball jackpot winner from the Philippines? Ross said he had a close friend who took his own life because of his issues regarding his mental health, a predicament that could’ve been avoided if someone just listened.“Once that happened to my friends in the States and to my friends out here, I felt like I could use that platform [being a PBA All-Star] to talk about it,” said Ross. “You never know who’s watching, you never know who’s listening.”“Hopefully, they could use those words and won’t be scared to reach out to someone and try to get up.”ADVERTISEMENT Nadine Lustre’s phone stolen in Brazil Tom Brady most dominant player in AFC championship history Philippine Army to acquire MANPADS, self-propelled howitzers Ginebra beats Meralco again to capture PBA Governors’ Cup title In fight vs corruption, Duterte now points to Ayala, MVP companies as ‘big fish’ MOST READ Carpio hits red carpet treatment for China Coast Guard PLAY LIST 02:14Carpio hits red carpet treatment for China Coast Guard02:56NCRPO pledges to donate P3.5 million to victims of Taal eruption00:56Heavy rain brings some relief in Australia02:37Calm moments allow Taal folks some respite03:23Negosyo sa Tagaytay City, bagsak sa pag-aalboroto ng Bulkang Taal01:13Christian Standhardinger wins PBA Best Player award San Miguel Beer guard Chris Ross. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.netMANILA, Philippines—With the PBA opening its doors to its players to talk about mental health, San Miguel star guard Chris Ross said it’s the start of an advocacy that would eventually reach more people in the coming future.Ross, who’s openly discussed mental health before, said he’s fortunate to have a platform in the PBA to elaborate an issue often shunned away due to a stigma that surrounds people who suffer from mental health issues.ADVERTISEMENT PBA is here to help its players on and off court, says Willie Marcial Gretchen Barretto’s daughter Dominique graduates magna cum laude from California college Ginebra beats Meralco again to capture PBA Governors’ Cup title LATEST STORIES Don’t miss out on the latest news and information. 