New top story from Time: With Simone Biles and Naomi Osaka Off TV Screens, Who Will Be the New Olympic Stars?

https://ift.tt/3BNLClE

If something like this—the stunning premature absence of two global icons from the Olympics—was ever going to happen, really, it would happen here, in Tokyo, in these troubled 2020 Olympic Games.

Assuming the COVID-19 pandemic wasn’t going to completely overrun the whole affair once it began—and caution, we’re not in the clear yet— these Olympics were supposed to belong to Simone Biles and Naomi Osaka, full stop. Or Naomi and Simone—with the single-name status, in whichever order you prefer.

Gymnastics is a quadrennial television obsession, and Biles delivered like no one has before or since. She had nothing else to prove, but was back for another Olympic run to thrill an adoring audience once more. She was the surest of bets.
[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]

Biles pulled out of the team competition on Tuesday and will skip Thursday’s all-around individual competition. In a statement, USA Gymnastics said Biles had withdrawn “in order to focus on her mental health.” She could still take part this weekend’s individual event finals; USA Gymnastics said she will “continue to be evaluated daily.”

So Biles might not be gone from the Tokyo Olympics for good. But the gymnastics team and individual all-around events are the key TV draws for U.S. audiences during the first week of the Games. With Biles’ exit from the marquee events, the Olympics took a stunning turn.

And they were already reeling from Osaka’s shocking third-round loss on Tuesday to no. 42-ranked Marketa Vondrousova, of the Czech Republic, in straight sets. Normally, the Olympic tennis tournament feels like a bit of an add-on; the world’s best already gather four times a year to compete in Grand Slams. Do we really need to do it again?

But Osaka, a four-time Slam champ, was the face of the Tokyo Olympics for the home country, and she has a passionate following in the U.S. She lit the Olympic cauldron during the Opening Ceremony. And her mere presence carried even more importance after she withdrew from the French Open and skipped Wimbledon to tend to her mental health and prepare for the Games. She made a statement, heard loud around the world, on the pressing need for self-care. With that backdrop, millions were pulling for her.

“I definitely feel like there was a lot of pressure for this,” Osaka said after her exit. “I think it’s maybe because I haven’t played in the Olympics before and for the first year (it) was a bit much.”

Make no mistake; combined, Osaka and Biles have propelled mental health to the forefront of sports, and society, like no one else before them. In the long run, this will prove more valuable than any gold medal.

But that doesn’t mean fans can’t feel disappointed. If the Olympics weren’t going to mark a global victory over COVID-19, as imaged by organizers when they postponed them last March, they could at least serve as a welcome distraction from a persistent pandemic. Simone and Naomi were the key distractions.

Outside the U.S., there’s plenty to cheer. Japan, for example, has established itself as a skateboarding powerhouse and stands near the top of the medal count. China is succeeding in its quest for gold and continues to dominate sports like synchronized diving.

But who fills the superstar void for the American audience? Katie Ledecky proved human, finishing fifth in the 200-m freestyle and second in the 400-m freestyle, before winning 1,500-meter freestyle gold on Wednesday. She’s still an all-time great; maybe just not in Tokyo.

The U.S. men’s basketball team lost to France in its opening game; despite rebounding for an expectant win over Iran, Kevin Durant and Co. are vulnerable. The U.S. women’s soccer team, still trying to win a World Cup and Olympic gold back-to-back, has so far been uninspiring, going 1-1-1 in pool play.

Novak Djokovic is here, but at this point he’s practically winning machine; while his talent deserves the upmost respect, the Olympics aren’t banking on him.

Track and field starts Friday; it would have been nice to have Sha’carri Richardson in town. Noah Lyles has swagger, Sydney McLaughlin set a world record at the Olympic Trials, offering hope that she can repeat that feat. Travyon Bromell could be crowned the world’s fastest man. Allyson Felix is writing her final chapter, and chasing the all-time medals mark for a female track and field Olympian.

They all may shine. But these weren’t their Olympics. We can only wish Osaka and Biles well. And can’t help but wonder what might have been, during an Olympics we can never get back.

Comments

New top story from Time: Ireland Abandons 12.5% Tax Pledge as Global Deal Races to Finish

https://ift.tt/3iFmrts Ireland is ready to sign up to a proposed global agreement for a minimum tax on companies, a climbdown that removes one hurdle to an unprecedented deal that would reshape the landscape for multinationals. On the eve of a key meeting between 140 countries hosted by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the Irish government said it will join the push for a floor of 15% levied on profits of corporate entities. “This agreement is a balance between our tax competitiveness and our broader place in the world,” Irish Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe said in a statement Thursday evening announcing the pledge. The decision “will ensure that Ireland is part of the solution in respect to the future international tax framework.” [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] The rate agreed is 2.5 percentage points higher than the longstanding level that has been a pillar of Ireland’s economic model for a generation, underscoring its huge symbolic signifi...

New top story from Time: Hurricane Ida Winds Hit 150 MPH Ahead of Louisiana Strike

https://ift.tt/3jmdoyl NEW ORLEANS — Hurricane Ida rapidly grew in strength early Sunday, becoming a dangerous Category 4 hurricane just hours before hitting the Louisiana coast while emergency officials in the region grappled with opening shelters for displaced evacuees despite the risks of spreading the coronavirus. As Ida moved through some of the warmest ocean water in the world in the northern Gulf of Mexico, its top winds grew by 45 mph (72 kph) to 150 mph (230 kph) in five hours. The system was expected to make landfall Sunday afternoon, set to arrive on the exact date Hurricane Katrina ravaged Louisiana and Mississippi 16 years earlier. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] The hurricane center said Ida is forecast to hit at 155 mph (250 kph), just 1 mph shy of a Category 5 hurricane. Only four Category 5 hurricanes have made landfall in the United States: Michael in 2018, Andrew in 1992, Camille in 1969 and the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935. Both Michael and Andrew were u...

N Judah Motorization Allows City Partners to Complete Critical Maintenance Work

N Judah Motorization Allows City Partners to Complete Critical Maintenance Work By Jessie Liang MOW Crew Repairing Damaged Pavement Around Tracks on 9th Avenue Kudos to the SFMTA’s Maintenance of Way (MOW) teams for successfully completing critical work during the N Judah motorization on Feb. 18 and 19. The purpose of the motorization was to provide access for work to be done in Muni’s right of way by Public Works, PG&E and the SFMTA, including utility pole replacements at Cole and Carl, sewer investigation, repairs at 18th Avenue and Judah and 41st Avenue and Judah. The SFMTA was also making improvements to the J Church surface route between Duboce Park and the Balboa Park Station to increase service reliability, enhance street safety and reduce travel times. To maximize the benefits of the motorization, the MOW teams took advantage of the opportunity to complete project milestones and critical maintenance work for traction power and overhead lines, mechanical...

New top story from Time: Hiroshima Court Recognizes Victims of Radioactive ‘Black Rain’ as Atomic Bomb Survivors

https://ift.tt/39LiPR1 (TOKYO) — A Japanese court on Wednesday for the first time recognized people exposed to radioactive “black rain” that fell after the 1945 U.S. atomic attack on Hiroshima as atomic bomb survivors, ordering the city and the prefecture to provide the same government medical benefits as given to other survivors. The Hiroshima District Court said all 84 plaintiffs who were outside of a zone previously set by the government as where radioactive rain fell also developed radiation-induced illnesses and should be certified as atomic bomb victims. All of the plaintiffs are older than their late 70s, with some in their 90s. The landmark ruling comes a week before the city marks the 75th anniversary of the U.S. bombing. The U.S. dropped the world’s first atomic bomb on Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945, killing 140,000 people and almost destroying the entire city. The plaintiffs were in areas northwest of the ground zero where radioactive black rain fell hours after t...

New top story from Time: March Madness Exploits Black Athletes. The Supreme Court Should End This Injustice Now

https://ift.tt/3rC4ttJ The NCAA basketball tournament—commonly referred to as March Madness —is a beloved ritual in college athletics and the capstone of the athletic year. “Bracketology” fuels water cooler conversations and on-line chat rooms, and when Barack Obama was President, White House predictions about who would win it all. After the final buzzer sounds, we impatiently wait for college football season to start. As fans consume action on the field or hardwood, a different reality exists for the so-called “student-athletes” who generate billions for the NCAA and are paid in “scholarships.” The NCAA’s Athletic Industrial Complex that exists for Division 1 football and basketball is built on commercial exploitation that we, as Americans, would find unacceptable elsewhere. That edifice is before the Supreme Court in an academic antitrust case which will be argued on March 31. But the Court should not overlook that real players’ lives are impacted; and real harms occur ea...

New top story from Time: Suicide Bombing Wounds 20 People During Palm Sunday Mass in Indonesia

https://ift.tt/3flpt5b MAKASSAR, Indonesia — Two attackers blew themselves up outside a packed Roman Catholic cathedral during a Palm Sunday Mass on Indonesia’s Sulawesi island, wounding at least 20 people, police said. A video obtained by The Associated Press showed body parts scattered near a burning motorbike at the gates of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Cathedral in Makassar, the capital of South Sulawesi province. Rev. Wilhelmus Tulak, a priest at the church, said he had just finished celebrating Palm Sunday Mass when a loud bang shocked his congregation. He said the blast went off at about 10:30 a.m. as a first batch of churchgoers was walking out of the church and another group was coming in. He said security guards at the church were suspicious of two men on a motorcycle who wanted to enter the building and when they went to confront them, one of the men detonated his explosives. Police later said both attackers were killed instantly and evidence collected at the sc...

New top story from Time: This Is the White House’s Plan to Take on Facebook

https://ift.tt/3oEQl4Y Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen’s testimony this week on Capitol Hill turned the Klieg lights on the social media platform’s algorithm that, by design, amplifies dangerous disinformation and lures people to spend more and more time scrolling. The question now is what the Biden Administration will do about it. White House officials know that the momentum generated by Haugen’s testimony will fade over time and the window of popular support for major structural changes to the technology landscape will close. “The White House, like everyone else in Washington, recognizes that the tide is high and the time for action is now,” Tim Wu, special assistant to the president for technology and competition policy, said in a statement to TIME. White House officials are “distressed” by Haugen’s revelations that social media companies’ products are targeting children, Wu said, and “the era of ‘let’s just trust the platforms to solve it themselves’ needs to be ...

Replacing Parking Meters with (Actual) Bike Parking

Replacing Parking Meters with (Actual) Bike Parking By Eillie Anzilotti Did you know you can submit a request for new bike parking? Anyone who rides a bike in San Francisco knows: A parking meter is not just a parking meter. Like street sign poles, meters are also a place to lock your bike when you’re out running errands and exploring the city. As an agency, we’re working towards the goal of making bike racks and corrals available across the city, wherever people need them. In the meantime, we recognize that informal bike and scooter parking options, like parking meters, meet people’s needs. So, when we announced a campaign last year to remove existing parking meters and replace them with pay stations, this brought up a question: what does this mean for bike parking? We strive to install bike racks to replace parking options wherever meters are removed. Right now, our bike parking team is focused on identifying locations for new racks in high-demand areas ...

New top story from Time: Joe Biden’s Agenda Uncertain After Progressives Force Delay on Infrastructure Vote

https://ift.tt/39YKeQc For weeks, progressive lawmakers in Congress have been threatening to sink the bipartisan infrastructure bill if they were not given certain guarantees about a larger social spending bill. And for weeks, many of their colleagues thought they were bluffing. They weren’t. And now the fate of President Joe Biden’s agenda hangs in the balance. Progressives claimed victory Thursday night after a planned infrastructure vote was delayed following their united front to oppose the $1 trillion bill without assurances about the fate of the accompanying Democratic spending plan. The move highlighted the growing power of leftwing Democrats, and sent a strong message to the rest of their party: You can’t get one bill without the other. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] “The progressive movement has not had this type of power in Washington since the 1960s,” says Joseph Geevarghese, Executive Director of Our Revolution, a political group that grew out of Vermont Sen...

New top story from Time: These Moms Work as Doctors and Scientists. But They’ve Also Taken On Another Job: Fighting COVID-19 Misinformation Online

https://ift.tt/3tT3UwO Last March, friends and neighbors began stopping Emily Smith in her town outside of Waco, Texas, with questions about the coronavirus. An epidemiologist at Baylor University, Smith knows all too well how viruses are transmitted. But as the wife of a pastor and as a woman of faith, she also holds a trusted position in her community, and she would speak to those who asked about why she personally thought social distancing was a moral choice. As the weeks wore on, the questions kept coming: “What does flatten the curve mean?” “Is it safe for my child to kick a soccer ball outside with a friend?” So she started a Facebook page and called herself the Friendly Neighbor Epidemiologist. She adopted “Love thy neighbor” as the page’s credo. Smith wrote from the perspective of a scientist but also a wife and mother. She recently explained, for example, why churches should still continue to refrain from holding in-person services even though Texas has lifted i...

My precise view

Search This Blog