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<br />
 <br /> Student unions of various parties have said that all sections of society should wait for completion of the <keyword id="6356383" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="JNU">JNU</keyword> inquiry before doing the "character assassination" of the university. This, however, doesn’t mean that they support the anti-national slogans that were raised in the university campus.<br />
<br /> These unions have asked for the release of JNUSU President <keyword id="3048656" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Kanhaiya-Kumar">Kanhaiya Kumar</keyword> and withdrawal of "false charges" against all the university students.<br />
<br /> These demands have come in a joint press conference released by leaders from All India Students' Association (<keyword id="202881" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Aisa">AISA</keyword>) of CPI(ML), All India Students Federation (<keyword id="340585" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="AISF">AISF</keyword>) of CPI, National Students' Union of India (<keyword id="6372948" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="NSUI">NSUI</keyword>) of Congress, Students Federation of India (<keyword id="6373398" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="SFI">SFI</keyword>) of CPI(M) and Student Forum For Swaraj (<keyword id="951603" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="SFS">SFS</keyword>).<br />
<br /> They also denounced the assault on Left activists, JNU teachers, students and media that was done on February 15 in Patiala court. These attacks were cited as <keyword id="42498" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="RSS">RSS</keyword> and BJP’s attempts to "spread a reign of terror against differing voices".<br />
<br />
"We condemn the anti-national slogans that were raised during the event but who did that is a matter of investigation. Let the inquiry takes it course. Do not character assassinate the entire university by branding it as anti-national," SFI general secretary Vikram Singh said.<br />
<br />
"If the entire University is anti-national, then its alumini including Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar, CBI Director Anil Sinha and BJP leader Nirmala Sitharaman are also anti-national," NSUI leader Kumar Raja said.<br />
<br />
"Slogans cannot be used as an excuse to crackdown on JNU. We demand the immediate and unconditional release of JNUSU President Kanhaiya and the immediate withdrawal of false charges on all JNU students," they said in a joint statement.<br />
<br />
The "ongoing assault on JNU is part of a long process by the Modi government to destroy our best educational institutions," the released added. "We are seeing a pattern wherein the Modi government actively intervenes to shove the RSS-BJP agenda down the throats" of the insitutions," they claimed.<br />
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<a href="http://i.huffpost.com/gen/3999862/images/o-JNU-PROTEST-facebook.jpg"><em>Image source</em></a>

Student unions asks people to wait for the inquiry results before assassinating JNU’s character

<ul class="summary-list"><li>ASU student organizations will protest Wednesday and ask the college to ban <keyword id="11899148" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="kyle-rittenhouse" source="Orion">Kyle Rittenhouse</keyword>.</li><li>Rittenhouse was previously enrolled as an online non-degree-seeking student at ASU.</li></ul><p>On Wednesday, several student organizations at <keyword id="12237950" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="arizona-state-university" source="Orion">Arizona State University</keyword> will hold a protest and ask the institution to ban Kyle Rittenhouse, who was <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/arizona-state-university-students-kyle-rittenhouse-online-classes-2021-11">previously enrolled in its online program</a> prior to being <a href="https://www.insider.com/kyle-rittenhouse-verdict-homicide-trial-2021-11">acquitted two weeks ago</a> of multiple homicide charges.</p><p>Members of Students for Socialism ASU, Students for Justice in Palestine, Mecha de ASU, and the Multicultural Solidarity Coalition created a list of demands asking the university to ban Rittenhouse, condemn <keyword id="12069541" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="white-supremacy" source="Orion">white supremacy</keyword>, and reinvest funds from <keyword id="12645129" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="campus" source="Orion">campus</keyword> police into student programs like the Multicultural Center.</p><p>"We're protesting because this is going to bring real consequences to our campus, or whichever campus he goes to, or wherever he goes. His trial has already brought a consequence in that, now, he set a precedent that allows people to kill protesters, even more than they had the right to do it before," said an SFS spokesperson, whose identity was confirmed by Insider.</p><p>The student organizations involved in the Rittenhouse protest have banded together before to protest issues like police violence, as well as visits from Immigration Customs and Enforcement officials, US Border Patrol officers, and former Maricopa County Sheriff <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/maricopa-county-sheriff-joe-arpaio-pardoned-by-trump-2017-8">Joe Arpaio</a>.</p><p>When SFS members discovered that Rittenhouse was listed in the online student directory, they began to organize and create their list of demands. ASU officials confirmed that Rittenhouse is not currently enrolled in any classes and did not have to go through admissions to enroll as an online non-degree-seeking student.</p><p>However, Rittenhouse said he dropped his two online classes at ASU because of the pressure of the trial but wants to pick them back up, complete them, and finish his degree in person on campus, <a href="https://www.wbtw.com/news/kyle-rittenhouse-considering-name-change-return-to-college/">according to WBTW</a>.</p><p>An SFS spokesperson said that Rittenhouse's admission as a student would signal that white supremacy is welcome on campus, citing a barrage of racial slurs and anti-Semitic language used by his supporters in comments and messages directed to the protest's organizers.</p><p>"His whole base of supporters kind of proves by default that Kyle Rittenhouse is a beacon for white supremacy. He might say that he supports Black Lives Matter, but what does he have to show for it?" the spokesperson said.</p><p>Insider has reached out to ASU officials for comment, as well as to confirm when Rittenhouse applied to its online program and the date his application was approved.</p>

Arizona State University student organizations are asking the college to ban Kyle Rittenhouse, who they said is 'a beacon for white supremacy'

<ul><li>The rise in cheese and wheat prices affected the Q4 profits of companies that operate <keyword id="58553" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="pizza-hut" source="Orion">Pizza Hut</keyword>, Domino’s and <keyword id="6376241" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="kfc" source="Orion">KFC</keyword>. <br /></li><li>The companies say that consumer sentiment is weak, and do not see it changing in the near term either. <br /></li><li>QSR companies are working on value products and have ruled out price hikes, especially in the pizza category. <br /></li></ul>Indian quick service restaurant (QSR) operators – <keyword id="13306" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="devyani" source="Orion">Devyani</keyword> International and <keyword id="95677" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="jubilant-foodworks" source="Orion">Jubilant Foodworks</keyword> both reported a year-on-year (YoY) fall in net profit in the fourth quarter, hurt by a rise in input costs. In the last one year, prices of the key ingredients of pizzas and burgers i.e. cheese and flour went up by 40% and 21%, respectively. <br /><br />The companies operate franchises of Pizza Hut, KFC, Domino’s, Costa Coffee and more. While KFC was able to raise prices marginally by 3.5% during the year to pass on some of the rise in poultry prices, pizza, which is a high-value category, leaves little room for price hikes. Operators of Pizza Hut and Domino’s have consciously not taken a price hike in the pizza category, and don’t see them going up in the next few quarters either. <br /><br />In addition to raw material inflation, the operators’ ability to increase prices during the same period were also low as Indians cut back on their discretionary spending. While Q4 is a seasonally weak quarter for QSRs due to the effect of festivals like Navratri and Ramadan – when people undertake fasting, the consumer sentiment is also weak, say analysts. <br /><br /><table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none;"></colgroup><tbody><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;"><strong>Company<br /><br /></strong></td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;"><strong>Q4 Net Profit<br /><br /></strong></td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;"><strong>YoY change<br /><br /></strong></td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;"><strong>Q4 Revenue<br /><br /></strong></td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;"><strong>YoY change</strong><br /><br /></td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Jubilant Foodworks<br /><br /></td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">₹28.54 crore<br /><br /></td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">-70%<br /><br /></td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">₹1,269.85 crore<br /><br /></td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">8%<br /><br /></td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Devyani International<br /><br /></td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">₹59.87 crore<br /><br /></td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">-21%<br /><br /></td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">₹754.97 crore<br /><br /></td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">27.8% <br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><em>Source: PTI</em><br /><br /><strong>Pizzas harder hit than burgers <br /></strong><br />Devyani’s same-store sales growth (SSSG) — which measures the sales of its stores that existed for over a year — went up a marginal 2% for KFC. For Pizza Hut, SSSG declined by 3.2% year-on-year, as per a research report by Nuvama. <br /><br /><keyword id="3742694" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="sapphire-foods" source="Orion">Sapphire Foods</keyword>, which also operates Pizza Hut and KFC, showed similar growth in Q4. SSSG for its KFC outlets grew 2%, while Pizza Hut outlets saw it decline by 4%. The management has also guided for a tough year ahead in terms of growth.<br /><br />“Management expects 5-7% SSSG for Pizza Hut over next FY25-28 while FY24 would be challenging. Management expects Pizza Hut restaurant EBITDA margin would be in the range of 10-11% if SSSG stays positive,” says a Centrum report on Sapphire Foods. EBITDA refers to earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation. <br /><br />The commentary from Jubilant Foodworks’ management is not encouraging either. “As per JFL, from a consumer sentiment perspective, things won’t change anytime soon,” said a Nuvama report. As the company expects <keyword id="17449721" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="cheese-prices" source="Orion">cheese prices</keyword> to remain high in the coming future, it is working on a value range of products to tide over the dual impact of rising input costs and weakening sentiment. <br /><br />“The decline in average order value (AOV) is not driven by value launches but by inflation. This gives the company confidence that once sentiments improve, there will be natural up trending,” said Nuvama. <br /><br />Vijay Jain, the chief financial officer of Sapphire Foods, hopes for a recovery in the next one year. “While the demand conditions have impacted those transaction growth, we believe we are at the bottom of it. Hopefully, we believe that over the next 12 months, we should start seeing some small amount of recoveries where we can gain our restaurant EBITDA margins back up by a few basis points, if not more,” he said on an earnings call. <br /><br /><strong>Long-term opportunities seen<br /></strong><br />In addition to these pressures, local competition who offer aggressive discounting and cannibalisation is also affecting the sales of high-value products across the QSR segment. Yet, analysts see all these factors only as short-term pain. <br /><br />“We believe there are strong long-term opportunities in QSR and Jubilant Foodworks with its moats is poised to take advantage of the same. After a steep stock price correction of around 25% from its peak, valuations appear reasonable,” says Motilal Oswal, reiterating its ‘Buy’ rating on Jubilant stock. <br /><br />A Nuvama report on Jubilant also hopes that its SSSG will improve as urban demand sentiment improves. Devyani is seeing a marginal improvement in demand over the last 45 days, the research firm says, adding that initial signs say that inflation is stabilising. Nuvama’s medium-to-long term outlook for Devyani’s SSSG is 5-6%. <br /><br /> “We like online players such as Swiggy, Zomato and soon to enter Amazon, and see them positively expanding the overall dining-out and ordering market. Also, while promotional and marketing spends will continue to remain elevated, we do not see that denting JFL’s margins,” it said. <br /><br />Centrum says that Sapphire Foods has reworked its strategy to fit the improvement in dine-ins as opposed to delivered sales. “With strong management, besides sharp improvement in its execution capabilities, we expect turnaround in SF’s performance. However weak demand, incremental competition in chicken QSR, and rising inflation in chicken/dairy pose short-term challenges in our view,” says Centrum. <br /><br />Although the post-pandemic boom effects have been vanishing from many discretionary items, analysts believe that there is value in the expansion strategies that many QSR players have adopted, especially in the long term.<br />

Cheese burst: Quick service restaurants see muted growth ahead

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Urban golf courses are used by a fraction of city residents, but take up a ton of space and resources. </li><li>Many states subsidize golf courses with low property taxes, so non-golfers are footing the bill. </li></ul><p>San Francisco's 18-hole Presidio Golf Course sits in some of the most prized land in the country: a national park.</p><p>Combined with eight other courses in the city — where a severe housing shortage has helped push the median home price to<a target="_blank" href="https://www.mercurynews.com/2023/10/21/less-home-for-more-money-home-prices-rise-as-buyers-swallow-higher-interest-rates/#:~:text=The%20median%20home%20price%20in,the%20California%20Association%20of%20Realtors."><u> $1.3 million</u></a> — golf takes up <a target="_blank" href="https://priceonomics.com/why-does-san-francisco-have-so-many-golf-courses/"><u>over 700 acres.</u></a> To put that in perspective, Manhattan's Central Park is 843 acres.</p><p>When the pandemic hit, golfing was paused and the 150-acre Presidio course <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/california-san-francisco-golf-course-public-park-coronavirus-2020-4"><u>opened up to anyone who wanted to walk, hike, jog, or bike</u></a> through it without fearing they'd be knocked out by an errant ball. This opened up access to many San Franciscans who'd never set foot in one of the most beautiful green spaces in their city, simply because they don't, or can't afford to, play golf.</p><p>That begged the question for some: why is a massive green space paid for by taxpayers, but closed off to most? As the co-founder of Vimeo, Zach Klein, tweeted after a walk through the course on April 25, 2020, "It was intoxicating to be there and consider the possibility of this remaining a park forever. It would be an instant classic, an immense open space in America's second densest city."</p> <p>Urban and suburban golf courses are one of the least efficient and equitable ways to use densely-populated land. Many urban planners see them<strong> </strong>as a golden opportunity to address worsening homelessness, a housing affordability crisis, and a shortage of green space. Repurposing golf courses could offer cities a pressure relief valve.</p><p>"Golf courses are kind of a blessing in disguise because we have all of these problems related to urbanism and the housing crisis and social isolation," Tayana Panova, a researcher who studies the built environment, told Insider, "and then we have golf courses, which are these places that are right smack dab in the middle of some of the areas that have these crises to the highest level."</p><div type="image" title="Aerial view of a golf course in San Francisco, California." height="1979" width="3000" msid="104987791" hostid="261" sizebytes="568854"></div><p>Urban golf courses also cost taxpayers — even those who don't play — a lot of money. In about half of US states, golf courses are heavily subsidized through property tax breaks. In California, a 1960 law ensures golf courses aren't taxed based on their "highest and best use" as other land is, and instead get a special tax break just for being golf courses. They also benefit from Prop 13, the state's famous law sharply limiting property taxes, particularly on property that doesn't change hands.</p><p>Golf courses are, by the nature of the game, some of the most underused spaces in a city. No more than <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ngcoa.org/golf-business-weekly/2020/november/week-3/multifunctional-courses"><u>about 300 players</u></a> can use a typical 18-hole golf course in one day. The Presidio Golf Course has <a target="_blank" href="https://www.sfexaminer.com/archives/constructive-criticism-keep-sf-golf-courses-closed/article_69475223-7175-5410-9a1a-cf105b8ae739.html"><u>just 1,200 visitors per acre each year</u></a>, while San Francisco's nearby Golden Gate Park welcomes 24,000 visitors per acre annually. Any other sport — from football to pickleball — is a more efficient use of space. A single golf course could be home to thousands of people if there were housing on it.</p><p>Developers and land trusts have <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/american-golf-courses-redevelopment-transformations-2018-8#the-country-club-was-left-uncared-for-after-it-officially-closed-3">managed to buy up</a> some defunct courses and add commercial buildings or turn them into parks. But golfers and neighbors are making any change a major challenge.</p><h2><strong>Inequitable and expensive</strong></h2><p>While golf has diversified over the years, it's still <a target="_blank" href="https://www.theringer.com/2021/4/7/22370057/golf-diversity-issues-history-pga-lpga-the-masters"><u>disproportionately played by affluent, older, white men</u></a>. Several exclusive golf clubs even <a target="_blank" href="https://www.si.com/golf-archives/2019/07/01/private-golf-clubs-muirfield-augusta-women-discrimination"><u>still prohibit women from becoming members</u></a>.</p><p>The famous Los Angeles Country Club, which was founded in 1897 and sits on 313 acres in super-affluent Beverly Hills, <a target="_blank" href="https://newrepublic.com/article/173714/yet-another-golf-scandal-woefully-undertaxed-la-country-club-us-open#:~:text=In%201960%2C%20Hope%2C%20an%20avid,use%20as%20a%20golf%20course."><u>admitted its first Jewish members in 1977 and its first Black member in 1991</u></a>. Malcolm Gladwell noted <a target="_blank" href="https://www.pushkin.fm/podcasts/revisionist-history/a-good-walk-spoiled">in a 2017 podcast</a><em> </em>that the club, which costs hundreds of thousands of dollars to join, sits on about $9 billion worth of land. If it were taxed as homeowners are, it would owe <a target="_blank" href="https://www.laweekly.com/we-should-raise-taxes-on-these-3-things-to-pay-for-healthcare-and-parks/"><u>between $60 to $90 million</u></a> in annual property taxes. Instead, the club pays <a target="_blank" href="https://defector.com/the-los-angeles-country-club-owes-l-a-more-than-just-a-good-u-s-open"><u>about $300,000 a year</u></a> in taxes.</p><div type="image" title="Scottie Scheffler playing golf at the US Open at The Los Angeles Country Club in Los Angeles, CA" height="2000" width="3000" msid="104987792" hostid="261" sizebytes="141614"></div><p>"Whether you're a pure market person and think we need to just do what the market wants, or you're very much about equity and supporting equitable access to space, you should be united on this one," Mitchell Reardon, director of urban planning at the Canadian design firm Happy Cities, told Insider.</p><p>Golf has also gotten a lot less popular over the last two decades. Before a pandemic-induced uptick, the sport had been on a steady decline since the 2008 financial crisis. About a third of public golf courses <a target="_blank" href="https://golfweek.usatoday.com/2021/06/16/golf-industry-municipal-courses-us-open/"><u>lost money in 2019</u></a>. In golf-obsessed Florida, municipal golf courses <a target="_blank" href="https://www.tcpalm.com/story/news/local/shaping-our-future/growth/2018/04/18/florida-municipal-golf-courses-have-lost-nearly-100-m-over-past-five-years/407554002/"><u>lost almost $100 million</u></a> between 2013 and 2018. Proponents of retrofitting courses note that reducing the number of golf courses would help boost revenue for courses that do survive. Indeed, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ngf.org/are-we-there-yet/"><u>business is looking better</u></a> since <a target="_blank" href="https://www.npr.org/2019/06/05/730057491/there-arent-enough-golfers-to-keep-all-of-the-u-s-courses-in-business"><u>course closures peaked in 2019</u></a>.</p> <p>Urban golf courses work against the advantages of cities, taking up valuable space and making walkability and environmental sustainability much harder to achieve.</p><p>"The whole virtue of cities is that you can build places at a much lower cost of infrastructure per capita," Ray Delahanty, a former urban planner who runs the popular <a target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/@CityNerd">CityNerd YouTube channel</a>, told Insider. "And so when you have big open spaces in the form of golf courses," particularly when they're close to transit, "it's really wasteful. It conflicts with a lot of the climate goals that cities have, which often drive the rezoning and redevelopment around transit stations."</p><h2><strong>Not on my golf course</strong></h2><p>When she was running for mayor of Toronto in 2018, Jennifer Keesmaat <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/jennifer-keesmaat-golf-courses-public-spaces-proposal-1.4854524"><u>proposed</u></a> remaking three city golf courses into public parks. The former chief city planner noted that interest in golf had flatlined in Toronto, while demand for cricket pitches, off-leash dog parks, and other amenities had surged.</p><p>"So many of our parks are absolutely jam-packed with people on any sunny day all summer long," Keesmaat told Insider. "But then on the flip side, we have these public golf courses that are just these almost vacuous spaces that are quite underutilized."</p><p>Keesmaat lost that election and the city courses haven't been redeveloped, but <a target="_blank" href="https://www.toronto.com/news/proposed-development-will-transform-north-york-golf-course-into-40-acre-public-park/article_edfec77b-896e-573f-a7e4-c142f481d5b4.html?"><u>plans are in motion</u></a> to transform a private course into four apartment towers and 40 acres of public parkland. She argues that rethinking golf courses is just part of "the natural evolution of ensuring that the public amenities we have are fitting with the broader public interest."</p><div type="image" title="Don Valley golf course in Toronto, Ontario, Canada" height="2000" width="3000" msid="104987793" hostid="261" sizebytes="1616630"></div><p>Actually getting a golf course redeveloped into public space and housing is a major challenge. First, there needs to be a buyer. Then that buyer needs to find funding. And finally, in many cases, the parcel needs to be rezoned — often a political and highly-fraught process.</p><p>Charlie McCabe, the former director of the Center for City Park Excellence at the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.tpl.org/">Trust for Public Land</a>, told Insider that the most successful golf course redevelopment efforts he's seen have involved private developers buying a course, building housing, and giving a portion of the land back to the city for green space. He noted that projects that just involve turning golf courses into parks are often most palatable to neighbors.</p><p>In one shining example, part of an abandoned golf course in New Orleans was transformed into <a target="_blank" href="https://growdatyouthfarm.org/">the city's biggest urban farm</a> with a focus on engaging youth.</p><p>But there are a mountain of examples of failed efforts. In one such case, Denver<strong> </strong>voters recently <a target="_blank" href="https://www.axios.com/local/denver/2023/04/05/denver-election-park-hill-golf-course-vote-results"><u>rejected a plan</u></a> to build hundreds of homes — 25% of which would have been for lower-income residents — on a 155-acre former golf course. Shortly thereafter, the City Council reversed its efforts to redevelop the Park Hill Golf Course, rezoning it as open space with the goal of <a target="_blank" href="https://denverite.com/2023/05/03/park-hill-golf-course-rezoning-18-hole-course/"><u>turning it back into an 18-hole course</u></a>. Predictably, homeowners — who see golf courses as good for their property values — were <a target="_blank" href="https://coloradosun.com/2023/10/13/opinion-it-might-actually-be-the-nimbys/">much more likely</a> to oppose redeveloping the course than renters.</p><p>Former California Assemblymember Cristina Garcia, a Democrat who represented parts of southeastern Los Angeles County, introduced a bill in 2021 that would have given cities funding to convert public golf courses into housing and public park space.</p><p>"Even if all you did was take down the fence and give us a park, that is a gift to the community," she <a target="_blank" href="https://soundcloud.com/matt-levin-4/gimme-shelter-what-if-california-put-affordable-housing-on-golf-courses"><u>said on the podcast Gimme Shelter</u></a> last year.</p><p>The pushback to the legislation from golfers and other NIMBYs was fierce and the effort failed.</p><p>"There's no group more motivated than retired or semi-retired people," McCabe said.</p><p>Despite what "<a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/SamMaggs/status/1366450739321602048"><u>anti-golf Twitter</u></a>" says, proponents of redevelopment don't necessarily want to abolish the sport — they just want golf to take up less space in dense places.</p><p>This could mean shrinking 18-hole courses to nine holes, putting a grocery store in a clubhouse, or opening up the course on weekends or at night.</p><p>"Why not at least try and meet cities and other neighboring communities in the middle by offering more activities to take place within that space?" Reardon said.</p>

Urban golf courses are making housing more expensive and parks harder to access — and taxpayers are footing the bill

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Harrison Jacobs/Business Insider</span></p></div><p></p></div></div>The CFO of auction house Sotheby's, <span>Patrick McClymont, <a href="http://investor.shareholder.com/bid/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=947509">has resigned</a> from the company effective January 1, and that's giving some on Wall Street pause.</span></p><p><span>"...yes we were surprised by the resignation," <span>analysts at Stifel wrote after the news broke.</span> </span></p><p><span>Sotheby's "has, to some extent, become more of a "trust us" story given the added leverage, use of guarantees, and expansion of SFS," they wrote.<br /><br />SFS is the auction house's financing business, and its fast growth has raised concerns that the company could take on too much debt. SFS has "<span>some additional risks if the art cycle rolls hard in 2016," Stifel wrote.</span></span></p><p><span><span>"We saw Mr. McClymont as an important part of the transition to modernize the business practices. Also, the CFO slot being in transition will limit the chance for more meaningful strategic updates around real estate, the loan portfolio, or any sale to a trophy buyer."<br /><br />McClymont's departure, plus any departures that will come after Sotheby's offered employees buyouts in November, could mean the auction house loses business next year. <br /><br />Sotheby's CEO Tad Smith admitted that his customers have become more "discerning" in this market, and  Stifel says that it "</span></span><span><span>continues to hear more skepticism from big collectors around current auction / dealer pricing in the art market."</span></span></p><p>That can be a dangerous combination once you add leverage.</p><p> </p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/buying-power-dollar-over-60-years-groceries-2015-12">How the buying power of your dollar has changed over the past 60 years</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="Zka3R5cDqzjmfG8P8X7sTSfdEbK7ZTFv" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

ANALYST: This has become a 'trust us' story

<p class="source"><span>US Air Force/Staff Sgt. Kyle Yeager</span></p><p class="caption">Members of the 435th Contingency Response Squadron during a runway assessment trip at Jan Mayen Airfield, Norway, November 19, 2019.</p><ul class="summary-list"><li>US airmen traveled to Jan Mayen Island in the Norwegian Sea in November to assess the airfield there.</li><li>The remote air base sits along sea lanes that the Russian Northern Fleet, and its subs, would have to travel to reach the Atlantic Ocean, making it a potential vantage point for NATO.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</li></ul><p>US airmen ventured north to the island of Jan Mayen in the Norwegian Sea in November to survey the isolated island's airfield.</p><p>Members of the 435th Contingency Response Squadron assessed runway surfaces, glideslope obstructions, and firing capes, according to an Air Force <a href="https://www.dvidshub.net/news/357202/435th-crs-strengthens-eucom-capabilities" target="_blank" rel="noopener">release</a>.</p><p class="source"><span>Google Maps</span></p><p class="caption">Jan Mayen is north Iceland and sits astride sea lanes between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans.</p><p>Jan Mayen is north of Iceland and between Greenland and Norway, the latter of which administers and supplies it with regular flights by C-130 aircraft.</p><p>It has been <a href="http://jan.mayen.no/historie/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">used for centuries</a> for whaling, hunting, and, more recently, meteorological monitoring. During the Cold War, it was used as a base for communications and navigation systems. Though it doesn't have a usable port, its airfield can be used for research and search and rescue.</p><p>The island is also above the Arctic Circle and, the release notes, "along sea-routes connecting Russia to the Atlantic Ocean."</p><p class="source"><span><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Runway_on_Jan_Mayen_island_c1968.jpg">US Navy</a></span></p><p class="caption">The runway on Jan Mayen Island, seen around 1968.</p><p>The assessment and survey took place between November 17 and November 24, but the 435th CRS "spent several months working with the host nation to find the optimal time" to do it, US Air Forces Europe said in an email.</p><p>The visit by the 435th CRS survey team was its first airfield assessment there, and prior to their survey, US aircraft could not land there.</p><p>"The 435th CRS was there to conduct a landing-zone survey and assessment so C-130J Super Hercules aircraft can land ... to provide transport and resupply to the station located there," US Air Force Staff Sgt. Kyle Yeager, a member of the 435th CRS, said in the release.</p><p class="source"><span>US Air Force/Staff Sgt. Kyle Yeager</span></p><p class="caption">Members of the 435th Contingency Response Squadron conduct a landing zone survey at Jan Mayen Airfield, Norway, November 19, 2019.</p><p>The 435 CRS is the "unit of choice" for these airfield surveys because of its "cross-functional makeup," comprising more than 25 different Air Force specialties that train together for unique challenges, Air Force Europe said.</p><p>The 435th CRS members were joined by members of the 435th Security Forces Squadron, which was there to do "a security assessment of the airfield to ensure that it met Air Force security requirements for C-130 operations," said Tech Sgt. Ross Caldwell, a member of the 435th SFS.<br /><br />"We must be trained and certified on many different tasks to counter any threat and survive in any environment we are tasked to operate in," Caldwell said.</p><p>"If the [Contingency Response Group] goes, we go," Caldwell added, referring to the US Air Forces Europe <a href="https://www.ramstein.af.mil/Units/435-AGOW/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">unit</a> that assesses and opens airbases and performs initial airfield operations.</p><h2>Options in the high north</h2><p class="source"><span>US Navy/Mass Comm. Specialist Seaman Joseph A.D. Phillips</span></p><p class="caption">Gunner's Mate 1st Class Christopher Carlson watches the Royal Norwegian navy frigate HNoMS Thor Heyerdahl pull alongside the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman, October 26, 2018.</p><p>The European Arctic has become an area of increasing focus for <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-nato-navies-in-arctic-circle-in-harsh-weather-for-trident-juncture-2018-11" target="_blank" rel="noopener">for the Navy</a> and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/air-force-special-operators-exercise-with-norwegian-soldiers-in-arctic-2019-12" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Air Force</a>.</p><p>The Norwegian Sea in particular has also <a href="https://twitter.com/USNavyEurope/status/1199308075968139265" target="_blank" rel="noopener">gotten</a> more <a href="https://twitter.com/USNavyEurope/status/1197502496983400451" target="_blank" rel="noopener">attention</a>, as Russia's growing submarine fleet, which is far from the size of its Cold War predecessor but much more sophisticated, would need to traverse it to get to the Atlantic.</p><p>The USS Harry S. Truman became the first US carrier to sail above the Arctic Circle since the 1990s when it arrived in the sea in late 2018 for Trident Juncture, NATO's largest exercise since the Cold War.</p><p>Navy ships carrying Marines to the exercise first stopped <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/this-is-how-us-marines-will-take-the-fight-to-russia-in-the-arctic-2018-10" target="_blank" rel="noopener">in Iceland</a>, where the Navy has <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-russia-submarines-cold-war-era-base-in-iceland-2017-12" target="_blank" rel="noopener">spent millions</a> refurbishing hangars at Naval Air Station Keflavik to accommodate more US Navy P-8 Poseidons, considered to be the best sub-hunting aircraft out there. P-8s will visit Keflavik more often, but the Navy has said it's not reestablishing a permanent presence, which ended in 2006.</p><p>In November 2019, the Navy promoted visits by <a href="https://twitter.com/USNavyEurope/status/1199308075968139265" target="_blank" rel="noopener">surface ships</a> and submarines to Norway for <a href="https://twitter.com/USNavyEurope/status/1199840354591281155" target="_blank" rel="noopener">exercises</a>, tweeting <a href="https://twitter.com/USNavyEurope/status/1197502496983400451" target="_blank" rel="noopener">photos</a> of nuclear-powered attack sub USS Minnesota loading MK-48 torpedoes at Haakonsvern naval base.</p><p class="source"><span>US Navy/Lt. j.g. Grade Matthew Skoglund</span></p><p class="caption">A P-8A Poseidon aircraft assigned to Patrol Squadron 16 in Keflavik, Iceland, for anti-submarine warfare training, April 28, 2017.</p><p>US Air Force B-2 stealth bombers also recently made <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/b2-bombers-land-in-iceland-fly-in-arctic-first-time-2019-9" target="_blank" rel="noopener">their first visit to Iceland</a>, landing at Keflavik in late August to exercise it "as a forward location for the B-2, ensuring that it is ... ready with credible force," US Air Forces Europe said at the time.</p><p>That deployment also saw B-2s fly into the Arctic, performing "an extended duration sortie over the Arctic Circle" in early September. US Air Forces Europe called it the B-2's "first mission this far north" in Europe.</p><p>While Jan Mayen airfield may be able to handle cargo and mobility aircraft like the C-130J, strategic bombers like the B-2 or the B-52, which also <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/b52-bomber-task-force-flew-around-europe-close-to-russia-2019-11" target="_blank" rel="noopener">flew into the Arctic</a> in late 2019, may not be able to operate there.</p><p>But it's always better to have more places to land.</p><p>"You've got Fairford, you've got Keflavik, you've got other places ... it's not just one spot that if you crater the runway that's it," Jim Townsend, an adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security and former Defense Department official, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/b2-bombers-land-in-iceland-fly-in-arctic-first-time-2019-9" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told Business Insider</a> after the B-2s visited Iceland last year.</p><p class="source"><span>US Air Force/Senior Airman Thomas Barley</span></p><p class="caption">US Air Force fuel-distribution operators from Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, conduct hot-pit refueling on a B-2 Spirit bomber at Keflavik Air Base, Iceland, August 28, 2019. Hot-pit refueling is a method of refueling an aircraft without shutting down the engines. It was the B-2's first time landing in Iceland.</p><p>Jan Mayen's airfield "would add another option in that region, and the surveys are often a critical piece of the Global Air Mobility Support System, ensuring unfamiliar airfields are safe to land for a variety of Air Force mobility aircraft," US Air Forces Europe said in its email.</p><p>During World War II and the Cold War, Iceland sat in the middle of the Greenland-Iceland-UK Gap, through which Russian subs would have to pass to reach the North Atlantic. Russian submarines' newfound ability to strike cities and infrastructure in Europe with sub-launched missiles has led to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/navy-active-in-north-atlantic-but-russia-sub-activity-may-be-in-arctic-2018-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">arguments that NATO needs to operate farther north</a>, closer to the Barents Sea, in order to keep an eye them.</p><p>Jan Mayen is closer to the Barents, but if there's a role it could play in operations up there, the US military isn't saying.</p><p style="font-weight: 400;">"It would be inappropriate for us to speculate about possible future operations by US or partner nation forces," US Air Forces Europe said when asked about the island's future.</p>            <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/changes-earth-artic-ice-melted-animated-map-nasa-2017-3">Arctic and Antarctic sea ice just hit record lows - here's what would happen if all the ice melted</a></h3>

The US Air Force is fixing up a remote base that could help keep an eye on Russia

<p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Reuters</span></p><p class="caption">Tareck El Aissami shows the fake passport with which Salvadorean Francisco Chavez Abarca used to enter the country, as President Nicolas Maduro stands in the background.</p></div><p></p></div></div>On Wednesday Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro - the successor to late socialist President Hugo Chavez - <a href="http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/americas/venezuela/article124609614.html">announced that former minister</a> </span><span>Tareck El Aissami would become vice president of the country.</span></p><p><span>That means in a country of complete and utter chaos - where </span>people are starving, healthcare is non-existent, electricity is scarce, and <a href="https://www.caracaschronicles.com/2016/04/12/lynching-outside-window/">vigilante justice is becoming a norm</a> - a suspected terrorist is one heartbeat away from the highest office in the land.</p><p><span>El Aissami is a known entity in the world of US intelligence. He is allegedly a part of Venezuela's state drug trafficking network and has ties to Iran, Syria, and Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah. </span></p><p><span>And if Maduro is ousted as his opposition is calling for, El Aissami will become the president of a failed state in America's backyard.</span></p><h2><span>Have you ever heard of Aeroterror?</span></h2><p><span>A little discussed feature (at least here in the US) of Chavez's socialist regime was its ties to hardline Islamists. For example, f</span>rom 2007 to at least 2010, there was a flight from Caracas, Venezuela to Tehran, Iran that made a stop in Damascus, Syria.</p><p><span>Chavez and former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/aeroterror-venezuela-iran-and-latin-america-2015-3">reportedly called it 'Aeroterror.'</a></span> Only government officials with a special clearance were permitted to fly on it, and there were often very few passengers. The flights mostly carried drugs, weapons, cash and terrorists, a<span>ccording to US government testimony and a report by </span><a href="http://veja.abril.com.br/noticia/mundo/venezuela-vendia-passagens-fantasmas-para-o-aeroterror">Brazilian paper Veja</a>. </p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Reuters</span></p><p class="caption">Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and former Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p><span>This is where El Aissami comes in. <a href="http://vejainternational.com/news/venezuela-sold-non-existent-air-tickets-for-aeroterror-flight/">Veja reported</a> that when he was interior minister under Chavez, El Aissami participated in a clandestine program to provide Venezuelan passports to terrorists in Damascus, according to former Chavez loyalists.</span></p><p><span>A former governor of Venezuela's Aragua state, the <a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/venezuelan-officials-suspected-of-turning-country-into-global-cocaine-hub-1431977784">Wall Street Journal once </a>said of El Aissami: "<span>One part master of Middle-Eastern networking, one part honorary Cuban revolutionary, and one part highly ambitious </span><em>chavista</em><span>, </span><span>Mr. El Aissami</span><span> is a dream come true for Tehran and Havana. That makes him a powerful man in Venezuela."</span></span></p><p><span><span>Joseph Humire, co-author of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Irans-Strategic-Penetration-Latin-America/dp/1498505988">'Iran's Strategic Penetration in Latin America'</a> and founder of the Center for a Secure Free Society (SFS) think tank, testified to the same effect before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs last year.</span></span></p><p><a href="http://docs.house.gov/meetings/FA/FA07/20150318/103177/HHRG-114-FA07-Wstate-HumireJ-20150318.pdf">From his testimony:</a></p><p style="padding-left: 30px;"><span><span>"Over the years, El Aissami developed a sophisticated, multi-layered financial network that functions as a criminal-terrorist pipeline bringing militant Islamists into Venezuela and surrounding countries, and sending illicit funds and drugs from Latin America to the Middle East. </span></span></p><p style="padding-left: 30px;"><span><span>"His financial network consists of close to 40 front companies that own over 20 properties with cash, vehicles, real estate and other assets sitting in 36 bank accounts spread throughout Venezuela, Panama, Curacao, St. Lucia, Southern Florida and Lebanon. This network became integrated with the larger Ayman Joumaa moneylaundering network that used the Lebanese Canadian Bank to launder hundreds of million of dollars and move multi-ton shipments of cocaine on behalf of Colombian and Mexican drug cartels as well as Hezbollah. </span></span></p><p style="padding-left: 30px;"><span><span>"This immigration scheme is suspected to also be in place in Ecuador, Nicaragua and Bolivia, as well as some Caribbean countries."</span></span></p><p><span><span>Venezuelan defectors to the United States also accuse El Aissami of accepting payment from drug kingpins trying to smuggle cocaine through country <a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/venezuelan-officials-suspected-of-turning-country-into-global-cocaine-hub-1431977784">while he was interior minister.</a></span></span></p><p><span><span>"<span>Venezuela's future is uncertain, but what is certain is that Islamic extremism has officially taken greater executive control of a national government in Latin America," Humire wrote in an e-mail to Business Insider, "A goal it has had for decades."</span></span></span></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/us-government-nuclear-trucks-2017-1">These are the secretive 18-wheelers the US government uses to transport nukes on America's roads</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="hydXBxeDpbqpsqK4QQMXiBdB_aEXHFpr" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

A suspected terrorist and drug trafficker just because Venezuela's Vice President

<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/insiderpicks"><em>Insider Picks</em></a><em><span> </span>writes about products and services to help you navigate when shopping online. 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With every step, my feet urged me to take them off and to never wear them again. </p><p>Hoping that they'd get more comfortable with time, I wore them once more before tapping out from the pain. It took <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trek-support-sport-insoles-review-2018-9" target="_blank" rel="noopener">these $10 insoles</a> to make them wearable, but I still told myself I wouldn't buy another pair of Vans, as I firmly believe that shoes should be comfortable straight out of the box. I had given up on the idea of buying any more pairs - until I caught wind of its new comfort technology called <a href="http://www.anrdoezrs.net/links/6415797/type/dlg/https://www.zappos.com/vans-comfycush" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ComfyCush</a>.</p><p>The <a href="http://www.anrdoezrs.net/links/6415797/type/dlg/https://www.zappos.com/vans-comfycush" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Vans ComfyCush</a> collection took classic, original silhouettes and re-engineered them to be more comfortable. They feature foam midsoles, padded insoles with added arch support, and one-piece interiors to eliminate seams rubbing on your feet. <span style="color: #ff0000;"><span style="color: #000000;">You'll find your favorite styles, like the</span> </span><a href="http://www.anrdoezrs.net/links/6415797/type/dlg/https://www.zappos.com/p/vans-comfycush-authentic-classic-black-true-white/product/9159317/color/791987" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Authentic</a>, <a href="http://www.anrdoezrs.net/links/6415797/type/dlg/https://www.zappos.com/p/vans-comfycush-era-classic-black-true-white/product/9159382/color/791987" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Era</a>, <a href="http://www.anrdoezrs.net/links/6415797/type/dlg/https://www.zappos.com/p/vans-comfycush-old-skool-classic-black-true-white/product/9159315/color/791987" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Old Skool</a>, <a href="http://www.anrdoezrs.net/links/6415797/type/dlg/https://www.zappos.com/p/vans-comfycush-slip-on-classic-checkerboard-true-white/product/9159319/color/791981" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Slip-On</a>, <a href="http://www.anrdoezrs.net/links/6415797/type/dlg/https://www.zappos.com/p/vans-comfycush-sk8-hi-classic-black-true-white/product/9159348/color/791987" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sk8-Hi</a>, and <a href="http://www.anrdoezrs.net/links/6415797/type/dlg/https://www.zappos.com/p/vans-comfycush-zushi-sf-black-true-white/product/9149977/color/133085" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Zushi SF</a><span style="color: #000000;">, all re-engineered with comfort in mind.</span></p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><a href="http://www.anrdoezrs.net/links/6415797/type/dlg/https://www.zappos.com/vans-comfycush" target="_blank" rel="noopener"></a><p class="source"><span>Vans</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>With the hopes that the new comfort technology would make a real difference, I decided to give <a href="https://www.vans.com/shop/comfycush?icn-pszn-mens-comfyshopbtn" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Vans</a> another try. I went with the <a href="https://www.vans.com/shop/comfycush-old-skool-black-true-white#hero=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ComfyCush Old Skools</a>, so that I'd be able to compare them directly to my other pair - and the comfort improvements turned out to be remarkable. </p><h3>The differences:</h3><p>My first impression of the <a href="http://www.anrdoezrs.net/links/6415797/type/dlg/https://www.zappos.com/vans-comfycush" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ComfyCush Vans</a> was that they're strikingly similar to the original models, so out of the gate, that was a major plus. As someone with a real passion for sneakers, I almost always hate when classic designs are altered or "updated" because it usually becomes a shoe that's much different than the version that's actually iconic. In the case of <a href="http://www.anrdoezrs.net/links/6415797/type/dlg/https://www.zappos.com/vans-comfycush" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ComfyCush Vans</a>, there are several notable differences, but none of which take away from the overall aesthetic of the shoe - every change has a distinct purpose.</p><p>The most important difference is the sole. While Vans typically have hard rubber soles, the ComfyCush midsoles are more cushioned and softer to the touch. The outsole has also been updated for the better. The original waffle pattern still exists, but it's layered on top of the visible ComfyCush sole. Rather than being a solid vulcanized rubber outsole, the layered design makes the shoe lighter and more flexible.</p><p>Other differences include cushioned insoles (pictured above), canvas interior ankle collars instead of leather, and one-piece interior construction, which can be felt better than it can be seen. On the original design, the different panels of the shoe (toe cap, tongue, lace stays, and the body) tend to overlap at the seams, which can cause pressure points on your feet. With the new design, that's no longer an issue.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><a href="http://www.anrdoezrs.net/links/6415797/type/dlg/https://www.zappos.com/vans-comfycush" target="_blank" rel="noopener"></a><p class="source"><span>Vans/Amir Ismael/Business Insider</span></p><p class="caption">Vans ComfyCush Old Skools (top) and Vans Core Classics Old Skools (bottom).</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><h3>Why I prefer them over the originals:</h3><p>I personally like the <a href="http://www.anrdoezrs.net/links/6415797/type/dlg/https://www.zappos.com/vans-comfycush" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ComfyCush Vans</a> more than the originals for three main reasons: an unchanged aesthetic, superb comfort, and the price.</p><p>I have to reiterate how close they look to the originals because it's <em>very </em>impressive. Yes, when comparing them side-by-side (as pictured below), you'll spot slight differences in the shape, the insole, and the interior lining, but none of those changes will make you - or anyone else - think that you're wearing something other than the classic California skate shoe.</p><p>In terms of wearability and comfort, the difference is night and day. In the one month that I've owned the ComfyCush Old Skools, I've worn them more times than I've worn the other pair I bought more than a year and a half ago. I can wear them all day long with zero discomfort, whether I'm doing a lot of walking or sitting at my desk for a majority of the day. I would assume that very few people still wear the original vans for performance while skateboarding, but I would imagine that the new ComfyCush sneakers are much more forgiving on impact from landing tricks - or bailing out.</p><p>Arguably the best part about the ComfyCush sneakers is the price. Ranging from $60 to $70 depending on the style, <a href="http://www.anrdoezrs.net/links/6415797/type/dlg/https://www.zappos.com/vans-comfycush" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ComfyCush Vans</a> are only $10 more than their <a href="http://www.anrdoezrs.net/links/6415797/type/dlg/https://www.zappos.com/vans-core" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Core Classics</a> (original) counterparts. The increase in price is expected, but definitely fair considering everything that it improves. At $60 to $70, they're still a lot more affordable than most sneakers on the market, whether it's a classic lifestyle silhouette or a new performance shoe.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><a href="http://www.anrdoezrs.net/links/6415797/type/dlg/https://www.zappos.com/vans-comfycush" target="_blank" rel="noopener"></a><p class="source"><span>Vans/Amir Ismael/Business Insider</span></p><p class="caption">Vans ComfyCush Old Skools (top) and Vans Core Classics Old Skools (bottom).</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><h3>The bottom line:</h3><p>I've been trying to think of one solid reason why anyone - not just me - would choose the classics over the new <a href="http://www.anrdoezrs.net/links/6415797/type/dlg/https://www.zappos.com/vans-comfycush" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ComfyCush models</a> and I really can't come up with one. The comfort and fit are outstanding and $10 is too small of a price difference to justify saving your money.</p><p>Before, I used to like the <em>idea </em>of Vans, but the lack of comfort stopped me from <em>actually </em>liking them. Now, thanks to ComfyCush, I can finally appreciate them for what they are - a shoe that's affordable, classic, <em>and</em> comfortable. </p><p>Ultimately, the <a href="http://www.anrdoezrs.net/links/6415797/type/dlg/https://www.zappos.com/vans-comfycush" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ComfyCush sneakers</a> are a breath of fresh air from <a href="https://www.vans.com/shop/comfycush?icn-pszn-mens-comfyshopbtn" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Vans</a>. Whether you've struggled to find comfort in some of the other models like I have or you've been wearing the brand your whole life, I strongly recommend the trying a pair of <a href="http://www.anrdoezrs.net/links/6415797/type/dlg/https://www.zappos.com/vans-comfycush" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ComfyCush Vans</a>. Your feet will thank you.</p><h3>Shop all ComfyCush sneakers at <a href="http://www.anrdoezrs.net/links/6415797/type/dlg/https://www.zappos.com/vans-comfycush" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Zappos</a>, <a href="https://click.linksynergy.com/deeplink?id=EHFxW6yx8Uo&amp;mid=3071&amp;murl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.footlocker.com%2Fsearch%3Fquery%3Dvans%2520comfy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Foot Locker</a>, and <a href="https://www.vans.com/shop/comfycush?icn-pszn-mens-comfyshopbtn" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Vans</a> now.</h3><p class="tagline"><a href="http://e.businessinsider.com/join/ci/insider-picks">Subscribe to our newsletter.</a><br><br>Find all the best offers at our <a href="https://coupons.businessinsider.com/">Coupons page</a>.<br><br>Disclosure: This post is brought to you by the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/insiderpicks">Insider Picks</a> team. We highlight products and services you might find interesting. If you buy them, we get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners. We frequently receive products free of charge from manufacturers to test. This does not drive our decision as to whether or not a product is featured or recommended. We operate independently from our advertising sales team. We welcome your feedback. Email us at insiderpicks@businessinsider.com.</br></br></br></br></p>

Vans reengineered its popular sneaker styles to be more comfortable and supportive - and I think they're worth the extra $10

<p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_left float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div>James McGowan has visited McDonald's restaurants in 53 countries and has written more than 340 reviews about the food he's tried on each trip.<p>Among the items he's tried are <a href="http://www.travellingmcds.com/2013/08/corn-pineapple-tuna-pies-phuket.html">tuna pies</a> in Thailand, <a href="http://www.travellingmcds.com/2015/04/sir-sombrero-belgrade-serbia-april-2015.html">"sir sombreros"</a> - or fried cheese shaped like sombreros - in Serbia, <a href="http://www.travellingmcds.com/2014/05/mccountry-johor-malaysia-may-2014.html#more">chicken sausage burgers</a> in Malaysia, a <a href="http://www.travellingmcds.com/2014/12/crab-croquette-burger-okinawa-japan.html">crab croquette burger</a> in Okinawa, Japan, and <a href="http://www.travellingmcds.com/2015/10/sweet-potato-fries-singapore-october.html">sweet potato fries</a> in Singapore.</p><p>McGowan, a software developer, writes reviews of the food on his blog, <a href="http://www.travellingmcds.com/search?updated-min=2016-01-01T00:00:00%2B08:00&amp;updated-max=2017-01-01T00:00:00%2B08:00&amp;max-results=9">McDonald's Around the World</a>.</p><p>Here's a map of all the McDonald's restaurants he has visited:</p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div>McGowan<span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> told the </span><a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/a-mcdonalds-foodie-dishes-on-chains-foreign-fare-1455851282">Wall Street Journal</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> that more than two million people have visited his blog.</span><p><span>"Strangers say, if you're fortunate enough to go to all these countries, why do you waste it on McDonald's?" <span>McGowan</span><span> told the </span>Journal. "I like sharing online. People seem to enjoy it. And I don't gain weight."</span></p><p><span><div></div></span></p><p class="embed-spacer"><span>He said he doesn't drink or smoke, so eating McDonald's is his "vice."</span></p><p><span>McGowan most recently tried a <a href="http://www.travellingmcds.com/2016/02/hokkaido-burger-sapporo-japan-february.html#more">burger</a> in Sapporo, Japan, featuring bacon, beef, cheese and mashed potatoes. He said it was "easily the <span>the </span>worst<span> promo burger" he's ever had in Japan.</span></span></p><p><span><span><div></div></span></span></p><p class="embed-spacer">He had better luck with <a href="http://www.travellingmcds.com/2016/01/hokkaido-salmon-namtok-rice-bangkok.html#more">Hokkaido Salmon Namtok Rice</a> in Thailand, which he rated as 4.5 stars out of 5.</p><p class="embed-spacer">It features fried salmon chunks with white rice and a sauce<span> made of ground chillies, fish sauce, lime juice, shallots and mint leaves.</span></p><p class="embed-spacer"><span>Here's some of the other McDonald's food items that he's tried around the world.</span></p><p class="embed-spacer"><span><div></div></span></p><p class="embed-spacer"><span><div></div></span></p><p class="embed-spacer"><span><div></div></span></p><p class="embed-spacer"><div></div></p><p class="embed-spacer"><div></div></p><p class="embed-spacer"><div></div></p><p class="embed-spacer"><div></div></p><p class="embed-spacer"><div></div></p><p class="embed-spacer"><div></div></p><p class="embed-spacer"><div></div></p><p class="embed-spacer"><div></div></p><p class="embed-spacer"><div></div></p><p class="embed-spacer">&#xa0;</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/fast-food-chain-best-value-menu-mcdonalds-burger-king-wendys-2016-1">We tried the new value menus at McDonald's, Burger King, and Wendy's - and the winner is clear</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="1mb240MDE6wvr9lZ6tJsJafHMsdJZKhH" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

Man who has eaten McDonald's in 53 countries reveals the highs and lows

<p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><ul><li><strong>Sam Altman, one of the most powerful people in the startup world, says that the debate around political correctness in San Francisco is bad for startups and smart people.</strong></li><li><strong>His blog post on the topic drew heated reactions from both people who agreed with him as well as people who believe his ideas are dangerous.&#xa0;</strong></li></ul><p><br>If Y Combinator president Sam Altman wanted to start a furious debate with his latest blog post, he certainly succeeded.&#xa0;</br></p><p><a href="http://blog.samaltman.com/e-pur-si-muove">In a post on his blog</a>, he argued that the climate of political correctness in San Francisco and Silicon Valley is "very bad for startups," and that it was easier to express controversial ideas in China than it is in California.</p><p>The essay, named "<a href="http://blog.samaltman.com/e-pur-si-muove">E Pur Si Muove</a>" after a quip heretic scientist&#xa0;Galileo Galilei said on his deathbed, drew swift and strong reactions from both supporters and detractors.&#xa0;</p><p>Here's his basic point:&#xa0;</p><p style="padding-left: 30px;">"Restricting speech leads to restricting ideas and therefore restricted innovation-the most successful societies have generally been the most open ones. Usually mainstream ideas are right and heterodox ideas are wrong, but the true and unpopular ideas are what drive the world forward. Also, smart people tend to have an allergic reaction to the restriction of ideas, and I'm now seeing many of the smartest people I know move elsewhere."</p><p>He cites specific ideas that the San Francisco intellectual climate have ejected, including "ideas like pharmaceuticals for intelligence augmentation, genetic engineering, and radical life extension."</p><p>In Altman's view, people who have criticized those ideas for businesses have essentially cast the entrepreneurs behind them as "heretics," the same way the Catholic Church jailed Galileo for correctly claiming that the earth revolves around the sun.&#xa0;</p><p>"This is uncomfortable, but it's possible we have to allow people to say disparaging things about gay people if we want them to be able to say novel things about physics," Altman wrote. "Of course we can and should say that ideas are mistaken, but we can't just call the person a heretic."</p><p>Altman runs the most prestigious tech startup accelerator in Silicon Valley, Y Combinator, but in recent years he has expressed <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/sam-altman-mission-fix-american-democracy-2017-6">increased interest in political ideas</a>. One of his experiments is related to the aspiration to give every single person a free basic income. Altman is currently running a program that gives 100 people in Oakland, California between $1,000 and $2,000 per month, and last year, he had to shoot down rumors that he was going to run for governor of California.</p><h2><span style="color: #000000;">The reaction&#xa0;</span></h2><p>Users can't post comments on Altman's blog, but many people who read his thoughts on political correctness were eager to respond.</p><p>Altman had defenders from the venture capital and entrepreneurship worlds, but he also drew scores of critics from technology writers, activists, business school professors, and even rank-and-file employees at big tech companies.&#xa0;</p><p>It got heated.&#xa0;&#xa0;</p><p>Altman did have defenders, who said that they felt constrained to pursue or express controversial ideas, and cited the backlash to Altman's post as proof of his point. On Hacker News, Y Combinator's message board, <a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15924093">the post drew 690 comments</a>, many of them supportive of his arguement.&#xa0;</p><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-iphone-x-versus-google-pixel-2-2017-11">A guy who reviews gadgets for a living spent a week with the iPhone X and the Pixel 2 - the winner was clear</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div></hr>

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