List of All Articles with Tag 'al'

With 39 deals made on the first day alone, free agency waits for no one. Who among the unsigned NBA free agents can help a team compete for a championship?It may feel like the'free agency frenzy' and all the fun of early July has worn off, but that couldn't be farther from the tru...

Wrexham’s Hollywood owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have been criticised by climate activists after it was revealed that the club took 16 domestic flights last season. The Welsh club earned promotion back to the Football League after a 15-year absence but while they flew to and from eight away games, no other National League club took a single flight for a domestic fixture. Research by the BBC revealed that most of Wrexham’s flights – to face teams such as Gateshead, Bromley and Maidstone – were out of, or back to, Manchester Airport, with the shortest lasting just 29 minutes while the average flight time was only 43.5 minutes. Flying to and from domestic matches is common for Premier League clubs to aid player recovery amid packed fixtures schedules but the environmental impact of short-haul flight have made them increasingly controversial, with green activists speaking out against the practice. For example, the Manchester to Newcastle flight taken for a game against Gateshead was a journey that would have taken around three hours by coach or two and a half hours by train. In addition to the 16 flights with the squad on board, BBC research also found 16 further ‘positioning’ flights – where an often empty plane is flown into the airport it is collecting its passengers from, creating additional emissions. Wrexham had been approached for comment by BBC Sport. Since Reynolds and McElhenney’s high-profile purchase of Wrexham, there has been a huge wave of interest around the club and this summer they embarked on a pre-season tour of the United States – packing out stadiums in San Diego and Florida for matches against the likes of Premier League sides Chelsea and Manchester United. The Hollywood owners also flew the squad out for an all-expenses-paid trip to Las Vegas to celebrate promotion. This all comes despite their mission statement on the club website that pledges a “commitment to a more ecologically-sustainable version of the club and stadium.” Environmental activists have criticised the club and owners for these practices, with Katie Cross, who runs the organisation Pledgeball that works with clubs to “engage fans and lower their footprints”, frustrated by their “surging environmental impact”. Cross said: “The club, with the full backing of their new owners, seem to be following the well carved out track of measuring success through global expansion and financial success. “Imagine the impact if Wrexham chose to prioritise environmental sustainability in their decision-making and used their huge profile to push it up the football agenda? It would be a game-changer and would cause heads to turn.” Meanwhile, Frank Huisingh runs campaign group Fossil Free Football and said: “Football has a clear interest in stopping the climate crisis from escalating further. It is therefore sad to see that so many young world-class players are asked to promote a very polluting activity like flying. “Wrexham AFC shouldn’t have followed their [Premier League clubs’] lead. They should do what is best for fans around the world and stop advertising air travel.” Reynolds and McElhenney have previously been criticised for flying by private jet to attend Wrexham matches and recently announced a new sponsorship deal with United Airlines. But the Secretary of State for Wales, David TC Davies, defended the owners. ”They’ve done a really really good job over the last few years and I’m certainly not going to knock Wrexham Football Club,” he said. “They’ve taken a lead in promoting football and promoting Wrexham, which they’ve done really well. “They are perfectly within their rights, perfectly within the laws. I’m sure they are aware of climate change but, at the end of the day, they’ve got to play football. That’s what they do and I think they’re doing a great job.” Read More 'Super' Paul Mullin is injured and 'Welcome to Wrexham' will have another drama to explore Why Wrexham? How Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney came to buy a club they’d never heard of Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney to invest in F1 team Wrexham striker Paul Mullin to convalesce at co-owner Rob McElhenney’s home Extraordinary – Wrexham director says reception in US has exceeded expectations Wrexham fume at Man Utd goalkeeper after striker hospitalised with punctured lung

In the second to last UKG NWSL Challenge Cup match week, the postseason picture has begun to unfold with OL Reign clinching the West Division.NWSL Challenge Cup West Division news: Balcer nets penalty at home against San Diego as OL Reign secure the first playoff berth, McCaskill scores two in ACF...

Digital Currency Group, the battered crypto conglomerate run by Barry Silbert, named financial services veteran Mark Shifke as

Traders are poised to shell out more than $200,000 a day to ship liquefied natural gas in the

By Brendan Pierson A group of Democratic state attorneys general has urged a federal appeals court to lift

Veteran investor Nelson Tanure is betting that Light SA, a Brazilian utility that filed for bankruptcy protection, will

European natural gas posted one of the biggest monthly drops this year as depressed industrial activity and strong

Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts gives himself a painful daily reminder about that Super Bowl loss -- the league had better watch out in 2023.Hey Siri, who's going to win the Super Bowl this year?In terms of pure unfiltered motivation, it might be the Philadelphia Eagles. The Super Bowl r...

As artificial intelligence has become a bigger part of the cultural conversation many have used its power to create art, a subject that’s been highly controversial amongst artists who accuse AI of stealing and profiting of their work. The most recent AI art to go viral is a depiction of what Da Vinci’s iconic Mona Lisa would look like today, and the result is… interesting. The AI version showed a lot of changes. Clearer sing, wide eyes, a bit of makeup and a lot of cleavage. Many men seemed suddenly attracted this version of Mona Lisa leaving comments such as “now I’m interested in art” and “would” about a non-existent version of the famous woman. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter But many were critical of the picture. “Y’all notice how ai art is very much catered to target the male gaze…” commented one user. One user said the image was “a very funny illustration of AI bias,” and that this other Mona Lisa “makes a starker point about AI and art.” He goes on to say that, “real art challenges or re contextualises - it is an act of original thought. “Most AI tools can only please. They cannot subvert or invent unless so programmed.” Many seemed to agree with one tweet amassing over 80,000 likes for critiquing the image saying: "not this what she would like like according to porn addicts." Another user joked about what the actual Mona Lisa looks like today: The creator of the image Gianpaolo Rosa has addressed the controversy surrounding the image claiming that it was made to "honour Leonardo Da Vinci's masterpiece" but regonised that the sexualisation of women is "sad" and "problematic" but hopes that the image can open a dialogue about how we "perceive art and women." AI art has long faced criticism and many argue that it often shows AI's limitations, rather than its capabilities. Many say it lacks originality and creativity, often producing work after being 'fed' the real work of artists. Harry Woodgate, author and illustrator of Grandad's Camper, said to The Guardian in January: "These programs rely entirely on the pirated intellectual property of countless working artists, photographers, illustrators and other rights holders." Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Thomas Frank believes Brentford are right to demand £40m for Arsenal & Bayern Munich target David Raya.

The UK’s biggest teaching unions voted to accept a new pay deal and end industrial action in a