|
|
|
Veteran sportscaster Al Michaels compared the struggles of an NFL team to Harvey Weinstein, a man who allegedly sexually assaulted dozens of women over more than two decades — and Michaels, predictably, apologized shortly thereafter. The moment came on during NBC's Sunday Night Football broadcast of the Giants-Broncos game. The winless Giants have been experiencing a run of bad luck this season, but Michaels found a questionable metaphor for the team's difficult run. "I mean, let's face it. The Giants are coming off a worse week than Harvey Weinstein," Michaels quipped after Big Blue took a 14-point lead over the 3-1 Broncos. Keep up with this story and more by subscribing now The Giants did, indeed, have a bad week, what with injuries to stars Odell Beckham Jr. and Brandon Marshall. But the tributations of a football team could hardly be measured as "worse" than Weinstein's week, which included more allegations of sexual assault and, in at least one case, rape. Those accusations have flooded the media since last Thursday, when the New York Times published an investigation detailing Weinstein's predatory behavior against actresses in Hollywood, and secret payoffs he made to stars to keep them quiet. The New Yorker followed up with its own story that revealed several other instances of sexual harassment and worse. After the stories were published, many other actresses — including Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie — came forward. Scotland Yard is reportedly investigating Weinstein, and the New York Police Department has also reopened a 2015 case against him. So, no, the Giants' week did not seem as bad, by comparison, as Weinstein's. So Michaels later apologized for being “flip” about the movie mogul. “It was not meant in that manner,” Michaels said. “So my apologies, and we’ll just leave it at that.” Social media did not, exactly, leave it at that. "Al Michaels made a Harvey Weinstein joke," tweeted National Review Critic-At-Large Kyle Smith. "It was not overly imbued with good taste." Others openly mocked Michaels. "'The Giants are disrobing the Broncos like Harvey Weinstein at the Four Seasons hotel....2nd & 10 at the 35....' - Al Michaels," tweeted @NYSportsGuy210. SB Nation's Jeanna Thomas headlined her story on the joke with an implicit suggestion for the next time a sportscaster is moved to make a current events joke likely to offend anyone who thinks rape is being made fun of: "Al Michaels said the Giants had a worse week than Harvey Weinstein when he could have said NOTHING," the headline read. Of course, Michaels, famous for delivering the line, "Do you believe in miracles? Yes!" when the United States Olympic hockey team defeated the vaunted Soviet machine in 1980, had his defenders. "Liberals are more outraged at Al Michaels joke than Harvey Weinstein," tweeted Jim Thomas. The Giants ended up winning the game, 23-10, so Michaels's joke ended up falling even flatter. |
|
|
|
Thousands of mostly Indian skilled workers with H-1B visas could be deported while they wait for their green cards to be granted under a proposal that President Donald Trump is reportedly considering. The proposal is being drafted by Department of Homeland Security leaders and came from Trump’s “Buy American, Hire American” initiative he promised on the campaign trail, sources told McClatchy DC. Trump administration officials are examining whether they can come up with a new interpretation of the “may grant” language in the American Competitiveness in the 21st Century Act to block H-1B visa extensions. Thousands of immigrants, most of them Indian, currently can apply for H-1B visa extensions beyond the permitted two 3-year terms if they have green card applications in the system. Keep up with this story and more by subscribing now “The idea is to create a sort of ‘self-deportation’ of hundreds of thousands of Indian tech workers in the United States to open up those jobs for Americans,” a source who spoke with Homeland Security officials told McClatchy DC. If the proposal passes, 500,000 to 750,000 Indian H-1B visa holders could be forced to leave the U.S., according to IndiaToday.in. The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant work document that enables companies in the U.S. to employ foreign workers in fields that require technical and theoretical expertise. Tech giants including Facebook as well as large corporations like Bank of America have asked the government to raise the annual cap of 85,000 H-1B visas, arguing that they need more highly skilled foreign workers because the pool in the U.S. isn’t big enough. Meanwhile, H-1B critics say companies abuse the program and outsource work, leading many Americans to lose their jobs. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) officials, who work under Homeland Security, did not deny the proposal’s existence. “The agency is considering a number of policy and regulatory changes to carry out the President’s Buy American, Hire American Executive Order, including a thorough review of employment-based visa programs,” Jonathan Withington, a spokesman for USCIS, told McClatchy DC. Although H-1B visas draw less attention than other immigration initiatives, such as the wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, the proposal falls in line with the president’s efforts to tighten regulations around who can enter and stay in the U.S. If the Trump administration approves the proposal, deported immigrants will need to start their journey from square one. “People whose green card is in process can go back to the U.S. once it is approved,” Alka Dhingra, general manager for IT staffing at TeamLease Services, told Quartz. “But that will take its own time and meanwhile they need to move, settle, and resettle again in terms of work and personal life both.” Tags: m2m-iot, smart-vending-, touchscreen-vending, cloud-vms, telemeter, vending-telemetry, cashless-vending, light-industrial- |