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ج Paul, 35, scored 11 points, with 10 rebounds and 13 assists as the Suns beat the Lakers 111-94. James injured his ankle in a defeat by the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday. Charlotte Hornets point guard LaMelo Ball could be out for the season after he broke his wrist against the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday. NBA results The Houston Rockets slumped to their 20th straight loss, a 114-112 defeat by the Oklahoma City Thunder, despite Christian Wood scoring 27 points for the Rockets. Julius Randle's late three-pointer for the New York Knicks forced overtime, but he then missed a potential game-winner as the Philadelphia 76ers edged to a thrilling 101-100 victory. The result also went down to the wire in Florida, where last season's finalists the Miami Heat fell to the Indiana Pacers 109-106. Blake Griffin had a successful debut for the Brooklyn Nets as he made his first dunk since 2019 in the 113-106 win over the Washington Wizards. Luka Doncic scored 37 points in the Dallas Mavericks' 132-92 thrashing of the Portland Trail Blazers, the New Orleans Pelicans defeated the Denver Nuggets 113-108 and Jaylen Brown scored 10 three-pointers to lead the Boston Celtics to a 112-96 victory over the Orlando Magic. There was also a 116-105 win for the Cleveland Cavaliers over the Toronto Raptors, and the Chicago Bulls cruised past the Detroit Pistons 100-86.

Predicting which cars will achieve classic status five or 10 years from now is a dark and uncertain art. One of the surest indicators of a nailed-on future classic for many years was motorsport pedigree - think what success on the race track did for the likes of the Porsche 911 2.7 RS and BMW E30 M3 - but in more recent times it’s become less of a factor. Homologation regulations aren’t what they once were, after all, and manufacturers are no longer obliged to build road-going facsimiles of their competition machines. So which factors do apply? Scarcity, for one, and reputation for another. If a car is rare and widely reckoned to be one of the best of its type to drive, it’ll probably reach classic status. Beauty is another factor and so too is significance; a car that changed the game in its sector is bound to be held in high regard for years to come. Every one of the cars we’re highlighting here meets at least one of those criteria, if not two or three. There is a strong possibility that many of them will rise in value over the coming years, but we haven’t let that be our motivating factor. Instead, we’ve concentrated on cars that are great to drive or a pleasure to own. Now is the time to bag yourself a copper-bottomed future classic. We’ve split them into price ranges to

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has delayed the deadline date for its annual Tax Day, moving it from April 15 to May 17. While many tax filers in the US will doubtless be relieved to have more time in order to get their tax affairs and accounting paperwork in order, the delay suggests there are wider issues involved when it comes to challenges being faced by the government agency. The IRS is currently heavily involved with the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, the nationwide recovery plan designed to help the US get back on its feet in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic."This continues to be a tough time for many people, and the IRS wants to continue to do everything possible to help taxpayers navigate the unusual circumstances related to the pandemic, while also working on important tax administration responsibilities," said IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig.Even with the new deadline, we urge taxpayers to consider filing as soon as possible, especially those who are owed refunds. Filing electronically with direct deposit is the quickest way to get refunds, and it can help some taxpayers more quickly receive any remaining stimulus payments they may be entitled to." However, the added workload involved in processing and distributing monthly payments to families in the form of tax credits has placed the IRS under increasing pressure. Adding to its woes have been a substantial reduction in staff numbers and a decrease in funding. Back in 2010 the IRS had a total budget of $14.9 billion, adjusted for inflation. However, the funding had been cut to just $11.3 billion by 2019, with Congress opting to trim back the annual spend by a nearly a quarter or 24%. The government agency is still expected to harvest almost $4trillion in tax revenue this year, which will form a vital part of bolstering the country’s GDP of over $22 trillion. Personnel numbers have dropped dramatically too, with the IRS having shrunk from an original core of 95,000 full-time staff a decade ago down to 74,000 by 2018. Replenishment of staff is complicated due to the length of time required to fully train IRS personnel, leaving a glaring gap with around 46% of the workforce becoming eligible to retire in the near future. Following the announcement of the deadline extension the IRS says that it will be providing formal guidance in the coming days.

The best gaming laptops come in all shapes and sizes, for different needs and budgets. Because while a tricked out $5,000-plus model with the highest-end graphics and best display might give you the best gaming laptop experience, most of us can't afford a rig like that. And even if we could, it wouldn't be the best gaming laptop for those who travel frequently with their PC. Thankfully, there are more gaming laptop options now than ever, from budget-friendly to VR-ready. Some come with full-size Nvidia GeForce GTX or RTX graphics cards, while others go for the more efficient Max-Q designs that enable thinner chassis and (sometimes) quieter fans. It has become more difficult to distinguish Max-Q laptops from non-Max-Q, so check out our story on how to tell if an RTX 30-series laptop uses a Max-Q GPU (in addition, Nvidia is telling laptop vendors to start listing more detailed specifications.) While many of the best gaming laptops come with a 1080p display and high refresh rates, some include 4K screens, so you can pick between fidelity and resolution. One of the newest innovations we've seen is AMD SmartShift, which shares power between the CPU and the GPU based on need. We saw this in the Dell G5 15 SE, but no other laptops with that technology have released yet. More recently, Nvidia launched its RTX 30-series GPUs for gaming laptops, and Intel is pushing its Tiger Lake H35 part for ultraportable gaming rigs. We've started testing these laptops, and expect to see more soon. To help you find the best gaming laptop today, we've compiled a list of the best models we've tested and reviewed recently. For much more on how to narrow down your list of best gaming laptop considerations, check out our best gaming laptop buyer’s guide. But here are a few quick tips to get you started down the road to the right portable gaming rig for you. While many gamers may go to desktops to get the most performance for their money, try lugging a tower, monitor and keyboard around in your backpack. When you need a powerful rig you can take with you, there's no substitute for a gaming laptop. Quick Gaming Laptop Shopping Tips Focus on the GPU: Most games are dependent on the GPU, and those aren’t upgradeable. If you splurge on a powerful GPU now, you’ll be gaming comfortably for a few years. You can upgrade some parts later: While CPUs and GPUs are almost always soldered down, most gaming laptops let you replace the RAM and storage, so you can buy cheaper now and add more memory and a bigger hard drive or SSD down the road. Battery life will probably be bad: Very few gaming notebooks get 8 hours or more on a charge, and you need the power supply to get the best gaming performance anyway. However, we've seen some strong times from AMD's Ryzen processors, and Nvidia suggests its improved Optimus technology may help turn the tide.

We're just a week and a half away from Hearthstone's first expansion of 2021, and there's a lot to look forward to. March 30 marks the beginning of the Year of the Gryphon, which is when we'll see the Rise of Shadows, Saviors of Uldum, Descent of Dragons, and Demon Hunter Initiate sets rotate into Wild. Basic and Classic cards are also rolling out of Standard, replaced by Hearthstone's new, free Core Set, which consists of 235 cards.The year's first expansion, Forged in the Barrens, will also release on March 30, and Blizzard has given us 10 keys for The Forged in the Barrens Mega Bundle to give away. Forged in the Barrens focuses on WoW's Horde faction, which is made up of tauren, orcs, and the Quilboar—we can expect to see all of those groups pop up somewhere in the new set. We'll also see the introduction of a new mechanic called Spell Schools. This retroactively categorises spells under tags like 'Arcane,' 'Frost,' and 'Holy' to make way for another layer of interesting spell synergies.As always, the expansion adds a new keyword, too: Frenzy. Minions with the Frenzy label receive a powerful one-time effect that triggers the first time they survive damage. It's heavily inspired by the Enrage mechanic, and it'll be interesting to see how it and the other changes in Forged in the Barrens shift the meta.

Lorimer was not simply a key figure as Leeds enjoyed huge success at home and abroad in the 1960s and '70s but a spectacular symbol of a golden era at Elland Road that saw their ruthless, physical approach often overshadow the natural brilliance of one of the outstanding British post-war teams. Under the leadership of legendary manager Don Revie, Leeds enjoyed great highs and bitter lows, big successes and heartbreaking disappointments, with Lorimer a pivotal character in all the twists in the plotlines. Having made his debut for the club in September 1962 aged just 15 years and 289 days, his final appearance came 23 years later - in his second spell at Elland Road. He scored 238 goals in 703 appearances - a club record. Leeds great Peter Lorimer dies aged 74 Lorimer's shooting from any range makes him a standout in any showreel of Leeds' glory era. It earned him nicknames such as 'Lash' and 'Hotshot', and the power and pace of his shots inspired a chant of '90 miles an hour' from the home support whenever he lined up a free-kick. Leeds endured a rollercoaster of emotions during the Revie era; those who acknowledged the class and ability of the team assembled by this most complex of personalities justifiably questioning how and why they did not win more. And, in a reflection of the ill-fortune Leeds often felt followed them around during their greatest days, two of Lorimer's greatest strikes rank among the most infamous goals they never scored. In the FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea at Villa Park in April 1967, as Leeds chased an equaliser in the dying seconds, John Giles turned a short free-kick to substitute Lorimer, who sent a rising right-foot thunderbolt past a helpless Peter Bonetti from 25 yards. Referee Ken Burns ruled the goal out, the explanation apparently being the wall was not back the required 10 yards, causing scenes of chaos and confusion. It was regarded by Leeds fans as one of many injustices their club suffered, before even more acute pain came in the 1975 European Cup final against Bayern Munich in Paris. Leeds were chasing the biggest prize in European football, one which had always eluded Revie. He had left to become England manager in the summer of 1974 so it was the avuncular Jimmy Armfield who finally guided them to the final. Lorimer, and pretty much every other observer, thought he had put Leeds ahead in the 62nd minute when he volleyed a clearance past Bayern keeper Sepp Maier, who was motionless as the right-foot shot flashed past him. Leeds celebrated only for French referee Michel Kitabdjian - who had also refused penalty appeals in the first half when Bayern captain Franz Beckenbauer clearly upended Allan Clarke - to rule the goal out for offside. Bayern made the most of the reprieves to score twice in the last 20 minutes, and the violent response of some Leeds fans present led to Uefa banning the club from European competition for four years, later reduced to two on appeal. It was the last hurrah for a magnificent side but Lorimer stayed on, and remained one of the most important players and influences at Elland Road, his longevity and impact throughout his career meaning he will forever be a figure of huge significance in Leeds history. Two years before that European Cup final controversy, Lorimer was thwarted by one of the greatest saves in FA Cup final and Wembley history, when Sunderland keeper Jim Montgomery made a miraculous stop to turn the Scot's shot on to the bar from five yards as the then Second Division side stunned the overwhelming favourites by winning 1-0. These were disappointments but Leeds and Lorimer enjoyed huge successes during the Revie era as he took them out of the Second Division to claim a collection of the game's biggest honours - with the Dundee-born forward an essential ingredient in their recipe for success. Lorimer came to prominence in the 1965-66 season and won a reputation as a player of creativity and menace, topped off with his ability to score goals of any sort, but so often of the thrilling and theatrical kind. Leeds finally claimed silverware, winning the 1968 League Cup final against Arsenal at Wembley as well as the Inter Cities Fairs Cup - forerunner of the Uefa Cup and Europa League - in the same year with a two-legged victory over Hungarians Ferencvaros. It was the league title Leeds and Revie believed would cement their status as one of the great sides and duly arrived in 1968-69, the title clinched with a goalless draw at Liverpool and Lorimer one of the standout performers. Lorimer patrolled the right side with his gifted fellow Scot Eddie Gray on the left, with Revie also establishing the deadly front line of Mick Jones and Clarke, all fuelled by the hugely talented and fiercely competitive duo of Giles and Billy Bremner. Leeds were in the running for the three major trophies towards the conclusion of the 1969-70 season but ended empty-handed as the schedule caught up with them, Everton winning the title, Celtic sending them out in the 'Battle Of Britain' European Cup semi-final and Chelsea victorious after an FA Cup final replay. Throughout it all, Lorimer was the model of consistency and reliability, claiming more honours when the Inter Cities Fairs Cup was won again against Juventus in 1971 along with the FA Cup finally won against Arsenal in 1972, Leeds failing to land the double by losing their last game at Wolverhampton Wanderers to give the title to Brian Clough's Derby County. Leeds and Lorimer suffered bitter disappointment the following year when the shock loss to Sunderland was compounded by a hugely controversial defeat by AC Milan in the European Cup Winners' Cup Final in Athens 11 days later. Milan won 1-0 but Leeds were infuriated, as were the neutral Greek fans, at a series of highly debatable decisions by local referee Christos Michas. He was later banned for life for match-fixing although this match was not included on the charge sheet. Lorimer collected another title-winners medal in 1973-74 but with Revie gone, the Clough experiment cut short after 44 days and the great side suffering the ageing process, the club was about to leave its greatest era behind. As the club went into transition and often trauma under a succession of managers, Lorimer tailored his game to become the experienced elder statesman of the side, a guiding hand to his younger colleagues. Lorimer eventually left Leeds in 1979, having two spells at Toronto Blizzard, a short stint at York City and also for Vancouver Whitecaps before making an emotional return to Elland Road in 1983 to play under the management of his old partner in glory Eddie Gray. Leeds were in the former Second Division by this time. Lorimer became the club's greatest goalscorer before retiring in 1986. Lorimer won 21 caps for Scotland, scoring four goals, making his debut away to Austria in November 1969 and playing his final game against Romania at Hampden Park in December 1975. He was part of Willie Ormond's Scotland squad at the 1974 World Cup in Germany, scoring a typical volley in a 2-0 win against Zaire in a group game. It was a relatively narrow victory margin Scotland would later regret as they performed creditably to remain unbeaten against holders Brazil and Yugoslavia only to go out on goal difference. Even after retiring, Lorimer was a permanent fixture at Elland Road and Leeds United games around the country as a pundit for BBC Radio Leeds. He also had a column in the Yorkshire Evening Post and the club's matchday programme as well as running a public house in the area. Lorimer was also appointed as a Leeds United director under the boardroom leadership of Gerald Krasner and was the only one to continue in the role when Ken Bates assumed ownership in January 2005. He acted as a fans' representative, although he was questioned by some supporters because of his public backing for chairman Bates during troubled times at Elland Road, and was announced as the club's first Football Ambassador in April 2013. Lorimer, however, is one of the club's iconic figures and his death is another very sad day for Leeds United after the loss of his team-mates Norman Hunter, Trevor Cherry and Jack Charlton in recent months.

Finally! After battling for five-long days Saturday is here to add glitter to our lives. However, if you are wondering how your day is going to be then let's have a look into your daily astrological predictions so that you can plan your day accordingly. Know whether stars are aligned in your favour or not below:Today, you may feel happy and peaceful. An auspicious celebration in your family is on cards. You are likely to spend some quality time with your spouse and children. You are advised to take good care of your health. Taurus Today your boss might promote your position owing to your hard work. Your bond with your parents might get improved. You may find yourself inclined towards spirituality and might visit some religious place. Gemini Today is a good day for love birds as you might witness strong affection towards your partner. Your decisions might turn out fruitful in terms of work. Cancer Today you may find yourself inclined towards spirituality. You are likely to visit some religious institution and might donate a handsome amount to charity. you might get the support of your friends in some important situation.Today you may feel energetic, positive, and enthusiastic. You are likely to complete all your projects on time. This will improve your status in the workplace. Yo u are advised to take some advice from your spouse in important work as it might turn out beneficial. Libra Today you might receive some good news in terms of your children. You will be able to express yourself clearly in front of people. You are advised to focus on yourself regarding your career, health, etcToday, you are likely to take tensions regarding some family issue, however, you are advised to ignore all negative thoughts and move forward with positive ones. You are advised not to trust anyone blindly especially today. Sagittarius Today you may find yourself confused and this will affect your work efficiency. You are likely to be arrogant so you are advised o calm yourself down and practice meditation. Capricorn Today, your old-friend might give you a surprise visit. You are advised to take advise of your spouse before starting any work as it might turn beneficial. You may go on a long vacation. Aquarius Today you are advised not to ignore your spouse, else things might turn sour between you two. You are likely to get some new responsibility at work. Some health issues might crop up, so, you are advised to take good care of your health. Pisces Today messy situations will be under control. You are likely to get angry and arrogant, so, you are advised to stay calm and practice meditation. Also, watch your words before you speak.

ALL-English Champions and Europa League Finals are still possible for the second time in three seasons after the quarter-finals draws were favourable to most of that nation's sides. Liverpool, who defeated Tottenham in the 2019 Champions League decider, face arguably the toughest test, even if Real Madrid aren't the force they were when they beat the Reds in the 2018 Final to complete a hat-trick of titles. If they progress past the 13-time winners, Jurgen Klopp's men will meet either Chelsea or Porto in the last four, which could mean a repeat of the famous semi-final clashes in 2005 and 2007 between those English teams, both won by the Merseysiders. Chelsea's most recent European triumph came two years ago when they thrashed Arsenal in the Europa League Final but they are going well under former Paris Saint-Germain boss Thomas Tuchel. High-flying Manchester City will have to beat one of last year's finalists – either holders Bayern Munich or PSG – to reach their first ever Champions League final, although before then they will have to get past Borussia Dortmund. In the Europa League Manchester United will be happy to face lesser-known Spanish side Granada, while Arsenal were paired with Slavia Prague, conquerors of Rangers. The Red Devils if victorious would come up against a bigger name, either Ajax or Roma, in the semi-finals, while the Gunners could then meet either Villarreal or Dinamo Zagreb, the latter having knocked out Tottenham. Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola declined to comment on reports linking City with a potential move for Dortmund's much-sought after striking star Erling Haaland in the summer. Guardiola said: "He is a player for Borussia Dortmund. I don't like it when people talk about our players so I cannot answer this question." However, he acknowledged that he regards Norwegian Haaland as one of the game's leading attackers right now. "The numbers speak for themselves," said Guardiola of the 20-year-old at a press conference. "He is one of the best strikers in the world right now for his age. I know the quality of this player." Guardiola will devote plenty of time during the upcoming international break to studying Dortmund. He said: "It is a privilege to be in the last eight teams. I didn't see much of them this season because we don't have time, but in this international break will have time to see them. But Dortmund are always a good team." With City still having a quadruple in their sights, Guardiola's immediate priority is today's FA Cup quarter-final against Everton at Goodison Park. He said: "It is a final, away. The quality of their players is there, no doubt about it. "But it is another incredible opportunity in a competition. It is the last game before the international break. Hopefully we can finish well and when we come back the important part of the season starts." Manchester United have distant hopes of a treble, with their best bests in the Europa League and the FA Cup, travelling to take on Leicester City tomorrow. Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is pleased with their form, having won at City and away to AC Milan on their last two travels: "We feel, or we hope, a trophy can be a catalyst of more to come… The belief and the attitude is there," Solskjaer said. "I have to say I'm really impressed by the way they recover and get ready for the next game because it is relentless. "They are preparing to perform at the highest, highest level. It's not like we've had any gimmes in the draws. "Every game has been a game you really have to dig deep to win. This is another one, Leicester away."

Tensions between the U.S. and China have proved lucrative for some Japanese companies. Nikkei Asia today reported that prices for used chip-making equipment, which aren’t subject to U.S. restrictions imposed in 2020, have risen 20% on average as a result of increased demand from Chinese semiconductor manufacturers.The U.S. imposed new sanctions on SMIC, the largest semiconductor manufacturer in China, in September 2020 to prevent it from purchasing new chip-making equipment. It also added the company to the Entity List in December 2020 to make it even harder for other businesses to supply it with American-developed technology.Used chip-making equipment sellers in Japan aren’t subject to those same restrictions. Nikkei Asia said those sellers have struggled to keep their products in stock, which has led to significant price increases over the last year. The value of critical equipment such as lithography systems reportedly tripled in that timeframe.Nikkei Asia said that “nearly 90% of used machines appear to be headed to China,” per a source at Mitsubishi UFJ Lease & Finance, and that another anonymous source at an unidentified used equipment dealer claimed, “machines that were basically worthless several years ago are now selling for 100 million yen [$940,000].”That isn’t just true of Japanese companies. Bloomberg reported earlier this month that “Chinese businesses bought almost $32 billion of equipment used to produce computer chips from Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and elsewhere” in 2020. That was “a 20% jump from 2019,” according to the report, and that growth could continue.The end goal for China is self-sufficiency. Companies in the country have made progress on their own chip-making equipment so they won’t have to rely on American technologies, for example, and SMIC has sought other ways to reduce the U.S. blacklisting’s effect on its ability to advance the Chinese semiconductor industry.China’s also worked to develop its own CPUs, GPUs, memory, and other components so it won’t have to rely on Western products. But until it can replace American chip-making equipment entirely, assuming the U.S. won’t budge on its restrictions, the country’s going to have to continue to stockpile these once-outdated machines.

As multiple recent elections on both sides of the Atlantic have proven, the pollsters can quite easily be wrong.To find out more about the crisis of confidence in polling, we caught up with Don Vaughn, Ph.D., Head of Product at data analytics firm Invisibly, which claims to have predicted the outcome of the US presidential election to the greatest degree of accuracy.According to Vaughn, a fundamental overhaul to traditional polling methods is needed, with an emphasis on real-time research.Check out our list of the best customer feedback tools right nowWe've built a list of the best survey tools for customer researchHere's our list of the best WordPress survey plugins out thereWhat is the difference between a poll and a survey?Polls traditionally focus on the measurement of one thing, for example an election race. Surveys typically involve a broader series of questions on a topic and attempt to collect more data.To be clear, it isn’t that traditional polling is obsolete in the sense that it isn't practiced anymore - it is obsolete in that it is outdated.The problem is that these outdated data collection practices in polling are still the most po[CENSORED]r and get the most attention. Many polls are done person-to-person via telephone which in itself cause biases in the data collected. We need to move to more anonymous polling that is suitable for the digital age which fits within our day to day life and is not disruptive. Invisibly Realtime Research solves this issue.Google already does have a survey tool, but it’s built in a way that is meant to make money or drive views to content, not to collect completely unbiased data. Invisibly is different in that its goal is to protect user data and privacy, while also getting the most accurate results possible by not having a paywall, or content blocking function.How far are we from a 100% AI polling solution?I would imagine we aren’t that far off. There has definitely been innovation in this space. It’s one thing to ask someone who they are voting for, but there are examples of AI making election predictions based on sentiment on social media and not asking voters directly. AI is not perfect, but eventually inferences might be able to be made accurately without directly interacting with voters.What is the holy grail for survey professionals?The holy grail is being able to survey a large random sample of people and have them answer multiple questions. In addition, one needs to be able to reach specific groups of people (e.g. Nike might only want to survey people who have purchased Nike products in the past).Invisibly’s Realtime Research product leads the polling and market research space in finding the largest random sampling of respondents, and we are building towards being able to facilitate communication between brands and individuals that fall into a desired cohort (e.g. people who have a verified purchase of a Nike product).What trends have you identified in the market research business in 2021?There are trends that don’t just apply to market research but research in general. There has been a decrease of in-person surveys due to pandemic. This means an increase in other types of surveys such as telephone surveying. However, we recently saw the benefits of Invisibly’s online style surveys proven over telephone surveys due to the chaos that occurred with the 2020 Presidential Election, for which many of the major polls still were done by telephone and ended up being very far off the actual election results. Some major research institutions such as Pew Research shut down in-person surveys due to the pandemic and were exploring telephone surveys. The question is whether or not virtual research trends will remain after the pandemic.Here's our list of the best content marketing tools around

If you like Warhammer 40,000, have I got the mod for you: Unification Mod for Dawn of War: Soulstorm is a sprawling remaster, bugfix, faction-adder, and game mode adder that works for both the Steam and (to my delight) Actual Physical DVD versions of Dawn of War: Soulstorm. The unification mod adds new art and units for the nine base game factions, as well as 17 new factions.The big selling point of Unification is the new factions, but realistically you'll get a lot of mileage out of improved AI, as well as big updates in the campaign and new win conditions usable in its missions. There are also new Survival, Last Stand, and Kill-Team mission types. Survival and Last Stand are particularly appealing to those who prefer their RTS to be PvE and cooperative.You might think, what the hell, 17 factions is... too many? To which I will say: There are more flavors of Space Marine than there are flavors of ice cream. Here are the new factions: Dark Angels, Witch Hunters, Adeptus Mechanics Explorators, Emperor's Children, Inquisition Daemonhunters, Imperial Fists, Salamanders, Steel Legion, Harlequins, Thousand Sons, Legion of the Damned, Thirteenth Company, Blood Angels, Chaos Daemons, World Eaters, Black Templars, and Tyranids. Of course, there are mods you can use to add even more factions, if you like.Jon Bolding is a games writer and critic with an extensive background in strategy games. When he's not on his PC, he can be found playing every tabletop game under the sun.

Ott Tanak’s Hyundai career may not have always yielded the results he was hoping for when he joined as reigning champion last year, but the Arctic Rally Finland – which joined the championship at short notice after Sweden was pulled due to Covid restrictions – was as close to perfect as it got.“Finland is the home territory of Toyota, so to win here, on a brand new rally, feels very special,” he said, after claiming his second win in the i20 WRC. “We just went as fast as was safely possible.”The Estonian led from start to finish, claiming five of the 10 stages to avenge his retirement on the season-opener in Monte-Carlo and get back into the championship fight.Sebastien Ogier, who led the standings after the Monte, had a rally to forget in Finland, suffering from being first on the road on the opening day and acting as a snowplough for his rivals. He headed into Saturday, constituting the bulk of the action, on the back foot. Just as he was starting to climb back up the leaderboard, Ogier made an uncharacteristic mistake and got stuck in a snowbank on Saturday’s final stage: gallingly just a few hundred metres from the finish.“The rally was done for us anyway, so I’m not too bothered,” he said, ending up 20th at the finish, with just one Power Stage point as consolation. “When you’re first on the road it’s always like this, so it’s only what we were expecting.”The pre-event favourite was Toyota’s Kalle Rovanpera, and there was a bit of pressure, because had he succeeded, the Finn could have become the youngest-ever winner of a World Championship rally.In the end, Rovanpera missed out by just 17.5 seconds, but he won the Power Stage (to score five extra points) and moved into the drivers’ championship lead, with Toyota still heading the manufacturer standings.Second overall was also the 20-year-old’s best-ever result, ahead of Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville, who had closed to within two seconds of him on Saturday night. Their battle was the highlight of Sunday, with Neuville’s third place sealing second in the championship.Rovanpera wasn’t the only young sensation at the Arctic Rally, as it also marked the debut World Rally Car outing for 19-year-old Oliver Solberg. Throwing a spanner into the works was a positive Covid test for his regular co-driver Aaron Johnston, which meant a last-minute switch to the experienced Seb Marshall.Nonetheless it was a brilliant first time, with Solberg bringing his Hyundai home in seventh, having lost a place to Toyota’s Takamoto Katsuta on the final stage. Ahead of the Japanese driver was his team mate Elfyn Evans in fifth and Craig Breen in fourth: making his first appearance for Hyundai this year and delivering everything that was asked of him. Another returning driver was Esapekka Lappi, who won WRC2 in a dominant performance with a Volkswagen Polo.By contrast, spare a thought for his Finnish compatriot Janne Tuohino. On the fringes of the top 10, the privateer Ford Fiesta WRC driver was hoping to make Sunday count. Only to fall over in the sauna on Saturday night and dislocate his shoulder…

Blades goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale produced a string of fine saves to frustrate Liverpool in the first half as the Reds' recent lack of cutting edge in front of goal looked set to continue.But 20-year-old Curtis Jones showed the clinical touch his team-mates had been missing to break the hosts' resolve shortly after the interval.Roberto Firmino's effort then deflected off Kean Bryan and over a stranded Ramsdale as Liverpool doubled their lead with the club's 7,000th goal in England's top division.The Reds are only the second team to achieve that landmark, after Merseyside rivals Everton who have scored 7,108.The victory keeps Jurgen Klopp's side sixth in the table and they are now two points behind West Ham in fourth.Sheffield United were competitive throughout and Oliver McBurnie may have done better when he headed wide while unmarked from Oliver Norwood's cross.But the bottom-placed Blades will now have to produce an unprecedented recovery if they are to remain in the Premier League this season.It is only eight months since Liverpool clinched their first league title for 30 years but Klopp's side have had to alter their ambitions this season and now find themselves in a battle to make the top four and secure Champions League qualification.The Reds have already suffered as many defeats in 2021 as they did in their previous 100 top-flight fixtures but a trip to the division's bottom side proved the perfect tonic for ending a four-match losing run.It began as another frustrating evening for the Reds when they found Ramsdale in inspired form, and the visitors' failure to find the net before the break means they have only scored one first-half goal in their past 11 Premier League games.Buthis squad does not require a "massive rebuild" this summer and the German will therefore be looking towards the younger players to show they can be counted on.Midfielder Jones did just that during another competent display when he picked out the bottom corner after Sheffield United failed to clear Trent Alexander-Arnold's cross to open the scoring.Firmino then engineered a shot on goal after some smart footwork and the ball found its way in off Bryan to wrap-up the three points for Liverpool with 26 minutes to go.Klopp will also be delighted with his side's first clean sheet away from home in eight league matches, despite having to make more changes at the back.He named a 14th different centre-back partnership in the league in Ozan Kabak and Nat Phillips, and Adrian replaced Alisson in goal following the death of the Brazilian's father this week, but the visitors dealt with the Blades' threat comfortably.

It was negative 13 degrees Celsius (8.6 degrees Fahrenheit) when Lorelou Desjardins took a break from her workday to take a walk on the frozen lake near her home in Oslo, Norway. She was accompanied by her husband, who had recently been on four months of paternity leave, and their infant son.Not only was she encouraged by her employer to take this walk — she is paid one hour per week to exercise or spend time outdoors. It's one of the several times she goes outdoors during the workday.Other times are to put her 1-year-old out for a nap, wrapped up in blankets outdoors, like they do with him and the other babies in day care, or by taking a walk in the forest whenever she has a meeting over the phone with a colleague, which her workplace encourages her to do.That's thanks to friluftsliv (pronounced FREE'-loofts-liv), a Norwegian custom that means living "life in fresh air," or more simply, spending time outdoors and being active."It's life in fresh air, which in English, you could say is an outdoorsy life," she said. "But it's actually more than that. It's not just about being outdoorsy, it's about taking advantage of every moment you have in nature."Homing in on life balance and prioritiesFriluftsliv is not a concept the French-born Desjardins has spent her life living. She moved from France to Norway in 2010. However, she said she's much less stressed ever since making the move. She even did a TED Talk on the topic just over three years ago."When I moved to Norway, I was kind of a workaholic. And so, coming here and having my boss tap my shoulder at 5 or 6 p.m. and tell me, 'What are you still doing at work? Go outside, it is nice weather," she said. "It's kind of this spirit of 'OK, work is great, but we have a life out there, that life involves being outside.'Contrary to American "hustle culture," Desjardins said overworking and sacrificing your personal life isn't considered a good thing in Norway. It's considered an inability to prioritize in one's work to Norwegians.While Americans may not be able to ask their employer for a paid walk in the forest, Desjardins said there is much to be gained from adopting these practices — and people can do it in any natural area near where they live and work.People in Norway don't have some magical ability not to become cold, she said, noting that they feel the cold just like anyone else. But the chance to spend time outdoors and face a challenge isn't something that holds them back. In Norway, she said, there is a saying: "There's no bad weather, only bad clothing."Appreciating winter monthsWith the pandemic still in full swing in the United States and the coldest months upon us, Dr. Paul Desan, director of the Winter Depression Research Clinic at the Yale School of Medicine, said many may be facing a "very tough, dark winter." And it's possible adopting some form of friluftsliv could help.Today's 'Blue Monday' depression peak isn't real, but seasonal blues are. Here's what to do about themToday's 'Blue Monday' depression peak isn't real, but seasonal blues are. Here's what to do about themFor some, this tough winter can be attributed to seasonal affective disorder, a variant of clinical depression that is characterized by depressive symptoms in the fall and winter."We used to think human beings were not seasonal animals," Desan said.Sheep, which are seasonal animals, he said, behave differently in different parts of the year, and their reproductive cycle and how their fur grows both depend on the light and dark cycle."But it turns out human beings really are seasonal — and we (also) respond to the light-dark cycle," he said.Many people feel worse in winter in at least one way, whether it be sleep quality, appetite, energy or a desire to be social, according to Desan."But the important public health observation here is that you have a relatively common condition that affects a lot of people ... (and) we actually have a very powerful, cheap, effective therapy," he said. "And that's bright light." Desan said that bright light can come from an electric light treatment device or simply natural illumination from the sun."For some of those people, it's enough to just get them to go out and work in the garden when the sun comes up, and to use all of the natural light that's out there," he said.Nordic nations consistently top the annual UN World Happiness Reports, despite their cold, harsh winters, although these happiness rankings are based on six factors — income, freedom, trust, healthy life expectancy, social support and generosity — spending time outdoors is not on the list.Both in Norway and other countries, the friluftsliv lifestyle can be a potential way to combat wintertime sadness, Desan said."When those Norwegians are telling you that you should be outside as much as you can, part of what they're saying is you should be exposed to bright light, (which) probably is good for your mood or energy any time of the day," Desan said.Because about a third of the country in Norway is north of the Arctic Circle, there are vast extremes in the amount of light in their days, making the winters very dark and cold."Because there's so little daylight here, every ray of sunshine needs to be taken advantage of," Desjardins said. "I (like to) just stand still and look at the sun — just to pump in vitamin D."Desjardins explained this act of standing still and facing toward the sun is so common in Norway it even has a name: solveggen, which equates to "wall of sun" in English.

Arsenal continues its climb towards the top half of the English Premier League standings on Sunday when it travels to the King Power Stadium for a matchup with Leicester City. The Gunners, who lost to the Foxes 1-0 back in October, currently sit in 11th place with 34 points, two points back of London rival Tottenham in ninth place. Leicester, which will be without midfielder James Maddison, remains in third place, and is level on points with second place Manchester United with 49. The Foxes will depend on the services of Jamie Vardy and Harvey Barnes, while Arsenal hope Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Bukayo Saka can continue to deliver offensively.Sunday’s match will air on NBC Sports Network on your local TV provider. You can watch the game for free online if you sign up for a free trial with Sling, fuboTV or Peacock Premium.Leicester City vs. Arsenal (English Premier League 2021)Start time: 7:00 a.m. ESTTV channel: NBCSN (Channel finder: Verizon Fios, AT&T U-verse, Comcast Xfinity,Spectrum/Charter, Optimum/Altice, DIRECTV, Dish, Hulu, fuboTV, Sling.)Live stream: NBC Sports Live | fuboTV | Sling | Peacock Premium. - You can watch NBC Sports Live if you have a cable subscription. If you don’t, you can get NBCSN via a la carte packages from fuboTV, Sling and Peacock Premium. (with free trials).More soccer coverage via the Associated Press:BERLIN (AP) — Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored late to steer Arsenal into the last 16 of the Europa League with a 3-2 win over Benfica on Thursday, while Napoli and both German teams were knocked out.Arsenal had to come from behind to advance 4-3 on aggregate, while Napoli is out despite beating Granada 2-1 in the second leg. The modest Spanish club surprisingly advanced 3-2 on aggregate.“The dream continues!” Granada midfielder Luis Milla said on Twitter.Bayer Leverkusen and Hoffenheim went out with 2-0 losses at home to Swiss side Young Boys and Norwegian minnow Molde, respectively.“A huge disappointment,” Leverkusen coach Peter Bosz said after losing 6-3 on aggregate.Manchester United drew 0-0 with Real Sociedad for a 4-0 aggregate win, and Milan progressed on away goals, 3-3 on aggregate, after drawing 1-1 at home with Red Star Belgrade.Goals from Lukas Provod and Abdallah Sima in the second half gave Slavia Prague a 2-0 win at Leicester to progress after their goalless first leg.Roma had little difficulty getting past Sporting Braga with a 3-1 win at home for 5-1 over two legs.AUBAMEYANG’S LATE DECIDERAubameyang scored twice for Arsenal, including the decisive 87th-minute winner just as the Gunners were poised to go out on the away goals rule despite playing both games abroad due to coronavirus-related travel restrictions.The teams played the second leg in Athens while the first leg ended 1-1 in Rome after Benfica’s home game was relocated from Portugal.Aubameyang opened the scoring in the 21st, finishing clinically after Bukayo Saka played him through.Diogo Gonçalves equalized with a perfectly placed free kick inside the top left corner in the 43rd.A mistake from Dani Ceballos gifted Benfica its second goal after an Arsenal corner in the 61st. Benfica goalkeeper Helton Leite produced a long kick out that Ceballos tried heading back to his own goalkeeper, but only inadvertently laid it off for Rafa Silva, who rounded Bernd Leno before finishing into the empty net.It was just the Portuguese team’s second effort on target on the night.But left back Kieran Tierney replied with a strike inside the far post in the 67th after showing good composure to elude a Benfica defender, and Aubameyang completed the turnaround with a close-range header to the 19-year-old Saka’s cross.“We never seem to do it the easy way,” Tierney said.UNITED YOUNGSTER MAKES BOWShola Shoretire came on as a substitute to become Manchester United’s youngest player in European competition. Aged 17 years, 23 days, Shoretire replaced previous record holder Norman Whiteside.Sociedad captain Mikel Oyarzabal missed a good chance to start an unlikely comeback when he sent a penalty high and wide in the 13th minute, and United did enough thereafter to keep the visitors from getting into the game.United defender Axel Tuanzebe thought he scored his first senior goal midway through the second half, but it was disallowed as teammate Victor Lindelöf had crashed with his knee into Jon Bautista’s head while jumping for the ball. The Swedish defender was booked after a VAR review.TRIBUTE FOR TA BIMilan forward Franck Kessié paid tribute to Atalanta youth player Willy Ta Bi after scoring his penalty early against Red Star Belgrade. The 21-year-old Ta Bi died of cancer on Tuesday. Kessié held up a shirt with the text “To God, champion.”Mirko Ivanic played a brilliant pass for forward Ben to equalize in the 24th, two minutes after he hit the crossbar with a free kick.Belgrade defender Marko Gobeljic, who had conceded the penalty early on, was sent off with his second yellow card in the 70th as his team was chasing the goal it needed to get through.EINDHOVEN OUT, AJAX THROUGHEgyptian forward Kouka scored late for Olympiakos to knock PSV Eindhoven out despite a 2-1 defeat. The Greek team won 5-4 on aggregate.Ajax progressed with a 2-1 win over Lille (4-2 on aggregate), Rangers cruised through with a 5-2 win over Belgian team Antwerp (9-5), Shakhtar Donetsk beat Maccabi Tel Aviv 1-0 (3-0), Villarreal defeated Salzburg 2-1 (4-1), Dinamo Zagreb beat Krasnodar 1-0 (4-2), and Dynamo Kyiv won 1-0 at Club Brugge to progress 2-1 on aggregate.

Lenovo (via HXL) has teased the Radeon RX 6900 XT and Radeon RX 6800 XT Legion Edition graphics cards on the company's Weibo account. The graphics cards are likely an exclusive for Lenovo's Savior Blade 7000P 2021 gaming PCs, though.It's unknown if Lenovo manufactures the Legion graphics cards itself or the company relies on a third-party OEM. Aesthetically, the Radeon RX 6800 XT Legion Edition looks awfully familiar, like a dolled-up Radeon VII. The rectangular shroud makes a comeback with the characteristic "R" logo with red illumination in the corner. To give the design a new twist, Lenovo opted for a black exterior and some RGB lighting.The Radeon RX 6800 XT Legion Edition looks a tad bigger than AMD's reference edition, however, so it should still take up three PCI slots inside your case. The triple-fan cooling setup remains untouched, but the backplate has been customized to Lenovo's Legion branding.The Radeon RX 6800 XT Legion Edition draws power from two standard 8-pin PCIe power connectors. Other than that, we don't know the graphics card's other specifications.Lenovo has given its Savior Blade 7000P gaming systems a much-needed upgrade to AMD's latest Ryzen 5000 (codename Vermeer) processors. Therefore, the Radeon RX 6800 XT Legion Edition will be able to leverage the Smart Access Memory (SAM) feature, which essentially allows the processor and graphics card to tap into each other's memory. This results in a nice boost in gaming performance.The graphics card shortage is affecting both AMD and Nvidia graphics cards, and it doesn't look like the situation will improve anytime soon. Lenovo's Savior Blade 7000P 2021 could provide consumers an option to gain access to a high-end graphics card, even if it's just in China.

Our guide to the best business cloud storage services gives a detailed breakdown of all the best platforms out there, but before you dive in it’s worth exploring the benefits of cloud storage for business. Doing so will allow you to manage expectations for how it can help improve your business—before you speak to a developer or approach a provider.Similarly, having an understanding of how the transition to the cloud works is valuable so there aren’t any surprises down the line. Put simply, though, there are many advantages to being cloud-native and the move-over is not something to be concerned about.There are many reasons to move your firm over to the cloud and utilize business cloud storage. However, we’ll only focus on the most significant to give you a taste for the key benefits.Firstly, moving to the cloud can help greatly reduce costs. For example, by outsourcing your data storage, your energy bills may be reduced, as well as the amount you spend on in-house IT staff. Similarly, most business cloud arrangements are made on a rolling contractual basis, meaning software (and perhaps even hardware) upgrades may be included in your monthly fee.It can also make scaling your operation far easier. For the sake of argument, say you decide you need to rapidly expand your team by 50%. Rather than having to install a huge amount of new hardware to accommodate this expansion, you can simply contact your cloud provider and ask them to extend your storage, number of users, and—if applicable—bandwidth.Having a business on the cloud will also help foster collaboration in your teams. By having all their files and documents in one space, that is accessible anywhere in the world, teams can more easily reach the information they need. Collaboration features to look out for include real-time editing, integration with third-party platforms, instantaneous file-syncing, and custom link generation.The cloud can also be better for the environment. Outsourcing your data storage facility to an efficient, specialized provider, means less energy may be spent on storing your data, helping those firms with a CSR or ESG-focus reduce their carbon footprint.Depending on your provider, the cloud can also offer cast-iron security against malicious parties. With 256-bit encryption and SSL/TLS transfer tunnels now industry-standard, there’s very little risk of a leak. Many cloud platforms even offer a “no knowledge” approach to data management, meaning even they have no way to access your information.Perhaps the most overriding point to remember, though, is that cloud computing has come on leaps and bounds over the past few years. Transitioning to it has never been more straightforward, not least because the market leaders now offer a mature product that is incredibly well designed. Your firm will not be an early adopter of the technology, and with the initial problems now fully ironed out, that’s a good thing.How to move to the cloudMost platforms make the transition to the cloud straightforward—indeed, it’s within their best interest to do so. However, there are some things that you should be aware of before diving in.Firstly, the best option for you is probably the best option for your competitor or another similar business. If possible, reach out to those in your network at other organizations and query what cloud platform they use and whether they’d recommend it. This can be especially important if you are in a sector that is particularly suited to one provider, for example.Next, it’s time to figure out which aspects of your operation need to be on the cloud. Some parts, such as payroll and collaborative documents, are a no-brainer, but that might not be the case across the board. Legacy applications, for example, might not be compatible with some cloud platforms and might be easier to leave in your local network.For larger businesses, it might also be necessary to ensure you have the right developer know-how to hand. If you choose a reputable platform, the risks when you’ve moved should be minimal, but a developer will help through the more treacherous part—transitioning.Finally, it’s also worthwhile preparing for life when your migration is complete, so consider what can be done to get the most out of your new cloud subscription prior to moving over. There are lots of routes to consider aside from the obvious data back-ups. You could, for example, begin writing a wiki to be stored on the cloud that includes information for employees, such as best practices, white papers, and the like.The best options on the market right nowOur guide to the best cloud storage services provides an in-depth view of what the market has to offer at the moment. But as a quick primer, here are three excellent options worth considering.Dropbox was early out of the blocks and so has had longer than most to add to its list of features and improve its user interface. As such, its current product is brilliantly sleek and easy-to-use, making it a crowd pleaser for everyday users. However, it also has a raft of business functionalities. Dropbox Transfer allows you to send files of 100GB over the cloud, whilst Dropbox Spaces, for example, are machine learning-driven group folders that make collaborative working incredibly user-friendly.SpiderOak is one of the providers to offer the aforementioned “no knowledge” system, meaning it can’t access anything on its own servers. Whilst this adds peace of mind to those who want their information sealed tight, it means if you lose the master password, all your information is lost too. SpiderOak’s impressive focus on security means it isn’t packed with features, but it’s still intuitively and attractively designed.For teams who already work in Microsoft, OneDrive for Business is a fantastic option. Jam-packed with features and with a clear focus on collaboration, the platform leaves very little to be desired. It integrates seamlessly with Microsoft Teams, Exchange, and Office 365, whilst an AI-managed folders system will immediately streamline your workflow. There are some areas that could be improved, such as its macOS app, but really OneDrive is head and shoulders above most of the competition.ConclusionDropbox, SpiderOak, and Microsoft OneDrive are all fantastic options, but it’s important to research as many providers as possible before committing. After all, every business has different requirements—you may, for example, benefit from spending more on storage than on third-party app integration.After you have determined your requirements, moving to the cloud has never been easier. Many providers will help guide you through the process and have expert customer service to answer even the most technical of questions. And if you do make the move, there are huge benefits to on offer—including improvements to your firm’s bottom line and environmental impact.

You'll never be left without a firearm in Elite Dangerous: Odyssey, a heavily armed Frontier Q&A explained this week.Odyssey's big sell is that, on top of getting out of your ship to stretch your legs, you'll be able to shoot up all sorts of bandits and lawmen across thousands of dusty extra-terrestrial towns. To that end, you'll never be left unarmed."Just as you will always have a Sidewinder available as a ship, all players will have a side arm to help them in combat," Frontier explained.The Q&A generally covers the essentials for understanding Odyssey's first-person blasting. There'll be a wide range of weapons to acquire and modify, from "pistols, rifles and SMGs, to shotguns and rocket launchers". You can leave ammo and items for other players, and while there'll be no dedicated melee weapons, you'll be able to thwack people with the butt of your rifle.Frontier has already described how they want a "sphere of combat" including on-foot, SRV and starship combat. This week's Q&A goes a little further, making it sound like you'll be able to do significant damage to unshielded ships with rockets and grenades.Elite Dangerous: Odyssey is coming later this Spring, following a closed alpha earlier in the season. While this isn't the first time Elite has made planetfall, the developer recently went into great depth on how it's rebuilding billions of traversable planets for Odyssey.

The former Turkey striker, 34, scored the Rams' equaliser in Friday's 1-1 Championship draw.Derby said they have a "zero-tolerance stance to discrimination" and have reported the abuse to the authorities."It should be clear, there is no place in sport or society for racism," the club said in a statement."The abuse received by Colin resulted in him having to have a conversation with his young children to explain why, in this day and age, racism and discrimination still exists."Social media abuse is, sadly, becoming more common and it is all too easy for individuals to hide behind an account. This cannot continue."In recent weeks Chelsea players Reece James and Antonio Rudiger, Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford, Arsenal winger Willian and Brentford striker Ivan Toney are among the footballers to have suffered racist abuse on social media platforms.

Liaisons, some dangerous, some inspired and many unexpected, have long created drama in the automotive industry.Half a century ago, no pundit could have imagined modest, middle-class Peugeot being a lead player in an industrial combine including the mighty (it was then) Fiat, America’s third-biggest car maker (it was then) Chrysler and Opel and Vauxhall, twinned then cast off by General Motors. Almost as wild would have been the idea of Fiat swallowing Chrysler, Jeep and a pick-up brand called Ram.Yet that’s exactly how things turned out, with Stellantis formed from the merger of the PSA Group (which grew out of Peugeot) and FCA (Fiat and Chrysler merged).So how did its various brands get here, and what are some of their most memorable creations? Fiat invented the supermini with the 127 in 1971, and its Punto descendant was often the best seller in Europe. It’s amazing that the firm abandoned such success, despite tight margins.Tipo: A fine example of Fiat’s bipolarity: the charming 500 on one side, the dull and underdone Tipo on the other. A fine piece of retro engineering that has succeeded beyond Fiat’s wildest dreams, doubtless saving the brand.124 Spider: FCA’s on-off commitment to models caused this pleasingly effective Fiat-and-Mazda mongrel’s early death.Alfa Romeo8C Competizione: Beautiful proof Alfa can easily sell a car for over £100k, but proof ignored.

It’s been too long since we’ve been to the movie theater, so join us as we refresh your memories of the experience. Specifically, let’s talk about the great science fiction and fantasy novels that have wowed us on the big screen.Everyone has their classics. Lavie loves Paul Verhoeven’s “Starship Troopers,” the controversial 1997 film that parodied Robert A. Heinlein’s 1959 novel (and is slated for a reboot.) Silvia is a fan of Roger Corman’s Poe cycle and the stories that inspired it. There are so many science fiction and fantasy books-to-films, so we decided to focus on favorites that perhaps haven’t gotten as much attention as they should.Silvia: I don’t often follow the old adage: Read the book before you watch the movie — but I should have for “Under the Skin” by Michel Faber. I saw the film when it came out in 2013, and I’m afraid that when I read the novel afterward, I could not shake the impression of Scarlett Johansson as the alien who picks up men and takes them to what is essentially a meat processing facility. In the novel, her character has a more bizarre appearance and the book has a dreamy, haunted quality, along with moments of shocking cruelty. Slow, but delicious and disturbing.I discovered “The Repossession Mambo” by Eric Garcia after I chanced upon the film “Repo Men” (2010) with Jude Law in the lead role. Both share a great concept: In the near future, you can buy spare organs with ease, but you better make your payments. Enter our cynical protagonist who used to repossess organs and is now being hunted for his heart. The result is a noir that also has a bitter sense of humor. It reminded me a bit of Philip K. Dick and some of his harried characters.My third choice is “The Company of Wolves” (1984), an adaptation of Angela Carter’s short story of the same name (from the collection “The Bloody Chamber”) and the radio play version that can be found in “The Curious Room: Collected Dramatic Works by Angela Carter.” It’s amazing how such a short story could give way to a whole movie, and yet if you’ve ever read Carter’s work it makes perfect sense. Director Neil Jordan distills all the Freudian, fairy tale imagery and horror contained in Carter’s work into one surreal version of Little Red Riding Hood with werewolves. Many authors have reworked fairy tales, but Carter was one of the first to attempt such bold takes, and remains one of the best.Lavie: The Japanese film “Battle Royale” (2000) is based on a novel by Koushun Takami that’s available in the United States thanks to the efforts of the Haikasoru imprint. I never tire of recommending Haikasoru’s books, and “Battle Royale: Remastered” (translated by Nathan Collins) — a pulpy tale of school kids pitted against each other on an island — is no exception. Another great from Asia is the lavish 2019 Chinese science-fiction film “The Wandering Earth,” which is based on Liu Cixin’s novella. You can find it in his English-language short story collection of the same name. Moving on to France, “Planet of the Apes” is improbably based on Pierre Boulle’s “La planète des singes” (originally translated as “Monkey Planet” in the UK). And yes, Boulle also wrote the novel “The Bridge Over the River Kwai.”You’d need to be intrepid to have watched the 1990s Israeli-made, English-speaking film “The Road to Ein Harod,” a very odd dystopia starring, I kid you not, Gregory Peck’s son and Benito Mussolini’s granddaughter. It was a critically and commercially panned venture. But it is based on author Amos Kenan’s miniature masterpiece of the same name, a surrealist, nightmarish odyssey set in a near-future Israel that ends with a grand science fictional twist. Translated from Hebrew in 2001 by D. Hecht, the book is only available secondhand — one for you obscurists out there.Another difficult find that’s worth it: The 2004 Thai film “The Siam Renaissance” is the tale of a Thai archivist in France who time-slips to the royal court of Siam in the 19th century, and it is fantastic, but the novel it is based on, “Thawiphop” (Two Worlds) by Thommayanti has never been translated. It was huge in Thailand, though, having been adapted multiple times since publication. Could an enterprising publisher please pick up this historical fantasy romance for the English-language reader?Finally, let’s not forget a couple of classic science fiction short stories that got turned into movies. Robert Sheckley’s “The Seventh Victim,” about a deadly game of hunting humans, improbably became a film (“The Tenth Victim”) starring Marcello Mastroianni. And “Mimsy Were The Borogroves” by C.L. Moore and Henry Kuttner became, 64 years later, the movie “The Last Mimzy.” The films may not have fared as well, but the stories are at the very heart of science fiction’s history, and I wish more people read them.Silvia Moreno-Garcia is the author of “Mexican Gothic,” Gods of Jade and Shadow” and “Signal to Noise.” Lavie Tidhar is the author of several novels, including “The Violent Century,” “A Man Lies Dreaming,” “Central Station” and, most recently, “By Force Alone.”

Luther Burbank High School senior Emili Carrillo is finding ways to learn English — but lately, school isn’t making that easy.The 17-year-old moved from Mexico nearly four years ago with her dad, and works part-time as a cashier at a grocery store.“Working has helped me a lot, because I have to practice my English,” Carillo said about chatting with customers on the job.But learning English at her South Sacramento school — an entirely computer-based activity since last March — is another matter.“It’s been hard for me,” she said about attending classes online, which eliminates opportunities to practice English with peers. “When we were at school … we kind of communicated more with our classmates. And this year, during the pandemic, we don’t even talk sometimes.”As the momentum builds to reopen schools in California, early evidence suggests that English-learning students have fallen behind more than their peers.Education experts say school leaders should act now to reverse a widening achievement gap between students with financial resources and kids with less support at home.“Now is the time where we have to acknowledge that these gaps have widened during the pandemic and really be intentional about providing extra supports,” said Heather Hough, executive director of Policy Analysis for California Education at Stanford University.Hough says that, with the right resources and support, educators can fast-track learning. “And this doesn't have to have a long term catastrophic event on their lives,” Hough said of the pandemic.Hough’s research released in January showed that California students in 18 school districts grew less in mathematics and English language arts than they would have over a typical year. The evidence was most pronounced in the younger grade levels.But the most concerning impacts, according to Hough, were that kids in socioeconomically disadvantaged groups, which in the study included low-income students and English language-learning kids, were further behind than their peers.“In the fifth grade, our research shows that students learning English are about 30 percent behind where they would be in a normal year in English language arts, compared to 10 percent for students that are not learning English,” Hough said.And this is a significant group: English-learning students make up almost a fifth of California’s public school po[CENSORED]tion, according to California Department of Education estimates from 2019.Although some may already be fluent in English, more than 40% of the students enrolled in California public schools overall — some 2.5 million kids — speak a language other than English at home. More than 81% of English-learning students in California schools speak Spanish, according to the state statistics.Larry Ferlazzo teaches history and English to non-native-speaking students of all levels at Luther Burbank. He tries to make the best of “Zoom school” by teaching with humor and interactive online quizzes. But the quality is not the same as learning face-to-face, he said, where gestures and informal interaction can help student comprehension.“There’s no question that grades are suffering, not just for [English-learners], but for all students,” Ferlazzo said about how students are doing nationwide. He writes extensively about education trends and improving school instruction for national outlets such as EdWeek.During a couple of his online classes one recent Wednesday morning, almost all students had their cameras off, with just cartoon characters or animal photos to represent their space on the screen. Students responded to Ferlazzo or teacher aide questions by writing in the chat, instead of verbalizing their answer.But the technical glitches and physical distance are not the only thing preventing non-native English speakers from learning more. Ferlazzo says many of his students are children of immigrants from all over the world — Afghanistan, Central America, Vietnam, and the Pacific Islands — and family responsibilities sometimes keep them from attending class.“Many of our students are having to take care and assist younger siblings,” he said. “A fair number of our students are also having to work nearly full time to help their families during the recession.”And Ferlazzo says he hears of a case of COVID among one of his students, or their family members, at least once a week.“When you’re sick, when you’re worried, you just can’t concentrate,” he said.Hough says the learning gap between disadvantaged groups and other students during the pandemic is directly tied to the different supports kids have at home.“In some families, students have full time tutors, or even a credentialed teacher, who's at home supporting their learning. Or a parent who doesn't work, who's supporting their learning full time,” she said. “On the other end of the continuum, we have families where perhaps there isn't an adult at home during the day at all because all adults in the family are out working multiple jobs.”The California Legislature and Gov. Gavin Newsom are still deadlocked about how to reopen schools, and what resources will be available when they do.Samantha Tran of Children Now says policymakers should focus resources on the most disadvantaged kids, such as English language learners, and that should include summer school and partnerships with community-based organizations.“How do we address some of this learning loss in a way that engages kids, that gets them excited about learning, and dare I say … be fun?” Tran asked.Emili Carrillo has juggled many things during the pandemic, including being a peer tutor for Ferlazzo’s class. She says she knows teachers are trying their best to connect with students during the pandemic, but she still sometimes has trouble communicating.Carrillo will likely be able to feel more connected to her peers and teachers in a couple of months. The Sacramento City Unified School District plans to restart in-person instruction for the youngest grade levels in early April. High schoolers would see each other again in May, but only if the COVID threat level goes down in the county.