Report: Slack is prepping an IPO for next year, with Goldman Sachs as its lead underwriter – TechCrunch

Slack, the workplace messaging company, has hired investment bank Goldman Sachs to lead its IPO next year, according to a Reuters report. Reuters’ sources say the company is hoping to nab a valuation of “well over $10 billion.”

The WSJ reported back in September that Slack was “actively preparing” for an IPO in the first half of next year, with an eye toward going public as early as the first quarter. It said, too, that the company thought it could achieve a valuation well in excess of the $7.1 billion that it was last assigned by private market investors.

Slack, which is based in San Francisco and Vancouver, revealed back in May that it had 8 million daily active users. At the time, it said that 3 million of its users were also, crucially, paid users.

In August, when the company announced its most recent funding round of $427 million, it told the New York Times that it still had eight million daily users, though it noted that it had just half that number in the summer of 2017.

Slack’s investors include SoftBank Group’s Vision Fund, Dragoneer Investment Group, General Atlantic, T. Rowe Price Associates, Wellington Management, Baillie Gifford, and Sands Capital, with much earlier investment coming from Accel Partners and Andreessen Horowitz (a16z).

In fact, when Accel and a16z funded Slack, it was technically a different company, one called Tiny Speck, and it worked long and hard on an online, multiplayer game called “Glitch” that failed to gain enough user traction to be continued.

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It was only in the process of unwinding the company that it occurred to founder Stewart Butterfield that the messaging infrastructure he had created to privately communicate with Tiny Speck’s engineers and other employees might be an even more promising idea to pursue.

Butterfield had discussions with these early investors about returning their capital as he prepared to change course. As Accel’s Andrew Braccia told us several years ago, “We had a discussion about, ‘Should I return the money.’” But, said Braccia, “I told Stewart, ‘If you want to continue to be an entrepreneur and build something, then I’m with you.’”

It was a smart move on the part of Braccia, who spent nine years at Yahoo as a VP before joining Accel and met Butterfield there after Butterfield, with cofounder Caterina Fake, had sold their photo-sharing business Flickr to the company.

It was also a giant leap of faith, based on Butterfield’s potential alone. “I don’t think we understood how valuable, important, or fast it would grow,” Braccia admitted during that sit-down several years ago. “We just knew the use case was really strong at Tiny Speck and that if it was strong there, perhaps it could be strong other places, too.”

Slack’s thousands of customers include Airbnb, Time, Samsung, and Oracle, and it has reason to think it will be well-received in the market, judging by its popularity with those users and the performance of numerous other subscription-based enterprise software companies to go public in 2018, including Dropbox, Zuora, and DocuSign.

That said, the market may well be shifting, judging by the recent performance of the U.S. stock markets. Stocks dropped sharply today, capping what has been a stomach-churning week for Wall Street. In fact, a disappointing jobs report and strained U.S-China trade tensions appeared largely responsible for sending the Dow Jones Industrial Average to such a low point that it erased its gains for the year.

Wednesday weigh-in: Bears prepping for Rams – ChicagoBears.com

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The Bears (8-4) will look to rebound from last weekend’s overtime road loss to the Giants when they return home to host the Los Angeles Rams (11-1) Sunday night at Soldier Field. The game had been scheduled for noon (CT), but was flexed to 7:20 p.m.

The Bears enter Week 13 with a game-and-a-half lead atop the NFC North over the Vikings (6-5-1), who visit the Seahawks (7-5) Monday night in Seattle.

The Rams have already clinched their second straight NFC West title and own the best record in the NFL. After winning their first three games by a combined 66 points, six of their last eight victories have come by seven points or less (7, 2, 3, 2, 5 and 3). Their only loss came Nov. 4 when they fell to the Saints 45-35 in New Orleans.

Monitoring Mitch
The main storyline of the week again figures to be the status of quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, who has missed the last two games with a right shoulder injury he sustained Nov. 18 in a win over the Vikings. Trubisky returned to practice last week on a limited basis, throwing for the first time last Friday and again before the Giants game at MetLife Stadium Sunday.

Speaking to the media Monday, coach Matt Nagy said that Trubisky is “getting better and he’s feeling better” but couldn’t say for sure that the quarterback would practice without restrictions.

“It’s only fair for today, tomorrow and the next couple of days to go by that we just keep seeing him throw and see how he feels and then he tells us,” Nagy said. “And if he feels like and we feel like it’s an opportunity for him to go out there and he’s going to be good and safe and our team is good and safe with him in there, then that’s what we’ll do.”

In two starts in place of Trubisky, Chase Daniel has completed 53 of 76 passes for 515 yards with three touchdowns, two interceptions and a 90.6 passer rating while being sacked nine times.

Strength against strength
Two of the NFL’s best units on their respective sides of the ball will square off with the Bears’ No. 2-ranked defense facing the Rams’ No. 2-ranked offense. Los Angeles is led by quarterback Jared Goff, who has completed 66.4 percent of his passes for 3,754 yards with 27 touchdowns, seven interceptions and a 109.9 passer rating that ranks fifth in the NFL. Rams running back Todd Gurley leads the league in rushing with 1,175 yards and 15 touchdowns on 233 carries.

Numbers game
The Bears enter Week 14 ranked 20th in offense in the NFL (16th rushing and 19th passing) and 4th in defense (2nd against the run and 11th versus the pass. The Rams rank 2nd in offense (4th rushing and 4th passing) and 18th in defense (18th against the run and 17th versus the pass).

Talk show
Nagy will address the media Wednesday, Thursday and Friday; Trubisky will speak Wednesday; and offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich, defensive coordinator Vic Fangio and special-teams coordinator Chris Tabor will talk Thursday.

Series history
The Bears lead the series 53-36-3 and have won five of the last six meetings between the teams. The Bears won the last matchup 37-13 on Nov. 15, 2015 in St. Louis. Tight end Zach Miller turned a short pass into an 87-yard touchdown and running back Jeremy Langford transformed a screen pass into an 83-yard TD, both from Jay Cutler. Subbing for the injured Matt Forte, Langford rushed for 73 yards and 1 TD on 20 carries and caught seven passes for 109 yards.

Your turn
We want to know what you think. So tell us by clicking on the box below, and please keep your replies under 150 words. We will select some and post them on ChicagoBears.com Thursday.

After big turnout in Fairfax County, concerns about prepping for future elections – WTOP

WASHINGTON — After an unusually large turnout for the midterms, elections officials in growing Fairfax County, Virginia, are preparing for what comes next, which could include an extremely tight turnaround next fall.

Fairfax County voters represented 69.8 percent of all ballots cast in the 2018 midterms, that’s up from 45.7 percent in the 2014 midterms, County Electoral Board Secretary Kate Hanley said.

That 2018 number falls below the 82.5 percent voter turnout that was seen in the 2016 presidential election, and Hanley said there were no significant problems this year.

This year’s success was thanks largely to more than 2,600 election officers, 635 student pages and many others involved in the planning and execution before, during and after polls closed.

On election day alone, 32 people in the elections office answered 3,783 phone calls and a tech support line with 16 people on hand took 331 calls.

The planning for next year’s statewide elections and the 2020 presidential race is already underway, but there is doubt about how 2019 will play out. Republican leaders in the house of delegates have asked the court that’s planning to redraw House district lines ahead of next year’s election to delay the primary from June 11 to Sept. 10.

The House GOP’s appeal of a ruling that found the lines unconstitutionally drawn based on race is due to be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court this winter.

If the primary is delayed though, it could create significant problems in Nov. for local elections officials, Hanley said.

The former Chairman of the board of supervisors told current supervisors Tuesday it takes months ahead of an election to line up poll workers, properly test machines and prepare ballots.

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“If the same rules are still in place about how long we have to quarantine machines and the same rules about how long it takes to certify and all of those things, we’ll have a great deal of difficulty performing all those things in time to do another countywide election in November, which may mean we would have to rent more machines…because the turnaround time is pretty close for us,” Hanley said.

The county has already done a quick turnaround in a smaller race — the special election to replace state Sen. Jennifer Wexton that will take place on Jan. 8, after she is sworn into Congress. Absentee voting is underway in that election.

In Nov. 2019, with the General Assembly, local supervisors and others on the ballot, have several dozen different ballot combinations for voters based on where they live.

“You can’t print a ballot until you know who’s on it,” Hanley said.

Many voters can expect to see new names on their ballots next year, with Providence District Supervisor Linda Smyth being the latest to announce that she will not run for re-election.

The county Electoral Board is working on long-term plans to replace current machines as they get older, after having to borrow 20 ballot scanners this year and repair others, giving them a total of 568 on hand.

“This is the canary in the mine shaft because they’re getting old,” Hanley said. For now, an increase in absentee voting has helped keep lines moving.” If everybody voted in the precincts on election day it would be very complicated,” Hanley said.

The last presidential election cost Fairfax County about $1.2 million, Hanley said, not including major capital purchases.

“The presidential is the Super Bowl of elections, and we have to think about what extra things we’re going to need,” she said.

The Details Of Prepping Levi’s Stadium For College Football Playoff’s Championship – Forbes

Levi’s Stadium, home to the San Francisco 49ers football team, in Santa Clara, California. PHOTO CREDIT: Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images.Getty

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Buzz around the final four teams in the College Football Playoff has reached a new level of excitement ahead of the Jan. 7 championship game at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. And while the final four won’t whittle to two until Dec. 29, the multi-year process of prepping to host college football’s biggest annual event will shift into a frantic phase just days before the game.

Whether growing a field specifically for the game, changing out every concession cup in the home of the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers or hanging an untold number of banners across the venue, the prepping of Levi’s Stadium has taken years of planning and culminates in a final week-long push ahead of Jan. 7.

“It is a highly scheduled sequence and production schedules are defined and movements are restricted down to the minutes sometimes,” says Jim Mercurio, vice president of operations and security for the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium. “We will be putting the final touches down Sunday (Jan. 6) night just to make sure it is given everything we want to be displayed.”

Back in November 2015 Levi’s Stadium received the selection to host the 2019 game, part of the CFP’s 10 games in 10 cities initiative, an effort to bring the game to as many regions as possible, says Bill Hancock, CFP executive director. From that time, the 49ers and Levi’s Stadium have worked hand-in-hand with the CFP team. Staff from the stadium have attended the last few CFP championship events, helped on the grounds crews and seen the setup and CFP staff have made monthly visits to Levi’s Stadium (they will have around 25 staff on site beginning Dec. 30).

Levi’s Stadium. PHOTO CREDIT:  AP Photo/John Hefti

Mercurio says about 80 percent of the preparation mimics that of any other major event — the building hosted the 2016 Super Bowl, for example — but what makes this endeavor so different than any other more localized event is that the vast majority of the 70,000 fans have never been on site before. And maybe never even to the Bay Area. He says the global communication outreach needed mimics that of trying to reach fans for the first time. “You have to open up that tool bag and not assume they know how to get here on transit,” he says. “There is a lot of extra emphasis on that sort of thing.”

While the CFP will put on plenty of experiences within San Jose, the stadium itself will plan for a four-day public event. Earlier preparation consideration is given to ESPN. The broadcaster will bring more cameras to the game than arrive for a Super Bowl. Multiple show sets go live in the days leading up to the game. The stadium must support ESPN with the necessary resources to broadcast, from power and signal, that wouldn’t otherwise be needed. “Those are new things you wouldn’t see in a normal football setup or non-NFL game of its size,” Mercurio says.

Then comes the 1,000 media members. Levi’s Stadium’s press box wasn’t designed for that many folks. Mercurio has to build another. “I have to clear out my largest storage area and have everything taken out — including the shelving — and build out an area for media to work the game,” he says. “That is probably one of the more difficult things we have to do operationally.” The nearly 20,000 square feet of space inside the venue won’t be seen by fans or on broadcasts, but remains an important aspect of hosting.

Outside the stadium, a CFP pregame tailgate experience allows anyone with a gameday ticket to come through the transformed parking lot — which changes the way the parking setup works and requires a shift in planning — to experience the concert and sponsorship activities. Officials expect 25,000 folks to go through the site.

Levi’s Stadium will move its typical employee check-in area to give space to CFP operations. They will create a larger secure perimeter to handle the tailgate, requiring the relocation of magnetometers. To help with the enlarged footprint, the game will take over a section of neighboring California’s Great America theme park for hospitality. “Now we are controlling that entrance once you get into there,” Mercurio says. “It allows us to be more effective and efficient in planning and screening so you don’t have a hodge-podge of entries and exits.” The revamped footprint also brings a new security plan, which Hancock dubs the top job in the multi-year planning process.

Inside the venue, expect a full rebrand. Hancock says the décor — the signage and pageantry — really helps transform “iconic pro stadiums into one that feels and looks like a college venue. “We want it to feel the same for the athletes and be the same for the media who cover the game every year, but for the fans there are certain aspects that will reflect the culture of the area,” he says. But along with celebrating the Bay Area, the game also celebrates the game of college football.

Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta during the College Football Playoff National Championship game on Jan. 8, 2018. PHOTO CREDIT: Mike Zarrilli/Getty ImagesGetty

“The average fan watching at home, unfortunately, doesn’t have a chance to grasp the pageantry,” Hancock says. They will hang a banner for every school that plays in the Football Bowl Subdivision, something fans streaming into the venue will see, but probably not something that ever makes it into a television broadcast.

Changing out signs requires coordination of building scaffolding while still hosting other events. “The signage component of converting 49ers and Levi’s Stadium-branded to Levi’s Stadium CFP includes big graphics on the sides of buildings,” Mercurio says. “Those types of things are massive undertakings with a small window to pull those off.”

Food and beverage takes on a change. Catering during the week for the rush of employees on site — everyone from crews setting up to ESPN crews — needs to feed about 5,000 employees each day.

Then comes the gameday food and beverage. Not only does the Levi’s Stadium team create new menu items to celebrate the regions of the two teams participating, but they also need to accommodate for the sponsors of the CFP, which differ from that of the NFL or the 49ers. All regular concession cups and trays will get swapped out with CFP-branded product. The 49ers’ food and beverage partner, Levy, will also attempt to play off CFP sponsors, incorporating, for example, Dr. Pepper product into a dish. “Maybe it is a Dr. Pepper-infused barbecue sauce,” Mercurio says. “(Levy) is developing different types of recipes consistent with the potential teams that are in it right now so they will have a flare to them.”

And all the while, this changeover occurs during Levi’s Stadium’s busiest season. Holiday parties continue, sometimes nine per day. There are 30 private events scheduled inside the venue in December, with an estimated attendance of 15,000. “The flips of those rooms are equally important,” Mercurio says. “You will have a holiday part for 250 or a luncheon for 500 while trying to coordinate CFP activities. You have to be mindful of that. It is not just about having an event, but setting up for the next one and trying to make sure you have enough time for your signage package.”

The field itself requires careful consideration. From the Pac-12 Championship game on Nov. 30 to three home 49ers games in December to the Redbox Bowl on Dec. 31, the playing surface will garner heavy use. That’s one reason you can expect new turf for the CFP Championship, as is done every year.

The new turf, a hybrid Bermuda and perennial ryegrass, has grown for almost a year at California’s West Coast Turf. Growing on plastic, it can get harvested easily and without root disturbance for a two-and-a-half-day installation. The process of fitting the new turf inside Levi’s Stadium will start immediately following the Dec. 31 Redbox Bowl.

Along the way, the four semi-final teams will all get a chance to check out the stadium in mid-December, making a site visit to go over the logistics, if their team makes the championship game. They’ll learn the ins and outs of movement inside the stadium, see the lockerroom space and even pick out colors for the painting of the field.

When everything comes together on Jan. 7 and the ESPN cameras cover it all for the millions watching at home, know that the process to get to that point for Levi’s Stadium — from new sod with end zone colors painstakingly chosen to CFP-branded cups in the concessions or new security perimeters to choreographed scaffolding setups — requires years or preparation.

Trump is prepping for all-out political war – New York Post

As I sat a few feet from President Trump while he ripped special counsel Robert Mueller and warned Democrats he is preparing a devastating counterpunch, the phrase “The Gathering Storm” came to mind. That’s the title of Volume I of Winston Churchill’s masterful history of World War II.

It also describes the president’s mood and the vicious game of blood sport playing out in Washington. While our nation’s political battles are hardly as dramatic as the fight with Nazi Germany and Japan, a storm is gathering in America and 2019 is shaping up as an extremely turbulent year.

Trump is under siege and girding for a political, legal and public-relations war. Though the conflict began the day he took office, the last two years have been skirmishes compared to the climactic battles ahead.

That view was strengthened by the Oval Office interview last week where I, along with Post reporters Nikki Schwab and Marisa Schultz, spent nearly 40 minutes with the president and several aides.

Trump, sitting behind the grand Resolute Desk, made from the timbers of a 19th century British sailing ship, was genial and gracious. No questions were taboo, and he was in a sunny mood.

Yet his answers exposed a furious frustration over the Mueller probe and Dem plans to use control of the House to swamp his administration with subpoenas and investigations.

“Mueller would like it to go for the rest of his life,” Trump said when asked how he saw the probe ending. “It’s a witch hunt at the highest level, it’s McCarthyism.”

After he mentioned Paul Manafort, I asked whether a pardon for his former campaign manager was possible. “It was never discussed, but I wouldn’t take it off the table,” Trump said. “Why would I take it off the table?”

That answer quickly ricocheted around Washington and sharpened the battle lines, with Dems accusing the president of sending a signal to Manafort that he would be protected in exchange for loyalty.

Some 24 hours later, the drums of war were beating even louder as Michael Cohen pleaded guilty to ­lying to Congress about a possible Trump building project in Moscow.

The president, in public comments, offered a two-part response, saying Cohen was “weak” and looking to get reduced jail time. He also said that, even if the negotiations ran longer in 2016 than Cohen initially laimed, it didn’t matter because Trump was still a private citizen legally running his business.

Like everything else involving Mueller, the Cohen plea offers lots of smoke, but no sign of fire. It might be a piece of a larger puzzle, but more than two years after the FBI probe began, a clear picture ­remains maddeningly elusive.

And yet the probe, and the left’s exploitation of it, continue to inflict casualties. The most recent one is that any hopes that divided government might be productive are vanishing.

The day after the midterms, Trump tried to paint a rosy picture of the Dem majority in the House, saying he was eager to work with likely Speaker Nancy Pelosi and would sign key legislation even if most Republicans opposed it.

Now his message is far more stick than carrot. As he said in our interview, the new Dem leaders would be unleashing the furies from hell if they engage in “presidential harassment.”

“I will hit them so hard, they’ve never seen a hit like that,” he said, referring to his power to release secret documents, some of which, he hinted, will be deeply embarrassing to Barack Obama’s administration.

“If they want to play tough, I will do it,” he said. “And they will see how devastating those pages are.”

I believe the president should release any such documents now, regardless of their partisan impact. Excessive secrecy serves only to hide official wrongdoing and the lack of transparency fuels public mistrust.

In theory, Trump agrees. But he is fixated on the war, and understandably so because he is fighting for the survival of his presidency.

His theory on the origins of the war is familiar — and credible: The allegations of Russian collusion were a tissue of lies supported only by the discredited dossier secretly financed by Hillary Clinton. Those lies were given a sheen of credibility by a corrupted FBI investigation that lives on through Mueller.

“I’m sure [fired FBI Director James] Comey had someone above because you know there’s no question that [then CIA-boss] John Brennan was involved,” Trump said. “There’s no question that all of these people you see on television, all of these lightweights were involved, and it’s hard to believe that the president wasn’t involved.

“And the only reason they were doing it was just in case I won.”

As for the dossier, Trump asks: “So why isn’t Mueller looking at that? Russians were paid for the phony dossier. Now it’s been discredited, it’s total baloney, but a lot of money was passed.”

We had stayed long past our allotted time, and as we left, aides handed us six pages listing the ­administration’s accomplishments. They include the historic low unemployment among Latinos and black Americans, rising wages and the fact that 4.4 million people no longer need food stamps.

Consumer and business confidence are soaring and America is now the world’s largest producer of oil and natural gas. Kim Jong-un is sending flattering letters to Trump instead of firing off missiles, and a new trade agreement with Mexico and Canada keeps faith with the vow to fix NAFTA.

Those are some of the highlights of a remarkable two years, but on most days, they are eclipsed by the political war. And the worst is yet to come.

Triumph of faith

After a teacher in New Jersey told first-graders there is no Santa Claus, elves, Easter Bunny or magic of any kind, the kids were heartbroken and their parents furious.

Fortunately, there is a timeless cure for unbelief.

An 1897 editorial in the New York Sun, written to 8-year-old Virginia O’Hanlon, puts doubt in its place.

“Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus,” writer Francis Church declared.

“Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus,” he writes in one magical passage. “The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor man can see.”

Who knows, Church’s ode to faith in all ages might even revive the spirit of the jaded teacher.

An NYC crisis in plain sight

New Yorkers worried about the growing ranks of vagrants, many of them mentally ill, must read Stephen Eide’s op-ed in Friday’s Post. Among the alarming stats and policy dead ends, these sentences stand out:

“The number of ‘emotionally disturbed person’ calls to the NYPD has risen every year since 2014 … Rikers Island is host to a far larger population of seriously mentally ill individuals than any mental hospital in the city or state.”

In other words, your eyes are not lying. The situation really is getting worse.

On Ukraine Frontline, Prepping for Chanukah Under Martial Law – Chabad.org

A public celebration of Chanukah will take place in the Ukrainian frontline city of Mariupol despite the government’s declaration of martial law, the city’s rabbi said late Thursday. The martial-law status, which went into effect in nearly half the country on the morning of Nov. 28 and will last for at least 30 days, was triggered by Russia’s firing on and capture of three Ukrainian navy vessels trying to enter the Sea of Azov earlier this week—a significant escalation in the four-and-a-half-year-long Russia-Ukraine conflict.

The captured vessels, whose 24 sailors were taken into Russian custody, were attempting to pass through the Kerch Strait and sail to Mariupol, an important industrial port city of 500,000 on the Sea of Azov. The city sits mere kilometers from the frontlines of Europe’s only active land war, and the sounds of artillery have long become a staple of local life.

Food prices in the city have risen and Ukraine’s currency dropped—what is by now considered life as usual in Mariupol continues. The never-ending pressure of sitting on a tinderbox has taken the highest toll on weary residents, and it is that, more than any other aspect of the martial law, that is felt most.

“We don’t see a difference in day-to-day life, but G‑d forbid if one person on either side makes a mistake, we’ll be the first to know,” says Rabbi Mendel Cohen, the city’s lone rabbi, who together with his wife, Ester, directs Chabad-Lubavitch of Mariupol. “It’s not a game; this is serious.”

On Sunday evening, the first night of Chanukah, the Jewish community of Mariupol will gather on Theater Square in the city center, joined by city and regional officials to witness the lighting of a giant menorah. The menorah-lighting has taken place every year with the exception of one—in 2015, when Mariupol city officials asked that it be cancelled to avoid a large public gathering. Some 300 people are expected to join this year, not including passersby.

Hundreds turned out for the menorah-lightings each year.

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Hundreds turned out for the menorah-lightings each year.

“We’ll be celebrating on the plaza,” says Viktoria Smirnova, a native of war-torn rebel-occupied Donetsk, who since moving to Mariupol has become an active Jewish community member. “There will be a lot of us coming out together; we’re not afraid at all.”

Chanukah events in the city will extend to every night of the eight-day holiday, and Smirnova says that her 5-year-old son, who attends Chabad’s Or Avner preschool, is excited to perform in its Chanukah recital.

“He’s been singing Chanukah songs for a whole month,” she says.

Mariupol lies in the Donetsk region (part of which is under separatist control) and is one of Ukraine’s 10 regions where martial law was declared, all places bordering areas containing Russian troops and all of them home to Jewish communities.

“The Chabad emissaries in each and every one of these 10 regions are doing everything to bring Chanukah to more and more people,” says Cohen. “Here in Mariupol, we want to bring the light to every single Jew.”

‘Now family’

Mariupol, an already highly fortified city by land approach and sea, has also seen a marked increase in military presence. Buses of soldiers have poured in, and armed patrols have reappeared.

While many Ukrainians are cynical about the underlying reason for martial law—asking why it was imposed now and not during the much bloodier early days of the war—in Mariupol there is at the same time a genuine fear of what the next step might be.

“People are worried they’ll start shooting at us from the sea,” says Smirnova.

Despite the turmoil, Mariupol has a active Jewish life. Here, a new Torah scroll was welcomed in May.

Despite the turmoil, Mariupol has a active Jewish life. Here, a new Torah scroll was welcomed in May.

Like so many people in Ukraine, Smirnova has witnessed what war can look like. She and her family fled to Mariupol from rebel-occupied Donetsk in late 2014, a few months after the war in her hometown began.

“Our home was destroyed,” she says. “When we came to Mariupol, we didn’t know anyone at all.”

All that changed through her involvement with the Jewish community.

“I now have friends, we get together—for Jewish holidays or anything else—I’m invited to people’s homes,” she says. “It’s more than friends, it’s now family.”

Cohen echoes Smirnova’s view, saying that he has witnessed increased activity in the Jewish community since the war began. More people come to synagogue and to Torah classes, but most of all, he sees a new closeness and warmth.

“I am seeing things now that I never saw before in my work here,” the rabbi says. “There’s a feeling here like we’re all one family.”

A Yud-Tes Kislev celebration

A Yud-Tes Kislev celebration

Smirnova says her family seldom attended Jewish functions in Donetsk before the war. But since being assisted when they arrived in Mariupol with nothing—by members of the community and the Jewish center itself—Smirnova takes part in everything from holiday programs to Ester Cohen’s monthly women’s classes.

“Honestly, for me, Jewish life here has been a light in the darkness,” she says.

To date, the war has claimed the lives of more than 10,000 Ukrainians, and has displaced 1 million civilians. It has changed the country and radically altered the face of once-sleepy industrial Mariupol. Cohen says he prays for a day when there will be peace and tranquility for all the citizens of his hometown, both Jewish and non-Jewish.

“We saw what war looks like, and we don’t want it again,” he says. “We don’t want the threat of it, and we don’t want the nightmare.”

In the meantime, their work goes on, and the community has responded in kind.

“The Jewish community is here, and we are celebrating with joy,” insists the rabbi.

The community has a popuar kollel Torah-study group for men.

The community has a popuar kollel Torah-study group for men.

For eight nights, the Chanukah menorah will illuminate Mariupol, the adjacent trenches and the volatile Azov Sea, telling the story of a miracle that happened to the Jewish people in Jerusalem more than 2,000 years ago, and proclaiming the ultimate victory of light over darkness.

“That,” says Smirnova, “no one can take away.”

Click here to assist the Mariupol Jewish community.

Women celebrate Yud-Tes Kislev.

Women celebrate Yud-Tes Kislev.

Mariupol sits mere kilometers from the frontlines of Europe’s only active land war, and the sounds of artillery have long become a staple of life.

Mariupol sits mere kilometers from the frontlines of Europe’s only active land war, and the sounds of artillery have long become a staple of life.

Last year's Chaukah celebration.

Last year’s Chaukah celebration.

Republican lawmakers prepping for Democratic leaders – Michigan Radio

Republican lawmakers in Lansing are bracing for Democrats to take control of top state offices next year like governor and Attorney General.

The incoming Democratic Attorney General Dana Nessel calls one bill an attempt to undermine her future office.

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Speaker of the House Tom Leonard supports the legislation.

“What this does is, this allows the people to have a stronger voice by allowing the Legislature to intervene and have a voice in these lawsuits,” Leonard said.

There’s also a new bill that would take away some oversight powers of the Secretary of State – who will also be a Democrat next year.

Kyle Rudolph Prepping to Make 100th Start, 60th Consecutive, Against Patriots – Vikings.com

EAGAN, Minn. – When Kyle Rudolph steps onto the field at Gillette Stadium Sunday afternoon, it will mark the 100th time he’s started for the Vikings in the regular season.

Rudolph reflected on joining the Vikings as a second-round draft pick in 2011 and all that’s happened in the seven-plus seasons since.

“You come into this league as a young kid, and I remember early in my career when guys like [former Vikings linebacker] Chad Greenway were making their 100th start,” Rudolph told Twin Cities media members, “and you think about how many games that is and how many years of football they’ve played. So to be at that point now, it’s pretty cool.

“I still feel like I have a lot of football left in me,” Rudolph added. “Hopefully another hundred, at least, so I’m looking forward to a lot more years to come.”

Sunday’s contest against the Patriots also will be the tight end’s 60th consecutive start, perhaps an even more impressive statistic.

Rudolph’s streak, the longest by an active player at the position, nearly came to an end during the 2017 season, when he suffered an ankle injury at Carolina and Vikings Head Coach Mike Zimmer designated him as doubtful for the Week 15 game against Cincinnati.

Despite having not practiced the entire week, however, Rudolph found a way to play.

“I just begged [Head Athletic Trainer Eric Sugarman] to give me a chance,” said Rudolph, who logged two catches and a touchdown against the Bengals.

Rudolph partially attributes his ability to string together 60 games to “good luck,” but he’s also learned how to take care of his body and help prevent certain types of injuries that could be considered more within one’s control.

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“When you play this game long enough, the injury rate is a hundred percent. You’re going to get hurt at some point. And there are ones that you can’t control,” said Rudolph, who missed 15 games from 2013-14. “[But] as long as you control the ones that you can control, and you’re taking care of your body and avoiding the muscle injuries and things like that, the impact ones are going to come at some point if you play long enough, and you’ve got to battle through them.”

Rudolph is grateful to have spent his career thus far with one team.

This season, Rudolph has been perceived to be a little less involved in the passing game – and the end zone – than in previous campaigns, having entered last week’s game against the Packers with 36 catches and two touchdowns. Zimmer said that the tight end had expressed a level of frustration prior to the Green Bay matchup in which he caught all seven balls thrown his way, the most catches for Rudolph since Week 2.

When Rudolph was asked about the situation by media members, he acknowledged the feelings and further explained.

“The frustration comes because I’m a competitor, and we weren’t winning games,” Rudolph said. “I thought I could help our offense make plays in certain situations that would help our team win games, and basically we just dove into, ‘When are those situations? And how can I help this offense be more productive?’

“And at times, that’s helping your protection and chipping and all the things that I talk to you guys about all the time,” Rudolph continued. “But there are certain situations in the game where that’s not the case, and I felt like I could help our team out. It kind of clicked there on Sunday night, and I was able to see more production than I’m accustomed to.”

Vikings Offensive Coordinator John DeFilippo said he loves spreading the ball around and “would love to get Rudy more involved than he has been” in future games. 

Wide receiver Adam Thielen attested to the significant role that Rudolph plays on the team, whether he’s making big catches or important blocks that free up his teammates.

“Rudy’s a phenomenal football player, and he’s a huge asset to this offense and this team,” Thielen said. “I think he’s going to be a guy that will be crucial for our success moving forward, and that’s the great thing. We have a lot of guys on this offense, a lot of guys on this team that can make plays, and you have that have in this league – otherwise other teams will take away guys and make it really difficult on you.”

Thielen referred to Rudolph as “a guy who makes this offense go” in Minnesota.

“Even when he’s not making the [flashy] plays, he’s still a big reason why we’re having success,” Thielen said. “Whether he’s blocking or chip blocking, or maybe he’s the guy that’s running routes to clear out people. So he’s such a big part of this offense – and when he’s that reliable, it only makes us better.”

Heading into what likely will be a tough game against New England, opportunities could open up for Rudolph if the Patriots defense focuses heavily on the Vikings receivers.

Rudolph pointed to the win over the Packers and said Minnesota’s offense has proven difficult to defend.

“It makes it hard to double guys when you have as many play-makers as we have, and when we’re dispersing the ball around to five, six guys, we’re unpredictable,” Rudolph said.

Whether he makes 20 catches or two catches in his 100th start, you can expect one thing out of the reliable Rudolph – he will be fully prepared.

“You never know when those opportunities are going to come, and it’s a long season,” Rudolph said. “At some point, seven balls are going to come my way. And if you dwell on the times they didn’t come, you may squander those opportunities. That’s something you can’t do.

“When you’re asking for opportunities, you have to take advantage of them when they come,” he added.

Wednesday weigh-in: Bears prepping for Giants – ChicagoBears.com

The Bears (8-3) will look to win their sixth straight game and at least maintain their first-place lead in the NFC North Sunday when they visit the New York Giants (3-8) at MetLife Stadium.

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Returning to the practice field for the first time in a week Wednesday, the Bears should be refreshed and revitalized. They recently won three games against division opponents in a 12-day span, capped by last Thursday’s 23-16 victory over the Lions. The stretch enabled the Bears to build a game-and-a-half lead over the Vikings (6-4-1) atop the NFC North.

Matt Nagy is the first Bears coach to win five straight games in his first season since Paddy Driscoll in 1956. The Bears remain the only NFL team that ranks in the top five in both points scored per game (fifth with 28.8) and points allowed (second with 19.2).

The Giants (3-8) are in last place in the NFC East. After losing five straight to fall to 1-7, they recorded back-to-back wins over the 49ers and Buccaneers before blowing a 19-3 lead in a 25-22 loss to the Eagles last Sunday in Philadelphia.

Monitoring Mitch
The main storyline of the week figures to be the status of quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, who sat out the Thanksgiving win over the Lions after sustaining a right shoulder injury five days earlier in a Sunday night victory over the Vikings. The second-year pro was not expected to practice Wednesday, but he still could recover in time to start against the Giants.

Backup Chase Daniel proved to be a valuable insurance policy in Detroit, leading the Bears to their fifth straight win despite not taking any full-speed reps in practice during the short week leading up to the game. Making just his third start in nine NFL seasons, Daniel completed 27 of 37 passes for 230 yards with two touchdowns, no turnovers and a 106.8 passer rating.

Defense remains dominant
The Bears defense has excelled throughout the season. A total of 15 different players have recorded a sack, 10 have registered an interception and four have scored touchdowns.

Khalil Mack leads the Bears with eight sacks and is tied for the NFL lead with five forced fumbles. Eddie Jackson leads the league with three defensive touchdowns. Kyle Fuller is tied for second in the NFL with five interceptions.

Jackson was named NFC defensive player of the week for his performance against the Lions. For the second straight game, the second-year safety returned an interception for a key second-half touchdown in a one-score victory over a division opponent.

The Bears defense ranks No. 1 in the league with 29 takeaways, 20 interceptions, lowest passer rating allowed (78.3), fewest rushing plays allowed of 10 or more yards (16), three-and-out percentage (.268), fewest rushing touchdowns (4) and fewest yards per rush permitted (3.58).

As a team, the Bears rank first in the NFL with 104 points off takeaways and are tied for first with a plus-14 turnover margin, five red-zone takeaways and 15 forced fumbles.

Numbers game
The Bears enter Week 13 ranked 21st in offense in the NFL (15th rushing and 20th passing) and 4th in defense (2nd against the run and 10th versus the pass. The Giants rank 20th in offense (29th rushing and 12th passing) and 23rd in defense (26th against the run and 18th versus the pass).

Talk show
Nagy will address the media Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, while offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich, defensive coordinator Vic Fangio and special-teams coordinator Chris Tabor will talk Thursday.

Series history
The Bears lead the series 33-23-2 over the Giants but have lost three of the last four. The Bears dropped the last meeting 22-16 on Nov. 20, 2016 at MetLife Stadium. The Bears produced two touchdowns and a field goal on their first three possessions to take a 16-6 lead, but they were outscored 16-0 over the game’s final 33 minutes. The Bears rushed for 88 yards on 17 carries in the first half, but were limited to five yards on eight attempts in the second half.

Your turn
We want to know what you think. So tell us by clicking on the box below, and please keep your replies under 150 words. We will select some and post them on ChicagoBears.com Thursday.

Park Boulevard Brewpub Prepping for January Opening – Eater San Diego

Kairoa Brewing Co. is quickly taking shape at the corner of Park Boulevard and Madison Avenue, where construction on the University Heights brewpub is currently on track to be completed next month with a grand opening scheduled for mid-January. The renovated 1920s era building has a new rooftop that will offer additional seating and function as an event space.

The New Zealand heritage of its ownership team will influence both the food and the beer at Kairoa. Co-owner Shanan Spearing (who owns the neighboring Red House Pizza) says that the brewery, powered by a 10-barrel brew house and a 1-barrel pilot system, is designed for versatility and experimentation; native ingredients, including manuka honey, manuka smoked malt, and New Zealand hops will be featured. Though they’ll brew an authentic New Zealand pilsner, the beer lineup will also include German style lagers, English style ales, an array of IPAs, as well as barrel-aged Imperial stouts and sours.

The menu will include New Zealand green-lipped mussels steamed in spicy pilsner broth, a smoked New Zealand lamb sandwich served with arugula, caramelized onion, mint chimichurri,and a spicy piri piri aioli, and fish and chips paired with New Zealand-style fries and slaw. Brunch will include a classic New Zealand breakfast pie filled with bacon, eggs, cheese, and peas and a basket of mini cheddar or fruit scones.

Courtesy rendering

4601 Park Boulevard, San Diego, CA 92116

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