As up and down as the first 12 games of the Golden State Warriors new season have been, no contest has underscored the difference between Stephen Curry 's past and present basketball reality more than Thursday's 114-104 loss to the Denver Nuggets. As much as both Curry and coach Steve Kerr tried to hammer home the point that the Warriors' defense has to play with more physicality in order to win, there was another issue that is just as important and grew more prominently throughout the game. An issue that will define the course of how the next four months of the group's season plays out: Curry's greatness isn't enough to overcome lackluster offensive production from those around him. For the first time all season, the Warriors dropped a game in which the 32-year-old two-time MVP scored at least 30 points.

"I think it's just a matter of our team connecting and figuring out who we are and what we are," Kerr said during a video conference with reporters, when asked how to keep Curry from getting frustrated when he's not getting enough help. "It's going to take some time because of the moving parts, new additions, also trying to ease James [Wiseman] along. So you look at Steph's line obviously great scoring night, 35 points, but seven turnovers, Draymond [Green] had five, we're not really in sync yet. And that's going to take time."

2 Related

To Kerr's point, the Warriors are still trying to weave in Andrew Wiggins and Kelly Oubre Jr. into the offense and both players are still adjusting to the way Curry plays the game. Green had an uncharacteristically off night on both ends of the floor, but since his return from an early season foot injury and conditioning issues due to COVID protocols, he has proven to be a helpful antidote in getting the offense moving and getting Curry in position to operate.

Kerr acknowledged that his team is still figuring out the best way to integrate Wiseman and hasn't gotten comfortable throwing him lobs in the paint yet. But if ever there was a night to remind Curry that Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant and Andre Iguodala weren't by his side to take some pressure off his shoulders, this was it.

After Curry scored 12 points in the first quarter, the Warriors seemed to lose their way. Wiggins and Oubre missed open looks throughout the night, Green had no impact on the offensive end and the bench didn't have many answers against a Nuggets team that likes to get up and down the floor. The starting unit has only shown flashes of rhythm over the first month of the season and continues to struggle to string together solid performances.

"We've had some good days, some bad days," Curry said. "Twelve games in we got to understand what we can do better, especially offensively, just getting in a little bit more flow. And then living up to that expectation of what we're supposed to do defensively and that's just consistent energy. Night to night it's hard with a new group when you're playing really talented teams ... just be real with ourselves and what we need to do better. Not get in our feelings when we don't play well."

Kerr echoed similar sentiments in reiterating that he believes the offense will come together over time. The veteran coach appears much more concerned about getting his defense to play with more consistency than an offense that is still trying to find its way with a 19-year-old center. But as teammates continue to say they need to do a better job of playing off Curry, it's worth noting that there are times when Wiggins and Oubre still don't seem sure about exactly where they need to be on the floor. While trying to take accountability for some of his own shortcomings on Thursday, Curry hinted at the fact that the Warriors are still wrestling with how to work best off each other.

"Just keep being aggressive and being smart with the basketball," Curry said, when asked what he can do to help his teammates feel more comfortable. "There's a couple times tonight -- for instance where you start to rush a little bit. That aggressiveness turns into getting yourself in trouble and a couple untimely turnovers in that situation. I think offensively I got going creating my own shot and then we didn't get to that next level where I'm moving it, we have good flow and things kind of got a little stagnant pretty quick in that first quarter."

The NBA is back! Catch all the 2020-21 season action on ESPN, ABC and the ESPN App.

Friday, Jan. 15 Mavericks at Bucks, 7:30 p.m. on ESPN Pelicans at Lakers, 10 p.m. on ESPN

All times Eastern

Curry's minus-21 was the second worst plus/minus in his career during a game in which he scored at least 30 points, according to ESPN Stats and Information. As has been the case at various points throughout the year, he is trying to force the action when he sees that he's not getting the help he grew accustomed to when Thompson, Durant and Iguodala were on the floor. Curry continues to pump the outward positivity even though it is nights like these that offer a reminder that even when he does play 38 minutes and scores 35 points, that still won't be enough because the margin for error on this team is so small.

"It's not every time we lose and have a bad night, there's no panic," Curry said. "It's understanding we're 12 games into a new lineup and a new look and some nights it's going to look really, really great, some nights it might look really bad. It just kind of comes with the territory."

See the article here:
Even when Stephen Curry is on, Warriors struggling to find their rhythm - ESPN

For the most part, Bridgerton stays true to the romance novels by Julia Quinn, but it also makes some notable changes in a few key areas. The Netflix series has seemingly taken the world by storm, with massive viewership numbers and rumored plans for much more to come. Many new fans of the series will likely turn to the books while they wait for season 2, and theyll find that Quinns version of the story is different in some significant ways.

At its core, Bridgerton is a pretty formulaic Regency-era romance. Its full of dashing rich people, poor communication, rumors, and bodice-ripping.Bridgerton has garnered popularity beyond its genre, however, largely due to the fantastic chemistry of the shows cast and its strong writing along numerous, interconnected plotlines. Some of those high points are taken directly from the pages of Quinns novels, but a number of them are brand new for the Netflix version.

Related:Bridgerton: Every TV Show Character Who Wasn't In The Books

In any adaptation, maintaining a balance between staying true to the source material and introducing new ideas is a delicate task. Bridgerton threads that needle pretty well, and the changes it makes generally make sense for adjusting the story to a new medium. Here are the biggest changes the Netflix series makes to Julia Quinns books.

Starting with perhaps the shows biggest divergence from the novels, Marina Thompson is completely different in the two versions. In the show, she is a protagonist of near-equal narrative status to Daphne, offering a mirrored image in many ways of the Duchesss own story. Marina struggles with complex problems of ethics and self-preservation in a world that is not designed to protect her, and she becomes an emotional centerpiece of the story as a result. In the end, she agrees to marry Phillip, the brother of her deceased lover who was the father of her child.

This marriage to Phillip is the only real similarity between the Marina of Bridgerton and the Marina of the books. In Quinns novel, Marina is only briefly mentioned later in the series a severely depressed woman who dies following a suicide attempt. Phillip actually ends up becoming romantically involved with Eloise in the books, long after his former wifes passing. The book Marina was a relation of the Bridgertons, not the Featheringtons.

Bridgerton shows Daphne in her very first season of eligibility, after the Queens good word makes her the most desired lady in the ton. Her prospects drop significantly thanks to her older brother Anthonys incessant meddling, but she still manages to find love by the end of the courting season. Daphne's romancewith Simon is challenging, but the two manage to open up to each other by the end of season 1.

Related:Bridgerton's Lady Whistledown Twist Explained: Identity, Meaning & Future

The core of Daphne and Simons story is the same through both versions, but the show does make a few key changes. For starters, Daphne is in her second season in the books, not her first, and she has significantly more trouble attracting the eyes of promising suitors. Daphne's brother Anthony is much more relaxed about his sisters marrying, and is not the cause of her unfortunate circumstances. Anthony even knows about Simon and Daphnes ruse in the books and agrees to it, under the condition that they dont spend actual time alone. Lady Danbury also plays a slightly different role in the pairs story, as she is not the mother figure to Simon in the books that she is in the show.

The Netflix series also makes some notable improvements in terms of the toxicity of Simon and Daphnes relationship. Simon is a good deal coarser and harsher in the books, boasting some truly reprehensible moments of asserting his ownership of Daphne out of anger. This in turn sparks The Duke and Is most notorious scene, when Daphne causes Simon to ejaculate inside her against his will.

In the book, Simon comes to bed drunk one night after Daphne confronts him about pulling out during sex. After he falls asleep, Daphne takes advantage of his state in a scene that has widely been condemned seemingly condoning sexual assault. The show alters the scene notably, turning it into a consensual encounter between the two that Daphne turns to her advantage by staying on top of Simon when he climaxes. Still, Simons actual consent in the moment is questionable at best, and some viewers have criticized Bridgerton for not going far enough to fixthe scene, or remove the moment from the series completely.

In Bridgerton, Simon frequently engages in shirtless bare-knuckle boxing bouts with his friend Will Mondrich. Its a nice touch for fans of sweaty muscles or masculine bravado, but it has nothing to do with Quinns books. The boxing scenes, fight-throwing plotline, and even the characters of Will and his wife Alice are all new in the Netflix show. Overall, the added storyline is a good addition, showing some different dimensions to Simons character and introducing a wholly independent and compelling arc with Will and Alice. And of course, the boxing provides abs in plentiful supply.

Related:Bridgerton Season 1 Ending Explained (In Detail)

Season 1 of Bridgerton ends with the presumed death of Lord Featherington a character whos already dead by the time The Duke and I begins. His revival makes sense, as it gives Marina Thompson a reason to remain with the Featherington family after her pregnancy is discovered. Lord Featherington may not be a very major character in the series, but his despicable nature and gambling addiction move the plot along in some key ways. It will be interesting to see who replaces him in Bridgertonseason 2.

Quinns book series features a very brief appearance from an opera singer named Maria Rosso, who is a past mistress of Anthony Bridgerton. Her role in the novels is tiny, however, and her relationship with the Viscount seems to have been nothing more than a brief fling. Maria was adapted into the character of Siena Rosso in the show, similar in her occupation, but very different in her relationship with Anthony. Sienna is a much more fully-formed character, and she plays a much more important role in the story. The incompatibility between the two lovers comes off as truly tragic. Hopefully, Bridgerton hasnt seen the last of Siena Rosso.

One of Bridgertons bigger divergences from the books is the inclusion of more characters of royal stature. Queen Charlotte plays a major role in the plot, both by meddling in Daphnes affairs and in searching for the identity of Lady Whistedown. She even tries to set Daphne up with her foreign relation Prince Friedrich. Neither of these royals features in Quinns books, though they make excellent additions to the Netflix version of the story.

The second-born son of the Bridgerton clan has a substantial if isolated arc in the first season, where he experiments with art, sex, and not living strictly by the codes of his social station. There are orgies, paintings, queerbaiting, and some truly touching heart-to-hearts with Eloise. Most of this material, including the very existence of the modiste Genevieve Delacroix and the artist Henry Granville, is new to the show. It should be interesting to see how Benedicts story develops going forward, and if it will continue to veer off course from the version in the books.

Related:Bridgerton: What Happened To Daphne's Father

Lastly, Bridgerton makes one major change to the world of the story by introducing an alternate history of race relations in Regency-era England. The show presents a United Kingdom where at some unknown point in the relatively recent past reparations were paid to black citizens in the form of money, power, and political titles. This aspect of the world is only barely alluded to in a few passing lines, and it should be interesting to see how the story expands on the idea moving forward. The books have no such alternate history, and all their primary characters are presumably, assuredly white. In a genre generally lacking severely in diverse representation, its nice to see Bridgerton attempt to make some steps in the right direction.

Next:Bridgerton: What The Final Shot Of The Bumblebee Really Means

Star Wars Theory: Obi-Wan's New Darth Vader Duel Will Be A Force Vision

Rick Stevenson is a writer, editor and performer based in Brooklyn, NY. He's written on TV, film and games for over six years, in addition to assorted stints in bookselling, carpentry, and TV production. Rick studied writing at the College of William & Mary and Oxford University, and can report with some authority that they are both old. A comedian and improviser when not writing, he currently performs with Socially Distant Improv on Instagram, and is a founding member of the Oxford University House of Improv. He lives and dies for Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Read more here:
Bridgerton: Everything Netflix Changed From The Books - Screen Rant

After a long wait and multiple revised schedules, the start of the National Hockey League season is finally here. The ongoing pandemic means business will be nowhere near usual, but aside from the specter of ongoing outbreaks and stadiums with less than full capacity, it will be nice to see actual games with actual players again.

Last year, we awarded four postseason team titles to Minnesota Wild players who earned the distinction with superb play. Before the puck drops on the 2021 season, lets throw some hats into the ring and predict who might be the team award winners come next May (or hopefully, July), as well as try to envision where the Wild will end up in a brand new, albeit temporary, Honda NHL West Division.

Lets start with the most obvious selection of all:

The Wild made a series of moves in the offseason, and many of them are ready to make a serious impact...

OK, thats enough of that. Its Kirill Kaprizov. Of course its going to be.

But since the fight is so unfair, well give a special award this year...

While Im of the opinion that Nick Bonino might be able to have a bit of a career renaissance in Minnesotamaybe not to the level of someone like Eric Staal, but a resurgance nonethelesstruthfully, the player that can (and needs to) have the most immediate impact with the Wild is new starting goaltender Cam Talbot.

With a strong defensive corps in front of him, Talbot is coming into a situation where he can definitely succeed. And with Alex Stalock out indefinitely, Talbot will not only have to be an upgrade to outgoing starter Devan Dubnyk, hell likely be called upon to be in net nearly every night. Sure, the Wild have Kaapo Kahkonen on the bench, and Andrew Hamburglar Hammond on the taxi squad, but neither of the Wilds current secondary options are dependable enough to yet be trusted with long-term duty.

While I think Talbot might fall short of his 2016-17 season where he finished fourth in Vezina voting, hell more than surpass the other non-Russian newcomers and make his mark on the 2021 season.

Speaking of needing players to step up, the Wild have a number of young guys that have not quite lived up to their high draft picks and vaunted prospect statuses. The two obvious names that come to mind are Joel Eriksson Ek and Jordan Greenway. But while both players will have ice time opportunities aplenty with Mats Zuccarello to start the season, the forward that I think will take the biggest step forward is former college free agent signing Nico Sturm.

After scoring 12 goals and 20 assists in his first season with the Iowa Wild, Sturm scored his first NHL goal in last seasons play-in playoffs. And though hell start the season on the fourth line with Victor Rask and Ryan Hartman, Sturm had a good camp and will no doubt have a chance to move and up and down the lineup as the season progresses.

Choosing the newly-named captain Jared Spurgeon would be an easy pick here. And while I expect the General to have another solid defensive season that is ignored nationally, Im going to go way out on a limb and say that Matt Dumba will finally break out offensively.

Hes certainly already fired up for the season...

I dont have anything specific to lean on for this prediction, but the guys certainly due. Hes healthy. Hes made it through rumors and speculation that he was definitely going to be tradedthough those rumors will likely still persist in 2021 with Marcus Foligno re-signed and Seattle expansion still looming. Bottom line, hell be motivated to live up to his ability and expectations.

Kevin Fiala won the award last season, and theres no reason to believe he wont take home the prize again in a shortened 2021 season. Sure, Kaprizov might surprise everyone and win not only the Calder but the Hart as well, but even with the Russians high level of talent, he will be playing his first year in the NHL, and theres bound to be some bumps in the road, especially as opponents figure out his game.

Fiala, on the other hand, has had several seasons to acclimate and was by far the best player on the ice last year, leading the team in points (54) and finishing second in goals (23) and assists (31).

Fiala wont have his primary center with Staal gone, but should he be paired with Nick Bjugstad or Nick Bonino, he should still have the time, space and ability to pull off more of the insane goals that we saw last season.

1 Colorado AvalancheIt seems like every reporter, blogger and prognosticator has the Avs as the default winners of the new West, and Im not one to disagree. Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen, Cale Makar... and we havent even gotten to Landeskog yet? Yeah, the West is the Avalanches to lose

2 Vegas Golden KnightsThe Golden Knights have in my mind the strongest defensive top four in the west and can roll three offensive lines at you. Granted, their centers after William Karlsson are a little suss with Stasny gone, but if Cody Glass has a strong sophomore season, Vegas might just be able to keep up with the Avs and give them a run for their money.

3 St. Louis BluesSome might have the Blues higher on the strength of their defense and goaltending, but with shallow offensive depth and Vladamir Tarasenko out of possibly half of a shortened season, nothing short of a Vezina-winning season from Jordan Binnington will allow the Blues to keep up point-for-point with the top two teams in the league. Luckily for them, that would be more than earn a playoff spot in the top three.

4 Minnesota WildIm all in on Talbot being a significant step up from Devan Dubnyks final two seasons in a Wild uniform. Kaprizov looks ready to impress. And as mentioned before, theres a chance this is finally the year Dumba puts it together. It wont be enough to really battle with the top teams in the West (and it will likely result in yet another one-and-done in the playoffs), but the Wild should be competitive and battling right into May for a spot in the postseason.

Whether or not thats something youre looking forward to? Thats another story.

5 Arizona CoyotesThe Coyotes lost some considerable pieces to free agency in Taylor Hall and Derek Stepan, but the young and talented core looks ready to build on their 2020 playoff success, having knocked off the Nashville Predators in the play-in round. That said, theyve also made a bunch of self-inflicted wounds from a management standpoint, whether it was violating the NHLs combine testing policy and losing two draft picks, or selecting Mitchell Miller knowing full well about his checkered past. But goaltenders can often carry less than stellar teams on their shoulders, and while I think Darcy Kuemper and Anti Raanta can get the Coyotes pretty far, I dont see getting them far enough to see the postseason.

6 Los Angeles KingsThe Kings are a mix of super old and super young, with not much in between. If everyone is clicking, they can win some games theyre not supposed to, especially high-scoring affairs against the Golden Knights or the Avalanche. But in a condensed season, relying that much upon the likes of Anze Kopitar, Dustin Brown and Jeff Carter could catch up to Los Angeles in a big way. They could find their way into the fourth and final playoff spot, but theyll likely finish short.

7 San Jose SharksAfter finishing last season in the unfamiliar territory of the cellar of the Pacific division, the Sharks decided to throw everything they could at the problem. They brought in Devan Dubnyk to shore up goaltending. They traded for Ryan Donato to hopefully fill a top-six role that he couldnt find with the Wild, though hes already been shifted down to the third line during training camp. They brought back Matt Nieto and Patrick Marleau to fill bottom-six spots as well. But the Sharks are another team with aging stars and injury issues. If they can overcome their issues from last season (and their additions pay off), they could possibly finish as high as the fourth playoff spot. But so much has to go right, and with the lack of depth and a goaltending tandem that could be one of the worst in the West, theres not a whole lot of reason to think theyll be able to pull it off.

8 Anaheim DucksAnaheim is another team stuck in the muddled middle of competing and going full rebuild mode. The difference between them and the Wild is that the Ducks dont yet have the young players ready to kick down the door like Kevin Fiala last year or Kirill Kaprizov this year. Also, their defensive zone is less than inspiring. Gone are the days where they could steal a win or two from the Flames, Oilers and/or Canucks. Now, with Colorado and St. Louis and even the Wild taking their place, the Ducks might not have a choice whether or not to rebuild - their hand might play itself.

Continued here:
Minnesota Wild Predictions: Who will win the 2021 West division and Wild team awards? - Hockey Wilderness

If you were looking to forget all about the coronavirus pandemic on New Year's Eve, your best bet would have been to visit a Lakeland bar.

At Federal Bar Lakeland on South Tennessee Avenue, for example, the main thing staff adjusted for the 2020 New Year's Eve celebration was their expectations.

Kara Simm, the bar's events manager, said it was their third holiday season open and they followed the blueprint of the past: a live band, a DJ, and a complimentary midnight champagne toast. The patio was open, there was no cover charge, and patrons could grab festive gear to wear throughout the night.

More: Polk County sets COVID-19 record for second straight day with 637 infections

Despite throwing the same event as usual, Simm knew the pandemic could affect turnout as some may still fear gathering in large groups.

"We don't expect it to be crazy tomorrow night at all," Simm said Wednesday.

Despite rising cases of the virus in the state, several popular Lakeland bars planned to hostholiday parties on Thursday in which masks may have been encouraged but weren't required.While some events stayed the same, others made adjustments for COVID-19 or were canceled altogether. And thoughsome may be critical of the decision, owners and managers said bars were hit hard by financial shutdowns and need to stay afloat. Besides, people were free to stay at home if they wish, they said.

Ahead of the Thursday ragers, Polk County set a COVID-19 record for new daily infections a second straight day, reporting 637 new infectionsin Thursday's report. The Florida Department of Health also reported six more Polk County deaths. The positive test rate was 16.06%.

The spike follows a disturbing trend: at 320.2 average cases per day in December, Polk County has surpassed its previous high average of 279.5 daily cases in July. And it's more than double the 147.3 average in November.

While the initial rollout of COVID-19 vaccines have stirred optimism, most members of the general public likely won't see their doses until well into 2021.

Were youlooking to spend your New Year's Eve out of your house with a drink in your hand? There were plenty of options.

"Well tonight, we are having like what we normally do: a big New Year's Eve Party," said Soloman Wassef, owner of Lakeland Loft on South Tennessee Avenue,on Thursday.

Like Federal Bar, the Lakeland Loft threw its party like it was any other year. Wassef said he wanted people to be safe and practice social distancing "if they want to." While some may criticize those who spent the holiday outside of their homes, Wassef noted going out to ring in the new year is a tradition some are unwilling to give up.

"This is one day people want to go out. They don't want to cook at the house, they don't want to wash dishes at the house, they want to go out and be pampered," Wassef said. "We don't want to force people to go out, [but] we don't want to force people to stay in. We want people to practice normal life because this is going to be the norm from now on."

And some might've ventured out to seek catharsis, beaten down by the difficult year. That's a feeling Brewlands Bar & Billiards on Florida Avenue South tapped into, theming their New Year's Eve Party around a "funeral" for 2020, complete with a handmade coffin.

Randi Allen, general manager of the bar, said customers could write down whatever they wanted to leave behind in 2021 and have it burned by staff at midnight, signaling a new start for a new year even if the first few months, at least, will likely look eerily similar to most of 2020.

"They just wanted to bury 2020 and move on and forget about it the best they can," Allen said. "Are we going to wake up tomorrow and everything's gonna be completely different? Probably not. But it's a new year, it's a new beginning. Let's try to think positive and move forward."

Even though many party plans remained largely unchanged, bar owners expected lower turnout than years past. Although bar attendance has experienced a slight uptick in the last few weeks, it's still nothing compared to last year's performance, they said.

"We expect it to probably be on the quieter side," Allen said Thursday. "Which we respectbecause some people may not feel comfortable going out, and that's OK."

The holiday season had already been slower than usual. SantaCon, a popular bar hopper event, failed to be all that jolly.

"It was much quieter this year, you know, than in years past, unfortunately," Simm with Federal Bar said. "It's a pandemic year."

Wassef said he actually had higher participation in SantaCon this year than in the past. But he noted his bar, usually filled with jazz music, attracts an older clientele. For SantaCon, most of the participants he saw were between 25 and 40 and may have spilled over from bars they frequent more often.

While still on, some events looked significantly different than they had in the past in an attempt to make celebrations safer in the COVID-19 era.

Hannah Duling, the assistant manager at Swan Brewing on West Pine Street, said they planned to make New Year's Eve look like a typical night with the simple additions of free champagne and extended hours until midnight.

"We have a band playing and food trucks, but that's pretty normal for us on any given day. Really, the champagne toast is the only thing that we're doing for New Year's," Duling said. "I would say we toned it down."

Plus, while many bars are operating at full capacity, the tap room at Swan Brewing is still capped at 50% while the outdoor patio is fully open.

Union Hall on Florida Avenue Southalso toned down their event, capping ticket sales for their New Year's party at 100 for an event space that can fit 250. Manager Parker Duncan said the event in the Champagne Room was "packed" in 2019.

Duncan said that on Wednesday, they'd only sold two tickets. But he noted that people will often show up and pay at the door. So what if way more than 100 people showed up?

"If it's like busy busy and it starts to get full, I would prefer to cap it just to make everybody feel safe," Duncan said. "The last thing we want here is someone coming in and this is the last place they were at and they're like 'Oh, I got COVID at Union Hall.'"

Duncan said Union Hall staff wear masks and guests are asked to mask upwhen walking around or at the bar.

Duncan said he didn't have "high expectations" but hoped to at least get to $500. While before this year the bar would often make between $1,500 and $3,000 on a weekend night, events lately are only bringing in between $300 and $600.

Some events were just canceled altogether. In 2019, Haus 820 hosted a New Year's Eve party with regular and VIP admission prices in addition to a trolley service that made stops in Dixieland and downtown Lakeland. This year, the space remained dark.

"As a company, we are trying to be mindful of large events at this time," said venue manager Danielle Skolozynski in an email. "We want to keep the health of our guests and staff at the forefront, so we decided it would not be wise to host our NYE this year."

For New Year's Eve, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that if you gathered with someone outside of your home, you wear a mask, stay six feet apart and avoid crowds or poorly ventilated indoor spaces. While many Lakeland bars have outdoor options, the nature of going out and drinking makes mask usage difficult, elevating the risk of spread of COVID-19.

But for those who would critique a bar's decision to host a pandemic party, those in the business say that they can't afford to stay closed.

"I think us as a bar, we got hitthe hardest out of everybody. And you know, this is our livelihood and this is what we do for work. A lot of us, we can't just, you can't like go from the money you're making as a bartender, all of asudden to go work at McDonald's or something like that because you live your life based on the money you make," Duncan said. "If you don't want to come out, don't come out. But we've still got to make our living."

Other bar owners and employees said they were excited to work New Year's Eve and were not afraid of the risk.

The position can be polarizing. One bar declined to comment for this story, saying they won't speak about anything COVID-related as "you're going to piss someone off."

Business closures and other economic devastation related to COVID-19 havehit restaurants and bars hard. While long-term recovery is still out of reach, perhaps 2021 will bring hope for the industry. It's the little things: Simm, for example, would like to see the event space at Federal Bar get some love in the new year.

"We're hoping things pick up in 2021," she said.

Allen with Brewlands is cautiously optimistic.

"I think once you know, you have a full-fledged like vaccines going out and numbers keep coming down, I think people are going to become more and more comfortable with going out," Allen said.

Maya Lora can best be reached with tips or questions at mlora@gannett.com or 863-802-7558.

Read the original here:
'This is our livelihood': Lakeland bars held little back on New Year's Eve - The Ledger

It will not be long before The Promised Neverland makes its much-awaited comeback, and fans are obviously excited to see what the series will offer. After all, The Promised Neverland came to an end this year in print, but its creators aren't done with the story just yet. According to a new report, the show will feature untold stories in season two which co-creator Kaiu Shirai is overseeing.

The report surfaced online as vetted fan-pages like WSJ_manga shared the news. As the report goes, The Promised Neverland season two will feature "original scenarios" that are overseen by Shirai. There is no word on what these stories contain, but fans are excited to take in the canon content.

These additions are just some of the ones which Shirai and Posuka Demizu have worked on. Recently, the pair came together to post a couple of one-shots based on The Promised Neverland. The first one published focused on Krone before Isabella came into focus with the second story. As for the upcoming third tale, it will act as an epilogue of sorts. The story plans to check in on Emma, Ray, and Norman following the events of the series finale.

If you are looking forward to this second season of The Promised Neverland, you should know it will debut soon. The series is slated to return in early January 2021. Season two comes on the heels of a live-action movie that debuted in Japan in December 2020. A live-action adaptation of the manga is also being developed in Hollywood by Amazon Studios and Touchstone Television.

What do you make of this new report? Are you excited for The Promised Neverland season two to go live? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB.

Read more:
The Promised Neverland Season 2 Will Tell New Canon Stories Not Seen in Manga - ComicBook.com

Final Fantasy 7 Remake changed the relationship dynamic between Cloud and Aerith , and it may affect their story in the next parts of the game.

There are many subtle changes from the original game in Square Enix'sFinal Fantasy 7 Remake, from additional story content in the slumsthathelps fill out primary and secondary characters to how Cloud's relationships with other characters play out. The biggest of these changes is Cloud's relationship with Aerith, which appears much more romantically charged than in the original Final Fantasy 7.

One of the biggest additions toFinal Fantasy 7 Remakeis a series of moments thatimpact how much Tifa and Aerith like Cloud. Making the wrong choices in these moments can greatly influence the way the story plays out. For Aerith, it starts when she offers Cloud a flower Chapter 2. Afterwards, Cloud must complete a list of "Odd Job" side quests for Aerith and comment correctly on her outfit in Chapter 9. The player must even directly choose between Tifa and Aerith in the sewers. This is all to trigger a special cutscene in Chapter 14 with Aerith, Tifa or Barret. While this kind of dating mechanic was in the original game, its results played out much later on, during the player's second trip to the Golden Saucer, and it was not nearly as involved in the overall storyline as inFF7 Remake.

Related:FF7 Remake Part 2 & Final Fantasy 16: Which Will Release First?

Even the moment where Cloud and Aerith meet has changed inFinal Fantasy 7 Remake. In the originalgame, players meet Aerith when Cloud falls through the ceiling of the church in the Sector 7 Slums, which Crisis Coreplayers learned was actually how Aerith also met Zack Fair. InFF7 Remake, however, Cloud meets Aerith in the marketplace, when she is being attacked byFF7 Remake's Whispers. This meeting feels less intimate and personal than the original, which makes the following romantic events and choices feel rushed between the two characters.

While being able to romance a character in a game is fun, the changes made to Cloud and Aerith's relationship inFinal Fantasy 7 Remake greatly alters how their relationship could be perceived by players. The relationship between Cloud and Aerith in the original game was easilyviewed as romantic, but it built slowly over the course of the narrative, and so it felt more natural. Because so much of these romance mechanics are stuffed into the first part ofFF7 Remake- forcing players to strive for a romantic cutscene with her (or Tifa) - their relationship feels forced and lacks the delicate magic of the original game.

Read this article:
FF7 Remake: How Cloud & Aerith's Relationship Changed From The Original - Screen Rant

Airtels wired broadband connections stood at 2.44 million in April, which increased to 2.67 million in October while that of ACT increased to 1.74 million from 1.59 million. (Representative image)

Reliance Jio is turning out to be the biggest gainer from the current practice of work from home, as the telco added over 8 lakh wired broadband connections in the six months since April 2020. Bharti Airtel comes a distant second with 2.30 lakh additions, followed by ACT, which added 1.50 lakh connections. State-run BSNL, in contrast, lost 2.20 lakh connections during the same period.

As per data from Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai), Jio had 0.90 million wired broadband connections in April, which increased to 1.70 million in October. Airtels wired broadband connections stood at 2.44 million in April, which increased to 2.67 million in October while that of ACT increased to 1.74 million from 1.59 million.

To cash in on the current practice of work from home as well as learn from home, Reliance Jio on August 31 came out with new tariff packages for fixed line broadband (FBB), with the monthly starting price point as low as Rs 399. Airtel followed suit with a starting price of Rs 499 for its FBB plans. The new plans seem to be working well for Jio as the company added around 2.7 lakh FBB connections in September and 1.8 lakh connections in October. Airtel, on its part, added about 70,000 connections each in September and October.

Analysts have noted that the current times are best suited for faster growth of fixed broadband in the country, which otherwise is an under-penetrated market with only around 21 million subscribers. It is largely the wireless or mobile broadband at around 700 million users which has led to the data boom.

As per Motiwal Oswal Financial Services, Indias home broadband market has a minuscule $2-billion market size, accounting for a meagre 9% share of the countrys Rs 1.7 lakh crore wireless market. Subscriber growth has been modest in the last five years, with annual CAGR of just 5%. It has largely been an urban product, with low penetration of 7% due to limited network connectivity with just 80100 million estimated home passes which has restricted subscriber growth. This has given way to increased wireless consumption in India, which has a far easier and convenient installation/activation.

Globally, wired broadband is well-established and significantly utilised for data consumption as it is cheaper than wireless. In contrast, in India, the need for data consumption is fulfilled through wireless as it is cheaper. But with Jios entry in home broadband space in 2019 and its huge target, other players such as Bharti Airtel have also increased their focus in this space in a bid to gain ground.

As per Motilal Oswal, industry average revenue per user (arpu) in the home broadband market has remained fairly stable at Rs 400Rs 500 for copper connectivity and Rs 700Rs 800 for fibre to home (FTTH) packages.

Recently, Gopal Vittal, Bharti Airtel MD and CEO (India and South Asia), said fixed broadband was witnessing a very high traction, given the current context when most of the people are working from home due to Covid-19 pandemic.

Jio, which is late entrant in the FBB market has so far rolled out fibre in over 1,500 cities and aims to have 50 million homes and enterprises on fibre broadband.

Get live Stock Prices from BSE, NSE, US Market and latest NAV, portfolio of Mutual Funds, Check out latest IPO News, Best Performing IPOs, calculate your tax by Income Tax Calculator, know markets Top Gainers, Top Losers & Best Equity Funds. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

Financial Express is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel and stay updated with the latest Biz news and updates.

Link:
Wired broadband: Jio top gainer as nation took to WFH - The Financial Express

Welcome to your comprehensive look at whats scheduled to hit Netflix throughout January 2021. This will be the list of Netflix Originals and non-Netflix Original titles scheduled for release in the United States throughout the first month of the year.

This list includes all the additions but remember Netflix always loses titles too and January 2021 will be a bumper month for Netflix removals. Big licensed titles like When Calls the Heart, The Office and Gossip Girl are all due to depart throughout the month.

Although this list now includes the full list provided by Netflix for whats coming in January 2021 it will still grow over time with titles unannounced ahead of time.

Note: If youre looking for We Can Be Heroes, it got moved from January 1st to December 25th. 53 new arrivals landed on Netflix on January 1st.

What are you looking forward to watching in January 2021? Let us know in the comments.

See original here:
Whats Coming to Netflix in January 2021 - What's on Netflix

Former Detroit Red Wings forward Andreas Athanasiou is one of the players making his Kings debut this month.

(Paul Sancya / Associated Press)

While Athanasiou will have to wait and clear a quarantine period before joining camp later this week, the Kings other key offseason acquisition made a strong first impression Thursday.

Two-time Stanley Cup champion Olli Maatta, a 26-year-old left-handed defenseman the Kings acquired in an October trade with the Chicago Blackhawks, slotted in next to Doughty on the teams top blue-line pairing.

Our games are very similar, said Doughty, who has cycled through a host of different and often less experienced partners in recent seasons. He used to spend his offseasons in [Doughtys Ontario, Canada hometown] London so I skated with him for maybe three or four summers there. I get along with him really well. I think were going to be something special together.

That could be a key development for the Kings. Doughty, 31, might be the veteran they most need improvement from. Though the team believes his numbers dont tell the full story, the former Norris Trophy winner has seen his production slip significantly over the last two seasons.

A lot of people have me written off as not even a good player anymore, Doughty said. So all that becomes personal, and all that drives me to be better this year, to make our team better.

The Kings will also have to decide which prospects crack their opening night roster. Among players aged 22 or younger, Vilardi looks like the only lock. Andersson, Samuel Fagemo, Jaret Anderson-Dolan, Akil Thomas, Rasmus Kupari, Matt Luff and Carl Grundstrom could all be in contention for a forward spot; Mikey Anderson, Kale Clague and Tobias Bjornfot (who played in the World Junior Championship) could compete for a position among the defensemen.

Fellow World Juniors participants such as Quinton Byfield, Alex Turcotte and Arthur Kaliyev are also set to join either the Kings taxi squad or their minor-league roster following that tournaments conclusion. The team appears unlikely to play any of them to eclipse the seven-game NHL threshold in order to preserve a year on their entry-level contracts.

More:
Five things the Kings must do to return to the NHL playoffs - Los Angeles Times

The story of the year, of course, was COVID-19. From the March announcement of the states first positive tests to the December arrival of the states first batch of vaccines, the coronavirus inserted itself into pretty much every aspect of life in Montana. Tourism took a hit, even as out-of-staters flocked to Montana for a respite from pandemic hotspots. Industries from oil to agriculture to media felt the pandemic ground shifting their foundations. When the state went into stay-at-home mode, business closures tossed thousands of Montanans onto the unemployment rolls. It wasnt long before a vocal minority of citizens began chafing under the strain, questioning the states restrictions in an increasingly politicized atmosphere that continues to show few signs of finding consensus.

Montana Free Press covered COVID-19 outbreaks, the states struggles to keep up with the fast-moving virus, and the pandemics impacts on everything from renters to real estate to rural hospitals. We enlisted reporters statewide to paint the developing COVID scene from Butte to Havre to Billings to Cooke City to Kalispell.

Wherever we went, we found the crisis landing heavily on vulnerable populations, and we tracked the impacts on food security, at-risk kids, their parents, prison populations, and people trying to make their way in an unprecedented new world without so much as a home to shelter in.

And then there was the all-consuming public health response, from testing challenges to contact tracing to Montanas role in vaccine development.

The crisis also put a weighty burden on the very people tasked with helping Montanans navigate it, pinching public health workers between a sometimes suspicious public and occasionally uncooperative elected officials.

But neither 2020 nor COVID-19 was all problems. This summer MTFP partnered with the Solutions Journalism Network to produce a series of reports on community responses to COVID-19 that delivered deep dives about systemic innovations in Missoulas music scene, local food systems, early education, community health, mental well-being, wildland firefighting, local business, and even childbirth.

Still, the years news wasnt all COVID, even if it sometimes seemed like it was.

The summer brought responses to racial injustice home to roost around the state, and MTFP followed organizers as they navigated oppression and opposition in Uphill, a two-part podcast about Black Lives Matter in Montana.

And of course 2020 was an election year of consequence, and while COVID changed how candidates campaigned and how voters voted, the show went on, as it must. The main events were term-limited Democratic Gov. Steve Bullocks failed attempt to unseat Republican Sen. Steve Daines and Republican Congressman Greg Gianfortes successful second attempt to gain the governors office, but under the long shadow of President Donald Trump, down-ballot races offered some stark contrasts as well, especially in the contests for U.S. representative, superintendent of public instruction, and attorney general. Not to mention one easily overlooked initiative-invoked ban and one closely watched initiative-invoked de-prohibition that became law by the will of the electorate.

Along the way, MTFP tried something new, partnering with Yellowstone Public Radio and Montana Public Radio to produce a 10-episode election-season podcast called Shared State that looked at key races and issues through the lens of that roadworn campaign phrase, Montana values, and its foundations in Montanas Constitution.

In the end, all statewide offices went Republican, delivering a unified statehouse for the first time in decades and upending a long-standing dynamic between the state executive and the Legislature.

It remains to be seen how another long-standing dynamic that between uneasy factions within the Legislatures Republican caucus might play out over the course of the 67th session. And, to close the loop, it remains to be seen as well how the session itself will play out in the face of a continuing pandemic.

2020 was also the year of the U.S. census, and as with everything this year, the process was buffeted by the coronavirus, with potentially profound consequences.

But if the whole world wasnt consumed by COVID, neither was it consumed by politics.

We kept an eye on the world outside this year with reporting on environmental news dominated by legal conflict. Regardless of Bullocks support, construction of the Keystone XL pipeline continued to face new hurdles from courts and tribes both. After the DEQ approved the Black Butte copper mine, environmental groups sued to block it. After environmental groups sued, the Wildlife Services division of the Department of Agriculture agreed to cut back on killing wildlife. Lynx were the subject of an Endangered Species Act lawsuit in December, and a federal decision that wolverines arent threatened was challenged just weeks later. Whitebark pine, meanwhile, were given a ticket to the endangered list, and the state Supreme Court blocked a gold mine in the Paradise Valley.

But the most impactful environmental lawsuit of the year was doubtless Gov. Bullocks takedown of acting BLM director William Pendley a shake-up with potentially widespread implications for land management in the West, where political maneuvering around public lands is likely to continue well into the new year under a new administration.

Along the way, chronic wasting disease continued to establish new footholds and a new reality across the state, the American Prairie Reserve continued to generate innovations and controversy, and a panel created by Bullock released a Climate Solutions Plan calling for the state to reach net-zero carbon emissions economy-wide by 2050.

And finally, a collision of environmental, economic and political issues played through to its long-awaited conclusion in the CSKT water compact, which began the year facing opposition from a small contingent of hardline Republicans, and exited 2020 with congressional approval via a must-pass appropriations bill and, eventually, ratification by the tribes, bringing years of negotiation and conflict to a close.

These were hardly the only stories worth reading in 2020 MTFP published some 400 stories this calendar year, as we expanded our editorial staff with new reporters Chris Aadland and Mara Silver but its a sample worth remembering as a first draft, at least, of history constantly in the making. Well be revisiting many of these issues in 2021, as we expand our staff again, starting Monday, with the additions of full-time staff reporters Amanda Eggert and Alex Sakariassen on the environmental and education beats, respectively.

And then, of course, there will be the new years new news the stories no one saw coming, and the stories well be ready, thanks to the continuing support of readers, to report thoroughly, fairly, and accurately. Thats what were most looking forward to in the coming year. Well see you then.

Read the rest here:
The stories of 2020 - Montana Free Press