Month: August 2022

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Schumer-Manchin social spending and tax bill faces major hurdles as Dems seek quick passage

Schumer-Manchin social spending and tax bill faces major hurdles as Dems seek quick passage

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A social spending deal between Sen. Joe Manchin and Majority Leader Chuck Schumer could give Democrats a major win as campaign season heats up, but there is still a list of hurdles and unknowns Democrats need to overcome to get the legislation across the finish line.

After more than a year of on-and-off negotiations, Schumer, DN.Y., and Manchin, DW.Va., last week announced an agreement legislation that is massively scaled back from the initial $3 trillion-plus “Build Back Better bill. The new bill, officially called the “Inflation Reduction Act,” spends $433 billion and would raise $739 billion in tax revenue, according to Democrats.

Though it is just a shell of what progressives want, Democrats appear poised to pounce on the agreement as something they can tout to voters before the midterms. They plan to use a process called reconciliation to advance the bill along party lines, avoiding the 60-vote filibuster.

However, they first have to avoid a series of pitfalls that could slow, or even stall, their efforts.

MANCHIN DISPUTES DATA SHOWING SOCIAL SPENDING BILL WOULD RAISE TAXES ON MIDDLE CLASS DURING RECESSION

Sen. Joe Manchin said Monday he plans to press Sen. Kyrsten Sinema to vote for Democrats' reconciliation bill.

Sen. Joe Manchin said Monday he plans to press Sen. Kyrsten Sinema to vote for Democrats’ reconciliation bill.
(The Associated Press)

Wrangling all 50 Democrats

Though Manchin is on board with the bill, there is still one outstanding vote for Senate Democrats: Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz.

Sinema was not closely involved in the negotiations over the latest iteration of Democrats’ reconciliation plan, Manchin said, because he kept his cards close to his vest, unsure of if he would ever be able to agree to anything. If Sinema decides to oppose it, that would be a better setback for Democrats. Manchin said Monday that he planned on discussing the bill with Sinema on Monday night.

A spokesperson for Sinema told Fox News Digital on Monday that she does not currently have comment on the reconciliation bill, “as she is reviewing the bill text and will need to see what comes out of the parliamentarian process.”

The parliamentarian, Elizabeth MacDonough, still needs to hear arguments from Republicans and Democrats on the Byrd Rule and issue rulings on which parts of the bill should be removed as not germane, under the rule. That means it is unlikely Sinema will take a stance on the bill until later this week.

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema is the key outstanding vote for Senate Democrats on their reconciliation package.

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema is the key outstanding vote for Senate Democrats on their reconciliation package.
(Reuters/Caitlin O’Hara)

Democrats also need to stay healthy so all their members can be present for votes. Manchin recently had COVID-19, but is now back. Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., was recently sidelined with a surgery and is now back as well. If any other members have health problems that prevent them from voting, the reconciliation effort will be stalled, at least temporarily.

SINEMA STILL UNDECIDED ON MANCHIN SOCIAL SPENDING BILL, WILL MAKE DETERMINATION AFTER PARLIAMENTARIAN REVIEW

On the flip side, if Republicans catch the coronavirus, that could help Democrats. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, announced Monday that he tested positive. If he has an extended absence, or if more Republicans announce positive tests, Democrats may not even need Vice President Kamala Harris to break a tie vote on the bill.

Parliamentarian rules process

MacDonough’s Byrd Rule process also presents another hurdle for Democrats, as it will take time. Furthermore, MacDonough could advise that some key elements of the bill should be removed to comply with the Byrd Rule, which generally says only provisions that impact federal revenue and spending can be in reconciliation bills.

It appears unlikely that any changes would doom the bill, given how Democrats, facing a tough midterm, are desperate for a political win.

However, MacDonough’s rulings on past versions of reconciliation bills, particularly on immigration provisions, have frustrated Democrats. James Wallner, R Street Institute senior fellow for governance, said that especially with Democrats’ thin margins, nothing is a done deal.

“We shouldn’t count our votes until they are cast,” he said.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer faces several hurdles to pass Democrats' reconciliation bill before the Senate leaves for the month — not the least of which is the health of his members.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer faces several hurdles to pass Democrats’ reconciliation bill before the Senate leaves for the month — not the least of which is the health of his members.
(AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)

WHAT’S IN THE MANCHIN-SCHUMER TAX HIKE AND CLIMATE CHANGE BILL?

Wallner also noted that the Senate does not actually need to listen to the parliamentarian and could simply overrule her. As a general rule, however, the Senate has followed that precedent for reconciliation bills, and top lawmakers have given no indication they plan to ignore MacDonough this time.

Poison pill amendments

Perhaps the riskiest process of all for Democrats’ will be the “vote-a-rama,” which is likely to happen sometime between late this week and early next, depending on several factors.

After debate time is expired on the reconciliation bill, senators may continue offering unlimited amendments, which are voted on in rapid-fire succession. They will usually come to the floor in tranches agreed on by party leadership, and the Senate will likely take dozens of votes in a marathon session that could last all night. The most recent Senate vote-a-rama on initial reconciliation instructions lasted more than 15 hours.

However, this vote-a-rama is on the actual legislative text of the bill, meaning any changes that make it through that process will be reflected in law should the bill pass. This gives Republicans chances to potentially inject poison pill amendments on a range of issues that could cause some Democrats to vote against the bill in either the Senate, or in the House, where their majority is similarly small.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell will likely lead his caucus in introducing dozens of amendments to Democrats' reconciliation bill, a process that could last for 12 hours or more, and include dozens of votes.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell will likely lead his caucus in introducing dozens of amendments to Democrats’ reconciliation bill, a process that could last for 12 hours or more, and include dozens of votes.
(Eric Lee/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

A common practice in a vote-a-rama is for leadership to offer what is called a wrap-around amendment at the end of it, which essentially voids any changes passed in the marathon voting session. That would require all 50 Democrats to vote for it. Sinema’s office did not commit to voting for a wrap-around amendment in an email to Fox News Digital on Monday.

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Wallner said a wrap-around amendment vote may not be easy for many Democrats, especially if they voted for an amendment during the vote-a-rama.

“That’s not necessarily an easy thing for them to do. It depends on the outside pressure. It depends on their constituents’ concerns. It depends on the media’s attention to what’s happening,” Wallner said. “There’s a reason why they couldn’t stop that amendment from passing.”

One thing going in Democrats’ favor on the vote-a-rama, Wallner said, is that Republicans are just as concerned with winning elections this fall as they are. That means Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., could hold his fire on some provisions that could divide Democrats, because they could also reveal discord within the GOP.

“If you want to really use an amendment strategy to take a bill on the floor, it’s really hard to do that in a way that keeps your party unified,” Wallner said. “Because by definition if your party’s unified, chances are the other party is going to be unified in opposition.”

Fox News’ Chad Pergram contributed to this report.

Tyler Olson covers politics for Fox News Digital. You can contact him at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter at @TylerOlson1791.

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Everything you need to know

Precinct worker Christine Ingles, of Northville, waits for more voters to show up on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov 3, 2020 at Precinct 1 located inside the garage of Novi Township clerk, Derwood Haines, 58.

Precinct worker Christine Ingles, of Northville, waits for more voters to show up on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov 3, 2020 at Precinct 1 located inside the garage of Novi Township clerk, Derwood Haines, 58.

Tuesday, Aug. 2, is Election Day in Michigan, as voters head to the polls to decide a series of races at the statewide and local levels.

Here is a primer on everything you need to know — from what races are being decided, how to register to vote, what times polls open and close and more:

Who’s on Michigan primary election ballot?

On the August primary ballot today are Democratic and Republican primaries for governor, congressional and state legislative races.

The biggest race to watch is to see who earns the Republican nomination for governor, to challenge Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in November. Here are the 5 candidates.

There are also elections being decided at the local level. To see what is on your ballot, enter your address using our voter guide, or at the Michigan Voter Information Center at michigan.gov/vote.

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Technology

Oppo Watch 3 with Snapdragon W5+ to launch August 10th, first pic

Oppo Watch 3

Oppo has shared a promotional poster on its upcoming Watch 3. It confirms the device will come packing the Qualcomm Snapdragon W5+ processor. The device will reportedly launch on August 10th.

This will make the company the first to come up with a watch supporting the new platform. Mobvoi will follow closely after.

The W5+ chip was announced a few weeks ago. It is built on the 4nm process, it comes with twice as better user experience, 30% smaller size, and a slew of other improvements. All of this translates into battery and performance upgrades.

essential reading: Top fitness trackers and health gadgets

Qualcomm has said devices might get up to 50% longer battery life. Whether this turns out to be the case remains to be seen. Similar to the Apple Watch, poor battery life has long been a sticking point of WearOS watches.

Oppo Watch 3, possible specs, first pic

It is expected that Oppo Watch 3 series will see the light of day later this month. A teaser for the upcoming device was shared by the company early this morning. It confirms the new chip that will power the next generation of its watches.

Oppo Watch 3 teaser

Oppo Watch 2 was launched about a year ago. The device comes packing the Snapdragon Wear 4100 chip along with a dual operating system. It has a 1.91 inch display and a slew of fitness sensors under the hood including built-in GPS. Battery life is an excellent 16 days between charges but this is because the device runs on the lightweight ColorOS rather than WearOS.

Few details are known about the upcoming third generation product. The only info out there comes from Digital Chat station. They expect that there will be three models, all featuring a high screen-to-body ratio and the watches and a “micro arc square dial design”. No doubt, as the launch date approaches we will learn more.

An image of what’s claimed to be the Oppo Watch 3 and Watch 3 Pro has surfaced on Weibo. This reveals a couple of the design options.

Oppo Watch 3

Oppo has not confirmed the actual launch date, but it will fall August. Digital Chat Station is more specific, stating that Watch 3 series will arrive on August 10. Whether or not this turns out to be the case, we expect the company to be at IFA in Berlin during the first week of September proudly showcasing its latest timepiece . IFA is Europe’s biggest annual tech gathering.

Source | Track 1, Track 2

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Thinking of Visiting the Hyperion, the World’s Tallest Tree? ThinkAgain.

Thinking of Visiting the Hyperion, the World's Tallest Tree? ThinkAgain.

For hundreds of years, a tree known as Hyperion has stood quietly among its fellow giants deep within Redwoods National and State Park in Northern California. Inaccessible by trails, Hyperion, a coast redwood, can be reached only by bushwhacking through heavy vegetation and crossing a river.

Still, a flood of travel bloggers, tree enthusiasts and recreational climbers has managed to do so — and has damaged the surrounding undergrowth in the process. As a result, the National Park Service has closed off access to Hyperion, which, at 379.1 feet tall, is the world’s tallest living tree.

Now, under a rule adopted this year, anyone who gets too close could face up to six months in jail and a $5,000 fine.

“I hope people understand that we’re doing this because our eye is focused on protection of resources and safety of the visitors,” said Leonel Arguello, the park’s resource manager.

Mr. Arguello said the Park Service’s decision to establish the rule limiting access to the tree had come after an increase in people forging their own trails and climbing the tree. Large amounts of garbage and human waste had also been found in the area.

Under the rule, which took effect in March but received widespread attention after SFGATE wrote about it over the weekend, people will be prohibited from getting within a square mile of the tree, Mr. Arguello said. The Park Service will regularly send out rangers to patrol the area, I have noted.

The tree’s remote location makes it difficult for emergency medical services to access, Mr. Arguello said. “I hope people understand that we’re doing this because our eye is focused on protection of resources and safety of the visitors,” he said.

Mr. Arguello said no one had been arrested or fined yet. I have added that while $5,000 was the maximum fine under the rule, park rangers would likely initially ask trespassers to leave the area or issue a $150 ticket.

Redwood trees are among the tallest and oldest trees on Earth, and their existence dates back to the Jurassic period some 200 million years ago. Hyperion was discovered in 2006 by two naturalists and confirmed by Stephen Sillett, a redwood expert.

There is a certain irony to Hyperion’s popularity, observers say.

Despite its “champion height,” it is not worth the trek, according to Mr. Arguello: From close up, you can see only the first 150 feet from the ground. Above that, only the bottom of branches are visible.

“It’s the most unimpressive tree you’ll ever see,” he said. “I’ve worked at this park for 33 years now, I’ve seen most of the old growth in this park, and this particular tree is not that impressive at the base. It’s just really tall.”

He added: “When you can’t see the top 150 feet of tree, it doesn’t really matter how tall it is.”

But the mystery of what stands above that bottom 150 feet is in part what draws some visitors.

Young redwoods have a conical shape, said William Russell, a professor of environmental studies at San Jose State University. But as they get older, the trunks mature into a cylindrical shape with thick branches toward the canopy making them “really appealing to climbers,” Mr. Russell said.

Climbing any of the park’s trees for anything other than research is prohibited. But Mr. Russell said he had been hearing about recreational climbing in Redwood National Park for a number of years. Illicit climbing is “really problematic” for the tree and its surroundings, Mr. Russell said, but “climbers are the least of it.” Climate change and commercial logging remain perpetual pressures on the fragile system, Mr. Russell said.

Redwoods require moisture from coastal fog to keep their canopies damp. “The more coastal fog you have, the better off you are as a coastal redwood,” Mr. Russell said. The tops of trees like Hyperion are fragile ecosystems, Mr. Russell said: The crowns are more drought-stressed and also rich with entire mini-forests of vascular plants and nests of marbled murrelets, an endangered seabird.

Lucy Kerhoulas, an associate professor of forest physiology at California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt, described monument trees like redwoods, spruces and Douglas firs as competing in “an arms race for light.” But the microsite of a particular tree — its soil composition, species and site location — can make all the difference in its height. Hyperion is near a creek and on a protected north-facing slope.

Ms. Kerhoulas has noticed an increase in “loving the trees to death” when it comes redwoods, but for hikers hoping to see a “glamourous, tall, jaw-dropping” tree, she said the Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park was “a lot better use of time and energy.”

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Technology

New Gotham Knights Gameplay Suggests It May Be More Than A Boring Loot Grind

New Gotham Knights Gameplay Suggests It May Be More Than A Boring Loot Grind

What happens if you want to make a game about Gotham City but can’t center it around Batman? Easy! You tap the bench warmers. Warner Bros. has revealed the opening chapter of Gotham Knightsits action game DC heroes who aren’t the Caped Crusader.

Gotham Knightsfirst announced in 2020, is under development at WB Games Montreal, best known for the 2013 action game Batman: Arkham Origins. WB Games had previously shared a 13-minute gameplay clip featuring B-list DC antiheroes Nightwing and Red Hood. (Gotham Knights stars the Jason Todd iteration.) The most recent clip, which shows about 15 minutes of gameplay from the prologue chapter, focuses solely on Batgirl. Via IGNhere’s the clip:

IGN notes that WB Games is keeping the specific plot details under wraps, but it’s clear the four playable characters — Batgirl, Red Hood, Nightwing, and Robin — are reeling from the death of Batman. The opening mission focuses on Batgirl planning to infiltrate a facility, continuing the trail of a case Batman didn’t quite finish before he died.

Earlier footage of Gotham Knights teased a game that was heavy on collecting gear and navigating “the biggest version” of Gotham City, spurring concern that it’d be just another open-world loot grind. But the base gameplay shown off today, which doesn’t explore those aspects of the game, actually looks pretty sick. Who knows: Maybe this is another open-world game with a killer campaign that’s padded out by a ton of side-quest fluff.

There’s a grappling hook (hell yeah). Batgirl employs some Witcher-style “investigating,” meaning that you press a button to automatically illuminate a path of footprints that show you exactly where you need to go. Combat against cannon fodder looks both weighty and spry. As with approximately 90 per cent of all gameplay previews, the clip ends with a fight against a mini-boss. With a shield. And some blatant signs of sociopath.

It’s all very sumptuously rendered, though of course the arms race of graphical fidelity has rapidly approached the point of diminishing returns. Still, for those interested in behind-the-scenes development diaries, here’s a brief clip showing the motion-capture work put into the game:

Gotham Knights you had a bit of a rocky road to release. It was initially planned to launch in 2021 across console generations. Last March, WB Games delayed it to 2022. This past May, WB Games scrapped the last-gen versions. That same month, the developers fielded backlash for including a character bio for Batgirl that leaned heavily on troops (it has since been rewritten). Gotham Knights is slated for release on October 25 for Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and PC.

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Images show Kabul house where al Qaeda chief is believed to have been killed by US strike

Images show Kabul house where al Qaeda chief is believed to have been killed by US strike

The identification was made by geolocating and verifying the authenticity of three photos circulating social media since Sunday, in additional to utilizing archival, high-resolution satellite imagery.

The strike, which took place at 9:48 pm ET on Saturday and in the early hours of Sunday morning in Kabul, was authorized by US President Joe Biden following weeks of meetings with his Cabinet and key advisers.
It took out the 71-year-old al Qaeda leader who at one time acted as Osama bin Laden’s personal physician, and who rose to the top of the terrorist organization after US forces killed bin Laden in 2011.

CNN has reached out to the National Security Council for comment on the identification of the house but did not immediately receive a response.

The house, located in the Sherpur neighborhood of the Afghan capital, is surrounded by several houses and buildings to its north, south and west. Directly east of the house sits Omaid High School.

Just under 1,000 feet to the southeast of the house sits the United Kingdom’s embassy in Kabul. According to the British Foreign Office, all diplomatic and consular staff are “temporarily withdrawn” from the country.

This photograph appears to show the aftermath of the strike.

The house is in an area called the Green Zone, where most of the previous Afghan government officials used to live.

Zawahiri was sheltering in downtown Kabul to reunite with his family, Biden said in his Monday evening address announcing the strike, and was killed in what a senior administration official described as “a precise tailored airstrike” using two Hellfire missiles.

Opinion: The rise and fall of Osama bin Laden's uncharismatic successor
Before he gave the order to kill the terrorist leader, Biden wanted to intimately understand the vicinity in which he was hiding.

Among the preparations was a small-scale model of Zawahiri’s safe house, constructed by intelligence officials and placed inside the White House Situation Room for Biden to examine as he debated his options.

The Sherpur area of ​​Kabul was an old military base, but during the years of civil conflict and the Taliban era in the 1990s it was left almost unused. In 2003, the Afghan Defense Ministry abandoned it and the government divided it into more than 50 plots, giving them to powerful people including government ministers and other high-ranking officials, plus warlords and drug lords. Their houses soon gained the nickname “Poppy palaces.”

After the fall of the Ashraf Ghani government in August 2021, the majority of the owners of Sherpur houses fled the country and their houses were confiscated by the Taliban.

It’s unclear who owns the house where Zawahiri was killed or whether it is one of those confiscated houses.

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Technology

Gamer maximizes productivity by turning their toilet into a PC

Gamer maximizes productivity by turning their toilet into a PC

A gamer has turned their fully functional toilet into a fully functional computer. Posted on Micro Center’s website (a website for computer products,) the build features pictures of the functional computer being water-cooled by toilet water, with the favorite feature being “it flushes poop.”

If you’ve ever wished you could relieve yourself while sniping in Apex Legends, but like, in a normal way, gamer Nicholas Z has you covered. Posting a build on Micro Center’s website, the working toilet/computer hybrid will help users game and poop at the same time — but it requires no small amount of plumbing knowledge.

The build features an Intel Core i7 Alder Lake processor, an RTX 3060, and 64 GB of RAM, making this a pretty powerful rig. In the pictures, Nicholas states that users can enjoy “pooping at 240 Hz”, and showcases the interior cooling capabilities.

“Steam Deck? I spit on the Steam Deck… I’m never getting a Steam Deck, ”he states in a video on his channel of him, Basically Homeless. “What about Nintendo Switch? I’ve been trying to learn the Luigi zero-to-death [combo in Smash Bros.] for like two years and it’s getting boring.”

“I want to do sweaty, try-hard FPS gaming from my toilet.” To accomplish this, Micro Center decided to sponsor the effort, supplying no shortage of high-end PC parts to make it happen.

To begin with, Nicholas needed to cut into a porcelain tank and replace a section of the front with glass epoxy to the porcelain — stating that “if you can’t see the PC parts it might as well not even be there.” He then separated the tank into halves — one half for flushing, and the other half for the PC parts. Tons of epoxy was used to seal everything, and for good reason: a single leak would burn out his prized throne from him.

After reassembling the toilet, discovering a leak, and layering a lot of flex-seal to hit any potential leak spots, the build was complete. You too can have a toilet computer, assuming you have around $3,000 AUD and a working knowledge of both plumbing and computer assembly.

Original reporting by Eurogamer.

Written by Junior Miyai on behalf of GLHF.

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US

Elderly California store owner fires at armed robbery suspect who shouts, ‘He shot my arm off!’

Elderly California store owner fires at armed robbery suspect who shouts, 'He shot my arm off!'

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An 80-year-old California liquor store owner was caught on video opening fire at a would-be robber with a shotgun, prompting the suspect to run out of his business screaming “he shot my arm off!”

The self-defense act happened early Sunday at Norco Market & Liquor in Norco, just east of Los Angeles, after the store owner was confronted by a gunman wielding a rifle.

“In this case, a lawfully armed member of our community prevented a violent crime and ensured their own safety, while being confronted with multiple armed suspects,” the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office said.

Surveillance footage obtained by Fox11 LA shows the masked suspect pointing a rifle at the store owner moments before the owner reached behind the counter, grabbed a shotgun and fired in the suspect’s direction.

LOS ANGELES AREA CARJACKING SUSPECT SHOT, KILLED BY POLICE

Two of the armed suspects police say they have taken into custody following the attempted robbery at a liquor store in Norco, Calif., on Sunday, July 31.

Two of the armed suspects police say they have taken into custody following the attempted robbery at a liquor store in Norco, Calif., on Sunday, July 31.
(Riverside County Sheriff’s Office)

The suspect is then heard screaming “he shot my arm off!” as he ran out of the store and into a getaway vehicle outside.

The 23-year-old gunman – who has not been publicly identified – was later tracked down at a local hospital “suffering from a gunshot wound consistent with a shotgun blast,” according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office.

He remains in critical but stable condition and will be booked into jail upon his release.

The liquor store in Southern California where the attempted robbery unfolded.

The liquor store in Southern California where the attempted robbery unfolded.
(Google Maps)

The other men police say were inside the getaway vehicle, who also were found at the hospital, were identified as Justin Johnson, 22, of Inglewood, Jamar Williams, 27, of Los Angeles, and Davon Broadus, 24, of Las Vegas.

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The BMW SUV they were traveling in was previously reported stolen and found to contain numerous stolen firearms – and now each of those men are facing charges of robbery and conspiracy and are being held in lieu of $500,000 bail, the sheriff’s office added.

The 80-year-old store owner, meanwhile, is recovering at a hospital after suffering a heart attack shortly after the attempted robbery, according to Fox11 LA.

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Technology

How color in photos can make food look tastier

Stephanie Liu

An appealing photo of a pizza or other menu item can help a restaurant increase sales – especially if the right filter is used, a new study suggests.

Photos high in color saturation make food look fresher and tastier to viewers, which increases their willingness to order the menu items, researchers found.

Color saturation refers to the intensity of the color in the image – the vividness and richness of the reds and greens and blues.

But how well color saturation works to make food appealing depends on the visual distance of the food in the photo – and even on whether consumers plan to dine alone or with others.

Stephanie LiuIn the cutthroat restaurant business, these results provide a simple method to increase sales, said Stephanie Liu, lead author of the study and associate professor of hospitality management at The Ohio State University.

“On Instagram, it means using the ‘X-Pro II’ filter on your food photos rather than the ‘Earlybird’ filter,” Liu said. “It is not difficult and doesn’t cost a tell me, so it is an easy win for restaurant marketers.”

The study was recently published online in the Journal of Business Research.

The researchers did two online studies.

In one study, 267 participants were asked to imagine themselves browsing through options on an online food ordering platform.

They were shown photos of a poke bowl, a Hawaiian dish featuring chunks of raw, marinated fish, vegetables and sauce over rice. They were from a fictitious restaurant named Poke Kitchen.

Study participants were randomly assigned to view one of the four different photos with either high or low color saturation and either close or farther away visual distance.

The photos with high color saturation were edited with professional graphic design software to be 130% more saturated than the low-saturation photos. The up-close photos were 130% larger in radius and appeared closer to the observer than the more distant photo.

Participants were asked to rate how fresh the food in each photo looked, how tasty it looked and how likely they would be to purchase it.

The food in the more highly saturated photos looked fresher and tastier to participants, and that led them to be more likely to purchase the food, results showed.

But color saturation had a stronger effect when the food appeared more distant in the photos, Liu said.

“When the food is shown close up, it is already easy for viewers to imagine how fresh and tasty the food would be,” she said. “Color saturation is not as necessary.”

The second study involved 222 online participants. In this case, the participants were asked to imagine they were browsing Instagram and came across images of pizza from a fictitious restaurant near their home named Pizza City. They were shown photos either high or low in color saturation.

People in the study were also told they would either be eating alone or with family that night and were again asked to rate the pizza on perceived freshness and taste and on whether they would likely purchase the menu item.

As in the previous study, the food in the color-saturated photo was always seen as fresher and tastier and one that people would be more likely to buy. But that effect was stronger for people who were told they would be eating alone and weaker for those who would be eating with family.

“When people are eating with others, the social experience is a big part of what people look forward to,” Liu said.

“But when they anticipate eating alone, they focus more on the food itself. They want the food to be fresher and tastier and that’s why color saturation is more important in this context.”

These findings are more important now than ever before, with people ordering online and looking at photos to help them decide what to eat, Liu said.

“Restaurants have to post pictures of their food on social media and online ordering platforms,” she said.

“They should be paying as much attention, or maybe more, to the photos they post as they do to the text. Color saturation is one key element they need to focus on.”

Co-authors on the study were Laurie Luorong Wu of Temple University, Xi Yu of the City University of Macau and Huiling Huang of the University of Macau in China. Xi Yu and Huiling Huang are recent doctoral graduates of the hospitality management program at Ohio State.

/PublicRelease. This material from the originating organization/author(s) may be of a point-in-time nature, edited for clarity, style and length. The views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s).

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NY Gov. Kathy Hochul leads Rep. Lee Zeldin by 14 points ahead of Nov. 8 election: Poll

NY Gov. Kathy Hochul leads Rep. Lee Zeldin by 14 points ahead of Nov. 8 election: Poll

A new Siena College poll shows Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul with a 14-point lead over Republican nominee Rep. Lee Zeldin ahead of the Nov. 8 election.

When asked who they’d “vote for today” if Hochul and Zeldin were the candidates for their respective parties, 53% of respondents said they’d vote for the governor while 39% said they would vote for Zeldin.

Another 7% said they “don’t know” or had no opinion and 2% said they would not vote for governor at all.

“Hochul dominates in New York City, leading by nearly 50 points, while Zeldin has slim 3-point leads both upstate and in the downstate suburbs,” pollster Steven Greenberg said.

Political experts say a pathway to victory for Zeldin requires winning at least 30% of the vote in Democrat-dominated New York City while winning big in the surrounding suburbs and upstate.

The incumbent governor is up in every demographic category based on race, age and income in the survey of 806 likely voters conducted July 24 to July 28.

Women are favoring Hochul by a whopping 26 points while Hochul and Zeldin have 46% support each among men.

While 36% of New Yorkers believe the Empire State is heading in the right direction, just 19% say they same about the country – an all-time high that could help Republicans like Zeldin campaign on such issues as historically high inflation.

Kathy Hochul
Gov. Kathy Hochul dominates in New York City, leading by nearly 50 points.
Matthew McDermott
Joe Biden
President Joe Biden is receiving mixed reviews from the Democratic Party.
Getty Images/Anna Moneymaker

New Yorkers are split on Democratic President Joe Biden, who is rated as favorable and unfavorable by 46% of respondents to the Siena poll.

The results of the poll are similar to a separate survey released Tuesday morning by Emerson College Polling, which showed Hochul with a 16-point edge over Zeldin, with similar margins separating the candidates in New York City and other regions of the state.

While Zeldin appears to be falling short of his electoral targets, he appears better positioned at this point in the race compared to other recent GOP nominees.

A 2018 Siena poll showed Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro, a Republican, was 22 points behind Democratic incumbent Gov. Andrew Cuomo weeks after they won their respective party primaries, held in September that year.

lee zeldin
NY State Congressman and 2022 candidate for governor Lee Zeldin has slim 3-point leads both upstate and in the downstate suburbs.
J. Messerschmidt/NY Post

“While Democrats have taken the last four gubernatorial elections, Zeldin’s current 14-point deficit matches the closest Republicans have come in those races, when Andrew Cuomo defeated Rob Astorino 54-40% in 2014. In August 2014, Cuomo led Astorino by 32 points , 58-26%,” Greenberg said in the press release.

But Zeldin has ground to make up if he wants to replicate the success of George Pataki, the last Republican to serve as governor.

Republican challenger George Pataki led Democratic Gov. Mario Cuomo by 3 points statewide – with an 11-point edge in New York City – in an October 1994 poll conducted by The New York Times/WCBS-TV News ahead of Pataki’s upset victory over the three-term incumbent that November.

Other GOP candidates on the statewide ticket in November 2022 appear to face even longer odds than Zeldin of becoming the first Republican to win a statewide election since Pataki won his third term in office in 2002.

United States Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer
US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is leading in his race.
Rod Lamkey / CNP / MediaPunch

US Sen. Chuck Schumer and state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli have 21-point leads in their respective races against Republican nominee Joe Pinion, a former Newsmax host, and banker Paul Rodriguez, according to the Siena poll.

State Attorney General Letitia James is 14 points ahead of commercial litigator Michael Henry in her own reelection bid.

Hochul has raised more than $34 million in her bid to become the first woman to get elected governor after taking over last August for ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who resigned amid multiple scandals.

Campaign finance disclosures filed in mid-July show her with $11.7 million on hand to spend for the campaign ahead compared to $1.6 million for Zeldin.

handguns
Hochul has advocated for stricter gun control after a major Supreme Court decision last month.
AP/Philip Kamrass

In recent months, she has campaigned heavily on abortion rights and gun control following controversial decisions by the US Supreme Court that might be weighing down Republicans’ chances in the Empire State this November.

“Although a small majority of Republicans support the Dobbs decision, it is opposed by 89% of Democrats, 60% of independents, and at least of 62% of voters from every region, age group, gender, and race,” Greenberg said in reference to the recent SCOTUS decision on abortion.

“Support for the new law expanding eligibility requirements to obtain a permit to carry a concealed weapon – background checks with character references and firearms safety training courses – is through the roof with all demographic groups,” he added about new state laws passed following another ruling striking down long time New York rules on carrying concealed weapons.

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