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Is This the End of the Trail Map?

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Is This the End of the Trail Map?

Even at tradition-bound Mad River Glen in Vermont (the place the unique single chair was changed by yet one more single when an improve was wanted), a QR code on indicators across the mountain leads skiers to a map on the web site to chop down on paper waste, mentioned the spokesman Ry Younger. The resort nonetheless provides paper maps; a latest revision, in truth, was Mr. Niehues’ final massive undertaking.

Mr. Niehues, who retired final 12 months, mentioned that his maps aren’t nearly “guiding you down the mountain however displaying you its potential and what it provides.” To convey that, he created three-dimensional scenes with meticulously rendered particulars. “I actually saved the skiers in thoughts and tried to make it as life like as I may,” he added. “I all the time felt that it was vital to point out the terrain, the environment, the bushes.”

These artistic endeavors, whether or not by Mr. Niehues or others, typically outlast a ski trip, morphing right into a memento that permits you to additional examine the mountain on days you want you had been nonetheless there and even evaluate modifications through the years at a favourite resort. That’s why an avid skier like Stuart Winchester has a drawer filled with a whole bunch of maps — he’s even embellished his Brooklyn laundry room with a few dozen of them.

“I just like the bodily path map as a token of your ski day,” mentioned Mr. Winchester, an inside communications director at ViacomCBS who additionally runs the Storm Snowboarding publication and podcast about resort traits and the way they have an effect on skiers.

However, as apps provide an more and more subtle degree of performance, their worth for tech-savvy skiers is plain. As an illustration, Powdr launched a characteristic final winter at Vermont’s Killington and at Snowbird that exhibits skiers the place they and their buddies are on the mountain in actual time; Mt. Bachelor added the characteristic for this season. Vail’s complete EpicMix app now features a day by day forecast of raise line wait instances at 12 of the corporate’s resorts for higher planning from the beginning.

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A very intriguing amenity comes from Lumiplan, a French firm that makes indicators and apps for ski areas; it’s growing an interactive day by day itinerary choice that the corporate’s govt vp, Julien Chassagne, referred to as “the way forward for the path map.” Say that you just wish to spend a day snowboarding as many intermediate mogul runs as you possibly can, eat lunch at a sure restaurant after which find yourself at a specific base space location — enter these preferences into the app and it’ll offer you a sport plan. The characteristic is presently being examined out at Serre Chevalier, a ski space within the French Alps.

Nevertheless it’s possible too quickly to name the precise demise of the normal pocket-size map, mentioned Garry Milliken, a graphic designer who creates maps that may be printed or reproduced digitally via his New York-based firm, VistaMap. “The nice, old school path map remains to be a major supply of data,” he mentioned. He has seen technological approaches come and go throughout his 30 years within the enterprise and emphasizes the usability of “with the ability to learn and maintain one thing in your hand, whatever the temperature or the climate.”

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Ref needs glasses? Not anymore. Lasik company offers free procedures for referees

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Ref needs glasses? Not anymore. Lasik company offers free procedures for referees

The officials missed not one, but two apparent penalties on one key play late in the Cincinnati Bengals-Baltimore Ravens showdown Thursday night that could have cost Joe Burrow and Co. the game.

That came just two weeks after the officials appeared to have missed another crucial call at the end of the “Thursday Night Football” game between the Minnesota Vikings and the Rams that could have altered the outcome.

Can anything be done about all these referees who appear unable to see what’s happening right in front of them?

The folks at Lasik.com, seeing a golden opportunity to promote their services, have stepped forward to help. The company is offering free corrective eye surgery for NFL officials as well as for anyone who is in such a capacity for a number of other U.S. sports leagues.

Are professional referees upset about the Lasik promotion? A representative for the union representing NFL referees did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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The program is called “Better Vision, Better Calls.” And, yes, it’s legit.

“Yeah, it is real,” Eddy Gilfilen, a marketing director for Lasik.com, told The Times. “It is completely complimentary as long as they are an official referee across the NFL, NHL, NBA, MLB, USNT, WNBA, MLS and NWSL, so really just the top major women’s and men’s professional leagues.

“If a referee is deemed a safe candidate, they are absolutely, fully covered, including drops and any other extra charges they might have.”

Gilfilen said the company’s network of providers have already treated numerous referees across multiple leagues through the promotion.

But, that’s not all: Anybody who nominates an official whose eyes seem to need fixing will receive $1,000 off their own Lasik procedure.

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“We’ve had hundreds of nominations over the last couple weeks,” Gilfilen said.

The program was launched in May, but it didn’t receive much attention until after the Vikings-Rams game Oct. 24 at SoFi Stadium.

With less than two minutes left in the game, Minnesota quarterback Sam Darnold was tackled in the end zone for a safety, giving L.A. the ball and a two-score lead. Replays showed that Rams linebacker Byron Young had illegally grabbed Darnold’s facemask in making the play, but the play couldn’t be reviewed and the Rams went on to a claim a 30-20 win.

Later that night, Lasik.com took to X and posted a photo of the play, with the caption “Better Vision. Better Calls” and a link to the offer in the comments.

Suddenly, people noticed.

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“Really the first kind of lift that we saw was from that Rams game,” Gilfilen said. “That was the first campaign where it really kind of took off and we’re like, OK, we gotta figure out a way to keep the momentum going.”

That opportunity came Thursday night, after the Bengals pulled to within 35-34 with 38 seconds left in the game and opted to go for a two-point conversion and the likely win. But Burrow’s pass to receiver Tanner Hudson fell incomplete and sealed the Ravens’ win, as the officials did not throw flags on the apparent pass interference and roughing the passer penalties against Baltimore.

Afterward, Lasik.com posted a video of the missed interference call, along with a friendly reminder: “Obviously, we’re still offering NFL refs free LASIK.”

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Kristin Scott Thomas confirms secret wedding to Bloomberg News' John Micklethwait

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Kristin Scott Thomas confirms secret wedding to Bloomberg News' John Micklethwait

British actor Kristin Scott Thomas has wed Bloomberg News editor Johh Micklethwait.

The “Slow Horses” star confirmed her nuptials on Tuesday’s “Ruthie’s Table 4” podcast after host Ruth Rogers mentioned the wedding in the episode’s introduction.

“Kristin is basking in love and the joy of just a few weeks ago marrying the editor and my friend John Micklethwait,” Rogers said. The Independent had previously reported that the two, who reportedly dated for about five years, secretly wed in September.

Representatives for Scott Thomas did not immediately respond Wednesday to The Times’ request for comment.

Scott Thomas added that she had been “longing for stability” rather than traveling the world, including sleeping in the same bed for more than two weeks at a time. Her work in television has allowed for that.

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“So much life happens in those four years,” Scott Thomas said of her time on the AppleTV+ thriller series. “People have died, people have been born, people have got divorced, people have got married. And this year we’ve had two weddings. We had Jack [Lowden]’s wedding [to Saoirse Ronan] and my wedding.”

The Oscar-nominated star of “The English Patient” said she and Micklethwait got married in Rutland, England, where his family is from. Discussing the wedding menu on the food podcast, the Cornish performer said that they had coronation chicken, a cold chicken salad famously created for a luncheon during Queen Elizabeth II’s 1953 coronation. As a wedding present, her sister collected and compiled maternal and paternal family recipes and put them into a book for her.

The “Four Weddings and a Funeral” and “Gosford Park” star previously was married to obstetrician François Olivennes from 1987 to 2005. The former couple share three adult children.

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How Trump's second presidency could bring more drama to Hollywood

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How Trump's second presidency could bring more drama to Hollywood

Already facing retrenchment and existential concerns about its business model, Hollywood is bracing for more potential volatility from the incoming Trump administration.

While President-elect Donald Trump has not laid out specific plans for the entertainment industry, analysts said his proposed broader policies on global tariffs, as well as the threat of retaliation against companies, could put a chill on Los Angeles’ signature business.

“If I were wealthy today, I would not be buying stock in the entertainment world,” said Stephen Galloway, dean of Chapman University’s Dodge College of Film and Media Arts. “There’s going to be a lot of turbulence.”

California Gov. Gavin Newsom recently proposed upping the annual cap on state film and TV tax credits to $750 million, from its current total of $330 million. He and others have called for the federal government to step in and keep the U.S. competitive in global production.

But it’s unlikely that Trump would throw the film and TV business a lifeline, especially in any way that could help Newsom and deep-blue California.

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“Let’s face it, liberal Hollywood is the enemy,” Galloway said. “Even though this is a guy who made his name in entertainment, he’s not going to be a pro-entertainment-industry politician.”

Many Hollywood stars and executives were vocal backers of the Democratic nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, lending her their endorsements and their pocketbooks after pushing for President Biden to withdraw from the race.

Some executives hedged their bets, though. Warner Bros. Discovery Chief Executive David Zaslav demurred when asked this summer whom he supported for president, saying he preferred someone who would pave the way for more consolidation.

On Thursday, the Motion Picture Assn. trade group, which lobbies on behalf of the studios, congratulated Trump and the incoming Congress on their victories.

“We look forward to working with them on a wide range of important issues for the film, TV, and streaming industry, which supports more than 2.7 million American jobs, boosts more than 240,000 businesses in cities and small towns across the country, and delivers over $242 billion in wages to our workforce each year,” the group said in a statement.

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Analysts were also concerned about the effect a potential tariff war could have on the entertainment industry.

If Trump follows through with his threats of global tariffs, nations like China could ban U.S. imports, including film and TV shows, which would dent the already-reeling distribution market, Galloway said. During Trump’s first term, the president’s trade war with China was partly blamed for derailing Hollywood’s relationship with the country.

The potential for retaliation could also be a problem, said Kevin Klowden, executive director of the Milken finance institute.

As a candidate, Trump railed against CBS and said he wanted the network’s broadcast license pulled for editing one of Harris’ answers during her interview on “60 Minutes.” The news program has flatly denied allegations of deceptive editing to help Harris.

That type of directive would likely get tied up in the courts, but “it’s the threat that becomes the issue,” Klowden said.

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Films and TV shows that paint Trump in a negative light run the risk of drawing his ire, which could then affect their parent companies, Galloway said. Media and entertainment giants might be wary of the situation Walt Disney Co. found itself in after it battled Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis over the state’s so-called Don’t Say Gay anti-LGBTQ legislation.

Recently, the Trump biopic “The Apprentice” struggled to find a distributor after the former president’s team threatened legal action. The film fared poorly at the U.S. box office.

More conservative media, on the other hand, could see a boost in their stock, including the Murdoch family-owned News Corp., which publishes the New York Post, Wall Street Journal and Investor’s Business Daily, and Fox Corp., parent company of Trump’s favored Fox News.

“Back in the day, studios were little companies making movies,” Galloway said. “Now they’re cogs in enormous, multinational operations where one domino suddenly sends 50 others falling.”

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