Latest news with #Era
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Letters to the Editor: As Disneyland turns 70, readers share their earliest memories of their visits
To the editor: In reading this article, I feel compelled to cast my vote for Disneyland's first decade as the best of times for those of us who were able to enjoy it ('What was the greatest Disneyland era? We look back on 70 years at the happiest place on Earth,' July 17). Shortly after I turned 5, my parents took the family to Disneyland just two weeks after its opening in 1955. Even in its early days, it fit the definition of 'magic kingdom' to a T. While I was watching a parade, Zorro himself (Guy Williams) stopped his horse right in front of me and scrolled a familiar 'Z' in the air with his famous saber. He then dismounted and signed my autograph book after having his merry band of characters do just the same. The icing on the cake came when Walt Disney himself suddenly appeared, patted me on the head and told my parents 'nice kid.' I suppose it helped that I was wearing an official Davy Crockett coonskin hat. To this day, I feel like Disney royalty as a result of his kind words. Those of us who remember what an 'E' ticket is are a dwindling horde, but even after all these years, I still remember that day and the kind pat on the head from the man himself. Stephen Lash, Carlsbad .. To the editor: Thank you for this wonderful overview of the 70-year history of Disneyland. Seventy years ago, when I was 8, my sister was 12 and my brother was 6, my parents decided to take us on a five-week drive across the country from the Boston suburbs to Los Angeles to be part of the grand opening of Disneyland. We drove without GPS, but with the old AAA booklets, to see our beautiful country. Along the way, we stopped at Yellowstone, Bryce, Zion and Yosemite national parks. But what was most memorable was our wonderful time at Disneyland's grand opening. All our neighbors came out to say goodbye as we started our journey, and we drove in an old DeSoto without air conditioning. But we didn't care because we got to see so much. We collected small pendants from each state and learned to appreciate this great country's beauty and natural wonders. Because of this experience, I am still an active traveler all over the world, and it all started with my parents' desire to imbue in us a love of seeing this country and the world — and of course, Disneyland. Fran Lyons, Encino .. To the editor: My dad began working at Walt Disney Studios in 1956 just after the opening of Disneyland. He would tell us that the Disney motto was 'Never stop creating.' All Disney employees were given free tickets to the park annually. While driving from Hollywood to Anaheim took about two hours since the 5 Freeway was just being constructed, my mom would pack a lunch to eat in the car during the long journeys. Very special memories. Cheryl Ortega, Los Feliz .. To the editor: Disney may have created "70 years of magic" but, elsewhere in the same edition of the paper, the Los Angeles Times noted that Disney pledged $15 million for President Trump's library to resolve a defamation lawsuit ('After CBS and ABC's Trump settlements, Democrats want to curb presidential library gifts,' July 16). That pretty much cancels out Disney magic in my book. Mary Montes, West Hills This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Solve the daily Crossword
Technical.ly
14-07-2025
- Business
- Technical.ly
Baltimore startup pivots Salesforce product to help companies save cash
Startup profile: Era Founded by: Guy Tawney Year founded: 2024 Headquarters: Baltimore, MD Sector: Cloud-based software Funding and valuation: N/A A Baltimore founder is relaunching his company's platform to show Salesforce users where to ditch unnecessary licenses. Era, founded by Guy Tawney in 2024, originally housed an automated time-tracking app in Salesforce that showed how long users spend on different pieces of data to identify workflow issues and employee performance. Now, as of July, it's become a tool to audit Salesforce licenses and help customers figure out which ones they actually need. These licenses give users certain degrees of access to the enterprise software giant's platform. The goal is to help companies save cash, per Tawney. 'We're addressing what I think is one of the biggest common complaints, or biggest issues, people have with Salesforce,' Tawney told 'the price tag.' The entrepreneur previously created Lanvale, a separate company founded in 2008 that also focuses on Salesforce by providing automation, project management and UI services for the software. While a different entity, the firm's seven employees, including contractors, also work for Era, per Tawney. Era's technology identifies what licenses in Salesforce are not being used and recommends which users can be moved to less expensive licenses by evaluating a 'very large web of details,' including which files and data are accessed, Tawney said. An economy in flux pushes companies to cut costs The US economy is shrinking as of the first quarter of 2025, and consumer spending is slowing. Ongoing trade wars have business owners on alert, too. That's why a cost-saving tool is important now, Tawney said. He credited these circumstances, along with customer feedback and the flexibility afforded by not taking funds from outside investors, with spurring Era's pivot. His primary customers are large enterprises, although he declined to name specific companies. While he's identifying places where Salesforce would not make as much money from its consumers, Tawney is not concerned about any tension between his company and the San Francisco-based cloud computing titan. Era is a Salesforce partner and independent software vendor, per Tawney. The product is native to Salesforce and gets distributed through its app exchange, which is similar to the app store on an iPhone, Tawney explained. He even uses Salesforce's coding language, called Apex. The tech is valuable to Salesforce itself because customers will be happy to save some funds, he believes. 'Helping their customers optimize their licensing structure or cost,' Tawney said, 'is going to end up being a benefit to Salesforce in the long run.'
Daily Tribune
11-07-2025
- Sport
- Daily Tribune
The 29th GCC Championships begin
It's been over a decade since Bahrain last hosted the GCC Swimming Championships — but this weekend, the kingdom makes a grand return. The 29th edition of the regional tournament kicks off today at Khalifa Sports City's indoor pool, bringing together swimmers from across the Gulf for two days of competition. Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, and host nation Bahrain will all be represented by male and female swimmers aged 14 and up. They'll race across all four traditional strokes (freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly), as well as individual medleys and relays. New Era Now, in 2025, the newly elected Bahrain Aquatics board is organizing its very first swimming event — and starting strong with a full-scale regional championship. 'Tomorrow is the start of something truly special,' said Abdulla Attiya, President of the Bahrain Aquatic Association, who famously completed a 70-kilometre relay swim around the island in April. 'We're building a culture that makes swimming accessible, exciting, and inspiring for everyone. We're here to make swimming fun again.' Attiya emphasized that the success of this event reflects years of grassroots support — from sponsors, national sports leaders, volunteers, and local fans. And for him, it's also a statement to the athletes themselves. 'Believe in yourselves and face challenges with passion and confidence,' he said. 'You are the strength of the homeland and the hope of tomorrow.' Tournament director Abdullah Matar echoed that energy from behind the scenes, highlighting the tireless effort to bring the championship to life. 'The team of the tournament continues to work hard and diligently, focusing on the joint efforts of the youth to ensure that preparations for the championship are raised,' he said. For Matar, the aim isn't just to run a smooth event — it's to raise the bar. 'We work hand in hand as a young, enthusiastic, and dedicated team, committed to achieving success that befits the size of the championship and the position of Bahrain. We are confident that these efforts will result in a distinctive sporting event that will leave a positive footprint on Gulf sports.' Timings Morning sessions start at 9 a.m. and runs until just past 11. Evening heats begin at 5 p.m., wrapping up around 7 p.m. tonight and 8 p.m. tomorrow. Entry is free, and the atmosphere is expected to build as friends, families, and fans fill the stands throughout the weekend.
Economic Times
08-07-2025
- Climate
- Economic Times
1st or 3rd world, no discrimination here
You'd think natural calamities like floods won't leave death and destruction in their wake in the First World. Well, as the flash floods that have devastated Texas, killing more than 100 and leaving dozens, including children, missing, climate-induced natural disasters are a great leveller. More used to such tragedies occurring in our part of the world, the flash floods and landslides claiming almost 80 lives, with dozens missing, in Himachal Pradesh have been no less tragic. But the two disaster zones separated by thousands of miles have the same problems: geography, 'unnatural' rainfall, and unhelpful human intervention and lack of preparedness. And, yet, many governments like the US are deprioritising climate change, heralding what the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change calls the 'Apathy Era'. The Trump regime has drastically reduced funding for National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and wants to 'eliminate' the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema). While nature's fury does not discriminate between rich, not-so-rich and poor nations, costs are far higher for developing countries. Even so, building resilience and minimising losses from climate-induced extreme weather events has now become a concern for the developed world as well. The sequence of events leading to the Texas floods is eerily familiar - a slow-moving storm bringing intense rainfall, overwhelming riverbanks, and inundating small towns with water that rose faster than many could escape. No country can afford to disregard climate risk in its economic and policy calculus. Strengthening infra and integrating climate risk into planning and construction, improving weather forecasting, and investing in robust early warning systems are critical.
Daily Mirror
03-07-2025
- Automotive
- Daily Mirror
McLaren are dominating F1 like Max Verstappen did but this is way more fun
Formula 1 is cyclical. The history of the sport, particularly in recent decades, shows that teams tend to dominate for a certain period, before someone knocks them off their perch, often with the help of a change to the regulations. Take the last 15 years, for example. In 2010, Red Bull reached the promised land for the first time with Sebastian Vettel. The German won four titles in a row from there, until the grid was given a big shunt by the engine changes that came into force after Vettel's final triumph in 2013. 'The Hybrid Era' began and Mercedes were the ones who built the quickest engine, by far. They turned that advantage into complete domination, winning eight constructors' titles in a row while Lewis Hamilton went from being known as just the 2008 world champion to a seven-time title-winner and, in the eyes of many, the greatest the sport has ever seen. And then came along Max Verstappen. The controversial 2021 title race remains a sore, divisive topic but, whichever side of that debate you fall on, the history books reflect the Dutchman's maiden triumph and, unsurprisingly, he went on to add three more drivers' titles with Red Bull untouchable for a spell. Until last year, which was another one of those transitional seasons. Verstappen made a strong start when Red Bull were still on top and his outstanding performances were enough to retain his crown. But, make no mistake, it was McLaren's year as they summited the teams' standings for the first time this century. And they have followed through on that this year by taking a tight grip of the championship. After 11 rounds of 24, heading into the British Grand Prix, they are already 207 points clear and only remarkable drop-off will see them lose it from here. And history is up for grabs. Red Bull won the 2023 title by a whopping 451 points over their nearest challenger, by far the biggest winning margin in F1 history. With 13 rounds still to go, including four Sprint races, it's not inconceivable that McLaren might end the year with an even larger buffer below them. And that's a shame – unless you're a McLaren fan, of course. This season was billed as a potential four-way fight for glory which would have made for epic viewing, but it hasn't turned out that way. Red Bull, Mercedes and Ferrari simply haven't been in the same league, for the most part. On paper, it looks as dull as that 2023 season when Red Bull and Verstappen conquered all. But it doesn't feel that way, thanks to one key difference – McLaren are not a one-man team. I don't mean to disparage Sergio Perez, who finished second in the drivers' standings which was exactly what the team needed from him, but Verstappen was, and remains, the undisputed number one at Red Bull. It was always a one-horse race. At McLaren this year, things are different. In Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, they have two young, supremely talented drivers who look very evenly matched, and that is reflected by the current state of the championship. McLaren are miles ahead of all their rivals, but leader Piastri is just 15 points clear of team-mate Norris heading into the British Grand Prix. Every time one of them threatens to build a more significant advantage, they are pegged back by the other. Norris did it superbly in Spielberg on Sunday to ensure that Piastri would not move more than a full race win ahead. The Brit will have the backing of the crowd at Silverstone this weekend, but his Aussie rival will be out for revenge after he was beaten in hometown Melbourne in March. Formula 1 fans can watch every practice, qualifying and race live with Sky's new Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle in a new deal that saves £192. As well as Sky Sports access, this includes more than 100 TV channels and free subscriptions to Netflix and Discovery+. The big-picture battle is great fun, but what makes it truly thrilling is that, on a race-by-race basis, McLaren are letting them fight. they won't say it publicly, but they know their constructors' title defence is set to be successful. As long as things don't get too out of hand, they can let their drivers push each other hard. And for those of us who just want to see a close-fought title race, it's a brilliant situation. Not perfect, because it would have been nice to see multiple drivers from different teams in the fight. But watching two outstanding young stars who could dominate the grid for the next decade throw everything at each other is a pretty good consolation prize.
