With a career spanning multiple decades and 15 studio albums with his band, Jon Bon Jovi is an icon in every sense of the word. Previously ranked as one of "The Most Powerful and Influential People in the Music Business" by Billboard and even as one of the "50 Most Beautiful People in the World" by People, it's clear that Jon has had quite an impact on pop culture.
Even to this day, the 60-year-old maintains the rigorous schedule of a touring rockstar, but it seems as though that lifestyle could be taking a toll on him and his abilities. So, what happened to Jon's voice that has fans and peers worried about the future of his performing career? Here's what we know.Although Jon has enjoyed a decades-long career without any noticeable faults in his performances, that seems to be changing. According to a concert review by twincities.com of Jon's April 2022 show in St. Paul, Minn., the rock star's performance was "shockingly poor." "Bon Jovi didn’t just miss a note here or there, he struggled throughout the two-plus hour show," the review further noted. That wasn't the only show where Jon drew criticism from viewers, however, as similar comments were echoed by Indy Star regarding the star's show in Indianapolis, Ind. that same month. The publication claimed that Jon's singing was lackluster, noted that his "voice never fully shined," and wrote that "the belting never showed up." Jon's recent performances have been dragged on social media as well, with fans posting unflattering videos of the New Jersey-born star struggling to sing his hit tracks.Without a definitive confirmation from Jon, the jury is still out on exactly what the cause behind his lackluster singing could be. However, we have some guesses. Jon was diagnosed with COVID-19 in October 2021, per People. Although there is still much to be learned about the illness, it has been proven that it can take a toll on a singer's abilities. According to "COVID-19: Impact on the Musician and Returning to Singing; A Literature Review," the virus "can affect the voice and can lead to paresis/paralysis of laryngeal nerves to long-term changes in respiratory function." Jon has never opened up about struggling with the long-term effects of COVID, but he did tell the Star Tribune that he "couldn't have sung for at least two weeks" while he was down with the illness. Other factors could also be at play, though, These include Jon's age, potential technical difficulties on stage, and the lack of his right-hand man and vocalist, Richie Sambora, whose sound was an integral part of the group until he left in 2013. As part of his YouTube channel Justin Hawkins Rides Again, singer Justin Hawkins, of the band The Darkness, made a video discussing the problems that he saw in Jon's recent performances. Justin, who is also a touring musician, called Jon's singing "tired" and noted that it "sounds like he needs some kind of therapy." Justin offered his opinion on the cause of Jon's voice change. "It doesn’t sound like it’s a polyp or some sort of lump on his vocal cords ’cause that would be more unpredictable," he explained. "He would be hitting the notes and then it would squeak off and it would do something unexpected… but that’s not what’s happening here. This sounds like he’s super tired." Justin suggested that there could also be a medical issue at play. "To hold a note with it being off-key suggests some pitching issues that might be to do with hearing, as well," he added. Justin called Jon a "great singer" but maintained that "this sounds like something is eating away at him from the inside … and I feel like the people around him need to tell him to stop." Jon has not responded to Justin's comments as of the time of this writi
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Justin Timberlake has sold the rights to his songs including hits such as Cry Me A River and Rock Your Body to Hipgnosis Song Management, the latest pop star to cash in on his body of work in the red-hot market for music streaming.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, although a report by the Wall Street Journal said the transaction was valued at just above US$100 million. The deal was made on behalf of Hipgnosis Songs Capital, a partnership between Hipgnosis Song Management and funds managed by investment firm Blackstone, the advisory firm owned by music executive Merck Mercuriadis said in a statement. Timberlake rose to fame as one-fifth of 1990's boy band NSync, becoming a pin-up for good looks.After NSync parted ways, Timberlake launched his solo career in his debut solo album Justified, in 2002. His FutureSex/LoveSounds album arrived at the forefront of a new sound in the pop charts, fusing pop, R&B, hip-hop and dance. He also appeared in films such as The Social Network, Friends With Benefits and The Trouble With The Curve, alongside Clint Eastwood. The deal comes at a time when the lack of live concerts and delayed release of new recordings due to the pandemic prompt artists to monetise their older work. Earlier this year, Hipgnosis Song Management acquired the music catalogue of Canadian singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen, while British singer-songwriter Sting sold his career music catalogue to Universal Music Publishing Group. Hipgnosis buys artists' song catalogues and earns revenue when the music is streamed online or used in movies or advertising. The firm's partnership with Blackstone aims to invest $1 billion for buying music rights, record songs and manage catalogues. Amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, the United Kingdom Defence Ministry has said that Russia has likely deployed an operational company of BMP-T Terminator tank support vehicles in Severodonetsk. This is an area that remains Russia's immediate tactical priority in the Ukraine war. The UK Defence Ministry further stated that the presence of the BMP-T Terminator tank indicates that the Central Grouping of Forces (CGF) has been deployed in the military offensive. Media reports suggest Russia has about nine of the armoured vehicles, which are built on the chassis of the T-72 tank.
The Terminator, which has the official designation BMPT, is heavily armoured and armed, designed to defend tanks from ambushes and attacks at close range in urban settings. Terminators have four anti-tank missile launchers, two 30 mm autocannons, two grenade launchers, a machine gun, and a top speed of 36 mph, The Times of London reported. What is BMP-T Terminator? Terminator or BMPT is a tank support fighting system developed by Russia. Experts say that Russia developed the Terminator after recognising the power of main tanks used in war-torn areas of Afghanistan and Syria. It was designed to protect Russian tanks against enemy infantry. This tank provides close support to its other tanks and armoured fighting vehicles during battles in urban areas. It is said that the system was first showcased 9 years ago in the year 2013 at the Russian Arms Expo held at Nizhny Tagil. Guerrilla warfare tactics used by the Chechen fighters in Grozny during the First Chechen War in 1995 led to the development of this weapon system as many Russian tanks were lost in the urban fighting. Speciality of the BMP-T Terminator The Terminator or the Boyevaya Mashina Podderzhki Tankov (BMPT), is a tank support fighting vehicle developed by Russia. It is is heavily armoured and armed, designed to defend tanks from ambushes and attacks at close range in urban settings:
It also destroys lightly and heavily armoured targets, posing a risk of falling enemy helicopters, drones and low-altitude aircraft. The manufacturer claims that a single Terminator can replace two conventional BMPs and an infantry platoon.
2022 FORMULA 1 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP CONSTRUCTOR STANDINGS
It was almost inevitable that the Czech Republic would buy more gold. With all of its regional neighbours having recently either repatriated large quantities of gold (Germany and Austria), or bought large quantities of gold (Poland and Hungary), it seems that the Czech Republic has now taken note and does not want to be left out of this Central European gold rush. On 26 May in an interview with Czech publication Ekonom, the incoming governor of the Czech National Bank (CNB), Aleš Michl, said that he plans to massively increase the central bank’s gold reserves from the current 11 tonnes to over 100 tonnes or more. 1000% Increase in Czech Gold Holdings Talking to Ekonom’s editor Vojtěch Wolf, and deputy editor-in-chief, Martin Petříček, the soon to be central bank governor explained his approach to the management of the Czech central bank’s reserves: Ekonom question: “You have repeatedly said that the CNB should manage foreign exchange reserves differently, which have swelled in recent years. What is your vision on that?" Aleš Michl answer: “The reserve management team is professional, they have assignments from the bank board that perform well. I would like to give them a new assignment, to slightly increase the expected return on reserves. To do this, you need to have more stocks and more gold. And to do it gradually, step by step, it is a change of strategy over years." Ekonom question: “How should the proportions of the individual components develop?" Aleš Michl answer: “In our Assets and Liabilities Committee, I will propose to, gradually over the years, increase equities from the current 16 percent of reserves to 20 percent or more. The central banks of Switzerland, Israel or large state sovereign wealth funds, led by Norway, do the same. And I will propose to have more gold, from 11 tonnes to 100 and more tonnes. Gradually, over several years. Gold is good for diversification, it has zero correlation with stocks." The 44 year old Michl has been a member of the Czech central bank board since December 2018, and will begin his 6-year term as CNB governor on 1 July 2022, after having been appointed to the role by Czech president Miloš Zeman. The Ekonom interview also gives some insights into how the new CNB governor thinks about managing the Czech central bank’s gold and foreign exchange reserves, with the word ‘wealth’ cropping up a number of times. Michl – “My vision is to have a long-term profitable CNB. We are at a great loss now. I would like to set the strategy so that the expected return on assets, which are foreign exchange reserves, in the long run exceeds the cost of the central bank’s liabilities, which are mainly deposits of banks that we have to pay interest on." Ekonom question: “For what reason?“ Michl – “It is a vision to create a nation’s wealth that exceeds my six-year term.” Elsewhere he again mentions the wealth of a nation: Michl – “Rather than predicting another devastating event, it is much easier to conclude that a country, nation, population, business or enterprise can better mitigate the effects of disasters if they have savings, wealth, rather than a pile of debt in better times. “
2022 Formula 1 World Championship Drivers' Standings
FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX DE MONACO 2022 Race Results
A 1955 Mercedes-Benz, one of only two of its kind, was auctioned off earlier this month (May 20, 2022) for a whopping €135 million (US$143 million), making it the most expensive car ever sold, RM Sotheby's announced Thursday. The Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut was sold to a private collector, the classic car auction company said in a statement, fetching almost triple the previous record price for a car, which was set in 2018 by a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO that went for over $48 million. The invitation-only auction took place on May 5 at the MercedesBenz Museum in Stuttgart, Germany, the auction house said, adding that the vehicle's high price places it in the "top 10 most valuable items ever sold at auction in any collecting category". According to an AFP ranking of artworks sold at auction in recent years, the 300 SLR ranks sixth or seventh, with the all-time record being held by Leonardo da Vinci's "Salvator Mundi", which sold in November 2017 for $450.3 million.
The car is one of just two prototypes built by the Mercedes-Benz racing department and is named after its creator and chief engineer, Rudolf Uhlenhaut, according to RM Sotheby's. "The private buyer has agreed that the 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe will remain accessible for public display on special occasions, while the second original 300 SLR Coupe remains in company ownership and will continue to be displayed at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart," the auction company added. According to RM Sotheby's and press reports, the 300 SLR, recognisable by its unusual lines and butterfly doors, was modelled on the W196 R Grand Prix race car, which won two Formula 1 world championships in 1954 and 1955 with Italian Juan Manuel Fangio in the driver's seat. But in June 1955, tragedy struck the Mercedes-Benz team, when at the 24 Hours of Le Mans race, a crash of one of its 300 SLR vehicles killed French driver Pierre Levegh and 83 spectators. That tragedy -- the deadliest in the history of motor racing -- forced the company to withdraw from the sport for years. RM Sotheby's said the proceeds from the auction will be used to establish a worldwide Mercedes-Benz Fund that will fund environmental science and decarbonisation research.
FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX DE MONACO 2022 Qualifying Results
Ex-Formula One chief executive Bernie Ecclestone was taken into police custody on Wednesday after he allegedly tried to take a gun with him to Switzerland on a private flight from Brazil. Local police confirmed that they found an un-documented LW Seecamp .32 gun in the 91-year-old's luggage during an X-ray screening, with Globo in Brazil saying that the item, which was not loaded, had been placed in a shirt pocket. After the discovery, Ecclestone was then apprehended and taken to a police facility at Campinas' Viracopos International Airport around 50 miles from the largest city in the country, Sao Paulo.
Ecclestone has a Brazilian wife, Fabiana Ecclestone, who is a member of the World Motor Sport Council and also motorsport global governing body the FIA's vice-president. The couple attended several events across her homeland this month, including a stock car race in the Sao Paulo state countryside, while also meeting with three-time F1 champion Nelson Piquet in the capital Brasilia. Yet their time in South America's biggest country ended with a brush with the law. And while Ecclestone owned up to owning the gun, which he allegedly bought five years ago from an F1 mechanic to store in a rural property in Sao Paulo, he claimed to be unaware that it was in his luggage. After paying a R$6,060 ($1,250) bail, the Brit billionaire was freed to continue his trip to Switzerland. Spending 40 years as Formula One's chief, Ecclestone stepped down from his role in 2017. US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer on Wednesday said it would sell its patented drugs on a not-for-profit basis to the world’s poorest countries, as part of a new initiative announced at the World Economic Forum in Davos. “The time is now to begin closing this gap” between people with access to the latest treatments and those going without, chief executive Albert Bourla told attendees at the exclusive Swiss mountain resort gathering.“An Accord for a Healthier World” focuses on five areas: infectious diseases, cancer, inflammation, rare diseases and women’s health-where Pfizer currently holds 23 patents, including the likes of Comirnaty and Paxlovid, its COVID vaccine and oral treatment. “This transformational commitment will increase access to Pfizer-patented medicines and vaccines available in the United States and the European Union to nearly 1.2 billion people,” Angela Hwang, group president of the Pfizer Biopharmaceuticals Group. Five countries: Rwanda, Ghana, Malawi, Senegal and Uganda have committed to joining, with a further 40 countries — 27 low-income and 18 lower-middle-income-eligible to sign bilateral agreements to participate. “Pfizer’s commitment sets a new standard, which we hope to see emulated by others,” Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame said. But he added that “additional investments and strengthening of Africa’s health systems and pharmaceutical regulators” would also be needed.
Seven years behind Developing countries experience 70 percent of the world’s disease burden but receive only 15 percent of global health spending, leading to devastating outcomes. Across sub-Saharan Africa, one child in 13 dies before their fifth birthday, compared to one in 199 in high-income countries. Cancer-related mortality rates are also far higher in low and middle-income countries-causing more fatalities in Africa every year than malaria. All this is set to a backdrop of limited access to the latest drugs. Essential medicines and vaccines typically take four to seven years longer to reach the poorest countries, and supply chain issues and poorly resourced health systems make it difficult for patients to receive them once approved. “The COVID-19 pandemic further highlighted the complexities of access to quality healthcare and the resulting inequities,” said Hwang. “We know there are a number of hurdles that countries have to overcome to gain access to our medicines. That is why we have initially selected five pilot countries to identify and come up with operational solutions and then share those learnings with the remaining countries.” ‘Very good model’ Specifically, the focus will be on overcoming regulatory and procurement challenges in the countries, while ensuring adequate levels of supply from Pfizer’s side. The “not-for-profit” price tag takes into account the cost to manufacture and transport of each product to an agreed upon port of entry, with Pfizer charging only manufacturing and minimum distribution costs. If a country already has access to a product at a lower price tier, for example vaccines supplied by GAVI, a public-private global partnership, that lower price will be maintained. Hwang acknowledged that even an at-cost approach could be challenging for the most cash-strapped countries, and “this is why we have reached out to financial institutions to brief them on the Accord and ask them to help support country level financing.” Pfizer will also reach out to other stakeholders-including governments, multilateral organizations, NGOs and even other pharmaceuticals-to ask them to join the Accord. It is also using funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to advance work on a vaccine against Group B Streptococcus (GBS), the leading cause of stillbirth and newborn mortality in low-income countries. “This type of accord is a very good model, it’s going to help get medicines out,” Gates told the Davos conference, adding that “partnerships with companies like Pfizer have been key to the progress we have made” on efforts like vaccines. Lewis Hamilton had a puncture on Lap 1 of Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix courtesy of an over optimistic Kevin Magnussen, after which the Briton was relegated to the back of the grid some 50 seconds down on the race leaders.
Hamilton then radioed his team to retire the car and save the new power unit he had bolted to his W13, only for his team to refuse and ask him – an inspired decision by the way – to carry on. Former Formula 1 driver Martin Brundle was baffled by Hamilton’s demeanor and said in his Sky Sports F1 column: “Lewis’ contact with Kevin Magnussen on the opening lap surely cost him a chance of a spectacular result. “He was 50 seconds behind the leader on lap two and 54 seconds at the end despite backing off by four seconds on the final tour. “Lewis’s radio call-in after falling to the back of the field with a puncture, basically wanting to stop and ‘save the power unit mileage’, was alarming,” the pundit insisted. “It gave us the true picture of how little he’s been enjoying this season. “Presumably 65 laps later he was somewhat more satisfied after showing great pace,” Brundle pointed out lauding the fans for voting Hamilton Driver of the Day. George Russell’s defence on Max Verstappen fair Mercedes had a great race in Barcelona, with George Russell taking third position after an epic duel with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, despite the latter’s DRS troubles on the day. Brundle said it was “fascinating to witness” the Dutchman’s “first proper wheel-to-wheel battle with Russell” who he believed was “defending robustly but fairly, and very well”. The 62-year-old added: “I happened across the race stewards on Sunday evening and they were of the same opinion that George was pushing the boundaries but not breaking the rules. “And his run back past Max between the very short turns one and two will be played out for a good while,” he maintained. The veteran of 158 grands prix praised Verstappen for keeping his battle with Russell within the proper boundaries, and said: “Once again Max was very clean and fair in this enduring battle, more so than when he was against Hamilton last year, which is more fitting of a champion. “But of course the championship is not up for grabs yet,” he remarked.
A Datacenter – But for Gold
From the photos, you can see that the gold storage vault of the Portuguese central bank has a very orderly design, with tall racks of bars (maybe 30 rows high) laid out in close proximity to each other to form a number of aisles and corridors. It almost has a datacenter feel to it, except instead of servers and routers, there are gold bars. Commenting on the visit, reporters Sandra Afonso and Marta Grosso from Radio Renascença wrote: : “This Tuesday, on a guided tour, journalists were able for the first time to take photographs of the gold in the Casa Forte de Reserva, located in Carregado. Much gold is stored in these facilities: 13,666 bars, totaling 173 tons. Each bar weighs about 12 pounds. In Carregado, there are still 406 bars that belong to the European Central Bank (ECB), but are in the custody of the Bank of Portugal (BdP). “Interestingly, most of the gold is abroad. We have 186 tonnes in custody at the Bank of England, one of the main gold custody and gold transaction locations. We have a significant part of our gold there: around 49%”, said Hélder Rosalino [Banco de Portugal director]” Interestingly, the Banco de Portugal’s Carregado vault claims to be storing about 5 tonnes of gold which belongs to the European Central Bank (ECB). This is gold that was transferred by the Banco de Portugal to the ECB in 1999 as part of the creation of the Euro when each founding central bank member transferred foreign reserve assets to the ECB, 15% of which had to be in the form of physical gold.“
2022 FORMULA 1 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP CONSTRUCTOR STANDINGS
Like anything in the central bank gold world, there is no transparency into the claimed gold of any of these central banks nor any independent physical audits of the gold bars they claim to hold, so when talking about relative rankings, we will just have to go with the figures of the IMF / World Gold Council. Just Outside Lisbon The Banco de Portugal maintains that just over 45% of its total gold reserves, or 127.6 tonnes (5,549,238 ozs), is held in the form of gold bars in its vault in Carregado, and it was these gold bars which the Portuguese reporters and photographers were briefly shown in what the Reuters report about the visit called a ‘Rare Glimpse'. But apart from Reuters, a whole host of Portuguese media seemed to be present for the tour of the vault, judging by the extensive coverage this gold vault ‘tour’ received in the Portuguese media. So it is these reports of the Portuguese media which we turn to get more details about the Carregado vault and what the media saw. And since there were photographers present, quite a few photographs of the gold were taken, a selection of which are included below. The Banco de Portugal’s Carregado Complex is a 67,000 square metre compound in an industrial part of the town which is surrounded by high walls and barbed wire, and which is guarded by machine gun toting members of Portugal’s National Republican Guard, and their four-legged friends, German Shepherds. As well as the gold vault, this Carregado Complex, built in 1995, is where the Portuguese central bank prints Euro banknotes, so there are said to be more than 200 bank employees working in this operational centre.
Apart from the 172.6 tonnes (45%) of Portuguese gold in the Carregado vault near Lisbon, the Banco de Portugal maintains that another 186.4 tonnes (48.7%) of its gold is stored in the Bank of England in London, with an additional 20 tonnes (5.2%) stored with the Bank for International Settlements (BIS), and the remaining 3.7% tonnes (1%) now stored at the Banque de France in Paris after having been moved in 2021 from the vault of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York (FRBNY). So overall, the split is 45% of Portugal’s gold is supposedly stored in Portugal, with the remaining 55% stored abroad. |
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