Page 151 – saobserver

Return-To-Office Appears To Be Winning

Employment

-

2023-11-14

Return-To-Office Appears To Be Winning With The Proportion Of People Working From Home Dropping To Its Lowest Level Since The Covid-19 Pandemic Began

The proportion of Americans working from home has fallen to the lowest level since the pandemic started, according to Census Bureau data.

Between September 20 and October 2, only around 25.9% of households had at least one person working remotely for at least one day a week, per the Bureau’s latest Household Pulse Survey.

Bloomberg reported that the proportion of Americans working from home peaked in March 2021. Census Bureau estimates show that around 38.8% households had at least one person working remotely at least once a week between March 3 and March 15, 2021 and around 39.1% from March 17 to March 29.

The fall in the proportion of Americans working from home comes amid a continued return-to-office drive as COVID-19 rates fall and employers debate the productivity of working from home.

A recent report from Goldman Sachs showed that research studies have divergent conclusions on the effects of remote work on productivity. Some studies suggest that people who work from home are less productive because they get distracted by, for example, household chores and caring responsibilities, but employees say that working remotely or in a hybrid format means they have a better work-life balance.

Dropbox CEO Drew Houston recently told Fortune that his company, which describes itself as “remote-first,” dedicates 90% of the year to remote work and the remaining 10% to employee off-site events.

“If you trust people and treat them like adults, they’ll behave like adults,” Houston told Fortune. “Trust over surveillance.”

Some workers are switching jobs to avoid return-to-office mandates. Some people are are even sticking with remote jobs they don’t enjoy because of the struggles of finding another position that would allow them to work from home.

“Remote workers who want to stay that way are handcuffed to their jobs,” Insider’s Rebecca Knight wrote.

Data shows that remote workers are more likely to be college-educated, in higher-income brackets, and willing to take a pay cut to avoid having to go back to the office.

Submissions for the 40/40 List Now Open Thru QSR

Restaurants

Observer Staff

-

2023-11-14

0

Submissions for the 40/40 List Now Open Thru QSR

For over a decade, fast-casual restaurants have sprung up all around the U.S. serving high-quality food in a casual setting, pushing the envelope on what is possible in a counter-service format. And since 2017, QSR magazine has recognized those emerging concepts with the 40/40 List, a report on 40 exciting fast-casual brands with fewer than 40 locations.

QSR announced that it is now accepting submissions for the 2023 40/40 List, particularly searching for startup concepts that have withstood the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and have plans to once again expand.

To be considered for the 40/40 List, restaurants should have more than one but fewer than 40 locations, and have plans to actively scale. The final list will be published in QSR’s February 2024 issue.

To submit your brand for the 40/40 List, fill out the form here no later than 11:59 p.m. EST on November 17.

Texas A&M To Spend More Than $75 Million To Fire Football Coach Jimbo Fisher

Sports

Observer Staff

-

2023-11-14

0

Texas A&M University fired head football coach Jimbo Fisher on Sunday, committing itself to spend more than $75 million to buy out his contract and announcing a national search for his replacement.

“In my analysis … our program is stuck in neutral,” Texas A&M Athletic Director Ross Bjork told reporters hours after he had met with Fisher to notify him of the school’s decision. “Something was not working”

Although the decision was announced on Sunday, one day after the Aggies trounced Mississippi State, 51-10, Bjork said he came to the conclusion a leadership change was needed earlier last week. It was then he notified the school’s interim president, Mark Welsh III and A&M System Chancellor John Sharp of his recommendation and the matter was then discussed in executive session with the Texas A&M Board of Regents. Bjork would only say that it was a “robust conversation.”

On Sunday, Bjork delivered the news to Fisher in what he described as a “quick and cordial” exchange. The players also learned the news in a meeting Sunday morning.

“After very careful analysis of all the components related to Texas A&M football, I recommended to President Welsh and then Chancellor Sharp that a change in the leadership of the program was necessary in order for Aggie football to reach our full potential and they accepted my decision,” said Athletic Director Ross Bjork in a statement. “We appreciate Coach Fisher’s time here at Texas A&M and we wish him the best in his future endeavors.”

The $75 million the university will owe Fisher to buy out his contract is the most money ever owed to a football coach. Bjork said details of the contract buyout were being worked out but that what is owed to Fisher would be paid with donor dollars from the school’s 12th Man Foundation and athletic department funds.

In the meantime, A&M Assistant Coach Elijah Robinson has been named the team’s interim head coach for the final two games of the season: Abilene Christian University on Nov. 18 and Louisiana State University on Nov. 25.

“The decision to part ways with Coach Fisher is the result of a thorough evaluation of the football program’s performance, and what’s in the best interest of the overall program and Texas A&M University,” Welsh said in a statement Sunday, adding that Bjork will start a national search for Fisher’s replacement. “I am confident he will find a great coach and leader with a commitment to the values that drive Texas A&M.”

University administrators stunned the college football world when they announced the 10-year, $75M contract in 2017 that lured Fisher away from Florida State University. The deal was staggering for both its duration and its guaranteed annual pay.

In 2021, the board extended the contract by four years after reports that Fisher might leave A&M for Louisiana State University. Under that extension, Fisher made $9 million annually.

In contrast, Steve Sarkisian, the head football coach at the University of Texas at Austin, is guaranteed to make at least $34.2 million throughout his six-year contract.

At the time, university leaders said Fisher, who won a national championship in Florida, was worth the money and the university wanted to win championships. But Fisher has been unable to deliver. While Fisher had a strong year in 2020, Fisher’s overall record is 45-25. Last year, the Aggies ended the season with a 5-7 record. The team is in the midst of another lackluster season, with a 6-4 record so far.

Sen. Tim Scott Dropping Out of GOP Presidential Race | WATCH

Observer Staff

-

2023-11-14

0

Sen. Tim Scott Dropping Out of GOP Presidential Race | WATCH

U.S. Sen. Tim Scott announced on Sunday that he was suspending his campaign for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.

Scott, 58, the only Black member of the Republican Party in the Senate, made his announcement to fellow South Carolinian and former Rep. Trey Gowdy on his Fox News program, “Sunday Night in America,” The New York Times reported.

“I think the voters who are the most remarkable people on the planet have been really clear that they’re telling me, ‘Not now, Tim,’” Scott said. “I don’t think they’re saying, Trey, ‘No.’ I do think they’re saying, ‘Not now.’”

Senator Tim Scott chose his longtime friend and fellow South Carolinian Trey Gowdy’s Fox show to announce that his presidential campaign is over. Gowdy sounded genuinely surprised >>> pic.twitter.com/8f42s763OR
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) November 13, 2023

Scott spoke about his success in vaulting from poverty to becoming a senator in the South, but his “happy warrior” message apparently did not resonate with Republican voters, according to The Washington Post.

Scott told Gowdy, his longtime friend, that he would not endorse another candidate in the GOP primary race, the Times reported.

“The best way for me to be helpful is to not weigh in,” Scott said.

Scott, who joined the presidential race in May, also dismissed the idea of becoming a vice presidential candidate.

“Being vice president has never been on my to-do list,” he said.

Scott got off to a strong start after announcing his candidacy on May 22, receiving a sizable amount of campaign contributions, the Post reported.

Armed with $22 million, Scott spent millions of dollars on television ads touting his candidacy, the Times reported.

But his polling slipped after the first debate with his fellow Republican presidential hopefuls and he never produced a breakout moment to stand apart from the other candidates, according to the newspaper.

Scott was one of five candidates who appeared in last week’s Republican debate in Miami, along with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.

Former President Donald Trump, acknowledged to be the front-runner on the Republican side, has skipped all three debates.

While Scott’s announcement Sunday night was a surprise, the reality of the campaign signaled that the numbers were working against him.

He would have needed to hit a new threshold of 80,000 donors and a higher percentage in public opinion polls to qualify for next month’s debate, the Times reported.

December’s fourth debate among candidates will be sponsored by the Republican National Committee.

Trump Doubles Down on Anti-Abortion Extremism With MAGA Minions in Tow

Politics

Observer Staff

-

2023-11-14

0

Trump Doubles Down on Anti-Abortion Extremism With MAGA Minions in Tow

In response to Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans doubling down on their anti-abortion extremism, DNC spokesperson Sarafina Chitika released the following statement:

“As he brags about and campaigns on his anti-abortion record, Donald Trump is right about exactly one thing: He is responsible for the overturning of Roe v. Wade – and he remains committed to ripping away reproductive freedom from women across the country. After last week’s losses across the country for anti-abortion Republicans, Trump’s MAGA minions are doubling down on their highly unpopular agenda that threatens Americans’ most basic freedoms. Extremist Republicans in Congress led by Mike Johnson are standing by to aid and abet Trump in enacting an all-out ban on abortion, but voters have been clear: They don’t support this losing agenda.”

Honor The Brave- Thank A Veteran For Their Service And Sacrifices

Cover Story

Observer Staff

-

2023-11-08

0

Honor The Brave- Thank A Veteran For Their Service And Sacrifices

San Antonio Celebrates Veterans Day Kicking off the Weekend This Friday In Honor of Our City’s Veterans

This weekend is Veterans Day, the annual day of remembrance honoring all those who have served in the military, past or present.

Formerly known as Armistice Day, the holiday has been around since the end of World War I and in the 1930s it was made into one of the 10 federal holidays currently recognized by the U.S. government in the 1930s.

Although it was first established after World War I, Veterans Day is meant to honor veterans of all wars.

Veterans Day is on Nov. 11 every year, regardless of what day of the week it falls.

However, it falls on a Saturday this year, meaning that federal employees will observe the federal holiday the previous day, on Friday, Nov. 10, and many government services will be closed. Many schools and companies will also be closed Friday in observation of the holiday. Click here for city closures during Veteran’s Day

San Antonio has a plethora of celebrations city wide. The City of San Antonio invites you to come be a part of the opening event of Veterans Day Weekend at the Veterans Memorial Plaza Dedication Ceremony. This event will unveil the newly renovated plaza, a honor to our local veterans, their loved ones, and the entire community.

The ceremony is scheduled for Friday, November 10, 2023, at 100 Auditorium Circle and will commence at 10:00 am.

Hemisfair Civic Park is celebrating our nation’s heroes during the third annual SA Veterans Day at Hemisfair, brought to you by Endeavors. This event, honoring veterans past, present, and future, will feature live performances, engaging family-friendly activities, and accessible attractions for attendees of all ages and abilities. Experience living history exhibits and explore the freshly inaugurated Civic Park.

Military City USA® invites everyone to this cost-free celebration at Hemisfair’s Civic Park on Saturday, November 11, from 12:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., complete with live music, food, drinks, entertainment, and a variety of vendors. See schedule of events below:

We are thankful for the many blessings we have. We owe them all to our veterans.

Remember this: All gave some and some gave all. Thank a veteran today.

God bless all of our veterans, past, present and future.

Gov. Abbott’s Billionaire Backed Agenda

Politics

Observer Staff

-

2023-11-07

0

Greg Abbott Calls Fourth Called Legislative Session Prioritizing Billionaire-Backed Agenda to Defund Public Schools

Today, Greg Abbott set the agenda — as instructed by his shady billionaire donors — for the fourth special session of the 88th Texas Legislature. Predictably, private school voucher schemes are positioned with the highest priority — again. Additionally, our always camera-ready governor re-issued the call for taxpayer-funded border security measures that divide communities, erode trust between Texans and law enforcement, and violate human rights.

Texas Democratic Party Chair Gilberto Hinojosa issued the following statement on Greg Abbott’s MAGA agenda set before the fourth called legislative session:

“This year, Greg Abbott has wasted millions of dollars calling special session after special session to pass legislation that appeases his billionaire backers and gives him opportunities to promote his extremist ideologies on Fox News — all while leaving working families behind. The reality is that private school voucher scams are deeply unpopular in Texas, and will harm our rural schools the most. Through a bipartisan effort, some Texas Republicans representing rural communities joined all Texas House Democrats in holding the line against the passage of voucher scams in the third called session after Abbott’s “too-little-too-late” call for more public school funding if vouchers are passed.

“Greg Abbott has had the ability to fully fund our public schools for 8 years — but refused to at every opportunity. Now, Abbott is exercising his rule with a MAGA-fist by purposefully withholding necessary funding for our kids’ classrooms, and instead diverting public funds to private schools and border militarization. From school voucher scams to Operation Lone Star – Texans can only rely on their governor to pull political stunts instead of enacting policies that make our schools and state stronger and safer. We look forward to continuing our bipartisan approach to defeat any attempt to defund Texas public schools, and will not back down until our classrooms are fully funded so that each student, faculty member and classroom can reach their full potential.”

Texas Democratic Party News Statement

The Pain And Reality Of Losing Our Neighborhood Schools

Lena Lopez

-

2023-11-07

0

The Pain And Reality Of Losing Our Neighborhood Schools

Abbott’s Special Session Nonsense May Take Away Any Choice Parents Currently Have in Their Child’s Education

Hello SAISD and San Antonio Community Members,

As most of you know, Governor Greg Abbott called a 4th special session. Before he left for a short trip to Israel, he stated that he had faith that the House would pass an educational savings plan. Yet the House failed at that. The last day of the special session was 7th.

Now, let’s go over this new wave of micro-schools that have been around. We refer to them as the small schoolhouse. The idea is that these schools provide a one-on-one education that works for each student and then only allow 15 students to be enrolled in one micro-school. This sounds like a great idea, and it seems to be working for some, but in reality, most of these schools are parents homeschooling their children, and now they have found a way to make a profit.

Parents, I agree that we should have a say about our children’s education, but we, too, need to stick to one idea to ensure all students are getting a good education. But now, many of our school districts are closing schools to include SAISD. I have heard and seen both the pain and reality of losing our neighborhood schools, along with the teachers and staff that have become a part of our families. But at some point, we need to remember that our state’s checkbook can only provide for what we have now, which is public and charter schools. I know that we are overwhelmed and tired, but if another special session is called, we still need to make sure our voices are heard. This has been a long session that has gone into too much overtime so that our Governor can get his way. I say enough is enough. Let’s stop all this childish nonsense and save our public schools because, at this point, he’s not giving our parents a choice. If we wait to speak up our choice may soon disappear, and all of our children in Texas will suffer because of this nonsense.

I will keep you updated so until next week lets hold on tight and pray that we will get through this storm. If anyone has any questions or concerns please email me at lena.lopez@saobserver.com.

Have a Blessed Week,

Lena Lopez

Will Television Ever Be The Same?

Connor Wiley

-

2023-11-07

0

Is Hollywood Suffering? Recent Hollywood Labor Stoppages Continue to Impact the Quality and Output of Productions

A couple of weeks ago I received a question from a reader regarding the recent strikes in Hollywood:

“The writer’s strike has been impacting what is on my TV. Shows were pulled off the air, film productions were slowed down and the quality of the output suffered enormously. Do you have any insight on whether the writers’ strike was for the better of public policy or the worse of the quality of entertainment?”

“Why does the turn of events feel that TV will never be the same?”

First, I want to thank this reader for their question, and I’d like to acknowledge that I’m definitely no expert on this topic, but I may be able to offer some insight. I also want to emphasize that the outlook of the industry is shifting daily, as the actors union (SAG-AFTRA) continues on strike against the AMPTP. Regardless, here’s my two cents on what’s been going on and where I think the industry might be headed as a result of the recent and ongoing Hollywood strikes.

The writers were the first to initiate the strike, which persisted for just under five months until the WGA and the AMPTP managed to reach an agreement on Sept. 27. The WGA were successful in their striking efforts, obtaining wage and residual income protections, as well as regulations surrounding the use of AI software in writing processes. This victory is promising for the future of the industry as it will likely promote spaces where writers are more appreciated, ultimately encouraging a higher degree of quality in Hollywood productions.

Now, the same can be said for actors, though they remain on strike. The actors union quickly followed the striking endeavors of the WGA, however they have yet to reach an agreement, marking this as the longest labor dispute in SAG-AFTRA history. As a result, much of the work for planned productions has been halted, with many projects postponed.

No significant changes to the industry will happen overnight. And much of the decline in output and quality that we’ve been seeing recently has come as a result of the nearly five month long labor hiatus within the industry. Even though writers have now gone back to work, actors are still absent from working on new projects, so it looks like TV and film may continue to suffer into the near future.

Once the actors’ strike is resolved, the output of Hollywood productions will expectedly bounce back, but it is unknown when that could be. Though things may get worse before they get better, the strikes are crucial to the longevity of the industry and will promote productions of higher quality in the long run.

If you haven’t yet, check out my previous articles over the WGA strikes, and if you have any questions or thoughts about how you think things might play out in the industry leave me a comment below or email me at contact@saobserver.com.

Spurs Beat – A Wild Week For The Silver And Black

Waseem Ali

-

2023-11-07

0

Spurs Beat – The Season Is as Young as the Spurs But They Have One Job- Winning!

What a week it’s been in the land of silver and black. The Spurs come into this week at 3-4 following a 41-point drubbing at the hands of the Indiana pacers Monday night in Indianapolis. That loss comes on the heels of a 123-116 overtime loss at home Sunday against Toronto. That game saw the Spurs blow a 22-point second half lead.

The Spurs seem to be a team with no real identity as of yet. Yea there’s the rookie phenom Victor Wembanyama and Wiley Hall of Fame coach Pop, and even a new state of the art practice facility at La Cantera, none of these things equate to wins however. Winning happens between the lines and although the season is as young as the Spurs are, they haven’t quite figured out just how to win.

Coming into the season I predicted the Silver and Black being a top five defensive team with the addition of VDub. Why not? Defense has always been a staple of a Greg Popovich coached team. You add a freak of nature like VDub with his eight foot wingspan and the defensive possibilities are endless. Or so you would think.

The Spurs are currently 27th in the league in points allowed at 121.5 ppg. Opponents are shooting 45.8% against the silver and black. Only the Washington Wizards are worse at 48% for their opponents. For context the Spurs finished the 2022-23 season allowing 123 points ppg while opponents shot 50.7% from the field against them. BOTH were dead last in their respective categories.

VDub is a stud with an insane upside no doubt. He’s averaging 20.5 ppg on 48.9% shooting, 8.2 rebounds, 2.7 blocks, and 1.3 steals; all team highs. His case for rookie of the year though early is a strong one. As a team however it’s going to take a much bigger team effort to win games, starting on defense.

The Spurs have a number of issues that need immediate attention and I’ll concede, a lot of the issues revolve around their youth. The youth argument however will only go so far in professional sports when these same “youths” are millionaires with one job-WINNING!!!

Upcoming Games:

Tonight, Nov 8 @ NY Knicks(3-4) 6:30 pm ESPN

Fri, Nov 10 vs Minnesota(3-2) 7pm

NBA In-Season Tournament Group Play

Sun, Nov 12 vs Miami(3-4) 6pm

Tuesday, Nov 14 @ OKC (3-4) 6:30pm TNT

NBA In-Season Tournament Group Play