Now you can order Alexa to forget what you just said

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Now you can order Alexa to forget what you just said

By Rachel Metz, CNN Business

(CNN) — Alexa users can now order the voice-controlled assistant to forget what it’s heard.

Amazon’s new feature could help people worried about their smart speaker collecting too much information.

Starting Wednesday, you’ll be able to say, “Alexa, delete everything I said today” for Alexa-enabled gadgets to wipe voice recordings made from midnight that day until that moment. In a couple weeks, you’ll also be able to say “Alexa, delete what I just said” and it will expunge the voice recording of your most recent request.

The commands are part of a broader push toward privacy. The company also announced a $90 Echo Show 5 smart-screen device which comes with a physical cover for its front-facing camera.

The privacy-focused moves come as consumers, consumer-privacy advocates and legislators are becoming increasingly wary of Alexa-enabled gadgets.

Earlier this month, a group of US senators and 19 consumer and public health advocates urged the Federal Trade Commission to investigate whether Amazon’s Echo Dot Kids Edition is in violation of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act. They alleged it doesn’t follow the law’s parental-consent requirement and allow parents to adequately delete their kids’ information (an Amazon spokesperson told CNN Business that the device is COPPA compliant).

In April, Bloomberg reported that Amazon workers listen to audio clips to help the company improve Alexa’s understanding of speech.

But the online retailer clearly wants people to feel comfortable placing Alexa-enabled gadgets all over the house. One of the marketing images for the Echo Show 5 shows it perched on a bedside table next to jewelry and a family photo. Amazon is the leader in the fast-growing smart speaker market, according to data from market-research firm Canalys — ahead of competitors such as Google and Apple, which have touted the various privacy features in their own competing devices.

The camera cover on the Echo Show 5 is a first for one of Amazon’s Alexa devices. Users can slide it over the camera and allow the device to continue listening for the wake word, “Alexa.” As with existing Echo Show devices, a button electrically disconnects the microphone and camera.

Amazon also announced on Wednesday that in an effort to make it easier for users to do things such as delete spoken commands and see privacy settings, it is grouping Alexa privacy settings online into an Alexa Privacy Hub. Privacy controls will also remain available within Amazon’s Alexa apps.

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7 Sipping Gifts for Dad this Father’s Day

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7 Sipping Gifts for Dad this Father’s Day

Planning for Father’s Day doesn’t need to be complicated. For a surefire win, turn to gifts that Dad can sip — those are the best kinds of gifts, after all, giving him a chance to kick his feet up and relax with a delicious beverage after a hard day — something every father deserves.

From fine bourbon to sweet moonshine, the gift of a bottle is a gift that keeps on giving with every pour. Check out these Father’s Day gift ideas offering bragging rights to their proud recipients from CaskCartel.com, an online spirits marketplace specializing in limited releases, new arrivals, and allocated and other hard to find spirited beverages. Toast Dad in person, or use doorstep delivery to ship him something to sip on if you can only be there in spirit.

1. A one-of-a-kind. A complex marriage of 8, 11, and 13-year-old whiskeys, the Blood Oath Kentucky Straight Bourbon 2019 Pact No. 5 is a rare dram that will never again be made. With dark fruit notes, brown sugar and a touch of orange zest on the nose, and sugar cane and dark chocolate notes on the palate, this sipper offers a lingering finish, accented by notes of honey.

2. A pack of moonshine. For authentic, barn-house moonshine, the Sugarlands Mini Jar Gift Sampling Set offers five classic spirits hailing straight from Tennessee. Delicious on their own or in refreshing summer cocktails, flavors might include American Peach, Dynamite Cinnamon or Rye Apple. Cheers to Discovery Channel’s hit series “Moonshiners” for making this available to dads everywhere.

3. An everyday sipper. With the woody, smoky tones you might expect, followed by an exceptionally smooth finish with undertones of oak and mild spice, the award-winning 100-proof David Nicholson Reserve Bourbon Whiskey may just become Dad’s everyday drink of choice. If your dad drinks bourbon, look no further, this is the one.

4. Sweet celebration. Designed to symbolize both celebration and shared happiness, the Suntory Hibiki Harmony Limited Edition is a precise blend of malt and grain whiskies. Featuring a honey-like sweetness on the palate, and hints of rose and lychee on the nose, this Japanese-based whisky is an orchestra of flavors and aromas. Featured is this 2018 Limited Edition, which celebrates their 30th anniversary, this is a must-have collector’s item for any serious Japanese whisky drinker.

5. Heavy metal whiskey. For heavy metal fans, unconventional dads and dads who embrace creative passion, consider Blackened, the collaborative effort of Metallica and the late Master Distiller, Dave Pickerell. This blend of hand-selected whiskeys from across North America is finished in brandy casks and a proprietary sonic-enhancement process called Black Noise, which uses batch-specific Metallica playlists (selected and arranged by the band members themselves) to extract additional flavor and wood characteristics from the brandy barrels. Predominately bourbon, its sweetness pairs nicely with the savory spice offered by its high rye composition.

6. Summer sipper. For a lighter, crisper take on the Hendrick’s house style, Hendrick’s Midsummer Solstice is a small batch, limited edition deeply floral gin, with an unmistakable cucumber and rose finish — a good choice for dads who brunch or enjoy summer sipping.

7. In tribute. A tribute to soldiers who fought the Taliban on horseback, Horse Soldier Straight Bourbon has a robust and powerful flavor and a long, crisp finish. Though meant to be enjoyed neat or on ice, this bold American spirit also makes a fine choice for a Sazerac, Old Fashioned or Manhattan.

IPhone owners can sue Apple for monopolizing App Store, Supreme Court rules

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IPhone owners can sue Apple for monopolizing App Store, Supreme Court rules

By David Goldman and Brian Fung, CNN Business

(CNN) — A group of iPhone owners accusing Apple of violating US antitrust rules because of its App Store monopoly can sue the company, the Supreme Court ruled Monday.

Justice Brett Kavanaugh, in the majority opinion, said that when “retailers engage in unlawful anticompetitive conduct that harms consumers,” people buying those companies’ products have the right to hold the businesses to account.

“That is why we have antitrust law,” Kavanaugh wrote. The court’s four liberal justices joined Kavanaugh in the 5-4 decision.

The Supreme Court opinion notably does not accuse Apple of violating antitrust law: It holds that consumers have the right to sue the company for monopolistic behavior, because they purchase apps directly from Apple.

The ruling could have wide implications for other tech companies that operate similarly walled-off online storefronts, said Gene Kimmelman, president of the consumer advocacy group Public Knowledge and a former Justice Department antitrust official.

“It definitely should make tech companies wonder how the antitrust laws will be applied going forward in an online platform environment,” said Kimmelman.

The case stems from a 2011 class-action suit by iPhone owners alleging that by taking a 30% cut of app sales, Apple has encouraged app developers to raise their prices in response. Consumers have been harmed by the practice, the suit claimed, because Apple does not allow customers to download apps from any other source other than the iTunes App Store. Unlike Android, iOS customers can only get apps from that official source, which Apple says serves as kind of quality control to weed out security threats and apps that violate the company’s terms of service.

Apple argued that the iPhone owners do not have the right to sue because Apple is an intermediary. But the Supreme Court held that iPhone owners have a “direct purchaser” relationship with Apple, and may sue under a precedent known as Illinois Brick.

Had Apple been allowed to set the terms of the legal fight, the court said, it would have hindered the ability of consumers to seek relief from alleged monopolists.

“Apple’s line-drawing does not make a lot of sense, other than as a way to gerrymander Apple out of this and similar lawsuits,” the opinion said.

Antitrust experts also welcomed the Court’s reasoning that allowing Apple to avoid the class-action suit “would provide a roadmap” for others to evade the law.

“A victory for antitrust enforcement!” tweeted Sally Hubbard, director of enforcement strategy at Open Markets, a think tank that has criticized the tech industry as being too powerful and concentrated.

The Supreme Court did not rule on the customers’ likelihood of success — only that they have the right to sue. Apple argued that it was not a monopoly, rather a platform for app developers who can set their own prices. It has said that if the court allowed the case to proceed, it would disrupt the e-commerce market.

Apple’s stock fell 5.3% on the news. The broader market was down more than 2% Monday.

— CNN’s Ariane de Vogue and Steve Vladeck contributed to this report

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Eight Tips to Make the Most of Your Next Doctor’s Visit

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Eight Tips to Make the Most of Your Next Doctor’s Visit

Visits to the doctor can be very productive with a little preparatory work in advance of the appointment, say experts.

“For some people, visits to the doctor can be daunting or even scary, but there are steps you can take beforehand that will improve the experience, foster communication, and, in turn, improve health outcomes,” says Barbara L. McAneny, M.D., president of the American Medical Association (AMA). “By being open and honest with your physician and by asking questions, you can play a key role in preventing the progression of chronic disease and in charting a healthier course.”

Here are eight ways to get more from your next doctor’s visit:

1. Know your history. A family health history can help your physician and other health care practitioners identify whether you’re at a higher risk for particular conditions and diseases. With this information, they can make informed care decisions, from recommending particular treatments or diagnostics to helping you plan lifestyle changes that will help keep you well. Before your next visit, gather as much information as you can to share with your doctor.

2. Be honest. Your doctor will likely ask you about such health habits as alcohol, tobacco, and drug use as well as the amount of exercise you get. It is important to be honest and accurate when answering these questions. Ask your doctor if you use tobacco, drugs or alcohol, and need help quitting.

3. Make a list. Even if you are just going in for a regular check-up, make a list of the things you want to discuss during your visit and bring it to your appointment. Topics may include symptoms you’ve experienced, ailments you’ve suffered and more.

4. Get screened. Ask your physician about needed health screenings based on your age, sex and other risk factors including family history. Healthfinder.gov is a good resource for finding recommended preventive services.

5. Learn your risk and take action. Talk with your doctor about your risk for developing type 2 diabetes. Before your appointment, you can take a free online self-screening test at DoIHavePrediabetes.org to learn whether you have prediabetes. During your visit, your doctor will need to confirm a prediabetes diagnosis and can help you develop an individualized plan to prevent it from progressing to type 2 diabetes.

6. Get immunized. Please discuss with your physician the importance of vaccination. Many immunizations require boosters after time has passed. Make sure you are up-to-date on your immunizations.

7. Get help. Tell your doctor if you haven’t been feeling like yourself and you think you might be suffering from depression.

8. Know your numbers. Track health data such as your height, weight, body mass index and blood pressure in order to share trends with your doctor and take action if needed. Visit LowerYourHBP.org to learn about your blood pressure numbers and the life-altering risks of uncontrolled high blood pressure — also known as hypertension – and find a list of questions to ask your doctor to help get your blood pressure under control.

By being prepared with the right questions and information, you can make the most of your next doctor’s visit.

Spotify is testing a voice-controlled gadget for cars

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Spotify is testing a voice-controlled gadget for cars

By Matt McFarland, CNN Business

(CNN) — Spotify revealed Friday that it’s testing a voice-controlled device for cars.

A small group of Spotify’s premium users, who pay for an ad-free version of the service, will try the devices in the United States.

Spotify also said that in the future it may test similar devices in homes, too. The announcement suggests Spotify has some interest in creating hardware devices that may compete with Amazon’s line of Echos, Google Home and Apple’s HomePod. Research has shown that listening to music is among the most popular uses of smart speakers.

The Swedish company has 217 million users worldwide, giving it a large market to sell to. But Spotify said its focus remains on being the world’s best audio platform, and that it has no current plans to make the device, called “Car Thing,” available to consumers. An image of Car Thing shared by Spofity shows an oval black device with a small round screen off to one side, and a few indicator lights next to it. It looks like a fancy Amazon Dash button.

Spotify characterized the tests as a way to better understand and serve customers who listen to music or podcasts. Earlier this year, Spotify announced plans to invest up to $500 million in podcasts.

“Americans spend 70 billion hours behind the wheel each year,” Spotify said in a brief news release. “Spotify is trying to learn more about people’s listening habits and preferences to help create an unparalleled experience for our users.”

Spotify did not elaborate on what it might learn through the device that it couldn’t glean from existing services, such as its smartphone app. The company declined a request for comment.

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Researchers can now use AI and a photo to make fake videos of anyone

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Researchers can now use AI and a photo to make fake videos of anyone
By Rachel Metz, CNN Business

(CNN) — Researchers have come up with a method for creating realistic-looking — but fake — videos of anyone by using just a single image of them with a trained artificial intelligence system. It’s a potentially worrisome capability in the runup to the 2020 United States presidential election, as falsified videos of candidates are expected to spread.

Researchers at the Samsung AI Center in Moscow and the Moscow-based Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology explained the feat in a paper published this week to the arXiv, an online academic pre-print service. They said they were able to animate one or several photos of people by first training an AI system on a dataset of videos including many celebrities, so it could learn about key points on the face. After that, the AI system was able to combine that familiarity with one or more images of a person to come up with a convincing “talking head”-style video of them.

A video the researchers posted to YouTube this week showed multiple examples of how convincing it can look, as well as how much work is yet to be done. Impressively animated versions of physicist Albert Einstein, actress Marilyn Monroe and surrealist painter Salvador Dali were generated from iconic images of them.

But each was missing something: Einstein’s voluminous hairdo didn’t quite move with his head, Dali’s matchstick-thin mustache was cut short, and Monroe’s famous mole was absent from her cheek.

The work is quite similar to deepfakes — a combination of the terms “deep learning” and “fake” — which are convincing fake videos and audio made using cutting-edge and relatively accessible AI technology. The research uses the same AI technique behind deepfakes, which is a machine-learning method known as GANs, or generative adversarial networks. But it’s different, as deepfakes are generated by using video of a target person along with video of someone else acting the way the target will in the video, such as this one featuring actor and comedian Jordan Peele putting words in former President Barack Obama’s mouth.

The spread of doctored videos is raising concerns for everyone from political leaders to the US intelligence community, which worries they may be used to mislead voters. These videos don’t need to be altered with the latest technology to be effective: A manipulated video of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that went viral this week was simply slowed down to make it appear she was slurring her words following a meeting with President Donald Trump.

The researchers’ work is still in the early stages: The AI system was only trained to create a person’s head, neck and some of the shoulders. And while a clip created with a single reference photo of a woman looked plausible (though somewhat low-resolution), other clips that were made with eight and 32 images of her looked increasingly realistic.

Siwei Lyu, who studies deepfakes and is director of the computer vision and machine learning lab at University at Albany, SUNY, told CNN Business that the research could make it easier to create deepfakes with less data than they currently require. These days, that tends to be more than 30 seconds worth of video of both of the person you want to manipulate and another person who must also be filmed doing the desired motions.

“The downside is, without sufficient data, the quality of the synthesis is limited,” he said.

Which is to say that he, too, noticed Monroe’s missing mole.

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OPINION: Frogge and Speering Up to Their Old Tricks Again

The Nashville Voice
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OPINION: Frogge and Speering Up to Their Old Tricks Again

The Nashville Voice has discovered a pattern of coordinated attacks against black leadership in Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) at the hands of a select few members of the school board. After harassing the first African-American superintendent in the history of Metro Nashville Public Schools, Amy Frogge and Jill Speering are fighting to block the second African-American superintendent from holding a leadership role.

At a Nashville school board committee meeting last week, the board’s Vice Chair Christiane Buggs recommended that the board enter into a one-year contract with Dr. Adrienne Battle, who is now serving as interim MNPS director after former director Dr. Shawn Joseph left the school system. “I would ask us to consider at least a one-year contract,” Buggs said at the May 14 meeting, citing the need for Battle the opportunity to establish a track record.

MNPS observers believe at least a one-year agreement would give Battle time to stabilize the current volatile situation this summer and during the 2019-20 school year — and give the school board much-needed time to recuperate after a decidedly tumultuous past year.

A Vanderbilt University poll demonstrates how a year’s worth of discord negatively affected the school board’s job approval rating.

Buggs also believes extending Battle’s contract will help to “rebuild trust,” within the school system and, “offer the Nashville community some consistency.” Despite the clear benefits extending Battle’s contract would offer the entire community,  board members Frogge and Speering — major critics of former Director Dr. Shawn Joseph — are set on preventing Battle from maintaining her leadership role.

“I would like to see us backscale from that,” Frogge said about the superintendent’s compensation in an obvious attempt to undermine Battle, who is MNPS’s first female superintendent as well as being the second African-American leader of the nation’s 42nd-largest school system.

Not only would an extension of Battle’s contract represent a historic moment for the City of Nashville, but Vice Chair Buggs has also recognized Battle, who is a graduate of MNPS, as the district’s first-ever “home grown educator,” to become the Director of Schools. Buggs has also called Battle an “award-winning former MNPS teacher, principal and administrator,” who could help “resolve the tension of the past year.”

Meanwhile, Speering argued that Battle should have only a month-to-month contract, which comes with a certain level of uncertainty, at a time when the community is in desperate need of consistency: Experts predict that such a short-term contract could lead to continued instability in the school system.

The primary opponents of Battle’s extension haven’t necessarily demonstrated a commitment  to pursuing what’s best for Nashville’s students and educators. Remember: Earlier this year, Speering called on teachers to protest Joseph while wearing masks. Such comments are especially dangerous in a state that’s notoriously known for being the birthplace of the KKK.

Battle not only offers Nashville the consistency our city yearns for, but she’s also clearly qualified to serve as MNPS’s next Director of Schools. If Speering and Frogge can’t put the city’s interests ahead of their own, perhaps  they shouldn’t be making decisions about the Nashville’s future.

We’re beginning to agree with the Tennessee Tribune: It’s time to remove Frogge and Speering from the school board. Our community can’t let them do to Adrienne Battle what they did to Shawn Joseph. Enough is enough.

TN GOP House Speaker Glen Casada to Resign

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TN GOP House Speaker Glen Casada to Resign

By Veronica Stracqualursi, CNN

(CNN) — Tennessee’s Republican House speaker announced Tuesday that he will resign from his role following reports he and his former chief of staff used racist and sexually explicit language in text messages.

“When I return to town on June 3, I will meet with Caucus leadership to determine the best date for me to resign as Speaker so that I can help facilitate a smooth transition,” House Speaker Glen Casada said in a statement.

Casada had resisted pressure to step down over a scandal surrounding his former chief of staff, Cade Cothren, who resigned earlier this month. Local media reports said Cothren sent racist text messages, attempted to frame a protester and sent sexually explicit messages to interns. Casada had defended Cothren in interviews and dismissed his own participation in sexual and derogatory messages with Cothren as “locker room talk,” employing a phrase used by President Donald Trump used to describe his vulgar language in the infamous “Access Hollywood” tape.

Earlier this month, the House Democratic Caucus demanded that Casada leave office, calling his actions “unbecoming and disrespectful.” On Monday, the Tennessee House Republican caucus approved in a closed-door meeting a “no confidence” resolution, according to CNN affiliate WKRN-TV.

“There is no place in either the House Republican Caucus, in the House, or in the Legislature, or in anywhere in which any type of sexist, or racist, or inappropriate remarks are going to be permitted,” Majority Caucus chairman Rep. William Lamberth told reporters after the 45-24 vote done by secret ballot. “And I think that has been stated very clearly by this caucus today, is that regardless of how long ago, regardless of what the behavior is, we take these type of allegations very, very seriously.”

Emerging from the meeting, Casada said he was “disappointed” in the caucus’ vote but appeared unwilling to step down.

“I will work the next few months to regain the confidence of my colleagues so we can continue to build on the historic conservative accomplishments of this legislative session,” Casada said in a statement at the time.

In the wake of the vote, Republican Gov. Bill Lee said he was prepared to call a special session if Casada didn’t resign.

The state’s Republican Party chair called the circumstances surrounding Casada a “distraction” from the “great accomplishments” of the state legislature and Lee.

“The vote of no confidence by the Republican caucus sends a clear message; it is time for the Speaker to heed the advice of the majority of his fellow legislators and step down from his position of leadership and allow someone else to begin the process of restoring the trust of all Tennesseans,” party chairman Scott Golden said in a statement Monday.

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‘Game of Thrones’ finale recap: Ashes to ashes

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‘Game of Thrones’ finale recap: Ashes to ashes

By AJ Willingham, CNN

(CNN) — Some say the world will end in fire. / Some say in ice.

And so, our song of ice and fire ends as we all said it would: In extended council meetings and elective monarchy! Congratulations to anyone who correctly called King Bran in their “Game of Thrones” office pool. You definitely earned that Starbucks gift card.

After broiling the entire city of King’s Landing, Daenerys is in her element. She’s glowing, she’s thriving, she’s wearing sexy leather dictator clothes and giving troubling speeches in front of the burnt-out shell of the Red Keep. Gone is the wide-eyed innocent who stood timidly outside of Illyrio Mopatis’ house in Pentos all those years ago. This woman is a QUEEN.

In fact, it’s like she’s a completely different person! Suspiciously, abruptly, narrative-defyingly different! No wonder Jon, Tyrion and the rest of their crew are so freaked out by her.

Actually, Jon is not as freaked out as he should be. Tyrion, who is thrown in jail by Dany for freeing Jaime, tries to get it through Jon’s curly, mopey head: Dany is bad now! She roasted hundreds of thousands of people! “Fire and Blood” always did have kind of a fascist ring to it, but she’s really grinding it into the ground.

Jon has many strengths, but he’s never been the sharpest sword in the forge, and it takes an infuriatingly long time for him to break out of his “But she’s the queen” logic loop. By the time he finally picks up what Tyrion is putting down, they both look like they’ve grown another inch of scraggly beard hair.

Meanwhile, Daenerys Stormborn of the House Targaryen, the First of Her Name, Queen of the Andals and the First Men, Protector of the Seven Kingdoms and all that jazz enters the throne room and fulfills eight seasons of prophecy, vision and mission by finally. touching. the. pointy. chair!

Not even the arrival of a very despondent Jon Snow can dim her moment in the blotted-out sun. (You know you’re a really sad dude when you suck the life out of a room that is literally crumbling and covered in ash.) Dany tries to convince him that actually genocide is good and the only perspective that matters on what’s good is hers and, hey, the people of King’s Landing were kind of jerks anyway.

For one queasy, moment, it appears as if everything will work out. They embrace. They kiss. Jon stabs her in the chest with a dagger and she dies.

YES, JON STABS HER IN THE CHEST WITH A DAGGER AND SHE DIES.

Daggers really are the MVP of major character kills, aren’t they? Daenerys and the Night King are going to have a lot to reflect upon in the afterlife: “I had dragons. You had scores of zombie dead people to do your bidding. And THIS is how we went out?”

If you thought you were upset at Dany’s oddly anticlimactic ending, you have nothing on Drogon, who goes nuts and immediately sets his mother’s killer alight. Just kidding! He completely wastes the Iron Throne. Did he realize, somewhere in his tiny dragon brain, that the ultimate reason for Daenerys’ downfall was her unwavering obsession with the Iron Throne and the power it represented, and thus the fault of her death lies not with Jon Snow, but with her own hubris and the object that fed it? Probably not, but it’s nice to imagine dragons having a sense of poetic justice.

Grief-stricken and thoroughly done with humanity, Drogon scoops up Daenerys’ dead body and flies off with her like she’s the baton in a relay race. That’s it. There’s no more dragon. There’s no more war. But there’s still 50 minutes worth of story left to tell. The “Game of Thrones” is dead. Welcome to the “Game of Sensible, Neatly Arranged Chairs.”

After Daenerys’ death, the Unsullied lock Jon up with Tyrion and everyone wanders around regent-less while the remaining heads of the great houses teleport to the Dragon Pit for a grand council. Look! It’s Robin Arryn, back from his journey to Pubertyos. And Edmure Tully! Huh. We thought that guy would be dead by now.

What follows is a scene with all of the tension and drama of a briskly-run board meeting. Everyone agrees Westeros needs a ruler, but how will they choose one? No, not via a democracy, SAM. How about a speech by Tyrion — technically still a prisoner, by the way — that convinces everyone that Bran is the most interesting and worthy candidate to rule the Seven Kingdoms?

Sansa, knowing her worth, opts out of the mess and reinstates the North as a separate kingdom with King Bran’s blessing. Six Kingdoms it is. Given Bran’s long standing political apathy, it’s still six kingdoms more than he wanted to rule anyway. In that same spirit of reluctant obligation, Bran picks Tyrion to be his Hand of the King. You know, as punishment for um, all the other times he was Hand and was terrible at it.

Oh, what happens to Jon? He has to go back to the Night’s Watch, which is still around for some reason. Why? Because Grey Worm and Daenerys’ remaining forces demand justice for her death and honey, they’ve been to the North. In their eyes they’re basically sending him back to hell.

And so, the Starks go their separate, variably satisfying ways. Sansa becomes Queen in the North. Arya sets sail on the S.S. Spinoff to find what’s west of Westeros. Jon reunites with Tormund, returns to the land beyond the wall and finally PETS GHOST! Truly, the closure we needed.

Meanwhile, as dawn rises on the reign of Bran the Broken, we are treated to a triumphant shot of Tyrion arranging chairs for 30 solid seconds. He’s very nervous for the first small council meeting of this new era, and you would be too if Bronn was your Master of Coin. Brienne’s there too, as Head of the Kingsguard, along with a freshly-knighted Ser Podrick.

Sam must have taken some online courses at Citadel.edu, because he checks into the meeting as the new Grand Maester. He presents Tyrion with a book about the War of the Five Kings called “A Song of Ice and Fire,” then looks directly into the camera and tap-dances out of frame. Get it? That’s the name of the books! Maybe the real thrones were the friends we made along the way!

As our group of heroes sets about the task of bringing the continent back from the edge of ruin and we leave the Starks, the Lannisters and the world of Westeros forever, the last singular spoken words of this legendary series will ring in our hearts forever:

“I once brought a jackass and a honeycomb into a brothel.”

Play us off, Ramin!

Burning questions

Grey Worm and the Unsullied were fresh off an impulsive murderous rampage and they didn’t immediately kill Jon after he murdered Daenerys? What, were they tired?

How did Tyrion find Jaime and Cersei in what should have been a whole catacombs’ worth of rubble? That’s just statistically improbable.

Is it still ashing? Or is it snowing, too?

RE: Dragon Pit meeting, who are all of those people?! Is that a dude from Dorne? Who’s that sitting by Davos? Don’t think we didn’t notice that, in the final minutes of the final episode of a sprawling, multi-arc epic fantasy series, the show managed to put together a scene with several characters we’ve literally never seen before.

Why are Bran and Tyrion holding their small council meeting in what looks like the remains of the Red Keep? That area is structurally unsound! The Master of Building Codes will not be happy.

There are innumerable other burning questions we have that will never be answered, like [deep breath]:

Why did it matter that Jon was a Targaryen if he ended up back where he started, with no name or hope for a lineage? Why was there so much pregnancy foreshadowing last season? Why is it so important that Jon and the Wildlings are returning to the land beyond the wall? Is Bran just going to keep a third eye on Drogon, live cam-style, for the rest of his life?

[gasp]

Why does Bran need a Master of Whispers if he knows everything? Why is Bran accepting recognition and titles related to his given name when he has repeatedly said he’s “not Bran anymore?” The crown was deeply in debt to the Bank of Braavos, when and how are they going to collect that debt? Is it still winter in Kings Landing? Why didn’t Dany get any last words? What happened to the Dothraki? What happened to the other Red Priestesses? What IS West of Westeros? Where is Hot Pie?!

Best line

“There’s nothing in the world more powerful than a good story.” — Tyrion Lannister

(We’ll ignore the fact the Tyrion was talking about Bran and not, say, Arya “Wore people’s faces, completed international tour of murderous vengeance and killed immortal ice being” Stark or Sansa “Escaped royal hostage situation, fed abusive husband to his own dogs and outsmarted Littlefinger” Stark or half a dozen other more interesting people at that meeting.)

Most satisfying endings

– The Unsullied going to Naath to protect its people in Missandei’s memory

– Ser Pod!

– Drogon not dying, so there will still be an element of Targaryen magic in the skies.

– Jon petting Ghost

– Brienne getting some closure about Jaime in the Kingsguard Burn Book (where she will someday have her own page)

– Sansa’s bannermen shouting “Queen in the North!” because that’s what she deserves and when it comes to games and thrones, she’s the real winner.

Death count

1 Daenerys Targaryen +

1 uncomfortable chair =

_____

1 death. But, you know, it’s a pretty important one.

Stray observations

That shot of Daenerys coming out to greet her armies with Drogon’s wings spreading out behind her just spawned a million Instagram photo shoots.

Speaking of, there were a lot of Unsullied and Dothraki hanging around, despite catastrophic losses in Winterfell. Do they re-spawn? Or grow back their limbs, like starfish?

The final episode is titled “The Iron Throne,” but one of the possible titles was “A Time for Wolves.” That is a pretty fitting way to think of it, since the Starks now control or have a commanding presence in every space that’s important to Westeros: The crown, the kingdom in the North, the land beyond the wall and the sea beyond Westeros. That’s a dynasty, right there.

And yet…the lone wolf dies, but the pack survives. Perhaps they’ll always be a pack in spirit.

One bold prediction

“Game of Thrones” is going to become like “Star Wars,” whether you like it or not

There are already several prequel series in the works. George R.R. Martin still has two more huge books to publish. There’s clearly a whole world to explore and millions of questions to answer. If you’re not ready to let go of this franchise, fear not: There will be plenty more opportunities to run it into the ground. What’s dead may never die.

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Little Caesars is testing out an Impossible pizza

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Little Caesars is testing out an Impossible pizza

By Danielle Wiener-Bronner, CNN Business

(CNN) — Little Caesars is joining the plant-based protein trend with a pizza topped with non-meat sausage.

The pizza chain said Monday that it is testing out the Impossible Supreme pizza — topped with a meatless sausage made by Impossible Foods — in Florida, New Mexico and Washington state.

Consumers are increasingly interested in eating plant-based protein for health and environmental reasons, and the market for meat-like, but meatless, protein is growing. By 2023, the US meat-substitute retail market could reach $2.5 billion, compared to $1.4 billion last year, according to the research firm Euromonitor International. Globally, the market could grow from about $18.7 billion in 2018 to $23 billion in 2023, according to Euromonitor International.

Restaurant chains are hoping to get a piece of that pie. Burger King, White Castle, Qdoba, Carl’s Jr., Bareburger and others sell items featuring plant-based protein in US markets. McDonald’s is selling a meatless burger in Europe, and Tim Horton’s recently announced that it is testing out three breakfast sandwiches with plant-based sausages made by Beyond Meat, Impossible’s competitor, in Canada.

The plant-based sausage is a first for Impossible, and was designed to appeal to Little Caesars customers.

Little Caesars started working with Impossible to develop a menu item featuring a plant-based protein in October, Ed Gleich, the pizza company’s chief innovation officer, told CNN Business. The company started paying attention to the trend earlier, when it noticed that more meat eaters were swapping out meat for vegetarian alternatives.

“These kind of flexitarians have been growing in nature,” he said. “They’re not hard core” vegans or vegetarians, but “they’re more adventurous” in their choices. The Impossible Supreme pizza is designed to appeal to meat eaters, and isn’t vegan (it’s topped with cheese, along with the fake sausage and other items).

Every Little Caesars product has to appeal “to our loyal, mostly carnivorous, fans,” said Little Caesars president and CEO David Scrivano in a statement, adding that “this is likely just the beginning of plant-based menu items from Little Caesars.”

At first, the plan was to add Impossible’s signature plant-based beef patty to Little Caesars pizzas. But Little Caesars shared with Impossible that more customers order sausage-topped pizzas than beef-topped pizzas, so Impossible came up with a new product. Gleich said he was pleasantly surprised.

“Normally companies want to sell you the product they have,” he said, “not a product they’ve got to get out and put some R&D time in, and put resources against and develop.”

Impossible customers have been asking the company to make a sausage product for years, Impossible CEO Patrick Brown said in a statement, adding that Impossible came up with 50 prototypes for Little Caesars.

Impossible’s protein is designed to be flexible and customizable, Impossible CFO David Lee told CNN Business. Seasoning and cooking methods can help make the protein taste and feel like a sausage, a burger, or something else.

Little Caesars plans to test the product for about four weeks in the three markets where it is available before deciding whether to roll out the product more broadly, Gleich said. If the chain, which has stores in 50 states, does decide to add the menu item to all locations, Impossible could struggle to fill the orders.

Impossible said last month that it is running out of product because demand for its patties is so high. Impossible serves about 7,000 locations, and that figure is expected to at least double this year as Burger King makes its Impossible Whopper available nationally.

To help meet demand, Impossible plans to open more manufacturing facilities and hire more employees. Recently, the private company announced that it has raised another $300 million in funding. It has raised over $750 million since launching in 2011.

But “we haven’t solved the problem,” of shortages, Lee said, adding that he thinks Impossible will continue to struggle to meet “sky-rocketing” demand for some time.

“We are continuing to spare no expense and attempt to add capacity every day,” he said.

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