David Benavidez Unfazed By Late-Replacement Opponent

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David Benavidez Unfazed By Late-Replacement Opponent

By Percy Lovell Crawford

The on-again/off-again fight between undefeated super middleweight (168 pounds) David Benavidez (24–0; 21 knockouts) and Jose Uzcategui (31–4; 26 knockouts) is officially off. Initially scheduled for Aug. 28, the bout was postponed when Benavidez tested positive for COVID. It was rescheduled for Nov. 13, but two weeks before that scheduled showdown, Uzcategui tested positive for the banned substance, rEPO.

But Benavidez will still get a bout on Saturday night. Stepping in to take Uzcategui’s place is Kyrone Davis (16–2–1; 6 knockouts). Davis’ most recent bout was a unanimous decision win over Martez McGregor in September.

Benavidez, the former two-time WBC champion, is seen as one of the most feared guys in the division, given his size, tremendous punch output and power. In his last outing, in March, Benavidez became the first man to stop the durable Ronald Ellis in the 11th round.

His bout with Davis can be seen live on Showtime this Saturday night, along with a co-main event featuring Benavidez’s brother, Jose (27–1–0; 18 knockouts), who will be up against Francisco Emanuel Torres (17–13–0; 5 knockouts).

David Benavidez opens up to Zenger about the opponent change, the importance of being able to adjust on the fly and more.

Percy Crawford interviewed David Benavidez for Zenger.

Zenger: How are you doing?

Benavidez: I am doing great, and yourself?

Zenger: I can’t complain, David. Thanks for asking. Given the fact that you had an opponent change, how was training camp?

Benavidez: Training camp was good, man. Everything has been pretty good. The only bad thing was Uzcategui coming out positive for steroids. He still gave me the motivation to work hard and work my butt off in the training camp. I feel like the work was already put in and done, and if the opponent changes two weeks prior to the fight, it really doesn’t matter.

Percy Crawford interviewed David Benavidez for Zenger. (Heidi Malone/Zenger)

I’m ready for anything. I got in hundreds of rounds of sparring, so it’s my job to adapt to whatever comes my way. This is exactly what I have to do. I feel like Kyrone Davis has way more work to do than me. I’ve been working very hard for almost three months. Whatever comes my way, I will adapt. Even if Uzcategui didn’t test positive for steroids, if he had gotten injured or something, like I said, it’s my job to adapt to whatever comes my way. I’m ready!

Zenger: Due to COVID, promoters have been doing a great job of having other fights in and around the weight class of the main event in the case of a positive COVID test, so it appears that they’re adjusting on the fly and adapting in the new wave anyway. It does suck that Uzcategui tested positive, though.

Benavidez: Yeah! You just gotta be ready, man. It’s not even about that really, if you train for something, and the opponent uses a completely different style than what you trained for, you have to adapt anyway. With me and my training, I spar with four rounds with three different sparring partners at a time. My mentality is already ready to change, and switch up, and adapt to a different style. I’m already ready for that.

Zenger: Given the fact that he tested positive so late into the game, were you afraid you would lose the date and be rescheduled again?

Benavidez: No, they already had a couple of replacements ready. That’s the thing about this, like you said, because of COVID, it could have been a possibility. So, they keep standbys. If I got COVID or if Uzcategui got COVID, the show had to go on. They had replacements on standby. Hats off to Kyrone Davis and his team. I know he’s a tough fighter. He fought Anthony Dirrell and gave Dirrell a hell of a fight. I know he’s going to be a live dog. I know he’s coming in very prepared for this fight. He will be ready, and I’m extremely ready as well.

Zenger: I have discussed you off record with his trainer, [Stephen] “Breadman” [Edwards], and I know he has a ton of respect for you. Given that, and letting his guy accept this fight on short notice, I’m sure you are expecting a very motivated Kyrone Davis.

Benavidez: Yeah, definitely! I have a lot of respect for Kyrone Davis, too. He is a great fighter, and he had probably been training for a while; that’s probably why he took the fight. He was probably in shape, probably ready. … Hats off to them. It’s going to be a good fight. At this level, there are no easy fights. You just gotta be ready for whatever comes your way.

David Benavidez (left) lands a left hook on the jaw of Anthony Dirrell during their September 2019 bout. Benavidez knocked out Dirrell in the ninth round. (Valentin Romero)

Zenger: Were you familiar with Davis prior to him accepting this fight?

Benavidez: I watched him fight Anthony Dirrell. He gave Dirrell a great fight. I always watch film on my opponents. I feel that’s the best way to come prepared. He’s a combination puncher. He’s a boxer but not really; he stays in the pocket a little bit more. He doesn’t really use the ring that much, but I feel like with me, once they feel my power, they usually start using the ring. It will be my job to cut the ring off, find the jab and then find the body shots. Just like in my other fights, Ronald Ellis was a great fighter, too. I feel like I bring the best out of fighters. They have no choice but to bring their best, or they get stopped. I’m expecting the best Kyrone Davis possible.

Zenger: How important was it for you to nearly complete 11 rounds with Ronald Ellis in March, given the fact that 2020 was not the busiest year for any fighter?

Benavidez: It was really important. I did have a fight in August 2020, so it’s been really good getting these rounds in, especially if I get Canelo (Alvarez) in the future. I got 10-rounds in with [Roamer Alexis] Angulo, and then 11 with Ellis, and however long this fight goes with Kyrone Davis. I’m learning more in there. I’m gaining more confidence. I’m learning a lot about myself, too.

I think the good thing about that is I’ve come to realize I do great in the first half of the fight, but I do even better in the second half. I’m an all-around great fighter — especially if I get the opportunities against Canelo or whatever great fighter it may be, [Jermall] Charlo, Caleb Plant. I’m going to know exactly what to do and how to work each and every round.

Zenger: Does being on the same card as your brother, Jose, add anxiety or pressure, as he fights before you?

Benavidez: No, it doesn’t add any more pressure or anything. If anything, it makes me more into the card. I’m seeing my brother in there. The only thing is, I won’t be able to be out there when he’s fighting. I will be preparing in the dressing room while I watch him fight. It’s always been a dream come true; I haven’t fought on the same card with my brother in five or six years.

The last time we fought together was in the same arena, though it was then called US Airways Center. It’s definitely a treat. We’re doing exactly what we have to do. This boxing game is a wild ride. I’ve been a professional for eight years, and we’re still here. We’ve been working hard and we’re going to keep this train rolling.

Zenger: Now that you have reached main-event status, how have you adjusted to the media obligations and everything that comes with headlining?

Benavidez: You learn to get used to the lights and the media coverage, and everything that comes with it. Even the bad parts about having a little bit of fame, you have your haters, and things like that. You just get used to it. It’s part of the job. I have been doing this for a very long time. I’ve been boxing for 21 years, and professionally for eight years. I’m definitely at the spot I wanted to be at — the spot I always knew I would be at, and we’ll handle it very well.

Zenger: By no means am I overlooking Davis, but obviously you were an interested spectator for last Saturday night’s Canelo-Plant fight. Any preference on which one you’d most like to face?

Benavidez: It didn’t matter. I would love to fight both of them. I would fight Plant even though he lost, because they are both great fighters. I feel like once we have the opportunity to make the fight with either one of them, it’s going to be a great fight. Whether I fight Canelo or Caleb Plant, it’s going to make for a great fight. I’m still looking forward to fighting both of them in the near future.

Zenger: What can people expect when they watch David Benavidez on Saturday night?

Benavidez: It’s going to be a great fight. I put my heart and soul into this training camp. I have been away from my wife, and away from my son for about two and a half months. I was already training hard. And I was already training hard in my last camp before I caught COVID. I have been working extremely hard. You can expect a lot of hard punches being landed, a lot of body shots being landed, just an overall great performance. That’s the type of fighter I am. I have 24 fights with 21 knockouts and no losses. I’m definitely going to be coming to hurt Kyrone Davis. It’s going to be a great performance.

Edited by Matthew B. Hall and Stan Chrapowicki



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Chris Paul Is Embracing The Next Stage Of His Hall-of-Fame Career

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Chris Paul Is Embracing The Next Stage Of His Hall-of-Fame Career

By Evan Sidery

When Chris Paul signed a 4-year, $120 million extension with the Phoenix Suns, many outside The Valley looked around in bewilderment.

“$120 million for a 36-year-old point guard?!”

Yes, you read that correctly, but the value of Paul with the Suns goes well beyond on-court metrics. Paul’s leadership and holding others accountable helped cement Phoenix into an instant contender last year in the loaded Western Conference. It reached an immediate goal that many felt was unrealistic, an NBA Finals berth. This was Paul’s first taste of a Finals run this deep into his illustrious career, plus the Suns had missed the playoffs for 11 years prior to his arrival. The marriage and instant chemistry between Paul and the Suns led to a seamless, easy negotiation regarding a new deal after the team’s disappointing Finals collapse against the Milwaukee Bucks.

However, it should be noted that Paul isn’t exactly locked-in for $120 million in guaranteed money. Suns general James Jones, who served in the NBPA with Paul during their playing careers, gave his team multiple opportunities for a potential out down the road if Paul’s age eventually reaches a cliff. The final two years of Paul’s contract are not fully guaranteed. In 2023-24, only half of Paul’s salary is on the Phoenix books. The following season, the last in Paul’s newly inked contract, it’s all non-guaranteed. Protection is in place for the Suns not to cripple themselves in case father time beats Paul before he reaches age-40.

At this rate, though, it’s hard to imagine someone like Paul ever reaching that proverbial cliff anytime soon. Paul is the NBA’s version of Tom Brady, continuously evolving his game and aging like fine wine. Paul, the wine connoisseur himself, would nod to that comparison.

So far in the 2021-22 campaign, where the Suns have won five games in a row to reach 6-3 in the early portion of their schedule, Paul is teasing the next stage of his career where the burden is taken off his shoulders rather significantly.

Paul chose Phoenix mainly because of Devin Booker, who is only 25 years old and still a few years away from his prime. Deandre Ayton, the Suns’ No. 1 overall pick from the 2018 NBA Draft, continues to develop into a reliable two-way big who has been empowered by Paul. Mikal Bridges is also turning the corner as one of the most versatile two-way wings in the Association. With those three pieces to the puzzle, Paul knows what’s next for him. It’s time to take a backseat offensively and let the young core cook. Booker, Ayton and Bridges will allow Paul to age gracefully as he inches closer to 40 over the span of his new deal.

Say hello to the new model of CP3: the third or fourth scoring option who pulls off wizardry as a special on-ball playmaker. There’s a reason why Paul has been referred to as “The Point God” for a decade now. Now, we’re seeing that optimized version late in his career, leading a loaded young core in The Valley.

Paul is averaging 13.2 points, 11.3 assists, 4.4 rebounds and 2.3 steals while carrying a 58.9% True Shooting percentage. In the scoring department, Paul is averaging a career-low by over two points (15.6 in 2018-19 alongside James Harden). Another intriguing angle of Paul’s offensive metamorphosis is his career-low in field goal attempts at 9.6 per game. This is Paul’s lowest amount in over a decade (2010-11 with 11.6 FGA). Overall, Paul’s usage rate has dipped multiple percentage points to another career-low at 18.4%.

The role for Paul is simple, yet so deadly for opposing teams: Run the show at point guard with flawless precision, hit open three-point opportunities and take over the game only when it’s absolutely necessary. The early results have provided flawless data for the Suns, as Paul is spoon-feeding easy looks by spraying the basketball around like Brady is for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Meanwhile, Paul is hitting those catch-and-shoot threes at an incredible clip of 50% (3-of-6). Sure, it’s a small sample size, but it’s a peek behind the curtain of what’s next in the evolution of one of the best point guards in NBA history.

Placed within a more simplified role, it’s a best-case scenario for both player and team. Paul taking a backseat allows Booker, Bridges and Ayton to take the next steps forward. Easing up off the offensive gas pedal will also extend the Hall-of-Fame career of Paul as well.

The Suns are finding an amazing rhythm right now, which is in large part to Paul’s scaled-back role early on. Once Ayton returns to the lineup from a leg contusion later this week, Paul will likely step into the No. 4 scoring option for the first time ever.

There’s a popular meme on Twitter for years now from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, where Splinter holds the hands and walks away with the small turtles. The image below shows the grown-up ninja turtles walking alongside an older Splinter.

This is the situation unfolding now in Phoenix. Paul immediately helped propel the Suns to heights they haven’t reached since 1993 last season. Now, we’re already seeing the next chapter where the young core of Booker, Ayton and Bridges grow up and walk alongside their Hall-of-Fame point guard, and continue their run of sustained success over the next four years.

Produced in association with BasketballNews.com.

Edited by Kristen Butler



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Assyrian Siege Ramp Used 3 Million Stones To Defeat Ancient Israelite City

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Assyrian Siege Ramp Used 3 Million Stones To Defeat Ancient Israelite City

By Martin M Barillas

Twenty-seven centuries ago, the Assyrian Empire dominated the Middle East with military conquests that stretched from Egypt to Iran, using siege ramps that are now better understood by Israeli archeologists.

In 701 B.C., Assyrians attacked the hilltop city of Tel Lachish by building a siege ramp that could bring battering rams up the slope to batter the city walls. Once the defenses were breached, King Sennacherib and his soldiers were able to penetrate the city and slaughter its people.

For the first time, archeologists have reconstructed how the Assyrians built the ramp to breach Lachish’s walls.

Tel Lachish, now a national park, was second in importance only to Jerusalem in ancient Judah, which is now part of the modern state of Israel. Researchers relied on various sources to aid their analysis, including Biblical texts, stone reliefs depicting Assyrian battles, Akkadian inscriptions, excavations and modern images recorded via drones. Their findings were published in Oxford Journal of Archaeology.

The six-chambered gate complex at the upper entrance to ancient Lachish, dated to the 10th century B.C. (Ian Scott/CC BY-SA 2.0)

The biblical prophet Isaiah, who witnessed the events at the end of the 8th century, described the Assyrians as mighty warriors. “None of them tired, none of them stumbling, none of them asleep or drowsy, none of them with belt unfastened, none of them with broken sandal-strap,” said the Book of Isaiah (Isaiah 5:27).

Study co-author Yosef Garfinkel of Hebrew University used methods including photogrammetric analysis of aerial photos to create a detailed digital map and practical model that take all aspects of the battle into account.

The ramp was made up of small boulders, according to the researchers, weighing about 14 pounds (6.5 kg) each. Finding enough of these boulders posed a serious logistical problem for the Assyrians, who needed about 3 million of them. Collecting stones from the surrounding landscape would have been time-consuming, said Garfinkel, so the army likely found a closer source at the far end of the ramp.

“At Lachish, there is indeed an exposed cliff of the local bedrock exactly at the point where one would expect it to be,” said Garfinkel.

Stone reliefs, carved by ancient Assyrians, were used by a team of archeologists as evidence of ancient construction methods leading to the building of the siege ramp at Tel Lachish in 701 BC. (Courtesy of Yosef Garfinkel) 

The Assyrians began building the ramp about 260 feet away from the city walls, right where the required stones could be quarried. These were passed hand-to-hand by laborers working in parallel on the ramp in round-the-clock shifts. Garfinkel said he believes about 160,000 stones were moved each day.

“Time was the main concern of the Assyrian army. Hundreds of laborers worked day and night carrying stones, possibly in two shifts of 12 hours each. The manpower was probably supplied by prisoners of war and forced labor [from] the local population. The laborers were protected by massive shields placed at the northern end of the ramp. These shields were advanced toward the city by a few meters each day,” said Garfinkel.

The Assyrians could therefore build the wedge-shaped ramp in only 25 days, according to researchers. “This model assumes the Assyrians were very efficient; otherwise, it would have taken months to complete,” said Garfinkel.

Edited by Siân Speakman and Kristen Butler



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Zoe Saldaña Rules As A Warrior Princess In ‘Maya And The Three’

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Zoe Saldaña Rules As A Warrior Princess In ‘Maya And The Three’

By Roberto Leal

The Netflix animated miniseries “Maya and the Three” is a colorful, action-packed adventure tale inspired by Mesoamerican mythology. Thanks to “Maya and the Three,” the myths of Mexico and Central America’s civilizations will take their place alongside those of Greece, Rome, Asia, and England.

The quest

Myth stories often involve the hero embarking on a quest for something that will bring change or resolution to a problem. It can be the Golden Fleece, the Holy Grail, or a sword embrued with magical powers. At the beginning of the journey, the hero must cross a threshold into a different world, which happens in “Maya and the Three.”

Maya, the Princess of Teca, balks at becoming a mere royal diplomat. She wants to be a warrior and seek out and destroy the evil god of the underworld, who threatens the existence of all humanity. To achieve it, she recruits three legendary, fearless fighters: Rico, Pichu, and Chimi. But they are flawed and bring their baggage to the journey. They fight not only the evil god of the underworld but also their demons.

Zoe Saldaña (“Avatar”) plays Maya. Avoiding falling into the temptation to turn Maya into a one-dimensional, strident character, Saldaña modulates her vocal performance and gives the protagonist subtle emotional notes, especially when she makes mistakes and wrestles with regrets and doubts.

Allen Maldonado (“Heels”) is the voice of Rico; Gabriel Iglesias, (“Fieldhand”) plays Pichu, and Stephanie Beatriz (“Brooklyn Nine-Nine”) is Chimi.

 

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The influences behind the series’ animation

Jorge R. Gutiérrez is the artistic and creative genius behind the visual landscape of “Maya and the Three.” His deft drawing hand has been responsible for the animation in “The Book of Life,” “El Tigre, The Adventures of Manny Rivera,” “Space Punch,” and many other Latino-themed animated shorts and TV series.

“I love those great Hong Kong martial arts movies,” he said. Gutiérrez points out that he was inspired by the choreography of martial arts fight sequences. So, every episode in the show “ends with a totally different fight sequence.”

The animation style in “Maya and the Three” is “very much a love letter to everything I love,” said Guitérrez. “I love Japanese animation. I love the classic American rubber hose animation of the 1930s. I also love super-flat, super-stylized European animation from the 1950s, and I love stop-motion. I also love imperfect folk art because it reflects the humanity of the artist.”

Zoe Saldaña is Princess Maya, and Diego Luna is Zatz in ‘Maya and the Three’. (EPK.TV/Netflix)

Mexico in the mist

Olmecs, Toltecs, Mayans, Aztecs, and other Mesoamerican civilizations are the inspiration and backdrop for the fantasy landscape of “Maya and the Three.” Every episode features temples and pyramids from Teotihuacan, Chichen-Itza, and Cholula.

Some names could be nods to Latin America’s pre-Hispanic past. Maya, the protagonist, may refer to the Mayan civilization, settled in southeast Mexico, Guatemala, Belice, and Honduras. Its people built enormous cities in the jungle, developed a lunar calendar, and used the mathematical concept of zero.

Maya is the Princess of Teca, which could be shorthand for Toltec [Tolteca in Spanish], a civilization settled in Central Mexico during the pre-Columbian era. One of Maya’s legendary fighters is named Pichu, probably referring to the Inca city of Machu Picchu.

The characters often speak words or phrases in Spanish. But this fantasy story is set in an era long before the Spanish Conquest. Gutiérrez could be just taking a poetic license to celebrate his cultural heritage.

 

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An all-star cast of voices

The list of actors who lent their voices to “Maya and the Three” reads like a who’s who of Latino Hollywood: Kate del Castillo, Cheech Marin, Rita Moreno, Rosie Pérez, Sandra Equihua, Diego Luna, Danny Trejo, Carlos Alazraqui, Joaquín Cosío, Gael García Bernal and Alfred Molina are on the cast. Even Queen Latifah gets in on the fun. Also participating are Dee Bradley Baker, Gray Griffin, Eric Bauza, Jeff Ranjo, Hailey Hermida, John DiMaggio, Isabela Merced, Carolina Ravassa, Chelsea Rendon, Wyclef Jean, Raphael Alejandro, Alanna Ubach, and Andy Santana.

“Maya and the Three” is currently airing on Netflix.

Zoe Saldana Rules as a Warrior Princess in ‘Maya and the Three’ is published in collaboration with LatinHeat Entertainment.

Edited by Gabriela Alejandra Olmos and Melanie Slone



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Israel Is Investing Heavily In Promoting These 4 Fields

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Israel Is Investing Heavily In Promoting These 4 Fields

By Abigail Klein Leichman

The Israel Innovation Authority is investing $70 million over three years in establishing new consortiums to nurture startups in cultivated meat, insect farming, human-robot interface and fluid sampling-focused medical diagnosis.

This is one of the largest public-sector investments in cultivated meat in the world.

The funding is being provided through the IIA’s Generic Technology Research Consortium program, which offers grants for research and development cooperation within the framework of an association of industrial companies and research institutions.

Each consortium will include about 10 companies and 10 academic research groups.

Dror Bin, CEO of the Israel Innovation Authority, said the four new consortiums represent areas “with the potential for a significant economic impact, with a substantial need for government involvement.”

The cultivated meat and medical diagnosis consortiums, he added, result from the IIA’s extensive promotion bio-convergence — technologies combining biology with engineering aspects such as electronics, AI, computational biology, physics, nanotechnology, materials science and advanced genetic engineering.

A call for proposals was issued for:

  • Cultivated meat technologies for mass-producing lab-grown meat at competitive prices with conventional slaughtered meat. This initiative is being piloted by Tnuva’s innovation division in hope of establishing a broad export-oriented Israeli industry.
  • A circular economy of products revolving around the black soldier fly, an insect that can break down organic waste, reduce landfills and provide a source of protein for animal feed. This initiative is being piloted by Prism to create anewvalue chain in insect agriculture.
  • Fluid sampling technologies and sensors to detect biological markers for early diagnosis of diseases – such as pancreatic cancer, fatty liver, hepatitis and Alzheimer’s disease) noninvasively even before symptoms occur. This consortium is being piloted by startups headed by Senseera.
  • Technologies to improve human-robot interaction to promote and streamline robotic tasks using natural and simple mutual communication. This consortium, led by Elbit, ICT and Cyber, will develop a kit of generic capabilities that can be integrated into a variety of robotic applications for the civilian market (nursing homes, hospitals, industry and logistics) and security sector.

In 2019, Vanilla Vida launched in late 2019 in collaboration with the Israeli Innovation Authority as part of The Kitchen FoodTech Hub, a seed investor and technology incubator owned by the StraussGroup.  Vanilla Vida now employs 12 people and has raised more than $3 million from investors including Peakbridge’s FoodSparks fund and software and angel investor Michael Eisenberg. A Series A round is slated for 2021’s fourth quarter.

TikTalk, an AI speech therapy program, also recently received funding from the Israel Innovation Authority. It was launched commercially in January to agencies, private-practice speech language pathologists and school systems on a monthly or yearly license basis. The company also received funding from eHealthVentures, Maccabi Health Fund and Shenhav Investments and is affiliated with the Maryland-Israel Development Center.

The 10-person Israeli team is developing additional games for other kinds of speech-sound disorders.

Produced in association with Israel21C.



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Mind Bending: Psychic Phenomenon Uri Geller’s New Museum

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Mind Bending: Psychic Phenomenon Uri Geller’s New Museum

By Abigail Klein Leichman

Two thousand twisted pieces of cutlery adorn a 1976 Cadillac parked in the new Uri Geller Museum in Jaffa. A Guinness World Record-winning bent spoon, weighing 11 tons, dominates the museum courtyard.

Bending spoons through psychokinesis is, after all, the trademark of world-famous mystifier Uri Geller.

Geller hosted a narrated tour last week of the more than 200 items on exhibit — from Pablo Picasso’s easel and Harry Houdini’s handcuffs to boxing gloves signed by Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali) and Gary Cooper’s script holder from “High Noon.”

“Ninety percent of the items you see here were gifts from people throughout my career,” says Geller, who relishes telling the stories behind these presents. Some were sent especially for the museum, like guitars from the Rolling Stones and Moody Blues.

Uri Geller and writer Abigail Klein Leichman with an ancient 1-ton crystal at Geller’s museum. (Dlila Bar-Ratson)

“About 5 percent of the items I bought in Sotheby and Christie auctions because they were connected to me in some way. Most of the rest I bought in shops,” said Geller.

Now approaching 75, Geller remains fit and youthful, still very much in the public eye.

The charm and charisma that won him friends and admirers in high places — along with plenty of skeptics, too — is as infectious as ever.

At right is a spoon chair made for Uri Geller by Kellogg’s, with a puppet gifted to him by Noa Kirel. At left is part of Geller’s first car, a Volkswagen Beetle. (Abigail K. Leichman)

Prime ministers and spies

Born in Tel Aviv in 1946, Geller was fresh out of the paratroopers — in which he’d fought in the 1967 Six Day War — when he began giving highbrow house parties to earn some cash.

A born entertainer, he wowed judges and generals with his paranormal powers (or his masterful illusions, depending on whom you ask).

At one of these parties, he persuaded Golda Meir to draw a picture behind the closed door of the bathroom to prove he could read her mind.

“I think I am the only person who ever sent a prime minister to the restroom on command,” he says with a laugh.

Some other guests turned out to be agents from the Mossad, Israel’s national intelligence agency.

“They were desperate to find out how I could bring them information in an unconventional manner, so they asked the CIA to test my powers,” he said, “and they sent astronaut Edgar Mitchell to convince me to come to Washington. We became very good friends.”

Mitchell introduced Geller to former Nazi rocket scientist Wernher von Braun at a secret NASA base. Geller has photos displayed from their meeting, taken by his best friend and brother-in-law, Shipi Shtrang, who also was at the museum on this particular tour.

Daredevil

 Uri Geller was featured in a Marvel comics book in 1976. (Abigail K. Leichman)

A distant relative of Sigmund Freud, Geller has seen his likeness on everything from a Pokémon doll to a “Daredevil” Marvel comic book.

Among the rare treasures in his museum: a gold “egg” that John Lennon told Geller he received from an extraterrestrial being; a jacket signed by Michael Jackson; a 1-ton crystal, supposedly millions of years old; a model airplane gifted, oddly enough, by Libyan despot Muammar Gaddafi.

Geller also has the personal binoculars of assassinated prime minister Yitzhak Rabin. “This is very precious to me because he was my mefaked [commander],” says Geller.

The eclectic collection continues with a picture of him next to Jeff Bezos, a letter from Jackie Kennedy Onassis, and the first Baby Bamba doll ever made.

A basketball autographed by Kobe Bryant at the Uri Geller Museum. (Abigail K. Leichman)
Yitzhak Rabin’s binoculars at the Uri Geller Museum. (Abigail K. Leichman)

Synchronicity

“This is incredible,” he says, pointing to an Ata brand work shirt in a display cabinet.

“This is a shirt that David Ben-Gurion wore, probably straight out of the laundry room at Kibbutz Sde Boker. The amazing synchronicity here is that when he wore this shirt, I was Ata’s model!”

Geller also has Albert Einstein’s smoking pipes, Winston Churchill’s cigar lighter, and Marilyn Monroe’s Chanel #5 perfume, a gift from Joe DiMaggio.

There’s a radio from Sony founder Masaru Ibuka, a raw crystal skull from former Mexican President Jose Lopez Portillo; the death mask of Frédéric Chopin; and a blue diamond-studded walking stick from the late Nigerian monarch Oba Sijuwade.

Israel’s first prime minister, David Ben-Gurion, wore this Ata work shirt in his later years, when Uri Geller was the brand’s model. (Abigail K. Leichman)
A walking stick from Nigerian monarch Oba Sijuwade, studded with blue diamonds. (Abigail K. Leichman)

British micro-artist Graham Short’s  carved likenesses of Geller, Michael Jackson and a bent spoon on the head of a pin are among the eclectic collection.

A ventriloquist’s dummy given to Geller by pop star Noa Kirel — when they were judges on “Israel’s Got Talent” — reposes on a spoon chair made for Geller by Kellogg’s cereal company after he did a commercial for the company.

An accidental museum

Geller says he never intended to have a museum.

When he and his wife, Hanna, moved back to Israel about five and a half years ago, they settled into an apartment they’d bought in Old Jaffa from art collector Ilana Goor in 2006, when Geller was hosting a reality show that launched the career of mentalist Lior Suchard.

A real-estate agent approached Geller on the street and urged him to see a space available next to Goor’s own museum.

Opening the old tin doors, Geller saw a vaulted stone hall filled with gravel and dirt. Instantly he decided to ship his one-of-a-kind possessions from England and display them here.

The Uri Geller Museum in Old Jaffa. (Abigail K. Leichman)
The soap factory unearthed in the Ottoman structure. (Dlila Bar-Ratson/IAA)

The building dates from the 18th century Ottoman period and apparently was used for storage. Israel Antiquities Authority archeologists were present during the $6 million renovation when workers discovered a 19th century olive-oil soap factory beneath the floor.

The museum also houses some of Geller’s own works of art.

He designed NSYNC’s logo, the cover of Michael Jackson’s “Invincible” album, and many pieces of Poole Pottery, a brand favored by Queen Elizabeth. Geller’s drawings and prints can be purchased on the museum’s website.

Uri Geller with Poole Pottery plates he designed. (Abigail K. Leichman)

The Jesus painting

Next to an Andy Warhol painting given to Geller by a billionaire is a pop-art work he commissioned from Tel Aviv-based Yuval “Yuvi” Gold showing some of the celebrities whose gifts are exhibited here.

Hanging above all that is a painting of Jesus.

“In the early 1970s, Salvador Dali asked to meet me,” Geller said. “He had painted bent spoons in the 1930s and didn’t believe I could really bend spoons. So he brings me a gold spoon. He holds it in his hands, I place my finger on it, and it bends. That freaks him out. But we became best friends, and he gave me lots of gifts.”

One of those gifts was a crystal ball that Dali told Geller had belonged to Leonardo da Vinci.

One wall of the Uri Geller Museum contains, among other items, a Salvador Dali painting (right), Yuvi’s pop art painting (center), and an Andy Harwood replica of Leonardo da Vinci’s “Salvator Mundi” with the original crystal ball above it. (Abigail K. Leichman)

“I didn’t believe it,” says Geller. “I accepted it politely and put it on the roof of my Cadillac, which went to many museums, including the Israel Museum.”

In 2011, Geller saw an article in a London newspaper about a recently discovered Leonardo da Vinci painting, “Salvator Mundi.”

“I fell off my feet because look what Jesus is holding in his hand! It was the crystal that Dali gave me.”

Geller sped off to Ashdod, where the Cadillac was stored at the time, and removed the crystal. Now it’s displayed above a replica of “Salvator Mundi” by British portrait artist Andy Harwood.

Proceeds to charity

Visitors to the Uri Geller Museum watch a short video about Geller, accompanied by “The Symphony of Synchronicity” commissioned from Loretta Weinberger (Kay-Feld), a British émigré whose compositions for “Sesame Street” and U.S. presidents Barack Obama and Donald J. Trump are well known. Her family lived next door to the Gellers in England some four decades ago, and they’ve remained close.

Admission to the Uri Geller Museum is 45 shekels (about $15) per person. For now, it is open only to groups, booked in advance.

Most of the proceeds are funneled through the Uri Geller Charitable Foundation  to Israeli children’s charities including Save a Child’s Heart.

Produced in association with Israel21C.



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Access To Capital Remains A Problem For Most Black Businesses

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Access To Capital Remains A Problem For Most Black Businesses

By Kevin Michael Briscoe

By many accounts, access to capital has stunted the ability of minority business owners to maintain cash flow and cover operating costs. In fact, more than half of black business owners polled in a recent national survey cite lack of access to cash as the main hindrance to their ability to grow.

One potential solution is invoice factoring, in which a company “sells” its invoices to a third party for collections. Such factoring gives businesses near-immediate access to cash for expenses like contract ramp-ups, staffing or paying suppliers.

“With a traditional line of credit, the bank is giving you money that you can draw from, and it doesn’t pay too much attention to it beyond that. There’s an interest rate, and its gets paid back over time,” said Chas Justice, business development officer for altLINE, the commercial financing division of The Southern Bank Co. based in Birmingham, Ala. “With factoring, clients actually submit individual invoices to us for funding. If they have a $1,000 invoice, they submit it to us, and we typically forward 80 to 90 percent of that invoice to their operating account immediately.”

Factoring Pros and Cons

The typical factoring customer is a rapidly growing but cash-strapped company challenged by meeting payroll or other operating costs, and tend to come from the staffing, consulting, manufacturing and distribution industries that generally bill customers at an hourly rate or sell products on 30- or 60-day terms.

“For staffing and consulting companies, our financing is helping them speed up their cash flow to meet payroll,” Justice said. “For manufacturing and distribution companies, we help them pay their suppliers or buy more raw materials.”

Chas Justice, business development officer, altLINE. (Courtesy The Southern Bank Co.)

Early in the growth of her Washington, D.C. area-based social marketing firm, Wendy Campbell had to demonstrate her capacity to purchase a $500,000 media buy as part of her certification application for a U.S. Small Business Administration set-aside program. On the advice of a colleague, she was able to connect with a factoring company that provided the funds to satisfy the SBA requirements.

“If you need funding to ramp up for a contract, this is the way to do it, and if it’s government work, it’s practically guaranteed,” said Campbell, president of Campbell & Co. Communications. “The good news is that you can use it when you want to cover out-of-pocket costs, or if you need to hire additional consultants.”

But while invoice factoring enables companies to get cash quickly, it’s not cheap, generally averaging between 1 percent and 5 percent of the principal amount.

“The pros of invoice factoring are it gets cash into the hands of companies that can qualify for a bank loan, and the application process is quicker than that of an accounts receivable loan,” said Saji George, business development officer for InterNex Capital, based in Harrison, New York “The cons are the higher costs of funds and the greater degree of lender management.”

“It works mainly for [my] government contracting clients because payment …is slow, and they need to pay employees, but I recommend clients stay away because interest rates are too high,” said Sharif J. Small, a Baltimore-based tax accountant and chief executive officer of SJS Financial.

Justice at altLINE counters that a lack of transparency among factoring companies has been to blame for the industry’s bad public relations.

“Most of the lenders in our industry are not federally-regulated banks like we are,” he said. “They basically do what they want.”

Saji George, business development officer, Internex Capital. (Courtesy Internex Capital)

Unlike other factoring companies, Justice said altLINE does not engage in so-called “float days,” a practice that has hurt factoring’s reputation.

“Let’s say we have a rate of 2 percent per 30 days that we’re funding an invoice, and then it goes up by 1 percent every 15 days after that,” he said. “If the invoice is paid on day 28, 29 or 30, we stop the interest rate clock on the day the invoice is paid, and we charge the borrower the 2 percent for the 30 days; that’s our fee.

“With the vast majority of the other factoring companies, they’ll take three to five days to clear the payment, so the payment on day 28 is not cleared until day 32 or 33. Now, the borrower is paying 3 percent, and their financing costs just went up by 50 percent. If they’re told one rate and pay a higher rate, all of a sudden they’ve mispriced all of their customers, and find themselves behind the eight-ball. [Factoring] is always going to be more expensive than traditional bank financing, which is fine if people know what they’re paying for.”

What to Look For

There are two types of factoring: recourse and non-recourse.

In a recourse arrangement, businesses are required to buy back the invoices and repay the factoring company in the event of its customer’s default on an invoice payment. In a non-recourse situation, businesses are not required to pay back the funding if bankruptcy is the cause of the default. However, factoring companies that offer a non-recourse arrangement are playing a game of smoke and mirrors, according to altLINE”s Justice.

“As a full-recourse bank, we tell our customers to purchase trade credit insurance, which is a policy that pays out in the event of non-payment due to financial difficulties on the part of the customer,” he said. “That’s really all the non-recourse companies do; they buy insurance policies. You can do the same with us, except you’re in control of the policy, not the non-recourse company. So, we’re not going to mark up the rate of your policy and mask it in our fees. It’s more cost-effective to the borrower in the long run.”

Sharif J. Smalls, CEO, SJS Financial (Courtesy SJS Financial)

Surveys Detail Scope of the Funding Woes

Whatever the funding mechanism sought, two major recent surveys make it clear access to capital is still a major problem for black entrepreneurs.

The 2021 Black Business Owner Spotlight survey conducted by Bank of America reflects a general sense of optimism among its respondents, with nearly half (48 percent) expecting their revenue to increase this year. Yet, almost six out of 10 cited the challenges accessing capital as a barrier to their business’ growth.

The Small Business Credit Survey: 2021 Report on Firms Owned by People of Color, conducted by the U.S. Federal Reserve System, supports this assertion. This report found that across all owner groups by ethnicity, black-owned firms that applied for traditional forms of financing were least likely to receive all the financing they sought. Hispanic- and Asian-owned firms (20 percent and 31 percent, respectively) were also less likely than white-owned firms (40 percent) to receive all the financing for which they applied.

Even among firms with good credit scores, black-owned firms were half as likely as white-owned firms to receive all the financing they sought (24 percent versus 48 percent).

AltLINE’s Justice estimated his minority invoice factoring customer base at “around 50 to 60 percent,” but, as of this posting, was unable to provide numbers on the total dollar amount provided to his minority customers.

“If you’re an early-stage company, and you get this great contract, but they’re paying you in 60 days, and you’ve got to pay your payroll on a weekly or biweekly basis, or you have to pay your suppliers in 30 days, 15 days, or cash on demand, [invoice financing] gives you the ability to grow the business without having to sell equity or give up ownership in your company.”

Edited by Matthew B. Hall and Bryan Wilkes



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Smarter News Quiz: Celebrity Politicians, Driverless Trucks and Malala

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Smarter News Quiz: Celebrity Politicians, Driverless Trucks and Malala

By Rachel McMahon


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High Gasoline Prices Not Impacting Consumer Demand

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High Gasoline Prices Not Impacting Consumer Demand

By Daniel James Graeber

Higher retail prices for gasoline remain a top issue for the White House, though analysts told Zenger they have not seen much of an impact on demand yet.

Travel club AAA reported a national average retail price of $3.42 for a gallon of regular unleaded on Tuesday, up just a fraction from last week but $0.15 higher than this time last month.

Higher gasoline prices have been a pressing issue for President Joseph R. Biden Jr., who is wary of undermining momentum for the U.S. economy heading into a midterm election year. A decision last week from OPEC and its allies, a group dubbed OPEC+, to rebuff the White House and keep with an expected increase of 400,000 barrels per day for the market in December was met with frustration.

President Biden and White House staff have repeatedly called for OPEC and its allies to increase oil production. They have received criticism from environmental groups for those higher oil production pleas.

Federal forecasts for the price of crude oil could hint at things to come for retail gasoline. (U.S. Energy Information Administration)

White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the government was “going to use every tool” at its disposal to address energy market issues, including the possibility of tapping into the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to cool the market.

Phil Flynn, a senior energy analyst at The Price Futures Group in Chicago, said tapping into strategic reserves would work, but not for very long.

“The administration’s plan to release oil from the strategic reserve may lower gasoline prices for a short period of time, but actually could hurt by creating more demand,” he said.

Consumers may have a buy-the-dip sense and travel more if gasoline prices decline. That increase in demand, however, could lead to even higher prices at the pump.

There is a perfect storm brewing for broader commodity prices. A big spike in natural gas prices has caused some segments of the energy sector to turn to coal or crude oil as a stop-gap measure to deal with energy-related inflation. That has helped push crude oil prices to multiyear highs, and it’s largely that price that influences factors at the pump.

Soaring natural gas prices are pulling most major commodities with them. (U.S. Energy Information Administration)

Denton Cinquegrana, the chief oil analyst at the Oil Price Information Service, said the alarm bells might only be ringing in the White House.

“Demand doesn’t seem to be backing off too much,” he said. “From what I hear from people downstream is that they have not seen much behavioral change.”

The U.S. Energy Information Administration reported last week that the total amount of refined petroleum products supplied to the market, a loose proxy for demand, averaged 20.4 million barrels per day. That’s close to pre-pandemic levels and in line with recent trends, suggesting demand has yet to move lower as a direct result of high gasoline prices.

Patrick DeHaan, the senior petroleum analyst at GasBuddy, said there could be some frustration boiling to the surface, depending on political views, but demand still looked pretty good.

“Gasoline demand remains seasonally strong, while the EIA has lofty numbers suggesting consumers are guzzling 9.5 million barrels of gasoline per day, GasBuddy figures suggest the real number to be somewhere in the 9.2-9.4 million [barrels per day] range, still quite healthy amidst higher gasoline prices,” he said, referring to the Energy Information Administration.

The federal energy short-term market report for November said gasoline prices are expected to reach $3.32 per gallon on average and then dip to around $3.16 per gallon by December. Both of those forecasts, however, are higher than estimates from the October report.

Edited by Bryan Wilkes and Kristen Butler



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VIDEO: US Navy Ship Named After Gay Rights Leader Harvey Milk Is Launched In San Diego Bay

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VIDEO: US Navy Ship Named After Gay Rights Leader Harvey Milk Is Launched In San Diego Bay

By Joseph Golder

The U.S. Navy has launched a new ship named after gay-rights leader Harvey Milk.

Milk, the first openly gay official to be elected in California in the 1970s, had been forced out of the Navy two decades earlier because of his sexual orientation.

The launch of the USNS Harvey Milk took place in the San Diego Bay on Nov. 6, with the Navy releasing footage of the launch two days later.

The video of the Milk’s launch featured remarks by Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro.

“This great ship honors Navy diver and civil rights activist Harvey Milk, who was forced out of the service due to unfair policies,” said Del Toro. “Because of him, today our LGBTQ Sailors and Marines serve honorably as their genuine selves.

“Leaders like Harvey Milk taught us that diversity of backgrounds and experiences help contribute to the strength and resolve of our nation.

“There is no doubt that the future sailors aboard this ship will be inspired by Milk’s life and legacy.”

More than two decades after his naval career was ended, Milk was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1977, becoming the first openly gay elected official in California. Milk was assassinated on Nov. 27, 1978 by Dan White, who also killed San Francisco Mayor George Moscone. White was convicted of manslaughter and spent five years in prison before later killing himself.

The gay lawmaker’s life was brought to the big screen in 2008, with Sean Penn playing the title role in “Milk.” The film won two Academy Awards: Penn, for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role, and Dustin Lance Black, for Best Writing, Original Screenplay.

The ship bearing Milk’s name is a replenishment oiler, and is shown in the video sliding into the water after a bottle of champagne was smashed on its bow by former Navy officer Paula M. Neira, clinical program director for the John Hopkins Center for Transgender Health.

The Milk is one of six John Lewis-class oilers commissioned for construction in 2016, with then-Navy Secretary Ray Mabus deciding that the new oilers would be named after civil and human rights leaders. The first ship in the class was named after civil-rights champion Rep. John Lewis of Georgia. The remaining ships commissioned that year were named in honor of American abolitionist and women’s rights activist Sojourner Truth, one-time Chief Justice Earl Warren, former U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy and suffragist Lucy Stone.

The Milk will serve as part of the Navy’s Combat Logistics Force. After initially ordering six such vessels in 2016, the Navy now plans to procure 20 ships of the new class.

Edited by Matthew B. Hall and Kristen Butler



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