These are the top maybe-not headlines from the past 36-hours presented by The Conversation Project from raw engagement data from our social media to the headlines posted over the past day.
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The 8 topics that our followers ranked as the most conversational are:
DISNEY+ SURPASSES 10 MILLION SUBSCRIBERS ON FIRST DAY
Disney’s announcement comes after Apptopia reported that the Disney+ app has been downloaded more than 3.2 million times. That’s despite tech problems that affected the service throughout the day. The Mandalorian, the live-action Star Wars show easily considered the crown jewel of Disney’s streaming service, saw north of 2 million streams over the first day, according to people familiar with the matter. That number has more than likely grown due to overnight and second day viewing. By the end of the day, Disney+ was also the top app in the App Store, according to Apptopia. Launching with a bundle — ESPN+ and ad-supported Hulu — also helped bump up both apps in app stores, according to Apptopia’s report. Sources familiar with the matter told The Verge that the bundle also saw a notable increase in sign-ups following the launch of Disney+. To put everything into additional context, analysts projected that Disney+ would have anywhere between 10-18 million subscribers in its first year. Disney has signed up more than half of those projected numbers in 24 hours. That might lead to people questioning whether Disney is poised to be more successful than other streaming competitors, including Netflix, but that’s not quite fair.
[SOURCE: theverge.com]
COLIN KAEPERNICK: NFL TEAMS INVITED TO PRIVATE WORKOUT ON SATURDAY
The workout will take place at an undisclosed location in Atlanta, a source with direct knowledge of the arrangement has told CNN. Clubs that don’t attend in person will have access to video of the session. Kaepernick hasn’t played in the league since the 2016 season — the same season he first sat during the playing of the National Anthem. The protest later evolved into kneeling after onetime Seattle Seahawk and Green Beret Nate Boyer convinced Kaepernick it would be more respectful to the nation’s military, the quarterback has said. Kaepernick said he did so to protest police shootings of African American men and other social injustices faced by black people in the United States. Kaepernick became a free agent in 2017. No team offered him a contract, and that October, he filed a grievance against the league, accusing team owners of colluding to keep him from being signed. The NFL denied any collusion. Kaepernick and former teammate Eric Reid, who knelt with Kaepernick, settled their cases.
[SOURCE: cnn.com]
NIKE WILL NO LONGER SELL ITS SHOES AND APPAREL ON AMAZON
Nike will stop selling its sneakers and clothing on Amazon, ending a pilot program that started in 2017, the company said. The move comes as part of Nike’s overhaul of its marketing and retail strategy and the hiring of former eBay executive John Donahoe as its next CEO. “As part of Nike’s focus on elevating consumer experiences through more direct, personal relationships, we have made the decision to complete our current pilot with Amazon Retail,” Nike said in a statement to Bloomberg. During the pilot program, Amazon purchased sneakers and apparel directly through Nike, rather than buying them via third parties. The aim was reportedly to ease concerns among other companies about third-party resellers that were sullying their brands with fake merchandise. Amazon had allegedly been developing a registry of vetted vendors, and Nike would make a big splash as the first approved brand. Nike supposedly thought that partnering with Amazon would give it more control over third-party sellers and potential counterfeit goods. However, as many companies have found on Amazon, eradicating third-party sellers is a game of wack-a-mole, with a new vendor popping up for each one removed.
[SOURCE: engadget.com]
MASSACHUSETTS FIRE LIEUTENANT DIES ‘SELFLESSLY’ SAVING 2 FIREFIGHTERS FROM BURNING HOME
A Massachusetts fire lieutenant died early Wednesday after helping two firefighters escape a burning home after they all became trapped on the third floor. The firefighters in Worcester, about 45 miles west of Boston, battled the blaze in extreme conditions, including cold temperatures and high winds. The Massachusetts Red Cross said in a tweet that temperatures at the time were 18 degrees. Worcester fire Lt. Jason Menard, 39, was pronounced dead at a hospital from his injuries. Two other firefighters were hospitalized and released and a third remains hospitalized in serious but stable condition, Chief Michael Lavoie said at a news conference. The firefighters were called to the four-alarm fire at the home just before 1 a.m. Flames were extending from the second floor to the third floor when they arrived. Lavoie said Menard and his crew received a report that a resident and a baby were trapped on the second floor of the building, but “heavy fire conditions” caused the firefighters to become trapped on the third floor. The Worcester Fire Department announced the loss of Lt. Jason Menard.The Worcester Fire Department announced the loss of Lt. Jason Menard.Worcester Fire Dept. Menard “heroically” and “selflessly” helped one firefighter to the stairs and helped a second escape out a window, Lavoie told reporters.
[SOURCE: nbcnews.com]
RUTH BADER GINSBURG MISSES SUPREME COURT ARGUMENTS DUE TO ILLNESS
The court said Ginsburg, 86, remained home because of a stomach bug. While not having the opportunity to question attorneys during the arguments, she will be involved in deciding the cases. Those cases are Comcast Corporation v. National Association of African American-Owned Media, et al., and Ritzen Group, Inc. v. Jackson Masonry, LLC. Ginsburg has had two separate bouts with cancer in the past year. Her recovery from lung cancer surgery caused her to miss court sessions in January. They were her first absences from arguments in a quarter-century as a justice. She had radiation treatment for a tumor on her pancreas in August.
[SOURCE: foxnews.com]
VENICE ‘ON ITS KNEES’ AFTER SECOND-WORST FLOOD EVER RECORDED
The worst flooding in Venice in more than 50 years prompted calls Wednesday to better protect the historic city from rising sea levels as officials calculated hundreds of millions of euros in damage. The water reached 1.87 meters (6.14 feet) above average sea level Tuesday, the second-highest level ever recorded in the city and just 7 centimeters (2½ inches) lower than the historic 1966 flood. Another wave of exceptionally high water followed Wednesday. One death was blamed on the flooding, on the barrier island of Pellestrina. A man in his 70s was apparently electrocuted when he tried to start a pump in his dwelling, said Danny Carrella, an official on the island of 3,500 inhabitants. Italy’s culture minister, Dario Franceschini, said no damage had been reported to art collections in museums throughout the city. Many sites remained closed to tourists, and La Fenice canceled concerts Wednesday and Thursday evening.
[SOURCE: apnews.com]
ISRAELI SCHOOLS, STORES TO START REOPENING AFTER DAY-LONG SHUT DOWN
The Home Front Command announced that schools in Yarkon, Gush Dan and Shfela will be open on November 13. The Ministry of Education later confirmed the Home Front Command’s statement. Additionally, Tel Aviv, Ramat Gan and Givatayim municipalities announced that their schools would re-open on Wednesday. However, schools in buildings without proper security infrastructure will remain closed. The Home Front Command has advised schools in the Gaza border region, West Lachish, the Negev and southern Shfela to remain closed. Schools in South and the central Gush Dan region were closed on Tuesday due to the security situation, in accordance with directives from Israel’s Home Front Command, which is responsible for civil defense. As a result, nearly 19,000 students missed school, 240 school trips were cancelled and nearly 11,000 students in the inner-city and youth villages were evacuated to safe regions. This is the first time since Operation Protective Edge in 2014 that the country is on such high alert.
[SOURCE: jpost.com]
KODAK BLACK SENTENCED TO 46 MONTHS PRISON ON WEAPONS CHARGES
A Miami federal judge sentenced South Florida rapper Kodak Black to three years and ten months in prison Wednesday on weapons charges, far less than the maximum 10-year sentence he could have received. “Young people do stupid things and I normally give them a break for that,” Judge Federico Moreno told Black. “The problem is that you have been doing stupid things since 15.” Black, 22, had pleaded guilty in August to lying on a background form when he purchased handguns at a Hialeah weapons store in January, and again in March when he attempted to buy more guns. He apologized to the court as well as to his family and friends. “I’m sorry for the actions that led me to where I’m standing,” said Black, handcuffed. “I do take full responsibility for my mishap.”
[SOURCE: bradenton.com]
Eight Things To Talk About uses the raw engagement data from the social media engagement from The Conversation Project to generate the top-ranking headlines over the course of a weekend.
A full weeks’ data (from Friday to Friday) is compiled, weighed, and sorted to produce the content for the Wrap-Up Show with J Cleveland Payne, published every Saturday as a podcast available at ThisIsTheConversation.com or wherever your favorite podcasts are found.
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