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Players from both the U.S. and European Teams began meeting with the media Tuesday at Whistling Straits, with the opening matches now just three days away. Four players from each team answered questions and offered insight ahead of the 43rd Ryder Cup, with discussion ranging from possible pairings and team chemistry to ping-pong results, headwear and more:

Justin Thomas: I would have preferred to go 0-5 and us win the Cup (in 2018), but it did a lot for me just to know that Captain Furyk had the confidence in me to play that much, and to put me out first in Singles was probably one of the best honors Ive ever received.

Justin Thomas: We have such a deep, good team that its not like anybody is a weak link on our team. Its just about getting the energy similar I would say, and two guys that want to play together, two guys that want to go to battle out there for each other, that would take a bullet for each other, and I think we have a team room thats full of that.

Justin Thomas: Its a huge advantage to play in front of your home crowd, and its also what makes the event so special. It would have been a shame to play this without fans or even with very, very limited fans. This is one of the biggest sporting events in the world, and its a huge deal for the PGA. Its a big deal for us.

Justin Thomas: Im very excited to have the opportunity to play with Jordan because hes obviously a great buddy of mine and we get along so well, but I think we understand each others games well to know when were needed, when were not needed, and pretty much just stay out of each others way. Because were both pretty good players and hopefully can go get some points for us this week.

Jordan Spieth: I love the golf course, the setup of it. Its beautiful. Its on the lake, but youve got to control the ball in the wind. Should be a really exciting match play course because you can get into trouble but you can also birdie just about every single hole with the right shot.

Jordan Spieth: Its more of the adrenaline rush than the nerves. Like, its more of an exciting version of that than it is a nervy version of that, and (you have to) embrace that because you dont really get that opportunity but once every couple years.

Jordan Spieth: We know the Euros typically have a different strategy. Theyre going to play probably four or five guys in five matches regardless, and some of the other guys will probably play two or three, and you expect to see the same guys out that weve seen for a number of years now five times.

Jordan Spieth: For me, Ive just assumed Im going to go out, try and win that first point and roll from there. Its worked the last few, and I dont see why that should change now from my point of view.

Photo Credit: Getty Images

Bryson DeChambeau: Its going to be fun to see what we can do and rile up the crowd in the right way and get them behind our backs and moving us in the direction we all want to be in, which is taking home that Cup.

Bryson DeChambeau: I lost in ping-pong, which kind of stinks, to Daniel (Berger). He beat me. There are obviously excuses I could make, but I wont. Im pretty sour about it. Im going to get him back.

Bryson DeChambeau: Look, Im not trying to change anybodys perception. All Im trying to do is showcase what I can do for the game of golf. Whether people like it or not, thats their interpretation of it. For me, again, Im going to keep providing people with the best entertainment I possibly can. Some people may not like it, some people love it.

Scottie Scheffler: I feel like if I showed up on this team and either didnt have friends or the guys werent being nice to me, it would feel a lot different. But I feel like its been a seamless transition for me being on this team. The guys have been nothing but kind.

Scottie Scheffler: I think its funny people would say Im not emotional, because my wife would say the complete opposite. I cry a decent amount. Im actually a pretty emotional guy.

Scottie Scheffler: The one thing Ive heard was its weird how loud it gets to how quiet it gets (on the first tee) when youre about to hit the shot, because its going to go back to a regular golf tournament when youre over the ball. So I think thats going to be kind of a weird adjustment.

Rory McIlroy: Theres a lot of continuity in our team, and I think thats been part of the reason for our success. Thats something that I hope never changes, because its worked very well for us.

Rory McIlroy: I think that the Ryder Cup epitomizes everything thats great in the game of golf. Its competitive but theres also a lot of sportsmanship shown. And obviously theres partisan crowds and all of that, but thats part of being in a team environment. Youre going to have a majority of the crowd rooting for one team or the other. I guess thats not something we get to experience every day.

Yeah, Ryder Cup is one of the best events that we have in golf, if not the best event we have in golf, and just excited to be a part of another one.

Photo Credit: Getty Images

Rory McIlroy: Theres a sea of red everywhere here. It feels like an American Ryder Cup.

Rory McIlroy: I think the most animated Ive been in my career has been at Ryder Cups. It just brings something out of you that you dont get playing individually.

Rory McIlroy: They made some (hats) for me, so thats a start. So Ive got some that fit. Maybe. I dont know. Its sort of become my thing in the Ryder Cup to not wear a hat, but I dont know. Well see.

Viktor Hovland: Weve only been here for 24 hours and our chemistry is good, so I just try to learn as much as I can from the guys that have been here five, six, seven times. They have so much experience, and Im just trying to be around it.

Viktor Hovland: Id say kind of when we just created the group text that we have together, that was just one of the first things that made everything kind of sink in. Wow, were playing the Ryder Cup net week.

Viktor Hovland: A couple of the guys are the reason why this tournament is what it is, because theyve brought so much passion and blood, sweat and tears into this event that it makes it so much more special to be on the team and even the same team as them.

Sergio Garcia: Ive always said it. Id rather go 0-5 and win the Ryder Cup than 5-0 and lose it. Thats not going to change. It doesnt matter. The most important thing is that Europe plays well, that we give ourselves the best chance to win the Cup, and thats the goal.

Sergio Garcia: Obviously the excitement that I get when I come into the Ryder Cup, its something that I cant describe it. I cant tell you what happens, but it happens. Its just love for it.

Sergio Garcia: Every time Im part of a team or the rest of our teammates, thats why we give it the respect that it deserves, because its so difficult to be a part of it. Its an honor, and we treat it like that.

Lee Westwood: I think I get on pretty well with everybody. If somebody partners me Im a pretty straight hitter of the ball. I hit a lot of fairways, hit a lot of greens. Thats sort of what my game has been renowned for. I do make putts when I need to, despite what peoples opinions might be.

Lee Westwood: It makes me proud of my longevity, really. Week in, week out I play with somebody thats the same age as my son now. Im pretty much used to that.

Lee Westwood: As the years go on and you get a little bit older, you dont know whether youre going to play a Ryder Cup again. Its obviously nice to be back holding the clubs again rather than other people.

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What They Said Tuesday at the Ryder Cup - RyderCup.com

Willie Garson, the actor best known for his role as Carrie Bradshaws best male friend, Stanford Blatch, in Sex and the City, has died. He was 57.

His death was confirmed on Tuesday by his son, Nathen Garson, in a post on Instagram. The cause was not immediately disclosed.

In addition to his popular role in the HBO series Sex and the City, Mr. Garson was also known for his role as the con man Mozzie in the TV show White Collar.

Mr. Garson is credited with appearing in 30 movies, including the 2008 film Sex and the City and its 2010 sequel Sex and the City 2.

Mr. Garson was born William Paszamant on Feb. 20, 1964, in New Jersey to Muriel Paszamant and Donald M. Paszamant. At 13, he started training at the Actors Institute in New York, and he graduated in 1985 from Wesleyan University, where he majored in psychology and theater, according to the university.

After graduating from Wesleyan, Mr. Garson landed guest roles on several television shows, including Family Ties and Cheers.

In addition to the Sex and the City movies, Mr. Garson worked with the Farrelly brothers in some of their films, including Kingpin (1996), Theres Something About Mary (1998) and Fever Pitch (2005).

He also played Lee Harvey Oswald three times, in the film Ruby (1992) and on the TV shows Quantum Leap and MADtv.

Mr. Garson also served on the advisory board for You Gotta Believe, an organization that helps find permanent families for young people. Mr. Garson became a parent in 2010 when he adopted his son, Nathen, who was 7 at the time.

As a narcissist actor, and I was the definition, I immediately became responsible for taking care of someone else, Mr. Garson said in an interview shared on Medium last year. It is a really special feeling to say that. It is such an important job and makes you grow in so many different ways.

Complete information on survivors was not immediately available.

As the news of Mr. Garsons death spread on Tuesday night, actors and performers shared their memories and praise on social media.

The comic actor Mario Cantone, who played Mr. Garsons partner in Sex and the City, said on Twitter that he was devastated and just overwhelmed with sadness.

Taken away from all of us way soon, he said. You were a gift from the gods.

Cynthia Nixon, who played Miranda Hobbes in Sex and the City, said on Twitter that Mr. Garson was endlessly funny on-screen and in real life.

We all loved him and adored working with him, she said. He was a source of light, friendship and show business lore. He was a consummate professional always.

Original post:
Willie Garson, Who Played Standford Blatch on Sex and the City, Dies at 57 - The New York Times

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New Delhi: Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan landed in hot water last week for erroneously calling the Haqqani network, a terrorist organisation on the United Nations sanctions list, a tribe in Afghanistan.

The Americans didnt understand what the Haqqani network was. Haqqani is a tribe. Its a Pashtun tribe, living in Afghanistan. Forty years ago, when the Afghan jihad took place, we had five million Afghan refugees in Pakistan, among them were a few of the Haqqanis, Khan said in a CNN interview.

Social media users were quick to point out that there is no Pashtun tribe in Afghanistan by the name of Haqqani. The Haqqani Network, which is affiliated with the Afghan Taliban and responsible for several attacks including a 2017 bombing in Kabul, was founded by late warlord Jalaluddin Haqqani who belonged to the Zadran tribe.

Jalaluddins son Sirajuddin now serves as interior minister in the new Taliban regime in Afghanistan.

The Taliban, which means students in Pashto, have primarily drawn their power from the dominant Pashtuns in Afghanistan. They first seized Kabul in 1996 from President Burhanuddin Rabbani, an ethnic Tajik whom they was saw as anti-Pashtun and corrupt.

Also read:SAARC foreign ministers meet cancelled after Pakistan insists on Talibans participation

Pashtuns, also known as Pushtans, Paktuns or Pathans, are the predominant ethnic group in Afghanistan who comprise 40-50 per cent of the population. Smaller ethnic groups in the country among the 14 recognised include Tajiks, Uzbeks, and Hazaras.

There are also a large number of Pashtuns in Pakistans Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which shares a border with Afghanistan. They were separated from those in Afghanistan by the Durand Line, which divided the region between British India and Afghanistan in the late 19th century.

The Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM), a growing civil rights group that began in Pakistan in 2014, has long criticised the Imran Khan government and military establishment for alleged human rights violations against the community.

Pashtuns are mostly Sunni Muslims. However, there are Shia Pashtuns in eastern Afghanistan, according to a 2002 intelligence report by the US Marine Corps Intelligence Activity (MCIA).

Pashtuns speak Pashto, which became the national language of Afghanistan in 1936.

Central to the Pashtun way of life is the Pashtunwali code of honour that stresses personal autonomy. A key facet of this code is blood feuds or retaliatory killings that continue between families and tribes for generations.

Not seeking blood retaliation personally is deemed a sign of moral weakness, even cowardice, not just of the individual who was wronged, but his whole kin group, wrote US-based social anthropologist Thomas Barfield in a2003 research paper titled Afghan Customary Law and Its Relationship to Formal Judicial Institutions.

Blood feuds cannot operate in societies with government control. Therefore, those living in marginal rural lands away from state control see themselves as true Pashtuns, who can uphold the strict standards of Pashtunwali, added Barfield.

Decisions are taken and disputes resolved only through consensus at a tribal council or jirga, and its participating members are usually the older respected men and religious figures of a village like mullahs. Women and children arent allowed, as pointed out by Country of Origin Information Center Landinfo, an independent body that works with the Norwegian immigration authorities.

Hospitality, defence of property, and protection of female relatives are other important principles for Pashtuns.

Also read:Taliban seek UNGA participation, write to UN chief nominating their spokesman as Afghan envoy

As far as origin theories go, some say Pashtuns are descendants of Eastern Iranians while others speculate that they originated from ancient tribes of Israel.

Pashtuns believe they are descendants of a common ancestor, even though there is no consensus on what the name of this ancestor is. Some call him Qays Abdurrashid, others refer to him as Daru Nika or Baba Khaled, the legendary general in Prophet Muhammads army.

German ethnologist Bernt Glatzer, who published several works on nomadism in Afghanistan, explained the family tree under this common ancestor from which several tribes were believed to have emerged.

The common ancestor is said to have had four sons: Sarban, Bitan, Ghurghusht and Karran. Sarban had two sons: Sharjnun and Kharshbun; Bitan three sons, Ismail, Ashbun, Kajin, and one daughter, Bibi Matu; Ghurghusht had three sons, Danay, Babay and Mando; and Karran had two sons, Koday and Kakay.

Important Pashtun rulers have included Ibrahim Lodhi of the Lodi Dynasty, which who ruled Afghanistan and northern India during the Delhi Sultanate period and was eventually defeated by Mughal emperor Babur.

There are countless tribes, sub-tribes and sub-units under the larger umbrella of Pashtuns. The two major tribes include the Durranis and the Ghilzais. The MCIA report offers a look at the subtribes below these two.

Under Durranis come Achakzai, Alizai, Barakzai, Mohammadzai and Popalzai. Under Ghilzais, come Ahmadzai, Kharruti, Hotaki, Wardak, Jaji and Jadran.

Mullah Baradar, deputy prime minister in the Taliban cabinet, and former Afghan president Hamid Karzai belong to the Popalzai tribe.

-zay or -zai is a common suffix in names of larger tribal units and means son of, while -khel refers to smaller subunits, explained Glatzer. He added that tribes that end with -zay are usually found in southern or western parts of Afghanistan. Most eastern tribes, such as the Afridi, Mohmand, Zadran, Shinwari and others, lack this suffix.

(Edited by Amit Upadhyaya)

Also read:Jaishankar discusses Afghanistan situation & Indo-Pacific with global counterparts at UNGA

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Since the coronavirus pandemic began, art fairs have gone through several permutations, from online only to fully in person, along with several varieties of hybrids.

To many in the art world, the format and fate of Art Basel in Basel, Switzerland, the fair scheduled to take place from Friday to Sunday, is especially important, given that it is the mother of all art fairs, in the words of the London-based dealer Pilar Corrias.

There are too many fairs around the world, and not all will survive, Ms. Corrias said. But we need Basel.

The fair first took place in 1970 and now has editions in Miami Beach and Hong Kong.

More than 270 galleries are scheduled to show inside the Messe Basel exhibition hall the first such gathering in Basel since 2019 and, like the Hong Kong fair that took place in May, this one is actually a hybrid, with a concurrent online viewing room.

But the focus is on the return of the real-world event.

The online component is limited to galleries who are physically at the fair, said Marc Spiegler, Art Basels global director. The logic is that we want to extend the fair digitally rather than having two fairs. (Art Basel will also have a purely digital event in November.)

Given the circumstances, Mr. Spiegler was especially proud of the robust number of galleries 33 countries are represented especially in the Parcours sector, which takes place around the city of Basel, and in Unlimited, the section for large-scale projects.

Both require an extraordinary effort on the part of galleries, he said. The fact that we have 62 projects for Unlimited is especially impressive.

For organizers, exhibitors and collectors who want to attend the fair, there are pandemic-related precautions. In addition, the halls capacity has been reduced and masks are required.

The upshot: Were running a safe event, Mr. Spiegler said.

He noted that the precautions may encourage a more local crowd.

We assume the fair will have a more European flavor, Mr. Spiegler said. I think the audience may be younger this year, too.

For an event that once derived at least part of its appeal from its social scene, the tone may change as well.

Were expecting a pretty focused crowd, Mr. Spiegler said. People who come to an art fair under these conditions are really there for the art.

He added, Its more about seeing art than being seen.

The American philanthropist Pamela Joyner, known for her collection of works by Black artists and those of the African diaspora, said she planned to attend the fair to talk to collectors and galleries who I dont talk to all the time.

There are some things, she said, you cant get online.

Ms. Joyner, currently based in Nevada near Lake Tahoe, travels frequently and serves on many corporate and cultural boards, including that of the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

I have a particular fondness for Art Basel, she said. I think of it as part of my collecting tool kit.

Among other benefits, it helps her stay ahead of the curve. Several years ago, Ms. Joyner said, she bought a work by the painter Jordan Casteel before she was in the limelight. (Ms. Casteel had a survey at the New Museum in New York last year.)

It was figurative painting, said Ms. Joyner, a frequent buyer of abstract works. And I dont buy a lot of those.

Ms. Corrias, who has two gallery spaces in London and plans to expand to Shanghai next year, will be showing, among other works, a sculpture from Philippe Parrenos Fraught Times series; it resembles a Christmas tree left out past its prime.

Its intricate and delicate, and it took him more than two years to make, Ms. Corrias said, making it one work that needs to be seen in person. Hence her participation in the fair.

Its made of stainless steel but it looks real, she said. You cannot see that in a photograph. You have to stand in front of it.

Jeanne Greenberg Rohatyn, the founder of the gallery Salon 94 in New York, agreed, saying: Putting art in front of people is key. People are starved to look at art and stretch their eyes.

Ms. Rohatyn will be showing art by Lisa Brice, Lyle Ashton Harris and Huma Bhabha, among others. Her booth will include photographs by Kwame Brathwaite, including Untitled (Model who embraced natural hairstyles at AJASS photo shoot) (circa 1970).

Mr. Brathwaite helped popularize the phrase Black is beautiful.

He has a very precise eye, Ms. Rohatyn said, adding that it would be fresh material for the Basel audience. Europeans havent seen a lot of this work.

Ms. Rohatyn recently announced that in January she would merge her business with that of three other top dealers, creating a hybrid gallery and art advisory called LGDR. Salon 94 will close out its fair slate at Shanghais West Bund fair in November and at Art Basel Miami Beach in December.

A less dramatic and disruptive collaboration is planned for the Basel fair by Sperone Westwater and David Nolan Gallery, both of New York. They are splitting a booth and creating provocative pairings from their respective exhibitions, under the title Dialogues.

David Nolan and I were having lunch, and we said, What are we going to do, how can we make this interesting? said Angela Westwater, one of Sperone Westwaters founders. So were playing a game and challenging each other.

Some of the pairings are linked by aesthetic and medium, as with Susan Rothenbergs Red (2008) and Georg Baselitzs Cebe (1993), two oils on canvas that employ the color red.

Others, like a combination of a Bruce Nauman video and a collage by Barry Le Va, are connected thematically in that both look at the psychological effects of architectural spaces.

We hope its as mesmerizing and challenging for others as it is for us, said Ms. Westwater, who has been attending Art Basel since the 1970s.

In addition to veterans like Ms. Westwater, there are 24 galleries at Basel for the first time this year, including Isla Flotante of Buenos Aires, founded in 2011.

It concentrates on younger and midcareer artists, said one of its two directors, Leopol Mones Cazon.

The gallery has shown at Art Basel Miami Beach. Now we want to deepen our ties to Europe, Mr. Cazon said, a process that began in early 2020 but was canceled by the pandemic.

The gallery is showing a mixed media installation by the Bolivian artist Andrs Pereira Paz called Ego Fvlcio Collvmnas Eivs [I Fortify Your Columns] (2020).

The work incorporating bird sounds, lights and thin metal sculptures, some in the shape of stars addresses both environmental degradation and colonization. It was inspired by the 2019 appearance of a guajoj bird in La Paz, Bolivia, fleeing the fires destroying its Amazon habitat, and gained much attention in the media because it is traditionally thought to be a bad omen.

The bodies of outer space are in a sad mood, looking at this destruction, Mr. Cazon said. Its an apocalyptic scenario. But at the same time, its poetic.

Go here to see the original:
Art Basel Reasserts Its Importance at Home - The New York Times

On Tuesday, CNN anchor Don Lemon opened his show Don Lemon Tonight with, "If youre not going to get vaccinated, you dont want to social distance, you dont want to wear a mask, then maybe you dont want to go to the hospital when you get sick. I know that sounds harsh but youre taking up space for people who are doing things the right way.

He went on to suggest restricting medical treatment for those who do not wear a mask. Anyone with even a sliver of compassion would never suggest denying health care to a significant percentage of the population and yet people like Lemon see no issue legal or ethical with such radical views. Worse, he is applauded.

As you might be aware, Don Lemon is gay. I find it ironic that his comments about the unvaccinated grossly conflict with his public statements regarding medical treatment of homosexual men during the HIV/AIDS crisis.

Back then, he expressed opposition to medical discrimination for those with HIV. He's not alone in his targeting of the unvaccinated as several news outlets expressed similar opinions. A Toronto paper going so far as to say "Let Them Die" in its headlines.

Sadly, I see a population willing to look the other way as millions of its fellow citizens are targeted as second-class citizens, as cries go up to prohibit them from restaurants, planes, jobs and now health care.

We must speak up for the rights of our neighbors vaccinated or unvaccinated and push back against a government and media which are clearly out of control. Because one day they will come for us and there will be no one left to speak in our defense.

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Donna Dodge: Government and media out of control with vaccinate mandates - Conway Daily Sun