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NEW YORK With a prized dollar in hand and a treat in mind, Etan Patz headed toward the corner store that the neighborhood kids knew as a safe haven, a place their parents told them to go in case of emergency. But within that comfort zone lurked a killer, prosecutors say, and it became the scene of one of the nation's most notorious crimes against children when teenage stock clerk Pedro Hernandez lured 6-year-old Etan to the basement and choked him in 1979. The long-gone store has suddenly come into sharp focus in his murder trial, after decades of being just another one of hundreds of locations tied to the long, fruitless search for the boy. "It's ironic and particularly tragic that this was the place that turned out to be the most dangerous for a child," Assistant District Attorney Joan Illuzi-Orbon said during opening statements. Etan vanished while walking to his school bus stop right by the store, where his mother said he planned to buy a soda. His disappearance helped spur a national movement to find missing children, and he was among the first ever depicted on milk cartons. Now a boutique where bracelets cost upward of $300 in a chic neighborhood, the store to New Yorkers, a bodega was then a cramped oasis of household necessities in an area of ramshackle warehouses and vacant lots. Its narrow aisles were crammed with soda, beer, candy and household supplies. Sometimes a live rooster perched on the counter, residents recalled. It was a homegrown precursor of today's official "safe places" and "safe havens," establishments that various organizations designate as willing to help children who feel they're in danger. One group, the National Safe Place Network, licenses youth agencies to oversee some 20,000 "safe place" sites in businesses, fire stations and even public buses around the country. While its roots are in helping runaways and homeless youths, "it can also be for that kid who is being followed by a stranger or a creepy person," communications coordinator Hillary Ladig said. Like those locales, the bodega at 448 West Broadway was a spot where kids felt comfortable popping in and parents felt comfortable letting them do it "a friendly place," recalled Chelsea Altman, who was Etan's best friend. Just a day before Etan disappeared, another neighborhood mom found the lunch box he'd forgotten at the school bus stop and dropped it off at the store, asking counter worker Juan Santana to mind it until he could pick it up. Santana was a guy everyone in the neighborhood knew. But no one knew that his brother-in-law, Hernandez, would become the suspect in Etan's death more than three decades later, after giving a confession his defense now says was fiction produced by mental illness. Hernandez, 54, of Maple Shade, New Jersey, has pleaded not guilty to murder and kidnapping. Santana, who isn't a suspect, has become a confounding witness during testimony this week. Many of his answers didn't match others' remembrances, and Illuzi-Orbon even warned jurors that Santana who got Hernandez his $200-a-week job at the bodega was worried about protecting himself and would not be cooperative. Santana, 66, testified that he remembered Etan picking up the lunch box the day before his disappearance, but he doesn't recall whether Hernandez ever spoke to him. And Santana said he didn't remember whether Hernandez was allowed alone into the store basement, where Hernandez said in videotaped confessions that he lured Etan by promising a soda, then choked him. In the confessions, Hernandez said he put the boy, still alive, in a bag, boxed it and left it with curbside trash. Etan's body has never been found. No one has testified, at least so far, that they saw Hernandez with the boy. Some records from the lengthy investigation are missing, and it's not clear why the shop never emerged as a prime spot until Hernandez' surprising 2012 confession. While records show police went to the store among many places during their search for Etan, a detective testified earlier this week that he couldn't remember the space being searched. The owners have died. So has the lead detective. And when the bodega closed in the early 1980s, a cleaning company came and stripped away everything.
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I'm a big fan of validation. I'm one of those people who likes to know people have read my texts. When I found Sidekick a plugin that allows you to track the precise moment people open your emails, I couldn't resist. For a month now, I've been getting a little notification in the right hand corner of my screen every time someone opens one of my emails. It works by planting an invisible picture into each correspondence. When the image is loaded, I know the email has been opened. It lives in my browser and works continuously in the background, constantly updating me on my contacts' activities in real time. At last, some validation to quantify my efforts. Plus it tells me a fair bit about my contacts. For instance, some people, not mentioning any names, re-read my emails up to 20 times. Are they that hard to understand? Some read them at midnight (Dad). Some read them and reply immediately (boyf, good boyf, well done). No one is safe from my email eyes. If someone clicks on a link in the email say my Twitter handle, my Guardian profile or my blog I'm notified about that, too. I wasn't surprised to learn my mother clicks around a fair bit, but I wasn't expecting to discover a male acquaintance visits my Guardian profile up to five times a day. But hang on these people are innocent bystanders in a sick clandestine game I've got myself embroiled in. Who's stalking who here? Take one example, where I didn't get a reply to an email I thought was pretty important. After nine days of stoic silence and, thanks to Sidekick, absolutely no doubt about whether my email had been read (it had six times), I called the offender to see what she had to say. Instead of asking if she'd received my email, I asked in a brasher tone than usual why she hadn't responded. Stunned, she said: "Oh, er, sorry, but I … I didn't receive anything!" LIIIIIIIIIIAR, I thought. But, actually, what could I say? "Yes, you did, I know because I've installed an email-tracking device on my computer"? Not really. What's the use of these "email superpowers" if I'm too ashamed to admit I use them? Instead, I began to feel like some kind of email lurker in the shadows of the internet. What if people were doing this very same thing to me? Sidekick isn't stupid there's an option to block people from using it back on you which I've done. British Gas do not need to know I've seen my bill and have no intention of paying it. I'm a hypocrite: I enjoy the privacy of replying when I feel like it and lying about why I haven't just as much as the next person. It's all a bit too reminiscent of those "thinking" dots in WhatsApp, Google Chat and iMessage great when you're the sender, less so when you're the responder and you start to reply, then stop. I'm keeping Sidekick for now but if you get an email from me, just know I'm watching you.
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waldspirale Darmstadt, Germany This coiled dwelling the brainchild of famed Austrian architect Friedensreich Hundertwasser has got to be the coolest residential building, ever. Apart from the psychedelic exterior, the structure also boasts a rooftop forest adorned with beech and lime trees. CCTV Headquarters Beijing, China The offices of the largest state-run television network in mainland China almost look too futuristic to be real: The skyscraper consists of two forward-leaning towers joined at the top, forming a loop. The timelapse video of the construction shows you just how far technology has come. lotus temple New Delhi, India The flower-shaped Bahá'í House of Worship attracts an average of three million visitors every year and has received numerous architectural awards. crookedhouse Krzywy Domek, Sopot, Poland No, this whimsical house isn't the result of a botched liquifying job on Photoshop. The silhouettes of the shopping center which boasts a name that translates to "Crooked House" in English are inspired by Polish fairytale illustrations. national museum of art Osaka, Japan From the outside, the César Pelli-designed structure looks like a fallen robot part of a Transformer. The underground museum is home to an impressive array of famous international artworks, from Warhol to Lichtenstein. iceberg houses Aarhus, Denmark JDS Architects, the creators of the harbor-front apartment complex, is the recipient of multiple architectural honors for its functional and smart design: The jagged lines maximize the amount of sunlight, while the interspersed placement provides a view of the ocean from each building. piazza d'italia New Orleans, Louisiana The plaza in downtown NOLA was designed by the renowned postmodern architect Charles Moore. The romantic, Italian-style monuments create an intriguing juxtaposition with the cookie-cutter commercial buildings in the background. Ibirapuera auditorium São Paulo, Brazil An eye-catching crimson flank in the shape of a burning flame extends from the all-white body of this musical venue. The striking landmark stemmed from the vision of legendary architect Oscar Niemeyer. Grotto sauna Lake Huron, Canada Talk about a room with a view. This exquisitely sculpted sauna room on a private island was inspired by the interiors of a cave. milwaukee art museum Milwaukee, Wisconsin The ultra-modern structure took design cues from the wings of a bird, and looks different from practically every angle.
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NASA's latest climate satellite will measure solar winds and could provide crucial early warnings during solar flares.
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It's been nearly 70 years since George Orwell's dystopian novel 1984 was published, but some of its premonitions are starting to sound straight out of 2015. Take this passage in Samsung's privacy policy for its data-collecting SmartTV services: Samsung may collect and your device may capture voice commands and associated texts so that we can provide you with Voice Recognition features and evaluate and improve the features. Please be aware that if your spoken words include personal or other sensitive information, that information will be among the data captured and transmitted to a third party through your use of Voice Recognition . In other words, don't say anything around your TV that you wouldn't want recorded and sent off to a faceless "third party." As TechCrunch points out , this is more than a little unsettling and invokes visions of one of Orwell's all-knowing telescreens. Left: Samsung SmartTV privacy policy, warning users not to discuss personal info in front of their TV Right: 1984 pic.twitter.com/osywjYKV3W Parker Higgins (@xor) February 8, 2015 Any technology capable of voice recognition or predicting the needs of a user is likely to run into this same issue. Samsung's privacy policy is not unique; its rhetoric just happens to be similar to that of a well-known sci-fi novel. For now, here's hoping the Internet of Things isn't too nosy.
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The gruesome killing of a Jordanian pilot at the hands of Islamic State militants has unleashed a wave of revulsion, demands for retribution and pro-government rallies across the kingdom. The cry for revenge has also drowned out dissenting voices, especially from Jordan's powerful Islamist bloc, the largest political force opposed to the Washington-backed monarchy of King Abdullah II. Lt. Moaz Kasasbeh's elevation to national martyr status has abruptly made opposition to Jordan's participation in the U.S.-led bombing campaign against the Islamic State group appear unpatriotic, if not treasonous. The immolation of Kasasbeh, captured after his F-16 crashed in Syria while he was on a mission with the U.S.-led coalition, has narrowed what is considered acceptable public debate. "Sitting in a gray area is no longer acceptable," said Oraib Rintawi, director of the Amman-based Al Quds Center for Political Studies. "Public opinion is very angry." Before the killing was confirmed, many Jordanians including the pilot's father and other members of his influential southern tribe openly questioned any participation in the air campaign, declaring it was not Jordan's fight. Besides fear for air crews' safety, some voiced concern about possible Islamic State reprisal attacks in Jordan. But exuberant endorsement of the aerial bombardment has now become a virtual test of loyalty. Martial scenes and bellicose declarations from the king and others have replaced the normally drab fare of state television. The pilot's father has called for the "annihilation" of Islamic State. Highlighting the response was a series of stepped-up Royal Jordanian Air Force assaults on militant positions, including strikes Friday near the northern Syrian city of Raqqah, a militant stronghold. More strikes were reported Saturday. Islamic State said Friday's bombardment killed a U.S. hostage, aid worker Kayla Mueller, 26, an assertion that U.S. and Jordanian authorities viewed with skepticism. Jordanian airstrikes Friday, carried out with U.S. military support, hit a militant weapons storage compound outside Raqqah, said Navy Cmdr. Elissa Smith, a Pentagon spokeswoman. "We have seen no indications that hostages were being held at this location," Smith said via email. The militants have offered no proof that Mueller was killed. Mueller's family in Arizona issued a statement saying they were still "hopeful that Kayla is alive." The United Arab Emirates announced on Saturday that a squadron of F-16 fighter jets would be stationed in Jordan. It was unclear whether the Emirati warplanes would join missions against Islamic State. The UAE had pulled out of the bombing missions after the Jordanian pilot was captured, reportedly expressing concern about inadequate rescue resources for downed air crews. Here in Jordan, the clamor for payback is unfolding against a complex social and political backdrop. Though a close U.S. ally, Jordan has long been a hotbed of Sunni Islamic militancy. It was the birthplace of Abu Musab Zarqawi, founder of Al-Qaida in Iraq, the predecessor of Islamic State. Zarqawi, who was killed in a 2006 U.S. airstrike in Iraq, is a still a revered figure in militant circles. Hundreds of Islamists remain in jails here. Sajida Rishawi, a participant in al-Qaida attacks almost a decade ago on Amman hotels, was promptly executed after word of the pilot's killing. By some estimates, Jordan has provided about 1,500 recruits for Islamic State and the al-Qaida-affiliated Front, the two most radical rebel groups fighting in Syria. The kingdom's role as a de facto rear base for Syrian rebels has stoked Islamist sentiment, despite close U.S. and Jordanian cooperation on assisting Syrian rebel factions. Recruits into more moderate U.S.-backed Syrian rebel formations have often ended up joining extremist factions. Many fighters view the Syrian conflict as sectarian struggle pitting Sunni Muslims, the dominant sect here and in neighboring Syria, against the Syrian government's Shiite-linked leadership. But the pilot's death has put Jordan's Sunni Islamist parties squarely on the defensive. Clearly feeling the heat is the nation's most powerful opposition bloc, Islamic Action Front, the local wing of the Muslim Brotherhood, the international Islamist movement founded in Egypt. From the outset, Islamic Action Front, which is generally viewed as moderate, has unequivocally opposed the government's involvement in the air campaign. In December, the group issued a religious edict forbidding Jordanian military involvement in "alliances with the West against Islamic nations," a pointed rebuff of the U.S.-led alliance. "We confirm our rejection of any participation in this coalition and this war, whose price will only be paid by the sons of this nation with their blood, safety, and stability," the group said. After Kasasbeh's death., many who left comments on an Internet posting of a video interview with Sheik Hamza Mansour, leader of Islamic Action Front, excoriated what they viewed as the Brotherhood's collaborationist stance on the militants. "The Muslim Brotherhood are the intelligence dogs of Daesh!" commented one online user, referring to Islamic State by its Arabic acronym a pejorative, according to the group's followers. In recent days, Islamic Action Front has moved swiftly into damage-control mode, condemning the pilot's killing and distancing itself from Islamic State. Brotherhood leaders were quick to join the lines of mourners in the Kasasbeh tribe's home village of Ay outside the city of Karak, south of Amman. Party officials paying respects at the tribal mourning tent issued a statement praising "the martyr hero Moaz." Still, the Brotherhood and its local affiliate have not backed down from their position against Jordan's wider involvement. "Our position is clear.... This (U.S.-led air war) is not in the interest of Jordan and not in the interest of the Arabs and the Muslims," Mansour said in a telephone interview. Facing even greater pressure are hard-line Islamic parties who adhere to Salafist thought, an austere interpretation of Islam. Some wary Jordanians view the country's large Salafist community as a shadow supporter of Islamic State and al-Qaida, though mainstream Salafist preachers deny any link. Despite the highly charged atmosphere, opposition to Jordan's involvement in the U.S.-led coalition is not out of line with popular sentiment, said Mohammad Shalabi, the Salafist party leader better known as Abu Sayyaf. "We are part of the street," Shalabi said in a telephone interview. "We are not coming from Mars." An overreaction to Kasasbeh's brutal killing, he said, would probably bolster extremists, who thrive on the image of U.S. and its allies victimizing Muslims. "If we just bomb the Islamic State, this will breed resentment," Shalabi said. "They may smuggle in people who will execute a terrorist attack." But even as he spoke, state TV flashed images of an F-16 superimposed on a national flag, as a narrator cheered "the eagles of Jordan" attacking the "lairs of this cowardly group."
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Anthony Davis left the court after suffering a contusion in his right shoulder Saturday night against the Chicago Bulls . Initially, X-rays came back negative. After further examination on Sunday, the New Orleans Pelicans star is questionable with a shoulder sprain for Monday night against the Utah Jazz . He is listed as day-to-day, according to the Pelicans . The injury came on yet another seemingly impossible play that Davis made look easy. Midway through the second quarter, he blocked a shot on the defensive end of the court and sprinted ahead of the Bulls' transition defense. He snagged an alley-oop from Tyreke Evans and slammed the ball home. But his athleticism got the best of him for once: his momentum was too much, causing him to fall to the ground harshly on his shoulder. He writhed on the floor in pain, much to the shock and dismay of his teammates -- even Derrick Rose was worried. Davis stayed in the game initially, but took himself out before the half and didn't return to action. The Pelicans floundered without Davis, losing 107-72. Davis leads New Orleans in points per game at 24.9, rebounds per game at 10.4 and blocks per game at 2.8. His health is crucial to the Pelicans' success.
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"The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water" cleaned up at the North American box office this weekend, dethroning "American Sniper" in its first week of release, estimates showed Sunday. The animated 3-D movie, in which the title character attempts to recover a stolen burger recipe, debuted with an estimated $56 million in ticket sales, said box office tracker Exhibitor Relations. "American Sniper," relegated to second place, had $24.2 million in ticket sales as it finally fell from top spot. Since its release, the highly acclaimed "Sniper" has raked in $282 million and a half-dozen Oscar nominations, including a best actor nod for Bradley Cooper in the title role. "Jupiter Ascending" sold the third most tickets this week, with estimated box office receipts of $19 million in its opening weekend. The fantasy flick pairs Mila Kunis and Channing Tatum and is a first foray into the genre for sibling directors Lana and Andy Wachowski since their work on "The Matrix" series. "Seventh Son," a 3-D fantasy-action film starring Jeff Bridges and Julianne Moore, debuted in fourth spot, earning $7.1 million. "Paddington," a big-screen adaptation of the family classic about a bear lost in the big city, took fifth with $5.4 million in ticket sales. Another science-fiction tale, "Project Almanac," earned $5.3 million for sixth place. "The Imitation Game," which stars Benedict Cumberbatch as codebreaking genius Alan Turing, took $4.9 million for seventh place, followed by "Black or White," a racially charged drama starring Kevin Costner as a widowed grandfather battling to retain custody of his mixed-race granddaughter. It grossed an estimated $4.52 million. In ninth was comedy "The Wedding Ringer" with $4.5 million in receipts. Jennifer Lopez's steamy "The Boy Next Door," in which the pop diva plays a divorcee who has an ill-advised affair with a very young male neighbor, came in 10th with $4.1 million.
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CLEVELAND (AP) -- LeBron James sent a cryptic message to Kevin Love off the floor, then connected with him directly on the court. BOX SCORE: CAVALIERS 120, LAKERS 105 Love scored a season-high 32 points, James flirted with a triple-double and the Cleveland Cavaliers bounced back quickly from a road loss with a 120-105 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday. The Cavs had their 12-game winning streak snapped at Indiana on Friday, a run that started when they beat the Lakers on Jan. 15. Love helped get them back on track, making five 3-pointers in the second quarter and two in the third as Cleveland opened a 26-point lead. James scored 22 with 10 rebounds and eight assists -- two on 3-pointers by Love in a 30-second span -- in three quarters. All-Star guard Kyrie Irving added 28 points and 10 assists. It was the type of performance the Cavs have wanted more regularly from Love, who scored just five points and took only eight shots in Cleveland's loss to the Pacers. He also spent much of the fourth quarter that night on the bench. A few days earlier, Love scored five in a win over Philadelphia and went onto the floor afterward to work on his touch. On Saturday, James sent out a tweet that many suspected was for Love. It said: "Stop trying to find a way to FIT-OUT and just FIT-IN. Be a part of something special! Just my thoughts." James was asked if the tweet was for someone in particular. "It was more about people in general," James told a large media group. "It was a general thought I had. Obviously, whatever thought I have people try to encrypt it and Da Vinci code it. People are always trying to fit out instead of fit in and be part of something special. That's what it's all about." In October, Love said he was trying "not to fit in so much" with the Cavs, adding new teammates had encouraged him to "fit out. Just be myself." Later, to a smaller group of reporters, James indicated the tweet was aimed at Love. "It's not a coincidence, man," he said. Rookie Jordan Clarkson scored a career-high 20 for the Lakers, who matched a franchise record with their 10th straight road loss. Los Angeles hasn't won away from Staples Center since Dec. 30. The Lakers also lost 10 in a row on the road in 1957-58 and 1963-64. "I'm happy it's over," coach Byron Scott said. "I thought our guys were soft. We allowed them to do whatever they wanted. You can't play that way." Love finished 11 of 18 from the field and added 10 rebounds. He was the last Cleveland player in the locker room, addressing the media long after James and others had left. He sat in a chair at his locker and stared at the floor while answering questions. One of them was if he thought the Lakers would be an attractive option this summer, when he can opt out of his contract. "I'm a Cleveland Cavalier," he said. James didn't show any signs of being slowed by a nagging ankle or wrist injury, and the large lead allowed coach David Blatt to rest his best player for the entire fourth quarter. HIGHLIGHT REEL Cleveland's most sensational play of the first half came on a lobbed inbounds pass from Irving to Iman Shumpert, who outmuscled Lakers forward Carlos Boozer for the ball and delivered a contest-worthy dunk. The play was not drawn up that way. "He made a great play," Blatt said of Irving. "When your kids do something great, you always want to take credit for it but sometimes they're just doing good stuff." TIP-INS Lakers: Scott spent three years with the Cavs before he was fired after the 2012-13 season. He said returning to Cleveland "reminds me of how cold it was. Being back in L.A. for two years, I guess your blood gets a little thin again and you forget how cold it can be in other places." ... G Jeremy Lin finished with 11 points in 20 minutes. He had been questionable with the stomach flu. Cavaliers: Cleveland has won eight straight over Western Conference teams. ... A moment of silence was observed for legendary North Carolina coach Dean Smith, who died Saturday. C Brendan Haywood was recruited by Smith, who retired before the big man's freshman season. "He was about developing you as a man," Haywood said. "I couldn't be here without him." YOUNG MISTAKE Scott benched Nick Young after the guard picked up a technical in the second quarter. "He's got to learn to keep his composure a lot better than that," Scott said of Young, who finished with eight points. "That's something I expect from somebody who's 21 or 22, not in the league seven or eight years." UP NEXT Lakers: Host Denver on Tuesday. Cavaliers: Host Miami on Wednesday It's the eighth time Cuba has taken the title at the Caribbean Series, which it won seven times between 1949 and 1960.
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SpaceX was scheduled to attempt to land its Falcon 9 rocket on a floating barge in the Atlantic for the second time tonight, but the launch has been scrubbed because of issues with a first stage transmitter and a range radar . The launch has been postponed until tomorrow evening. #DSCOVR . Today's launch attempt has been called off because of tracking issue. We will not be launching today. pic.twitter.com/OB81lahCeY NOAA Satellites (@NOAASatellites) February 8, 2015 A successful landing would mean SpaceX would be able to reuse the rocket in future missions, which could save millions of dollars over time.
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Wayne Simmonds scored the game-winning goal in the second period of the Flyers 3-1 win over the Capitals on Sunday. The win snapped Washington's three-game win streak.
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Each time Larry Brown encountered someone in North Carolina's vast basketball fraternity this season, he spoke of the importance of a large gathering of former Tar Heels visiting Dean Smith after the Final Four. Time, Brown knew, was running short. Then came Roy Williams' early Sunday morning phone call. And a few hours later, Brown still was struggling to compose himself while sharing stories about the man who even at Brown's age of 74 he still refers to only as Coach Smith. Brown, the Hall of Fame coach who played for and coached under Smith at North Carolina, knows as well as anyone that highlighting Smith's accolades the 11 Final Four appearances and two national championships, the 879 victories and 13 ACC tournament titles doesn't begin to tell the story about impact of the coaching icon who died Saturday night. It is a legacy of selflessness and humility. Eighty-three years of caring and giving. "We'll never have another one like him," Brown told USA TODAY Sports on Sunday. "He is the most decent man I've ever met, without question. I try every day to be like him, and I always fall short." Smith was a private man who shrunk from adoration and extended his hand to help any of his former players or coaches at any time. He never forgot a name. He had the unique ability to treat all of his former players the same regardless of playing status. "Whether you were Michael Jordan or James Worthy or the freshman manager, you are all part of his family, and that family was his team," Billy Packer, the former longtime CBS analyst who broadcast both of Smith's national title game victories, told USA TODAY Sports. "It not only took place for the moment, or the year or the era, it lasted for a lifetime. Nobody that I've ever been around did that to the degree that he did." President Obama on Sunday recognized Smith in a statement as not just a coaching legend but a "gentleman and a citizen." Smith graduated more than 96 percent of his players. More than 50 of his players went on to play in the NBA or ABA, but he carved out as much time to talk with walk-ons. In 1986, he wanted the name of the Dean E. Smith Center to honor the players, not him. He loathed showboating and individualism. He encouraged players who scored to point to the teammate who made the pass that led to the score. His philosophy boiled down to six words: "Play hard; play together; play smart." He offered players thoughts of the day before every practice. "He taught," Packer said, "but it seemed like he never stopped learning." Smith, who coached 36 years at North Carolina, didn't use profanity. He didn't allow it in practice. He would admonish players, but not publicly. He interrupted whatever he was doing to meet with a player any player if he showed up at his office. "His concern for people will be the legacy I will remember most," current Tar Heels coach Roy Williams said in a statement. Even at his pinnacle, he was grounded by humility. When he won the national championship in 1982, his seventh Final Four appearance, he told then-assistant Williams that he was no better coach than he was the day before the title game. Among the most heated rivals was former Maryland coach Lefty Driesell, who once refused to shake Smith's hand after a game. But when Driesell told his son Chuck, now the coach at The Citadel, one coach to emulate, he didn't name himself. Driesell instead said to follow Smith. "I always used to open my mouth and say the wrong thing, put my foot in my mouth," Driesell told USA TODAY Sports on Sunday. "He always said the right thing. Emulate him. I wasn't really friendly with him. But I always respected him. His players just love him." The son of Kansas school teachers, Smith grew up in the Depression era yet learned racial tolerance, the understanding that you treat each person with dignity. At North Carolina, he enlisted Brown, then an assistant, to help with the recruitment of All-American Charlie Scott, who became the first black scholarship athlete at North Carolina and one of the first in the South. "He didn't care about the consequences," Brown said. "He just felt it was the right thing to do. And that's how he led his life." To that point, he lobbied for freshmen ineligibility because he believed that would enable them to best adjust to college academically and socially. He nudged Michael Jordan toward the NBA rather than try to convince him to stay for his senior year. The cruelest twist was that Smith was robbed of one of his greatest attributes his picture-perfect recall and memory in his final years. Driesell grew closer to Smith after their coaching days, so much so that Driesell, who is also 83, began to call Smith every couple of weeks. Recently, Driesell said he would call Smith's secretary and be told that he could talk to him but that Smith wouldn't know who he was. Once a bitter rival, Driesell wants to attend the funeral. "I just know," he said, "there will be a million people there." For Brown, not a day passes when he doesn't think about the lives Smith has touched, including his own. The wallpaper on Brown's cell phone is a picture of Smith cutting down the nets after winning his first national championship in 1982. "He lived his life the way he expected us all to live our lives," Brown said. "He is the greatest teacher I've ever been around."
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BATA, Equatorial Guinea (AP) Ivory Coast goalkeeper Boubacar Barry saved the day, and then he scored the winner. The 35-year-old veteran blocked a penalty attempt from opposing goalkeeper Razak Braimah and then stepped up to convert his own to give the Ivory Coast a 9-8 shootout win over Ghana on Sunday in the African Cup of Nations final. The match at Bata Stadium had finished 0-0 after 120 minutes. The Ivorians, who have lost two shootouts in finals in the last decade, failed to convert their first two penalties, but a string of must-score shots hit the target, including goals from Yaya and Kolo Toure and Salomon Kalou. The Ivory Coast, which won its only other title in 1992, played this time without Chelsea striker Didier Drogba, who has retired from international soccer. But the team still had Manchester City teammates Wilfried Bony and Yaya Toure, a four-time African player of the year. Bony took the Ivory Coast's first attempt in the shootout, but he hit the crossbar. Tallo Gadji also missed. Ghana captain Asamoah Gyan, who started the final after sitting out the last match with an injury, was taken off just before the shootout. Gyan missed a penalty in the 2010 World Cup quarterfinals and then again in the 2012 African Cup semifinals. Barry made a surprising start in goal for the Ivorians in Sunday's final. He was the goalkeeper between the posts in 2012 when the team lost to Zambia in a shootout in the final, but he started this time in place of the injured Sylvain Gbohouo. Barry also saved a shootout attempt from Ghana midfielder Afriyie Acquah. Substitute Frank Acheampong missed his attempt. After Barry's goal, Ivory Coast coach Herve Renard spent several minutes trying to console Ghana forward Andre Ayew. Renard previously worked with Ghana's national team and knows many of the players. In 2012, Renard coached Zambia to the title, beating Ghana in the semifinals and Ivory Coast in the final. Four-time champion Ghana, which has not won the continental title since 1982, is coached by Avram Grant. The Israeli led Chelsea to the 2008 Champions League final, but lost on penalties. Ghana twice hit the post in the first half of regular play, but only Christian Atsu's shot from outside the area in the 25th minute had a real chance at going in. Ayew's attempt 10 minutes later came from a tight angle on the side and smacked the outside of the post. Equatorial Guinea President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, Africa's longest serving strongman, greeted the players from both sides at the start of the match. FIFA President Sepp Blatter was by his side. The match was played at Bata Stadium, the country's biggest soccer venue in its biggest city. Despite the host team losing in the semifinals, Sunday's match drew a strong crowd with more than half of it filled. Outside, there was plenty of security on hand with machine gun-toting soldiers patrolling the area. Although there were no major crowd problems on Sunday, Thursday's semifinal between Ghana and Equatorial Guinea descended into chaos when the host team's fans started hurling objects onto the field and at the opposing players and fans. Ghana ended up winning 3-0, but the match was delayed for about 40 minutes because of the incidents.
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Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said Sunday the country had a "moral obligation" to claim reparations from Germany for the damages wrought by the Nazis during World War II. Greece had "a moral obligation to our people, to history, to all European peoples who fought and gave their blood against Nazism," he said in a key address to parliament. "Our historical obligation is to claim the occupation loan and reparations," he said, referring to Germany's four-year occupation of Greece and a war-time loan which the Third Reich forced the Greek central bank to give it which ruined the country financially.
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Sylvia Hatchell was drawn to coach at North Carolina because she wanted to develop a program that mirrored Dean Smith's. ACC Network analyst Debbie Antonelli caught up with coach Hatchell to talk about what Dean meant to her as a person, a mentor, and a friend.
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The staples that once zig-zagged across Coyotes winger Mikkel Boedker's stomach have disappeared, but reminders of what put them there still exist. Like the fact it's difficult to laugh when he hears a joke. Or his inability to sleep on any side except his back. And, of course, he can't get through a day without being asked probably most likely by his parents whom he speaks with twice a day how he's feeling since having his spleen removed three weeks ago. "That's probably the worst thing," Boedker said Saturday. "People ask me every day how I'm doing. The hard thing is I can't explain how I'm doing, but I feel better every day." With the Coyotes in the Valley recently for a brief two-game homestand, Boedker took in both games and was visible at the practice rink although it was a slimmer version that visited with teammates. Boedker dropped about 20 pounds since suffering a hit Jan. 18 against the Jets in Winnipeg that caused damage to his spleen, requiring surgery that night. "It's weight that I will put back on over the summer and over the course of working out," he said. "But obviously, it looks a little bit different when I look in the mirror, but that's the way it goes." A timeline for getting back on the ice hasn't been hashed out with Boedker content to follow doctors' orders. But if he had his way, he would make a return before the season ends. "It's not up to me," Boedker said. "It's up to my body. It's up to the doctors, and you've got to listen to them." In the meantime, Boedker has resumed eating and is even taking walks. "I'm a pretty hot commodity around there in the neighborhood," he said. "I'm pretty good friends with everybody now." He also might have some time on his hands to ponder his next contract as general manager Don Maloney recently said he'd likely ignite talks with Boedker's agent in the coming weeks on a potential long-term deal for the soon-to-be restricted free agent. Before getting hurt, Boedker had 14 goals and 28 points through 45 games. "I think I've proven I'm worth another contract," he said. "And obviously I like it here and I would like to try to help Arizona win and be a winning team. I think I'm capable of that, but obviously it's up to Don. It's up to management, and it's up to what they feel I'm worth and if we can find something out. But definitely it's exciting to hear that that's something that's on the table." For the most part, though, Boedker hopes he can spend his recovery where he was before the injury happened: at the arena with his teammates. "I don't want to be too far away from that," he said. "I kind of want to be in the room as much as I can and obviously try and help out. Just whatever I can help out with, if it's anything really, just try to kind of help out everybody." One teammate Boedker might spend more time talking with is defensemanConnor Murphy, who is also sans a spleen. Murphy had his spleen removed after his became lacerated following a hit in front of the bench during a minor-hockey tournament in Dallas as a teenager. Similar to Boedker, Murphy thought he simply had the wind knocked out of him. After sitting on the bench briefly, Murphy tried to return to the ice but felt lightheaded and nearly passed out. "It was like intense, really sharp pains," Murphy said. "Like it would stop me from breathing almost. It's scary." Murphy didn't resume playing for a couple months and was initially given medicine to boost his immunity after losing his spleen, which filters blood and also helps fight against certain types of bacteria. Murphy, in particular, has made a point to touch base with Boedker since the surgery. "He was tougher than I was," Murphy said.
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New England faces another winter storm
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Shocker Warren Buffett is winning a million dollar bet he made about investing 7 years ago. Back in 2008, Buffett bet that the S&P 500 would beat sophisticated hedge funds over the next 10 years as the economy recovered. Carol J. Loomis at Fortune reports that Buffett wagered on Vanguard's 500 index fund, which is now up 63.5 percent, compared with a hedge fund index made by Protégé Partners the managers with whom he made the bet. Protégé's index is up an estimated 19.6 percent. Though Buffett's index fund has beaten Protégé's selection the past six years, last year was a particularly bad one for hedge funds. Citi recently forecast a 30 percent decline in hedge fund profits due to poor performance in 2014. And a hedge fund benchmark from Preqin, a research company, registered its lowest return in three years. NOW WATCH: 11 Mind-Blowing Facts About North Korea
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Reclusive US director Terrence Malick drew cheers Sunday with the most-anticipated competition contender of the Berlin film festival, "Knight of Cups" starring Christian Bale as a crisis-racked Hollywood screenwriter. Malick, true to form, did not attend the event but Bale and co-star Natalie Portman were set to represent him on the red carpet at the gala premiere in the German capital. They told reporters after a packed press screening, which met with lengthy applause and cries of "bravo", that the 71-year-old Texan filmmaker had given them precious few clues about the story before turning on the camera. "Our mantra throughout the whole film was kind of like 'let's start before we're ready' and so you get a lot of happy accidents and real responses," he said. "Knight of Cups", whose title is taken from a tarot card, tells the story of Rick, a successful film industry writer and compulsive womaniser who is haunted by failed relationships. He sets out on an odyssey in which Malick's signature non-linear storytelling, spectacular cinematography and whispered voiceovers take the place of standard movie plot and dialogue. Rick goes to see the loves of his life -- his estranged wife, a doctor played by Cate Blanchett, and his former mistress (Portman) as well as a revolving cast of models, strippers and hangers-on. "It's about somebody whose dreams and desires have been fulfilled but who feels a great void within himself," Bale, 41, said. "It's somebody who's seen the peak of the mountain and has all the acclaim and all of the invitations to the right places and knows all the right people and all that. There's a great deal of laughter but there's a great deal of sorrow as well within it." 'Seductresses or saviours' Bale said Malick's insistence on improvisation extended to the filming as well. "They would just hand me a GoPro (camera) and say, 'shoot a scene'," he said. Portman, 33, said she had long hoped to work with Malick, calling his 1978 drama "Days of Heaven" "probably my favourite film ever". "It was one of the rare experiences where the person exceeds your expectations," she said. The actress said Malick gave the cast "30 pages a day of suggested dialogue that we could pick and choose from". "Just searching for the discoveries every day -- there's no sense that you have a script that you're just executing while you're making the movie -- every day is a search for something beautiful," she said. Answering a reporter's critical question about the film's portrayal of women as either "seductresses or saviours" and its lushly shot nude scenes, Portman said Malick had captured part of Hollywood's essence. The film depicts "everything from the superficiality that you might find at a Hollywood party and the way women might be treated there, as opposed to Cate Blanchett's character who has great soul and generosity and humanity," she said. "The city can encompass both those extremes and he (Rick) is trying to find that path in a world peopled by those extremes, both male and female." Malick won Berlin's prestigious Golden Bear top prize for "The Thin Red Line" in 1999 and the Palme d'Or at Cannes in 2011 for "The Tree of Life". "Knight of Cups" is one of 19 films in the running for the 65th Golden Bear, to be awarded on Saturday by jury president Darren Aronofsky. Ahead of Sunday's premieres, critics polled by industry magazine Screen gave the highest marks to Andrew Haigh's "45 Years", which drew rave reviews for Charlotte Rampling's performance as a woman whose time-tested marriage begins to falter.
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Police are investigating the source of unexplained injuries on Bobbi Kristina Brown when she was found unresponsive in a bathtub. Nick Valencia reports.
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ST. LOUIS (AP) -- A little more than a minute into the critical power play, the Chicago Blackhawks dispensed with setting up shop on offense and went for the quick hit. Marian Hossa made it count on a one-timer from the slot midway through the third period for the go-ahead goal in a 4-2 victory over the St. Louis Blues on Sunday. ''I just tried to finish it,'' Hossa said. ''That was a set play and I'm glad it worked.'' Hossa clinched it with an empty-netter for the Blackhawks, who regained their footing at the end of a 4-3 trip with victories over St. Louis and Winnipeg the last three days. Now, they'll be settling in for eight in a row at home that begins against the Coyotes on Monday night. ''I don't think I've ever been on any team that had eight straight home games,'' coach Joel Quenneville said. ''It should be fun.'' Bryan Bickell had a goal and assisted on the go-ahead score for Chicago, which also got a goal from Marcus Kruger. ''I thought it was a pretty good effort all the way around,'' defenseman Duncan Keith said. ''Obviously, they've got a lot of hard-working players, and it's a tough game every time we play these guys.'' Vladimir Tarasenko and David Backes had a goal apiece for St. Louis, which never led and has lost two straight since a franchise-record 13-game point streak. The Blues are 20-5-2 at home. ''I thought in the third period we looked tired,'' coach Ken Hitchcock said. ''I think a lot of it was us having to come back. The whole game we had to mount a comeback.'' But the showing was a big improvement from the last game, a 7-1 loss at Columbus on Friday. ''We looked like our old selves again,'' Elliott said. ''I thought we stuck to our guns and really wanted to do the little things right for each other.'' Standing room attendance of 19,657 was the Blues' 11th sellout and included thousands of red-clad Blackhawks fans. ''When you come to this building, it always feels like playoffs,'' Hossa said. ''We have lots of fans so they make it a great atmosphere for us. ''It's a big rivalry and a huge two points.'' Hossa's 11th and 12th goals were his first points in six games. Jay Bouwmeester was off for hooking, preventing a breakaway by Brad Richards, when Hossa whistled a shot past Elliott at 11:19 for a 3-2 lead. There were only five penalties overall, with the Blackhawks getting two power plays and the Blues one. Tarasenko tied it at 2 on a breakaway early in the second, getting Corey Crawford to commit with a couple of forehand fakes and then slipping the puck into the net for his team-leading 28th goal and fourth in five games. The Blackhawks briefly led 2-1 after Bickell pounced on a rebound in the slot and beat Elliott at 11:25 of the second. The Blues answered 1:28 later when Backes scored his 18th goal on a rebound while Crawford was occupied by a fallen T.J. Oshie in the crease. Kruger's fifth goal on a 2-on-1 break opened the scoring at 4:38 of the first. It was his first point in 20 games and first goal in 28 games since Dec. 3 against the Blues at home. Notes: Daniel Carcillo earned his 100th career assist on Kruger's goal. ... Tarasenko has four goals in five games. ... Blues coach Ken Hitchcock has 691 career wins and needs one to tie Dick Irwin for fourth on the career list. ... The Blackhawks lead the season series 2-1. ... Crawford is 12-2-0-3 against St. Louis. ... Blues F Paul Stastny was just 6-13 on faceoffs.
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Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott on Monday survived a confidence vote on his leadership after just 17 months in power, with 61 against a "spill" motion and 39 for it. "The Liberal Party has met, we have had a ballot, it was properly conducted. The result is very clear. No 61. Yes 39," said chief whip Philip Ruddock.
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The first astronaut to step onto the lunar surface kept his man purse. The widow of American astronaut, Neil Armstrong, discovered a stashed white bag in a closet months after his 2012 death. Inside she found a trove of priceless parts initially thought to have been ditched on the Moon during the Apollo 11 mission. Carol Armstrong had a feeling her husband's treasure may have come from a spacecraft, according to the Smithsonian , whose Air and Space Museum will be displaying the lost parts. Smithsonian experts quickly realized its contents, metal clips, tethers, mirrors, netting and even an 80mm Hasselblad camera, were from the Apollo 11 Lunar Module Eagle. The bag, also called a McDivitt purse, may have attracted traces of moon dust on it as the astronauts used it to hold items on the lunar surface. It's also believed Armstrong used the brown tether with a metal clip to hold his legs and rest up before leaving the Moon's surface. Despite the bag's importance to space travel historians, it remained forgotten in the astronaut's closet for 46 years. Not even Armstrong's own biographer knew about it. Its discovery shouldn't be that much of a shock. Armstrong mentions the bag before departing the moon, according to the mission's transcript. "You know, that that one's just a bunch of trash that we want to take back LM parts, odds and ends, and it won't stay closed by itself; we'll have to figure something out for it," Armstrong said. It was supposed to be trashed with their life support backpacks and lunar overshoes, but Armstrong took it back to Earth and then his closet. [email protected]
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There may be no shortage of British talent in Hollywood, but all eyes are now on Eddie Redmayne, the newcomer who scooped a best actor BAFTA in London on Sunday. The 33-year-old won for his role as theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking in "The Theory of Everything", the world's most famous living scientist crippled by an advanced form of motor neurone disease. He had already scooped a Golden Globe and is hoping to add an Oscar later this month to complete the trio. Among his fellow Oscar nominees was his friend and fellow British thespian Benedict Cumberbatch, who also played a troubled genius, Alan Turing, in "The Imitation Game". Redmayne has won plaudits for his theatre work over the past decade, and has had parts in a number of major films, but this was his first leading man role -- and it has propelled him into the big league. The film tells the story of Hawking and his wife Jane, starting in the 1960s at Cambridge University -- before he was diagnosed at the age of 21 with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Based on a memoir by Jane, played by fellow Oscar nominee Felicity Jones, it charts how their relationship changed as his health declined and his fame grew, until their marriage fell apart in the early 1990s. Redmayne was not the first choice to play Hawking. But he managed to arrange a meeting in a pub with director James Marsh, where he drank too much beer out of nerves and secured the part without an audition. Immersing himself in the role, he spent four months visiting people with motor neurone disease at a clinic in London and reading everything he could by Hawking. The result is a physical transformation that has been compared to Daniel Day-Lewis's Oscar-winning performance in "My Left Foot". Hawking has reportedly said there were moments watching the film when he thought he was watching himself, and he gave the ultimate seal of approval by allowing the director to use his trademark computerised voice. Redmayne said he was "terrified" that Hawking might not like it, but that it was an honour to spend time with him -- even if the first meeting started badly. Lost for words, the star-struck actor blurted out that they were both Capricorns, to which Hawking replied: "I'm an astronomer, not an astrologer." - Chiselled good looks - The son of a London banker with four siblings, Redmayne took acting classes from a young age and was a child extra in the West End production of "Oliver!". He attended the elite Eton school alongside Prince William and studied History of Art at Cambridge -- the same university where Hawking still works. Barely a year after graduating, Redmayne had a part in an all-male production of "Twelfth Night" by Shakespeare's Globe theatre, and by 2004 had won his first theatre award. A few years later he picked up both a Laurence Olivier award and a Tony award for his role as artist Mark Rothko's fictional assistant Ken in the play "Red". He has also appeared in a number of hit films including "The Good Shepherd", "Elizabeth: The Golden Age" and "The Other Boleyn Girl". He also played Marius in the Oscar-winning 2012 musical "Les Miserables". Like Cumberbatch, Redmayne is blessed with chiselled good looks that always had the potential to make him a star, and has modelled for luxury brand Burberry. Both men have a legion of fans on Twitter, dubbed respectively the "Redmayniacs" and the "Cumberbitches", undaunted by Redmayne's recent marriage and Cumberbatch's impending nuptials. While the Hawking biopic has won him an Oscar nomination, the next film on his CV is set to send Redmayne's profile stratospheric. Next month will see the release of the latest offering by "The Matrix" trilogy's Andy and Lana Wachowski, the sci-fi movie "Jupiter Ascending", in which Redmayne plays a villain with a six-pack.
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Cheers to weight loss, courtesy of your favorite glass of cabernet sauvignon. Researchers at Oregon State's College of Agricultural Studies took a closer look at the benefits behind the buzz, and published their findings in The Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry. Overweight Americans can raise a toast to a road of health and happiness and for possibly having a secret solution to weight loss. When researchers discovered the benefits from a glass of wine could lead to weight loss last year, they wanted to understand what exactly was going on inside the grapes and the body. The team spent 10 weeks feeding mice a high-fat diet. Once they were chubby enough, half of them were given extracts from red wine Pinot noir grapes, while the other half had a general blend of "mouse chow." The wined-and-dined mice not only stored less liver fat, but they also had lower blood sugar. It turns out ellargic acids inside a vineyard's grapes have the power to delay the growth of fat cells and slow the development of new ones. "The high-fat-fed mice developed fatty liver and diabetic symptoms the same metabolic consequences we see in many overweight, sedentary people," said the study's co-author Neil Shay, a scientist at the college's agriculture research lab, in a press release . "If we could develop a dietary strategy for reducing the harmful accumulation of fat in the liver using common foods like grapes, that would be good news." The study's confirmation of red wine's benefits gives drinkers reassurance with each sip. Although, you could also just eat a handful of red grapes and gain the same benefits as a glass of merlot, but a little buzz puts the mind at ease, and adds several other bonuses. 5 Buzz-Worthy Benefits Of Red Wine: Memory Protection Against Alzheimer's Disease: The powerful antioxidant resveratrol protects against cell damage and prevents age-related mental decline. Mimics Gym Time: Resveratrol is also responsible for heart-healthy benefits, including improved physical performance and muscle strength. It also mimics cardiovascular enhancements similar to exercise. But the benefits are limited, so don't always trade in your cardio for cabernet. Cancer Treatment: Researchers aren't exactly sure how, but another active antioxidant in red wine known as quercetin works against cancer cells, according to the American Cancer Society . It helps to induce natural cell death in certain types of cancers, most often colon cancer. Promotes Long Life: Red wine drinkers have a 34 percent lower mortality rate than beer or vodka drinkers, according to a 29-year-long study. Resveratrol is the polyphenol that could be responsible for its longevity benefits. But researchers think any diet rich in polyphenols, which are known to protect against the development of chronic diseases they're found amply in red wine could be why. Lowers Risk Of Heart Disease and Stroke: Red wine tannins, which are what make red wine the color red, contain procyanidins known for protecting against heart disease. Resveratrol also helps to remove chemicals responsible for causing blood clots, which is the primary cause of coronary disease. A daily dose of red wine cuts blood clot-related stroke rates by 50 percent. Source: Shay N, Okla M, Kang I, Kim DM, Gourineni V, and Chung S. Ellagic acid modeulates lipid accumulation in primary human adipocytes and human hepatoma Huh7 cells via discrete mechanisms. The Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry. 2015.
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John Bonamego, the Detroit Lions' special-teams coordinator the last two seasons, was officially named Sunday as the new head coach at Central Michigan. The Lions are expected to name Joe Marciano, who spent more than a decade as the Houston Texans' special-teams coordinator, as Bonamego's replacement. Bonamego met with the Central Michigan players Sunday and will be introduced during a news conference Monday afternoon. The university confirmed the hiring with a series of messages posted on Twitter. Bonamego, a native of Paw Paw, Mich., was a walk-on receiver/quarterback for Central Michigan and earned two varsity letters in the mid-1980s. "Since I left CMU in 1987, my dream job was to be the head coach of the Central Michigan football program," Bonamego said. "Today, that dream came true." In announcing the hiring, CMU athletic director Dave Heeke said that Bonamego "has an extraordinary passion for Central Michigan." Bonamego, 51, replaces Dan Enos, who left a few weeks ago to become the offensive coordinator at Arkansas.
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CAIRO (AP) -- A riot broke out Sunday night outside of a major soccer game in Egypt, with a stampede and fighting between police and fans killing at least 25 people, authorities said. The riot, only three years after similar violence killed 74 people, began ahead of a match between Egyptian Premier League clubs Zamalek and ENPPI at Air Defense Stadium east of Cairo. Such attacks in the past have sparked days of protests pitting the country's hard-core fans against police officers in a nation already on edge after years of revolt and turmoil. Two security officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said at least 25 people were killed. The violence comes as police face increasing scrutiny following the shooting death of a female protester in Cairo and the arrest of protesters under a law heavily restricting demonstrations. President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi has pledged to bring stability to Egypt amid bombings and attacks by Islamic militants, but also has said Egypt's emergency situation meant that some violations of human rights were inevitable, if regrettable. Egypt's public prosecutor issued a statement ordering an investigation. After convening an emergency meeting to discuss the violence, the Cabinet announced that it was postponing upcoming soccer matches until further notice, Egypt's state television said. What caused the violence wasn't immediately clear. Security officials said Zamalek fans tried to force their way into the match without tickets, sparking clashes. Fans have only recently been allowed back at matches and the Interior Ministry planned to let only 10,000 fans into the stadium, which has a capacity of about 30,000, the officials said. Zamalek fans, known as "White Knights," posted on their group's official Facebook page that the violence began because authorities only opened one narrow, barbed-wire door to let them in. They said that sparked pushing and shoving that later saw police officers fire tear gas and birdshot. A fan who tried to attend the game, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity out of fear of being targeted by police, said that the stampede was caused by police who fired tear gas at the tightly packed crowd. "Those who fell down could not get back up again," the man said. The Zamalek fan group later posted pictures on Facebook it claimed were of dead fans, including the names of 22 people it said had been killed. The AP could not immediately verify the images. Egypt's hard-core soccer fans, known as Ultras, frequently clash with police inside and outside of stadiums. They are deeply politicized and many participated in the country's 2011 uprising that forced out President Hosni Mubarak. Many consider them as one of the most organized movements in Egypt after the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood, which the government later outlawed as a terrorist organization following the 2013 military overthrow of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi. The deadliest riot in Egypt soccer history came during a 2012 match when Port Said's Al-Masry team hosted Cairo's Al-Ahly. That riot, at the time the deadliest worldwide since 1996, killed 74 people, mostly Al-Ahly fans. Two police officers later received 15-year prison sentences for gross negligence and failure to stop the Port Said killings, a rare incident of security officials being held responsible for deaths in the country. Seven other officers were acquitted, angering soccer fans who wanted more police officers to be held accountable for the incident and other episodes of violence. In response, angry fans burned down the headquarters of Egypt's Football Association, also protesting its decision to resume matches before bringing those behind that 2012 riot to justice. They've also protested and fought officers outside of the country's Interior Ministry, which oversees police in the country. ------ Associated Press writers Hamza Hendawi, Acer Hoteiba and Jon Gambrell contributed to this report.
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OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- Kevin Durant scored 29 points to lead the Thunder to a 131-108 win Sunday over the Los Angeles Clippers, who were without All-Star Blake Griffin. BOX SCORE: THUNDER 131, CLIPPERS 108 The Clippers announced before the game that Griffin will be out indefinitely because of a staph infection in his right elbow. Without him, the Clippers fell to their most lopsided loss of the season. Russell Westbrook had 19 points, 11 rebounds and five assists, and rookie Mitch McGary added 19 points and 10 rebounds for the Thunder, who shot 52 percent and moved back above the .500 mark. Jamal Crawford scored 21 points and Chris Paul had 18 points and 13 assists for the Clippers. Griffin will have surgery Monday in Los Angeles and be re-evaluated after the All-Star break. Thunder center Steven Adams injured his right hand after being fouled with 3:36 left in the second quarter. The right-handed New Zealander shot a pair of free throws with his left and made the second, drawing a roar from the crowd. He did not return. McGary, a reserve forward, had been injured throughout the season and played in only two games. Oklahoma City opened the second half on a 9-2 run. A contested 3-pointer by Durant gave the Thunder a 75-58 lead. Westbrook drained a 3-pointer with 11.9 seconds left in the third quarter to put the Thunder up 101-75. TIP-INS Clippers: G J.J. Redick missed the game with back spasms. ... F Spencer Hawes started in Griffin's place and matched a season high with 17 points. ... F Glen Davis left the game in the second quarter with upper back spasms and did not return. ... Crawford was issued a technical foul with 3:07 left in the third quarter. Thunder: Thunder C Kendrick Perkins missed the game because of a suspension. The league said he initiated and made head-to-head contact with Tyreke Evans of the New Orleans Pelicans last Friday. ... Thunder G Anthony Morrow sat out with right shoulder soreness. UP NEXT Clippers: At Dallas on Monday. Thunder: At Denver on Monday. --- Follow Cliff Brunt on Twitter: www.twitter.com/CliffBruntAP .
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CHAPEL HILL, N.C. It hardly bears repeating that Dean Smith was a man of principles, taking on segregation, nuclear weapons and the shot clock without regard to any criticism, warranted or baseless, that might come his way. There was one moment when Smith, who died Saturday night at 83, had to choose between principles, when a lifetime of devotion to liberal and progressive causes came into conflict with perhaps the only thing he treasured more: the people around him. Smith chose loyalty. Not to anybody one might expect, not Bill Guthridge or Roy Williams, not Charlie Scott or James Worthy or Michael Jordan. It was a self-proclaimed "terrible player" who appeared in only nine games in two seasons, scoring a single point, the fringest of fringe players. RELATED: Carolina Family mourns Dean Smith RELATED: Dean Smith crafted championship culture When former Charlotte mayor Richard Vinroot came to Smith in 2000 to ask for his endorsement for the Republican nomination for governor, Smith obliged. And when Vinroot asked him to make a second television commercial, this time for the general election, Smith again obliged. He was careful not to ask anyone to vote for Vinroot. He merely "bragged on him," as Smith would put it later. "'I'm catching the dickens for endorsing you,' he told me," Vinroot said. "I knew that." It was proof that Smith would do just about anything for his players, his "young men," as he would often refer to them even one who was barely a player. They all received the same treatment. When Vinroot served in Vietnam, he received weekly letters from his wife and his mother ... and Smith. When Vinroot's kids arrived on campus in Chapel Hill, they all got the same call from the basketball office making sure they had access to tickets, the same call any of the children of Smith's players would get, without Smith ever mentioning it to their parents. In later years, Smith often turned to Vinroot for legal advice, and politics would often come up between the two over lunch peaceable disagreements over opposing positions, between a budding Republican politician and the "liberal lion of Chapel Hill," as Vinroot called him. "I remember as a college boy putting up signs for Goldwater and having coach Smith ask, 'What in the world are you doing?' " Vinroot said. While Smith declined repeated entreaties to run for Senate against Jesse Helms, he endorsed numerous Democratic political candidates over the years, right up to Barack Obama in 2008. For Vinroot, he broke ranks. "There's some kind of special relationship there," said another of Smith's former players, Tom LaGarde. "It didn't matter to coach," Vinroot said. "He caught hell for it, I'm sure." Just as Smith took criticism from the left, it opened Vinroot up to criticism from the right. As a spokesman for one of his primary opponents put it that spring: "We respect Dean, and I'm a big fan myself, but he is a liberal Democrat." Smith wasn't alone. Vinroot used his personal ties to get two prominent Democrats Smith and Bank of America chairman Hugh McColl to endorse him during the Republican primary. In the end, Smith's stand on Vinroot's behalf went for naught. His endorsement did help Vinroot win the Republican primary, but after Vinroot opened the general election with the second Smith commercial that ran in July, his Democratic opponent Mike Easley raised the stakes. In the pantheon of North Carolina icons, there was perhaps only one alive who could trump Smith, and Easley answered Smith's endorsement of Vinroot with a celebrity endorsement of his own: Andy Griffith. Buoyed by a late barrage of commercials featuring Griffith, Easley held off Vinroot in the final days and won the election with 52 percent of the vote, to Vinroot's 46 percent, in what would become known as the "Mayberry Miracle." "It was a brilliant counterstroke," Vinroot said. "I'm sorry we didn't run coach Smith all the rest of the way. I'll take my chances with coach Smith, against Andy or anybody else." For Smith, his loyalty and support of Vinroot aside, one imagines that was one loss that didn't wear as hard on him as some of the others over the course of his career. His former player lost. His team still won.
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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) A deep-space observatory has to wait yet another day before flying. SpaceX called off Sunday evening's launch attempt because of trouble with the Air Force rocket-tracking radar. The company targeted Monday, but decided to wait until Tuesday for better weather. That gives SpaceX time to replace a video transmitter on the first-stage booster of the Falcon 9 rocket. Following liftoff, the leftover booster is supposed to flip around and aim for a platform floating off the Florida coast. The landing test has been tried once before, without success. Former Vice President Al Gore was present for Sunday's try. Gore came up with the idea for a spacecraft that constantly observes Earth back in the 1990s, but the program was canceled and the satellite shelved. The Deep Space Climate Observatory is a refurbished version through the combined effort of NASA, the National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration, or NOAA, and the Air Force. Gore noted the launch delay on Twitter, and quipped, "After 17 years, that's nothing." The $340 million mission dubbed DSCOVR (pronounced discover) involves sending the observatory to a point 1 million miles from Earth, and 92 million miles from the sun, where the gravity field is stabilized. From there, the spacecraft will monitor solar outbursts and provide advance warnings to protect orbiting craft, airplanes and power stations from incoming geomagnetic storms. That position also will allow the observatory to continuously view the sunlit portion of Earth in its entirety. A steady stream of images will be available online to the public. SpaceX has a platform stationed 370 miles offshore that will serve as the landing pad for the fly-back booster. The barge had to be repaired after the first touchdown attempt, on Jan. 10, ended in a fireball. SpaceX chief Elon Musk wants to eventually refurbish and reuse his company's rockets to save money and time. The California-based company has a contract with NASA to deliver cargo to the International Space Station and, in another couple years, astronauts as well. ___ Online: NOAA: http://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/DSCOVR/ SpaceX: http://www.spacex.com/ NASA: http://www.nasa.gov/
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Ohio State was able to hit a home run with the hiring of Tony Alford, who will fill the void left by Stan Drayton. Saturday morning, it was first reported that Notre Dame RB coach Tony Alford would join the Buckeyes staff. While the hire has not been made official by an Ohio State spokesperson, Alford has already spoke publicly to Scout.com about making the move to Columbus, as well as updated his Twitter profile page . As we wrote yesterday , Alford brings an impressive recruiting resume with him to Columbus. Land-Grant Holy Land caught up with a few prospects to get their thoughts on the addition of Alford in Columbus: Ervin "Woody" Barrett, 2016 QB/ATH, West Orange (FL) "I think that Coach (Tony) Alford will benefit the coaching staff and the running backs," the 6'2, 213-pounder told LGHL. "From what I've experienced, he's a good coach on and off of the field." Barrett is an Orlando native and despite being listed as an athlete by some recruiting services, he tells us that the Buckeyes are recruiting him as a QB. Ohio State originally offered Barrett back on November 17th and just one week later, Alford and the Fighting Irish followed suit. Patrick Bethel, 2016 DE, Vero Beach (FL) I got a chance to talk with Bethel, who just received an offer from Ohio State in late January, about the Alford pickup. It was definitely new information to the four-star pass rusher from the sunshine state but he wasn't sure if it would change much in his recruitment. "I don't think my interests are swayed, but it is a surprise," Bethel stated. Tony Alford recently made the stop to Vero Beach High School prior to Bethel receiving an offer from the Buckeyes, so that he could offer Bethel in person. Trevon Grimes, 2017 WR, St. Thomas Aquinas (FL) One of the biggest Buckeye targets in the 2017 cycle is this four-star pass catcher, who comes from the same program that produced Damon Arnette and Joey Bosa . Grimes wasted no time applauding the addition to the staff. "It's a great hire for Ohio State. I believe it will help out more in recruiting." So far, Ohio State seems to be in great position for the 6'3, 180-pounder and sure enough, he confirmed those thoughts. "As far as it goes for me, his move is a good move for me. As you know, Ohio State is my leader and I'm glad to continue pursuing my journey with Ohio State and their addition of Tony (Alford)." St. Thomas Aquinas is no stranger to newly hired RB coach either, as he was the primary recruiter for Corey Holmes , a current Notre Dame wide receiver. You can also check out Grimes' tweet reacting to the Alford news. Tre Nixon, 2016 WR, Viera (FL) "It was a great hire for Ohio State," the four-star Floridian told Land Grant Holy-Land . Nixon continued by saying "I have a big relationship with (Alford). He's not only a great coach but an even better man." The speedster with a reported 4.38 40 time has built a relationship with Alford during his time at Notre Dame. Nixon spoke highly of the new addition, just like many have and will. "(I) love the hire," Nixon concluded. Binjimen Victor, 2016 WR, Coconut Creek (FL) Much like Bethel, this four-star receiver wasn't aware that Alford was heading to Ohio State yet. "That's kind of shocking and good as well because he was my primary recruiter (at Notre Dame)." The nations 29th overall WR in the 2016 class proceeded by saying "(Alford) is a great dude. I was building a connection with him, as well. Knowing he is at Ohio State, we can still build a connection, he just won't be in green anymore." Victor is another pass catching target that sits high on the Buckeyes radar. I also reached out to '16 CB Trayvon Mullen , one of Victor's teammates, who was also unaware of Ohio State's hiring of Alford. Both prospects were being recruited by Alford during his time with the Irish. Robert Washington, 2016 RB, Southlake Christian Academy (NC) "Coach (Tony) Alford is one of the coaches that I have the best relationship with," Washington stated. "Coach Alford was a big part of my development going into my junior year. I spent a lot of board and film work with him." Washington, who is ranked as the 15th best running back in the 2016 cycle resumed by praising the addition for Ohio State. "That's a great replacement for Coach (Stan) Drayton." Despite Ohio State already having two running backs in the class, Washington added that the Buckeyes are still recruiting him and that he is still high on the Scarlet and Gray. Another prospect that took notice of the Buckeyes inking of Alford was '16 RB Kareem Walker , an Ohio State pledge. Walker is a prospect who committed to OSU in part because of his close relationship with Stan Drayton, who is now a member of the Chicago Bears staff. Once Drayton departed from Columbus, many were concerned about the effect it would have on the five-star. However, Walker reacted positively to the reports of Alford stepping in. Glad Coach Alford at OSU now ! AlⓂ️ightyReem (@_KareemWalker) February 7, 2015 Others that took notice of the hire includes incoming Ohio State freshman Mirko Jurkovic , '16 OT Parker Boudreaux , and '16 WR Dredrick Snelson , a former teammate of Torrance Gibson . It's also worth mentioning that Alford, who hasn't officially been announced as a member of the staff, has already got things rolling on the recruiting side. According to Bill Kurelic , '16 RB Demario McCall got a phone call from Alford yesterday. McCall is a four-star prospect and a huge Buckeye target in the 2016 cycle. All but one of the six prospects that I spoke to were from the state of Florida. I'm sure many have heard and even seen the success that Alford has had with sunshine state players. This is just another example of the impact that he will bring to the recruiting trail and how much more he will help recruiting in the always talented state of Florida.
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Watch the full press conference as North Carolina head coach Roy Williams reflects on the passing of his former coach, mentor and friend Dean Smith.
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The Grammys are on tonight which has us in the musical spirit. We have seen a lot of athletes try their hand in music, who are some of the best and worst to dabble in music?
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WASHINGTON The inability to enact new gun safety laws after the Sandy Hook school shooting ranks as "the single failure" of his tenure, Attorney General Eric Holder said in a televised interview. "The gun lobby simply won, you know?" Holder said in the interview shown Sunday on MSNBC, conducted to mark the end of his time as attorney general. Holder has called his visit to the site of the December 2012 massacre of 20 first-graders and six educators the worst day he had in office. After the shootings, President Obama appointed Vice President Joe Biden to lead a task force that would make recommendations for how to avoid such attacks. The shooting spurred an effort in the Senate to enact stricter gun laws, particularly a broader requirement for background checks for gun purchases proposed by Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va, a conservative with a strong gun-rights record, and Sen. Patrick J. Toomey, R-Pa. In part because of opposition from the National Rifle Association, the Manchin-Toomey amendment fell five votes short of adoption, leading the Senate's Democratic leadership to abandon the underlying bill. With Republican majorities leading both the House and the Senate, gun safety legislation is all but impossible on the federal level. A group of Democrats led by Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., and members of the Connecticut delegation introduced a bill last week Thursday to limit high-capacity magazines but said its passage would depend on a major public movement behind further gun control measures that has not happened. In the interview, Holder was asked if the United States was "a nation of cowards" when it comes to guns, a reference to a statement he made in 2009 that the U.S. was a nation of cowards when it came to discussing race relations. "I don't think we are a nation of cowards. But I think that members of Congress need to have a little more backbone and stand up to what is a distinct minority even within, for instance, the NRA, and do the kinds of reasonable things that the American people simply want to have happen," he said. Holder downplayed what has been a largely hostile relationship with Republicans, calling his dealings with Congress "interesting" and claiming they had accomplished some things. The nation has made "remarkable progress" on racial equality, he said, but he added that it was "extremely worrisome" that restrictions on voting have been adopted 50 years after the Voting Rights Act. "There have certainly been hits that the civil rights movement has taken, but nothing that I think can't ultimately be overcome," he said. Holder will step down as attorney general upon confirmation of his successor. Obama's nominee to replace him, Loretta Lynch, appears on track to be approved by March.
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New trial. Same charges. Bigger stakes. Carolina Panther Greg Hardy returns to court on Monday to appeal his 2014 conviction for assaulting and threatening to kill an ex-girlfriend. Last July, the former Pro Bowl defensive end couldn't persuade a Mecklenburg judge of his innocence. Now he hopes for a better result from 12 of his peers. His arrest and conviction for assaulting Nicole Holder was one of several domestic-abuse cases involving high-profile NFL players. The charges against Hardy are misdemeanors. Even if he's convicted, the 26-year-old is unlikely to serve any jail time. But experts say the case has already cost Hardy millions in future earnings. A conviction could damage his market value even more. "Careerwise and for his future, this trial is a huge risk," said veteran Charlotte defense attorney Claire Rauscher. Once jury selection begins, Hardy can no longer drop his appeal. Under state law, Hardy's earlier conviction has been wiped away. Everything starts fresh on Monday before Superior Court Judge Robert Sumner of Gaston County. The trial will take place in the county's largest legal stage: Courtroom 5370 in the Mecklenburg Courthouse. National media coverage is expected. TV cameras and photographers inside the courtroom, which will be discussed Monday, also are likely. Some things aren't expected to change: the claims and counterclaims of what happened on May 13 during the after party at Hardy's uptown condo; the glimpses of a celebrity lifestyle in which groups of young elites spend far more in a single night on drugs and alcohol than most Charlotteans can afford on their mortgages. Yet in key ways, the trial could take on a far different feel, and juror feelings on everything from celebrity excesses to domestic abuse could influence the verdict. The jurors So how long will it take the attorneys to pick 12 jurors and two alternates who haven't formed fast opinions on everything from Hardy and the Panthers to domestic abuse and the outcome of the first trial? Educated guesses from legal experts across the city vary from a day or two to far longer. "Better part of a week," estimates Richard Boner, a recently retired Mecklenburg judge with more than 25 years on the bench. "(Defense attorney Chris) Fialko and the district attorney are going to be very, very careful." Charlotte attorney James Wyatt said lawyers will do whatever they can to spot bias or preconceived notions from dissecting a prospective juror's answers to studying body language. In the end, nothing is foolproof. "You can try to smoke them out, but if somebody wants to get on that jury bad enough, they aren't going to be honest with their answers," Boner said. "It's not a perfect system. But we have to live with it." The attorneys Hardy's defense attorneys are Chris Fialko of Charlotte and Frank Maister of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., who joined the case in late October. Fialko was part of Rae Carruth's defense team in 2001 when the former Panther was convicted of conspiring to murder the mother of his unborn son. The prosecutor is Jamie Adams, head of the Mecklenburg District Attorney's domestic-abuse unit since its creation three years ago. She has tried numerous cases in Superior Court. With one trial behind them and Hardy's fate now in the hands of a jury instead of a judge, the attorneys may try the case differently, experts say. For starters, they've sat through a trial, heard testimony and seen the strength and weaknesses of the witnesses. Wyatt said the defense team has probably been running different approaches past mock juries. It also paid to have a court reporter at the first trial to capture every word; now that transcript will be used to trap any inconsistencies in testimony of prosecution witnesses. Steve Ward, a former longtime county prosecutor now teaching law at Belmont Abbey College, said the tone of the second trial should be different. "A judge is not going to be swayed by a dramatic presentation, but a jury very well may be," he said. "Trials with juries are, in some degrees, a bit of theater. You have to entertain the jurors. It's like going to the movies: Do you want to watch documentaries or do you want to watch a drama?" Wyatt said smart attorneys try to spot the dominant jurors as the trial unfolds. "You make sure to engage them," he said. "As a lawyer, I want to provide those jurors with arguments and evidence that they can use in the jury room." Rauscher expects the attorneys to keep it civil. "Nasty doesn't play well. People in juries much prefer civility," she said. Though Fialko and Adams rarely raised their voices during their first meeting in July, Ward feels the second trial could turn mean, particularly in stronger efforts to discredit witnesses. "Hardy's career is on the line. The defense will not be holding back," he said. "A judge will discount a lot of the innuendo, of raising past bad behavior. A jury will often judge a witness as harshly as the defendant." The verdict Boner, who heard cases throughout the state, said Mecklenburg juries can be unpredictable. They are more racially and geographically diverse than those in neighboring counties, he said, and they are more likely to question prosecutors and police. He said some verdicts in his courtrooms have left him speechless. "I truly believe I could sell the Brooklyn Bridge or some swampland in Florida to some of the people who serve on juries here. The environment is just different," Boner said. Local judges now tell jurors to put aside what they think they know about criminal justice from watching "CSI" and other TV crime programs, and Rauscher said the courts are facing a growing problem with jurors going online to inform themselves about the case or criminal procedure. That led to a recent mistrial in federal court in Charlotte. Biases over race, wealth and celebrity, and who's really to blame for domestic abuse could also complicate the jurors' discussions, experts say. In the end, Wyatt remains convinced that most jurors "see through any theatrics and emotional appeals, and try to decide the case on facts and evidence." "The outcome of the case will have far-reaching consequences. Not only will it determine Greg Hardy's guilt or innocence, but it will have a significant influence on what further action the NFL takes, Hardy's financial future, and whether Hardy is subject to a lifetime ban from the NFL if another incident occurs," Wyatt said. Staff writers Joseph Person, Jonathan Jones and researcher Maria David contributed.
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GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) -- With her team trailing Florida 30-28 at halftime, Tennessee coach Holly Warlick gave the Lady Vols a message. It wasn't about the game of basketball itself, but rather about her team needing to display energy and heart. The No. 6 Lady Vols responded to that message, turning their game around in the second half and defeating the Gators 64-56 on Sunday. ''Maybe I need to make my halftime speeches before the game starts,'' Warlick said. Isabelle Harrison led Tennessee (20-3, 10-0 Southeastern Conference) with 17 points and Jordan Reynolds added 13 more to keep the Lady Vols undefeated in conference play and pick up their 16th win in the last 17 games. Tennessee jumped out to an 11-4 lead in the first seven minutes - with all of the Lady Vols' points coming from Harrison in the early run - before Florida (11-12, 3-7) clawed its way back, making nine of its final 17 first-half shots and 6-of-8 free throw attempts to take a 30-28 lead into intermission. ''Florida played hard,'' Warlick said. ''I'm shocked at their record. I just think they've got a solid team and they don't have quit in them.'' The Gators extended that lead to five on two separate occasions in the second half before Tennessee went on a 21-6 run over 8:17 to take a 10-point lead with about five minutes to play. Five different UT players scored on the run, with Cierra Burdick leading the way with six points. Harrison saw limited action in the second half after picking up her third foul of the game less than two minutes after intermission. But in Harrison's time off the court, Reynolds picked up her play, leading the Lady Vols with 10 second-half points. ''In the second half, we moved the ball much better,'' Reynolds said. ''It was easier for me to get to the basket because the floor was opened up more.'' Cassie People led the Gators with 18 points. Ronni Williams, who started in place of freshman forward Haley Lorenzen (concussion), added 11 and Kayla Lewis had 10. ''I loved our fight,'' Butler said. ''I loved how hard we fought and battled and played, especially one woman down.'' STAR POWER Tennessee point guard Ariel Massengale, who averaged 11 points per game heading into Sunday's matchup, failed to make a basket, missing all eight shots during her 28 minutes on the floor. ''She just didn't look very confident shooting,'' Warlick said. LEWIS HITS 1,000 POINTS Lewis became the 23rd Florida player in program history to score 1,000 career points after scoring 10 on Sunday. A fifth-year guard, Lewis has been one of Florida's top scoring threats over the past three seasons. But injuries plagued her career early. She missed 19 games in her freshman season and received a medical redshirt in her sophomore year after suffering a stress fracture three games into the season. ''I think I've been too hurt to even think that was a possibility,'' Lewis said. Lewis credited her teammates for helping make plays where she can capitalize. ''I'm not a player that creates a lot off the dribble,'' Lewis said. ''We have a lot of great players like Cassie and Ronni and guys who have gotten the ball to me and rewarded me for running in transition.'' TIP-INS: Tennessee: The Lady Vols have won 11 straight games against the Gators, dating back to March 6, 2009. ... Three of Tennessee's last four wins have been decided by 10 points or less. Florida: The Gators used their 10th different starting lineup on Sunday. ... Florida is now 15-106 all-time against top-10 ranked opponents. UP NEXT: Tennessee: at Ole Miss on Thursday. Florida: at Georgia on Thursday.
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Legal panel debates
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Go inside the film room and take a look at New York Giants' CB Jayron Hosley's 2014 season. To see more Giants videos download the Giants DeskSite.
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And so Johnny Manziel is in rehab. Let's hope the Tampa Bay Bucs are taking notes. Manziel's totally predictable freefall gives the Bucs a cautionary Buyer Beware warning regarding FSU quarterback Jameis Winston. Common sense should tell them to take a pass. No, Winston doesn't have any drug or alcohol issues like Johnny Football, but character and maturity issues certainly come into question. Is he a good guy or a bad guy? An immature and pampered prankster or just a college kid having a good time? We know the details, from rape allegations to the crab-legs deal at Publix to the sexually-explicit meme while standing on a table on-campus for the world to hear. Call it insensitivity or idiocy. Maybe both. But you think someone who faced the possibility of rape charges would have shown more restraint before launching a misogynic missile. So how you can connect the dots to Johnny Football and Famous Jameis? People don't change. They are true to their core. Manziel always has been the consummate party boy, which is fun if you are hanging with him late at night or just an interested spectator on Twitter. Not so much if you are a football franchise banking your future on this kid's ability to play quarterback and his emotional maturity. Just ask the Cleveland Browns. Winston may in fact prove a lot of people wrong. But that's just it. It's a roll of the dice. We've seen this movie before. Go to Google and type in "Lawrence Phillips." Try "Ryan Leaf," too. Or "Aaron Hernandez." And, lastly, "Michael Vick." It took prison time to set Vick straight, even though some people will never forgive him for his despicable role in a dog-fighting ring. Leaf is a excellent example of why the Bucs need to proceed with eyes wide open. Leaf and Peyton Manning seemed to be a bit of a coin flip in 1998 when the Indianapolis Colts were on the clock with the No. 1 pick in the draft. Leaf blew off a pre-draft meeting with the Colts. Manning, meanwhile, showed up wearing a suit and carried a briefcase and 25 questions to ask then-Colts general manager Bill Polian. Leaf was a bust with the San Diego Chargers. He recently was released from prison after doing time on drug charges. Manning is winding down a Hall of Fame NFL career. The Bucs are in a tough spot with the No. 1 pick in the draft. They need, using a familiar term from another sport, to hit a home run in a few months. They need a game-changer on their roster. They need NFL relevance. Lovie Smith's first-year report card should rate in the "D" to "C-minus" range, and that's grading on a generous curve. The team gave away games it should have won, particularly early in the season, and actually regressed from the downtrodden days of college rah-rah-rah guy Greg Schiano. The Bucs can't whiff with the pick. Winston is a tantalizing prospect. Assuming you can shake the rocks out of his head, he is much more NFL-ready than the other guy in the conversation Marcus Mariota of Oregon. In early mock drafts, Winston still seems to be the guy. But the mock-draft people aren't NFL GMs. The onus is now on Winston. He needs to own the moment in private workouts and interviews with the Bucs. There will be no do-overs. If he gets entangled in one of those infamous Draft Day freefalls, it will cost him millions. Most importantly, he has a lot of proving to do that he isn't a jerk who happens to be a great quarterback. But with where everyone stands today, the Bucs would be wise to trade down and stockpile draft picks and/or players, or take a shot with Mariota. It's not the sexiest move, but it's the safest. ABOUT THE WRITER George Diaz is a columnist for the Orlando Sentinel.
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Barcelona ended a poor run at San Mames to beat Athletic Bilbao 5-2 and close in on Real Madrid at La Liga's summit. Atletico Madrid sensationally thrashed its city rival 4-0 on Saturday and second-placed Barca took full advantage of its old enemy's humiliation to reduce the gap to a single point. Lionel Messi chalked up his 23rd league goal of the season via a deflected free kick and Luis Suarez's 26th-minute strike set Luis Enrique's men on the road to a first win in four attempts in Bilbao. The hosts retained attacking ambition and pulled a deserved goal back after the break through Mikel Rico but an own goal from Oscar de Marcos and a sublime Neymar strike in quick succession put the result more or less beyond doubt - even if it was Athletic striker Artiz Aduriz rounding off a frantic period of four goals in seven minutes. Xabier Etxeita was deservedly sent off for a shocking 75th-minute lunge on Suarez, leaving Barcelona to close out victory with a fantastic fifth in the 86th minute - Messi showcasing mesmerizing footwork to feed Sergio Busquets, who crossed to give substitute Pedro Rodriguez a tap-in. The in-form Aduriz hooked a sixth-minute volley over at the near post as slack set-piece marking almost undid Barcelona. Luis Enrique's men were far from their fluent best during the opening exchanges and required a slice of fortune to take a 14th-minute lead. The chance was presented by a needless handball from Iker Muniain and Messi's resulting free kick spun wickedly off the defensive wall to elude Gorka Iraizoz. Claudio Bravo in the Barcelona goal showed superb reactions to thwart Aduriz when he prodded goalwards in the 20th minute - a save that was soon bettered by opposite number Iraizoz keeping out a Suarez header from point-blank range. Markel Susaeta's free kick was pushed clear by Bravo before Suarez ended a period of dominance for the goalkeepers, driving at the Athletic defense and exchanging passes with Messi to rifle a 20-yard drive that Iraizoz got a hand to but could not stop. Barcelona should have led 3-0 in the 29th minute as Xavi sprung the offside trap to round Iraizoz but Neymar's effort from his cutback was cleared off the line by Aymeric Laporte and Suarez was unable to convert the follow up. Aduriz almost hauled Athletic back into the match when Gerard Pique failed to clear Mikel Balenziaga's cross and the striker nodded against the left-hand post, while Unai Lopez side-footed a volley wide when given ample room to reduce the arrears after 53 minutes. That early second-half miss spurred Athletic on and it finally found the net as Rico tapped home on the rebound when Bravo saved from Aduriz. Messi conceded possession in the build-up to that goal, but made amends by helping to restore Barcelona's two-goal advantage in the 62nd minute - steering Suarez's dinked cross towards goal where it struck the unfortunate De Marcos and crossed the line. Two minutes later, Ivan Rakitic and Messi orchestrated a sublime counterattack, the latter's pass was dummied by Xavi and Neymar stroked home a clinical finish from the edge of the area. The goal rush continued as Muniain caught Busquets napping to play in Aduriz for the goal his efforts deserved. Etxeita somewhat soured a magnificent exhibition of football with his X-rated challenge, but only temporarily as Pedro - Suarez's replacement - capped victory in wonderful style.
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On Thursday night, broadcast media enthusiasts, students and journalists sheltered from the bone-chilling February winds by gathering at the New School's Alvin Johnson/J.M. Kaplan Hall for an enlightening conversation between some of new media's brightest minds and innovators. "Serial and the Podcast Explosion," the first public programming event under the school's revamped Journalism + Design program, sought to unpack the phenomenon of podcasting. Although voiceover storytelling is nothing new, the fervor surrounding some podcasts, particularly the criminal investigation program Serial , indicates this is one of the new avenues to engage people. But as media and technology continue to intersect in unprecedented ways, what does it mean for public radio, storytelling and journalism? Moderated by David Carr, the Lack Professor of Media Studies at Boston University and a columnist and media critic for The New York Times, the panel included Sarah Koenig, producer and host of Serial ; Alix Spiegel, founding producer of This American Life and co-host of the popular new series Invisibilia ; Alex Blumberg, founder of NPR's Planet Money , the mind behind the podcast StartUp , and former producer of This American Life , and Benjamen Walker, host of the podcast Theory of Everything and one of the founding members of Radiotopia. All five made scintillating points about the role of podcasting in the contemporary media sphere, but one idea that kept coming up was the free-form nature of podcasting, and the opportunities it afforded for creativity. So, in the spirit of this creativity, Newsweek decided to do hold its own roundtable discussion about the event with three people who were in attendance: Lauren Walker, our resident tech and security reporter, Shaminder Dulai, our photo director and Paula Mejia, arts and culture reporter. Mejia: The first question Carr posed to the panel was: Is podcasting the best or worst thing to happen to public radio? What did you think before, and did your opinion change after the conversation? Walker: I think I have a unique perspective because I am a devout This American Life listener and I will never stop (unless it stops). But one thing that I did notice is that I am spending more time listening to other podcasts, and I imagine people that are less loyal to This American Life might start replacing it. So Invisibilia is fabulous, and I would imagine someone might replace it. Dulai: I don't think they are both mutually exclusive from each other; I think they're two tracks of the same idea, right? So public radio has a stylized approach already, but podcasting is like the Wild West, as the [panelists] were saying. You're making up rules as you go, the audience is more focused...it's very niche now. It's happening to all media, really. So I think that idea that something has to be destroyed is kind of silly. Cable T.V. is still around even though people keep whining about it. This stuff will still be around, but there are still a lot of niche things, like Netflix, that you can focus down on. Walker: But you do have X number of hours of radio. And so you're going to spend it somewhere. If you have an hour of radio a day in your life, it's either going to be one show or another. So with the proliferation of podcasts, I just am guessing people are going to opt for the not public radio option. Right. By and large, too, that radio time is devoted to commuting, the way the majority of people listen to public radio in their cars. Dulai: Everything can co-exist with each other; I don't think one has to die for the other to exist. I can speak from my own experience that I don't listen to public radio anymore because I don't have a car. I'm on the subway and I don't get the radio down there, so that's why I listen to podcasts; that's my time to listen to something. If I was in my car, I'd be doing the same thing with public radio. There was an audience question that seemed to momentarily stump all the panelists: Do you find podcasts to be alienating, given their limited geographic and socioeconomic span? Dulai: I never really listened to podcasts until I got a smartphone, so I'm discovering a lot of this stuff for the first time. There's a wall you have to get past. If you're not inside that wall, then you're not exposed to that world. And maybe that's a difficulty: How do you close that digital divide? But you have to solve other problems first, such as how does everyone get access to the Internet so that you can access all the podcasts out there. Walker: Yeah I don't think the solution is to discourage people from being creative and seeking out methods of being creative and seeking out communities through podcasts. Carr brought up a good point about the lack of searchability within podcasts; besides a description, you're all in. Interesting given that contemporary trends in media are capitalizing on shorter attention spans. So I wonder why people are drawn to podcasts? Dulai: Technically, yes, you can search with podcasts using programs; but the experience is part of it. Because when you're dialed in, you're dialed in. A lot of us listen to them through headphones; we don't get distracted by people when we're listening to podcasts. Walker: Something Sarah Koenig said [during the event] that I completely agreed with was that someone will suggest something to you [on a podcast] and you trust that person. Once you get through an episode that you like, the intimate nature of podcasts is such that you feel as though you have a relationship with them and you trust that they will bring you another good episode. After that, they're a trusted brand. Dulai: At the very root, podcasts are about a good story; that's why you're there, right? It's not about having a brand; you know when you listen to This American Life, they are going to surprise you with something, you're going to want to tell your friend about it. You're going to get something out of it. That's all we do as humans is re-tell stories, and tell jokes. What was your biggest takeaway from the event? Dulai: I love David Carr still. I hope I'm half as cool as that man one day. Walker: I found it fascinating listening to them break down what makes for a good story on the radio. I've worked in television and print [journalism] and I feel like I have a good sense of what makes a good story on those mediums, but I haven't thought about why they pick what they pick for the radio. I really appreciated that. It was refreshing that the panelists for all their experience themselves acknowledged that they still didn't really know what to do with the medium of podcasting. Since it's so new, there's still so much ground to be covered there. Walker: When [Alix Spiegel] said that, I instantly thought about friends who are so creative and would love to listen to what they could do with such an open medium. Dulai: I kind of found myself thinking: It's fun and all, until it becomes a job. It would take all the fun out of it. Walker: I don't think so. The podcast Call Your Girlfriend , for instance, two friends are literally just having a conversation with each other. And they're talking about things they would normally talk about, they're giving themselves topics. I can't imagine sitting down with, say, Paula for half an hour, having three things to talk about and dreading it. Well, thanks. Shaminder, I know what you mean though. I can't imagine the kind of stress Sarah Koenig must feel for the upcoming second season of Serial . Dulai: I think she's going to go in the complete opposite direction. It's going to be like, how to raise a puppy or something. She needs it, she needs a stress relief. Walker: I'm going to go with fraud, I think she'll do something with that. Probably something non-violent.
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Join reporter Steve Burton as he sits down with New England's CB Malcolm Butler as the two discuss Butler's Super Bowl interception. To see more Patriots videos download the Patriots DeskSite.
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Coming-of-age drama "Boyhood" scooped three prizes including best film and director at Britain's biggest film awards on Sunday, while "The Grand Budapest Hotel" took five gongs but missed out on the most prestigious awards. "The Theory of Everything" garnered three awards including leading actor at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts awards hosted by comedian Stephen Fry, but "The Imitation Game" failed to convert any of its nine nominations. Richard Linklater won the director award for "Boyhood", which he filmed over a 12-year period using the same cast. Patricia Arquette, who won the supporting actress award for her role as a single mother, said Linklater had "made an ordinary story extraordinary". Eddie Redmayne took the leading actor award for his portrayal of Stephen Hawking, a celebrated cosmologist who is paralyzed by motor neuron disease, in "The Theory of Everything". The film also won the award for outstanding British film. Redmayne said Hawking and his family had closely supported the film's production. The physicist attended the ceremony and received a standing ovation as he presented the special visual effects award to space-faring epic "Interstellar". The award for leading actress went to Julianne Moore for her portrayal of a linguistics professor grappling with Alzheimer's disease in "Still Alice". "The Grand Budapest Hotel", the story of a legendary concierge and his young protege, won the awards for original screenplay, costume design, production design, make-up & hair, and original music. J.K. Simmons won the supporting actor category for his portrayal of a domineering jazz teacher in "Whiplash". The film, shot by American director Damien Chazelle in just 19 days, also picked up the awards for editing and sound. Mexican Emmanuel Lubezki won the cinematography award for his work on "Birdman", but the show business satire failed to pick up the big prizes that some commentators had tipped it for. Fry joked about his recent marriage - one of the most high-profile same-sex unions since they became legal in the United Kingdom last year - and paid tribute to the late British actor and director Richard Attenborough. Twenty-four-year-old British actor Jack O'Connell picked up the Rising Star award, the only prize voted on by the public. "Citizenfour", the story of U.S. government whistleblower Edward Snowden directed by Laura Poitras, won the documentary award. "The Lego Movie" won the animated film category, and Polish film "Ida" took the award for the best film in a language other than English. "Boogaloo and Graham", the story of two boys growing up in Belfast, won British short film. "The Bigger Picture" won the British short animation category. Stephen Beresford and David Livingstone won the Debut award for writing and producing "Pride", the story of an unlikely collaboration between gay activists and miners during the British miners' strike of 1984. The BAFTAs are the major awards in the British film industry, and are among a series of such events culminating in the Oscars, the top prizes in the movie world, due to be handed out in Los Angeles on 22 February.
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Four-star linebacker Roquan Smith committed to UCLA but didn't sign his letter because the defensive coordinator is leaving for the NFL. Should coaches inform recruits if they are leaving?
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sports
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In the course of December and January, the balance sheet of the U.S. Federal Reserve (Fed) expanded by $186.7 billion to a total of $4.02 trillion. That policy reversal came after an impressive $244.6 billion liquidity withdrawal between August and November of last year. Interestingly, the Fed's apparently puzzling return to aggressive asset purchases continued in an environment of mounting concerns about much-feared and presumably fast-approaching interest rate increases in the United States. One wonders, therefore, about what the Fed watchers are looking at because there can be no doubt here about the policy intent: The balance sheet (aka the monetary base) is directly controlled by the U.S. monetary authorities. And so is the effective federal funds rate, which finished trading last Friday at 0.07 percent -- within a basis point of where it was a year earlier. What lies behind this important policy change? Ignoring the possibility that this might have been a year-end technical adjustment to accommodate the banking system already awash in a mind-boggling pool of $2.6 trillion in excess reserves one must look for reasons in the usual set of factors, consisting of the policy mix, labor market conditions, economic activity and the dollar's trading on global currency markets. Labor market and a strong dollar Those of you who might think that this is a wild goose chase should recall that this is the analytic process that provides the policy input to FOMC (the Fed's interest-rate setting committee) decisions. So, let's start with the policy mix. America's progress on fiscal consolidation since 2009 is quite impressive. Since that time, the general government budget deficit has been more than cut in half to reach an estimated 5.1 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) in 2014. In the current fiscal year, that payment gap is projected to narrow to about 4 percent of GDP, mainly as a result of an expected revenue increase. Technically, therefore, the U.S. fiscal stance remains restrictive. Looming election year gridlocks are preventing the much needed public infrastructure investments, leaving the policy focus firmly on the prospect of ballooning costs of healthcare and entitlement programs for an aging population. Clearly, then, there is a case for an accommodating monetary policy to help stabilize the economy around its potential growth path. But that is what the Fed was doing already, and I don't think that a more balanced policy mix needed any additional monetary support. America's bubbly bond markets seem to share that view. Last Friday's 14-basis-point increase in the yield on the benchmark ten-year Treasury note was a loud response to the broad-based creation of 257,000 new jobs in the course of January. The Fed will probably take that as a bond market over-reaction since the actual unemployment rate (taking into account involuntary part-time workers and people who dropped out of the labor force because they were unable to find a job) is exactly double the officially reported 5.7 percent. On top of that, no progress was noted on the number of the long-term unemployed; at 2.8 million they still represent almost one-third of the jobless total. That is a large labor market slack. With subdued wages and prices, it is no wonder why employment creation has become a major concern in the exercise of the Fed's policy mandate. A broader issue for the Fed is what the current employment picture holds for the medium-term growth outlook of the U.S. economy. That's where jobs and incomes, along with low credit costs, play a key role. Looking at the latest GDP numbers, the Fed may find some reasons to worry. For example, in spite of cheap credit and a reviving bank and nonbank consumer lending, household expenditures and residential investments nearly three-quarters of the U.S. economy were a weaker source of growth last year compared with 2013. Indeed, while the growth of consumer outlays was roughly the same, the housing sector turned in a dismal 1.7 percent increase compared with the previous year's booming 12 percent gain. Call out the free riders These two interest-sensitive components of aggregate demand are closely correlated because residential purchases drive most of consumption spending and related building trades. If this key engine of U.S. growth nearly stalled last year in spite of record-low credit costs, the Fed probably fears what could happen if interest rates were pushed up by large liquidity withdrawals. The strong dollar signaling the greenback's excess demand in world currency markets -- is another issue. Over the last twelve months, the dollar's trade-weighted exchange rate soared 15 percent, and, given what is happening in Europe, there is every reason to believe that the trend will continue. The upshot is that the growing U.S. economy and a rising dollar widened the gap on goods trade in the first 11 months of last year by 3.4 percent. America's biggest trade deficits were run with China ($314.3 billion), Germany ($67.4 billion) and Japan ($61.3 billion). And that did some damage. The preliminary data show that the trade deficit cut the U.S. GDP growth last year by 0.2 percent. I believe that the negative growth impact of net exports will be much larger once the definite trade numbers for the fourth quarter are known. Investment thoughts Bond traders yelling at the Fed to stay away from interest rate hikes are knocking on an open door. The Fed is obliging; it continues to act as the world's lender of last resort amid a soaring dollar and Europe's dimming recovery aggravated by the region's intractable political and economic chaos. President Obama's trade diplomats and financial officers should take to task the Asian and European free riders at today's G-20 meeting in Istanbul, Turkey. And so should the IMF. The president will also have a chance to do some of that during today's visit of Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel if he can get over a largely useless pursuit of trying to use Germany in order to punish and isolate Russia. So, don't yell at the Fed. It is the only institution holding the world economy together. Michael Ivanovitch is president of MSI Global, a New York-based economic research company. He also served as a senior economist at the OECD in Paris, international economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and taught economics at Columbia.
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news
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What has become one of the worst three-week stretches of weather in Boston history has officially delayed each of the Beanpot rounds. The final and consolation of the 2015 Beanpot will be played on Feb. 23 at the TD Garden after being postponed on Sunday night. Boston University will have to wait two weeks for a chance to win its first Beanpot since 2009 and if Northeastern is going to shake a curse that has haunted the Huskies since 1988, it will have to do the same. Boston College and Harvard will meet in the consolation game at 4:30 p.m. -- Jeff Cox covers college, junior and high school hockey, NCAA recruiting and NHL Draft prospects. Follow him on Twitter @JeffCoxSports .
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sports
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In March, you'll be able to control an industrial robot arm directly from a web app. The installation, called RoboChop , will be located at the CeBIT 2015 in Hanover, Germany. Four different robot arms will be given 2,000 bright yellow polystyrene blocks. What happens with those blocks will be up to the citizens of the internet. From the web app, users will be able to log in and claim one of the 50 x 50 x 50cm blocks for themselves, and then command the arm to slice and dice it into an object for their home. The designs that pop out of the machine, which uses a hot wire cutting tool, will range from abstract sculpture to anything from chairs to nightstands. Once completed, the transformed cubes will be packed up and sent to their creators. What would you do with a massive industrial arm? The installation, is being put on by the GFT Group as part of its Code_n competition at the convention. It's meant to be a demonstration that brings the "Internet of Things" to life. Ulrich Dietz, the CEO of company, says that "instead of just talking about the Internet of Things, we will be clearly demonstrating ... just how advanced the interlinking of the physical and digital worlds already is." That's all a bit vague, but all we know is that we wouldn't dare pass up on the opportunity to control one of those bad boys. Check out the video above to see it in action.
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news
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Ten years ago today, Google Maps launched to the world. When it was born, it was a paper atlas in living form, with no pages to turn. Instead of online mapping leader MapQuest's printable list of directions, navigation routes were overlaid on top of the map itself. And Google Maps loaded map tiles in a Web browser without any special software so you could explore the world without refreshing, a technical feat that had never been seen before. In 2005, nobody really knew what would come of online maps, or how they would become such a crucial aspect of daily lives in the Internet-connected world. How Google would partner with Apple to bring online maps to their true home, smartphones, but the alliance would fall apart. How Google Maps would have more than a billion users and become Google's second-largest property after its search engine. Nobody had any idea, least of all Google. And this was only a decade ago. On the occasion of this 10th anniversary , Re/code spoke with the people who were there at the beginning, and brought back their stories of how something that now seems so fundamental came to be. Slashdotted Google Maps wasn't supposed to be unveiled until the next day, and even then it was going to be in beta but an avid Google watcher on the Internet guessed the URL correctly and posted it to the popular discussion board Slashdot . The Slashdot comments were glowing: "You can actually drag the map with your mouse to move the part that's being displayed. Way cool!" "This may be the most impressive Web application I have ever seen." But Slashdotters had one very justified complaint: The map was really only drawn in for the U.S., with Canada and Mexico sketched above and below. Everything else was … ocean. That sea of blue stood in for the brazen ridiculousness of Google's ambition to map the world, which would only broaden as the company added satellite imagery and street-side photos. And then, it would largely divorced itself from incumbent data providers by cutting direct deals with countries, states and even cities around the world. Practically useless From the beginning, Google Maps pushed forward the notion of "place" on the Internet. You may quibble with how Google delineates some geopolitically contentious area, or dislike one of its interface redesigns but modern maps are the way they are because of the scale of Google's investment and ambition. That said, Google wasn't the first to market with an online map. In fact, the company came late to mapping, after noticing that its competitors were getting ahead. Bret Taylor was the product manager of a Google product called "Search by Location," which was launched as part of an experimental umbrella called Google Labs in September 2003. It was perhaps Google's first effort related to mapping. Basically, you could put in a keyword, as well as an address or ZIP code, and Google would find Web pages that matched both. "It was a practically useless project," says Taylor. The grand example for Search by Location was you were supposed to be able to search for coffee shops near Palo Alto. But Taylor remembers that Sun Microsystem put its address at the bottom of every page of its website, and it named its products after coffee (most famously, Java). So that broke the entire example. "It had zero users per day," says Taylor, who is now CEO of productivity startup Quip, after a stint as CTO of Facebook. That original product was made much more accurate by licensing Yellow Pages information, but it wasn't the dramatic leap forward that people at Google particularly now-CEO Larry Page were hoping to make. So Google sought inspiration and talent from outside. Just before it went public, it made three relatively small acquisitions in 2004: Keyhole, Where2 and Zipdash. The three deals were led by Page and Megan Smith, who is now CTO of the United States (disclosure: Smith is married to but separated from Re/code co-CEO Kara Swisher). Do me! Do me! Keyhole was by far the biggest of the three deals, though the price was never disclosed. At the time, the three-year-old company had 30 employees and was selling an enterprise satellite map Windows application for $69.95. The key technology was a way to stitch satellite images together into a big composite map of the world, and then divide it into millions of tiles, so you could start with a higher-up view and then dive down to a specific location on earth. There's a funny story about the Keyhole acquisition that Smith and others recall, from a Monday meeting of then-CEO Eric Schmidt's key management team. Here's how Chris Sacca who at the time worked on Smith's team, acquiring companies, and is now a prominent technology investor describes it: "I'll never forget, we were in a meeting discussing the acquisition of Picasa, and this young guy Adrian Graham, who sort of looks like Morrissey, was going through the slides and pitching how we integrate Picasa, and [Google co-founder] Sergey [Brin] was totally distracted. And this was in building 42, in a conference room that had stairclimber in it, because Sergey wanted to use his time better in meetings. "He'd shown his laptop to a couple people, and people said, 'Do me, do me.' And this guy doing the presentation was really starting to sweat, and Sergey eventually gets up and unplugs the projector, says 'This thing's cool and we should buy it,' and he plugs his laptop into the projector and shows us Keyhole. And, literally, these executives are shouting out their addresses because they want to zoom in on their houses from space." Smith said she remembers Brin hijacking the meeting. But, for her, the point of the deal was expressed by then-SVP of engineering Wayne Rosen. Smith, who later helped form the Google[x] experimental product division, recalls Rosen saying, "If our mission is to make all the world's information useful and accessible then this is the real world." But then there was the matter of convincing Keyhole to be bought. The company was weighing the Google acquisition versus multiple sizable venture capital funding offers to stay independent. Former Keyhole CEO John Hanke recalls being attracted to a broader vision of making maps freely accessible so they could be used for all sorts of purposes. That would be a big deal for scientists who usually paid thousands of dollars for high-resolution satellite photos archeologists, rainforest conservationists and the like. Also, this was April 2003. The U.S. was invading Baghdad right at the time the acquisition was being discussed. "What if you could surf and go to Baghdad and think about humans in a much more local way? You could see how small the world was," Smith remembers saying. "The VCs were saying, 'Come build this huge company.' And we were saying, it matters for all these different reasons including peace." The Google board unanimously approved making an offer, and Keyhole took the deal . Near-death experience Where2 Technologies, the tiny startup that would be most responsible for creating Google Maps, almost died before being acquired. At the time, the online map standard was MapQuest, which was basically a way to display a list of directions with tiny squares about each turn. Jens and Lars Rasmussen, the two Danish brothers who started Where2, had an idea about making the actual map the center of the display, and letting people scan around and zoom in and out. But nobody was buying it. "I remember early on, a lot of our detractors and there were many telling us, 'This is not a good area to get into,'" Lars Rasmussen recalls. "They would talk to us about how a person only needed maps, at best, a few times a week." Today, of course, many people would literally be lost without using online maps multiple times per day. Storied venture capital firm Sequoia Capital dropped funding discussions with Where2 when Yahoo Maps launched an update that added Yellow Page entries on a map. "They pulled out overnight completely from the deal, which felt like quite a blow, as you can imagine," remembers Lars Rasmussen. "All the other VCs who were circled around us heard about this and also pulled out, so no one would even talk to us anymore." This was post-dot-com bust. Lars and his brother were totally broke. Due to visa issues, they were building Where2 in Australia with two engineers named Noel Gordon and Stephen Ma. Without funding, the startup was going under. "I'm not saying that Sequoia made a wrong decision here," Lars Rasmussen recalls. "Their view was that our window was going to close before we were done with our development, and so they pulled out." But maybe there was another option. Google didn't have a mapping product at the time, so Sequoia helped hook up the Where2 team with Google co-founder Larry Page. "Three days later, we were talking to Larry Page," Lars Rasmussen says. The little team in Australia had made a desktop app, but Page thought the future was on the Web. So, in the three weeks between meetings with him, the four engineers essentially created the modern idea of a Web application where data was fetched in the background rather than having to be refreshed to get new data. (A team inside Google was actually doing something very similar for the first version of Gmail at the same time, but unknown to each other, they created a pretty fundamental Web technology that was later called AJAX.) "Being in a very heightened state of motivation as I'm completely broke and without any other options we scrambled and we took three weeks, worked day and night, and actually built a website specifically to impress Larry and his crew over at Google," recalls Lars Rasmussen, who now works at Facebook. "It even had the Google logo on it. And we marked up a local search where we used lava lamps as our markers, because Google liked lava lamps." The third musketeer Way back in 2004, a little-three person startup called Zipdash actually not even a startup, they hadn't formally incorporated was working on a mobile traffic application. They were very, very early on this too early. Zipdash was only for Nextel phones. Founder Mark Crady coughed up thousands of dollars of his own money to license traffic data from taxi fleets in the San Francisco Bay Area. From that sample, he was able to estimate traffic delays in real time, and once people started using the app, Zipdash incorporated their user activity to improve the estimates. It was actually a lot like Waze, the peer-to-peer traffic map app Google acquired in 2013 for a billion dollars. Zipdash founder Mark Crady says that's still a bit of a sore spot he sold Zipdash for only two million dollars. But he did get to join Google before the IPO, which wasn't too shabby, financially. Crady tells a funny story from his first meeting with Megan Smith. "At one point, Megan asked us how many users we have. I said, '200 or 300.' She said, 'Thousand?' We were definitely not Google-size at the time." Zipdash landed at Google, and Crady and his tiny team got to work on building what would become the mobile version of Google Maps. By the way, those humble beginnings didn't foretell the future. Between Where2's Google Maps on the web, Keyhole's Google Earth on the desktop, little Zipdash's Google Maps for mobile would become the biggest product of all. Today it has more than one billion users. Crady left Google in 2009, and is now working on a local event listing project. Life at Google At Google, the Keyhole, Where2 and Zipdash teams were basically plopped down in Mountain View and told to make a Google version of what they'd built on their own. They were able to recruit people internally, but they had to win them over on their own. The Danish Rasmussen brothers used the enticing schtick of handing out delicious danishes. And then they got to work. The Where2 crew shoved some Windows computers in a closet to crank out map tiles. Jens Rasmussen, who is acknowledged as the idea guy in the duo, came up with the idea of the Google Maps pin, rather than Yahoo Maps' red star. The appeal of it was that the tiny point of a pin could show a place on a map without overlapping with it and obscuring it. (The kiss-ass lava lamps were left on the cutting room floor.) Jens is very detail-oriented, even 10 years on. He says he tried to approximate the sense of a 3-D map with pins and drop shadows. But if you were to look closely, the original shadows on the pins crossed over each other and got darker. Kind of like in the middle of a shaded Venn diagram, where the overlapping section is darker than the other portions. In real life, Jens says with a smile, "You can't block out the same light twice." He is keeping quiet about his current projects. Meanwhile over in the Keyhole cluster, John Hanke recalls working on an elaborate staggered plan for acquiring more high-resolution satellite imagery, because it was expensive. He wanted to start with the cities first. He prepared a big presentation of the cost structure for Larry Page, Sergey Brin and Eric Schmidt. At the end of it, Brin said to Hanke: "Why don't we just do all of it?" Hanke says he was flabbergasted, but that's exactly what they did. It cost many millions of dollars, and Google set up a special high-bandwidth interconnect to get data from the supplier in Colorado. But for a while, that scale of ambition wasn't matched by the scale of interest in Google's mapping products. Going big Initially, both Google Maps and Google Maps Mobile had disappointing traffic. For all the success they've had today, people didn't seem to notice them at first. When Google Maps was Slashdotted before the team intended to launch it, it got huge traffic. On that first day, it got just over 10 million map views, according to Bret Taylor, who by then had joined the Where2 team, and was Google Maps' first product manager. It took months nearly a year for the site to equal that launch-day traffic. The Google Maps team thought they had a better product than the competition, and many people agreed with them, but that didn't mean that they showed up and used the thing. Two things led to the product taking off on its eventual ever-upward traffic trajectory: Google Maps added satellite data from Keyhole, and that trick of looking up your own home from space brought in a big new crowd. And Taylor led an effort over the next Christmas break to completely rewrite everything to make it faster. It also didn't hurt that Google Maps released developer tools early on, so people outside the company started building on top of it and evangelizing it. From then on, the growth didn't stop. By the end of 2006, less than two years after launch, Google Maps was the largest maps provider in the world. Soon it was Google's second-most trafficked site, after Google.com. An early version of Google Maps on mobile Something similar happened for Google Maps for Mobile. The first version was only available for a few phones, and it didn't include the traffic data that had initially set Zipdash ahead. It didn't get a lot of downloads, and even people who downloaded it didn't use it much. The app only really took off for real when they added BlackBerry support, Crady recalls. But even then, some people including then-CEO Eric Schmidt didn't quite see the full potential, Crady says. Internally at Google, more powerful figures like Nikesh Arora got more resources for efforts to create a mobile marketplace for payments and transactions like ringtones. That no longer exists, obviously. In January 2006, Yahoo launched a product called Yahoo Go that brought a lot of its products together: Search, news, mail, weather, traffic. Crady recalls Schmidt asking the mobile team to come up with a killer app to respond. "From the early days, there was all this talk about, 'You need to find the killer app.' And here we were making all these cool features, and as far as we were concerned, this was the killer app," Crady says. "We were working on the killer app." The Apple deal Today, it's absolutely obvious that maps is the killer app for mobile. The fact that your phone knows where it's located means you can drive yourself somewhere new, find a nearby coffee shop, route around traffic, and hail an Uber. And it's not just Google Maps. For most of the last decade, there have been comparable products from Baidu, Microsoft and Yahoo, and more recently Apple. But mobile apps didn't really exist 10 years ago. It was a huge coup for Google Maps to be installed as the default on the iPhone, but the Apple-Google hookup was a troubled relationship from way earlier than you might think way, way before Apple launched its own iPhone mapping app in 2012. Before it debuted the iPhone in 2007, Apple let Google in on the secret. Apple wanted the phone to come preloaded with a mobile mapping application, so it needed Google's help. But it didn't trust Google to design the user interface, only to contribute data and smarts. So, under strictest code of secrecy, maps for the iPhone were built in collaboration between a group from Apple and the former Zipdash team. The two cultures didn't have a lot in common from the start, Mark Crady remembers, but then Apple became uncomfortable with Google's work on Android. Apple started making all sorts of demands, Crady says, including blocking Google from using double-tap to zoom on maps. "It really irked me," he says. And Apple wouldn't share iPhone user activity with Google, meaning that Google had to make its traffic estimates without including a huge swath of users. The list of sticking points got longer. The original deal made Google the exclusive maps provider for the iPhone. When Apple decided to allow third-party apps, that had to be renegotiated. Google asked again for user activity, but Apple wouldn't give it up. In hindsight, Mark says, the Google-Apple mapping relationship showed that even Steve Jobs, for all his storied foresight, had no idea how big maps or apps were going to be. (Then again given the relationship had been so frayed for so long Google should maybe have had a Plan B ready to go when Apple made its own Apple Maps app and pulled the plug on installing Google Maps on iPhones by default in 2012. Instead, Google was caught on its heels for a good three months.) The view from the street For its next big mapping act, launched in May 2007, Google again brought in outside talent. It recruited a research team from Stanford that had made a 3-D scan of Michelangelo's David , and acquired Stanford professor Sebastian Thrun's startup, called VuTool, which was working on imaging using a fleet of cars and off-the-shelf cameras. The outsiders were combined with an internal team that volunteered their experimental "20 percent time" to the project, which would end up being one of Google Maps' most distinctive features: Street View. Luc Vincent, a Google engineering director who has been at the company for more than a decade, was working on Google Books at the time and Street View when he could. Vincent recalls that in the early days, the team set up shop buying used Chevy Astrovans for something like $5,000 each. The Street View crew filled the vans with equipment and drove around Mountain View and Palo Alto taking pictures. They drove very slowly to minimize blur. To make things worse, Vincent says, the vans had lasers mounted on them from a company that were very visibly branded from the company that made them, which was named SICK. It wasn't creepy. Not at all. Kidding aside, by this point Google Maps was attracting all sorts of privacy controversies. Years later, it would be discovered that a Google engineer had rigged Street View to suck up people's Wi-Fi transmissions as it was driving by and send them back to Google servers. Google was internationally cited and fined over the incident. Even in the earliest days, people were freaked out by satellite imagery that showed their own home. Now there were street-level pictures. Ultimately, Google agreed to blur license plates and faces. And Street View still doesn't capture images in places like Germany, over longstanding privacy concerns including the Wi-Fi incident. But that doesn't mean Street View has been tamped down as a project. It's now available in 65 of Google Maps' 200-some countries. And these days, photos taken by Street View cars actually help create and validate the underlying data behind Google Maps. Using machine-learning techniques, Google can now fairly accurately look at pictures of buildings and signs and extract street numbers and driving rules. Ground truth The last episode of the Google Maps origin story was a tightly held secret for many years. In a pair of multibillion-dollar deals in 2007, TomTom bought Tele Atlas and Nokia bought Navteq. The two largest map providers were suddenly in new, and not necessarily friendly, hands. Google realized it needed to do a better job of controlling its own destiny. A skunkworks team at Google started exploring what types of data it would need to build its own maps, who owned the data, and perhaps most importantly, who would sell it. In many cases, Google needed to go to down to the city level to get the details it wanted. They called it Ground Truth. Along the way, says Megan Quinn who led the data acquisition project, and later the product itself the team realized that Ground Truth would not only free it from archaic licensing agreements built for CD-ROMs and in-car navigation systems, but would also allow Google to do new things, like create biking and walking directions, that the incumbents weren't doing. So Google decided to go for it. "It was very deliberate," Quinn says now. "The challenge of deciding you're going to map the world is that you can't ever stop. The world is ever-changing. And in some ways, this was a real departure for the company, because this is not something you're going to test and toss." A team of 20 people across the world worked full-time on acquiring map data. Sebastian Thrun led an effort to build a sort of holodeck of tools and services to integrate all the datasets. A large operations group in India helped pull everything together. When the first push was done, for American map data, Quinn sent out an email to every Google employee. She asked them to test the maps in their hometowns, their college towns, anywhere they had lived. For every bug they found, she would bake and send a chocolate-chip cookie. "I just spent a whole weekend making cookies," recalls Quinn, now a partner at Kleiner Perkins. "I home-made 7,000 chocolate-chip cookies." While the homegrown maps may not have been bug-free at the end of the effort, Quinn recalls the incident as "a rallying moment for the company." Epilogue The early history of Google Maps ends there. Most of the seminal Google Maps team members have moved on, but to a person they recall working on Maps as the most fulfilling and successful project of their careers. They still take it personally when they hear of bugs in the product or complaints about misguided redesigns. At Google, Luc Vincent remains focused on imagery, but now he's working on things like the two satellites Google now owns through its $500 million Skybox in June 2014 . Keyhole people have outlasted just about everybody else from this era. Co-founders Hanke and Brian McClendon are still key Google executives working on Geo products, and co-founder Chikai Ohazama is an entrepreneur-in-residence at Google Ventures. Late last year the mapping team got a new chief honcho, long-time Google executive Jen Fitzpatrick, amidst a larger management reorganization . Today, Geo is one of Google's main product divisions. Ground Truth remains an ongoing project, and Google developed tools to keep its maps updated through direct user contributions. The division continues to be acquisitive, buying Zagat and Waze and Skybox in recent years. Street View has mapped the Grand Canyon and the canals of Venice. And Google's maps have laid the groundwork for its most ambitious project yet self-driving cars.
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finance
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CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- George Hill's baseline layup with 4.9 seconds left lifted the Indiana Pacers to a come-from-behind 103-102 victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday night. BOX SCORE: PACERS 103, HORNETS 102 C.J. Watson had 22 points and David West, Luis Scola and Rodney Stuckey each had 15 as the Pacers came back from 21 points down in the third quarter to get their third straight win. Al Jefferson had 30 points and 13 rebounds, and Brian Roberts added 19 points in the loss. After Marvin Williams knocked down a 3-pointer with 14 seconds left to put the Hornets up by one, Hill drove the right side of the line. He got underneath the basket, turned around to find himself alone near the low block and converted the easy layup for the go-ahead basket. The Hornets were out of timeouts and unable to stop the clock. Roberts' last-second, half-court heave hit the rim but bounced out. Hill finished with 11 points on 4-for-10 shooting for the Pacers. The Hornets, who came in with the best defense in the NBA since Jan. 1, allowed 64 points in the second half. The Hornets led by 21 in the third quarter, but the Pacers rallied to take the lead at 89-88 on a jumper by Watson with 7 minutes left in the game. Scola was a difference maker in the second half, where he scored all of his 15 points on 6-for-9 shooting. After a disappointing loss on the road at Philadelphia on Saturday night, the Hornets came out focused early on. They built 56-39 at halftime behind 53.8 percent shooting before stretching it to 21 points midway through the third quarter. Even after allowing the lead to slip away, it appeared the Hornets would escape after increasing their lead to four with less than 2 minutes to play. But Watson knocked down a 3-pointer from the right baseline and West made a pair of free throws to give Indiana back the lead. Scola added one of two foul shots to push the lead to two before Williams' 3-pointer briefly gave the Hornets the lead. Jefferson set the tone early on, keeping Roy Hibbert off balanced with a series of pump fakes and up-and-under moves. --- TIP-INS Pacers: West has scored in double figures in eight straight games and in 31 games overall this season. Hornets: Forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist did not play and will be out through the All-Star break with a hamstring injury. Jeffery Taylor made his first start of the season in his place. UP NEXT Pacers: Host San Antonio on Monday night. Hornets: Host Detroit on Tuesday night.
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Grammys Red Carpet 2015 Celebrities once again proved that the Grammy Awards have the wildest red carpet in town, with Madonna , Charlie XCX and Rihanna proving there's no gown (or Matador costume) they can't tackle. Metallics and white colored gowns once again dominated the red carpet, with Katy Perry in Zuhair Murad couture "straight from the Paris runway," Chrissy Teigen in skin-tight Emilio Pucci, Ariana Grande in Versace and Jennifer Hudson in Tom Ford, all following the trend established at the Golden Globes and SAG Awards earlier this year. But it was the darker gowns that stole the show. Gwen Stefani tops the list of the night's best dressed in a black Versace jumpsuit ( perhaps channeling Emma Stone ). Anna Kendrick flawlessly pulled off black Band of Outsiders blazer and pants, while Beyoncé, naturally, also came out on top in a black lace Proenza Schouler gown paired with Balenciaga shoes and Lorraine Schwartz jewels. All three members of sister act Haim made the most of their first Grammys appearance, in alternating black and white ensembles. Not that every celebrity played it safe. Charlie XCX channeled the '80s in a bubblegum pink Moschino tux with a pink fur, while Madonna made quite a statement and sent the Twittersphere into an uproar in a Givenchy ensemble reminiscent of her " Take a Bow " video. Sia, too, took an unconventional route and hid her face with a giant white wig. Ironically, it was Taylor Swift who bucked the metallic trend, forgoing her usual bedazzled frock and instead opting for an electric blue Elie Saab couture gown. Iggy Azalea, too, wore a blue gown, hers a custom Armani Privé number. Finally, fashion darling Rihanna, who barely made the start of the show, continued her sartorial dominance in a (polarizing) pink Giambattista Valli couture creation from last week's runway presentation. For the men, while Sam Smith walked the red carpet in a traditional black tux, he proved a quick change isn't just for the ladies, swapping his black tux for a red suit just in time to accept the first award of the night for Best New Artist. Ne-Yo looked dapper in Marc Jacobs from head to toe, while Nick Jonas provided a refreshing departure from black tuxedos in a grey Versace suit. Click through the gallery to see the rest of the looks from the evening. Follow me on Twitter: @AliciaAdamczyk
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lifestyle
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The Grammy Awards are not exactly known for showcasing the most impressive hair and makeup, but last year gorgeous gals like Chrissy Teigen , Ciara and Miranda Lambert ushered in bronze and beautiful looks we actually wanted to copy. For tonight's festivities, big-named stars like Taylor Swift and Kim Kardashian sported stunning lobs. Meanwhile, Jennifer Hudson and Jessie J made us go dig up our vampy lipstick shades. And even actress Anna Kendrick held her own with side-swept hair. Check out our list of the best beauty looks at the 2015 Grammy Awards and tell us who gets your top vote. Taylor Swift Swift's blonde lob with heavy, side bangs gave way to her thick lashes, colorful eyeliner, earrings and pale pink lips. Kim Kardashian The reality star glowed like a goddess on the red carpet showing off her fresh new lob haircut, metallic gold eyeshadow and nude lipstick. Jennifer Hudson Clearly it's J.Hud's world and we're all just living in it! The songstress wore a jet black pixie in an edgy style and accentuated the look with thick cat-eye liner and a vibrant magenta lip color. Jessie J It's extremely hard to pull off super sleek hair and burgundy lipstick when you have fair skin. But Jessie J makes it look so effortless by warming up her complexion with a creamy foundation. Anna Kendrick Kendrick kept her menswear-inspired look simple, yet sexy with loose waves, black eyeliner and mascara and peachy-nude lip gloss.
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Never one to miss an opportunity to try to shock us, Madonna mooned everyone on the red carpet at the 57th annual Grammy Awards on Sunday night. Yep, she just lifted up her outfit that incorporated a lot of leather, lace and fishnet , and gave everyone an eyeful. ( Cher was not immediately available for comment .)
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entertainment
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In the wake of an NFC championship game meltdown, a change in duties are apparently looming for the Green Bay Packers coaching staff. A league source confirmed Packers coach Mike McCarthy is strongly considering relinquishing play-calling duties to offensive coordinator Tom Clements, who would likely be given title of associate head coach. While Clements would call plays, receivers coach Edgar Bennett could be promoted to offensive coordinator, the league source confirmed. The source indicated no official changes had been made. WDUZ was first to report the potential change in duties Sunday afternoon. The changes would be the next round of offseason adjustments following Green Bay's shocking loss to the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC title game last month. Packers special teams coordinator Shawn Slocum was fired Jan. 30. His replacement has not yet been announced. Ryan Wood writes for the Green Bay Press-Gazette, a Gannett company.
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SAN DIEGO Jason Day was playing to win and figured he lost. His chip from gnarly rough behind the 18th green at Torrey Pines came out hot, rolled out fast and tumbled off the front of the green toward the water. After a week of visualizing his hands on the trophy, his thoughts quickly changed to a more dire scenario. "OK, where do I need to drop?" he said. The cheers told him otherwise. The ball stopped at the yellow hazard line a few feet from the water. Day saved par from there, got into a four-man playoff and won the Farmers Insurance Open on Sunday with a par on the second extra hole. "When you win golf tournaments, you have to have a little bit of luck," Day said. "And that was my luck." There was plenty of skill to go with it. Day made two big birdies and a par save from a plugged lie in the bunker during a tough stretch on the back nine and closed with a 2-under 70. He played a smart shot on the par-5 18th in the playoff and made birdie with a superb pitch. And he outlasted J.B. Holmes on the par-3 16th with a 5-iron to 15 feet after Holmes drilled his 6-iron over the green and made bogey. Harris English, who birdied the 18th hole for a 72, and defending champion Scott Stallings (69) also were in the playoff. They were eliminated on the first extra hole. It was a big win for Day, who was more determined than ever not to let injuries get in the way of his lifelong goal of No. 1 in the world. For now, he'll have to settle for No. 1 in Australia. The third PGA Tour victory of his career moved him to No. 4, just ahead of Adam Scott, still miles behind Rory McIlroy. But it's a start, and equally important to winning is staying in good health. After winning the Match Play Championship a year ago to rise to No. 4 in the world, he played only the Masters in the next three months because of a thumb injury. "It's an amazing feeling," Day said. "I've been working so hard for this. I was visualizing myself holding the trophy, just like I did at the Match Play. I'm really proud of myself to hang in there and grind it out." Day said he no longer wants to be satisfied finishing second, and it showed. Tied for the lead, he took a chance in regulation by going for the 18th green in two. He pulled a 3-wood to clear the water, but over the green in U.S. Open-type rough is no bargain, and it nearly cost him. Holmes played it safe with no regrets. In the final group and tied for the lead, he had 235 yards to the pin and chose to lay up with an 8-iron. He was surprised when his wedge didn't spin back toward the bowl at the front of the green, and his 20-foot birdie putt for the win grazed the cup. He closed with a 72. A little shorter or longer in the fairway and he said he would have gone for it. But the ball was on a slightly downhill lie. "It was a lie that my tendency is to hit it a little bit further and hit a draw, and long and left is dead," Holmes said. "If you hit something over the green there, it's not really an easy up-and-down. It's not really the best access to the pin. The best play is to lay up and hit a wedge. I had the same thing again, I would lay up." English and Stallings were eliminated on the first extra hole. Stallings had to lay up from the left rough, and his 15-foot birdie putt turned away. English drove well to the right, but his short iron back to the fairway was too strong and settled on the border of the first cut and 4-inch grass. He couldn't get any spin on the ball, and was left with a 60-foot birdie putt from the back of the green to stay alive. It stopped a few inches short. Equally important for Day were the holes leading up to the 18th. He made one of only four birdies at the 15th, and he holed a 50-foot putt on the 16th for one of only five birdies in the final round. From a plugged lie in a bunker at the 17th, he got up-and-down. Day was among seven players who had at least a share of the lead on a Sunday that was more about survival than a shootout. It was the first time that a single-digit score under par -- 9-under 279 -- won on the PGA Tour since Justin Rose (4-under 276) at Congressional last summer. Charles Howell III (68) and Alex Prugh (71) each missed birdie chances on the 18th and finished a shot out of the playoff. DIVOTS: The tournament honored Billy Casper, who died Saturday night, with a picture of him on the first tee and flowers. Casper grew up in San Diego. Tributes continued to pour in, including one from Arnold Palmer, who lost a big lead and the 1966 U.S. Open at Olympic Club. "He was a better player than most people gave him credit for being and is going to be sorely missed in the golf world," Palmer said. ... The final-round scoring average was 74.05. ... This was Day's second win at Torrey Pines. He also won the Junior World Championship in 2004.
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BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) -- This time, the New York Islanders made a 3-0 lead stick in Buffalo. Barely. Mikhail Grabovski's snap shot from the slot midway through the second period stood up as the difference for the Islanders, who built a three-goal edge and then hung on for a 3-2 victory Sunday night. That was a switch from New York's previous visit on Dec. 27, when the Sabres won 4-3 in a shootout by overcoming a 3-0 third-period deficit. The stinging memories of that last outcome briefly started filtering back after Buffalo rallied for two goals in a 2:24 span late in the second period. "We've got a clear-cut 3-on-2 and (Casey) Cizikas walks right down the gut and could've made it 4-1, and at that time you're thinking, `Can you bury that one?'" Islanders coach Jack Capuano said. "We know what happened here last time, but we didn't give them that much in that period." Nor all game, for that matter. Playing their third game in four nights and after losing three regulars to injuries in a 2-1 loss at Boston on Saturday, the Islanders regrouped by relying on their defense. They limited the Sabres to two shots over the final 25 minutes in a game New York outshot Buffalo 31-10. "I don't think there was any panic," Islanders captain John Tavares said. "When you're faced with a little adversity, you've just got to find a way to overcome it." Rookie Anders Lee and Colin McDonald also scored. Travis Hamonic had two assists in helping New York (34-18-1) earn its second win in six games and vault into first place in the Metropolitan Division. McDonald scored after he and Harry Zolnierczyk were called up from AHL Bridgeport. They filled in after forwards Michael Grabner and Cal Clutterbuck (both upper-body injuries) and defenseman Calvin de Haan (cut to the forehead) were hurt against Boston. Marcus Foligno had a goal and assist in his first game after missing 19 with a hand injury. Drew Stafford also scored for Buffalo (16-35-3), which was also playing its third game in three days. Buffalo was coming off a 3-2 win over Dallas on Saturday, and dropped to 2-16 in its past 18. The inability to generate any offensive momentum cost a team that's averaging a league-worst 1.7 goals per game. "A 2-0 lead would've been something that we could've battled back from," Foligno said. "When it gets to three goals, it's a little bit tougher." And yet the Sabres were in the game after Foligno scored at the 12:33 mark of the second period by crashing the net after goalie Jaroslav Halak was unable to control a rebound off Nikita Zadorov's shot from the left wing. Foligno then set up Stafford by chipping the puck at the Islanders blue line to send in Stafford on a breakaway. The Sabres squandered an opportunity to tie the game in the opening minute of the third period, when they failed to get a shot on net during a 33-second two-man advantage. Defenseman Thomas Hickey played a key role on the penalty kill by blocking Tyler Ennis' one-timer from the right circle, and then breaking up a pass through the middle. The Islanders appeared in full control when Hamonic set up Grabovski alone in the slot 11:22 into the second period. He scored 62 seconds after Lee stuffed in a loose puck into the left side -- and after Hamonic missed just wide on tap-in attempt at the right post. McDonald opened the scoring 16:19 into the game by converting Cizikas' pass through the middle. "I was waiting for my opportunity, and you just never really know when you're going to get it," said McDonald, who appeared in just his third NHL game this season after having eight goals and 10 assists in 70 games last year. NOTES: The Isles improved to 4-0-3 in their past seven against Buffalo. ... Sabres C Cody Hodgson was a healthy scratch for the second time in five games. ... New York's Frans Nielsen, who assisted on Grabovski's goal, played in his 500th career game, most among Danish-born players.
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By Larry Brown The UFC is withholding Anderson Silva's purse related to his UFC 183 fight in January pending the outcome of his his case with the Nevada State Athletic Commission, according to a report. Brazilian news outlet Veja says UFC boss Dana White has blocked $6 million due to Silva . Silva was paid $600,000 for the fight, plus a $200,000 win bonus. The remaining money comes from Silva's share of the pay-per-view revenue. Three days after Silva's Jan. 31 fight against Nick Diaz it was revealed that the Spider tested positive for two steroids earlier in the month . In comments issued through his manager, Silva denied taking PEDs . NSAC will meet on Feb. 17 and vote whether to overturn the result of the fight into a no contest. If the outcome of the fight is changed from Silva winning via unanimous decision to a no contest, the Brazilian would likely forfeit his win bonus . Silva also is likely facing a fine from the athletic commission.
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Max Pacioretty led the Canadiens with a goal and an assist in their 3-1 win over the Bruins on Sunday, completing Montreal's sweep of Boston this season.
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Gary Payton II on his 17 point performance in Oregon State's win over Washington.
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The fate of Obamacare might hinge on the Supreme Court's interpretation of just one word: "such." Perhaps never before has so much been asked of "such." It is a key part of the Obama administration's argument urging the high court not to invalidate the Affordable Care Act's insurance subsidies in most of the country. The Justice Department hauled out Black's Law Dictionary to make sure the justices are aware that, in legalese, "such" means "that or those having just been mentioned." Once you understand that, the government and its allies argue, there's really no way to rule against the Obama administration. Their argument is not trivial. It will be surprising if the justices get through next month's oral arguments without spending at least a few minutes on the Affordable Care Act's use of "such." The challengers in the case, though, feel that the four-letter pronoun might be getting too much attention. "The word 'such' cannot bear this weight," the challengers wrote in their brief to the high court. The challengers have a whole phrase they want the court to focus on instead: "established by the state." Which the Affordable Care Act does not define because of course it doesn't that might provide clarity and avoid controversy, and this is Obamacare we're talking about. Unlike the landmark 2012 case over the law's individual mandate, the latest challenge the lawsuit over the way the IRS is providing Obamacare's premium subsidies isn't a constitutional issue. It's a matter of statutory interpretation asking the Court to decide what the law says and whether the administration has implemented it accordingly. Such cases involve a lot of parsing and hair-splitting, by definition. But in King v. Burwell , the stakes are enormous: Millions of people would likely lose their health insurance if the Court rules against the administration, and insurance markets in 34 states could spin out of control as premiums increase for everyone. Obamacare would not be struck down entirely that might be simpler, actually but it could become unworkable in most states, while humming along fine in others. There's a lot more at play in this case than semantics. Arguments about the purpose of the law, and the legislative history, will weigh on the Court's deliberations. But the justices, particularly conservatives like Chief Justice John Roberts, will start with the text. And to understand how the Court will reach its ultimate decision, you have to get way down in the weeds. You have to think hard about "such," and "established," and the specific ways the statute uses them. Step 1: The Law Directs States To Set Up Exchanges Congress wanted each state to set up and run its own exchange the new marketplaces where consumers can shop for health insurance. So, in section 1311 of the Affordable Care Act, Congress wrote that "each State shall ... establish an American Health Benefit Exchange ... for the State." The same section spells out what the exchange has to do to be certified as an exchange sell insurance, have a website, run a program to help people compare their options, etc. And, it says, "an Exchange shall be a governmental agency or nonprofit entity that is established by a State." Step 2: The Law Authorizes Backup Exchanges Although the law said states "shall" establish exchanges, it also set up a backup plan: If a state did not "elect" to establish its own exchange, the statute says, the Health and Human Services Department "shall (directly or through agreement with a not-for-profit entity) establish and operate such Exchange within the State." There it is: such Exchange. To the Justice Department and other Obamacare supporters, "such Exchange" is a critical phrase. It shows, they argue, that Congress saw the federally run exchanges as essentially identical, in their purpose and their responsibilities, to state-run exchanges. "'Such' is an important clue perhaps the most important clue in the statutory text about what Congress meant the backup exchanges to do. And the statutory text is quite clear that the federal government was stepping into the states' shoes," said Nicholas Bagley, a University of Michigan law professor and an expert on the subsidies case. Step 3: The Law Authorizes Subsidies In an effort to get people into the system and make health insurance affordable, the law provides subsidies to low-income families to help cover part of the cost of their premiums. The size of your subsidy, the law says, is based on each month that you were enrolled in coverage "through an Exchange established by the State under [section] 1311 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act." This line is the heart of the challengers' argument. As they see it, if you weren't enrolled in an exchange "established by the State," your coverage doesn't meet the formula's definitions and you shouldn't be receiving a subsidy. Thus, the IRS is breaking the law by providing subsidies in all 50 states. "Precisely because the Act directs two distinct entities to establish Exchanges, 'Exchange established by the State' cannot be read to include an Exchange established by HHS," the challengers wrote in their brief to the Supreme Court. Step 4: Are All Exchanges Equal? The central debate in this case is, somehow, simultaneously very nitpicky and weirdly meta. It's largely a debate about whether state and federal exchanges are the same thing. The challengers point to "established by the State" to draw a distinction between state and federal exchanges. The government calls that phrase a "term of art" and points to the "such Exchange" language to argue that there is no real distinction: An exchange is an exchange. The Justice Department also points to the law's definition of an exchange. There is only one: "The term "Exchange" means an American Health Benefit Exchange established under section 1311 of this title." Section 1311 is the part that directs the states to set up exchanges, lays out the standards for what an exchange is, and says it has to be run by "a governmental agency or nonprofit entity that is established by a State." It only mentions states. Federally run fallbacks are in a different section. In other words, even if HHS did the work of establishing an exchange, the law still appears to say it was established under the section that tells states what to do section 1311. Making this even more complicated, the same section is referenced in the challengers' favorite line the one saying subsidies are based on coverage "through an Exchange established by the State under section 1311." If section 1311 is about state exchanges, and all exchanges are defined as being created by section 1311, aren't they all state exchanges? The government says yes that's what "such Exchange" means. "The 'such Exchange' that the Secretary establishes (when the State does not) is properly treated as the 'Exchange established by the State under section 1311.' That is so because there is no other Exchange defined in the ACA that it could be," Virginia said in a brief supporting the federal government. Step 5: Text vs. Context Jonathan Adler, a law professor at Case Western University who has helped shepherd the case against Obamacare's subsidies, says "such exchange" is one of the government's strongest arguments but that the government can't win on that alone. "You don't need to reject their argument about 'such' to also say they have problems with 'established by the State,'" he said. Even if a federal fallback exchange is essentially the same as a state exchange, the subsidies language refers specifically to who "established" the exchange, he said. "The term 'such' creates an equivalence between the two types of Exchanges 'in terms of what they are,' but subsidies turn on another attribute of Exchanges 'who established them,'" the challengers said, quoting from a lower court's decision. This is why, in a case that asks what the statute says as well as what it means, both sides feel they have the text on their side. If the exchanges aren't supposed to be the same, what's with "such Exchange"? And if they're supposed to be the same, why include "established by the State"? "What you're trying to do is make sense of the statute as a whole," Bagley said. "The question is what did Congress mean what message did it mean to communicate?"
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Suns guard Isaiah Thomas turned 26 on Saturday and Floyd Mayweather went big on his gift. Mayweather gave Thomas a Bentley. Wouldn't you like to have a friend like Floyd?
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Hollywood royalty graces the Grammys red carpet. Nicole Kidman stunned as she posed for photos with Keith Urban at the 2015 Grammy Awards on Sunday. The 47-year-old actress wore tight black dress with patterned cutouts, while her husband rocked a black blazer over a black t-shirt. Urban, the country crooner and "American Idol" judge, is nominated for two Grammys this year -- one for Best Country Duo/Group Performance for his song with Eric Church, "Raise 'Em Up," and another for Best Country Solo Performance for the hit "Cop Car," off of the album "Fuse."
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entertainment
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We all know Beyonce woke up like this, but the rest of the stars go through a lot of preparation before they're ready to grace the red carpet. Check out how the celebrities got ready for the 2015 Grammy Awards. It's like pregaming, but with a lot more hair and makeup products: Meghan Trainor Onesie all day - the only way to get ready for your first Grammys 😘😂💕// #MTrainGrammys A photo posted by MTV (@mtv) on Feb 8, 2015 at 2:24pm PST Gwen Stefani @gregoryarlt paint me 💓️gx A photo posted by Gwen Stefani (@gwenstefani) on Feb 8, 2015 at 1:55pm PST Jennifer Hudson Heading to grammy rehearsal A photo posted by Jennifer Hudson (@iamjhud) on Feb 8, 2015 at 1:49pm PST Neil Patrick Harris On my way to the Grammys with the always fetching David Burtka. #hubbahubba #hubbyhubby #blackleathertie #fingerscrossed #hedwig A photo posted by Neil Patrick Harris (@instagranph) on Feb 8, 2015 at 1:29pm PST Rihanna we just won a GRAMMY!!! Congrats @eminem A photo posted by badgalriri (@badgalriri) on Feb 8, 2015 at 3:33pm PST Katharine McPhee Hardware! Preview of this @emiliopucci dress about to hit the carpet tonight at the GRAMMYs. 🎼🎶🎻🎺🎷🎤 A photo posted by Katharine McPhee (@katharinemcphee) on Feb 8, 2015 at 3:40pm PST Paris Hilton Love this @Yousef_Aljasmi gown! So sexy, sparkly & perfect for the Grammys! 💎💎👸💎💎 A photo posted by Paris Hilton (@parishilton) on Feb 8, 2015 at 3:53pm PST Maria Menounos It's #grammys time! Thnx @enameldiction @nailjob @nomeihk for my nails! #dirtyphonecase A photo posted by maria menounos (@mariamenounos) on Feb 8, 2015 at 3:54pm PST
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Long before "branding" became essential, you could spot North Carolina's basketball team a thousand miles away. The Tar Heels of Dean Smith were a law of nature. They weren't consistent. They were permanent. From 1975, which was the first year the NCAA tournament welcomed conference runners-up, they made that tournament every year until 2002, four seasons after Smith retired. From 1967 until 1987, they finished first or second in the ACC every year but one. They showed up in coats and ties. Their scorers always pointed to their assist men. They shot 50 percent or better, they did not transfer (and none of them were transfers), they stayed out of trouble, they graduated. The special ones thrived in the pros. The others became lawyers and doctors and such, and all of them remained joined at the hip to the coach who died Sunday morning, at 83. The president of the university could be sitting in Smith's office, but he would have to leave if a player knocked. The players all returned to Chapel Hill every summer for a weekend. They were, and are, as tight a brotherhood as sports has ever had,, and all because one man was what all coaches claim they are. Smith was a player's coach, and it helped that he believes that players were people. Even Smith's retirement was designed to reward loyalty. He had always said he would leave the game if he had trouble putting the golf clubs back in the trunk at the end of the summer. But in 1997 he waited until mid-October, right before the beginning of practice, when he announced he was leaving. The university had little choice but to appoint Smith's top assistant, Bill Guthridge, when it might have been tempted to hold a showy national search. Guthridge took North Carolina to the Final Four two of the next three years. Yet, despite the unanimous love from all the corners of the sports world Sunday, Smith was a polarizing figure in the testy ACC. Back then, coaches did not take shoe-company cruises in the off-season. They were scrapping for precious NCAA tournament spots, and each regular-season game was an event. Smith was loathed by Lefty Driesell, Norm Sloan and Tates Locke, among others, and any victory over Carolina triggered a party. Impervious to such wasted emotion, and convinced that everyone else's opinion was none of his business, Smith outlasted them all without having to change. If you were irked that the Tar Heels seemed so special, well, live with it. They were. These days North Carolina is recovering from a phony-grades scandal. College schedules last from early November to early April and include games on aircraft carriers in Asia. ACC membership has doubled. The best players never become sophomores. It is not Dean Smith's game anymore. Could his brand of community and discipline win today, in such a graceless age? Like everything else about his program, you can count on it. Mark Whicker is a columnist for the Los Angeles Newspaper Group. Archive .
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There are two options that face a team which suffered an historic blowout loss like the 90-60 beatdown Notre Dame received at the hands of Duke on Saturday in Durham, N.C. One is to go into deep psychological analysis of it, which might prove more destructive than productive. The other is to forget about it and move on as quickly as possible. The Irish are choosing the latter. "It's been a while since we've been blown out," senior Pat Connaughton said. "It's something that can't linger with us. We have a game on Tuesday (at Clemson) and have to bounce back. We can learn how to start better, but at the end of the day there's not a lot that we can take from it other than it can happen on any given night against any other team." Duke isn't just any team. The fourth-ranked Blue Devils possess one of the most potent offenses in the country and their first-half performance Saturday, when they shot 81 percent, was the type of 20 minutes teams usually can only dream about. But the 10th-ranked Irish shouldn't just write off what happened Saturday. There are still issues they need to address, especially on defense. Ever since Notre Dame lost on Jan. 31 at Pittsburgh, it has looked like a team in need of a break. The Irish relinquished a large lead late against Boston College on Wednesday before hanging on, and when Duke threw several early punches Saturday, Notre Dame appeared as if it didn't want to spend the necessary energy on defense needed to stop the run. "This is their first butt-kicking," coach Mike Brey said. "But knowing the kind of guys and especially the kind of leaders I have, I would think they're going to rally the troops and have a little edge about them first in practice (Sunday)." It has been a long season already for Notre Dame, considering it has been going hard since the summer. The Irish played a foreign tour of Italy in August, an important trip to establish confidence early in the season, but perhaps the signs of wear are beginning to show. Brey uses a shallow bench, and while he cuts back practice time during the season, the daily grind of having to go through practices, games and road trips is enough to have a tiring effect regardless of how many minutes players are on the floor. The Irish do receive their first bye in ACC play this week but not before they head to Clemson, a game that looms larger now than it did a few weeks ago. Get a win, and Notre Dame can turn the page from last week's struggles and enjoy the break with a 10-3 conference record. Lose, and suddenly the Irish will have lost three of four and will be left to wonder if they peaked too early. They're trying not to worry too much. "We're 21-4 right now, fellows," senior guard Jerian Grant said of his message to the team. "So we're still having a great season. It's an unfortunate loss, especially the way we lost. But we're moving on. "We still have a long way to go until the end of the season and we can still do something special." [email protected] Twitter @ChristopherHine
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DURHAM - Starting three games ago at Virginia, it was as if something had clicked for Justise Winslow. Winslow drove through the lane with authority, not stopping until he reached the rim. He finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds in Duke's upset win over the Cavaliers, the first double-double of his career. Then against Georgia Tech, same thing, same result: another double-double (15 points, 10 rebounds). And Winslow did it again in the rout of Notre Dame, scoring 19 points and grabbing 11 boards. Winslow will attempt to continue his hot streak Monday at Florida State (13-11, 5-6 ACC). It's a short turnaround for No. 4 Duke (20-3, 7-3), which rose to the occasion three days ago to shellac the Fighting Irish, 90-60. Winslow can't point to one single ah-ha moment, when he realized what even a casual observer can see: With his size and strength, he is difficult to stop when he tries to drive. No one person deserves the credit for getting that point across to him, either. "My teammates, the coaching staff, the trainers," Winslow said, listing all the parties who have encouraged him to be more aggressive. "With my body and physicality and athleticism, I can pretty much get in the lane at will. When I have that mindset, it just makes things easier. I'm not thinking about my shots or my jump shots or things other than just trying to get into the lane and making great plays." Part of it is learning to play through soreness, coach Mike Krzyzewski said. After taking several hard falls during the early ACC season, falls that left him slow to get up, Krzyzewski confirmed that Winslow was dealing with shoulder and rib soreness after the Pittsburgh game on Jan. 19. Through the four-game stretch around that period - Miami, at Louisville, vs. Pitt and at St. John's - Winslow averaged just 3 points a game, shooting 4-for-17 from the field, largely settling for jumpers. "He has really learned to play through his injuries," Krzyzewski said. That's the sign of a guy really growing up and becoming an outstanding player. You've got to play a little bit sore without talking about it, and that is what he is doing. He let his actions speak for himself." Winslow has started to wear padding to protect his ribs, but he said the most effective pain-management strategy for him has been to just try not to think about it, focusing instead on his emotional investment in the game. And once Winslow started having success driving against the Cavaliers, it has been easier to stick to that plan. "When the ball is going in, it just gives everybody confidence," he said. "We don't like to hang our hat on that side of the court, but when the ball is going in it definitely helps. I would be lying if I told you it didn't." Twitter: @laurakeeley
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The Houston Rockets now have a somewhat more definitive timetable for Dwight Howard 's return following a bone marrow aspirate injection in his right knee. According to Mark Berman of Fox 26 in Houston, "Dwight Howard says he expects to be out six to eight weeks. Dr. Walt Lowe says that's a reasonable estimate but he could be back before." However, Lowe, who performed the injection, said his return could be as soon as four weeks from now and called the timetable "very fluid at this point," per Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle . Howard mentioned that his biggest focus is ensuring he'll be 100 percent for the postseason: Dwight Howard on recovering from right knee issuue: "The most important thing is that I'm ready and I'm in game shape for the playoffs." Mark Berman (@MarkBermanFox26) February 8, 2015 He added that he has played through pain for much of the season, per Jenny Dial Creech of the Houston Chronicle : Dwight Howard on playing through pain this year: "For me this season I just wasn't there. And I could feel it every single night." Jenny Dial Creech (@jennydialcreech) February 8, 2015 Howard hasn't appeared for Houston since a Jan. 23 win over the Phoenix Suns . The Rockets first revealed that he had sprained his ankle in the victory. Then, upon further examination, doctors found fluid buildup in his knee. Since he's been out, Houston has gone 5-1 and sits third in the Western Conference, 5.5 games back of the Golden State Warriors for the top seed. Although the Rockets have proved they're a good team without Howard, there's no question they'll need him healthy for the playoffs. Their chances of winning a title would almost evaporate completely if he's out or off his game when it counts the most. Having him rest now appears to be the most prudent decision for everyone.
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It seems too good to be true that sometimes the best thing for your waistline is your bed and not the gym, but it works. Proper sleep is an essential component of any weight-loss program - especially when you need to have enough energy to fit in all those workouts! Stop the self sabotage and set yourself up for weight-loss success tonight by avoiding these mistakes. You don't make sleep a priority: Research has shown that those who are sleep-deprived tend to eat hundreds of calories more, not just because they are awake longer, but because sleep affects levels of hunger-regulating hormones. If you're constantly saving sleep for the weekends or always surviving on too little sleep, you could be causing your body to crave more food than it needs. You never get quality sleep: Even if you hit the hay at a reasonable time, if you're constantly waking up at night, it could cause your body to hold onto more belly fat, since you're more likely to feel stressed and anxious when you don't have quality sleep. Help ensure you fall asleep and stay asleep by creating a comfortable bedroom environment, turning off electronics at least 20 minutes before you go to sleep, and avoiding alcohol. Get more tips on how to get quality sleep here. You can't go to sleep without a snack: An ice cream nightcap may help lull you to bed, but even a little indulgence can add on thousands of calories by week's end. However, remember that it's not the best idea to go to sleep starving - you'll be more apt to give into cravings in the middle of the night or the next day - so be smart about your nighttime snack. These tips for preventing unhealthy late-night snacking will help you get on the right track. Instead of working out, you hit the snooze button: If mornings are the only time you have to fit in your workout, you won't make going to the gym a habit if you constantly choose the snooze instead. If you find yourself swept up in mindless TV and Facebook time before bed, cut out the distractions so you can be sure you go to bed early enough to feel ready for a 6 a.m. sweat session.
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The Islanders built a 3-1 lead thanks to second period goals by Anders Lee and Mikhail Grabovski as they would hold on to defeat the Sabres 3-2 on Sunday.
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Dean Smith had some powerhouse teams in his time at North Carolina, and the guys pick the best centers from his Tar Heel teams.
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Angel Rodriguez and Sheldon McClellan helped Miami spark a 13-0 run late to open up a double digit lead against the Clemson Tigers that they wouldn't give up.
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The guys pick their best point guards from the Dean Smith era at North Carolina. Who would you go with?
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WASHINGTON Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, rejected blame for an impasse in Congress that threatens to cut off funds for the Department of Homeland Security, saying Sunday that it was up to House and Senate leaders to chart a path. "This was not my plan. This was leadership's plan," Cruz said on ABC's "This Week," referring to the stalled legislation that would fund the department while attempting to undo President Barack Obama's recent immigration programs. In December, "I said this plan doesn't make sense," Cruz said. "It gives away all our leverage, and it's a plan that is designed to fail. So, I would ask leadership, this is their plan they designed. Let's see what their next step is." Cruz's comments on a pair of Sunday news shows extended a round of Republican finger-pointing over who is responsible for the showdown over the department's budget and Obama's immigration policies. Homeland Security funds are set to run out Feb. 28. The showdown began in November, when conservative lawmakers demanded legislative retaliation for Obama's executive action deferring deportation for up to 5 million people living in the U.S. illegally. Republican leaders sought unsuccessfully to win support for a plan to fund all government departments through the end of the government's fiscal year. The two Republican factions agreed on a compromise that provided money for most of the government for the full year, but funded Homeland Security for just three months. The idea of the compromise was that the GOP would have leverage to fight Obama anew this year. But so far, that plan has not worked. In January the House passed a bill to fund the department and included amendments that would undo not only the actions Obama announced last fall, but a 2012 initiative that allowed more than half a million young immigrants brought to the U.S. as children to temporarily remain in the U.S. Some Republicans in both the House and Senate argued that measure went too far. Senate Democrats have blocked multiple attempts by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., to open debate on the proposal, reflecting the limits of the conservative strategy. Many in Washington call Cruz the instigator of the conservative plan. As Speaker John A. Boehner, R-Ohio, urged the Senate to approve the House-passed bill, for example, he took the rare step of singling out Cruz as needing to do more to get the measure approved. But the Texas senator sought to disavow the plan Sunday. Efforts to label him as the plan's author were a "talking point for people who want to shift blame," he said. On CNN's "State of the Union," Cruz also sought to turn attention to Democrats, saying they were "holding national security hostage for partisan political objectives." "I've been willing to ... take on my own party when my own party is not standing for the principles we're supposed to stand for. It is time to see some Senate Democrats willing to take on their own president, but right now they're putting partisan politics ahead of principle and that's why they're filibustering the funding for Homeland Security," he said. Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson, in a separate interview on CNN, said the long-running uncertainty over his department's budget has limited its ability to fulfill its mission. If the funding runs out, most border security and transportation security officials would be required to work without pay. The department also would need to furlough 80 percent of the workforce for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Johnson warned. "This is not a situation to make light of," he said. "In these challenging times, we need a fully funded Department of Homeland Security right now." Democrats have echoed Johnson's call for a so-called clean funding bill one that would provide the money without any immigration provisions. Congress is scheduled to be in session for just two weeks before the deadline. Asked Thursday if he knew what the Senate's endgame was on the measure, Boehner bluntly replied: "No." "Listen, he's got a tough job," Boehner said, referring to McConnell. "God bless him and good luck."
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Oil prices steadied on Monday as falling U.S. oil rig counts and conflict in producer Libya were balanced by a slump in Chinese imports, pointing to lower fuel demand in the world biggest energy consumer. "Weak China trade data are likely to weigh on industrial commodity markets," ANZ Bank analysts said in a note to clients. Global benchmark Brent crude oil for March was up 30 cents at $58.10 a barrel by 0140 GMT after rising as high as $59.06 earlier in the session. U.S. crude was up 60 cents at $52.29 a barrel, having hit a session high of $53.40. Brent rose more than 9 percent last week, its biggest weekly rise since February 2011. The North Sea oil futures contract has climbed more than 18 percent in the past two weeks, its strongest showing since 1998. The move ended a six-month slide that saw oil prices lose more than half their value. The number of rigs drilling for oil in the United States fell by 83 this week to 1,140 - the lowest since December 2011 - a survey showed on Friday, a clear sign of the pressure that tumbling crude prices have put on oil producers. Stronger-than-expected growth in U.S. jobs in January also helped support oil, as non-farm payrolls increased 257,000, outstripping Wall Street forecasts. But data over the weekend showed further economic weakness in China, the world's No. 2 oil consumer, helping cap oil gains. China's trade performance slumped in January, with exports falling 3.3 percent from year-ago levels while imports tumbled 19.9 percent, far worse than analysts had expected and highlighting a deepening slowdown. Chinese crude oil imports slid by 7.9 percent in volume terms in January. "Oil demand growth is slowing," said Michal Meidan, director of London-based consultancy China Matters. "With less new refining capacity coming online, upside for demand is also limited there." Andrew Polk, economist at the Conference Board in Beijing, said he was concerned by the implications of the startlingly negative import figure. "Import data suggest a substantial slowdown in the industrial sector. The first quarter looks to be pretty horrible," Polk said. Elsewhere, a strike by security guards has closed Libya's eastern oil port of Hariga, the country's last functioning export port apart from two offshore fields, a port official said on Sunday. (Editing by Christopher Johnson)
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There has been an outpouring of fond memories and reactions to the loss of North Carolina's legendary basketball coach Dean Smith. ACCDN's Jeff Fischel touches on the most notable reactions including President Obama, Michael Jordan, Roy Williams and Mike Krzyzewski.
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Jason Spezza comments on the Stars' 3-2 overtime win over the Rangers.
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MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) Tori Sisson and Shante Wolfe camped in a blue and white tent outside the Montgomery County Courthouse during the early hours Monday, hugging and talking excitedly of getting married soon. They hoped to be the first couple to get a marriage license Monday morning as a federal judge's order overturning the state's ban on gay marriage goes into effect, making Alabama the 37th state to allow gays and lesbians to wed. "It's about time," Wolfe, 21, said of gay marriage being allowed in the Deep South state. Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore, in an 11th hour move to keep the weddings on hold, sent an order to state probate judges Sunday night telling them to refuse to issue the marriage licenses to gay couples. Moore argued that judges are not bound by the ruling of a federal judge that the gay marriage ban is unconstitutional. It was a dramatic return to defiance for Moore who was removed as chief justice in 2003 for refusing to obey a federal court order to remove a washing machine-sized Ten Commandments from the state judicial building. Critics lashed out that Moore had no authority to tell county probate judges to enforce a law that a federal judge already ruled unconstitutional. "This is a pathetic, last-ditch attempt at judicial fiat by an Alabama Supreme Court justice_a man who should respect the rule of law rather than advance his personal beliefs," said Sarah Warbelow, legal director of the Human Rights Campaign. Warbelow urged probate judges to issue the licenses in compliance with ruling of U.S. District Judge Callie Granade. Granade on Jan. 23 ruled that the state's statutory and constitutional bans on gay marriage were unconstitutional but put her order on hold until Feb. 9 to let the state prepare for the change. Moore said Granade had no authority to order the change and that Alabama courts could do as their judges saw fit until the U.S. Supreme Court ruled. Last week, Moore sent a letter urging probate judges to reject the licenses. The head of the judges' association on Friday predicted most would issue the licenses. Moore upped the ante Sunday night by sending the directive. "Effective immediately, no probate judge of the state of Alabama nor any agent or employee of any Alabama probate judge shall issue or recognize a marriage license that is inconsistent with (the Alabama Constitution)," Moore, who serves as head of the court system, wrote in the letter sent Sunday night. Gay couples are expected to still line up at courthouses across Alabama on Monday seeking to get married. It was unknown how many of the state's probate judges would follow Moore. "We will see marriage equality in Alabama tomorrow. I don't think the probate judges in Alabama are going to defy a federal court judge's order," predicted Susan Watson, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Alabama. Granade has said while judges were not a party in the lawsuit, they have a legal duty under the U.S. Constitution to issue the licenses. Moore has been one of the state's most outspoken critics of gay marriage. He called homosexuality an "inherent evil" in a 2002 custody ruling against a lesbian mother. It was unclear what, if any, enforcement provision Moore has. Probate judges are elected just as the chief justice is. Moore's letter to the probate judges said Gov. Robert Bentley can take action against elected officials who fail to follow the law. Jennifer Ardis, a spokeswoman for Bentley, said she did not know about Moore's letter and did not have an immediate comment Sunday evening. Attorney General Luther Strange has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to put a hold on Granade's order since justices are expected to issue a ruling later this year on whether gay couples have a right to marry nationwide. The high court had not ruled on the state's request with just hours to go until courthouses open on Monday morning. More than 100 people attended a "Sanctity of Marriage" rally at the Alabama Capitol on Saturday. With the sign "One Man One Woman" behind them, speakers said they stood with the biblical definition of marriage and the 80 percent of voters who approved Alabama's gay marriage ban in 2006. A group of marriage rights supporters gathered across the street waving signs reading, "Y'all means all" and singing a version of "Going to the Chapel," but changing the word chapel to courthouse.
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Orioles Manager Buck Showalter and his team are projected to finish last in the AL East, and Showalter relishes the underdog role. Are the O's really the worst team in their division?
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The Lightning scored three goals in the first period to get an early lead on the Ducks and would hold on to come away with a 5-3 win on Sunday.
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K.C. Undercover star Zendaya Coleman isn't afraid to try a new look!
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Mike Budenholzer shares his thoughts on the loss to Memphis.
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The Angels still owe Josh Hamilton around $90 million over the next three years. Is it too late for Hamilton to live up to his huge deal?
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The Holy Grail of guitars, the Les Paul "Black Beauty" owned by his friend, guitar tech and co-inventor Tom Doyle, goes up for auction on February 19.
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BOSTON (AP) -- Four games, four wins and rare season sweep for the Montreal Canadiens over the Boston Bruins. Carey Price made 34 saves to lift the Canadiens to a 3-1 victory Sunday night, giving Montreal wins in all four meetings this season. "There's been a lot of matchups between those two teams in the past here, in the playoffs also," Canadiens coach Michel Therrien said. "But who knows what's going to happen? We don't know, but definitely, it brings some confidence. But honestly, there's still a lot of hockey to be played, and we're still a long way from the playoffs." Dale Weise and Max Pacioretty each had a goal and an assist for the Canadiens, who completed their first regular-season sweep of Boston since taking all eight meetings in 2007-08. "This win means a lot," Weise said. "That's a good hockey team over there, so it says a lot about our team. Price made some unbelievable saves to keep us in the game like he does every night, so it gives us a lot of confidence beating a team like that." Price has won seven of eight and allowed 11 goals in that span. He extended his shutout streak against Boston to 159:25 until David Pastrnak scored with 4:31 remaining. "In order to beat this team, our best players have to be our best players and we didn't have that tonight," Bruins coach Claude Julien said. "I don't think we made Price's night real hard." Pastrnak cut Montreal's lead to 2-1 when he batted the puck toward the net and Price appeared to have made the stop, but his glove was behind the goal line and after replay, the goal was allowed. Boston has one win in its last 11 games against the Canadiens, including six straight home losses. "As soon as we start trying to play like them, we turn the puck over and that's where they capitalize," Bruins forward Brad Marchand said. Weise gave Montreal a 1-0 lead 38 seconds into the second period when he converted a cross-ice pass from Pacioretty and beat Tuukka Rask. Rask made 31 saves, but dropped to 3-13-3 against Montreal for his career. Pacioretty scored on a breakaway 56 seconds into the third period when Weise fed him the puck after Zdeno Chara collided with Dougie Hamilton for a 2-0 lead. Andrei Markov added an empty-net goal with 31 seconds remaining to cap the scoring for Montreal. The Bruins had no power plays for the third time this season and are six points ahead of Florida for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. NOTES: Bruins backup goalie Malcolm Subban missed an opportunity to make his NHL debut against his brother, Canadiens defenseman P.K. Subban. ... Boston suffered its second regulation loss at home in its last 13 games. ... David Krejci has one goal in his last 15 games, while Chara has one goal since Oct. 21. for the Bruins. ... Weise has three goals in his last two games. ... Montreal outscored Boston 16-6 in the season series.
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Former Tar Heel forward J.R. Reid joins the crew to talk about what Dean Smith meant to him as a person and what Smith was like behind the scenes.
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There are two huge free agent wide receivers in Demaryius Thomas and Dez Bryant. If you were the GM of an NFL team, which player would you sign?
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The Ivory Coast needed an epic nine round penalty shootout to take down Ghana. Kevin Egan joins the crew to break down the match.
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Barcelona beat up on Athletic Bilbao on Sunday with a final score of 5-2. Kevin Egan joins the guys to break down Barcelona's win.
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Teenage suspect arrested, motive unclear
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Remember the legacy of legendary head coach Dean Smith.
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How's a Nutella-cricket powder smoothie sound? A college student has pledged to eat insects for 30 days with the hope that his fellow Americans will follow suit. The Washington Post reports that Auburn University senior Cam Brantley-Rios, a self-professed "picky eater," is hopping on the bug-eating bandwagon and chronicling his month of meals on a blog, 30 Days of Bugs , "which he eventually hopes to expand into an online news source focused on insect dining." Brantley-Rios is currently on day 9 of his challenge; dishes so far have included queso fundido loaded up with chili-lime crickets for the Super Bowl, sushi topped with mealworms, and a Nutella-cricket powder smoothie . He tells the Washingon Post his bug-eating campaign stemmed from a fascination with "the growing popularity of making and eating bug-filled foods in the United States." As evidence of Americans' apparent increasing hunger for insects, cricket flour-based protein bar company Exo raised over a million dollars in funding last year, and airline Jet Blue is set to begin serving the bug bars on their cross-country flights sometime this year. If mealworm omelettes or cricket protein bars seem nauseating, consider this: Besides being loaded with nutrients and more sustainable than other types of animal-based protein, you're apparently already eating them anyway : Federal regulations on food manufacturing require that there only be an average of less than 30 insect fragments per 100 grams of peanut butter, for example.
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Andrea Petkovic endured another gruelling three-set marathon to seal Germany's 3-1 win over Australia on Sunday and put the hosts in the Fed Cup semi-finals. Germany, the 2014 finalists, will face Russia in the semi-finals on April 18-19 after Petkovic again dug deep to seal a 6-3, 3-6, 8-6 win over Jarmila Gajdosova with the third set taking nearly an hour. It was the second time in 24 hours Petkovic was carried to victory by the vocal 4,000-strong crowd in a gruelling tie after Saturday's victory over Samantha Stosur came down to a 12-10 battle in the third-set after three hours, 13 minutes of tennis. Having been 4-2 down in the crucial third, Petkovic showed her composure by converting her second match point to seal Germany's win and keep them bidding for a second straight final appearance. "I was a bit tired from yesterday, but I always just played it one point at a time," said a jaded Petkovic at Stuttgart's Porsche Arena. "I hope there is Champagne, but beer is also okay. "We'll mix in with the fans anyway, the atmosphere was incredible." Angelique Kerber had earlier put Germany on the brink of the semi-finals with a straight-sets win over Stosur, who has lost both of her singles rubbers in Stuttgart. Kerber needed just one hour, 27 minutes to see off 2011 US Open winner Stosur to seal a 6-2, 6-4 victory in the third singles rubber. Having suffered a shock three-sets defeat to Gajdosova in Saturday's opening rubber, Kerber, ranked 10th in the world, had no such problems against Stosur.
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TRENTON, N.J. Every step used to be a miracle for Adam Taliaferro. Now the onetime Penn State defensive back whose NFL dreams were ended by a devastating spinal cord injury is running. Fifteen years after a hit left him motionless on the Ohio Stadium turf, Taliaferro is one of New Jersey's newest lawmakers, a temporary fill-in who plans to seek a full term in November. It has been a rapid rise for Taliaferro, an accidental politician whose remarkable story and deep desire to help others put him on the political radar four years ago. First elected as a county freeholder in 2011, Taliaferro was sworn in last week to replace an Assembly member who stepped down. Taking the oath of office was just the latest in a series of unexpected steps for Taliaferro, who was paralyzed from the neck down in 2000 and given little chance of ever walking again. The injury set him on a path of service instead of Super Bowls. "It 100 percent changed me," Taliaferro said. "Before my injury what was important to me was my family but also football it was my dream to play in the NFL. It really teaches you to appreciate everything." It took eight months for Taliaferro to learn to walk again. By then, he'd been inundated with donations intended to help him pay for his care. Instead, he used the money to establish a foundation to give emotional and financial help to people with similar injuries. So far, the Adam Taliaferro Foundation has distributed more than $1 million. "Everyone that we help I see myself in them," he said. "My biggest thought is I want everyone to have the same chance of recovery I had." It was the foundation that put Taliaferro on Senate President Steve Sweeney's radar. Taliaferro says Sweeney told him he could help more people as an elected official and encouraged him to run for Gloucester County freeholder as a Democrat. That was the first time he considered elected office, and the "ability to help people with problems" serves as his guiding political philosophy, he said. In a district with a wide gap between the highest and lowest earners Taliaferro will have his work cut out for him, said his predecessor, Celeste Riley. "I think he'll do it. He's a hard worker and people like to have an example of what it means to work hard and face adversity," she said. Taliaferro, 33, was born in Pittsburgh, but moved to Voorhees, New Jersey, as a child. After attending Eastern High School, he had scholarship offers from 30 universities to play football but the choice came down to Penn State and Tennessee. The decisive factor, he said, was that Penn State was close enough to home for his parents to come watch him play. Taliaferro was just five games into his true freshman season when he was injured while making a tackle against Ohio State. He remembers thinking he had only hurt his arm when he couldn't lift it after the play, but knew something serious happened when he couldn't move his leg. Doctors only gave Taliaferro a 3 percent chance of ever walking again, but the immediate medical attention he received on the field and his excellent physical conditioning helped his recovery, he said. Though he would never play football again, Taliaferro graduated from Penn State in 2005 and the Rutgers Camden School of Law. In addition to his blossoming political career, he is a health care policy analyst at Bristol-Myers Squibb and a Penn State trustee. Though Taliaferro's political profile has grown quickly, he said he has given little thought to where his new job might lead. Instead, he said he is focused on the task in front of him. Former Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Bradley, who led the defense during Taliaferro career, saw a student athlete with tremendous potential. "So smart, you could tell he was mentally ahead of where the other guys were," said Bradley, now an assistant at West Virginia. Bradley said he wasn't sure how his and Taliaferro's political views might align Bradley declined to say where he falls on the political spectrum but he said he was confident in Taliaferro. "He'll do the right thing," Bradley said. "I know him."
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More people are taking their education digital.That approach, which rips a page out of " The Jetsons ," may be making the grade, but it could ultimately come at a cost to sprawling university campuses. Fueled by new technology and those hesitant to leave well-paying jobs to relocate in an unpredictable economy, more universities are offering traditional master of business administration (MBA) programs online. As it happens, the learning curve for them may not be as steep as you think. Many of these schools are partnering up with companies such as 2U (TWOU), which provides cloud-based software to enhance the online learning experience. Live classes are conducted through webcams so students and teachers can interact. "The horse has left the barn in terms of proving that online programs can more than match the rigor and educational experience of on-campus programs," said CEO Chip Paucek, who co-founded 2U in 2008. "The company's biggest challenge was the preconceived notions of online education, which were terrible." Syracuse University's Whitman School of Management, which is working with 2U, launched its online MBA program just last month. Some 100 students from six countries, including the U.S., are enrolled. "They (2U) have a technology experience we could not have provided on our own," said Amy McHale, assistant dean for masters programs and director of experiential learning. The average age of students enrolled in the online MBA degree is 35 years old, McHale said. Those attending traditional classes on the main campus are generally about 25 years old and have limited work experience. Syracuse calculates that it costs students more than $133,000 to complete its on-campus MBA program. The figure factors in living expenses, books and supplies, medical insurance, transportation, a technology fee and student activity, health and wellness fees. Yet tuition for the two-year online program costs little more than $72,000. This is the second time around for 32-year-old Christine Bergold of West Islip, New York. She is working towards an online MBA degree from the Whitman School, a year after completing her undergraduate degree via computer from the State University of New York's (SUNY) Empire State College. "Syracuse designs the course-load for working professionals who have family, work and school to balance," said Bergold, who works in accounting at an insurance agency. "The program is designed like more of a social media site than a typical online course…Social groups are formed online by fellow students and it's easy to get involved." The most prominent pioneer in the online learning area could be considered Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina, which became the first top tier business school to unveil an online MBA program. Still, critics questioned the quality and the ability for students to network if they were stuck behind computer screen, as well as challenging the degree's price tag. It was set at $89,000 the same as the traditional classroom-based program. Even though online learning is becoming mainstream, one top business school isn't jumping into the deep end of the pool at least not yet. Harvard Business School doesn't offer an opportunity to complete an entire MBA online. However, students can receive a pre-MBA certificate online for $1,500. It's a program called HBX Core, which is designed to give those majoring in other fields more confidence working in business. The effort started two years ago, and Harvard created its own platform from scratch, according to HBX faculty chair, Bharat Anand. The first program was offered last summer, and consists of three courses over a 10-week period. "Online education is still very, very new," Anand said. "Frankly, we're just three or four years into it. We are sort of closer to the starting point than the finish line." Yet some say universities will likely be very vulnerable if they don't adapt in the coming years. They're in a fixed-cost business with a lot of overhead costs, which include real estate taxes, building upkeep, faculty and staff salaries. Meanwhile, would-be students are searching for ways to get a good education without drowning themselves in debt. "There is not a question in my mind that online education will be, quote, 'disruptive to the education space,'" Anand said. "Who's immune and who's not? We don't know."
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finance
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Kids aren't known for their tact. And when yours put you on the spot asking about your earnings, it might be tempting to change the subject or give a vague answer like "enough." According to New York Times personal finance columnist Ron Lieber, however, that isn't going to cut it. In his new book " The Opposite of Spoiled: Raising Kids Who Are Grounded, Generous, and Smart With Money ," Lieber writes about how a parent should handle this uncomfortable question. "By now we know that 'none of your business' is not the right answer here," he says. "But simply spitting out a number isn't usually the ideal response, either. Before there can be any financial transparency, there has to be readiness." For younger kids in particular, Lieber explains that even what might seem like the most honest, straightforward answer a plain old number won't mean much of anything to a kid who's never seen anything bigger than a $50 bill. "The best way to handle this is to explain that we may indeed want to share our salaries by the time they're in high school, but they first need to learn a lot more about what it actually costs to pay for the things that the family has and does," he writes. "After all, it's not the income number that's important here as much as the context." To get that context, he recommends involving them in your family finances, whether that's sitting with you as you pay your monthly bills or talking about why exactly a family pays for insurance. If the kids are bored by this, he says, that's fine it just means they aren't ready to learn it yet. If they aren't bored, they can start learning about other costs, like the price of your rent or mortgage and your taxes. Ultimately, Lieber notes, there's a very simple reason to be upfront about your earnings with your kids: If they really want to know, they'll make it their business to find out. NOW WATCH: This Flying Car Is Real And It Can Fly 430 Miles On A Full Tank
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finance
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Providence coach Ed Cooley has been released from a Cincinnati hospital and is returning home, the school announced Sunday morning . Cooley complained of dizziness early in the second half of the Friars' 78-69 loss at Xavier on Saturday afternoon and was taken to a local hospital. While the team returned to Rhode Island after the game, Cooley's wife Nurys and Friars athletic director Bob Driscoll remained in Ohio, the Providence Journal reported . MORE: Dean Smith dead at 83 | Players, colleagues react | Dean Smith in photos Cooley, 45, expects to be ready to coach the Friars' game against Villanova on Wednesday night, the school said. Cooley has a 74-51 record in four seasons at Providence. He previously spent five seasons as Farifield's head coach.
| 1 | 10,494 |
sports
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Online shopping means no waiting in long lines for a changing room, having to sort through piles of clothing to find your size, or wading through crowds of fellow shoppers. Plus, you avoid all the tricks stores use to make you spend more than you originally planned. However, online retailers aren't without their own tricks. Next time you're surfing the web for deals, try some of these hacks from Mark Ellwood's " Bargain Fever: How to Shop in a Discounted World ." They'll help you get the best price delivered right to your door. 1. Abandon your online shopping cart. Ellwood suggests buying items in a "two-stage process." First, go onto a site, find what you like, and put it in your cart. Then, close the browser window and wait a day or two. Leaving items in your virtual cart shows stores you're contemplating a purchase, and Ellwood says this encourages stores to entice you with a deal. "Expect a coupon or promo of some kind to appear in your inbox to tip the purchase," he writes. 2. Take advantage of Twitter. Often, online sales will happen unannounced. Ellwood advises creating a separate Twitter handle specifically for following "savvy bloggers and dealhounds." The author says their tweets could turn you on to a sale you otherwise wouldn't have known about. "Watch and see when they tweet about certain brands a cluster of #coach tweets means you should start Googling for some good, but unheralded, Coach handbag deals." Of course, you could also just use your regular Twitter account, as long as you don't mind a feed full of shopping deals. 3. Use online deals as leverage. Let's say you're in Nordstrom browsing watches. You find one you love, but it's not on sale. Ellwood says this is the time to whip out your smartphone and find the watch online for a better deal but not buy it. "Instead of buying it from your smartphone, ask to speak to the store manager increasingly, he or she will likely match that price, giving you an instant discount." 4. Don't be fooled by free shipping. Ellwood cites a shipping deal trialed by Amazon in France, where shoppers were charged one franc (20 cents) for shipping. The trial didn't boost sales. But when Amazon charged nothing for shipping, "shoppers flocked to the site." Ellwood points out that free shipping doesn't translate to a sale on the actual product you're purchasing. "Just because shipping is free, it doesn't make the overall purchase a great deal compare total costs with other sites before you click checkout." 5. Bookmark your favorite brands. For all those brand loyalists out there: Ellwood suggests bookmarking the corporate sites of your favorite brands because that might be where you find the deals. "Manufacturers sometimes feature print-at-home coupons there to help drive traffic," he points out. 6. Be aware of your location. According to Ellwood, you could be at a disadvantage if you live in an upscale area and do your shopping from home. "Businesses online use whatever information they can glean from you to charge an appropriate price including your location. If you're in an affluent zip code, beware: You might be charged extra because the vendor knows you can afford it." The author advises using a VPN to spoof your IP address and avoid this issue. An alternative could simply be checking prices when you're away from home to see if there's any advantage, whether that's after hours at work, during some downtime on vacation, or while taking a breather during a family visit. 7. Clear your browser. Ellwood explains that vendors are more likely to offer discounts to new customers as incentive to "close the deal." The author suggests creating a special "shopping" profile in a browser to fool vendors into thinking you're a new customer every time you visit their site. If you'd rather not take the time to create a special profile, you can just designate one browser that you use for shopping only. For instance, if you primarily use Chrome, you might want to shop with Firefox, and make sure to always clear your cookies after shopping. There are online instructions on how to do this for most browsers. NOW WATCH: This Flying Car Is Real And It Can Fly 430 Miles On A Full Tank
| 3 | 10,495 |
finance
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Word spread Saturday that the San Diego Padres were hot for free-agent pitcher James Shields, who reportedly has the team's final offer in hand. Either Sunday or Monday, the rebuilding Padres should know whether the last elite free agent of 2015 will grace their rotation. MORE: Spring training report dates | AL offseason grades | Are Padres a playoff contender? Shields, 33, reportedly was mulling a contract for $100 million over five years . If that's the case, it would be a precedent for free-agent payouts. According to Fox Sports, no free-agent pitcher has signed a contract in excess of $50 million after Feb. 1 of a given year. It appeared Saturday the Chicago Cubs were also hot for Shields. The Miami Marlins also were eager to sign Shields . If he signs with the Padres, Shields will anchor their rotation while pitching at home he is from the San Diego area. Shields helped the Kansas City Royals reach the World Series last season, but he rejected their one-year, $15.3 million qualifying offer and entered the free-agent market. It's that offer that created problems for teams seeking Shields' services. If the Padres accomplish signing Shields, they will owe the Royals a first-round pick in this summer's amateur draft. Few teams are willing to surrender such a selection, although high draft selection doesn't guarantee a prospect's success. Another caveat for teams: Shields had a heavy workload in recent years, and his desire for a long-term contract sparks concern about possible physical problems because of his toil. No pitcher threw more innings over the past eight seasons. And remember, Shields has never pitched in the National League. He was drafted and developed by the Tampa Bay Rays before joining the Royals. PADRES' PICKUPS: Will Middlebrooks | Justin Upton | Derek Norris | Matt Kemp Still, Shields would have been a top-two starter for most any team seeking rotation help. He was 14-8 last season in 34 starts, with a 3.21 earned-run average and 180 strikeouts in 227 innings. The final wait is under way. Dennis Lin, beat man for the Union-Tribune , reported Sunday a Shields decision is expected within 36 hours. Under new general manager A.J. Preller, the Padres made significant offseason moves to bolster their offense. Shields would be the biggest free-agent pitching pickup in team history. They signed reliever Joaquin Benoit last season to a two-year, $15.5 million deal. Before that, the team snagged future Hall of Fame pitcher Greg Maddux for a year at $10 million . Even though Shields wasn't great in the postseason, his Royals' run into Game 7 of the World Series didn't hurt his bargaining power much. In an evaluation, SN's Ryan Fagan reported Shields was expected to get a deal in the $100 million range. His "ace" days are behind him, Fagan noted, but Shields shows the consistency that would make him a valuable overpaid No. 3 guy on the right staff. Apparently, the Padres want him to be more.
| 1 | 10,496 |
sports
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Sea-level rise is one of the most concerning consequences associated with global climate change, thanks to melting polar ice and thermal expansion caused by warming ocean waters and we're already starting to see its effects on coastal communities around the world. The US Geological Survey estimates that if all the world's glaciers melted, sea level would rise by about 80 meters, or more than 260 feet. This scenario could be thousands of years in the future, but it would render many of the world's best-loved coastal cities unrecognizable. Jeffrey Linn, a Seattle man with a background in geography and urban planning, has created a series of maps of major US cities based on this doomsday scenario. He used actual geographic data from the areas to make the maps as realistic as possible. Linn says his interest in the subject was sparked by the book "Always Coming Home," by Ursula Le Guin. "The novel is sort of a future anthropology of California's Napa Valley, and in it she looks into the future and sees the California Central Valley flooded by sea-level rise," Linn says. "Since then, I would often think about what would the world around us would look like once all the ice caps melted." While this extreme amount of sea-level rise isn't expected to happen for millennia, Linn's cheeky names for the potential new landforms and bodies of water that emerge in his maps give often humorous insight into life in the cities of the future. Linn has mapped eight US cities so far, and is currently working on mapping several locations in the UK. His maps, along with more information, can be viewed on his website. We've put together a slideshow of some of his work here. Seattle was the first sea-level rise map Linn made, completed in December 2013. He was inspired to start the map by a blogger who writes under the name Burrito Justice. "He did a 200-foot sea-level rise map for San Francisco, and I was like, 'I have to do this for Seattle,'" Linn says. The result is striking after 240 feet of sea-level rise, Seattle is reduced to a collection of small islands, like these three, which emerged in the area near the place Seattle's iconic space needle stands today. (The needle, in this map, is sadly submerged.) Linn uses open-source data to create most of the maps. He puts the data together using a mapping program called QGIS, and then assembles everything in Adobe Illustrator. He says the base cartography only takes him a few hours. As shown in this close-up of San Diego, the maps are detailed right down to the city streets that will be submerged under the rising sea. Here, you can see the feathery "Mid-City Peninsula" that emerges in the middle of San Diego, and the surrounding submerged street map. Linn says what fascinates him most about the maps are the interesting landforms that emerge, like the islands that jump out of this Portland map. "I love cities, and just to see how this is going to affect all the world's cities the coastal cities, anyway is fascinating," he says. Linn also creates his own names for the new landforms, such as islands and inlets, that emerge in his maps. This part takes the most time, but is also the most fun, he says. He spent several weeks working on the labels for this map of Los Angeles after 260 feet of sea-level rise. This close-up showcases Linn's attention to detail. Even minute details that emerge on the map, such as "Lafayette Inlet" and "Boyle Point," are named. For some of the maps, Linn used a lower level of sea-level rise than the full 80 meters. He did this in order to achieve the most interesting effects in his maps. "Montreal I did at 40 meters instead of the full 80 meters because, basically, Montreal becomes a big sheet of blue at the full height and that's not very interesting," he says. But at 40 meters, instead of being totally submerged, Montreal becomes an interesting collection of islands. New York City is a similar story. Even after only 100 feet of sea-level rise, the island of Manhattan is almost totally submerged. Brooklyn and Queens are reduced to a handful of small islands. And the iconic Statue of Liberty? Washed away. Some of the maps yielded surprising results. Palm Springs is further inland than the other cities Linn has mapped, but it still produced an interesting map. "It's kind of far from the ocean, but the Imperial Valley and the Coachella Valley are very low and connect right to the Gulf of California," Linn says. After 260 feet of sea-level rise, a large bay appears in the area. On the shores of that bay, some interesting landforms jump out, like this two spiky peninsulas, shown in close-up here. Meanwhile, you can see that the grounds used to host the famous Coachella Music Festival have been washed away. Vancouver's outcome is perhaps less surprising, but no less striking. Linn says he hopes his maps, which show an extreme amount of sea-level rise in comparison to many other sea-level graphics, will capture people's attention in a new way. "If we take a look at this real extreme point, and then maybe add some humor to it in the place names, then maybe that will get people's attention a little more," he says. Here's a sneak peek into Linn's work on mapping the UK. While no names have been added yet, this is a map of what London would look like after more than 130 feet of sea-level rise the outcome if half the world's glaciers melted. Eventually, Linn says he hopes to put together a world atlas. "I'm looking for a publisher or an agent to help me get going on this," he says. Unfortunately, other places in the world won't even survive a few feet of sea-level rise. Click here to see the island nations that are already being swept away by the rising seas >
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news
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Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski released a statement on the passing of North Carolina legend Dean Smith: "I am incredibly saddened to hear of the passing of Coach Dean Smith. We have lost a man who cannot be replaced. He was one of a kind and the sport of basketball lost one of its true pillars. Dean possessed one of the greatest basketball minds, and was a magnificent teacher and tactician. While building an elite program at North Carolina, he was clearly ahead of his time in dealing with social issues. However, his greatest gift was his unique ability to teach what it takes to become a good man. That was easy for him to do because he was a great man himself. All of his players benefited greatly from his basketball teachings, but even more from his ability to help mold men of integrity, honor and purpose. Those teachings, specifically, will live forever in those he touched. We offer our deepest sympathies - and gratitude for sharing his incredible life with us for so long - to Linnea, his children and the entire North Carolina family." Krzyzewski coached against Smith from 1980-1997 and developed an incredible amount of respect for his old rival over the years. Krzyzewski reflected on their relationship in a story published last year: "We became, actually, very good friends. I love Dean. He's remarkable. Truly remarkable."
| 1 | 10,498 |
sports
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Coffee's benefits go above and beyond a buzz for women; while they drink it, they're also reducing their risk of endometrial cancer. Researchers from the Imperial College London studied how different foods may affect the risk of endometriosis, and published their findings in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention. Researchers studied the diets of 456,000 women from two different studies, and narrowed in on more than 2,800 women who were diagnosed with endometriosis, a cancer that spreads throughout the lining of the uterus. They compared 84 different foods and nutrients in their diets until they found coffee intake consistently lowered the risk of endometriosis in the women. Those who said they drank three to four cups a day had an 18 percent lower risk than the other women who drank only one or two cups. By the end of 2015, another 54,870 more women will be diagnosed with endometriosis, and another 10,170 women will die from it. Three out of four women who wind up with cancer of the uterus are 45 years and older, according to the American Cancer Society , which means they're the age group who should be sipping down the benefits. "We were not surprised by the results that a high versus low intake of coffee was associated with a reduced risk for endometrial cancer, because they were consistent with what has been observed in previous studies," said the study's lead author Melissa Merritt, a cancer researcher at the Imperial College London in England, in a press release . "We used similar methods to investigate the association between coffee intake and endometrial cancer as previous studies. This is important so we can compare results across different studies." In addition to coffee, the team identified eight other edible items that were associated with the risk of endometriosis. The total amount of fat, monounsaturated fat, phosphorus, carbohydrates, yogurt, butter, potatoes, and cheese that women ate either increased or decreased their risk. Researchers are taking a closer look into how each food can benefit or hurt a woman's risk for this female-only cancer. Coffee consumption still had the greatest influence, which Merritt and her team believe has to do with the disease-fighting antioxidants it contains. Coffee Cup Full Of Cancer Fighters Coffee is a rich and plentiful source of antioxidants, which prevent or slow the rate of cell damage. Free radicals can be found in the air you breathe; they're generated when sunlight hits your skin, and they're constantly produced when the body turns food into energy, according to the Harvard School of Public Health . They damage the cells, and ultimately age the body. However, antioxidants work by defending against free radical damage. These powerful little protectors are found in vitamin C, vitamin E, beta-carotene, and the minerals selenium and manganese and coffee. Every day, 108 million Americans wake up to their morning coffee. There have been over 19,000 studies conducted on examining the health impacts of drinking coffee. "Overall, the research shows that coffee is far more healthful than it is harmful," Dr. Tomas DePaulis, a research scientist at Vanderbilt University's Institute for Coffee Studies, told WebMD . "For most people, very little bad comes from drinking it, but a lot of good." Source: Merritt M, et al. Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention . 2015.
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health
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