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FERGUSON/KANSAS CITY, Mo., March 11 (Reuters) - The police chief of Ferguson, Missouri, resigned on Wednesday, following a scathing U.S. Justice Department report that found widespread racially biased abuses in the city's police department and municipal court. The resignation of Chief Thomas Jackson was the latest in a string of departures since the Justice Department said on March 4 that a months-long probe had uncovered a range of unlawful and unconstitutional practices in the St. Louis suburb. Protesters had called for Jackson's removal since the fatal shooting of an unarmed black teenager by a white Ferguson police officer on Aug. 9. The killing triggered nationwide protests and drew scrutiny to police use of deadly force, especially against black men. Neither a grand jury nor the federal probe led to charges against Darren Wilson, the officer who killed 18-year-old Michael Brown. A separate Justice Department investigation found that Ferguson police routinely targeted African-Americans for arrests and ticketing. Ferguson Mayor James Knowles said the city was committed to keeping its police department, even though the Justice Department report said it may need to be dismantled. "We continue to go through the report and talk about where the breakdown was," Knowles told a news conference where he promised changes, but rejected calls for his own resignation. Two small groups protested outside City Hall as the mayor spoke, some supporting Jackson, others against him. "Chief Jackson stepping down is long overdue," said Patricia Bynes, a local Democratic leader. "It should not have gotten to this point. All the things that the Justice Department found that happened under his watch, you really have to question what made him think he could still be chief of police." Earlier this week, Ferguson City Manager John Shaw and Municipal Judge Ronald Brockmeyer stepped down. Three other employees of the police department and municipal court left their jobs last week. The Justice Department said in a statement on Wednesday night that the results of its probe into Ferguson police practices "remain a top concern and priority." It said its Civil Rights Division would "continue to work with Ferguson Police and city leadership, regardless of whomever is in those positions, to reach a court enforceable agreement that will address their unconstitutional practices in a comprehensive manner." ARRESTS AND TEAR GAS The Ferguson police's initial response to arrest and use tear gas against demonstrators protesting Brown's killing was widely criticized as heavy-handed. Jackson was also accused of being tone deaf to the city's racial tensions and came under fire for his delay in releasing Wilson's name and waiting weeks to make an apology to Brown's family. In the wake of the Ferguson protests, many police chiefs across the country have shifted policy to communicate more quickly after police use deadly force and to release the names of the officers involved. The Justice Department report found evidence that the mostly white police force in the two-thirds majority black community was more focused on revenue-raising than public safety. The Justice Department also said officers had a pattern of using excessive force and making illegal arrests, as well as deploying attack dogs and using Tasers on unarmed people. Jackson has commanded the police department since 2010. The department has a total of 54 sworn officers divided among several divisions. The city said it would conduct a national search for a replacement for Jackson, whose departure is effective March 19 and who leaves with a year of severance pay, of roughly $100,000, and health insurance. Some local activists said the police department should be shut down completely. "This is a big step to continue to move forward but ... isn't enough," said Rasheen Aldridge, a member of a commission formed by Missouri Governor Jay Nixon to recommend community reforms. "The systemic problems that have been going on in Ferguson need to be dealt with." (Reporting by Carey Gillam; Additional reporting by Lisa Lambert in Washington; Writing by Fiona Ortiz; Editing by Eric Beech and Peter Cooney)
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Frank Gore talks about why he chose the Indianapolis Colts and how his training helps his longevity in the NFL. To see more Colts videos download the Colts DeskSite.
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sports
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Stop counting snow days and start counting down to long weekend, or even a week or more, with just the girls. Whether you're looking for massages and manicures or culture and culinary experiences, there's a perfect girlfriends getaway for you and your group. You'll even find trips where you can run, golf, hike or try stand-up paddleboard yoga and still enjoy a glass of wine at the end of the day. Take a look at a few ways to escape with the ladies. Get pampered and polished If a little pampering is what you need, head south to Hawks Cay in the Florida Keys. The resort recently introduced a new Girls Getaway Package following the renovation of its Calm Waters Spa. The package includes two island-inspired spa treatments like the Tropical Breeze Massage and the Sea Mist Facial. Guests also have access to the eucalyptus steam room and dry sauna. Looking to escape to the West Coast? Try Bacara Resort & Spa in Santa Barbara, California. Here you can indulge in relaxing open-air treatments from the spa's outdoor terrace, or head up to the rooftop Mud Bar where you can apply your own marine mud mask (said to contain antioxidants and skin-brightening minerals). Another guest favorite: ExFOLEYation, a body treatment inspired by the Santa Barbara wine region (and Foley Estates' wines of nearby Lompoc, California). And if you have more than a few days to get away, consider Wellbeing Escapes, which offers worldwide spa holidays. Look for spa getaways complete with massages on the beach, mud and body wraps, yoga classes and restorative treatments at resorts and wellness retreats around the globe. Explore nature and national parks Given the diverse range of activities available at our national parks, it's a must to bring the girlfriends along on a nature adventure that includes hiking, biking, horseback riding and rafting. Pitch a tent at one of the in-park campgrounds or better yet, glamp in a luxury safari tent courtesy of Under Canvas. Take your pick between well-appointed tents (think real beds, wood or carpeted floors, and working bathrooms) and even teepees near Glacier, Yellowstone and Arches national parks. Those who want to enjoy the great outdoors but prefer returning to fine wines, spa treatments and five-course meals after a day on the trail should book a stay at Tenaya Lodge near the south entrance of Yosemite National Park. The lodge is nearly halfway through a $5 million renovation that includes upgraded bathrooms, new carpet and furniture, and comfy new mattresses. So much for roughing it. Get fit and re-focused Beyond hiking and biking, why not sign the girls up for a "runcation" cruise that includes daily running tours or even the option to run a full or half-marathon as part of your trip? The Run for Fun Cruise sails twice a year (on a major cruise line like Princess and Norwegian), making stops in the Caribbean next February and across the coast of Alaska this June. For girlfriends who golf, look to Women's Golf & Travel Concierge, which offers about a dozen getaways that include rounds on multiple fairways, sightseeing tours and daily breakfast. Trips range from Bermuda to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. You can also sail to some of the best golf courses in the world thanks to PerryGolf, which offers a number of "golf cruising" tours in the Caribbean and Mediterranean. If daily yoga is more your speed, look to Costa Rica. Waterfall Villas, a wellness retreat located on the country's southern coast, offers yoga, private guided nature tours and workshops on tai chi and feng shui. Or try Playa Cativo, a luxury eco-lodge situated on the inner side of the Osa Peninsula that offers multi-style yoga classes, even stand-up paddleboard yoga classes, as well as a five-day yoga retreat in July. Tap into your culinary side If savoring new flavors and sampling vino is more your style, consider an organized culinary getaway . Companies like Gourmand Breaks offer wine and food-centric tours in Spain, Portugal and France. You and your girlfriends will enjoy guided tours of top wineries, private cooking classes with local chefs, and opportunities to explore medieval towns, fragrant markets and vineyards with unforgettable views. Venture outside of Europe (or even stay stateside) with Edible Destinations, which offers culinary trips across the U.S. and around the world. The company also organizes two- to four-day trips called "Edible Getaways" that comprise mini culinary tours of a city or region, including New York City, Seattle, Athens and Montreal. Each long weekend trip includes plenty of hands-on cooking classes, tastings and farm-to-table dining experiences. The company also offers Edible Vacations, which can last from five to 10 days.
| 2 | 11,502 |
travel
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Committing to a tattoo is a big decision that follows us for the rest of our lives. Permanent ink has the potential to influence our personal relationships, career, and even public perception. In men, tattoos have been associated with identity, personal interests, and masculinity, but what about women? Are they more promiscuous? A University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) study suggests people's perception of women with tattoos and those without aren't all that different. Tattoos are seen as an illustrative extension of the bodies of men and women that tell us a narrative. Margot Mifflin, author of Bodies of Subversion: A Secret History of Women and Tattoo delves into tattooing primarily being a male preoccupation in the Western world. However, in the 1800s Circus Ladies were among the first women to adorn their body with tattoos in public during freak shows. Tattooing for these women was associated with capitalism and a business investment rather than liberalization and feminism. Moving forward, tattoos have become more mainstream for both men and women. Female tattoos have evolved from becoming less taboo and more about self-expression and identity. Lower back tattoos, pejoratively known as a "tramp stamp," became popular in the 2000s, synonymous with sexual liberation and confidence. However, the media has unfairly labeled lower back tattoos as a sign of promiscuity. Needless to say, people have had mixed perceptions about women with tattoos, especially when it comes to promiscuity. Lisa Oakes, a UTSA graduate psychology major sought to determine how tattoos influence public perception of women who have them. Oakes surveyed a pool of UTSA students taking an Introduction to Psychology course, including 135 females and 86 males. The students were asked to rate one of four photos of a San Antonio woman of mixed ethnicity in a gray sleeveless dress with a high neckline. In one photo, the woman possessed no tattoos. In the other three photos, the woman had a small tattoo on her right upper arm, where one photo pictured a butterfly, a second pictured a rose and the last picture was a skull and crossbones. The participants then were asked to rate the woman's perceived openness to sex without commitment, perceived standards, and perceived sex drive. They were also asked to provide their opinions on her attractiveness, sexiness, intelligence, and warmth. The findings revealed students viewed the woman as more open to sex without commitment, less selective, and having a higher sex drive when shown with the tattoo. However, the levels of openness, selectiveness and drive were at levels that would not be considered promiscuous, even when she had a tattoo. "And, although the woman was viewed a little less positively on some traits with the tattoo than without, overall, impressions were relatively positive both with and without the tattoo," according to the press release. The findings of this study correlate with a 2013 study published in the journal Archives of Sexual Behavior , which found men would be more likely to approach a woman on the beach if she had a butterfly tattoo on her lower back. Moreover, they believed it increased the odds of her being more open to their romantic advances, such as going on a date or even having sex on the first date. This adheres to tasteless expressions like: "The bigger the stamp, the bigger the tramp." But does a woman's tattoo and her tattoo placement really speak volumes about her character? The jury is still mixed. "The big reason for doing this research was that findings of previous studies were inconsistent with each other. Some found perceptions of tattooed women as promiscuous and some did not. Future research will help with understanding whether women with tattoos are really seen as worthy of the label 'promiscuous,'" Oakes said in the press release. Until then, we're all free to make our assumption about the 45 million Americans with at least one tattoo, but just remember not to make a donkey of yourself. Sources: Oakes L. UTSA psychology student studies perceived promiscuity of women with tattoos. [study not yet published]. 2015.
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lifestyle
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Suspended BBC Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson leaves his home amid a media scrum and says he has regrets after 'fracas' with producer. Mana Rabiee reports.
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video
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NEW YORK In the week since New York City jail officials took the rare step of locking down four of Rikers Island's largest facilities for 34 hours to stop gang violence, four inmates have been slashed and a fifth stabbed, according to jail statistics obtained Wednesday by The Associated Press. Three slashings and a stabbing occurred in the jails that the elite Department of Correction security officers locked down on March 3 and 4 to search 2,000 inmates and their cells, according to official jail reports. A fourth slashing Wednesday occurred in a facility that houses older inmates as well as 16- and 17-year-olds. The rash of violence comes a day after jails Commissioner Joseph Ponte told reporters the lockdown was a short-term success in slowing the increased problem of gang, as well as intra-gang, fighting in the nation's second-largest jail system. It also comes a day before Mayor Bill de Blasio is scheduled to visit the 10-facility jail complex to unveil a comprehensive 14-point plan to curb violence. While inmate violence is down from a high of 1,552 stabbings and slashings in 1990, it has recently begun to climb, with 93 such incidents last year up from 73 the year before, jail statistics show. Guards' use of force has also steadily increased, and the rate was up by 11 percent in January and February compared with the same months of last year, according to the data. The 34-hour operation was initiated after gang intelligence officers noticed an uptick of violence between two specific sets of the Bloods gang, including four slashings over a recent three-day period, corrections officials have said. There was other disorder in the jails during that span. An inmate assaulted a female guard, attempting to sexually assault her before he was stopped by guards and inmates, according to court papers. Two correction officers also got in a fight while on duty, and an inmate in a solitary confinement dorm somehow obtained a guard's keys, opening up cell doors before he was stopped. A jails spokesman didn't immediately return a request for comment by the AP, but Ponte told reporters Tuesday after a public meeting with the jails oversight board that the lockdown was a temporary success, but in the long term, "we need to get better at managing the jails." "I think we use those surgically to try and identify an issue," Ponte said of the lockdowns. "The issue for me always is, 'Is it gang driven? Is it going to happen here and here and here?' So you try and really, as best you can, you try and get that information so you can make better decisions." Jail officials regularly lock a facility down following assaults but must seek a variance from the oversight agency to lock inmates in their cells for more than 24 hours. A health official told the oversight board Tuesday that 22 to 38 percent fewer inmates were seen at sick call during the lockdown and 24 to 46 percent fewer attended discharge planning services. Eleven homemade weapons were discovered during the lockdown, including an 8½-inch sharpened piece of metal, a 2-inch broken plastic cup handle and a 7-inch piece of plexiglas, jail officials said. But none of the recovered weapons included scalpels a medical instrument a top jail official testified at a public hearing in December was driving the violence.
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A minute's silence will be observed ahead of football and basketball matches in France this weekend with a round of applause before rugby games in tribute to the sports stars killed in a helicopter crash in Argentina, the national federations announced. Monday's crash claimed the lives of Olympic champion swimmer Camille Muffat, yachtswoman Florence Arthaud and Olympic boxer Alexis Vastine, as well as five French TV crew members and two Argentine pilots. "After the disaster in Argentina on Monday, the French Football Federation has decided to observe a minute's silence before all games," the FFF said in a statement. The French Basketball Federation also stated earlier Wednesday that every single game would be preceded by a minute of silence. "On all Top 14 and Pro D2 pitches before kick off, a round of applause will be dedicated to Florence, Camille and Alexis as well as the seven other victims," the French Rugby Federation added.
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sports
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John Daly took to his SiriusXM radio show to call out the PGA Tour's drug policy as 'a big joke.'
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sports
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Everyone has their own reasons for wanting strong, defined arms; we're here to help. After following this 21-day arm plan, not only will your arms look toned - you'll also be stronger. First things first: don't worry if you've never lifted a dumbbell in your life. This arm challenge was designed with everyone in mind - whether it's your first time working out or you're at the gym on a daily basis. Getting started: The challenge consists of five basic exercises that help to target all the areas of your arms. Over the course of the challenge, you will increase the number of reps you're doing of each exercise, eventually working up to three sets of 15 reps for each exercise. Below is an explanation of how to do each of the five exercises, followed by the plan itself. Choosing the appropriate size weight is key here - you want one that fatigues your muscles by the end of the three sets. If the challenge ever feels too easy, that's your cue to increase the weight of the dumbbells (and if you find you are fatiguing too early, decrease the weight amount). Beginners should start the plan with five-pound weights, and for you more-experienced lifters, make this challenge work for you by grabbing a heavier set. Bicep Curl Start by holding a dumbbell in each hand at the sides of the body. Keeping your elbows close to your side, slowly raise the dumbbells to the chest. Moving with control, lower back to the starting position. This counts as one rep. Upright Row Place a dumbbell in each hand with your palms facing your body, shoulders over the pelvis, and a slight bend in the knees. Keeping the dumbbells close to your body, raise them to your shoulders, bending your elbows out to the sides. Slowly lower them to the starting position. This counts as one rep. Triceps Kickback Holding a dumbbell in each hand, hinge forward from your hips, bending the knees slightly. Bend your elbows behind you. Straighten your arms behind you with your palms facing in. Your arms should be parallel to the floor. Squeeze your triceps, and then return to the starting position. This counts as one rep. Overhead Shoulder Press Hold a dumbbell in each hand just above the shoulders, palms facing in. Straighten the arms above you. Bend the elbows coming back to the starting position to complete one rep. Bent-Over Reverse Fly Holding a dumbbell in each hand with your closed palms facing out, stand with the knees slightly bent. Keeping your back flat, bend forward at the hip joint. Lift both arms to the sides, maintaining a slight bend in the elbows, and squeeze your shoulder blades together. Then, with control, lower the dumbbells back together. This completes one rep. The 3-Week Plan Choose an appropriate size dumbbell (three to eight pounds) and follow the plan below. Every other day is a rest day to give your muscles a chance to rebuild and become stronger.
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health
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Every year, stadium foods (and particularly minor-league baseball affiliates) try to think of new and entertaining (and usually expensive) ways to make your heart explode. This year, the Wilmington Blue Rocks have upped the ante with ... this: We partnered with @krispykreme and we present to you: The Krispy Kreme Donut Dog pic.twitter.com/1EwgIVlVC0 Wilmington BlueRocks (@WilmBlueRocks) March 11, 2015 Wow. Somehow, this is even more ridiculous than the now-ubiquitous Krispy Kreme burger. Probably due to the fact that you can barely see the hot dog in question and what little bit is peeking out from beneath the layers of BACON AND A GLAZED DONUT looks slathered with raspberry jelly, but definitely looks like HUMAN BLOOD. This is what open-heart surgery looks like. If you don't believe me, eat a few of these bad boys. You'll find out in a hurry.
| 1 | 11,509 |
sports
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Toyota Motor Corp's (7203.T) U.S. arm said it was recalling about 112,500 vehicles due to possible safety issues. The recall affects about 110,000 Camry, Camry Hybrid, Highlander and Highlander Hybrid vehicles of model year 2015, RAV4 vehicles of model year 2014-2015, and 2,500 RAV4 EV vehicles of model year 2012-2014, the company said on Wednesday. (http://toyota.us/1BxlhUh) Toyota said components in the RAV4 EV vehicles being recalled might cause them to shift to "neutral" gear due to a software issue, increasing the risk of a crash. The other vehicles being recalled might have possible manufacturing damage in their electric power steering circuit boards, Toyota said. The company said it was not aware of any crashes, injuries or fatalities caused due to these issues.
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finance
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Nothing is certain but death and taxes and maybe not even death, as far as the Social Security Administration is concerned. During tax years 2006 to 2011, 66,920 people filed using a Social Security number for someone born before June 16, 1901 that is, people who would now be age 113 and older, according to a recently released audit from Social Security's inspector general. Those "centenarians" collectively reported $3.1 billion in wages, tips and self-employment income. Pretty eye-popping considering that only 39 known living individuals worldwide are age 112 or older as of earlier this month, according to the Gerontology Research Group. Is it still identity theft if you're dead? "It's obviously fraudulent activity," said Paul Stephens, director of policy and advocacy for the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse. "There's no individual victim, but the fraud is being perpetrated against a government agency, or for employment purposes." Taxpayers are being harmed as a group, he said, if benefits or a tax refund are paid out to a "deceased" individual. The issue traces back to a larger discrepancy the audit found, that 6.5 million Social Security numbers for people born before June 16, 1901 do not have a date of death on record in the administration's "Numident" system. Without a date of death properly noted in the database, government agencies and other entities inquiring wouldn't necessarily know an individual was decreased. "This missing death information could result in erroneous payments made by federal benefit-paying agencies that rely on the DMF [Death Master File] to detect inaccurate or unreported deaths," the audit noted. "The missing death information will also hinder private industry as well as State and local governments' ability to identify and prevent identity fraud." In one incident, an individual was able to open bank accounts using Social Security numbers for people born in 1869 and 1893. Those folks, who depending on their dates of birth would now be as old as 146 and 122, respectively, were still listed as alive in the Social Security database. A spokesman for the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) said no one was immediately available for an interview. A spokesman for the Social Security Administration referred CNBC.com to the administration's response memorandum within the report, which said it prioritizes accuracy and integrity of its payment files. "The cases identified by OIG in this report are not cases where we are making improper payments," it said. "When we receive a report of death we take timely action to terminate payment." It's true that most of those faux centenarians' wages weren't credited to their records for accruing Social Security and other benefits because the names on the earnings reports didn't match the number-holder's name. One Social Security number appeared on 613 different suspended wage reports during that six-year period. Only 71 individuals had $1,000 or more credited to their benefits record in any tax year from 2008 to 2012. "In 34 cases, it appeared someone misused a deceased numberholder's name and SSN to work," auditors wrote. As a result of the audit, the inspector general recommended four actions to the Social Security Administration to add or correct information on the records in question. The administration agreed to complete an analysis by the end of fiscal year 2015 regarding updates to 5 million records but said completing data found in 1.4 million others "would incur significant risk of transferring inaccurate data." For consumers, the bigger concern isn't that their identity will be stolen after they've died. It's that they're accidentally reported as dead while still living, said Stephens. It happens and typically means you can't apply for new credit, access existing financial accounts, or receive any government benefits. "That can have disastrous consequences," he said.
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finance
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Box (BOX) reported quarterly earnings that missed analysts' expectations on Wednesday, sending the stock down as much as 17 percent in after-hours trading. The company reported a fiscal fourth-quarter loss of $1.65 per share, broadly missing estimates for a loss of $1.17 per share. However, Box CEO Aaron Levie disputed the consensus estimate during a call with investors and said it was based on an incorrect share count. He says the forecasts should have actually called for a quarterly loss of $1.99 a share. On a brighter note, the cloud storage provider easily beat revenue estimates as billings for the quarter rose more than 30 percent. Box said fourth-quarter revenue rose to $63 million, up 61 percent from a year ago and topping estimates of $58 million. Billings totaled $82 million, an increase of 33 percent from a year ago. "The opportunity to transform how people work has never been greater, with organizations demanding technology that helps employees be more mobile and collaborative, while keeping information secure," Levie said in a statement. Analysts expected Box (BOX) to post a quarterly loss of $1.17 per share on $58 million in revenue, according to a consensus estimate from Thomson Reuters. Looking forward, Box expects fiscal first-quarter revenue to range between $63 million and $64 million, versus current expectations for $62 million. Michael Yoshikami, CEO and founder of Destination Wealth Management, says the company is working to get into major institutions, but it may face headwinds from competitors who are looking to undercut its storage prices. Google just launched its new cold storage offering and it plans to offer it for a penny per gigabyte "how is Box going to compete with that price," Yoshikami said Wednesday on CNBC's closing bell. The stock was down about 11 percent in extended trading at around $18 a share. Wednesday marked the cloud computing company's first earnings report since it went public in late January. As of Wednesday's close, the stock traded nearly 45 percent higher than its IPO price. The company announced last week that it would acquire Subspace, a workplace computing start-up. Late last month, it launched a cloud platform tailored to financial services companies. Box has more than 45,000 customers worldwide, including large firms such as Astra Zeneca, Eli Lily, General Electric, The Gap, Safeway, Ebay, Boston Scientific, Nationwide, Toyota, and Warner Music Group. CNBC's Jacob Pramuk contributed to this report.
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finance
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Russia on Wednesday said it was kicking off a "year of friendship" with totalitarian North Korea as ties with the West languish over Ukraine. The foreign ministry in Moscow announced it had agreed to start a programme of cultural exchanges with the Stalinist regime in Pyongyang aimed at taking ties between the one-time Cold War allies to a "new high level". The events -- to coincide with the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II in May -- come as Moscow seeks to offset its slump in relations with the West over Russia's support for separatists in Ukraine. The Kremlin has already said that North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un will be coming to Moscow in May to take part in commemorations of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany. The trip would be Kim's first trip abroad since he took over after the death of his father Kim Jong-Il in 2011, with the reclusive state possibly looking to reduce its dependance on its main diplomatic and economic buttress China. Moscow has tried to bolster its relations with a range of partners from Beijing to Caracas in the face of its own economic woes sparked by Western sanctions over Ukraine and tumbling oil prices. The late North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il visited Russia in August 2011 in his armoured train for a meeting with then Russian president Dmitry Medvedev. Russia is seeking to expand economic ties with North Korea and is eyeing a project worth about $25 billion (20 billion euros) to overhaul the country's railway network in return for access to mineral resources. Russia is also one of the key members of long-stalled six-party negotiations with North Korea over ending its nuclear arms programme. On Wednesday, the office of German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she would not attend a May 9 Victory Day parade in Moscow.
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I really hate to admit this, but I'm glad our last cycle was unsuccessful. We've been trying to get pregnant with Baby #3 for nearly six months now. A couple times I felt certain we were going to make that baby. Every month that ends with negative pregnancy tests and the arrival of my period has been emotional. Except this last one. When Aunt Flo arrived, I couldn't help but feel a bit of relief that Baby # 3 would not be sharing a due date with my oldest child. Yes, I was bummed that I wasn't pregnant. My husband and I even joked that of course we'd probably get pregnant around the same time of the year we conceived our daughter. It was kind of interesting to see the same projected due date based on my guesstimated fertile week. Although we continued to actively try to conceive last month, I don't really want my kids' birthdays to be that close together. I love my daughter dearly. She's funny, smart, and a born leader, but I don't think she would handle a new baby being born too close to her birthday well. She already shares it with my favorite holiday, but I'm not sure she wants to share it with a sibling too. I know she would adjust and everything would work out in the end, but the sense of relief was undeniable. In truth, no matter when we get pregnant and have another baby, it will be a big change in our lives. We have one more cycle to go (this one!) before we're free and clear of overlapping our children's birthdays. If we get pregnant this month, then Baby #3 would have a due date a few days past our son's birthday. He's more laid back and for some reason I feel like he wouldn't mind as much. However, I'm not sure how I feel about potentially having three birthdays between Halloween and Christmas. We don't overdo birthdays, but we like everyone to feel special and celebrated on their day. The end of the year is already so busy with the holidays too! Now my husband and I share a birthday. We have no problem with this and I think it's pretty rad, but we didn't have to share our birthday with a family member growing up. However, if we conceive in April, then we might have to share with our youngest. Wouldn't that be something? I could feel like I'm throwing a joint birthday party. We joked about the possibilities, but had hoped to be pregnant before running into these scenarios. I am glad we agreed ahead of time to continue baby-making despite possible due dates. So why wouldn't I want a new baby to be born around my daughter's birthday, but be OK with it being around my son's or mine? I think it's because she was my first. In truth, no matter when we get pregnant and have another baby, it will be a big change in our lives. The whole family will need time to adjust, whether they share a birthday or not.
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lifestyle
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(Bloomberg) -- The U.S. State Department's policy for retaining key e-mails has been inconsistently followed, an inspector general said in a report issued a day after former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton defended her use of a private e-mail. "The absence of centralized oversight allows for an inconsistent application of policy," according to the report released Wednesday by the State Department's Office of Inspector General. The watchdog examined the department policy for preserving "record e-mails," or communications that document policy formulation, help officials respond to congressional questions or protect officials from financial or legal challenges, according to the report. The State Department created 41,749 record e-mails from more than 1 billion messages sent by employees in the U.S. and at embassies, according to the report that studied compliance in 2013 on keeping records of policy discussions and important meetings. Compliance varied across units, according to the report. The consulate in Lagos, Nigeria, created 4,922 record e-mails, the most of any foreign post, while the embassy in Beijing created 47. In Washington, the secretary's office created 7, the public affairs office generated 29 and human resources made 99, according to a chart in the watchdog's report. Mandatory Retention "The department does not give employees adequate training to distinguish between information that should be preserved as records and information that may be discarded," according to the report. "Some employees were under the impression that record e-mails were only a convenience; they had not understood that some e-mails were required to be saved as records." Clinton's e-mails while in office are under scrutiny after she disclosed using a personal account rather than a government e-mail address. The Obama administration in 2011 ordered department heads to conduct official business on government accounts. Clinton, who was secretary of state from 2009 until February 2013 and is preparing a presidential campaign, said she turned over to the department paper copies of 30,490 e-mails relating to government business from her tenure. An additional 31,830 personal messages -- including yoga routines and condolence messages -- were deleted, she said. To contact the reporter on this story: Steve Geimann in Washington at [email protected] To contact the editors responsible for this story: Jon Morgan at [email protected] Steve Geimann, Romaine Bostick
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Google's plan to deliver Internet service from balloons in the stratosphere has come a long way since being unveiled in June 2013. A single "Project Loon" balloon can now remain in the air for more than six months and provide 4G LTE cellular service to an area the size of Rhode Island, according to Google. Company officials have taken to calling Loon balloons "cell towers in the sky." While there's no announced date for a widespread service launch, Google has provided Internet to a school in Brazil and is partnering with cellular operators Vodafone New Zealand, Telstra in Australia, and Telefónica in Latin America. The US probably won't be the first place Loon powers a commercial service. Google is aiming to get more people in developing countries on the Internet (and that's good for Google's business, since a lot of those people will use Google services). "For some countries, having Internet once a day for an hour is a huge deal," Google software engineer Johan Mathe, who plays a key role designing Loon's navigation system, told Ars in a phone interview last week. Rather than offer Internet service itself as it does with Google Fiber, Google's Project Loon is building technology that can integrate with the networks run by cellular operators. Telco operators can send signals from existing cell towers to Google's balloons, and then the balloons send the signals down to smartphones and other cellular-connected devices. While Google says one balloon can cover an area the size of Rhode Island, the coverage area is really bigger than that because one balloon can send its signal to another balloon, which can then send Internet signals down to the ground. (A single balloon can cover an 80 km [49.7 miles] diameter. Rhode Island is 77 km [47.8 miles] north to south and 59.5 km [37 miles] east to west.) "The main cost gain comes from the fact that you can cover a much bigger region with existing infrastructure," Google told Ars. "Telcos take their preexisting infrastructure, point them to the sky, and they get a much broader coverage. For instance, if you already have towers to cover a city, you can point part of it to the sky, and you will be able to cover the whole region through the loon balloon network." The Loon devices are two balloons in one, an outer balloon filled with helium and a smaller one inside filled with air. "We can either pump air in it, which is going to make the balloon go down, or we can remove the air, which is going to make it go up. That's how we change altitude," Mathe explained. Each balloon has a radio for sending and receiving signals and can send its GPS position to the ground so that Google's mission control software can track it in real time. Google has boosted the balloons' potential altitude range from about 800 meters to a couple of kilometers, allowing more control over where they fly. Early on, Google could keep the balloons in the air for about five days. Now the average is more than 100 days, with a record of 187. A Google announcement this month gives a sense of how that flight was achieved: In the same time it took the Earth to complete half of its annual orbit of the sun, our record-breaker managed to circumnavigate the globe 9 times, enduring temperatures as low as -75c (-103 F) and wind speeds as high as 291 km/h, soaring to a maximum height of 21 km and drifting over more than a dozen countries across 4 continents. Having been in the air for just over 3 months we decided to put the balloon through its paces, making a series of altitude changes on its last circumnavigation to test our ability to fly north out of southern latitude bands. The test was successful and we managed to turn up to the Northern tip of Australia where we were able to access a much slower wind stream going in the opposite direction and sending our balloon lazily back over to South America. Finally, we brought it back into its original southern latitude band to swoop in and land in one of our Argentinian recovery zones for collection. 187 days is more than enough for Google's purposes. In fact, the three-plus month average is enough because the company wants to be able to frequently upgrade the technology on the balloons, Mathe explained. The shift from home Internet to cellular When Loon started, Google was testing a system that delivered Internet service to antennas on people's homes. Mathe explained that this was due at least partly to technology limitations. Project Loon is now capable of sending signals that can be picked up by the smaller antennas on phones. "Because the power in a handset is smaller, you actually have to send more energy to send a data stream to a handset with a low antenna power than a… slightly more powered antenna you could have in a home," he said. There's also a practical reason for focusing on cellular connectivity. "We see trends in developing countries where people are skipping laptops altogether and going straight to mobile," Google spokesperson Katelin Jabbari told Ars. Loon began with 3G-like speeds and is now using LTE, hitting about 10Mbps downloads. Real people have used Loon, but at small scales. "We've been doing extremely small experiments so far, one in Brazil where we gave Internet to a group providing Internet to a small school," Mathe said. Loon could help carriers reach villages with tiny populations where it wouldn't be economically feasible to build cell towers, Jabbari said. Google is negotiating with telecommunications partners to expand the tests into bigger pilot projects within the next year, with the goal of eventually starting commercial operations. Google has also been doing short duration tests in California to evaluate connection technology and designs, but the long flights have been outside the US. "Right now we are launching primarily from New Zealand," Jabbari said. "We chose that latitude initially because there are good winds and New Zealand is really exited to have us. The countries we're flying over were happy to give us overflight permission. Now we've gotten overflight permissions from all countries in the Southern Hemisphere." As for where pilot projects will begin, Jabbari said, "given that we have an established launch site in New Zealand and an established recovery zone in Latin America and other places, that's where you're most likely to see us, somewhere around there." However, "we've had conversations with countries elsewhere and telcos elsewhere, those have all gone really well." Jabbari said Google wants to create a "ring around the world" with its balloons. What the service eventually looks like depends a lot on telecommunications providers. "We're actively looking for various partners everywhere to grow our potential," Mathe said. "It really depends on partners and the kinds of things they want to provide to their customers and the kind of network access they want to provide."
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During a timeout of the 2015 New York Life ACC Tournament, Sergeant Kyle Snyder, his wife and five children receive the surprise of a lifetime, as they are presented with a brand new custom home courtesy of Operation Coming Home! Watch this amazing moment unfold and the heartwarming reaction.
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With spring air travel expected to rise to the highest level since 2007, tourism leaders are calling on airlines to invest more of their profits on airport upgrades and to open the door to greater competition. About 134.8 million passengers are expected to fly in March and April this year, a 2 percent increase over last year, according to a report released Wednesday by Airlines for America, a trade group for the nation's carriers. In 2007, 135.1 million passengers flew during that period. The trade group attributes the increase in spring travel to "rising U.S. employment and personal incomes, an improving economy, the highest consumer sentiment in a decade and the continued affordability of air travel," said John Heimlich, chief economist for the group. But the airline industry came under fire Wednesday by tourism leaders who say carriers are not doing enough to make air travel enjoyable. "Every piece of evidence we have shows that our infrastructure is already straining under the current load, and that passengers are frustrated beyond words by overcrowded flights and delays in the terminal and on the tarmac," said Roger Dow, president and chief executive of the U.S. Travel Association, the trade group for the nation's tourism industry. The strain between the two groups is focused partly on a passenger facility charge on airfares that the Obama administration wants to increase from $4.50 per flight segment to $8. The travel association supports the higher fee to pay for airport improvements. The airlines say the higher fee will push down demand. Another topic of dispute has been a call by three of the nation's largest airlines to restrict access to the U.S. by international carriers from the Persian Gulf. United, Delta and American have argued that Qatar, Etihad and Emirates airlines compete unfairly because they receive government subsidies. Several U.S. airlines are also urging the U.S. government to restrict new flights to the U.S. from budget carrier Norwegian Air Shuttle. "We're alarmed that the big three seem determined to stamp out competition and cling to the status quo, which fundamentally harms the consumer, particularly as demand grows," Dow said. Annual profit for the top 10 U.S. airlines rose to a combined $7.3 billion in 2014, representing a profit margin of 4.6 percent compared with a 3.2 percent profit margin in 2011 and 3.7 percent in 2012, according to federal statistics.
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Grains of rock spewed into deep space suggest a small moon of Saturn has hydrothermal vents, boosting theories it may harbour microbial life, scientists said Wednesday. Reporting in the journal Nature, astrophysicists in the United States offered a solution to a decade-old mystery over dust observed streaming from Saturn's rings. The grains are disgorged from a mineral-rich, balmy sea beneath the planet's ice-crusted moon Enceladus, they suggested. It is the first indication of ongoing hydrothermal activity beyond Earth, a possible clue to the existence of warm, water-rich conditions conducive to life beyond our planet. "It is very exciting that we can use these tiny grains of rock, spewed into space by geysers, to tell us about conditions on, and beneath, the ocean floor of an icy moon," said Sean Hsu of the University of Colorado at Boulder, who led the four-year probe. A curiosity of the solar system, Enceladus looks like a ball of ice, 500 kilometres (310 miles) in diameter, its mostly smooth exterior marked by a few shallow, wavy ridges and small pockmarks from space impacts. At its south pole, Enceladus disgorges fountains of ice crystals from what is thought to be a sub-surface ocean about 10 km (six miles) deep -- about the size of Lake Superior, the second largest freshwater body on Earth. One theory is that the water can exist in liquid form, despite the deep chill of the outer solar system, thanks to a phenomenon called tidal heating. The guts of Enceladus are squeezed and released by the gravitational pull of mighty Saturn, causing friction and thus warmth. - Space oddity - But the wonders of Enceladus do not appear to end there. The unmanned US probe Cassini found nano-sized (billionths of a metre) grains streaming out of Saturn's so-called "E" ring, which is believed to comprise Enceladus crystals. For years, scientists have been trying to figure what these specks are, and how they got there. Based on measurements from Cassini's onboard instruments of the grains' chemical signature, Hsu's team concluded they were likely grains of silica -- the mineral found on Earth in quartz and sand -- from the Enceladus sea. They then used computer simulations and lab tests to calculate how this could happen. Very hot water -- at least 90 degrees Celsius (194 degrees Fahrenheit) -- that is slightly alkaline and super-saturated with silica, must be shooting upwards from the moon's spongy rocks, before coming into contact with cooler water at the ocean floor. The big drop in temperature causes the grains to form, which are eventually spouted from the south pole with water, which instantly freezes on contact with space. The grains' tiny size suggests the process is fast -- a 50-km (30-mile) trip from their hydrothermal origins to outer space that would take only a few years, otherwise the specks would be much bigger. "Ten years ago, it was a big mystery why the nano-grains were made of silica rather than water ice," said co-author Sascha Kempf. "Now we know the observations were correct. We know where the silica particles are coming from, and why we are seeing them. We learned something very unexpected." In a commentary also carried by Nature, Gabriel Tobie at the University of Nantes in western France saw an intriguing parallel with a hydrothermal field back on Earth, dubbed Lost City. It is a spread of limestone chimneys some 60 metres (200 feet) tall, discovered on the floor of the mid-Atlantic in the early 2000s. The funnels spit fluids rich in hydrogen and methane at temperatures of 90 C, creating a niche habitat for tough, specialised microbes. Lost City has been put forward as a model of how microscopic life could be nurtured on other planets. "The current findings confirm" the idea is valid, said Tobie. "But only future missions... will be able to confirm Enceladus' astrobiological potential and fully reveal the secrets of its hot springs."
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Hall of Fame basketball writer Mark Heisler joins CineSport's Noah Coslov to talk about Amar'e Stoudemire calling out the Mavericks after losing to the Cavs, and warns against counting them out.
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Exotic locations for your destination wedding Looking to tie the knot someplace as unique as your special someone? Here are 14 alluring wedding locations that marry both romance and adventure. Dubrovnik, Croatia The coastal city of Dubrovnik, also called the "Pearl of the Adriatic," is one of the most romantic cities in the world. With an atmospheric walled Old Town, outstanding local cuisine and cool new hotels, its rich mix of historic charm and modern temptations is sure to make your wedding unforgettable. MSN Travel: Plan a trip to Dubrovnik, Croatia Wat Rong Khun, Thailand This dazzling temple in Chiang Rai is truly one of a kind. Inside you'll find murals of Superman and Michael Jackson, while outside it's all traditional Buddhist imagery. Picture this as your wedding photo's icing-white, cake-like backdrop. MSN Travel: Plan a trip to Chiang Rai, Thailand Tahiti, French Polynesia Tahiti is the definition of desert-island bliss. The beauty of this place, with its flour-white beaches, azure lagoons and spectacular volcanic peaks, has captivated generations of writers and artists. Its black pearls, fresh seafood and laid-back Polynesian pace will inspire you and your guests, too. MSN Travel: Plan a trip to Tahiti, French Polynesia Ukhahlamba-Drakensberg Park, South Africa South Africa's breathtaking "Dragon Mountains" park, a World Heritage Site, offers not only a cinematic setting but many specialized venues for a wedding experience you'll forever cherish. MSN Travel: Plan a trip to Ukhahlamba-Drakensberg Park, South Africa Cayo, Belize Cayo District in western Belize is a tropical paradise for couples more interested in outdoor adventure than lounging on a beach. This region is unspoiled but accessible, with Belize a short two-hour flight from Miami. If your dream wedding involves saying "I do" in a jungle lodge before going off to explore some Mayan ruins, Cayo's the place for you. County Clare, Ireland Prefer a different kind of "green" wedding? County Clare is about as Irish as Irish gets. Its rolling hills and quaint seaside towns, offset by dramatic coastal cliffs, are enlivened by the spirited traditional music heard almost everywhere here. MSN Travel: Plan a trip to County Clare, Ireland Trondheim, Norway This ancient city, founded by Vikings, is today a university center with a progressive, youthful vibe. You and your beloved will walk hand-in-hand through its pedestrian-friendly streets, and might even exchange vows beneath the glowing canopy of the Northern Lights. MSN Travel: Plan a trip to Trondheim, Norway Seychelles With gorgeous beaches and lush green forests, this archipelago is ideal for newlyweds. Located in the Indian Ocean about 900 miles east of Kenya, Seychelles is as exotic as you could hope to find. Consider tacking on a honeymoon. Hamilton Island, Australia This bustling island has something for every taste, with a wide range of accommodation options, restaurants, bars and other amenities. Active couples will be particularly enchanted by its walking trails and sports offerings. Tuscany, Italy A perfect destination for art and culture lovers, this Italian region is known for its extraordinary paintings, sculptures and architectural masterpieces. There's no better spot to celebrate your new life together than the birthplace of the Renaissance. MSN Travel: Plan a trip to Florence, Italy Aruba, Caribbean A favorite destination for Americans hailing from the East Coast, this island has a good many beaches and resorts, plus a little town adding to its seductive ambiance. Tulum, Mexico Best known for its clifftop Mayan city overlooking the Caribbean, Tulum caters to an exclusive crowd of sophisticated, well-heeled travelers looking to get away from it all. From powdered-sugar beaches to the Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve, Tulum will win a special place in your heart. MSN Travel: Plan a trip to Tulum, Mexico Tamarindo, Costa Rica A prime surfing destination, this town has one of the most developed beaches in Costa Rica. But it's far more than party central. As part of Las Baulas National Marine Park, it's one of the main nesting sites for leatherback turtles, which gather on the Playa Grande from October to March. Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park, New Zealand For most couples, venturing this far will be a once-in-a-lifetime trip--perfect for an unparalleled and unforgettable wedding. MSN Travel: Plan a trip to Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park, New Zealand
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When it comes to talking about getting down, some stars are a little more candid than others - we're looking at you, Armie Hammer - which is why it can be pretty shocking when otherwise private celebs like Beyoncé, George Clooney, or Gwyneth Paltrow open up about their sex lives. Russell Brand spoke out about his sex life with ex-wife Katy Perry during a stand-up gig, saying, "I'd be having sex thinking, 'Think of anyone, anyone else.'" Um, burn? Also, Martha Stewart admitted to sexting and revealed that she "maybe" had a threesome, while Cher named former boyfriend Tom Cruise as being "in the top five" of her best lovers - and who can forget when John Mayer called Jessica Simpson "sexual napalm"? We've rounded up the most surprising celebrity sex confessions (so far), so scroll through to see them all now. Elizabeth Hurley During an appearance on Watch What Happens Live in March 2015, the actress spoke about her sex life with longtime boyfriend Hugh Grant, who she dated from 1987 to 2000. She told Andy Cohen, "I was with him for 13 years!" before rating his sexual prowess "a 10." Chrissy Teigen Chrissy admitted that she and her husband John Legend were advanced members of the Mile High Club; in the June 2014 issue of Cosmo, the model said, "We were on our way to Thailand to see my parents, flying commercial first-class. We were under a blanket. We weren't even in one of those pod things. I feel like we should get a trophy for that." Russell Brand Russell Brand took some not-so-nice jabs at ex-wife Katy Perry during a July 2013 stand-up routine at London's Soho Theatre. During the show, he joked about how he considered becoming a monk after the couple's 2011 divorce, saying, "When you're a monk, you're not allowed to have sex with anyone. When you're married, it's one person. That's one more than a monk. It's not that different." About sleeping with Katy, he added, "I'd be having sex thinking, 'Think of anyone, anyone else.'" Cher During a June appearance on Watch What Happens Live, Cher reflected on her relationship with Tom Cruise in the early '80s, telling host Andy Cohen that the actor "was in the top five" of her best lovers. She added, "It was pretty hot and heavy for a little minute. He's a great guy." Martha Stewart Whoa, Martha! The queen of domesticity spilled some sexy secrets to Andy Cohen during a June interview on Watch What Happens Live. When asked if she'd ever had a threesome, Martha simply smirked and replied, "Maybe." She also admitted to sexting! Armie Hammer Oh, Armie - the Lone Ranger star has been letting it all hang out lately when it comes to sexy talk. He recently told Elle magazine, "One chick tried to stab me when we were having sex. I should so not be telling this story. She was like, 'True love leaves scars. You don't have any.' And then she tried to stab me with a butcher knife. Of course I promptly broke up with her . . . seven months later." John Mayer John Mayer held nothing back during a 2010 interview with Playboy when he dished on his sexual relationship with Jessica Simpson. About Jessica, who he dated in 2006, John said, "Sexually it was crazy. It was like napalm, sexual napalm." He went on to call her "a drug," adding, "Did you ever say, 'I want to quit my life and just f*cking snort you? If you charged me $10,000 to f*ck you, I would start selling all my sh*t just to keep f*cking you'?" Wilmer Valderrama Wilmer Valderrama spilled the beans about his sex life with then-girlfriend Mandy Moore in a big way - he stopped by Howard Stern's radio show in March 2006 and revealed that he took the singer's virginity, saying, "The sex with Mandy was good, but it wasn't like warm apple pie."Wilmer also claimed he'd been sleeping with Lindsay Lohan, Jennifer Love Hewitt, and Ashlee Simpson, who he dubbed "a screamer." Angelina Jolie Angelina Jolie is no stranger to talking about her sexual past, but she doesn't hold back from discussing the present, either. While expecting twins Vivienne and Knox in 2008, Angelina hinted to Entertainment Weekly that her intimacy with Brad Pitt hadn't waned, saying, "[Pregnancy is] great for the sex life. It just makes you a lot more creative, so you have fun." George Clooney George Clooney gave details about his sexual past in the November 2011 issue of Rolling Stone. He confessed to losing his virginity at the age of 16 but explained that his first orgasm came much earlier, saying, "I believe it was while climbing a rope when I was 6 or 7 years old. I mean, nothing came out, but all the other elements were there. I remember getting to the top of the rope, hanging off the rope, and going, 'Oh my God, this feels great!'" Jessica Simpson Jessica Simpson has never shied away from talking about her sex life, but she still surprised us with her candid comments to Ryan Seacrest in March 2012. Talking about the joys of pregnancy sex, Jessica revealed that she was "definitely feeling intimate." She went on, saying, "I'm kind of unstoppable right now. The Big O is, like, the biggest O ever!" Gwyneth Paltrow In an April 2012 sit-down for The Conversation With Amanda de Cadenet, Gwyneth Paltrow admitted to not having a favorite sexual position, but instead said, "I'm down with all of them." Paula Patton and Robin Thicke Former couple Paula Patton and Robin Thicke have each spoken out about how great their sex lives are together; Robin told Essence magazine in December 2011, "I like to try to get her into double-digit orgasms as much as possible," while Paula divulged in an April interview this year that the secret to a happy marriage is "lots of sex." Jada Pinkett Smith Jada Pinkett Smith gave a glimpse into her sex life with husband Will Smith when she offered advice to Redbook magazine in 2009, saying, "Be sneaky. . . . your girlfriend's house at a party. The bathroom. A bedroom. Think of places outside that are comfortable to have sex." She added, "Does he have access to his office? Have a fantasy date. Be his secretary! Pull over on the side of the road. . . . Just switch it up." Cameron Diaz Cameron Diaz got candid in July 2010 when she was asked how she maintains her youthful glow - she told Vogue UK, "I guess it's exercise, healthy diet, lots of water, lots of laughter, lots of sex - yes, sex, we need that as human beings. It's healthy, it's natural, it's what we are here to do." Zoe Saldana Zoe Saldana didn't hold back when she was asked about her favorite sexual position on The Conversation With Amanda de Cadenet in April 2012, saying, "I like missionary and I like being on my knees too. And I love being on top. . . . I love doggy style or standing up." Nick Cannon Nick Cannon spoke about his and estranged wife Mariah Carey's sex life in a 2012 interview with Howard Stern, revealing that the couple makes love to her music and he sometimes pleasures himself to her tunes "when she's not there". Beyoncé Knowles During her HBO documentary Life Is but a Dream, Beyoncé tells the camera, "If I'm scared, be scared, allow it, release it, move on. I think I need to go listen to 'Make Love to Me' and make love to my husband." Sting A longtime proponent of tantric sex, Sting bared all in a February 2011 interview with Harper's Bazaar, saying of wife Trudie Styler, "When we see each other, it's romance. I don't think pedestrian sex is very interesting. There's a playfulness we have; I like the theater of sex. I like to look good. I like her to dress up. I like to dress her up." Jane Fonda During a May 2012 interview on The Conversation With Amanda de Cadenet, legendary actress Jane Fonda revealed her favorite sexual position: "While I am quite flexible and I can kneel, [sex is] not quite as comfortable for me as it used to be before I had a fake knee." She added, "[I prefer to be] either lying down or sitting up on a couch with him coming on to me, no pun intended." Kesha Kesha revealed a supernatural sexual experience in a radio interview with Ryan Seacrest in September 2012, saying, "I don't know his name - he was a ghost. I'm very open to it." Robert Downey Jr. Robert Downey Jr. discussed his, er, self-love with the Sunday Times in October 2008, revealing that he "was a compulsive, serial masturbator." He went on: "But it was the best thing I could have been. I utilized that organ and rode it for everything it was worth." Olivia Wilde While speaking at the These Girls event in October 2012, Olivia Wilde told the crowd that she and fiancé Jason Sudeikis "have sex like Kenyan marathon runners."
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Chip Kelly met the media on Wednesday afternoon and defended the Eagles' acquisition of Sam Bradford while dispelling rumors that the team is moving up in the Draft to draft Marcus Mariota.
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The NCAA had total revenue of nearly $1 billion during its 2014 fiscal year, according to an audited financial statement the association released Wednesday. The total resulted in a nearly $80.5 million surplus for the year almost $20 million more than the surplus the NCAA had in 2013 and the fourth consecutive year in which the annual surplus has exceeded $60 million. USA TODAY Sports has compiled the NCAA's financial statements for each of the past 10 years, and the latest surplus is the largest the association has recorded during that time. Its greatest previous annual surplus was the $70.9 million it recorded in 2012. The latest surplus increased the NCAA's year-end net assets to nearly $708 million -- more than double where they stood at the end of its 2008 fiscal year. Among the NCAA's nearly $665 million in unrestricted net assets is an endowment fund that had grown to more than $385 million as of the end of the 2014 fiscal year. The fund grew by more than $59 million in 2014, by far the greatest one-year increase since it was established in 2004. The NCAA had $989 million in total revenue in fiscal 2014, according to the statement. It had $908.6 million in total expenses, including $547.1 million distributed to Division I schools and conferences. The new financial statement dated Dec. 12, 2014 also provided some insight into the NCAA's recent legal costs and how it plans to pay for various legal settlements and the role of insurance in those matters. The association has been involved in a series of high-profile lawsuits ranging from the Ed O'Bannon and Sam Keller cases relating to the use of athletes' names and likenesses, to concussions cases, to litigation that rose from the Penn State infractions case. The concussions case has reached a proposed settlement under which the NCAA would provide $70 million for concussion testing, diagnoses, education and research. The statement states that: "Negotiations are continuing with NCAA insurers to fund the medical monitoring fund, should the settlement agreement reach final approval stage with the Court. Settlement is contingent upon a funding model acceptable to the NCAA." As for the $20 million settlement the NCAA has proposed to make in the Keller case, the statement says "funding will be provided by a combination of insurance proceeds and settlements with third parties." The statement also takes note of the "unfavorable verdict" the NCAA received in the O'Bannon case, in which U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken also awarded the plaintiffs their legal costs and fees. The NCAA has appealed the verdict and is contesting the plaintiffs' lawyers request for nearly $50 million in attorney's fees and costs. "At this time," the statement says, "the NCAA cannot reasonably estimate the amount of loss, if any, that may result should an unfavorable resolution occur upon appeal." However, the statement says that the NCAA has incurred attorney's fees while defending against these various legal matters and those fees are recorded in the statement's figures. The statement says the fees are included among the expenses categorized as "Association-wide programs." Those expenses grew by $36 million in fiscal 2014 to $158.1 million. That differential is unlikely to be entirely attributable to increased legal costs, but from the association's 2010 fiscal year through its 2013 fiscal year, its expenses for association-wide programs were never reported as being more than $128.3 million.
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BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) Virginia Tech has identified the 21-year-old student who went overboard on a Carnival cruise ship near the Bahamas. Virginia Tech said Wednesday that the student is Cameron Smook of Glen Allen, Virginia a senior majoring in mining and minerals engineering. Officials say Smook went missing from the cruise ship Carnival Glory on Sunday. Carnival spokesman Vance Gulliksen says camera footage confirmed a man went overboard. The Coast Guard says it called off the search for Smook on Tuesday after searching more than 6,500 square miles and consulting with Smook's family. Two other cruise ships also helped in the search. Virginia Tech released a statement from Smook's family that says Smook was on track to graduate in the spring and had just accepted a job offer.
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America struggling to close the gender wage gap March 8 was International Women's Day, meant to celebrate achievements among women, and promote greater equality around the world. The United States is doing well in some areas, but continues to struggle to close the gender wage gap. In 2013, the median annual earnings of men were $48,520. Women earned just 78.8% of men's pay, or about $10,000 less. This difference has remained basically unchanged over at least the last seven years in the U.S. Women earn less than men in every part of the United States, although the gender pay gap varies considerably across the country. Women's median pay in Fresno, California was slightly lower than the typical pay of men, while in Provo-Orem, Utah women earned less than 60% of what men earned, the worst pay gap nationwide. Women in the 10 areas with the worst gender pay gaps earned less than three-quarters of the median earnings of men. 24/7 Wall St. reviewed America's 100 most populous metropolitan areas to find the regions with the smallest and widest gender wage gaps. A small pay gap does not mean women are well paid, just as a large difference between men and women's earnings does not necessarily mean women have low earnings. In fact, only three of the metro areas with the smallest pay gaps had overall median earnings that exceeded the national median of $42,498, meaning both men and women were not particularly well paid. In half of the 10 areas where women earned the least compared to men, residents had relatively high wages overall. This may actually have exacerbated the pay gap, because women in these areas were not necessarily paid more than women in other cities. Women workers in nine of the 10 metro areas with the largest pay gaps had median earnings lower than women across the nation. The median earnings of women in the one exception the Bridgeport metro area were relatively high at $51,837, but this figure was far lower than the median earnings of Bridgeport men. In an interview with 24/7 Wall St., Ariane Hegewisch, study director at the Institute For Women's Policy Research (IWPR), explained there is simply less room for wage discrimination when earnings are so low overall. "If you are a high earner, your earnings are very high," Hegewisch said. Since women are underrepresented among top earners, areas with high median earnings are often more vulnerable to pay discrimination, she added. Nationwide, women did not have higher median earnings than men in any of the occupations reviewed by the Census. However, different jobs tend to have different gender pay gaps. Among community and social service workers in three of the 10 metro areas with the lowest pay gaps, female workers earned more than their male counterparts. Click ahead for the five best (and five worst) paying cities for women, and then visit 24/7 Wall St. for the complete report . No. 5 best: Tucson, AZ Metro Area > Women's pay as a pct. of men's: 86.8% > Median earnings for men: $41,994 > Median earnings for women: $36,467 In computer and mathematical occupations, architectural and engineering jobs, and science fields, women comprised a minority of workers, and they were also paid far less fairly than women working in those fields across the country. Relatively equal pay in other occupations made up for those disparities, contributing to the metro's fifth-best overall gender pay ratio of 86.8%. The median pay for women in buildings and grounds occupations, for example, was $21,226, 95.7% of what men earned in similar jobs, one of the highest such shares. Additionally, women in legal professions had median earnings of $48,104, lower than the national median earnings for women in the field but also 77.3% what men earned. While this figure is not especially high compared to ratios in other occupations, it was substantially better than the comparable national ratio of 52.6% in legal professions. Read More: States With the Highest Gas Prices No. 4 best: McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX Metro Area > Women's pay as a pct. of men's: 87.5% > Median earnings for men: $32,187 > Median earnings for women: $28,152 The median earnings of McAllen metro area residents were $31,065 in 2013, the lowest among the 100 largest metro areas. Both sexes also had some of the lowest educational attainment rates, at 15.3% for men, and 17.0% for women, both roughly half the percentage of Americans with at least a bachelor's degree. As Hegewisch explained in an interview with 24/7 Wall St., there may be less opportunity and less room for discrimination in areas with such low incomes. The gender pay gap was small overall in McAllen, and women were paid especially well compared to men in several jobs, such as community and social service occupations. However, women were paid much less fairly in other higher paying jobs. Median earnings for women working in business and financial jobs, for instance, were $36,419 70.5% of male median earnings, one of the worst such gaps. Read More: The Best (and Worst) States for Business No. 3 best: Sacramento-Roseville-Arden-Arcade, CA Metro Area > Women's pay as a pct. of men's: 88.4% > Median earnings for men: $51,634 > Median earnings for women: $45,634 The Sacramento metro area is one of four California metro areas on the list of 10 areas with the smallest gender pay gaps. Women fared especially well in architecture and engineering occupations and in science professions both male-dominated fields with median earnings equal to or greater than the earnings of male workers. The median earnings of female personal care providers were $23,657, higher than the comparable national income and greater than the median earnings of men. Men earned less than the respective national income for the occupation. Read More: The Worst Paying Jobs for Women No. 2 best: Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA Metro Area > Women's pay as a pct. of men's: 88.7% > Median earnings for men: $45,916 > Median earnings for women: $40,749 Professional female scientists working in the Los Angeles metro area made up a majority of the science-related workforce and had higher median earnings than their male counterparts. Similarly, in office and administrative support occupations, women made up more than two-thirds of workers, although this was less than the national average composition. The median earnings of female office and administrative support workers were $37,256, higher than both the median male earnings and the comparable female median earnings nationwide. LA women also fared well in transportation jobs, a male-dominated occupation. While women in the area comprised just 11.2% of the transportation workforce, their median earnings were nearly $36,000 in 2013, considerably higher than the national figure and 105.4% of the men's median earnings, the eighth highest percentage compared to other large metro areas. Read More: States With the Highest Gas Prices No. 1 best: Fresno, CA Metro Area > Women's pay as a pct. of men's: 89.6% > Median earnings for men: $39,697 > Median earnings for women: $35,557 Women working in Fresno made nearly ninety cents for every dollar a man made, the smallest gender pay gap among the 100 largest U.S. metro areas. Overall, earnings were not especially high, with a typical resident earning $37,424 in 2013, versus the national median of $42,498. And while women tended to have higher college attainment rates than men in the area, all residents were far less likely than most Americans to have completed at least a bachelor's degree as of 2013. While women made up a minority of workers in computer and mathematical occupations, as well as in the architecture and engineering professions, their median earnings were higher than their male counterparts. However, in both fields, women in Fresno did not earn more than men in similar jobs nationwide. The gender pay gap would have been even smaller if median earnings for women in legal occupations were higher. Women in such jobs earned less than 40% of what men did, an exceptionally wide gap compared to other areas with the lowest pay gaps. View the complete report at 24/7 Wall St. No. 5 worst: Bakersfield, CA > Women's pay as a pct. of men's: 71.3% > Median earnings for men: $44,704 > Median earnings for women: $31,853 Despite making up a minority of the workforces in computer and mathematical occupations, as well as in architecture and engineering jobs, the median earnings of female professionals in Bakersfield working in these fields were roughly equal to or greater than their male peers' earnings. Also, while metro areas with overall low median earnings tended to have smaller gender wage gaps, Bakersfield's workforce had median earnings of $39,615 in 2013, one of the lower income figures. Still, women earned 71.3% of what their male peers earned, the fifth widest wage gap. Discrepancies between men and women's pay were most severe in art-related occupations, where the median earnings of men were $75,720, more than $50,000 greater than the comparable figure for women. Women earned 33% what men earned doing the same job, the lowest percentage among female workers in the arts compared to all large metro areas. Read More: The Best (and Worst) States for Business No. 4 worst: Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, OH-PA > Women's pay as a pct. of men's: 71.0% > Median earnings for men: $45,081 > Median earnings for women: $32,017 In community and social service occupations, as well as in education jobs, where women made up the majority of the Youngstown area workforces, the median earnings of female workers were greater than or close to equal the male earnings. In architecture and engineering, on the other hand, median earnings for women workers were half of the median earnings of males, nearly the worst occupational wage gap in the field among large metro areas. While women in the area had slightly better educational attainment rates than men, all area residents were far less likely than most Americans to have attained at least a bachelor's degree as of 2013. Read More: The Worst Paying Jobs for Women No. 3 worst: Dayton, OH > Women's pay as a pct. of men's: 70.6% > Median earnings for men: $49,729 > Median earnings for women: $35,097 Unlike other large metro areas with the widest gender pay gaps, female managers working in Dayton earned closer to what men did than women working such jobs nationwide. And for area women working in computer and mathematical jobs, median earnings actually exceeded male earnings. However, female workers in other occupations were not so fortunate. In health diagnosing and practitioner occupations, where women made up more than three-quarters of the workforce in Dayton, median earnings for women were equal to 37.2% of male median earnings, nearly the lowest such pay share in large metro areas. Read More: States With the Highest Gas Prices No. 2 Worst: Ogden-Clearfield, UT > Women's pay as a pct. of men's: 68.6% > Median earnings for men: $51,689 > Median earnings for women: $35,445 Women in the Ogden metro area were paid especially unfairly in art-related fields and protective service occupations, such as firefighters. Median earnings among women in the two occupations were 55.9% and 42.8% of male earnings, respectively, some of the worst occupational pay gaps in large metro areas. Women in the area had more than 80% of health care support jobs and had median earnings of $25,148. While this was lower than earnings nationally for the same jobs, women working in these fields earned considerably more than men in similar jobs. This was exceptional, however, as area women fared worse than women nationally in nearly every other occupation in the metro. The pay gap among workers in building and ground cleaning and maintenance occupations, for example, was worse than in every other large metro area, with women's median earnings equal to just 36.3% of male earnings in 2013. Read More: The Worst Paying Jobs for Women No. 1 Worst: Provo-Orem, UT > Women's pay as a pct. of men's: 59.8% > Median earnings for men: $52,170 > Median earnings for women: $31,209 The median earnings of working women in the Provo metro area were $31,209 in 2013, less than 60% of median earnings for men, by far the worst pay gap among large metro areas. Unlike other metro areas with large gender pay gaps, men had a far higher educational attainment rate than women, with 41.6% of men holding at least a bachelor's degree, versus less than 34% of women. Women who had better education still were not guaranteed fair pay. For example, women in legal occupations, which generally require relatively high levels of education, earned roughly one-third of what men did in the same jobs, nearly the worst such pay gap in large metro areas. Median earnings of women working in education fields were equal to less than 62% of median male earnings, the worst pay gap among the 100 largest metro areas. The majority of Utah residents are members of the Mormon Church. Some women's rights groups have observed that the disparate treatment of men and women in Utah metro areas may be due in part to views held by the church. Visit 24/7 Wall St. for the complete report
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CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta explores the science of happiness.
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Actor Tom Cruise is putting his $59 million dollar Telluride, Colorado estate on the market. Supposedly, Cruise is unloading this amazing ten thousand square foot home because he just doesn't use it very much. During his marriage to Nicole Kidman, the couple bought the almost 300 acre estate and it served as one of Tom and Katie Holmes favorite getaways during their marriage. Since the divorce three years ago, Tom doesn't get their too much so he is listing the amazing compound.
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From crisp, crunchy baguettes to healthy, herb bread, these warm from the oven loaves will delight you. Pumpkin Bread Get your recipe here . Walnut Bread Get your recipe here . Skillet Bread Get your recipe here. Boston Brown Bread Get your recipe here . Oatmeal & Buttermilk Bread Get your recipe here . Chili Chocolate Bread Get your recipe here . Whole Wheat Bread Get your recipe here . Vegan Zucchini Bread Get your recipe here . Date & Malted Barley Bread Get your recipe here . Ekmek (Turkish Country Bread) Get your recipe here. Potato-Chive Monkey Bread Get your recipe here . Cheddar Bacon Bread Get your recipe here. Pizza Monkey Bread Get your recipe here . Olive Bread Get your recipe here. Challah Bread Get your recipe here. Dark Pumpernickel Onion Bread Get your recipe here. Sourdough Baguette Get your recipe here . Simple Gluten-Free White Bread Get your recipe here. Herb Bread Get your recipe here .
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We've seen three NFL players under the age of 30 retire this week, but will we see more players retire early? Our guys weigh in on whether or not this trend continues in the NFL.
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Memo to [email protected]: Running multiple email accounts on a single device isn't that hard. Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton's excuse for using a personal e-mail to conduct state business came down to one thing: convenience. "Looking back, it would have been better for me to use two separate phones and two separate e-mail accounts," Clinton said at a press conference Tuesday. "I thought using one device would be simpler. Obviously, it hasn't worked out that way." In 2015, when smartphones can do almost anything, that excuse sounds absurd. In fairness, when Clinton was in office that may have had some weight , according to the Washington Post. President Obama's former speech writer Jon Favreau noted this on Twitter, explaining that prior to 2011-2012, only White House emails were allowed on government-issued BlackBerrys (Clinton served as U.S. Secretary of State from January, 2009 to February, 2013). @jpodhoretz you couldn't with WH accounts (and I guess State too) until maybe 2011-12 Jon Favreau (@jonfavs) March 10, 2015 It wasn't until 2013 that Blackberry introduced a feature called BlackBerry Balance, which kept personal data and secure work emails separate, according to USA Today . That may have not been released in time for Clinton to fix her email problem. But if you want to avoid the backlash Clinton received, it's not too difficult to add multiple email addresses to your own smartphone. Here's how: Apple iOS Hopping into "Settings > Mail, Contacts, Calendars," users can then tap "Add Account." The on-screen instructions there are fairly straightforward, including adding company email accounts. After adding the relevant information (you may have to call on your IT department to get server addresses, port numbers and the like), a user can tap "Done" to complete the process. To add a second account, just hit "Add Account" and go through the same process again. This may vary slightly depending on company IT policy. Apple has a more detailed tutorial located on its website . Google Android With Android 5 Lollipop, it's possible to do the same thing by opening the Gmail App, tapping the menu button and hitting "Add Account." After following the on-screen instructions, repeat the process to add another email address. Note: If your work email is managed through Google Apps for Work, adding it to Gmail on Android may also give your company device management features, such as the ability to remote wipe , reset a device code and lock it. This is dependent on a company's device policy and is disclosed whenever a Google Apps for Work account is added to a new device. BlackBerry For non-secure email addresses the process is just as straightforward . Users can click the setup icon from the home screen, select "Email Accounts," select "Internet Mail Account" and follow the on-screen instructions. Up to ten accounts are supported by BlackBerry, according to the company's website. Corporate emails can also be added through the same process. But select "Enterprise Account" instead of "Email Accounts" to add it. This may vary slightly from company to company. Microsoft Windows Phone Windows Phone users can add multiple email addresses as well by navigating to "Settings," and then tapping "Email + accounts." Press "Add an account," choose your account type and follow on-screen instructions. Repeat the to add another account. The process for setting up multiple email accounts is fairly straightforward for all four major platforms, a fact Clinton should take note of should she ultimately occupy the White House.
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It's an annual rite of spring. Fantasy baseball general managers begin combing prospect lists and studying last season's statistics to identify possible breakout performers. In the search for the next big thing, one group of players often gets overlooked: veterans with established skills who have temporarily fallen upon hard times because of bad luck, injuries or simple unmet expectations. These veterans can offer exceptional value in a fantasy draft and might be the key to putting your team over the top. Here's a full team (plus a couple) of undervalued hitters who are worthy of attention. Last season in this space, we highlighted 2014 National League batting champion Justin Morneau. A similar gem might be hiding in this group. Catcher: Russell Martin, Toronto Blue Jays . His right-handed power did not play well at the Pittsburgh Pirates' PNC Park, which is the most difficult venue in the majors for a right-handed hitter to hit home runs. During Martin's two seasons with Pittsburgh, he hit nine home runs at home, compared with 17 on the road. That should change with a move to Toronto, as Rogers Centre is one of the best parks for right-handed power. As a result, Martin could eclipse the 20-homer mark again. However, know that last season's .290 batting average was the result of an inflated batting average on balls in play, so expect a figure closer to .250. Catcher: Dioner Navarro, Blue Jays . Martin's arrival has seemingly pushed Navarro into a reserve role, but with some playing time at designated hitter Navarro might reach 400 at-bats. And since he's in the final year of his contract, a trade to a situation with better playing time seems possible, perhaps even likely. Navarro makes good contact and has average power, so with 400 at-bats he could hit .270 with double-digit homers. He makes a fine second catcher, with upside if a trade boosts his playing time. First base: Adam Lind, Milwaukee Brewers . Injuries held Lind to his fewest at-bats since 2007, and an unlucky percentage of fly balls clearing the fence helped him limp to six homers for the season. Plus, since he went 2-for-33 against lefties, it's clear he has become a platoon player. But better luck and the move to Miller Park put him in an ideal situation to rebound. His new home is the second best in the majors for left-handed batter home runs, so expect double-digit homers with an upside of 20. And while he's unlikely to hit .320 again, he could bat .280 if he avoids left-handed pitching. Second base: Howie Kendrick, Los Angeles Dodgers . He is undoubtedly viewed as a disappointment because a high ground-ball rate depresses home runs, his batting average has not topped .300 since 2008 and he doesn't stand out in any category. But there are reasons to make him a top second-base choice. He accumulates gigantic at-bat totals (617 last season), leading to strong counting stats. The lowest batting average of his career was .279 in 2010, and while Angel Stadium decreases right-handed batter home runs, Dodger Stadium increases them slightly, making a return to double-digit homers likely. He's a low-risk five-category contributor at a thin position. Shortstop: Eric Aybar, Los Angeles Angels . He's similar to Kendrick in that he doesn't do any one thing spectacularly well, but he has had 500-plus at-bats for six consecutive seasons, leading to solid runs and RBI numbers. A strong contact rate keeps his batting average near .280, and while his stolen base success rate has dropped over the last two seasons, he gets enough opportunities to produce double-digit steals. Like Kendrick, he's a low-risk option at a position where value is hard to find. Third base: Pablo Sandoval, Boston Red Sox . At 28 with six full seasons behind him, Sandoval has established the unexciting baseline of a 15-homer, 75-RBI, .280 hitter. But hitting in the middle of a revamped Red Sox offense could raise his potential. The move from AT&T Park to Fenway Park could bring a slight improvement in batting average and a big improvement in homers when switch-hitting Sandoval is swinging from the right side. And that opens the possibility of 20 homers, 90 RBI and a .290 batting average, pushing Sandoval near the top of American League third basemen. Outfield: Carlos Beltran, New York Yankees . A bone spur in his elbow torpedoed Beltran's 2014, and while he tried to play through the pain, he produced a career-low .703 on-base-plus-slugging percentage, his worst since 2000. Much of that dip can be traced to a decrease in line drives and hard-hit balls, which led to the lowest BABIP of his career. He turns 38 next month, so it's unreasonable to expect a full rebound, but he could again produce 20 homers and see his batting average rebound from .233 closer to .260. Outfield: Eric Young Jr., Atlanta Braves . With a non-roster invite, Young is a forgotten man. But he's in a perfect situation in Atlanta, where playing time could be up for grabs at his potential defensive positions of second base, left field and center field. Young brings two skills to the table: He makes excellent contact and has spectacular wheels, as he showed in 2013, when 539 at-bats produced a .249 batting average and 46 stolen bases. If he manages to secure a roster spot and anything approaching a full-time job, he's a premium source for stolen bases. Outfield: Torii Hunter, Minnesota Twins . He's 39, so we know that age-related decline will set in eventually, and concerns about that risk are causing him to drop toward the bottom of many drafts. Thus far, though, he has shown no signs of slowing, as his skills remain strong, with plenty of good, hard contact. Last season he produced 17 homers, 83 RBI and a .286 batting average, and there is no reason he can't repeat that. Outfield: Carl Crawford, Los Angeles Dodgers . Last year he hit .300 and produced eight homers and 23 steals in 343 at-bats. It's at-bats that are the problem, as he has missed 30-plus games with injuries in each of the last four seasons. If he can stay on the field, the skills are there for a nice rebound season.
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Golfers at a course in Florida on Wednesday were careful to putt around a large alligator, days after the beast was photographed lounging on the edge of the green in an image that went viral on Facebook. A women's tournament went on as planned at the Myakka Pines Golf Club in Englewood, on Florida's west coast, as the gator, estimated at 12 to 13 feet (3.6 to 4 meters) long, reposed in full view of about 100 participants, said Mickie Zada, the club's general manager. "If we stopped playing because of alligators, we'd never have golfers," Zada said. Zada said she had spent much of Wednesday morning fielding calls from reporters asking whether the photo, taken by a golfer on Friday, was doctored to make the alligator appear larger. "This gentleman is well into his 80s. He wouldn't even know Photoshop," Zada said. While more than 200,000 people had viewed the Facebook photo as of Tuesday, according to the club, the alligator is far from the first - or even the biggest - to show up on the course. A 15-footer (4.5-metre long one), nicknamed "Big George," hung around for years until his death, Zada said. Despite nearly daily alligator sightings at the course, none have attacked a person in the club's 37 years, Zada said, owing in part to a strict policy against feeding the animals. Dangerous confrontations between humans and alligators usually stem from people feeding them, Florida wildlife officials have said. The new alligator has yet to be given a moniker, but that may soon change, Zada said. "We might name him Viral," she said. (Editing by Jonathan Kaminsky and Sandra Maler)
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Richard Branson's Virgin Cruises was accused of pirating business plans and ideas for building "ultra ships," and in the process exposing the dark side of Virgin. Colin Veitch, the former head of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd., said in a lawsuit that Branson dumped him as the founding partner of what would become Virgin Cruises and used his plan to finance the new venture. "Upon recognizing the potential for Virgin Cruises to be one of Virgin's biggest, sexiest businesses," Veitch said in the lawsuit, "the dark side of Virgin quickly emerged," Branson is the founder of Virgin Group, which uses the Virgin brand in its telecommunications, fitness chains, airline and space flight businesses. He now wants to take to the seas, building two 4,200-passenger cruise ships aimed at younger travelers. Branson has a net worth of $5.9 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index and ranks as the 233rd richest person in the world. Veitch said he spent a year securing bank financing for Branson's business and finding a German shipbuilder to construct the vessels. Once done, Virgin changed the terms of his deal, he said. Veitch said he went from a "fully vested owner of the business to an employee -- indeed an indentured servant," according to the complaint. Veitch claimed that he stood to make $315 million if Virgin Cruises had lived up to its deal. "Richard Branson and the Virgin Group first looked at the cruise market in the late 1970s, and our current team has been exploring the opportunity for more than a decade," Christine Choi, a spokeswoman for the company, said in an e-mailed statement. "Over the years, we have been in discussions with a number of parties including the plaintiff, and those discussions ceased in 2012. We strongly believe the claim has no merits." Partnership Collapsed Veitch said the partnership between him and Virgin fell apart, and despite non-use and non-compete agreements, Virgin went ahead with the plan anyway. Veitch sought a court order preventing Branson from launching the business. Virgin used Allen & Co. to raise equity for Virgin Cruises, "the very bank introduced into the project by Mr. Veitch in late 2010, even before he approached Virgin," according to his complaint. Allen & Co. Chief Financial Officer Kim Weiland didn't respond to a phone request for comment. Virgin Group, the investment arm of Branson's family, announced plans in December to create the new cruise line with backing from Bain Capital Partners. The companies didn't disclose how much they were investing in the venture. The line will be competing for passengers in an industry dominated by a handful of players, including Carnival Corp. and Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., the two biggest operators. While about 22 million people cruise annually, the industry says it still reaches a small share of its potential customer base. Branson, known for his publicity stunts and stylish airline amenities, is expected to inject some more fun into the cruise business, travel agents said at the time of the announcement. "We plan to shake up the cruise industry and deliver a holiday that customers will absolutely love," Branson said when the new venture was announced. "They'll be sailing on the latest ships offering a great quality, a real sense of fun and many exciting activities all delivered with the famed Virgin service." To contact the reporters on this story: Susannah Nesmith in Miami Federal Court at [email protected]; David Voreacos in federal court in Newark, New Jersey, at [email protected]; Christopher Palmeri in Los Angeles at [email protected] To contact the editors responsible for this story: Michael Hytha at [email protected]; Anthony Palazzo at [email protected] Joe Schneider, David E. Rovella
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DENVER A Colorado sheriff's deputy and a state wildlife officer were held hostage by a man and a woman before a struggle erupted and the man was fatally shot, authorities said. Neither the deputy nor the wildlife officer was injured in the confrontation Monday near the small town of Dinosaur in northwestern Colorado, about 10 miles from the Utah border. The woman was taken to a hospital for an undisclosed medical condition and then transferred to the Moffat County jail. The woman's condition wasn't directly related to the shooting, Sheriff KC Hume told the Craig Daily Press. Moffat County Deputy Brent Shock and Colorado Parks and Wildlife District Wildlife Manager Nathan Martinez were checking on a suspicious vehicle parked off a highway Monday afternoon when they were briefly taken hostage by the man and woman, the district attorney's office said in a news release. Authorities haven't said who fired at the man when the fight broke out. He was identified Wednesday as 46-year-old James Brent Damon. Authorities identified the woman as Georgie Hand, 43. She was arrested on suspicion of attempted first-degree murder, kidnapping, aggravated robbery, disarming a peace officer and felony menacing. Jail officials said they did not know whether she had an attorney who could comment on her behalf. Both Hand and Damon were wanted in Chaffee County on charges of identity theft, felony theft of at least $20,000, trespassing, criminal mischief and other crimes allegedly committed in January, court records show. They were accused of stealing credit cards, ski equipment, electronics and other items from cars and pawning them. Chaffee County authorities issued warrants for their arrests in February. The pair were also wanted in Wasatch County, Utah, on charges of burglary, theft and forgery, according to court records there. Hand and Damon were accused of using stolen checks and a stolen credit card to make thousands of dollars of purchases at Wal-Mart and elsewhere in December. Shock and Martinez have been placed on administrative leave, a standard practice after an officer-involved shooting. The district attorney's critical incident response team was investigating. It is common for the sheriff's department to jointly patrol the 4,800-square-mile county with officers from Parks and Wildlife and other agencies, authorities said. ___ Associated Press writer Sadie Gurman contributed to this report.
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) Once a wanton wiener dog, Dennis went on a diet and is now a happy shadow of his former self after losing more than 75 percent of his body weight. Less than two years ago, Dennis weighed in at a whopping 56 pounds about the size of four or five miniature dachshunds, which is what he is. A series of "before" photos show Dennis resting on rolls of fat, his head seemingly too little for his blob of a body. He couldn't take more than a few steps without being out of breath. Then Brooke Burton adopted him from a relative who had fed him White Castle burgers, pizza and other human food, and didn't pay much attention to the dog's burgeoning belly. Burton, a 26-year-old nursing student, recalls how emotional she became when she first saw Dennis in June 2013, and then persuaded her relative to give him up. "Out comes Dennis, and I couldn't believe it," Burton says. "I wasn't even sure what breed of dog he was supposed to be because he was so large." Burton put him on diet of dry dog food, plus lots of walks and affection. Now the 6-year-old wiener dog is a svelte 12 pounds and happily chasing squirrels in the backyard, playing fetch and bossing around the other three rescue dogs that live with him. "In the beginning, you could tell he was very depressed, that he really didn't feel good at all," Burton says. "He didn't have much of a personality. After he lost weight, this bossy little demanding man popped out. He's into everything, he wants to play with everybody." Dennis lost so much weight that he started tripping over the folds of excess skin that were left over and getting infections. He has had three surgeries at the Ohio State University Veterinary Medical Center to get rid of it. Dr. Kathleen Ham, the veterinary surgeon who performed the operations, says Dennis' story is a good lesson for pet owners who might feed their animals too much. "We have an expression: food is not love," Ham says. "Most of what your pet wants from you is affection and attention."
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By Jason Rowan Jimmy Butler, out with an elbow injury for the next handful of weeks, is among the Chicago Bulls' wounded, along with Derrick Rose. While the dynamic point guard could pass time during recovery from knee surgery by paying a visit to the shrine erected in Chi-Town in his honor, Butler instead took part in an interview with Pro Basketball Talk during which his somewhat surprising musical tastes were addressed. Butler is a self-professed country music fan, specifically the sweet jams of one Taylor Swift, who of course reigned supreme on the country charts before transitioning over to Top 40 with her latest album. The Bulls shooting guard told PBT that despite the fact that his choice of music differs greatly from his teammates, he nevertheless every once in awhile gets to select the tunes for pregame warmups. Suffice to say, his Bulls teammates aren't huge fans of his picks … as his selections often include a heavy dose of Swift. And Butler has no problem owning up to his love of the crossover superstar. "I like Taylor Swift," Butler said. "I like music as a whole, but her music is kinda catchy. I'm sure she'll hear this interview now and be like 'what's going on?'" Perhaps so. Swift is a big basketball fan and has been spotted in celebrity row attending New York Knicks games. She even counts former Knick Amar'e Stoudemire among her pals. This isn't the first time Butler has been so open regarding his admiration of Swift. Earlier this season, he even offered himself up as a potential dating candidate for the pop star. "If you want to date someone, come to Chicago and date yours truly," Butler said in December. Who knows? Stranger things have happened. Given his apparent crush on Swift and her affinty for the NBA, perhaps the two could be the next basketball/musician celebrity supercouple, rivaling the star power of the Lakers' Nick Young and Iggy Azalea . Now that would be a double date.
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Lock Courtney Lawes and full-back Mike Brown have been recalled for England's Six Nations clash with Scotland on Saturday after recovering from injury, head coach Stuart Lancaster announced on Wednesday. Northampton forward Lawes has returned to fitness after an ankle problem and is in line to make his first international appearance since England's 26-17 victory over Australia last November. Harlequins number 15 Brown sat out England's 19-9 defeat by Ireland last time out after suffering concussion in the 47-17 win over Italy, with Alex Goode having taken his place. Goode drops to the bench, where tighthead prop Kieran Brookes, second-row forward Geoff Parling and flanker Tom Wood have all been drafted into the match-day squad. "There's always a lot of competition for places and having experienced players like Courtney, Tom and Geoff available after playing well for their clubs in the last few weeks adds to our options," Lancaster said in a statement on the England Rugby website. "It's been an intense two weeks of training as everyone wants to be on that field on Saturday and we've had to make some tough selection calls." Brown's return is a significant fillip for Lancaster, whose side missed the all-action Quins man's aggression and inventiveness at the Aviva Stadium. Lawes replaces George Kruis, who drops out of the squad, and will reprise the second-row partnership with Dave Attwood that England deployed throughout the end-of-year internationals. Brookes has recovered from a hip problem, while Wood is back after an ankle injury and comes in for Tom Croft, who has been sidelined by a dislocated shoulder. The experienced Parling replaces Nick Easter and provides Lancaster with a specialist second-row option on the bench. England's loss in Dublin on March 1 left them two points below leaders Ireland in the table, while Scotland are bottom following successive losses to France, Wales and Italy. "Coming back to Twickenham will be huge for us and we are determined to put in a performance against a strong and motivated Scotland team," Lancaster added. England team announced on Wednesday to play Scotland in the Six Nations at Twickenham on Saturday (1700 GMT kick-off): England (15-1) Mike Brown; Anthony Watson, Jonathan Joseph, Luther Burrell, Jack Nowell; George Ford, Ben Youngs; Billy Vunipola, Chris Robshaw (capt), James Haskell; Courtney Lawes, Dave Attwood; Dan Cole, Dylan Hartley, Joe Marler Replacements: Tom Youngs, Mako Vunipola, Kieran Brookes, Geoff Parling, Tom Wood, Richard Wigglesworth, Danny Cipriani, Billy Twelvetrees
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This simple supper is inspired by Lucy's student days - but has stood the test of time. Simple, filling and delicious.
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CNBC's Mary Thompson reports the numbers of the recent Wall Street bonuses.
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finance
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The San Diego Zoo is closing the panda exhibit so the bears can have a little privacy.
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video
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Guinness is great with your meal, but Mara Montalbano (@maramontalbano) shows us some ways to use it to cook your meal.
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foodanddrink
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It may seem like every Republican is gearing up to run for president next year, but one GOP senator's supporters are actually clearing a path for him to run in 2020. This week, state legislators in Arkansas are considering a bill that would allow candidates to seek multiple federal offices in the same election. The lawmaker proposing the legislation, state Sen. Bart Hester (R), said it is being written with a potential beneficiary in mind: Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.). "Tom Cotton would be my current idea of someone who should be afforded this opportunity," Hester said, according to the Associated Press . "Politics, if I've learned anything, it changes every day and there could be the great next hope show up tomorrow. But I don't think it's reasonable to say I wouldn't be looking at Tom Cotton to have that opportunity." Cotton hasn't said whether he supports the effort to change the current law, according to Hester. A spokesperson for the senator did not immediately return a request for comment. The Arkansas legislation seeks to rectify the same problem that Sen. Rand Paul is currently facing in nearby Kentucky as he contemplates a run for president. Paul has lobbied to change the traditional Republican primary in his state to a caucus, which Paul believes would allow him to skirt a state law that prohibits candidates from seeking two offices in the same election cycle. Cotton has been in the Senate for just over two months, but he's already stirring up controversy there. He has used his perch on the Armed Services Committee to promote his hawkish worldview . This week, Cotton released a letter to Iranian leaders, cosigned by 46 of his fellow Senate Republicans, stating that any nuclear agreement struck with the U.S. could immediately be nullified by a future president. The letter sparked outrage from Democrats, who said that the Republicans were undermining U.S. diplomacy, and provoked a harsh response from the Obama administration and potential 2016 Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton .
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GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) Xavier Rathan-Mayes piled up a bunch of points again for Florida State. The Seminoles needed just about all of them. The high-scoring freshman had 30 points and Florida State held on for a wild 76-73 win over Clemson on Wednesday in the second round of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament. BOX SCORE: FLORIDA STATE 76, CLEMSON 73 Montay Brandon added 17 points for the ninth-seeded Seminoles (17-15), who blew almost all of a 20-point lead with 9 minutes to play before escaping. They will play No. 3 and top-seeded Virginia (28-2) Thursday in the quarterfinals. ''I'm not going to be concerned'' about the near-collapse, coach Leonard Hamilton said. ''I'm just glad we won and move on. That's the way the game of basketball is, it's a chess match.'' Rod Hall had a career-high 25 points for the eighth-seeded Tigers (16-15), who pulled to 75-73 on Hall's free throws with 25.2 seconds left, then got the ball back after Florida State threw the inbounds pass away. Hall drove the lane and put up a jumper that hung on the rim but refused to drop. ''The ball rolled the opposite way that I wanted it to,'' Hall said. ''It just didn't fall.'' Clemson fouled Phil Cofer, who put the Seminoles up three with a free throw with 9.5 seconds left. The Tigers worked the ball to Gabe DeVoe, whose deep 3-pointer from the wing with about 3 seconds left bounced off the iron. ''Everybody knows you need 3. It's hard to get a great 3,'' coach Brad Brownell said. ''It was a deep shot, but he can make those. It just didn't go in.'' Jaron Blossomgame missed on a put-back attempt at the buzzer for the Tigers. He finished with 14 points and DeVoe added 10 for Clemson, which has lost three straight and five of six. The Tigers sure seemed on their way to a lopsided loss, trailing by 13 with less than 2 minutes to play before staging an unlikely rally. The Tigers - who to that point were 4 of 14 from 3-point range - hit three 3s in a minute to pull within five, then took advantage of a weird play to make it a one-possession game. Cofer slipped on his backside while inbounding the ball, and it trickled out of his hands and across the end line to Blossomgame, whose gift layup with 30.8 seconds left made it 74-71. Rathan-Mayes countered with a free throw before Hall's two big foul shots made it a two-point game. Then came more trouble inbounding the ball for Florida State - the pass bounced off Devon Bookert's hands and face before going out of bounds to give the Tigers their last, best chance. ''As the pressure got on,'' Hamilton said, ''our guys cut slower as opposed to faster.'' Cofer finished with 10 points for the Seminoles, who certainly seemed on their way to an easy win after building that big lead. Rathan-Mayes banked in a jumper that put Florida State up 57-37 with just over 9 minutes left. STAR WATCH Rathan-Mayes finished with his third 30-point game of the season, hitting 11 of 19 shots with five 3s. He credited his big day to ''knocking down shots early and my teammates kept encouraging me to keep being aggressive.'' Added Brownell: ''He's done that to a bunch of teams and I guess it was our turn today.'' TIP-INS Florida State: Hamilton moved into a tie with J.K. Kennedy at 236 wins with the school - the most in program history. ''Our goal isn't just to win basketball games, but to build a program of significance,'' Hamilton said. ''We want to be among the elite programs in our league. We have a lot more work to do.'' Clemson: The Tigers have won only two ACC tournament games since 2009. UP NEXT Florida State: Plays No. 3 Virginia on Thursday in the ACC quarterfinals. Clemson: Awaits possible NIT berth. Follow Joedy McCreary on Twitter at http://twitter.com/joedyap
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You don't have to be an investing genius to improve your returns Recent research shows that people who know their way around investing and finance racked up higher annual returns (9.5% vs. 8.2%) than those who don't. Click ahead for 10 tips that will help make you a savvier investor and better able to achieve your financial goals. 1. Slash investing fees You can't control the gains the financial markets deliver. But by sticking to investments like low-cost index funds and ETFs that charge as little as 0.05% a year, you can keep a bigger portion of the returns you earn. And the advantage to doing so can be substantial. Over the course of a career, reducing annual fees by just one percentage point can boost the size of your nest egg more than 25%. Another less commonly cited benefit of lowering investment costs: downsizing fees effectively allows you to save more for retirement without actually putting aside another cent. 2. Beware conflicted advice Many investors end up in poor-performing investments not because of outright cons and scams but because they fall for a pitch from an adviser who's really a glorified salesman. The current push by the White House, Department of Labor and Securities and Exchange Commission to hold advisers to a more rigorous standard may do away with some abuses. But the onus is still on you to gauge the competence and trustworthiness of any adviser you deal with. Asking these five questions can help you do that. 3. Gauge your risk tolerance Before you can invest properly, you've got to know your true appetite for risk. Otherwise, you could end up bailing out of investments during market downturns, turning paper losses into real ones. Completing a risk tolerance questionnaire like this one from RealDealRetirement's Retirement Toolbox can help you assess how much risk you can reasonably handle. 4. Don't be a "bull market genius" When the market is doing well and stock prices are surging, it's understandable if you assume your incredible investing acumen is responsible for those outsize returns. Guess what? It's not. You're really just along for the ride. Unfortunately, many investors lose sight of this basic fact, become overconfident, take on too much risk and then pay dearly when the market inevitably takes a dive. You can avoid such a come-down, and the losses that accompany it, by leavening your investing strategy with a little humility. 5. Focus on asset allocation, not fund picking Many people think savvy investing consists of trying to identify in advance the investments that will top the performance charts in the coming year. But that's a fool's errand. It's virtually impossible to predict which stocks or funds will outperform year to year, and trying to do so often means you'll end up chasing hot investments that may be more prone to fizzle than sizzle in the year ahead. The better strategy: create a diversified mix of stock and bond funds that jibes with your risk tolerance and makes sense given the length of time you plan to keep your money invested. That will give you a better shot at getting the long-term returns you need to achieve a secure retirement and reach other goals while maintaining reasonable protection against market downturns. 6. Limit the IRS's take You should never let the desire to avoid taxes drive your investing strategy. That policy has led many investors to plow their savings into all sorts of dubious investments ranging from cattle-breeding operations to jojoba-bean plantations. That said, there are reasonable steps you can take to prevent Uncle Sam from claiming too big a share of your investment gains. One is doing as much of your saving as possible in tax-advantaged accounts like traditional and Roth 401(k)s and IRAs. You may also be able to lower the tab on gains from investments held in taxable accounts by investing in stock index funds and tax-managed funds that that generate much of their return in the form of unrealized long-term capital gains, which go untaxed until you sell and then are taxed at generally lower long-term capital gains rates. 7. Go broad, not narrow In search of bigger gains, many investors tend to look for niches to exploit. Instead of investing in a broad selection of energy or technology firms, they'll drill down into solar producers, wind power, robotics, or cloud-computing firms. That approach might work, but it can also leave you vulnerable to being in the wrong place at the wrong time or the right place but the wrong company. Going broader is better for two reasons: it's less of a guessing game, and the broader you go the lower your investing costs are likely to be. So if you're buying energy, tech or whatever, buy the entire sector. Better get, go even broader still. By investing in a total U.S. stock market and total U.S. bond market index fund, you'll own a piece of virtually all publicly traded U.S. companies and a share of the entire investment-grade bond market. Throw in a total international stock index fund and you'll have foreign exposure as well. In short, you'll tie your portfolio's success to that of the broad market, not just a slice of it. 8. Consider the downside Investors are by and large an optimistic lot, otherwise they wouldn't put their money where their convictions are. But a little skepticism is good too. So before putting your money into an investment or embarking on a strategy, challenge yourself. Come up with reasons your view might be all wrong. Think about what might happen if you are. Crash-test your investing strategy to see how you'll do if your investments don't perform as well as you hope. Better to know the potential downside before it occurs than after. 9. Keep it simple You can easily get the impression that you're some kind of slacker if you're not filling your portfolio with every new fund or ETF that comes out. In fact, you're better off exercising restraint. By loading up on every Next Big Thing investment the Wall Street marketing machine churns out you run the risk of di-worse-ifying rather than diversifying. All you really need is a portfolio that mirrors the broad U.S. stock and bond markets, and maybe some international exposure. If you want to go for more investing gusto, you can consider some inflation protection, say, a real estate, natural resources, or TIPS fund. But I'd be wary about adding much more than that. 10. Tune out the noise With so many investing pundits weighing in on virtually every aspect of the financial markets nearly 24/7, it's easy to get overwhelmed with advice. It might make sense to sift through this cacophony if it were full of investing gems, but much of the advice, predictions, and observations are trite, if not downright harmful. If you want to watch or listen to the parade of pundits just to keep abreast of the investing scuttlebutt, fine. Just don't let the hype, the hoopla, and the hyperbole distract you from your investing strategy. Walter Updegrave is the editor of RealDealRetirement.com. If you have a question on retirement or investing that you would like Walter to answer online, send it to him at [email protected].
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finance
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1. Sweeten Nails with Milky Pastels Think creamy opaque versions of Easter egg favorites blue, green, purple, pink, and yellow. To find the best hue for you, look for the sharpest nail color to hand contrast. "Lilac and pale pink work on every skin type," says manicurist Jin Soon Choi, "but generally, light yellow and green flatter only olive and darker skin tones." Pop Beauty Nail Glam polishes in Mint Magic, Pink Popsicle, and Lavender Love, $10 each; ulta.com. 2. Get Your Glow On "Spring is a great time to exfoliate skin that's dull, dry, and flaky from months of winter weather," says dermatologist Leslie Baumann. Start with a gentle peel at night; she likes Philosophy the Microdelivery, which uses a trio of mild alpha hydroxy acids. In the A.M., add a few drops of self-tanner (our pick: Clarins Radiance Plus, $54; sephora.com) to a tinted moisturizer and voila by lunchtime, you'll be radiant. 3. Stop Over-Plucking "Bushy brows look youthful," says makeup artist Fiona Stiles, "while thin brows can make you look severe." So tweeze only your strays. To fill in sparse patches, try faint, feathery strokes with a pencil that's the same color as your brow or one shade lighter. Maybelline New York Eye Studio Master Shape brow pencil, $8; at drugstores. 4. Mix (Don't Match) Your Prints Go ahead clash! This season, mixed prints were everywhere. To pull off the look, "keep prints in the same color family or as a logical contrast, like two different florals," suggests celebrity stylist Kate Young. Silhouette matters too: When you go bold, stick with streamlined, classic shapes. 5. Lighten Up Your Fragrances Time to put away the dense, spicy winter scents. Anticipate the season's pale pink blossoms with a delicate waft of peony or rose. Diptyque Eau Rose eau de toilette, $98; diptyqueparis.com. Lafco House & Home Powder Room candle in Duchess Peony, $55; lafco.com. 6. Slip On a Mini Turban Simpler to implement than a full-blown urban turban, this gives you a hint of the retro style without swallowing up all your hair. "For an eye-catching look, a ponytail is fun with a thinner band, or try a bun with a broader version," says hairstylist Guido, who used wide fabric headbands on models for the Marc Jacobs runway. Eva Scrivo leather turban, $80; evasbeautystore.com. 7. Find Your Perfect Pink "Hot-pink lips are a little more playful than red, and they make your teeth look whiter," says Fiona Stiles. "Do a cooler undertone for darker skin. If you're fair, choose a more coral or orange variety." Ricki & Nicki for MAC Viva Glam lipstick in Viva Glam Nicki, $15; maccosmetics.com. 8. Swap Bed Head For Wet Head What's even more low-maintenance than air-drying? No drying! And don't worry it's still possible to look put together. Guido suggests a "wet chignon," which is "easy and elegant." Apply mousse (it's lighter than gel) to freshly washed hair, rake back with your fingers into a loose bun, and then spritz with a shine mist for a "just-out-of-the-shower finish," he says. Redken Shine Flash 02 Glistening mist, $17; redken.com for salons. 9. Prime With SPF As the weather warms up, serious SPF becomes nonnegotiable. The good news: This spring new "primer" sunscreens smooth out and illuminate skin as they protect it. Our fave from La Roche-Posay hides pores with light-reflecting silica particles, feels airy, and has you well covered with SPF 50. La Roche-Posay Anthelios 50 Daily Anti-Aging primer, $40; at select drugstores. 10. Kick Up Your (Wedge) Heels They're ultra-comfortable, but what makes wedges so fresh this season? Geometric and animal prints. "They look best with pants cropped just at the ankle or with a soft dress," says Kate Young. "And if you're feeling adventurous, pair them with thin, cute ankle socks." Bristol sea snake wedges, Derek Lam, $850; dereklam.com.
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lifestyle
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Less than 24 hours after first-year New York Jets head coach Todd Bowles landed prize shutdown cornerback Darrelle Revis, Bowles got a veteran quarterback in Ryan Fitzpatrick. The savvy, 32-year-old journeyman arrives as a stabilizing upgrade over inconsistent Geno Smith after Wednesday's trade from the Houston Texans reunited Fitzpatrick with his former Buffalo Bills head coach Chan Gailey, now the Jets offensive coordinator. A person familiar with the trade confirmed the deal to USA TODAY Sports but spoke on the condition of anonymity since the clubs had yet to announce the trade that will send an undisclosed late-round pick to the Texans. Bowles has declined to commit to Smith, who is 11-18 in 29 starts since fired general manager John Idzik chose him in the second round of the 2013 draft out of West Virginia. Fitzpatrick completed a career-best 63.1% of his passes for 17 touchdowns with eight interceptions in leading the 2014 Texans to a 6-6 record in 2014. First-year head coach Bill O'Brien got him to buy into avoiding risky throws that had long haunted Fitzpatrick during his 11-year career with five different teams. The 2005 seventh-round pick out of Harvard was benched late last season by O'Brien for Ryan Mallett, but he returned under center only to suffer a season-ending broken leg. Fitzpatrick's signing means the Texans are committed to Mallett and possibly former Cleveland Browns starter Brian Hoyer, who was visiting the Texans on Wednesday and is expected to sign a deal. *** Follow Jim Corbett on Twitter @ByJimCorbett
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sports
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Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday slammed the Senate Republicans' open letter to Iran, calling it "irresponsible" and "flat wrong." Kerry said his reaction was "utter disbelief" to the letter, which warned Iran that any deal it reaches with U.S. and international negotiators could be voided by Congress after the president leaves office. "No one is questioning anybody's right to dissent," Kerry said at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing. "But to write to the leaders in the middle of a negotiation particularly the leaders they have criticized others for even engaging with...is quite stunning." The secretary of state was at the hearing to testify on an authorization for use of military force against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, but ended up fielding questions on Iran as the administration races to meet a March 24 deadline for a political agreement framework. Kerry also said the letter was inaccurate, in its assertion that Congress could void an executive agreement reached with another country, or modify its terms. The letter, led by freshman Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and signed by 46 other Republican senators, said "anything not approved by Congress is a mere executive agreement." Without Congressional buy-in to the deal, "The next president could revoke such an executive agreement with the stroke of a pen and future Congresses could modify the terms of the agreement at any time." Kerry called that assertion that an executive agreement could be voided or modified by Congress "flat wrong," and said executive agreements were an important foreign policy tool. The letter ignores "200 years" of conduct of foreign policy, and risk undermining the confidence of all foreign governments in committing to executive agreements, Kerry said. Sen. James Risch (R-Idaho) called Kerry's answer "absolutely nonsense," and said as elected officials, they have the responsibility and the right to communicate with foreign officials. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said the letter was really directed to the White House, since it has been ignoring Congress' calls to play a role in reviewing any final deal. The White House had issued two veto threats on legislation to give Congress a role in restoring old and imposing new sanctions on Iran if it walks away from talks or violates a future deal, and legislation that would give Congress time to review a deal before its implementation. "I signed the letter to Iran, but the message I was sending was to you," Rand told Kerry. Committee Chairman Bob Corker noted that he did not sign the letter but that he was "disappointed" in Kerry's remarks that the deal would not have to "pass muster" with Congress. "I'm very disappointed though that you've gone back on your statement that any agreement must pass muster with Congress," said Corker, who has introduced the bill to give Congress 60 days to review the agreement before it is implemented. "I think all of us are very disappointed with the veto threat and the stiff-arming that has taken place," he said.
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news
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FARO, Portugal That wasn't a win. That was dancing in the Algarve. Led by a defense-shredding forward Christen Press, the U.S. women's national team took a fleet-footed gambol against France to claim a 2-0 victory and notch a record 10th Algarve Cup championship. U.S. goalkeeper Hope Solo was also stellar in her third game of the year. When a penalty was called against Meghan Klingenberg in the 81st minute with the U.S. up 2-0, the U.S. keeper aggressively punched out a scorching penalty shot, drawing kudos from her teammates. It was Solo's third blank sheet of the Algarve Cup tournament her first three appearances in 2015 after serving a 30-game suspension that appears to have taken nothing from her world-form performance. All of these things helped combine for a pretty perfect win over the stalwart French and are reasons for the Americans to breathe not just a sigh of relief but should allow them to reignite the old story line that the U.S. are back on top of the favorites' pool going into the 2015 Women's World Cup in Canada in June. France had steamrolled through the World Cup qualifying with a perfect 10-0 record. Likewise, they were undefeated in group play here in southern Portugal in a high-level tournament in which France was aimed toward demonstrating it is one of the most skilled and talented teams in the world. But that narrative took a punch today. Press put the U.S. up 2-0 in the 41st minute of the first half with an exclamation point run through the French defense before slicing the ball past French goaltender Sarah Bouhaddi. If the celebration of this goal at midfield by the U.S. side produced a little longer and more heartfelt hugging, no one can blame them. It has been a long year since their 2014 Algarve Cup swoon. Last March, the U.S. finished in 7th place here and saw head coach Tom Sermanni fired soon after. The change brought player development director Jill Ellis in as the new head coach, a move that has made the past 11 months a time for lineup shuffling and tryouts and a handful of disappointing match results in Brazil and in France. But in the title match at Algarve Stadium, Ellis called on veteran Carli Lloyd to anchor the midfield and installed a back line of Ali Kreiger, Julie Johnston, Becky Sauerbrunn and Meghan Klingenberg. Their work proved enough to keep prodigious French goal scorer Eugenie Le Sommer from getting her 4th goal of this competitive Algarve Cup. Up front for the U.S. Alex Morgan and Press were paired in an attack that failed to launch much pressure in the opening minutes of the game. However, Press used the space that was much more gamely created by the U.S. formation today to cut a swath through the French defense and give the U.S. its first flicker of exciting offense in months. The U.S. got on the board quickly on a questionable foul in the 6th minute. The referee called Jessica Houara for pushing Christen Press. The ensuing free kick by Lauren Holiday from the left side curved to the net and was headed in by Julie Johnston. It was Johnston's first goal for the U.S. Women's National Team. The U.S. will leave the Portugal coast with a 56-12-11 record all-time at the Algarve Cup in 15 appearances the most wins and most appearances of any country. Goal.com and FOX Soccer have teamed up to bring you the best in world soccer coverage. Visit FOXSoccer.com, and follow them on Twitter and Facebook. MORE FROM FOX SOCCER Liverpool chief Brendan Rodgers tracks Lazio star Felipe Anderson Rumor Mill: Players looking to switch clubs after lackluster winter window All 3 Points: Barca on top, MLS returns and a goat celebration
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sports
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Venezuela's top diplomat called a senior U.S. official "petulant" and ill-mannered on Wednesday in response to her contention that sanctions were intended to change the government, not topple it. Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez was responding to State Department Assistant Secretary of State Roberta Jacobson's comments explaining a U.S. declaration that Venezuela is a security threat and its sanctioning of seven officials earlier this week. "In a rude and petulant manner, Mrs. Jacobson tells us what to do," Rodriguez told local TV. "I know her very well because I have seen her personally, her way of walking, chewing. You need manners to deal with people and with countries." The moves by President Barack Obama's administration have infuriated President Nicolas Maduro's socialist government, which has accused Washington of planning military attacks and wider Cuba-style trade sanctions. State TV has been playing old footage of the U.S. invasions of Grenada and Panama. Maduro has also asked parliament to grant him six-month special decree powers, given the "imperialist" threat, a move foes have condemned as a power-grab and attempt to distract Venezuelans from shortages and recession. The U.S. government, which endorsed a short-lived 2002 coup against Maduro's predecessor Hugo Chavez, has repeatedly denied it is conspiring. "The goal of these sanctions is to persuade the government of Venezuela to change its ways, not to remove that government," the State Department's Jacobson tweeted. The U.S. move is enabling Maduro to play the nationalist card skillfully employed by his charismatic mentor Chavez, whose populist style and focus on social welfare made him hugely popular among the poor for most of his 1999-2013 rule. Washington's measures have also wrongfooted Venezuela's opposition which, while agreeing with U.S. accusations of rights abuses and corruption, do not want to be associated with outside interference. With Venezuelans increasingly fed up with soaring prices and shortages from milk to car parts, the opposition had hoped for a protest vote in its favor at upcoming parliamentary elections. But political analysts believe the U.S. spat may give Maduro a bounce, albeit a temporary one. Venezuela's allies are supportive, with Cuba mocking the U.S. moves despite its own recent rapprochement with Washington. "We will respond to this grotesque, illegal, shameless, unheard of and unjustified meddling by the United States," added Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa, announcing a meeting on the issue next week of foreign ministers of regional bloc UNASUR, which has generally backed Venezuela's stance. (Additional reporting by Alexandra Valencia in Quito; Editing by Christian Plumb)
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The United States does not appear to have clear-cut legal authority to protect Syrian rebels it trains from attack by forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, even under new war powers, U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said on Wednesday. Still, Carter told Congress, a final determination had not yet been made. The remarks underscore the deep uncertainty surrounding a fledgling U.S. military-led training program expected to get under way in the coming weeks, first in Jordan, then at training sites in Turkey, Saudi Arabia and, later, Qatar, with the goal of training upwards of 5,000 fighters a year. President Barack Obama's government says the Syria train-and-equip program will complement the campaign against Islamic State militants across the border in Iraq. But critics say Obama's goal of focusing solely on the Islamic State in Syria is not realistic and fails to take into account the threat to U.S.-backed fighters from forces loyal to Assad, once they're deployed on the battlefield. The top U.S. military officer, General Martin Dempsey, testifying alongside Carter, warned that the United States would need to give some assurances of protection to the new recruits it is injecting into Syria's messy civil war. "Now the scope and scale of that protection is the part of this that's being actively debated," Dempsey said. "But the program won't succeed unless they believe themselves to have a reasonable chance of survival." Carter, for his part, said the fighters will need to know "whether and in what manner they will be supported" but said the matter was being discussed within the Obama administration. "That is something under active discussion. I don't believe the legal aspect of that has been determined," Carter said. Senator Bob Corker, a Republican from Tennessee who leads the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, pressed Carter. He said Pentagon lawyers indicated existing war powers authorized in 2001 and new ones now before Congress didn't give a clear pathway for U.S. military action against Assad's forces. "Neither one gives clear-cut authority to y'all's being able to defend the train-and-equip program against Assad's assault," Corker said. "That's my understanding," Carter responded. (Additional reporting by David Alexander; Editing by James Dalgleish)
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news
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An oil tanker and car crash in Dearborn, Michigan caused a massive explosion on Interstate 94, shutting down traffic in both directions, The Detroit News reported.
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news
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There's been a long-standing question about whether pregnancy and memory loss go hand-in-hand. For Duchess Kate, "pregnancy brain" is apparently anything but a myth. Although she's due to have her second child in April, Kate is sometimes unaware that she has a growing bump under her fashionable clothing, according to UK's Hello! "I sometimes forget I'm pregnant," Kate was heard saying after a woman told the Duchess that she looked "very trim." Kate's humorous admission came as she made one of her last high-profile appearances before giving 19-month-old Prince George a royal sibling. The glowingly soon-to-be mother-of-two was seen rubbing her belly during her English appearance and was overhead saying "not long now," when speaking about the baby's arrival. And, it seems, she may not be done either. According to the Telegraph, Kate has expressed interest in a "big family" and that she wants "at least" three children. Hopefully she'll remember all of their names. Pregnancy brain: It's a real thing.
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entertainment
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The French women's team lost for the first time in 12 games on Wednesday when they went down 2-0 to the United States in the final of the Algarve Cup. The US team, who have won four of the five Olympic gold medals on offer, won their 10th Algarve Cup thanks to first-half goals by Julie Johnston and Christen Press. In the match for third place, Germany beat Sweden 2-1. The Algarve Cup is an invitational women's football tournament held annually in Portugal. The 2015 edition served as a major warm-up for the June 6-July 15 World Cup in Canada where France and the US are firm favourites alongside holders Japan.
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WASHINGTON The controversy over Hillary Clinton's use of a private email account while secretary of state has accelerated an inevitability about her presidential candidacy a spotlight on whether Americans trust her. Clinton has lived in the public eye for nearly a quarter century, and over that time, her political opponents have found that issues of trust can serve as powerful weapons against her. As far back as 1996, when she was first lady, a survey by the non-partisan Pew Research Center asked people to offer one-word descriptions of Clinton. The labels most often used by admirers were "strong" and "intelligent," while the ones most raised by opponents were "dishonest" and what Pew decorously described as "a derogatory term for women that rhymes with rich." The accusation that Clinton can't be trusted or isn't honest has served as a rallying cry for opponents ever since. They've been helped at times by Clinton's own actions. Her penchant for control and secrecy or as she has put it, a desire to preserve some privacy while leading a public career repeatedly has led Clinton into situations where many Americans believed she was, at best, skirting rules that others were expected to follow. The intense partisanship that has divided opinions about Clinton through most of her public career has focused on that part of her personality. A year ago, for example, when she was still perceived by many Americans more as an admired former secretary of state than as a presidential candidate, another Pew survey found widespread agreement among Americans that Clinton was "tough." But asked whether she was "honest," Democrats and Republicans differed sharply, with more than 80 percent of Democrats saying yes, while only 30 percent of Republicans agreed. As partisan gaps have widened among American voters, views about Clinton have remained highly polarized. Given that history, it was only a matter of time before the trust issue came to the fore in the presidential campaign. Many Democrats say they were resigned to that. "I think this is just the warm-up to everything the Republicans plan to do for the next 10 years. Hillary Clinton is the front-runner not only for the Democratic nomination but in head-to-head races against Republicans," said Jim Demers, a longtime Democratic activist and prominent Clinton supporter in New Hampshire, the first primary state. "They're aiming their artillery at her early." But the fact that the trust issue has surfaced already, and that Clinton and her aides responded slowly, has dismayed many Democrats. "It hasn't been an encouraging pre-game," said a former official in Bill Clinton's administration who supports Hillary Clinton and who, like most high-level Democrats, would criticize her performance only anonymously. "It's obviously problematic," the former official said. "People don't really trust the Clintons. They may like them, but they don't trust them. I think she should be in a period of 'show me' rather than 'trust me.'" The debate over Clinton's emails has increased worries among Democrats about the lack of a campaign organization on their side months after Republicans began setting up their operations, and it appears to have accelerated the schedule for Clinton to formally announce her candidacy, likely next month. In her news conference Tuesday, Clinton said she had decided when she became secretary of state that she would use a private email account as a matter of "convenience" because it meant she could use one account for both personal and work emails and carry only a single phone. Last year, when State Department officials asked her and her three immediate predecessors to turn over copies of any work-related emails they had on private accounts, Clinton said, she had her lawyers review the roughly 60,000 emails she sent during her tenure which works out to about 40 per day and separate messages related to official business from those which were private. The review turned up 30,490 work emails, which were printed out and given to the State Department, and 31,830 "private, personal" messages, which were deleted, her aides said in a statement. Clinton defended her deleting of the personal messages on grounds of privacy, couching her argument in terms that seemed aimed at connecting with the voters who likely will be judging her next year. "No one wants their personal emails made public, and I think most people understand that and respect that privacy," she said. The personal messages touched on matters such as her daughter Chelsea's wedding, the funeral of her mother, Dorothy Rodham, and even her yoga classes, she said. She did not say why deleting the emails was necessary to keep them private. Critics immediately fired back, saying Clinton and her aides could have used the opportunity to delete emails that were politically embarrassing or could have provided evidence of wrongdoing. "We don't get to grade our own papers in life," said Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., the chair of the special House committee investigating the attack in 2012 on the U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya. "She doesn't get to determine what's a public record and what's a personal record. Someone else needs to do that," Gowdy said Wednesday on MSNBC. He repeated a call for Clinton to allow an outside party to examine the email server kept at her home in Chappaqua, N.Y. So far, most Democrats have defended Clinton. The lack of criticism within the party eases the way for her nascent campaign to chalk up criticism to Republican partisanship. Polls since the controversy began have shown no erosion in the strong support that likely Democratic primary voters give Clinton, who holds huge leads over potential rivals both nationally and in early primary states. Among the few Democrats willing to openly criticize her is Richard Harpootlian, the former South Carolina Democratic chairman, who has long been a harsh judge of the former secretary of state. "The big question now is what did she delete and why did she delete it?" Harpootlian said. "Given the history, she should be more sensitive than any other American to make sure she is transparent. 'Trust me' isn't enough. It's amazing to me she calls a press conference 10 days after this break and says, 'Trust me,'" he added. "I'm sorry, tell me why. Why should we trust you?" But, said veteran pollster Andrew Kohut, the founding director of the Pew Survey, "'trust me' may be sufficient." Unless more damaging facts emerge, the email issue is not "likely to evoke a great deal of public reaction," he said. And, particularly in the case of a figure as well-known as Clinton, voters may have decided they can live with something less than perfection. "Trust still matters," Kohut said. "But people will look at a candidate and say on a certain dimension we may not trust them, but they are doing well."
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Shrug image: iStock Apple blamed an internal server error for the widespread outage of its iTunes and App stores that impacted customers worldwide. The outage, which began around 1:30 am PT, means customers may be unable to make purchases from the App Store, iTunes Store, iBooks Store or Mac App Store, the company reported . Consumers turned to Twitter to vent their unhappiness, under the hashtag #appstoredown. Apple issued a statement this morning apologizing for the outage and said the cause was an internal domain name server error at Apple. "We're working to make all of the services available to customers as soon as possible, and we thank everyone for their patience," the company said.
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Two Russian cosmonauts and an American astronaut on Wednesday boarded a Soyuz space capsule in preparation for their return to Earth after spending six months at the International Space Station. Yelena Serova, Alexander Samokutyaev and Barry Wilmore said farewell to their three crewmates who are staying at the orbiting lab, and floated into the Soyuz, closing the hatch behind them at 3:36 pm Eastern time (1936 GMT). The Soyuz will undock from the space station at 6:44 pm (2244 GMT), then perform an engine burn a couple of hours later to help the spacecraft drop out of orbit. Aided by a parachute, the spacecraft is expected to land on a snow-covered steppe in Kazakhstan at 10:08 pm (0208 GMT Thursday). The trio left Earth on September 26. They spent 167 days in space and traveled more than 70 million miles (112 million kilometers) during that time, NASA said. The next crew launches from Baikonur, Kazakhstan on March 28. The men on board will be US astronaut Scott Kelly and Russian cosmonauts Mikhail Kornienko and Gennady Padalka. Kelly and Kornienko will stay at the research outpost for an entire year instead of the usual six months, "collecting valuable biomedical data that will inform future deep space, long-duration missions," NASA said.
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GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) -- Xavier Rathan-Mayes scored 30 points and Florida State held on for a wild 76-73 win over Clemson on Wednesday in the second round of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament. Montay Brandon added 17 points for the ninth-seeded Seminoles (17-15), who led by 20 with 9 minutes to play. They will play No. 3 and top-seeded Virginia (28-2) Thursday in the quarterfinals. BOX SCORE: FLORIDA ST. 76, CLEMSON 73 Rod Hall had a career-high 25 points for the eighth-seeded Tigers (16-15), who pulled to 75-73 on Hall's free throws with 25.2 seconds left, then got the ball back after Florida State threw the inbounds pass away. Hall drove the lane and put up a jumper that hung on the rim but refused to drop. Phil Cofer put the Seminoles up three with a free throw with 9.5 seconds left. The Tigers worked the ball to Gabe DeVoe, whose deep 3-pointer with about 3 seconds left bounced off the iron. Jaron Blossomgame missed on a put-back attempt at the buzzer for the Tigers. Blossomgame finished with 14 points and DeVoe added 10 for Clemson, which has lost three straight and five of six. They seemed on their way to a lopsided loss, trailing by 13 with less than 2 minutes to play before rallying. The Tigers hit three 3s in a minute to pull within five, then took advantage of a weird play to make it a one-possession game: Cofer slipped on his backside while inbounding the ball, and it slipped out of his hands and rolled across the end line to Blossomgame, whose layup with 30.8 seconds left made it 74-71. Rathan-Mayes hit a free throw before Hall's two big foul shots made it a two-point game. Florida State's ensuing inbounds pass bounced off Devon Bookert's hands and face before going out of bounds to give the Tigers their last, best chance. Cofer finished with 10 points for the Seminoles, who certainly seemed on their way to an easy win after building that big lead. Rathan-Mayes made two free throws, then banked in a jumper that put Florida State up 57-37 with just over 9 minutes to play. --- TIP-INS Florida State: Coach Leonard Hamilton moved into a tie with J.K. Kennedy at 236 wins with the school - the most in program history. Clemson: The Tigers have won only two ACC tournament games since 2009. UP NEXT Florida State: Plays No. 3 Virginia on Thursday in the ACC quarterfinals. Clemson: Awaits possible NIT berth. Follow Joedy McCreary on Twitter at http://twitter.com/joedyap
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This may just be the most delicious archaeological discovery ever. Archaeologists in the Bavarian city of Regensburg have found remains of a pretzel, as well as a roll and a croissant, that date to the 18th century. "This is definitely the oldest pretzel ever found," Silvia Codreanau-Windauer, of the Bavarian Bureau for the Conservation of Historic Monuments, told Germany's The Local . Bavarian archaeologists find 250-year-old pretzel. No word yet on taste #bavaria #food #beer http://t.co/mC94ddu1Vd pic.twitter.com/b8MaYb3NoX The Local Germany (@TheLocalGermany) March 11, 2015 The archaeologists explained that the baked treats were only preserved for centuries because they had been burned when they were made. The researchers believe a baker discarded them because they were burned. "This discovery is really extraordinary, because it depicts a snippet of everyday life," Joachim Wolbergs, the mayor of Regensburg, told The Local . Regensburg will eventually be home to a museum of Bavarian history, The Local reports, but there's no word on whether the pretzel will be displayed in the collections.
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Gunshots are reportedly fired at rapper Lil Wayne's Miami Beach home, according to local media. Rough Cut (no reporter narration).
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Six employees of state-owned Dutch bank ABN Amro, which hopes to go public this year, have left their jobs after breaching internal rules for Indian clients in Dubai, media reported Wednesday. "ABN Amro received signs mid-2014 of some employees possibly not complying with internal guidelines," Bloomberg news agency quoted bank spokeswoman Brigitte Seegers as saying. Dutch media reported that the bankers had helped Indian clients set up private accounts instead of business accounts. Private accounts are subject to less strict rules aimed at preventing money laundering and terrorism financing. An internal enquiry led to the six bankers leaving ABN Amro and the Indian accounts being closed. The Dutch finance ministry said it had taken note "of the fraud issue" and had ascertained that the bank was putting its own house in order, Bloomberg said. ABN Amro was nationalised in 2008 in the middle of the financial crisis.
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A federal judge said Facebook Inc must face a nationwide class-action lawsuit seeking to force the social media company to provide refunds when children spend their parents' money on its website without permission. U.S. District Judge Beth Labson Freeman in San Jose, California on Tuesday said a class of plaintiffs estimated in the hundreds of thousands may press their claim that Facebook should change how it handles online transactions by minors. The judge also said the plaintiffs could not pursue refunds as a group under U.S. Supreme Court precedent, because any refunds would vary from case to case, but could still seek individual refunds. She set an Oct. 19 trial date. Facebook said it believes the lawsuit lacks merit, and said it will defend itself vigorously. The April 2012 lawsuit said Facebook let children use their parents' credit and debit cards to buy the virtual currency Facebook Credits, and violated California law by refusing refunds under its "all sales are final" policy when the parents complained. In opposing class certification, Facebook said the plaintiffs' claims were too disparate, and an injunction would not address them. But Freeman said state law protects parents and their children when those children "occasionally use their lack of judgment" and buy things they should not. "Though some minors undoubtedly may wish to continue making purchases through credit or debit cards they do not have permission to use, such a desire cannot prevent the named plaintiffs from bringing suit to demand that Facebook's policies comply with the law," she wrote. Facebook Credits were discontinued in 2013 and replaced with Facebook Payments. The lawsuit was brought by two children and their parents. One child said his mother let him spend $20 on her credit card toward the game "Ninja Saga," but was later charged several hundred dollars for purchases he thought he made with "virtual, in-game currency." The other said he took a debit card from his parents without permission and spent $1,059. People who sign up for Facebook must be at least 13 years old, according to the Menlo Park, California-based company. "We're very pleased with the decision," J.R. Parker, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, said in a phone interview. "The difference between Facebook and other businesses is that the company is on actual notice of a user's age, but treats children the same as adult users when it comes to taking their money." The case is I.B. et al v. Facebook Inc, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, No. 12-01894. (Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Tom Brown)
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ATLANTA Bridget Anderson had been planning to go to her boyfriend's place Monday evening to cook together and celebrate their three-year anniversary. Instead, she got a call that he had been shot dead by police. A police officer responding to reports of a suspicious person knocking on doors and crawling on the ground naked at an apartment complex just outside Atlanta fatally shot 27-year-old Anthony Hill. Officer Robert Olsen shot Hill twice when the man began running toward him and didn't stop when ordered, DeKalb County Chief of Police Cedric Alexander told reporters Monday. Hill had served more than four years in the U.S. Air Force when he was medically discharged a few years ago, his girlfriend, Bridget Anderson, told The Associated Press in a phone interview Wednesday. He was being treated by a VA doctor for bipolar disorder but stopped taking the medication a week or two ago because he didn't like the side effects, including stiffening in his jaw, she said. But Anderson, 22, said she didn't notice any changes in her boyfriend after he stopped taking his medication and she'd never known him to behave strangely. "This is totally out of the blue," she said, referring to the strange behavior police and others described before Hill was shot. Hill is black and the officer who shot him is white. No weapon was found, and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation is looking into the shooting. The police chief acknowledged the national debate surrounding police shootings and said he wanted to make sure the investigation was transparent, open and fair. A group of about 125 demonstrators gathered Wednesday evening in downtown Decatur to protest Hill's shooting. Jim Chambers, an organizer with the activist group Rise Up Georgia, said he hoped the protest starts a discussion about police conduct and training in the community. The group sang, chanted and occasionally stopped at intersections to sit down and listen to a speaker, while police cars blocked traffic. Kenneth White, 39, who attended the protest with his wife, Tasha, 40, and two of their young children, said the family wanted to be there to demand that law enforcement be held accountable. "Police officers have an extremely hard job," White said. "But they signed the dotted line for that job. If they make mistakes, just like I make mistakes, I have to pay the price for it. I think the same should be held to those who are supposed to enforce those laws." Hill's mother has hired lawyer Christopher Chestnut and has asked for privacy. Chestnut said Wednesday that the police officer could have retreated, used his nonlethal weapons or fought with his hands. Chestnut said his law firm will conduct its own investigation. "This victim had no weapon. He's unclothed," Chestnut said. "So the level of threat is de minimus. ... There was no imminent threat to the officer's life or the life of anyone else." Anderson said she was looking forward to celebrating her three-year anniversary with Hill on Monday evening when she got a call telling her he'd been killed. "My heart just tore out of my chest," she said. "I started screaming his name and saying it couldn't be true that he was gone." The pair had mutual friends and had been together since he reached out to her with a cute response on Twitter when she tweeted that she had a thing for nice eyebrows. Hill was a happy, caring person, who was passionate about music, made friends everywhere he went and enjoyed playing with the children in his neighborhood, she said. He liked to cook for his girlfriend and made a spaghetti dinner last week. "It tasted like something from Olive Garden," she said. "It was so good, and he was so proud of it." He sang everywhere he went and wanted to be famous for his songwriting and singing, Anderson said. To that end, he had set a goal of getting a recording contract by June 15 of next year, his birthday. Hill's death at the hands of a police officer is especially tragic, Anderson said, because he had great respect for police officers. When no indictment was issued for police officers in the apparent chokehold death of Eric Garner, an unarmed black Staten Island man who got into a videotaped confrontation with white police officers, Anderson said she expressed anger and frustration with police. But Hill told her to remember that most police are good people, she said. __ Associated Press writers Kathleen Foody and Ray Henry contributed to this report.
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Kumar Sangakkara was in record-breaking mood as he helped Sri Lanka to a comfortable World Cup win over Scotland.
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Could the Broncos be signing another tight end? According to the Denver Posts Troy Renck , the Denver Broncos will talk to tight end Jacob Tamme today, and that they would like the veteran tight end back with the Broncos in 2015. #Broncos love tight ends in this offense. They will talk to Tamme later today. Would like to get him back Troy Renck (@TroyRenck) March 11, 2015 The Denver Broncos signed tight end Virgil Green , and veteran tight end Owen Daniels yesterday. They also took a flier on CFA tight end Joe Don Duncan. Now could they be re-signing the Jacob Tamme? "I plan to talk to Jacob Tamme today," Kubiak said. "We are interested in bringing him back." Tamme has spent the last three seasons with the Denver Broncos and has totaled 86 receptions for 848 yards, and 5 touchdowns. Last season he caught 14 balls for 109 yards, and 2 touchdowns. Tamme would compete with Virgil Green and Owen Daniels for snaps at tight end, and could play some fullback if called on. Tight ends are very important in Gary Kubiak's offense. He often uses two tight end sets, and they're utilized in the passing game. So adding tight ends was an obvious priority for the Broncos in free agency. However, if the Broncos do re-sign Jacob Tamme, I think it would be a comfort signing for quarterback Peyton Manning . Tamme has played all but one season with Peyton Manning, and keeping Tamme would give Manning a tight end he trusts.
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Should egg-laying chickens roam free or live in roomy cages? That question is roiling the $9 billion U.S. egg industry as producers grapple with new state laws and food-company policies aimed at improving the well-being of the country's 305 million egg-laying hens. The revised rules target the cramped cages that have dominated the industry for decades, enclosures that typically confine birds to 67 square inches each smaller than a standard sheet of paper. Many egg farmers are torn between two strategies: investing in expensive "cage-free" facilities or building larger cages, a less-costly move that generally complies with new laws but doesn't satisfy all food purveyors and animal-rights advocates. Cage-free eggs fetch a premium at times even doubling the price but it isn't clear how large the market will become, farmers say. Going cage-less also comes with another cost: all that freedom typically means a higher percentage of hens die prematurely sometimes from injuries suffered in flight or from pecking by other chickens, according to animal scientists and farmers. Setting off the latest egg-farming conundrum was California, which in January began requiring every shell egg sold in the most-populous state to come from hens that have room to lie down, turn in a circle and extend their wings. Washington, Oregon, Michigan and Ohio have hen-cage laws taking effect in coming years, and bills are pending in other states. "It's very difficult for egg producers to comply with multiple rules," said Jim Dean, chief executive of Centrum Valley Farms, an Iowa egg producer. Wholesale egg prices in California jumped to more than $3.40 a dozen in January due to shortages as producers sought to comply with the state's new law, according to research firm Urner Barry. Prices since have fallen to about $2 a dozen. Meanwhile, Nestlé SA and Starbucks Corp. last year unveiled plans to phase out the use of eggs from caged hens, joining businesses including Burger King and Aramark Corp. that earlier made similar pledges. Marcus Rust, chief executive of Rose Acre Farms, one of the largest U.S. egg producers with roughly 25 million hens is wagering that the future lies in cage free. About 18 months ago, Mr. Rust said, his closely held company decided that every facility it builds or refurbishes will lack cages. The move came down to dollars and cents, not what's best for Rose Acre's hens, most of which remain caged for now. "Farming is about making a profit, and if someone is willing to pay us extra, we're going to do that," said the 58-year-old, whose grandfather started the egg business that became Rose Acre. It will take up to 30 years to completely convert to cage-free housing, Mr. Rust said. Demand for cage-free eggs is small but growing. Seventeen million U.S. egg-laying hens were cage-free as of September 6% of the U.S. flock up from 15 million three years earlier, according to federal data. Going cage-less is a major shift for Rose Acre, based in Seymour, Ind. In 2010, the Humane Society of the U.S. released undercover videos of farms owned by Rose Acre and a competitor that showed birds in crowded cages, some injured or dead. Mr. Rust said the video was misleading. Rose Acre was able to blunt the impact by inviting local media to come and photograph its operations. On a recent morning at a Rose Acre complex in Frankfort, Ind., 170,000 hens roamed about a 550-foot-long barn, clucking and cooing. Some perched on metal rods. Others run up and down slanted metal ramps. Nesting boxes covered with red doors provide a dark, sheltered place to lay eggs, which roll onto conveyor belts and are whisked to a production plant. The facility among the largest cage-free henhouses in the U.S., according to Mr. Rust cost about $5 million to build. Rose Acre has more than $500 million in annual sales. Farmers say cage-free systems cost roughly $10 a bird more than large-cage facilities to build, or an additional $1 million for a barn containing 100,000 birds. Uncaged birds eat more because they are more active, raising feed costs. Cage-free and large-cage henhouses raise farmers' expenses because they have fewer hens over which to spread the cost of equipment, heating and other supplies. Some growers are simply culling chickens from conventional housing to meet California's requirement that each bird get at least 116 square inches of living space. Cage-free systems are "not better animal welfare, it's just different animal welfare," said Chet Utterback, who manages a poultry research farm at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. "It's going to increase the cost of eggs. And that takes the cheapest, most valuable source of protein out of poor people's mouths." Industry proponents of the large cages, known as "enriched colonies," argue they are safer than cage-free systems because there is less contact between the birds, their eggs and manure. The colony cages include perches, nesting boxes and scratching areas. "It seems to be the most balanced system," said Greg Satrum, vice president of Willamette Egg Farms in Oregon, which has the big cages and some cage-free housing. Colony cages came close to getting a boost a few years ago, when United Egg Producers, which represents most U.S. egg farmers, joined the Humane Society to lobby for a uniform federal egg law that would have required the bigger cages nationwide. Meat-industry groups objected, though, fearing it would create a precedent for similar rules. The legislation failed, and now farmers must contend with a patchwork of state laws. Rose Acre's Frankfort henhouse, which opened last November, is still working out some kinks, Mr. Rust said. Some birds have died from suffocation inside nest boxes when "hens have piled in on top of each other," he said. "We think we can fix that with some design changes." Mr. Rust said he would have been comfortable using colony cages. But he often thinks about his wife's response when he showed her a cage-free facility. "She said, 'Why wouldn't you just do that for all of them?'"
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If you're hitting the town with friends this St. Patrick's Day, why not celebrate in style! There are a few festive and hilarious costumes to show off your Irish spirit. Krystin Goodwin (@krystingoodwin) has a few lucky looks to get the party going this St. Patty's day.
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KISSIMMEE, Fla. (AP) -- Left-hander Marco Gonzales strengthened his bid for a spot in the St. Louis rotation by allowing one hit over four scoreless innings in the Cardinals' 6-2 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday. Gonzales, who didn't give up a run over two innings in his first spring start, struck out three and walked one. The only hit off the 23-year-old was a two-out double by first baseman Freddie Freeman in the first inning. ''That was outstanding,'' Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. ''I think we saw all four of his pitches. ''I was one of those days were he had everything working.'' Gonzales was supposed to work three innings, but went back out for another inning because of a low pitch count. Of his 51 pitches, 38 were strikes. ''I had another short inning and I was feeling good,'' Gonzales said. ''I was fortunate to keep the ball down, have some low counts and get some quick outs.'' A first-round draft choice in 2013, Gonzales came up to the Cardinals late last year and won twice in relief during the Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was 4-2 with a 4.15 ERA in 10 regular-season games, including five starts. If Gonzales fails to land a rotation spot, he could still make the team as a reliever. ''I'm just trying to prove myself and hopefully land a spot on the roster,'' Gonzales said. ''I'm not looking at it as a role right now.'' Gonzales originally relied on his fastball and changeup. Now he also has a curve and cutter. ''Long term I see him as a starter,'' Matheny said. ''I don't think we've made any question about that. ... He's got the composure and the stuff to be a guy who can start in this league for a while.'' STARTING TIME: Braves: Alex Wood allowed two unearned runs in the third inning before leaving with two outs. The left-hander gave up three hits, walked two and struck out one. ''I would have liked to finish the third inning,'' said Wood, who reached his pitch limit with an out to go. ''I felt good, but I thought my timing was a little off.'' TRAINER'S ROOM: Cardinals: Right-hander Lance Lynn, recovering from a left hip flexor strain, will miss his scheduled start Friday against Miami. He departed after one inning against the Marlins on Sunday after giving up an unearned run and two walks. Adam Wainwright (abdominal strain) threw a bullpen session Tuesday in Jupiter and will toss a second round of live batting practice before making his spring debut. Braves: Third baseman Chris Johnson returned to the lineup after missing four games with a sore left wrist, but was 0 for 3 with a strikeout and committed a pair of errors that led to four unearned runs. Shortstop Andrelton Simmons (oblique strain) is tentatively set to make his spring debut on Thursday against the New York Yankees. NO REUNION: Cardinals: Right fielder Jason Heyward elected to play in Tuesday's game against the Astros rather than face his old team in the second of back-to-back games in Kissimmee. The Braves and Cardinals will play in Jupiter on March 21. Heyward, who becomes a free agent after this season, had spent his whole career with the Braves before being dealt in a four-player deal that sent starting pitcher Shelby Miller to Atlanta. Heyward is 4 for 9 with a stolen base and two RBIs in four spring games. COMEBACK BID: Braves: Veteran reliever Peter Moylan, coming off a second Tommy John surgery, signed a two-year minor league contract that will have him serve as a player-coach in the rookie Appalachian League this year before getting an invitation to spring training in 2016. He last pitched with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2013 after spending parts of seven seasons with the Braves. UP NEXT: Cardinals: Jamie Garcia, limited to seven games last season as he continued to battle injuries, will start against Baltimore on Thursday as the Cardinals return to Jupiter after two games in the Orlando area. The left-hander worked 1 1-3 innings in his spring debut Saturday, giving up a run while allowing three hits and a walk against Washington. Braves: The Braves will face the Yankees' Masahiro Tanaka in his Grapefruit League debut when they play their first night game of the spring in Tampa. It will be the second outing for Miller, who didn't make it out of the opening inning in a rough first outing with his new team. He allowed three hits and walked two Saturday against Detroit.
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Senior men and women with an active sex life may score outside the bedroom, too. (Sorry.) Though British researchers established people in their 70s and 80s frequently have sex, little is known about the ways in which cognitive function influences a senior's perception of sex: Is it important? Is it pleasant? Researchers from Manchester University aimed to learn more by analyzing data collected from nearly 2,000 adults (an average age of 71) who participated in the 2005-6 cycle of the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam . Participants answered questions having to do with sexuality and intimacy, such as the importance of sexuality, the status of their sex life, and their personal need for intimacy. Participants then completed tests on their general cognitive functioning, memory performance, processing speed, and fluid intelligence. When it came to having a sex life, a quarter of adults said it was important or very important, while 41 percent rated it was unimportant. What's more is 32 percent of participants said sex in old age was pleasant compared to six percent who said it wasn't. As for intimacy, 67 percent of adults believed touching and intimacy were necessary in old age; 12 percent did not. Interestingly, lower fluid intelligence the capacity for abstract thinking and quick reasoning was associated with the idea an active, pleasant sex life was not important in old age, as was lower cognitive functioning. Overall, adults who didn't believe sex or intimacy was important in old age performed worse on cognitive function tests compared to those who found it very important. These results suggest not only can senior adults have vibrant sex lives, but they should. According to the American Psychological Association , we don't discuss the importance of sexuality among senior adults enough. And according to the Hartford Institute of Geriatric Nursing , seniors with an active sex life helps men and women fulfill otherwise social, emotion, and psychological components of life; "it evokes sentiments of joy, romance, affection, passion, and intimacy." Studies such as this help make it easier for senior men and women to reevaluate their sex life, to learn sexual health is as important now as it was in their 20s. Additionally, these studies are learning opportunities for health care providers. Understanding sexual activity, behaviors, and problems can prompt helpful discussions in the doctor's office. Source: Hartmans C, Comijs H, and Jonker C. The Perception of Sexuality in Older Adults and Its Relationship with Cognitive Functioning. The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. 2015.
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AUBURN, Ala. We don't need to go back very far to get a sense of how tricky the whole quarterback thing can be, to understand that even great offensive coaches can tie themselves to lesser quarterbacks and that sometimes the reasons for those decisions have little to do with pure talent. It is easier now to say that Ohio State was playing the wrong quarterback the whole time last season, all the way up until a former third-stringer came in to rescue the season and played so well he not only got the Buckeyes into the College Football Playoff but won the whole thing. It is a more difficult thing to say about Auburn, for a variety of reasons starting with the fact that Nick Marshall played 26 mostly spectacular games for Gus Malzahn and that Auburn's late-season slide to 8-5 in 2014 had very little to do with his performance. Nevertheless, the notion that Auburn's best quarterback attempted a mere 37 passes last season and failed to take a snap in seven games was not uncommon within the Southeastern Conference last season. SPRING FOOTBALL: AAC | ACC | Big 12 | Big Ten | C-USA | MAC | Mountain West | Pac-12 | SEC | Sun Belt | Independents Jeremy Johnson, a 6-foot-5, 240-pound specimen who happens to be almost a physical clone of Ohio State's Cardale Jones, has not played much. But in leading Auburn to a season-opening win against Arkansas while Marshall was suspended, he did just enough to capture the imagination of anyone looking ahead to 2015. "We have a lot of confidence in Jeremy," Malzahn said Tuesday as Auburn opened spring practice. "He's going to go out there and have to win the starting job, but he's in a very good spot." *** Johnson, from just up the road in Montgomery, actually committed to Auburn in May 2012 during Malzahn's one-year stint at Arkansas State. At the time, it would have been difficult to project that Auburn's program was on the verge of falling apart, largely because of Gene Chizik's failure to find a suitable quarterback following Cam Newton. When Malzahn came back to Auburn a year later as head coach, the quarterback position was so wide open that Marshall, a junior college transfer who played defensive back in his first stop at Georgia, showed up in the fall with no knowledge of Malzahn's offense and won the job from both Johnson and two veterans with starting experience. That Marshall became one of the best players in the country and led Auburn within a hair of the national title in 2013 was a testament to Malzahn and coordinator Rhett Lashlee, who adapted the offense to his talent and speed by running more read-option. In much the same way Jones' arm strength gave Ohio State's offense an entirely different dimension, Johnson is a more natural passer than Marshall and will allow Auburn to return to an offensive style closer to what Malzahn has won with for most of his career. Though Johnson said he and his predecessor "can do the same things" and quickly pointed out that Marshall threw for 456 yards against Alabama last season, he also acknowledged that he is more of a power runner and that the strength of his game is throwing the ball. "The offense is going to pretty much stay the same, balanced, running and throwing," he said. "I feel real good about sitting back and making throws." There's no reason not to. For a variety of reasons, including the impact on the locker room, there was no way Malzahn last season could have turned the team over to Johnson or allowed any reason for controversy, especially because Marshall did little wrong on the field and engineered big early wins against Kansas State and Ole Miss that got Auburn to 7-1. And yet it had to have been a bit tempting for everyone to see what Johnson could have done after he came out in the season opener and torched Arkansas for 243 yards on 12-of-16 completions, a performance that stamped him as the future for Auburn if not the present. "It helped me a lot and gave me a lot of confidence, knowing I could go out and be able to play against an SEC team and perform the way I did," Johnson said. "It really wasn't a big deal (to go back to the bench). That was my role. Whenever I was called upon, I was ready and even if I didn't play I was going to be the biggest cheerleader for (Marshall). It was a humbling experience." *** Now Johnson will get that chance, and whether he lives up to his reputation will be the biggest single factor in Auburn bouncing back from a disappointing end to 2014. By the time the Tigers slid out of the national championship conversation and all the way to 8-5, they looked like a very tired team, beaten down by the nation's most unforgiving schedule and a defense that simply wasn't real consistent at anything other than allowing touchdowns. Malzahn, to his credit, did not place blame on Auburn's bad schedule luck, having to play the best Mississippi State and Ole Miss teams in years, Georgia and Alabama all on the road in the span of eight weeks a stretch no team in the country could have survived without getting scarred. Instead, he made a power move in replacing defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson with recently deposed Florida coach Will Muschamp, brought in another top-10 recruiting class and spent two months plotting to make spring practice tougher to help Auburn regain the physicality played with in 2013. "I really do feel like we had the toughest schedule in college football and you had to bring your 'A' game every week, but we knew that going in," Malzahn said. "We knew it was going to be a challenge and you've got to overcome things like that and we didn't do that. We definitely lost our edge toward the end of the year." But none of that matters if Johnson can't fulfill the expectations he created with that brilliant game against Arkansas. In a league where quarterback play was spotty overall in 2014 and could be even worse on paper in 2015, it's wide open for Johnson to be a star and Auburn to get into the College Football Playoff. Tuesday, he said all the right things about leadership and opportunity and the value of waiting his turn. Ohio State showed everyone last year it was possible to lose a great quarterback (two, in fact) and still get better at the position. Auburn could very well be on track to do the same.
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sports
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America faces an Arctic dilemma. Next month, the U.S. is set to take the helm of the Arctic Council, an international forum for the polar region. That event creates an opportunity for the administration to talk up its commitment to advancing U.S. interests in the Arctic, an expansive land and sea territory that contains vast untapped energy resources. But the U.S. has essentially given the Arctic the cold shoulder. Lawmakers, federal officials, and experts warn that Arctic investment has not kept pace with rapid ice melt and caution that the U.S. must overcome a lack of funding and resources as it patrols the polar region. As ice vanishes due to rapidly rising temperatures, the Arctic has seen an influx of activity. Major energy companies have plans to scour polar seas for oil and gas while commercial and passenger ships rush to transit newly-accessible routes. All that commotion ups the odds of spills and accidents, paving the way for a high-seas North Pole disaster. Yet Congress has hardly lifted a finger so far to foot the bill for infrastructure and technology that would better equip the U.S. to safeguard Arctic waters. America's Arctic strategy has long been plagued by a lack of funding. Vast stretches of polar waters have not been charted or mapped to modern-day standards, and the U.S. Coast Guard has been forced to make do with a shrinking fleet of icebreakers, powerful ships that play a key role in search and rescue operations as well as Arctic exploration. Admiral Robert Papp, the U.S. special representative for the Arctic, highlighted a wide array of technology that the U.S. lacks from a robust fleet of icebreaking ships to improved navigational networks while speaking at a hearing of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee last week. "There are plenty of needs that have already been identified. We just need to get around the business of setting some priorities and having the determination to start resourcing them," Papp said. Coast Guard commanders echo that conviction and warn that a lack of icebreaking ships in particular could imperil search and rescue efforts. "In order for us to be relevant, to sustain mission effectiveness in the Arctic, I cannot make the claim that I am semper paratus [always ready] with the fleet I have at my disposal today," U.S. Admiral and Commandant of the Coast Guard Paul Zukunft said in an interview. While the U.S. looks for a way to pay for additional ships, other Arctic nations are leaping ahead. The Coast Guard has only one icebreaker in operation that can navigate heavy ice. Russia, meanwhile, has made Arctic investment a top priority, and the Kremlin wields an icebreaker fleet that boasts dozens of high-powered ships. Roughly 95 percent of the Arctic has not been mapped to modern standards, according to the International Hydrographic Organization. Papp noted during last week's Senate hearing that some of the navigational tools that Arctic ships rely on date to the era of Captain James Cook, the 18th-century British navigator and cartographer. Zukunft warned that out-of-date charts and maps could lead to "a scenario not unlike the Titanic sinking back in 1912." A sharp uptick in ship traffic has significantly compounded the potential for accidents due to outdated navigational technology. The Coast Guard is working to establish a shipping route through the Bering Strait, but so far no shipping lanes exist in U.S. Arctic waters, according to Marilyn Heiman, Pew's U.S. Arctic program director. That could increase the risk of accidents. "It's like the Wild Wild West," Heiman said. "You can take your boat anywhere you want. It's a free-for-all." The National Research Council concluded last year that the U.S. is not adequately prepared to quickly and safely respond to an Arctic oil spill. Still, there are early indications that Congress may devote additional attention and resources to the Arctic. Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska the chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and independent Sen. Angus King of Maine launched an Arctic caucus this month. Murkowski and King, along with Democratic Sen. Maria Cantwell of Washington, the committee's ranking member, have all expressed concern that the U.S. has not placed a high enough priority on Arctic infrastructure and navigational technology. And Murkowski is starting to lay the groundwork for an Arctic infrastructure bill. On the other side of the Capitol, Rep. Rick Larsen, a Washington Democrat, has also pushed for increased Arctic investment. But some experts are skeptical that Congress will cough up the cash. "We have a strategy for the Arctic but the real question is: Where is the money coming from?" said Dr. Lawson Brigham, a professor of geography and Arctic policy at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. "It's not so easy to get funding for big-ticket items so who is going to pay for this: the public or the private sector?"
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news
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Kurt Busch said Wednesday he's eager to return to the cockpit of the No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet this weekend at Phoenix International Raceway, where he'll begin his quest for a spot in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. "It means the world to me to be back in the car," Busch said. Earlier in the day NASCAR lifted Busch's indefinite suspension, which it imposed Feb. 20 in conjunction with an alleged incident of domestic violence that took place last September in Dover, Delaware. Busch, who on March 5 was cleared of criminal charges in the case by the Delaware Department of Justice, spoke to reporters on a national teleconference Wednesday afternoon. "I never did any of things I was accused of," Busch said. "It was a total fabrication. ... My reputation will iron itself out." To make the Chase, Busch needs to finish the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series regular season in the top 30 in points and likely win one of the 23 remaining regular-season races. After sitting out the first three races of the year, Busch is 42 points out of 30th place right now, but that's a manageable number to make up. "I believe I have cars capable of winning races," Busch said. "Now, I've got to go out and do my job." NASCAR has said it will continue to monitor Busch's situation. The driver remains on indefinite probation. "We have made it very clear to Kurt Busch our expectations for him moving forward, which includes participation in a treatment program and full compliance with all judicial requirements as a result of his off-track behavior," said Steve O'Donnell, NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer in a statement released earlier in the day by NASCAR. Busch agreed to NASCAR's terms and conditions for reinstatement roughly two weeks ago, making this a brief suspension. The three races Busch missed were the Daytona 500, NASCAR's biggest race; Atlanta, one of his favorite tracks; and Las Vegas, his hometown track. "It's been torture sitting out of the car," said Busch.
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sports
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If there's one thing we've learned from Paris Fashion Week, it's that no one dresses quite like the French. From Coco Chanel to Charlotte Gainsbourg, French women seem to mix a classic elegance with a breezy effortlessness that we dream of re-creating ourselves. So what is it that provides that je ne sais quois that French women seem to possess? The key is that they keep style simple; after all, it was Coco Chanel herself who stated, "Before you leave the house, look in the mirror and take one thing off." French women find their signature style and wear it with confidence. Instead of bowing to current trends, the trick is to find a way to incorporate what is new into the wardrobe you love, and it all starts with where you shop. These nine French brands offer a take on Parisian chic that translates across the pond, too. Yes, there's a lot of black - but keep your eye out for a mélange of feminine and borrowed-from-the-boys styles, all with an effortless air that makes them easy to mix and match. From the bohemian Isabel Marant to the edgier Iro, these brands will transform your style, French lessons optional. The Kooples With a US eshop on the way very soon, the effortlessly cool brand The Kooples is going to take over your closet. You'll find the perfect LBD but also the edgy leather jacket to wear on top. Sandro No matter the season, Sandro offers the quirky clothes that will help you stand apart. Look for seasonal trend pieces like colorful fringe dresses and the perfect suede skirt. Iro At Iro , expect a mix of edgy and bohemian separates and dresses that are sexy yet understated - an outfit from Iro will get you noticed without ever feeling too loud. A.P.C. There's nothing complicated about too-cool brand A.P.C. From perfectly fitted tees to summery sandals, this French brand takes the basics and elevates them to superstar status. Maje Any Parisian knows that a wardrobe is not complete without a healthy selection from fashion-girl go-to Maje . The brand's romantic but relaxed style is easy to incorporate with what you already own. Zadig & Voltaire Zadig & Voltaire is part of the new era of French fashion. It embraces the trends with bold prints and fun accessories, while still staying true to the French aesthetic. Isabel Marant If there's one way to describe Isabel Marant, it's unpretentiously ahead of the trend. The brand's signature off-duty style ushered in the bohemian fashion moment. Ba&sh Step out in Paris and you're bound to walk by a Ba&sh store. The brand brings a relaxed feeling to classic style. The clothes have an elegance that can still translate to your weekend look. Comptoir des Cotonniers Comptoir des Cotonniers manages to make traditionally preppy items feel youthful and cool. Look out for fresh spins on basics like denim jackets and t-shirt dresses.
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lifestyle
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Ireland rushed emergency laws through parliament on Wednesday to close a loophole that made the possession of ecstasy, crystal meth, magic mushrooms and other drugs temporarily legal. The situation arose after the Court of Appeal on Tuesday struck down part of Ireland's 1977 Misuse of Drugs Act following a legal challenge. The upper house passed the laws after the lower house sat late into the night on Tuesday to vote. The legislation will be signed by Irish President Michael D. Higgins and is to be enacted by Thursday. "The bill aims to deal with the fallout of the judgement by reinstating the status quo ante in relation to substances controlled by government order," Health Minister Leo Varadkar told senators. The legal challenge was brought by a man prosecuted for possession of methylethcathinone, a substance once stocked by "head shops" that sell legal or herbal stimulants. Methylethcathinone was added to the list of banned substances in 2011 after a government crackdown. But the judges found the stimulant's addition to the list was unconstitutional as parliament had not been consulted. As a knock-on effect, over 100 drugs restricted by that part of the law have no longer been illegal to possess since Tuesday. The loophole did not affect existing laws regarding the supply, possession or the sale of older drugs such as heroin, cocaine and cannabis. The story caused a social media frenzy and inspired headlines across the world, with many poking fun at the development. In a headline, British daily The Times joked "Irish MPs up all night after ecstasy legalised". Irish media speculated that dozens of ongoing prosecutions for drug possession could now be in doubt because of the ruling.
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news
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Defying gravity by building towards the sky is no easy, or inexpensive , feat. Designer Martin Vargic of Halcyon Maps has made the six graphics below, documenting the rise of the tallest buildings throughout history. All black silhouetted buildings have held the record for that continent's tallest, while red silhouetted buildings have have also held the record of world's tallest. The grey silhouetted structures are notable towers and monuments and are included just for context. Check out the graphics below: NOW WATCH: 14 things you didn't know your iPhone headphones could do
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finance
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Mountain Dew has decided to ditch the nuclear-colored soda for their new product: the cleverly named DewShine soda. It's a clear, citrus-flavored fizzy concoction made with real cane sugar as opposed to high fructose corn syrup. They are labeling it a "craft soda," and are likely jumping on the craft hype bandwagon, just minus the whole beer part. DewShine is expected to hit stores later this month, following in the footsteps of Coca-Cola Life and Pepsi True, both of which are "natural" sodas sweetened with real sugar and alternative sweeteners like Stevia. The difference is that DewShine is only made with cane sugar. According to Mountain Dew, the soda is "inspired by Dew's home brewed mountain roots," which makes perfect sense, since, according to Brand Eating, "mountain dew" is slang for homemade alcohol (aka moonshine). As a fun throwback, the bottle design features Willy the Hillbilly, the soda brand's original mascot. The blog MtnDewKid reviewed the new soda and describes it as, "weak, sweet lemonade that goes down easy." DewShine will be available in individual 12-ounce bottles, or in packs of four.
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foodanddrink
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The ACC Network's Tim Brant and Mike Gminski breakdown the Tar Heels 81-63 win over BC in the second round of the 2015 New York Life ACC Tournament. Brice Johnson provided 17 points and 9 rebounds and North Carolina's bench scored 23 points to help propel UNC into the quarterfinals against #4 seed Louisville.
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sports
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I remember 27 November 1998 like it was yesterday. As torrential rain ripped through outer Erinsborough, Anne and Billy had sex for the first time, Joel got pinned under Pinhead's vintage "ute" the Beast in a rapidly rising river, and Dr Karl tried to save the day with a cut-in-half water bottle and a length of black-plastic tubing. Episode 3,220 of Neighbours that year's season finale had our entire family glued to the screen. As Joel began to slip beneath the water and Karl cried out, "Oh God, please don't let this happen", just before the end credits rolled, I sprang from my seat and yelled: "WHAT?" We now had to endure the unbearably long summer holidays before finding out if Joel had met his watery end. (Spoiler alert: he was fine). Flash forward to October 2014, and it's an altogether sunnier day in Australia's favourite fictional suburb. Cast and crew are midway through the show's 30th anniversary filming schedule, and I am standing in Ramsay Street with Alan Fletcher (AKA local doctor Karl Kennedy). When I'm asked if I would like to hold the Ramsay Street sign, I jump up and down and clap my hands; in the eventual photo, I am holding the sign above my head like a wrestler who's just won a championship. "Who am I?" I think. "Why is this happening? I haven't watched Neighbours since Didge went to heaven in 2009." It was undeniable: I was falling under the Ramsay Street spell all over again. The more I thought about it, the more Neighbours memories returned to the forefront of my mind. That ripper of a finale; the misadventures of Stingray Timmins: streaker, drinker, dumpster driver, bone-marrow donor; dead from an aneurysm before the age of 20, his ashes scattered over his favourite skatepark; the outstandingly terrible "special effects" when Toadie and Dee's car ploughed into a lake on their wedding day (a moment Ryan "Toadfish" Moloney and I roar with laughter about during the set visit). I remembered showing off at school when, in 1988, my mother had a Neighbours cameo as Jim Robinson and Beverly Marshall's marriage celebrant, even though I was too young to be allowed to actually watch the show. My story is not unique: whether our Ramsay Street memories are good, bad, or outwardly hostile, Neighbours is undeniably meshed with the Australian psyche. Indeed, when I looked into whether Australia's pre-eminent cultural critic, Clive James, had written anything about Neighbours , I was instead directed to evidence of his walk-on role as a postman (Episode 2547, in 1996, if you are wondering). In true soap-storyline fashion, it's something of a red herring: James, in fact, reflected eloquently on Neighbours' place in our landscape at last year's Australia and New Zealand festival of literature and arts in London. The red-brick-bungalow Australia that show creator Reg Grundy captured was, in James's words, the "desiderata that everybody in the world wanted". Despite growing up with Neighbours (I am two years older than the show), it wasn't until I found myself standing on Ramsay Street that I understood what he meant. Of course, it's only "Ramsay Street" when the gaffers swap over the street signs and roll in the cameras. Every other moment of the year, it's plain old Pin Oak Court in Melbourne's outer eastern suburbs. Pin Oak is like any other suburban street, except for the ever-vigilant security guards, a 24/7 fixture since hoodlums began to consider doing "dougheys" (doughnut-shaped burnouts) there a badge of honour. The residents, whose identities are closely guarded by Neighbours' production team, have to buy into the illusion the show sells, their houses and yards watched like hawks by the production designers for any un-Erinsborough alterations. Some years ago, an unexpected renovation by the owners of "No 22" gave the house's facade a kicky, two-tone look. To match the "backyard" set to this rash act of DIY, the set designers were forced to source thousands of same-shaped house bricks, which were then hand-painted to match by the art department. That "realness" the red bricks and the living rooms, the endless afternoons at Lassiter's that made the show familiarly dull to Australians was the very thing international viewers connected with: James's "desiderata" of a suburban idyll. To them, the quarter-acre blocks seemed palatial, and the sun always shone on Ramsay Street. As any Melburnian will tell you, that's not so much pathetic fallacy as meteorological impossibility. The consensus of long-term cast members on the set is that Neighbours provided sunny respite for Britons during Thatcher's reign. To Australians, however, Erinsborough didn't seem sunny enough. Where Home and Away's Summer Bay provided beach-bound fantasy, Neighbours gazed into the suburban abyss we teenagers were so desperate to escape. And as a branded "Australian" export, it felt to us about as authentic as Foster's lager. Culturally speaking, Erinsborough was as white as sliced bread. To young people growing up in multicultural Australia, this seemed odd; our schools were filled with children of diverse backgrounds, nothing like Erinsborough High's carpet of beige. Take the 2011 national census, for example: 34.3% of Australians' parents were both born overseas; in the greater Melbourne area, more than two languages were spoken in 32.4% of households. In 2004, eight Melbourne film-makers imagined an alternate Ramsay Street in an art project called Neighbours (The Remix). One film, Over d-fence, was "an absurdist Aboriginal comedy" juxtaposing the horror of Australia's colonial history with modern-day suburbia. " Neighbours is the ultimate expression of a particular fantasy of a 'perfect' Australian life," curator Spiro Economopoulos said. "A life in which suburbia is always sunny, welcoming and, of course, white." Neighbours' executive producer at the time, Ric Pellizzeri, responded to the project by saying: "We're public property. We are a show about middle-class Australia. We represent a perception of what the country is in people's minds and hearts, we are not reality television." His words have only increased in irony over time, as reality TV has been one area in which representation on Australian screens has begun to resemble something approaching, well, reality. Only the most dedicated 1950s throwbacks would agree that Neighbours reflected a "minds and hearts" image of Australia. The various Eurocentric immigration policies that fell under the White Australia policy umbrella were gradually dismantled until their complete demise in 1970. Erinsborough, on the other hand, took until 2011 to move into the era its viewers had been living in for three decades. The arrival that year of the Kapoor family of Indian and Sri Lankan heritage was greeted with racist abuse of the "un-Australian" variety in the show's online forums, despite the fact that Ajay Kapoor, a local councillor, and his wife Priya, principal of Erinsborough High, had been raised and educated in the fictional suburb. Then-executive producer Susan Bower said the Kapoors' presence reflected a "more modern society", adding: "We have been criticised heavily for being too white, and you are damned if you do and if you don't. We would much rather be criticised for moving in this direction." A direction the producers only pursued for just over a year. When Bower was replaced as executive producer in 2013, Priya was killed in an explosion; her widower and daughter, Rani, moved to India, ostensibly to care for a sick relative. "It made no sense to me for Ajay and Rani to be sent back to India, considering that both characters were born, educated and raised in Australia," said Sachin Joab, the actor who who played Ajay, at the time. "We were definitely written out, and it wasn't of our own accord." Neighbours returned to business as usual, with only occasional interruptions of reality. Remy Hii, whose father is Chinese-Malaysian and whose mother is English, appeared as gay character Hudson Walsh during the 2013 and 14 seasons; and late last year Indigenous actor Meyne Wyatt made his first appearance as Nate Kinski. Clarifying the casting, a spokesman said: "Where we don't need a specific ethnic background, our brief to agents is to put forward their best people and that was the case for this character." It's an admirable spin on the usual "best actor for the role" excuse employed to explain white-washed casting. It's difficult to grasp what the future holds for Neighbours . As the residents of Ramsay Street take their first uncertain steps into their fourth decade, I hope they finally leave that white-bread, red-brick desiderata behind in search of a more imperfect blend. Plus, you know, it wouldn't hurt to see what Anne and Billy are up to these days. I'm just asking for a friend.
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entertainment
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Ryan Zimmerman hit two RBI doubles in the first and fifth innings to lead the Nationals to a 9-2 win against the Tigers on Wednesday.
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sports
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Running a business takes financial savvy, dedication, passion and… writing skills? It does if you hope to run the Center Lovell Inn in Lovell, Maine. After managing the inn for more than 20 years, Janice Sage is looking to hand off the torch. But instead of going down the traditional route of listing the property, Sage has decided to choose the new owner based on a 200-word essay. The theme of the essay is, "Why I would like to own and operate a Country Inn." The entry fee is $125 and Sage has the right to keep all of the money she receives. She hopes to attract 7,500 applicants, which would bring in an estimated $900,000 -- the price a listing agent said the 210-year-old inn was worth. The Center Lovell Inn, built in 1805, sits on 12 acres of land and offers views of the White Mountains and Kezar Lake. It has 10 guestooms, a dining room that seats 40 and a wrap-around porch. According to contest rules , the applicants must be at least 18 years old, and the 200-word essays must be postmarked by May 7. After the deadline has passed, Sage will pick the 20 submissions she likes best and two anonymous judges will decide the winner. Sage will announce the judges' decision on May 21. Related: The Sharing Economy Enters the Business of Business Travel While it may seem like a strange idea, the contest is actually carrying on a tradition, as this is how Sage came to own the inn. Back in 1993, Sage was managing a restaurant in Maryland when a friend told her that a couple in Maine, Bil and Susie Mosca, were offering to give their business to whoever mailed in the best essay, along with a $100 entry fee, The Press Herald reports . She wrote the essay in about an hour and won, being chosen from the 7,000 submissions that came from around the world. Now, at 68, Sage wants to retire and is using a very similar method to find her successor. "There's a lot of very talented people in the restaurant business who would like to have their own place but can't afford it," she told the Press Herald. "This is a way for them to have the opportunity to try." Bil Mosca told the paper that he was pleased Sage was using a similar process and that he thinks the contest will be a successful one. Reflecting on when he created the contest, he remembered many people asking how he and his wife could be sure they made the right decision. He'd tell them simply, "We trust." The trust paid off, he told the paper. "It turned out we were right," he said. Related: Traveling Abroad? The Top 10 Hotels in the World.
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travel
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Anne Hathaway Google search results for "Why do people hate Anne Hathaway": 1.52 million. Maybe it didn't go that well when she hosted the Oscars with James Franco, and yes, she's sincere and earnest about trying. When did that become a bad thing? If you hung out with Anne Hathaway, she'd probably buy everyone pizza, and you'd have the time of your life singing show tunes all night. Sign us up for all of the above. Lana Del Rey Google search results for "Why do people hate Lana Del Rey": 918,000. Early Lizzy Grant fans felt slighted when the songstress changed her look and name to find fame. And, Lana Del Rey's first SNL performance was a little awkward, and she'll live on in Internet infamy as a meme because of it. But, she just wants to make music on her own terms, and she admits she's still figuring it out. That's pretty relatable, no? Dax Shepard Google results for "Why do people hate Dax Shepard": 149,000. The Dax Shepard hatred probably stems from his role on Punk'd, that bastion of trucker hats and celebrity shaming and discomfort. After listening to him talk about his life on several podcasts, however, I realized that he's a well-meaning guy with a need for speed who just wants to be a good husband, father, and actor. I highly recommend listening to his appearance on The Nerdist podcast, where he also talks about getting sober and being dyslexic. Plus, he was on Parenthood! If Jason Katims the man who gifted the world with Friday Night Lights likes him, I like him. (Also, Kristen Bell! I'd trust her opinion any day.) January Jones Google search results for "Why do people hate January Jones": 37.5 million. Jones has been the subject of such articles as "Please Leave January Jones to Be a Bitch in Peace" (Jezebel), which was written about her May 2013 New York Times profile. Said profile begins with the sentence "It isn't easy to coax a smile out of January Jones." Other reasons people seem to have for disliking Jones include her Mad Men character and the fact that she won't reveal the identity of her son's father. A quick reminder that it's no one's business but her own. January Jones really started to come alive for me, though, when she joined Instagram. Her feed is warm and inviting. She posts hilariously self-depracating #tbt photos. Sure, Instagram is also a tool that can be used for careful image manipulation, but January Jones is curating a surprisingly fun and friendly version of herself that I want to know better. Ciara Google results for "Why do people hate Ciara": 1.1 million. Is it because she's basically Beyoncé-level flawless and has ridiculous dancing skills? 'Cause that deserves a praise hands emoji in our book. Kristen Stewart Google results for "Why do people hate Kristen Stewart": 1.56 million. Okay, so she always looks kind of miserable, but it's only because Twilight rocketed her into that echelon of celebrities who the paparazzi follow like shadows. She did have that brief cheating scandal, but we all make mistakes in our 20s, and who really knows what was going on in her relationship at that point in time, anyway? Cuba Gooding Jr Cuba Gooding Jr.Google results for "Why do people hate Cuba Gooding Jr.": 291,000. He won an Oscar for Jerry Maguire, then he kind of disappeared. He made some questionable choices when it came to accepting roles (Boat Trip, anyone?), but why all the Cuba Gooding Jr. hate? Keira Knightley Google search results for "Why do people hate Keira Knightley:" 966,000. "What is it about Keira Knightley that gets people all riled up?" London Evening Standard's film critic asked in a recent article. I really don't get it. Knightley speaks out against the media's false portrayal of female bodies. She talks about how miserable the paparazzi can be and says how we all feel about being grownups. If anything, we should be inviting Keira Knightley to that pizza party with Anne Hathaway. Eva Mendes Google results for "Why do people hate Eva Mendes": 4.12 million. I didn't actually realize that there was Eva Mendes backlash happening until I read the comments sections on interviews she's given since having a baby with Ryan Gosling. People accuse Mendes of only talking about motherhood because she "needed another paycheck," and they found it hypocritical that she was talking about Esmeralda after she and Gosling had been so secretive about the pregnancy. Maybe they just wanted privacy because they know how thirsty the Internet is about all things RyGos. Just let Eva Mendes do her thing, everyone. Rita Ora Rita OraGoogle results for "Why do people hate Rita Ora": 5.66 million. Rihanna is supposedly pissed at Ora for stealing her style. Rob Kardashian insulted her on Twitter (but haven't we all said something mean about an ex before?). That shouldn't really affect your opinion of her, though, should it? Dakota Johnson Dakota JohnsonGoogle results for "Why do people hate Dakota Johnson": 5.43 million. I was like you once, flippantly scoffing at the very notion of Dakota Johnson. "Nepotism!" I would insist, completely forgetting her great work on the woefully short-lived Ben & Kate. Then, I saw Fifty Shades of Grey. I have to say, she managed to add depth to a pretty empty character. She even out-acted Jamie Dornan, whose work in The Fall has made me a fan for life. Sorry, Jamie, but it just had to be said. Anyway, Dakota Johnson: I'm on board. Pitbull Google results for "Why do people hate Pitbull": 1.72 million. Okay, you can feel free to hate his music and the fact that it never, ever leaves your head. And, the fact that he hosted a show to ring in 2015 called Pitbull's New Year Revolution, which is such a self-congratulating pun it physically hurts. The guy behind the music, however, is an American success story who also spends millions to help fund public education. Plus, he makes remarkably concise resolutions. Lady Gaga Google results for "Why do people hate Lady Gaga:" 176 million. Did you hear her at the Oscars? This Lady's got pipes for days. Ben Affleck Google results for "Why do people hate Ben Affleck": 747,000. He's a talented writer, actor, and director. He's married to the charming Jennifer Garner, and they have three adorable kids. Yet, many people still can't seem to forgive Ben Affleck for being one-half of Bennifer. Kim Kardashian Google results for "Why do people hate Kim Kardashian": 22.7 million. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but she's kind of here to stay. It's time we all just accepted it and moved on with our lives. Jay Leno Google results for "Why do people hate Jay Leno": 909,000. Okay, so maybe his humor is more geared toward your dad, and he indirectly got Conan O'Brien fired from The Tonight Show. At the end of the day, though, he's just a jovial dude who wants to collect cars. Esquire didn't need to call him "the Nickelback of comedy." Allison Williams Google results for "Why do people hate Allison Williams": 5.28 million. Don't hate her for the sins of her father, or because the character she plays on Girls is kind of annoying. Allison Williams isn't Marnie Michaels, and let's be real: We all wanted to grow up to play Peter Pan one day. Hate-watch all you want, but she gets to crow, fly, and sing with Christopher Walken. Cameron Diaz Google results for "Why do people hate Cameron Diaz": 1.6 million. She loves to talk about sex and pooping, two thinks most people enjoy (yeah, I said it). So, why all the irrational hate being spewed on the Internet? John Mayer JGoogle results for "Why do people hate John Mayer": 1.3 million. I debated about putting John Mayer on here, because trust me, I know ALL of the arguments for him being absolutely deserving of the vitriol he inspires in people. Nevertheless, John Mayer is completely self-aware and knows that his ego and libido get the better of him at times. He even wrote a song about it. I feel like the John Mayer we have now is largely due to the media's portrayal of him. I wonder what it would be like to get the carefree, talented guy we all got to see on John Mayer Has a TV Show back. Is that too much to ask? Facebook slide Like this post? There's more. Get tons of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and cat videos on the Refinery29 Entertainment Facebook page. Like us on Facebook we'll see you there!
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Shake Shack Inc (SHAK.N) forecast slowing same-restaurant sales growth in 2015 and swung to a fourth quarter loss, sending the hamburger chain's shares up to 9 percent lower on disappointment over its first quarterly report as a public company. New York City-based Shake Shack, which began as a hotdog cart in the city's Madison Square Park, reported same-restaurant sales rose 7.2 percent in the fourth quarter, beating the average analyst estimate of 4 percent, according to research firm Consensus Metrix. But the company that gained a near cult following for its rich milkshakes, crinkle fries and hormone- and antibiotic-free burgers, said it expected 2015 same-restaurant sales growth to be in the low-single-digit percentage range. Sales at Shacks open at least two years grew 4.1 percent in the year ended Dec. 31. "We don't believe that over the long term the same-shack sales growth we experienced in the fourth quarter is sustainable," Chief Executive Officer Randy Garutti said on a post-earnings conference call. Shares of the company were down 5.1 percent at $44.50 in after-market trading on Wednesday. Up to Wednesday's close of $46.90, the stock had risen 123 percent from its IPO price of $21 on January 30. The company's shares debuted on the New York Stock Exchange at more than twice their offered price, buoyed by growth-hungry investors hoping the burger chain would replicate the red-hot run of industry darling Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc (CMG.N). But repeating Chipotle's success has proven elusive for most restaurant operators, and it could be even harder to do in the crowded and competitive high-quality burger segment. "Expectations are too high," David Louton, a professor of corporate finance at Bryant University told Reuters. The company swung to a loss of $1.4 million, or 5 cents per share, in the quarter ended Dec. 31, from a profit of $997,000, or 3 cents per share, a year earlier. Shake Shack attributed the loss to a $1.1 million after-tax charge related to its IPO. Revenue rose 51.5 percent to $34.8 million. (Reporting by Ramkumar Iyer in Bengaluru; Editing by Simon Jennings and Andrew Hay)
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Snow news is good news, unless you live in Capracotta. The Italian village may have just set a record for the most snow ever to fall in 24 hours. A storm on March 5 dumped just over 100.8 inches (or 8 feet, 4 inches) of snow there in 18 hours , reports the Italian weather website Meteoweb. The snowfall inundated the city and left some in the region without power and water . "It was a spectacle that took our breath away. In some parts of the village the snow was like a long white wall," village mayor Antonio Monaco told the Italian news agency ANSA , as translated to English by the Telegraph . "It was tough but everybody pulled together and made sure that the old people who couldn't leave their houses had the food and medicines that they needed." Capracotta sits at an elevation of 4,662 feet in central Italy, just an hour and a half drive from the country's eastern coast. CNN cautions the record isn't official yet . Assuming the World Meteorological Association verifies the amount of snowfall, however, the storm would break previous records dating back to the 1920s. In 1921, a mid-April storm in Silver Lake, Colorado dropped 75.8 inches of snow in a day , setting a record for the most snow to fall in the U.S. in 24 hours. Over the course of 32 and a half hours, the storm ultimately deposited more than 95 inches of snow. Check out more photos of the snow in Capracotta below: More on MSN: Australia's 'Jihadi Jake' in suicide attack (Sky News) Huge 13ft alligator spotted on Florida golf course (The Independent) Woman survives being 'dragged under train' at rush hour (The Independent)
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By Ian Casselberry Marcus Stroman's season-ending knee injury will obviously have a significant impact on the Blue Jays going into the 2015 season. Tim Livingston looked at the ripple effects losing Stroman will have on Toronto's pitching staff. But how will this affect the rest of the AL East? Right now, the competition is dealing with pitching problems of their own. The Rays face a potentially heavy blow to their rotation, with the news that Drew Smyly acquired in last year's three-team David Price trade won't pitch while dealing with tendinitis in his left shoulder . For now, the team and Smyly are downplaying the seriousness of the issue. But the left-hander described experiencing tightness, "lots of knots," and inflammation, according to the Tampa Bay Times ' Marc Topkin. I'm certainly no athletic trainer or doctor, but that doesn't sound good. During Grapefruit League play on Wednesday (March 11), Yankees starter Chris Capuano suffered an apparent leg injury while covering first base. Capuano was penciled in as the No. 5 starter, so that won't have the same impact as losing Stroman or Smyly. But having to take someone like Adam Warren out of the bullpen does affect the Yankees' pitching depth. The absence of a rising star and potential ace from the Blue Jays' rotation takes them down a notch. Had Stroman emerged as a No. 1 starter, that could have been the difference in what looks to be a close race possibly a four-team scrum in the AL East. It's very possible that the 23-year-old right-hander would not only have been Toronto's best pitcher, but also the top starter in the division. To whom would you give that title right now? The Yankees' Masahiro Tanaka may have been a candidate. But what can be expected from him as he returns from an elbow injury? He won't make his first spring training start until Thursday (March 12), and the team is proceeding with caution. Undergoing Tommy John surgery is still a possibility for Tanaka if his right elbow hasn't progressed. Anyone else? Let's go through the presumed No. 1 starters on the other AL East clubs. The Orioles' Chris Tillman? He's keeping that top spot warm until Dylan Bundy or Hunter Harvey are ready. Rick Porcello or Clay Buchholz could be the Red Sox's No. 1 guy. Joe Kelly might have the best stuff among their starting five. But most seem to be waiting for Boston to finally make a deal for Cole Hamels. Despite losing Smyly, the Rays still have Chris Archer and Alex Cobb. Either of those two could end up as the AL East's best starting pitcher. But will Tampa Bay compete for a division title or even a wild-card spot? As good as their starting pitching may be, the Rays' offense doesn't look to be much improved from the lineup that scored an AL-worst 612 runs with a team OPS of .684. Even without Stroman, the Blue Jays might have the best rotation in the division. That's yet to be determined, of course. But if Aaron Sanchez and Daniel Norris can seize the final two openings, a starting five that already has R.A. Dickey, Mark Buehrle and Drew Hutchison at the top looks potentially strong. Maybe Toronto doesn't have an ace, but which other team in the division does? Don't put this down as an official prediction yet, but if you asked me who appeared to be the AL East favorite right now, I'd pick the Red Sox. And I likely would have said that even if the Blue Jays had Stroman in their rotation. Boston has the best lineup one through nine, and with no room for Mookie Betts or Allen Craig, that means the roster has depth. Additionally, the Red Sox may not have a true No. 1 starter, but its starting staff looks the deepest one through five. And the team can reach down to the minors for someone like Henry Owens, Eduardo Rodriguez or Matt Barnes when needed. That young pitching, along with player position depth, may also allow Boston to make that trade for Hamels, which would almost certainly tip the AL East in its favor. Who can make a key pitching addition at the trade deadline, whether that's Hamels or whomever else turns out to be available, is likely going to provide the boost one team needs to pull away from the pack in this division. The Blue Jays losing Stroman could ultimately mean that the AL East only puts one team in the postseason, with the wild cards coming from the Central or West. How much his injury affects the division race could become very apparent by July.
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The National Basketball Players Association informed the NBA again that it will not agree to "smoothing in" of salary cap increases that are the results of the league's new TV/media deal starting in 2016-17. "Smoothing would have avoided a substantial Salary Cap spike in 2016-17," NBA executive vice president of communications Mike Bass said in a statement. "Under the league's smoothing approach, the salary shortfall resulting from more gradual Cap increases would have been paid directly to the Players Association for distribution to all players, and thus the total compensation paid to players in any given season would not have been impacted." What does this mean? The salary cap is going jump substantially from 2015-16 to 2016-17. The salary cap projections for next season is about $67.4 million, up from $63.065 this season, and it's expected to jump almost $23 million to $90 million in 2016-17 without smoothing. At the All-Star game last month, NBPA executive director Michele Roberts said players were against any method that artificially suppressed the salary cap even though players would get the shortfall due to them under the terms of the collective bargaining agreement. Players will receive 51% of basketball-related income when the new TV kicks in. Roberts also said smoothing kept max deals lower than they could be, and players were against that. Not surprisingly, either, Cleveland Cavaliers All-Star LeBron James structured his contract to take advantage of a rising salary cap. James is likely going to be a free agent after the 2015-16 season and in line to make $31.5 million in 2016-17 when the TV money is injected into the salary cap. And don't forget, the NBPA recently voted James first vice president. His voice carries significant weight. The NBA preferred smoothing for two main reasons: foster competitive balance, enable better planning, and the league also believes dramatic spikes in the salary cap lend itself to unpredictability, including dips in the salary cap. The league would rather have the cap make a more gradual jump from $67.4 million in 2015-16 to $78-$79 million in 2016-17 and then another increase to $90 million in 2017-18, instead of a $23 million increase from one season to the next. But the league is also not bent out of shape about the union's decision. As NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said at All-Star weekend, "I don't want to act like it's a terrible problem to have. We're thrilled that based on the interest in the NBA we're able to command these big increases in the television market. And we will live with our deal." The league also preferred to more evenly distribute talent to teams throughout the league but the spike in the cap will open the market to teams who might not otherwise be in the market for top free agents. But competitive balance isn't the union's problem. The NBA also believed it would create a better distribution of that money by smoothing it in, so that one free-agent class the one in 2016 didn't reap a lion's share of that TV money. By smoothing, a couple of free-agent classes a greater number of players could cash in. The union believes that will happen anyway, without smoothing, and free agents in 2017 and 2018 will still be able to land even larger contracts because of the new TV money. Smoothing the money into the cap would also create a greater shortfall of money due to the players, and when the league doesn't pay 51% of BRI to player salaries, the league writes the union a check for the difference. The union can distribute that money to players on "proportional basis as may be reasonably determined by the Players Association." With that said, there's a good chance there's still a shortfall after the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons, and the league will still write a check for the union to distribute to players after those seasons. The NBPA was against smoothing, and its decision comes with several implications. In the big picture, it means there will be chaos in the summer of 2016 when James, Kevin Love, Al Horford, Joakim Noah, Brandon Jennings and Kevin Durant among others who either will be or could be free agents. Players, such as Miami Heat guard Goran Dragic, who could opt out of contracts after this season could decide to "opt in," play next season under their current deals. Dragic will make $7.5 million next season but could also opt out, become a free agent and sign a four- or five-year deal with a salary cap around $67.4 million. Or, Dragic could wait until after the 2015-16 season and try to take advantage of the influx of TV money which will push the cap toward $90 million. One fact is obvious: teams will have money to spend in the summer of 2016, much more than they anticipated before the league signed that nine-year, $24 billion deal.
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If you're an entrepreneur, you know well that feeling of deciding when to leave work for the day. In your mind, you weigh the mountain of work against things like exercise, family, kids, friends, sleep, etc. Unlike most jobs, YOU have to make (and often second guess) the decision of when to punch out. Every. Single. Day. If you're in the first few years of starting a company, your mountain of work may rightfully win out. Hard work and long hours are the reality, and anyone who says otherwise hasn't actually started a company themselves. But if you are at the helm of a company that has some stability, the habit of always working overtime that you've probably developed over many years is one to strongly consider breaking. Here's why. Always working overtime ruins your productivity. When you feel like you can just "do it later tonight," you give yourself the illusion of having a lot more time than you actually have. By entertaining this illusion, you deprive yourself of the pressure that comes with knowing you have to stop. Committing to leaving by a certain, reasonable time every day creates boundaries, and can give you the motivation to carefully identify and prioritize the highest-yield work you should be doing. Leaving on time forces you to be disciplined. Leaving on time but still getting your most important work done means you have to be disciplined. No more meandering meetings. No more reading or writing three-page emails. No more popping out to run unnecessary errands. And far less procrastination. Not only will this discipline have a positive effect on your ability to get the most important work done, it will have spillover benefits throughout your job and life. If you take time for yourself, your work quality will be better. On another note, if you regularly leave on time, it means you get to do things like exercise, spend time with people you love, sleep, relax and explore other interests. As long as you have a good way to keep work-related stress at bay when you're out of the office, all of these things are going to result in your work quality improving. Not to mention, you'll probably be a better person. If you're even somewhat deliberate about what you do with your extra time out of the office, you'll likely grow as a person. Who would you rather be (or be around): someone with no life out of work, or someone who takes care of themselves, cultivates their mind, and is enriched by spending time with people they love? Taking time for yourself helps you do better work, but the real reason to do it is so you can live a multi-dimensional life. And you'll definitely be a better manager. If you're at work at all hours, your employees are going to feel implicit pressure to do the same, regardless of what you tell them. Save yourself and them the headache by setting a good example and leaving on time regularly. This gives everyone permission to do the same, and it will also earn you the ability to ask people to stay late when it really does matter. What does "on time" mean for your business? With many of my entrepreneurial clients that I work with on executive functioning, figuring the timing out is a process of trial and error, often best facilitated by a coach or mentor. I generally suggest picking a small change, implementing it and then seeing how things go. The goal is not to tackle a big change gung-ho for a week and then stop, but rather to build a habit over time. Try it. Leave on time and see what it can do for your business and your life.
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Andre Johnson has signed a three-year, $21 million deal with the Indianapolis Colts. After adding Johnson, Frank Gore and Trent Cole, how do the Colts stack up as Super Bowl contenders?
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Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao share center stage at Wednesday's (March 11) news conference kicking off their promotion of their upcoming mega fight.
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LONDON Thiago Silva scored on a looping header over goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois in the 114th minute Wednesday night, lifting Paris Saint-Germain over Chelsea and into the Champions League quarterfinals. Silva's goal tied the ill-tempered match 2-2 and knotted the aggregate score of the home-and-home series at 3-3. PSG advanced because of its 2-1 margin in away goals. PSG forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic was ejected in the 31st minute for a challenge on Oscar, and Gary Cahill put the hosts ahead in the 81st. Former Chelsea defender David Luiz scored on a header in the 86th to force extra time, but the Blues went ahead when Eden Hazard converted a penalty kick in the 96th following a hand ball by Silva. Silva then got the key goal with his header from about 13 yards off Thiago Motta's corner kick, lofting the ball over an outstretched arm of the 6-foot-7 Courtois. Chelsea defeated PSG on away goals in the quarterfinals last year. Bayern Munich advanced to the quarterfinals for the fourth straight year, routing visiting Shakhtar Donetsk 7-0 following a 0-0 tie in the first leg. Shakhtar's Olexandr Kucher was ejected in the third minute by Scottish referee William Collum for tripping Mario Goetze, who was racing toward goal, the earliest red card in Champions League history. Thomas Mueller converted the penalty kick in the fourth minute, and Jerome Boateng doubled the lead in the 34th. Goals by Franck Ribery in the 49th and Mueller in the 52nd made it 4-0, and Holger Badstuber (63rd), Robert Lewandowski (75th) and Goetze (87th) padded the margin. Bayern also beat Basel 7-0 in 2012. ___ AP Sports Writer Nesha Starcevic in Munich contributed to this report.
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LAS VEGAS (AP) -- Trailing by 14 with nine minutes left, Southern California. No way was a young, inexperienced team that had a history of losing close games going to come back. Instead of folding, as everyone might have expected, the Trojans dug down for a comeback victory and earned another shot at their biggest rival. Elijah Stewart scored 27 points and hit two free throws with 3.4 seconds left after a big block by Nikola Jovanovic, helping Southern California rally for a 67-64 win over Arizona State in the Pac-12 tournament on Wednesday. ''We've lost so many close games down the stretch, so it's nice to win one,'' USC coach Andy Enfield said. ''I'm proud of our effort to come back, take the lead and hold onto it.'' No. 5 seed Arizona State (17-15) was in control most of the way, leading by double digits well into the second half. Behind Stewart and a zone defense that befuddled the Sun Devils, the Trojans fought their way back, setting up a frenetic finish. USC (12-19), the tournament's 12th seed, went on a big run with about five minutes left and kept making big plays. The Trojans led by three with a minute left, when Arizona State's Shaquielle McKissic scored on a hard drive with 53 seconds left. Arizona State grabbed two offensive rebounds on its next possession to earn a shot at a game-winner, but Jovanovic swooped across the land and swatted McKissic's shot attempt. Stewart calmly hit two free throws and McKissic's last-ditch 3-pointer bounced off the back of the rim to send USC into the quarterfinals against UCLA on Thursday. Stewart hit 6 of 9 from 3-point range and Julian Jacobs added 12 points for the Trojans, who closed the game on a 21-4 run. ''We really just were ultra-focused and remained poised,'' Jacobs said. Arizona State wasn't, particularly against USC's zone in the second half. The Sun Devils struggled to get good shots in the second half and missed most of the ones they took, missing 12 of 13 to close out the game. Arizona State also struggled defensively once the Trojans got rolling, allowing them to hit 15 of 26 shots in the second half. McKissic had 16 points and nine rebounds in his final game with Arizona State. Bo Barnes added 15 points for the Sun Devils, who may end up in the NIT after playing in the NCAA Tournament last season. ''We had a 15-point lead. I don't really know how to explain how it evaporated so quickly besides lack of hustle, energy,'' McKissic said. ''I don't know how that happened.'' Arizona State opened the conference season with four straight losses, but rebounded nicely. The Sun Devils played some of their best basketball down the stretch, winning six of their final nine games. One of those was a victory over USC that was closer than they would have hoped. Despite playing without Katin Reinhardt due to a suspension, the last-place Trojans had Arizona State on the ropes in Tempe, leading by 10 with 10 minutes left. The Sun Devils struggled from the perimeter, but hit a pair of late 3-pointers to pull out the 64-59 victory. Arizona State again had trouble getting shots to fall early, particularly around the basket. Barnes gave the Sun Devils a lift, scoring eight points in less than 2 minutes, and McKissic added five points during a 15-2 run that put Arizona State up 25-14. Arizona State also grabbed nine offensive rebounds that led to 12 more shots and a 38-28 first-half lead. USC was good from the perimeter, making 4 of 6 from 3-point range, but had 10 first-half turnovers. Arizona State opened the second half with some ugly possessions, but still managed to keep the lead in double digits. The Sun Devils went up 55-41 after McKissic scored in transition, but the Trojans still had some fight in them. Behind a tightened-up defense and Stewart, USC went on a 12-2 run. Stewart capped with a 3-pointer, cutting Arizona State's lead to 60-55 with 4 1/2 minutes left, USC kept charging, going up 65-62 with just over a minute left after scoring on consecutive baskets in transition and a floater by Jacobs. Arizona State had its chances at the end, but couldn't convert in a disheartening loss. ''Terrible, there's no other way you could feel after losing like that,'' Barnes said. ''We had chances to put them away, and we just couldn't get stops.'' --- TIP-INS USC: The Trojans had lost their last four Pac-12 tournament games. ... USC made 7 of 13 from 3-point range. Arizona State: The Sun Devils had 20 offensive rebounds that led to 11 second-chance points and scored 22 points off USC's 17 turnovers. UP NEXT USC faces fourth-seeded UCLA in the quarterfinals on Thursday. Arizona State is hoping for a NIT bid.
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Here's what a few years in the Oval Office will do to you Barak Obama Photos taken in : 2008 and 2014. Stress factors : He was sworn into office on January 20, 2009, in the midst of a colossal financial crisis. That evening a group of Republicans met privately and planned unified opposition to President Obama's policies. Later crises ranged from the BP oil spill to the debt ceiling standoff to the rise of ISIS. George W. Bush Photos taken in: 2001 and 2008. Stress factors: Since he won the 2000 election while losing the popular vote, President Bush started without a mandate. Then came 9/11, which led to military action in Iraq and Afghanistan. Toward the end of his second term, unemployment soared as the housing and stock markets collapsed. Bill Clinton Photos taken in: 1993 and 2001. Stress factors: Two terrorist bombings at the World Trade Center and in Oklahoma City took place during his first term, and an ambitious attempt at health care reform went down in flames, Bill Clinton set a new record for economic growth in peacetime. But that was eclipsed by the Monica Lewinsky scandal, which led to impeachment. Ronald Reagan Photos taken in : 1981 and 1989. Stress factors : Early in his first term, he was shot by John Hinckley, a mentally disturbed would-be assassin hoping to impress Jody Foster. After his recovery, President Reagan presided over explosive stock market growth and the collapse of the Soviet Union. But his second term also included a major scandal: the Iran-Contra Affair. Richard Nixon Photos taken in : 1981 and 1989. Stress factors : His secret plan to end the war in Vietnam involved escalated bombing and what President Nixon called the "madman strategy" taking actions that would persuade the enemy that he was insane. Although he opened the door to China, Nixon is best remembered for Watergate, the scandal that caused him to become the only U.S. president ever to resign from office. John F. Kennedy Photos taken in: 1961 and 1963. Stress factors: The Cuban Missile Crisis, that 13-day standoff between the U.S. and the Soviet Union, was one of the most-tense periods of any presidency. It happened just a year before JFK was assassinated. Dwight D. Eisenhower Photos taken in : 1953 and 1961. Stress factors : Given that he played 800 rounds of golf during his presidency more than four times as many as Obama President Eisenhower seldom appeared to be stressed. Then again, he coped with two recessions and threatened to use nuclear weapons to end the Korean War. Harry S. Truman Photos taken in: 1945 and 1953. Stress factors: "If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen," he famously said. President Truman took the heat, making the decision to use nuclear bombs to end World War II and then overseeing a rough transition to a peacetime economy. He survived an assassination attempt in 1950. Franklin D. Roosevelt Photos taken in: 1933 and 1945. Stress factors: The Great Depression, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and World War II. Not to mention the fact that, after a diagnosis of polio at the age of 39, he was able to walk only with heavy and painful leg braces made of leather and steel. Abraham Lincoln Photos taken in: 1861 and 1865. Stress factors: He held office during the American Civil War, the bloodiest war and greatest crisis in the nation's history. President Lincoln was assassinated on April 15, 1865, less than a week after Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered.
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health
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Mike Garafolo joins America's Pregame to discuss Eagles head coach Chip Kelly and some recent moves the team made.
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Tesla announced today it is expanding its leased vehicle Resale Value Guarantee offer to Europe, Australia and Japan.It was 2013 when Tesla announced a guaranteed resale value program for Model S lessees in the US and today the California automaker said it will expand the program around the world. That means Australia, Japan and all 11 European markets where the all-electric Model S is currently available. The program is not yet available in Hong Kong or China, but Khobi Brooklyn, Tesla's director of global communications, told AutoblogGreen that, "We look forward to extending the guarantee to more more markets in the future." What the Tesla Resale Value Guarantee means is that, when a private or business customer gets a Model S as part of a 36-month lease, the company guarantees "that the resale value of Model between months 36 and 37 will be among the highest of any premium saloon made in volume" (Saloon is British carspeak for sedan). The deal is not applicable retroactively to Model S owners who have already taken delivery of their car. There are some changes for the global program, of course, compared to the original. In the US, Tesla uses ALG resale value numbers to determine the value, while in Europe it will use the "average residual values as forecasted by CAP and EuroTax, independent third parties" (in the UK, at least). There's more information here and then the fine print details here. In 2013, Bloomberg Industries estimated that Tesla's guaranteed buyback program could generate $368 million in revenue for Tesla due to the resulting used vehicle sales in 2016. Late last year, we heard that the automaker is indeed working on a certified used car program.
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autos
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One of the NHL's oddest truths is it is acceptable to say the Los Angeles Kings can win the Stanley Cup if they can get into the playoffs. But will they make the playoffs this season? Of course, they will. The Kings are experts at scrambling late in the season to secure a spot in the playoffs and then thriving once the major competition begins. This team is built to succeed when playoff beards begin growing. The Kings made a late charge in 2012 to secure a spot and steamrolled through the playoffs. Last season, they were not all that impressive in the regular season but again found their chemistry to win the Stanley Cup. The Kings have played without suspended defenseman Slava Voynov for most of this season, but they now have an able replacement in Andrej Sekera. With the NHL regular season entering its final month, here are other questions that must be answered before the playoff outlook can be sorted out: Are the New York Islanders better than the Rangers now? It's impossible to answer today because we don't have enough information. The Islanders won the first three games of the regular season, and the Rangers won the next two. The Islanders have enjoyed a breakthrough season and have shown improvement in every aspect of their game. But the Rangers still have an edge in goaltending and on defense. Plus, key Islanders defenseman Nick Leddy is hurt. The Rangers are nine months removed from being in the Stanley Cup Final. The Islanders have been in the playoffs once in the last seven seasons. This question will be answered only if they meet in the playoffs. Can the Boston Bruins be caught for the final playoff spot in the East? Highly unlikely. The only reason the Florida Panthers and Ottawa Senators still are in contention is the Bruins have not been playing like they usually do. With the changes the team has had in the last couple seasons, the Bruins aren't as difficult to play against as they once were. The David Krejci injury also has stung. But this team knows how to win important games. On April 13, the No. 1-seeded team won't feel as if it earned much of a reward having to play the Bruins in the opening round. Are the Winnipeg Jets ready to take off? They appeared set to do that until defenseman Dustin Byfuglien was grounded by an injury. The Jets are in a playoff spot, but they join the Calgary Flames as the most vulnerable teams to end up out of the playoffs. Coach Paul Maurice had the Jets playing sharply all season, but they seem to be stumbling at the end. General manager Kevin Cheveldayoff pulled all the levers to help his team, but injuries have been an issue. If the Kings get in, either the Flames or the Jets will miss the postseason. The San Jose Sharks are in the mix, meaning the Flames and the Jets could fall out. Is there a true favorite to win the Stanley Cup? As of Wednesday afternoon, the top seven teams in the NHL were separated by two points. That says all we need to know about how unpredictable the playoffs are going to be. Six teams currently holding playoff spots were not playoff qualifiers last season. Injuries will play a factor: The Chicago Blackhawks are without Patrick Kane, and the Flames will severely miss Norris Trophy contender Mark Giordano. Maybe the Montreal Canadiens should be the favorite because they have had a high level of consistency. But their division rivals, the Tampa Bay Lightning, have been better of late. Las Vegas oddsmakers say the Anaheim Ducks are a favorite, but they have given up too many goals. With 41 playoff wins in the last three seasons, maybe the Kings should be favored. But shouldn't the favorite be a team guaranteed to make the playoffs?
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sports
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With opening day just around the corner, bookmakers have released individual over/under lines in the MLB. Do you think Justin Verlander will eclipse 13.5 wins?
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sports
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FRANKFORT, Ky. A group of bright-eyed, clean-cut high school students whose ideas of government were shaped by "Schoolhouse Rock" wrote a bill and watched it sail through the Kentucky state legislature this year in the type of feel-good story that had parents beaming. But politics can ruin anything. The bill would let high school students be appointed to committees that screen new school superintendents. But at the last moment, a Republican state senator pulled an old legislative trick, tacking a controversial amendment he wants passed to their widely supported bill. Then another added a contentious amendment of his own. Now, with two more days left in the 2015 legislative session, the students who were expecting "Schoolhouse Rock" were instead being confronted with "House of Cards." "That's the way it works," said Republican Sen. C.B. Embry, who filed the first amendment, which would force transgender students to use separate bathrooms in public schools. That amendment had previously passed the Republican-controlled Senate but died in the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives. "The ball is in the House's court. If it doesn't (pass), it's not my fault, it's theirs for not giving it a hearing or allowing it to go to a conference committee," he said. A second amendment, similarly unpopular in the House, would let students "voluntarily express religious or political viewpoints" in schools without fear of discrimination. The students have fought back, but with little success. Three of them skipped school Wednesday with permission to travel to Frankfort, where they earnestly roamed the halls of the Capitol carrying signs that say "#student voice matters." They texted, tweeted and posted nonstop while setting up an impromptu news conference with reporters via Twitter. "I took AP government a couple of years ago and definitely did not learn about this side of politics," said 16-year-old Eliza Jane Schaeffer, a junior at Henry Clay High School in Lexington. The students are members of the Student Voice Team, organized through the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence, an education advocacy group. Their goal is to "collaborate with other student and adult leaders to create ways to share student perspectives on education issues." When the Fayette County Public Schools began looking for a new superintendent last year, the students wanted a seat on the screening committee. But state law would not allow it. So the students decided to change the law. They persuaded Democratic State Rep. Derrick Graham to sponsor the bill and traveled to Frankfort to testify before legislative committees. Two of them even stayed in Frankfort overnight during a snowstorm with their parents, a computer and no hot water because they were afraid their bill would be called and no one would be there to testify. Lawmakers ended up canceling the session the next morning. The students still have some hope that their bill will survive through legislative maneuvering. Senators could reject the amendments. Or they could attach their bill to another bill as an amendment. "We don't know the process very well. Of course this is all new to us," said 17-year-old Gentry Fitch, a senior at West Jessamine High School. "But we are learning right now." Embry said he was proud of the students and wanted their bill to pass just with his amendment. But veteran Democratic consultant Danny Briscoe derided the maneuver as the type of cynical machinations that politicians in Kentucky routinely resort to. "That's what happens in Frankfort to people who can't on their own get enough support for a bill. That's what they do. And it's a shame they had to pick a completely harmless bill that should pass," he said.
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news
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(CABO SAN LUCAS, Mexico) A Canadian woman died from injuries sustained when a gray whale crashed into a tourist boat as it returned from a short excursion out of the resort city of Cabo San Lucas in Mexico. Two other passengers were injured in the accident, which took place close to the beach around 11am on Wednesday, according to a statement released by tour company Cabo Adventures. "The captain had to make a movement to avoid a whale that surfaced just in front of the boat," the statement said. "The whale hit one side of the boat, leaving two people injured and another passenger hurt who, unfortunately, later died in hospital." Port director Vicente Martínez said the woman was 45 years old. Some reports said she was 10 years younger. The collision happened on the Pacific coast side of the Baja California Peninsula. One reported version said the whale jumped out of the water and landed on the boat filled with 24 people, including the crew. The confusingly worded statement from the tour company appeared to suggest that the victim fell into the water during the collision. Once she was pulled back into the boat, it said, she immediately received mouth to mouth resuscitation from another tourist who happened to be a qualified nurse before naval rescue paramedics arrived and took her to the hospital. Two other injured tourists were also taken to hospital one was later discharged and the other's life was not in danger, the statement said. Cabo San Lucas promotes whale watching among its major attractions, promising tourists safe and awe-inspiring encounters with the huge docile mammals that every winter migrate thousands of miles from Arctic waters to warm shallow lagoons off the Mexican coast where they breed. The fatality happened on the same day that Mexican authorities announced a particularly high number of gray whales had gathered in the area during this year's season, which runs from mid-December to the end of April. The National Commission for Natural Protected Areas said its census indicated a 10% increase on last season, making it one of the highest migrations registered during the last two decades.
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travel
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Free agent running back DeMarco Murray is expected to make his decision soon. He is set to visit the Eagles on Thursday, and the Jaguars and Raiders are reportedly interested as well.
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sports
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A Patriot League 360 special with the champions of men's basketball, the Lafayette Leopards, who downed American 65-63 on Wednesday to claim their third title in program history.
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sports
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