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The French Open is the only grand slam title to have eluded Novak Djokovic and the steely-eyed Serb has adopted a philosophy of reverse psychology in a bid to claim the coveted crown at Roland Garros. World number one Djokovic has twice been beaten in the French Open final and believes he can end his barren run on the clay surface by reining back any hint of self-imposed pressure or specific goal-setting. "The difference in my approach to my goals and priorities between now and a couple of years ago is that I don't put too much pressure on myself," Djokovic said on Thursday at Indian Wells where he is seeking a fourth BNP Paribas Open title. "I don't want to take away too much energy by spending time on thinking, 'Will I make it or not?' The French Open is the grand slam that I have never won but I have had a lot of good tournaments there. "I have played a couple of times the finals and got always a step closer. I use these losses as a way to grow mentally, physically and emotionally and as a player in general to understand what I need to do better the next year." Djokovic, who last month won a record fifth Australian Open title in the professional era to increase his career tally to eight grand slam crowns, feels he can only benefit from competing at the French Open with more personal freedom. "This kind of approach allows me to enjoy my time there instead of going to the clay in Paris thinking, 'Will I make it this time or not?'," the 27-year-old Serb told reporters in the interview room at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. "Of course, the season starts much better for you if you win a grand slam in Australia and that was the case for me this year," Djokovic said, prompting loud roars of laughter. "I have a strong wind at my back and a confidence that hopefully I can carry into these two large tournaments at Indian Wells and Miami, and then take it from there." Djokovic, the top seed at Indian Wells, will launch his bid for a fourth BNP Paribas Open title in the second round on Saturday. (Editing by Frank Pingue)
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Terrance Knighton all 6-3, 331 pounds of him set out for an equally large contract when he became a free agent this week. He'll have to settle for something a little smaller for now. The defensive tackle signed a one-year, prove-it contract with the Redskins on Thursday worth $4 million, according to NFL.com . MORE: Haynesworth: Redskins took his love of football | Documentary on Redskins | Free agency tracker Knighton, 28, was a key cog in the middle of the Broncos' defensive line for the last two seasons, where he started all 32 games and have five sacks. But he's always battled questions about his weight he was reportedly fined more than $300,000 for being overweight while in Denver which likely led to diminished interest from teams during free agency. A former third-round pick by the Jaguars in the 2009 NFL Draft, Knighton played four seasons in Jacksonville before signing with Denver as a free agent in 2013. Knighton told ESPN earlier this week that he turned down a chance to sign with the Raiders and Jack Del Rio Knighton's former coach in Jacksonville because their offer was "not close to what I was looking for." He said Denver's offer also came up short. It's difficult to imagine an offer less than the one he's getting in Washington. But he'll have a chance to earn more next offseason if he plays well and puts to rest some of the concerns over his weight.
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TAMPA, Fla. (AP) -- New York ace Masahiro Tanaka sparkled in his spring training debut, a Yankees' 3-2 win over Atlanta Thursday night in which Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez was ejected after one pitch by his starter. Tanaka was perfect in two quick innings, striking out two. ''I think I was able to throw pretty close to how I would be throwing in the regular season,'' Tanaka said through a translator. After Tanaka threw nine of 11 pitches for strikes in the first, Shelby Miller's first pitch to Yankees leadoff man Jacoby Ellsbury was a ball. Gonzalez argued the call and was tossed by plate umpire Dan Iassogna. ''It was balls and strikes,'' Gonzalez said. ''I thought the balls that the first inning when we were hitting were down and called strikes. We throw a pretty good pitch and call it a ball. It's a late game at spring training. I get a little ornery because I'm usually in bed at this time, and so maybe my temper got a little bit of me.'' Miller liked his manager sticking up for the team. ''You see some calls that we didn't like early on in the top of the first, and then it goes around and that first pitch I threw was there,'' Miller said. ''I thought so, and so did he.'' Tanaka was an All-Star last year during his first season in the majors, but the Japanese right-hander missed 2 1/2 months while rehabilitating a partially torn ligament in his elbow. He returned for two starts in late September. ''I have a good feeling about him,'' Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. One day after hitting his first home run since returning to the Yankees following a drug suspension, Alex Rodriguez went 0 for 2 with a walk. A-Rod, who turns 40 in July, has five hits in 13 at-bats (.385) this spring training. Braves shortstop Andrelton Simmons, sidelined by an oblique injury, went 1 for 3 in his spring training debut. ''Simmons got through it with everything OK,'' Gonzalez said. UP NEXT Braves: RHP Mike Foltnewicz will start a split-quad game against Detroit, while LHP Manny Banuelos will pitch in the other split-squad with the New York Mets. Yankees: RHP Adam Warren will start Friday night's road game against Boston. With LHP Chris Capuano out with a strained right quadriceps, Warren and Esmil Rogers are the top contenders to be the fifth starter. STARTING TIME Braves: Shelby Miller gave up one run and two hits in three innings. Yankees: Tanaka threw 15 of 19 pitches for strikes. He made 18 more pitches afterward off a bullpen mound. TRAINER'S ROOM Braves: OF Nick Markakis (neck) is long tossing and swinging a bat in an indoor cage. ''Every day he's doing a little more,'' Gonzalez said. ''We're still kind of targeting opening day, but it's not set in stone.'' Yankees: LHP CC Sabathia (knee surgery) threw 29 pitches in a two-inning simulated game and said he is ready for his first spring training start. ... INF Brendan Ryan (back) has started dry swings and a running program.
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NASHUA, N.H. A New Hampshire woman believed to be the first transgender person elected to a state legislature was charged Thursday with calling in a bomb threat to a hospital, police said. Police arrested 31-year-old Stacie Laughton of Nashua on Thursday following the Feb. 27 threat to Southern New Hampshire Medical Center. Police evacuated the building but found no suspicious device. An investigation led police to issue a warrant for Laughton's arrest; she turned herself in without incident. Calls weren't being accepted Thursday at a phone listed for her. In 2012, Laughton was elected to the state House of Representatives but she never took her seat, resigning after reports of a prior felony conviction raised questions about her legal ability to serve. The state's Ballot Law Commission denied her request to run again last year, saying Laughton's 2008 convictions for identity fraud and falsifying evidence disqualified her until 2018, when her suspended sentence ends. Laughton was charged Thursday with making a false report regarding explosives, a felony that can bring up to 7 years in prison if convicted. She was released on $50,000 bond and is due back in court in April.
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So, it's the 21st century and we're not living like the Jetsons. Fine. But we can get as close as possible to total home automation with these incredible new inventions debuted on the number one crowd-sourcing site, Kickstarter. Emberlight: Remote Light Control Install Emberlight technology around the home and you'll gain the power to control every light in your house from your phone. You can even automate bulbs to flip on or off when you (and your phone) are in proximity. When they light automatically as you move about your space, you'll finally feel like you're living in the future. See the Kickstarter . Related: Which Lighting Where? 9 Pro Tips for Improved Illumination Homey: Talk to Your Home! Now, for a homespace that answers your beck and call: Homey connects to all your favorite home appliances , from your TV to your oven, so you can control everything with a simple voice command! You'll never need to leave the couch again. See the Kickstarter . Related: Meet the Next Generation of High-Tech Kitchen Appliances Blink: Elegant, Wireless Home Security The Blink home security system is beautiful in its simplicity. Place a wireless home monitor wherever you want above the door, on the stairs, hidden inside of a teddy bear, even. Motion sensors will send you a video when activated, so you can finally solve the mystery of who stole the cookies from the cookie jar. See the Kickstarter . Related: 10 Low-Cost Ways to Improve Your Home Security Garage Beacon: Open Your Garage with Your Phone Clipping your garage door opener to your car's sun visor is so 1995. Consolidate and clear out another unnecessary resident of your junk drawer with the Garage Beacon. This technology turns your smart phone into your garage door opener. It's so simple! See the Kickstarter . Related: 7 Things Every Great Garage Needs Bookniture: Collapsible, Portable Furniture This gem redefines the term "coffee table book." With Bookniture, you unfold a side table, night stand , foot stool, or chair in seconds and then make it disappear again, hidden on a shelf of hardcovers. Bring an extra chair to a picnic! Make your desk a standing desk and then change your mind the next day! You are master and commander of your space. See the Kickstarter . Related: 8 Unique Ways to Build Your Own Table Coolest Cooler: A Picnic Cooler for the Modern Age This Kickstarter begs the question, "Why hasn't cooler technology changed in 50 years?" Well, we don't know the answer. But we do know that now that we've seen a cooler with built-in blender, Bluetooth speaker, USB charger, storage for plates, and more we don't want to go back. See the Kickstarter . Related: No Sweat - 7 Best BBQ Shortcuts Kepler: Home Gas Detector Sure, home gas detection might not be as flashy as being able to preheat your oven from your office, but it's a life-saving precaution that should also be brought into the 21st century. You can rest easy with Kepler: This sleek, simple detector not only beeps, but also digitally displays gas levels and sends alerts to your phone. See the Kickstarter . Related: 7 House Sounds You Never Want to Ignore Ring Weeder: A Better Way to Weed For the gardener who always ends up just using his hands, this tool that attaches directly to your fingers to make pulling up weeds in smaller spaces so much easier. Be one with the dirt. See the Kickstarter . Related: New & Notable - 12 Gadgets to Tech Out Your Garden Smart Bedding: Never Make Your Bed Again Is there anything worse than waking up with a crumpled up top sheet wrapped around your feet? No. So bring a little ingenuity to your bed with a product that clips the top sheet to the duvet and make it a place of peace, instead of frustration. You'll even find that making the bed in the morning becomes a snap, too. See the Kickstarter . Related: 10 Simple Ingredients for a Very Comfortable Bed
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NEW YORK A man accused of faking an ownership stake in Facebook to justify a multibillion-dollar lawsuit against its founder Mark Zuckerberg has vanished. Paul Ceglia, who was under house arrest pending his May 4 trial, jumped bail by slicing off an electronic monitoring device and creating a crude contraption to make it seem as though he was moving around inside his home, authorities said. And the search widened Thursday: Ceglia's wife and two young sons and his family's Jack Russell terrier, Buddy, also have disappeared. U.S. marshals were looking for them. "I'm confident in our team up here," U.S. Marshal Charles F. Salina said. "He's got to get lucky every day. We've got to get lucky once." Ceglia's federal lawsuit said he gave Zuckerberg, a student at Harvard University at the time, $1,000 in startup money in exchange for 50 percent of the future company. But a judge dismissed his claims and prosecutors filed fraud charges after a forensic analysis of his computers and Harvard's email archive determined he had altered an unrelated contract and falsified emails to make it appear Zuckerberg had promised him a half-share. Ceglia, who pleaded not guilty, now faces up to 40 years in prison if convicted of mail fraud and wire fraud. He went missing Saturday or Sunday, but it's difficult to say exactly because he hung his electronic ankle bracelet on a motor-driven device that stretched to the ceiling and moved around, prosecutors explained in papers filed Wednesday with the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan. Also Wednesday, a missing-persons report was filed on Ceglia's wife, Iasia Ceglia, and his two sons, 10-year-old Leenan and 11-year-old Joseffinn. Ceglia's sister-in-law, Brianna Caster, used a Facebook page for her photography business in Newport Beach, California, to urge anyone who sees the wife and kids to call local authorities. On Tuesday, she posted an image of her sister with the boys and urged anyone with information to call a task force at 800-336-0102. "To be honest, we're not surprised at what he's done," she said by telephone. "What we're shocked about is that our sister would disappear. It's not like her to go missing." Finding the family is a priority, but Salina said there's no information suggesting they are in danger, or even with Ceglia, and nothing to indicate he's armed. Caster said her sister's extended family is trying to distribute the images widely to make their disappearance a priority. "We're concerned they're not going to look as hard as they should," she said. "They've got bigger fish to fry if they have violent people out there." No one was home Sunday when a deputy marshal and state troopers knocked on Ceglia's door. Armed with a search warrant, the U.S. Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force returned Sunday evening to the rural home in Wellsville, 70 miles southeast of Buffalo, and busted in after hearing a mechanical noise inside. Marshals discovered a handmade contraption connected to the ceiling, from which Ceglia's GPS bracelet was dangling, prosecutors wrote. Its purpose seemed to be to keep the bracelet in motion, using a stick connected to a rotating motor. A timer was connected to the bracelet's charger, apparently to mimic the report that would have been sent if Ceglia had been present and had plugged the charger in. Prosecutors said the motor was making noise and appeared to be running, but part of the device was disconnected and was not in motion when task force officers spotted it. Prosecutors filed their appeals court papers in a bid to nullify Ceglia's attempt to throw out his criminal charges. Ceglia said they unjustly stemmed from the claims he made in his 2010 lawsuit, which he said were based on a software development contract he signed with Zuckerberg in 2003. A search of Ceglia's hard drives uncovered the real April 28, 2003, contract, which Ceglia had emailed to an attorney in March 2004, years before his lawsuit against Facebook and Zuckerberg. Zuckerberg, a likely witness at Ceglia's trial, said he didn't even come up with the idea for Facebook until months after he responded to Ceglia's online help-wanted ad and signed a contract agreeing to create some software for him.
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US investigators have closed an inquiry into whether To Kill A Mockingbird author Harper Lee was pressured into publishing a sequel. The Alabama Securities Commission led the investigation, which helps prevent financial fraud against the elderly. After an agent interviewed Lee, the commission's head said he was satisfied she wanted a second book published. The new work - Go Set a Watchman - will be the 88-year-old American author's first release since the 1960s. The surprise move prompted some suggestions Lee was manipulated into publishing the decades-old manuscript, which was discovered by her lawyer in the author's possessions last year. "We closed the file. Let's just say that she was able to answer questions we asked to our satisfaction from our point of view,'' said Joseph Borg, Alabama Securities Commission director. The New York Times reported that the investigation was sparked by requests from a doctor that the state investigate whether Lee was capable to have consented to the release of the work. Lee herself was "extremely hurt" by allegations she was manipulated, her lawyer Tonja Carter said. To Kill a Mockingbird was published in July 1960 and has sold more than 40 million copies around the world. Go Set a Watchman was written before To Kill A Mockingbird, and features many of the same characters, with an adult Scout Finch returning to her native Alabama from New York to visit her father.
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Stocks rebounded strongly on Thursday with the major averages reclaiming their 50-day moving averages thanks to a weak retail sales report and fast declining estimates of Q1 GDP growth. What, weaker economic data is bullish? In the bizarre world we live in, it is because it increases the changes the Federal Reserve holds off on interest rate hikes this year. In the end, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 1.5%, the S&P 500 gained 1.3%, the Nasdaq gained 0.9% and the Russell 2000 gained 1.7%. Further evidence that soft economic data and the Fed storyline was the catalyst was provided by a drop in Treasury yields and a weakening of the U.S. dollar. Retail sales fell for the third consecutive month in February, falling 0.6% on a month-over-month basis vs. the 0.3% increase analysts were expecting. This builds on the 0.8% decline in January and the 0.9% decline in December. And it marks the first time since 2012 that headline retail sales have fallen for three months in a row. 3 Airline Stocks Hitting Turbulence Sales in building materials and gardening were hit hard, suffering the largest monthly drop since April 2012 as lumber futures continue to collapse. That didn't seem to slow Home Depot Inc (NYSE:HD), which rose 2.7%. Even removing the impact of lower gas prices and a surprisingly large drop in auto sales, core retail sales still fell at a 0.2% monthly rate. Severe winter weather obviously played a role as consumer confidence remains high, real incomes are growing and the labor market is strong. It's an open question whether the Fed will look through these transitory factors at their policy meeting March 17 and 18. As a consequence, the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta's GDPNow real-time estimate has collapsed to just 0.6% for Q1 well off of the 3.9% average of the last three quarters. But this is better than the 2.1% decline suffered in Q1 last year due to the polar vortex. It wasn't all sunshine and lollipops, however, as breadth remains underwhelming with the number of new lows exceeding the number of new highs on the NYSE as shown above. That suggests the current bout of weakness driven in large part by the consequences of the epic 26% rise in the U.S. dollar since May is far from over. Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) was slammed 4.7% lower after cutting Q1 revenue guidance by about 7% citing weaker-than-expected demand for desktop PCs and lower inventory levels across the PC supply chain. As a result, the March $33 INTC puts I recommended to Edge Pro subscribers back on March 6 are now up more than 361%. Anthony Mirhaydari is founder of the Edge and Edge Pro investment advisory newsletters. More From InvestorPlace The 10 Best Fidelity Funds for Your 401k The Top 10 S&P 500 Dividend Stocks for March 3 Office REITs for Big Dividends The post Dow Jones, S&P 500 Bounce Despite Soft Economic Data appeared first on InvestorPlace .
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Could humans soon be able to erase their bad memories? If the results of a recent mouse study from the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) and ESPCI ParisTech are any indication, signs point to yes. Memories become stable once they're consolidated and experts say memory consolidation takes place during sleep. In which case, neuroscientists monitored the brain activity of mice navigating a maze. When the mice were asleep later on, scientists placed electrodes on their hippocampus and reward center in order to manipulate the way mice consolidated maze information. Specifically, scientists stimulated the reward center in order to create a positive association with certain areas of the maze. So they essentially took neutral information about the environment and associated it with something positive, such as food. Scientists knew they were successful when mice woke up and made a beeline for the now-positives areas of the maze. "The learning we induced during sleep was just to change the emotional value of the different locations of the environments," Dr. Karim Benchenane, a neuroscientist at CNRS and one of the study's authors, told The Huffington Post . "Indeed, during waking hours, all the locations were neutral. What we made them learn during sleep is that a particular location is now associated to a reward." The brain's hippocampus forms, organizes, and stores memories, while the brain's reward center controls responses to, well, awards, such as food, sex, and social interaction. When the center is activated, it indicates to an individual what they need to do in order to receive that reward again. Benchenane and her team find it interesting then it's the reward center that changed the emotional value of memories, not necessarily the hippocampus. HuffPost reported this suggests the factual and emotional parts of memories are stored in different parts of the brain. Obviously more research needs to be done, namely in humans, before scientists can say they can for sure turn neutral, even bad memories into positive ones. However, if they do, this will be especially major for individuals who've suffered a traumatic experience. Think of post-traumatic stress disorder. "For humans, you would need a way to detect during sleep the periods during which the traumatic experiences are reactivated," Benchenane said. "It is likely that it will be soon possible to do so with fMRI." It's worth noting electrodes aren't so easily placed in human brains, so "soon" doesn't exactly translate to tomorrow. Nonetheless, Steve Ramirez, a neuroscientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology told HuffPo "the study gives us a fantastic and novel framework under which to work to achieve these kinds of treatment-related goals." Source: Benchenane K, et al. Explicit memory creation during sleep demonstrates a causal role of place cells in navigation. Nature Neuroscience . 2015.
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Dealing with growing threat of terror cells in U.S.
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Do blondes really have more fun? Shenae Grimes Beech joins us this week on We Spy Style to talk Kim Kardashian, Justin Bieber, Jared Leto, and the rest of Hollywood's new blondes; weigh in on Givenchy's crazy facial jewelry at Paris Fashion Week; and debate whether or not the Apple Watch is truly the future of fashion. Plus - what would Cinderella wear to prom? We share eight runway-inspired looks reminiscent of your favorite Disney princesses! Here's where to find the gowns featured in this video: Cinderella Rapunzel Jasmine Sleeping Beauty Belle Elsa Pocahontas Ariel
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Life will go on for DeAndre Jordan whether he reaches these basketball milestones or not. For all the recent talk of his freakish talents the gaudy rebounding numbers, the thunderous dunks, the dominant defense that has helped his Los Angeles Clippers stay elite while they've been without All-Star forward Blake Griffin perhaps the most refreshing part of the 26-year-old's repertoire is his perspective. So yes, he'll tell you, he badly wants to win the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year award and considers himself deserving. And yes, with the next challenge coming Friday against the Dallas Mavericks and an ABC game at 3:30 p.m. Sunday against the Houston Rockets, he would love to keep hitting his shots at such a ridiculous rate that he tops the great Wilt Chamberlain and sets a new mark for single-season field-goal percentage (Chamberlain set the mark of 72.7% in the 1972-73 season with the Los Angeles Lakers, and Jordan is currently at 71.5%). But Jordan, a man of Christian faith who has scripture tattooed across his chest and a smile typically on his face, isn't about to lose sight of what truly matters. Not with the lesson he learned by losing a friend he'll never forget. Jordan has been honoring the late Tobi Oyedeji on game-days for nearly five years now: first by posting a tribute on Twitter ( "#35 @TobiOye"), then by wearing a black bracelet with Oyedeji's name on it, and finally by using his enormous index finger to write the name in invisible ink on whatever court the Clippers find themselves on. "He's on every court that I play on," Jordan told USA TODAY Sports. The then-17-year-old Oyedeji had become like another brother to Jordan, the oldest of four boys who was playing a mentor role for his fellow Bellaire, Texas native. Oyedeji was a talented big man, too, originally a friend and high school teammate of his younger brother, Brett, who was headed on scholarship to Jordan's college of choice (Texas A&M). He never got there, though, as a post-prom-night car accident took his life on May 16, 2010. "All these things can be taken away from us in the blink of an eye," Jordan says, "so I just try to live life to the fullest and don't take things too seriously." Besides, he has Doc Rivers to play that part. The Clippers coach who also serves as the team's top basketball executive has long since become Jordan's biggest advocate, his most recent campaign speeches including Jordan's new nickname of the "Minister of Defense" and Rivers' proclamation that "if anybody else gets that (DPOY) award we need to have an investigation." Oklahoma City Thunder coach Scott Brooks recently offered his own surprising support, deeming Jordan "probably the best defensive big in the game" despite the fact that his own big man, forward Serge Ibaka, is himself a perennial Defensive Player of the Year candidate. "At this point, it's like as long as I have that respect and acknowledgement from coaches around the league, that's the only thing that really matters to me," said Jordan, whose Clippers are 42-23 and in fifth place in the Western Conference. "To win that award is definitely something that would be cool. I want to win it a couple times in my career. That's why I'm in this league, something I really focus on." Yet while Rivers' stumping hasn't paid off in the form of postseason awards just yet, it has had everything to do with Jordan being happy with the Clippers in ways that he clearly was not before Rivers arrived. Upon arrival in the summer of 2013, the coach who took over for Vinny Del Negro after he was not re-signed gave Jordan a clear directive for their shared future: focus on being a defensive force and an offensive opportunist, and let the Chris Pauls, Blake Griffins and Jamal Crawfords of their world do most of the fancy work inside the Staples Center spotlight. But these past five weeks have been something altogether different. With Griffin's right elbow staph infection keeping him out since Feb. 8, Jordan who leads the league in rebounds (14.6 per game) and field-goal percentage and is fourth in blocks (2.18 per) has averaged 14.9 points and 18.5 rebounds per game while the Clippers have won nine of 14 games. Paul's MVP-caliber play has certainly played a large part as well, but Jordan has had as much to do with the Clippers staying afloat as anyone. His timing is impeccable, he'll be an unrestricted free agent this summer. Yet if this time has been one of liberation or vindication for him and one can safely assume it has been he's not about to admit it. As always, the high-flying Jordan who wrote a story titled "I Am Not An NBA All-Star And That's OK" for the web site, "The Cauldron," when he wasn't selected last month is trying to stay grounded. "I feel like the positive in (Griffin's absence) was for everybody to learn how to play without certain guys," Jordan said. "Our second unit is going to definitely benefit from this the most … Everybody has had to step up a lot. That's why it's a team. "I don't think there was any panic (when Griffin went down). I feel like there may have been guys who were a little worried, but like I've said before, when Chris went down last year (with a shoulder injury and missed more than a month) it was kind of like the same thing. We were used to it. We were used to one of our MVPs going down and everybody having to step up a little bit to pick up the slack … There wasn't a sense of a panic, just more of a focus on guys having to be ready." In this dynamic West that may be as brutal as the league has ever seen, the scary part about the Clippers is that they're about to get whole again. Griffin could return as soon as Sunday's game, and Crawford who has missed the past four games with a calf injury is likely to be back in plenty of time for the playoffs. And once they get there, it's fair to wonder whether we might see an even more dangerous version of the Clippers because of the burden that has been lifted since last postseason. The Donald Sterling saga that captured the nation's attention was a distraction of the highest order for the Clippers then, but they'll likely bound into this postseason with an under-the-radar status and a controversy-free mentality that could make them a tough out. "There's definitely, for all of us, an excitement," Jordan said. "We can say it wasn't a distraction last year, but it was. But at the same time, we still have a job to do. "I think we're right where we want to be. Not too high, definitely not too low. We'll be right there … If we play the right way, the way that we're capable of, I feel like we can beat anybody. I think we still have that championship or bust mentality." The proper perspective, yet again.
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Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) has hired a former key staffer from Mitt Romney's 2012 presidential campaign to serve as his potential deputy campaign manager in waiting, according to the Washington Post . Rich Beeson, the Romney campaign's political director, previously served in the same role for the Republican National Committee. He's the latest Romney alum to sign on to Rubio's Reclaim America PAC, joining Romney's former New Hampshire aide Jim Merrill. The move comes as Rubio and other potential candidates scramble to staff up for their potential runs and test the waters in what's expected to be an extremely competitive 2016 field. Rubio hasn't publicly been dissuaded by the efforts of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush currently one of the frontrunners for the nomination even though some insiders are unsure the field can include two prominent Floridians. Rubio has repeatedly said Bush won't change his calculation and that he's confident he could raise enough money to be a strong candidate. The Post recently reported that a wealthy former owner of the Philadelphia Eagles football team said he's willing to donate up to $10 million to a Rubio presidential bid. Rubio recently criticized Democrats for having a weak field of potential candidates, a jab at Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton. But Clinton also criticized Republican Senators who signed a letter to Iranian leaders that said Congress wouldn't accept a nuclear negotiation that they weren't given a chance to vote on. She said in a tweet that "[n]o one considering running for commander-in-chief should be signing on" to the letter. Rubio, as well as Republican Sens. Ted Cruz (Texas) and Rand Paul (Ky.), all signed the letter.
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San Francisco 49ers fullback Bruce Miller, arrested March 5 on suspicion of spousal violence, is accused of pushing his girlfriend to the ground and breaking her cell phone, according to an incident report released Thursday. A preliminary investigation by Santa Clara, Calif., police determined Miller and his girlfriend were in a verbal argument in a shopping plaza when Miller pushed the woman to the ground. The report said the woman suffered no injuries. Miller was arrested about an hour later at the Santa Clara Marriott, which is located not far from Levi's Stadium and the 49ers' training facility. He was booked into the Santa Clara County Jail and released on $10,000 bond. The case has been turned over to the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office, and it will be up to prosecutors to decide whether to file formal charges. Miller is the first player arrested on suspicion of domestic violence this offseason, the first since NFL owners approved a new personal conduct policy that includes enhanced penalties for players involved in domestic violence or sexual assault incidents and a process for removing players from the field while the league investigates allegations, once a player is indicted or formally charged. Neither has happened yet in Miller's case. Still, the case is on the NFL's radar. "Like any such incident involving any NFL employee, it will be reviewed to determine whether there is a violation of the policy," NFL spokesman Greg Aiello told USA TODAY Sports. *** Follow Lindsay H. Jones on Twitter @ByLindsayHJones
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Real moms share the worst 'words of wisdom' they've ever received Not All Advice Is Created Equal Becoming a parent opens you up to all sorts of "helpful" suggestions. From close family members to total strangers, suddenly everyone knows exactly how you should be raising your kids. Sometimes slightly offbeat and sometimes completely off the wall, here are some of the worst pieces of parenting advice ever given to some of our favorite moms. Love this? Follow us on Facebook. Dumb It Down "An old man in the grocery store told me, 'Stop using such big words with your kids. They're not smart enough to get it.' Um, I was using the word 'disappointed' with a 4-year-old?"- Ellen Williams, Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms Love this? Follow us on Facebook. Living Free and Not-So-Easy "'To avoid diaper rash, have your son go diaper-less.' He was 2 weeks old. Worse, I was a first-time mom, SO I LISTENED TO THIS. I lasted an hour before deciding potential diaper rash was a worthier risk than admission to a mental institution."- Meredith Spidel, The Mom of the Year Love this? Follow us on Facebook. Saying 'No' No-No "The worst? Someone once told me not to ever tell my children 'no.' That way they wouldn't learn the word 'no' and wouldn't repeat it constantly when they were toddlers. Needless to say, I did not follow this advice. Can you imagine your kid about to stick something into an electrical outlet and saying, 'Oh, um, I think we should make a different choice, sweetie!' Worst. Advice. Ever."- Lisa Packer Love this? Follow us on Facebook. Two's Company "'You need to have another baby to keep this one company.' Because that's a good enough reason."(Yes, we're sure Baby No. 2 would be thrilled to hear that when she was older. "Well, sure we love you, but mostly you're just here to entertain your sister.")- Brenna Jennings, Suburban Snapshots Love this? Follow us on Facebook. Fretting Over Felines "That I MUST get rid of my cats before the baby came because they would suffocate him when trying to drink the milk from his mouth. Really? Eli is almost 2 now, and I can assure you, they have never been close enough to even sniff the milk, let alone try to drink it. He likes to pull tails; they want nothing to do with him!"- Mandy Craze Love this? Follow us on Facebook. Right, It's the Baby That's Tired ... "First baby, first couple of months, from my mother-in-law: 'Try to relax more. Other moms seem more relaxed with their kids.' Sorry, just trying to keep this totally helpless person alive with zero help and no sleep.Also, I love when people at the grocery store tell me, 'Looks like he needs a nap.' Um, no, he just had a nap, and we need food, so back off ..."- Mae Pascal Love this? Follow us on Facebook. Seventh Day Self-Soother "'Don't pick him up right away when he cries. Let him try to soothe himself first.' He was a week old."- Anna Luther, My Life and Kids Love this? Follow us on Facebook. Biters Beware! This one was shockingly prevalent:"If your baby bites you, bite her back." - Kim Eller"If your kid is a biter, return the favor and the kid will stop biting." - Tana Johnston"Yeah, we got the same advice, and my 3-year-old still draws blood. I don't care how many times he bites, I'm not biting off a chunk of my kid's arm to 'teach him a lesson!'" - Jessica D'Pirate"'Bite a biting #toddler back' it was horrible. He just looked at me like, "Why would you hurt me? you are supposed to keep me safe!'" - @TheMeanMama Love this? Follow us on Facebook. Breezy Reason for Breaking Wind "'Keep the baby out of this wind; she will get gas' from my sister's mother-in-law."- Mary Graham Love this? Follow us on Facebook. Thinking Inside the Box "When my oldest was little, I was explaining to someone that she would not sit for a time out. An older woman butted in and said, 'Get a tall box, like one your refrigerator came in, and put her in there.' Nothing like scarring your kids for life. Needless to say, I never tried out her method."- Jessica Watson, Four Plus An Angel Love this? Follow us on Facebook. Wonder Twin Powers "'Twins are easier than one at a time because they have a built-in playmate/friend.' Um, yeah, but you have to survive long enough for them to be old enough to 'play' together and built-in playmate also means constant sparring partner!"- Charity Houston Love this? Follow us on Facebook. Multiple Choices Mama "'Always offer the child at least two choices so they don't feel powerless.' Ha, forget that, sometimes your choices are: 'Do as I've asked or go to time out!'"- April Ray Love this? Follow us on Facebook. Anatomical Angst "A preschool teacher told me, 'I'd appreciate it if you taught your daughter (who was 3) to NOT use the word *whispers and looks around to make sure nobody could hear her* vagina. We call it a 'down there' in this class.'"- Leslie Marinelli, In the Powder Room Love this? Follow us on Facebook. 80-Proof Pacifier "'Put a dab of whiskey on the pacifier to help with the sleeping.' I didn't take this advice, as I have too much pride to suck on a pacifier."- Kerry Rossow, House TalkN Love this? Follow us on Facebook. Idealistic Napping Idea "'Sleep when the baby sleeps!' Haha. Do I also do laundry when the baby does laundry? Cook when the baby cooks? Dust and vacuum and entertain the 3-year-old when Baby does the same?"- Sara Lintner (In those early days, many of us definitely showered when the baby showered.) Love this? Follow us on Facebook.
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CAPISTRANO BEACH, Calif. By the time Wendy Leeds reached him, the sea lion pup had little hope of surviving. Like more than 1,450 other sea lions that have washed up on California beaches this year, in what animal experts call a growing crisis for the animal, this 8-month-old pup was starving, stranded and hundreds of miles from a mother who still needed to nurse him and teach him to hunt and feed. Ribs jutted from his velveteen coat. The pup had lain on the beach for hours, becoming the target of an aggressive dog before managing to wriggle onto the deck of a million-dollar oceanfront home, where the owner shielded him with an umbrella and called animal control. In came Ms. Leeds, an animal-care expert at the Pacific Marine Mammal Center , which like other California rescue centers is being inundated with calls about lost, emaciated sea lions. "It's getting crazy," she said. Experts suspect that unusually warm waters are driving fish and other food away from the coastal islands where sea lions breed and wean their young. As the mothers spend time away from the islands hunting for food, hundreds of starving pups are swimming away from home and flopping ashore from San Diego to San Francisco. Many of the pups are leaving the Channel Islands, an eight-island chain off the Southern California coast, in a desperate search for food. But they are too young to travel far, dive deep or truly hunt on their own, scientists said. This year, animal rescuers are reporting five times more sea lion rescues than normal 1,100 last month alone. The pups are turning up under fishing piers and in backyards, along inlets and on rocky cliffs. One was found curled up in a flower pot. Last week, SeaWorld San Diego said it would shut its live sea lion and otter show for two weeks so it could spare six of its animal specialists for the rescue-and-recovery effort. "There are so many calls, we just can't respond to them all," Justin Viezbicke, who oversees stranding issues in California for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said on a conference call with reporters. "The reality is, we just can't get to these animals." As the injured animals proliferate, their encounters with humans are growing. Some people offer misguided help such as dousing the pups with water or trying to drag them back into the ocean. Others take selfies with the stranded animals, pet them or let their children pretend to ride them, rescuers said. As Ms. Leeds approached the quaking sea lion on Capistrano Beach, she frowned at a pile of tuna near his muzzle. "Has someone been trying to feed him?" she asked. Many are sick with pneumonia, their throaty barks muted to rasping coughs. Parasites have swarmed their digestive systems. Some are so tired that they cannot scamper away when rescuers approach them with nets and towels and heft them into large pet carriers. "They come ashore because if they didn't, they would drown," said Shawn Johnson, the director of veterinary science at Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito. "They're just bones and skin. They're really on the brink of death." This year is the third in five years that scientists have seen such large numbers of strandings. Researchers say they worry about the long-term consequences of climate change and rising ocean temperatures on a sea lion population that has evolved over thousands of years to breed almost exclusively on the Channel Islands, relying on circulating flows of Pacific upwellings to bring anchovies, sardines and other prey. "The environment is changing too rapidly," said Sharon Melin, a wildlife biologist with the National Marine Fisheries Service who found that pups on the Channel Islands were 44 percent underweight. "Their life history is so much slower that it's not keeping up." Scientists said it was too soon to predict how these strandings and deaths could affect California's sea lion populations, which stand at what scientists say is a healthy 300,000. As their mothers leave them to take longer, less productive foraging trips, the pups are simply not growing normally. "We do expect the population to take a drop," Dr. Melin said. "Probably not something catastrophic, but probably a really good hit. It is going to impact the overall population eventually if we continue to have these events back to back." For now, rescue and rehabilitation groups like Pacific Marine Mammal Center, in Laguna Beach, have the feel of big-city emergency rooms. Volunteers and staff members pull up with crates of freshly beached sea lions to be weighed and examined. They shave numbers into the animals' brown coats, warm the coldest ones in saltwater baths, and try to coax them back to health with smoothies of herring, Karo syrup, Trader Joe's brand salmon oil and other nutrients. Many have rebounded, gaining weight and graduating from indoor holding pens and tube feedings to eating small fish and romping in outdoor pools. The gaunt new arrivals lie forlornly inside, lethargic and scrawny. The recovering ones loll outside like sunbathers on a crowded roof deck, rolling around in hose spray and occasionally flapping around the small pools in their pens. After four or five weeks, many should be ready to be released back into the ocean. But the death rates are sobering, and staff members say they have to make quick and sometimes painful decisions to euthanize animals unlikely to survive. Of the 1,450 sea lions scooped up from the shores, about 720 are now being treated, Dr. Viezbicke of NOAA said. Michele Hunter, the center's director of animal care, said, "It's very difficult to see so much death." On Capistrano Beach, Ms. Leeds hauled the quaking sea lion into a kennel, accepted a $20 donation from the homeowner who had called in the report and headed down the highway to a fishing pier where a lifeguard had spotted another pup in the sand. This one was small and cool to her touch with ragged, unsteady breathing, so she piled both animals into the same kennel so they could keep each other warm. They seemed to bond quickly: When Ms. Leeds reached toward one, the other snapped at her hand. Within the hour, veterinary workers would decide that both pups were too starved and sick and had to be put down. For the moment, the two curled up together like a pair of brown socks for the ride back to the rescue center.
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John Thompson III comments on Georgetown's win over Creighton.
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Brice Johnson helped 19th-ranked North Carolina take down #14 Louisville 70-60 in the quarterfinals of the New York Life ACC Tournament. Johnson led the Tar Heels with 22 points, scoring 18 of his points in the 2nd half. With the win, North Carolina advances to play top-seed Virginia in Friday's semifinal round.
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By Rachel Wold Running back DeMarco Murray shouldered a heavy ground attack that helped Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo lead the team to playoffs in 2014. Along with their relationship on the field, Romo and Murray developed a close friendship that went beyond playing football. Speaking to reporters while visiting the Texas Rangers during spring training, Romo shared his feelings regarding Murray's departure from the team: "It just happened, so you have to process everything. All the way up until today, I was still thinking we'd be able to keep DeMarco. Obviously, it's not an ideal situation. I'm losing a close friend, too, so that hurts. We have to trust in the process and the people making the decisions. We have salary cap implications and a bunch of other things that we have to decide. That plays a role. The Eagles obviously thought as highly of him as we did." After the offseason started, Romo admitted that he along with Jason Witten and Jason Garrett campaigned to keep Murray with the team. "I may have tried a few times, maybe just a few. But sometimes that's just a reality. And sometimes that's disappointing." Murray leaves big shoes to fill and a gaping hole in the offense after tallying 1,845 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns in 2014. Who will step up into Murray's role in 2015 remains to be seen.
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One of the biggest challenges in capturing rising sea levels in Venice is keeping your feet dry. Go 'Behind the Shot' with The Wonder List.
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WASHINGTON (AP) -- Washington Wizards point guard John Wall considered it a slap in the face that the Memphis Grizzlies would hold out so many important players against his team. "They sit `em, and I don't know the reason why," Wall said. "I think we're a team that's on the rise, and teams respect us now. And I guess they don't respect us." BOX SCORE: WIZARDS 107, GRIZZLIES 87 Taking advantage of a watered-down version of the No. 2 team in the Western Conference, Wall finished with 21 points, seven rebounds and six assists Thursday night, leading the Wizards past the Grizzlies 107-87. "We didn't want to come out here," Wall said, "and lose to their reserves." Yet that's what the Wizards were doing early, trailing by as many as nine points in the opening quarter, which ended with Memphis ahead 33-26, despite missing starters Marc Gasol, Zach Randolph and Mike Conley and key reserve Tony Allen. Only Conley, who twisted his right ankle in a loss at Boston on Wednesday night, sat because of an injury. The others were out because Grizzlies coach David Joerger wanted them to rest, something Wall called "shocking to see." So was the way the Wizards played at the start. "Giving up 30 points in the first quarter, especially when they don't have their two big, leading-scorer, All-Star guys in," said Washington's Paul Pierce, "was kind of embarrassing to us." But Wizards coach Randy Wittman switched to a small lineup, a unit that used turnovers to generate a 34-14 edge in the second quarter, essentially sealing the outcome. A 16-2 run capped by Wall's three-point play with 3 minutes remaining in the first half helped Washington lead 60-47. The Wizards went up by 27 points in the third quarter, and wound up with a 27-14 edge in points off turnovers. Joerger's lineup included rookie JaMychal Green, Benoh Udrih and Kosta Koufos, a trio that entered the night having made a combined total of six starts this season. "When you have three, four guys that are out -- and by choice -- some of the other guys are going to always kind of look over and go, `Well, what about me?'" Joerger said. Memphis finished a road trip at 1-3 and Joerger is happy to be heading home after a stretch of 12 games in 19 nights. "We've got some complacency going on," he said. "Hopefully we've addressed that." As the playoffs approach, Joerger explained, "I've been trying to taper minutes back, kind of knowing the big-picture thing." Wittman's take: So what if this victory was not against Memphis' best? "They're not going to take it away from us," he said. ------ BEAL LIMPING Wizards G Bradley Beal was limping after the game. He said he had some pain in his right foot, but downplayed it, attributing the hitch in his step more to soreness and tightness in his legs and adding that he wouldn't miss any time. "At this point of the year, everything hurts," Beal said with a smile. EJECTION The game got chippy late in the third quarter, when Washington's Kevin Seraphin was called for a flagrant-2 and ejected for knocking Jon Leuer to the court as the Grizzlies' backup forward dunked. Earlier, Seraphin got tangled on the floor with Jarnell Stokes, which followed another bit of grabbing between Stokes and Marcin Gortat, who scored 22 points. "It hurt initially, but I kind of fell on my back and side a little bit," Leuer said. Stokes, meanwhile, had this to say: "I feel like everywhere I go, I get into some kind of altercation. But I'm one of the nicest guys on the team." TIP-INS: Grizzlies: Joerger on F Vince Carter: "He's good with young guys. He's good with old guys. He just has the mentality of, `What can I do to help?'" Wizards: G Toure Murry, signed out of the D-League before the game, made his Wizards debut in the fourth quarter. ... Beal was called for a flagrant-1 for elbowing Memphis' Jordan Adams in the face, drawing blood. UP NEXT: Grizzlies: Host Milwaukee on Saturday. Wizards: Host Sacramento on Saturday.
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Disney CEO Bob Iger unveiled the name and release date of the first "Star Wars" spinoff Thursday at the company's annual shareholder meeting. "Rogue One" will be released December 16, 2016 and star Felicity Jones ("The Theory of Everything"). It wasn't the only treat attendees received. According to fan site Stitch Kingdom , which was on hand at the event, Disney also showed off the first concept art for the spinoff. Here's how Stitch Kingdom described what they saw: My personal take on it was it evoked concept art of a video game. It personally screamed Halo to me. It was very dark and done in greens, so it evoked the idea that it was being done under the cloak of night. Dozens of figures in fatigues appeared to be storming something with a strange helicopterish vehicle (open on the sides) in the background, releasing more troops. /Film has a bit more info from others describing what they saw at the event. The image reportedly showed "4-5 armored, soldier-like persons on the ground." A few ships were seen in the background. Disney has yet to reveal any concept art for the film. We may not have to wait too long, though. Next month, the annual "Star Wars" celebration will take place in Anaheim, California. Production on "Rogue One" is set to begin in London this summer. NOW WATCH: The First 'Star Wars: Episode VII' Trailer Is Here!
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EUGENE, Ore. Marcus Mariota admitted he was a little nervous Thursday at the Oregon Pro Day. "I think at the (NFL) Combine, I threw better, I think," Mariota said. "Today, I think a lot of emotion being back in Eugene and stuff like that just caused maybe some nervousness a little bit. But at the same time, I thought it went well." Mariota made a wide range of throws at the Moshofsky Center in front of NFL scouts. He missed on about a half-dozen throws, mostly on deep balls. But mostly, he was on target. Mariota won the Heisman Trophy in December, becoming the first Ducks player to do so, and he became the most dynamic player in college football playing out of the no-huddle shotgun in Oregon's spread offense. One of the questions about Mariota's game heading into the NFL Draft, which is set for April 30 to May 2, is whether he can work under center and be a pocket passer. Mariota led huddles on Thursday and made his throws after taking the snap from under his former teammate, center Hroniss Grasu. "It was a little different, but again, it was fun," Mariota said. "For us, it's unique. To get to be able to enjoy that and start to get used to those things. It was fun. We just tried to showcase as much as we could. "I thought it went OK. I missed some throws," Mariota added. "But for the most part, it was fun to get out there again with the guys, and just be able to throw and do some stuff that we haven't been able to do the past last couple months. It was enjoyable." During his Heisman-winning season, Mariota led the Ducks to the Pac-12 championship and a victory against Florida State in the Rose Bowl. Oregon ended the season with a loss to Ohio State in the national championship game. Since then, there have been numerous rumors about where Mariota will go in the draft. Lately, the consensus among draft experts is that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will select former Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston, also a Heisman winner, with the No. 1 overall pick. Mariota said it has been easy for him to block out all of the commentary about him and just focus on getting ready for a professional career. "Just not pay attention to it," Mariota said. "You can't control it. This process is something that is controlled by other people, so all you really can do is put yourself out there and show what you can do, and then see where you end up." The Tennessee Titans have the No. 2 pick in the draft, and Mariota had a scheduled private workout with the team on Thursday, after he made his throws during the Pro Day event. "I'm actually going to meet with them in like five minutes," Mariota said. "I leave tonight to go to New Jersey, and I do kind of an East Coast trip." There have been rumors this week that Philadelphia Eagles head coach Chip Kelly was interested in moving up in the draft to take Mariota, which would reunite the quarterback with the coach who brought him to Oregon. Kelly denied those rumors, but in doing so, said that Mariota is the best quarterback in the draft. "That was really nice of him," Mariota said. "When I see him, I'll thank him for that." Former Oregon wide receiver Keanon Lowe, who also worked out at pro day, said Mariota will find success no matter where he lands in the NFL. "I think everything he's done speaks for itself," Lowe said. "I don't think anything I could say would change that. He's a great person. He's a great quarterback. A great football player. There's no way he's not going to be successful just because of the person he is and how hard he works." Mariota said no longer being a student-athlete has been an adjustment. "The biggest difference is that you don't have to go to class," Mariota said. "You have an opportunity to hone your craft and focus on things that you can continue to work on each and every single day. It is a little different and something that you still have to get used to." Mariota has spent the past couple months training in San Diego with some other former Ducks players, including Grasu. "We were blessed to be able to train down in San Diego together, so we're very familiar with snapping under center," Grasu said. "Me, Marcus and (former Oregon offensive lineman) Jake Fisher were all rooming together, living together down in San Diego, and it was just an unbelievable experience. Going through it all, going to the combine together. "It's just unbelievable learning from a guy like Marcus," Grasu added. "Anybody can learn from him, it doesn't matter what profession you're in." Martini also writes for the Salem (Ore.) Statesman Journal, a Gannett property.
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WASHINGTON Hillary Clinton is not only the best-known, but also the most favorably viewed of the potential presidential candidates from either of the two major parties, according to a Gallup poll released Thursday. The poll was conducted Monday through Wednesday of last week, mostly after the news broke about Clinton's use of a private email account while she was secretary of state, but before the news conference this week in which she addressed the issue. Roughly nine in 10 Americans said they knew enough about Clinton to have an opinion, and the poll found that 50 percent viewed her favorably, while 39 percent had a negative impression. On both counts, that put her in better position than any of the potential Republican candidates at this early stage of the presidential race. Clinton's favorability has declined since she left the State Department, as Americans have begun to see her as a presidential candidate, rather than in the more nonpolitical role of the nation's top diplomat. When she left the agency, about two-thirds of Americans had a favorable view of her, a number that has dropped steadily as partisanship has taken its inexorable toll. Last June, when Clinton released her book, "Hard Choices," 54 percent of Americans had a favorable view, according to a Gallup survey taken at the time. The comparison of that number with the current figure indicates that the email controversy had not had a significant impact on Americans' view of Clinton as of the time the new poll was taken. Among the Republican hopefuls, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie were the best known, with roughly two-thirds of Americans holding an opinion of them. But in Bush's case, that opinion was closely divided, 35 percent favorable and 33 percent unfavorable. Christie stood in a worse position, with negative perceptions outweighing positive ones, 34 percent to 31 percent. Among the potential serious contenders for the GOP nomination, Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida had the highest net favorability, with 26 percent holding a positive view and 21 percent a negative one, the poll found. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker also had a net favorable rating, but was somewhat less known, with 20 percent favorable and 18 percent unfavorable. The least popular Republican candidates overall were former Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania and the two Texans potentially in the race, former Gov. Rick Perry and Sen. Ted Cruz. For Santorum, negative views outnumbered positives, 27 percent to 20 percent, for Perry it was 32 percent to 25 percent and for Cruz, 28 percent to 22 percent. On the Democratic side, Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, who some have hoped would challenge Clinton, had a net positive rating, but was far less known than Clinton. The poll showed 22 percent viewing her favorably and 19 percent unfavorably. Warren has repeatedly said she is not running and has taken no steps toward starting a campaign. The Gallup survey questioned 1,522 U.S. adults by land lines and cellphones. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
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Conservatives are happier than liberals, or so decades of surveys that ask about life satisfaction would suggest. The existence of a so-called ideological happiness gap is so well established that recently social scientists have mostly tried to explain it. But a new series of studies questions the gap itself, raising the possibility that although conservatives may report greater happiness than liberals, they are no more likely to act in ways that indicate that they really are happier. "If it's real happiness, it should show up in people's behavior," said Peter Ditto, a professor of psychology and social behavior at the University of California, Irvine, and an author of an article about the studies, which were led by Sean Wojcik, a doctoral candidate at the university. "What our evidence suggests is that it's limited to self-reports of subjective well-being," Professor Ditto said. The article appears in the March 13 issue of the journal Science. In fact, when behaviors rather than self-reports were examined, liberals seemed to have a small but statistically significant happiness edge. The researchers examined two behaviors linked to happiness: smiling and using positive language. For their subject pool, they chose large groups whose political leanings could be identified with some reliability, including members of Congress and users of Twitter and LinkedIn. One study analyzed the emotional content of more than 430 million words entered in the Congressional Record over 18 years. Liberal-leaning politicians, the researchers found, were more likely to use positive words and no more likely to use sad or negative words. Political ideology in the study was defined by the speaker's voting record or party affiliation. The study also examined publicly available photographs of 533 members of Congress, finding that conservative politicians were less likely than liberals to display smiles involving facial muscles around the eyes, a measure that previous research has found to be associated with genuine emotion. Two other studies analyzed the emotional tenor of language in 47,000 Twitter posts by nearly 4,000 Twitter users and the photographs of 457 users of LinkedIn, with similar results. The Twitter users were identified as liberal or conservative depending on whether they subscribed to feeds from the Democratic or Republican parties. The LinkedIn users were affiliated with organizations associated with liberal or conservative ideologies, like Planned Parenthood and the Family Research Council. In their report, the researchers note that the ideology gap, while thoroughly established over the years, was based on a single methodology: asking people how happy they are. But such self-reports, they argue, are susceptible to people's habit of evaluating themselves in an unrealistically positive manner, a tendency that psychologists call self-enhancement. A fourth study in the series surveyed visitors to YourMorals.org , a psychology research website, in which participants filled out questionnaires measuring life satisfaction and the propensity to self-enhance. As in previous research, conservatives reported greater happiness than liberals. But they were also more prone to self-enhancement, the study found. "Conservatives' reports of happiness do seem to be bolstered by this self-enhancing tendency," Mr. Wojcik said. The research will almost certainly reignite debate over which side of the partisan aisle is happier and spawn further studies. And the findings have limitations, as the investigators themselves concede. "It would be a mistake to infer from our data that liberals are 'objectively' happier than conservatives or that conservatives' self-enhancing tendencies are necessarily maladaptive," they write in their report. Ed Diener, a professor of psychology at the University of Virginia who has spent decades studying happiness, said that the new research "is very interesting," and shows the importance of using a variety of different methods to assess happiness and other psychological states. But, he noted, the differences between groups found in the study were small and the results were open to other interpretations. Among the rank and file who fill out Internet surveys, for example, conservatives might be happier, while among political leaders, liberals might be happier, he said. And political speech might reflect the speaker's efforts at impression management rather than happiness. "I would very much like to see the findings replicated" by other researchers, Professor Diener said. Professor Ditto agreed that the studies could not definitely answer the question of who was happier. "You get into sort of philosophical territory here," he said. "If you say that you're happy, are you really happy? That's where I think interesting future directions go."
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Make no mistake about it. St. John's head coach Steve Lavin certainly didn't, nor did he mince words Thursday following his team's 74-57 quarterfinal loss to Providence in the Big East Tournament. He mentioned that his team was "hesitant" a contrast to the smashmouth style of play that St. John's has executed well at certain junctures throughout his tenure (most recently against Villanova this season). But it wasn't the players who worried Lavin. MORE: 15 best coaches in March | Krzyzewski hates idea of freshman ineligibility | Stop March Madness autocorrect fails "I don't think it's (my team). I'm just a poor Big East, I'm a poor conference tournament coach. We didn't have one at UCLA, either," he said after the game . "Probably the trend in the Racing Form is I don't think I've ever won a conference tournament game as a coach in the Pac-10 or the Big East. I don't think it has anything to do with our players." His assessment of his spring skillset is an interesting contrast to his bio on the St. John's website , which has an entire subsection dedicated to his "March Mastery." "Lavin has been particularly successful during March Madness as a head coach, with a seven-year NCAA Tournament record of 11-7 (.611)," Lavin's bio reads . "Since the NCAA Tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985, only Lavin (1997, '98) and Gonzaga's Mark Few (2000, '01) advanced to the Sweet 16 in each of their first two seasons as a Division I head mentor." Conspicuously absent are any mentions of his time with the Johnnies mostly because the team is 0-4 in Big East Tournament appearances in the five years he's been in charge. St. John's did make the NCAA Tournament in 2011 as a sixth seed but was bounced by Gonzaga in the first round. Records aside, it's rare to hear a coach speak so honestly about his shortcomings, but talk won't keep the Johnnies dancing in March. St. John's hopes of making the field as an at-large team remain, but the Red Storm may fall to the dreaded 8/9 seed line, which would make their road to Indianapolis that much more difficult.
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Nasa cameras have captured images an X-class flare, the strongest category of Sun storm possible, and they are the first of its size in 2015.
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In most homes, the under-the-sink cabinet doesn't get much respect. It often hides a trash can and the cleaning potions but it also can become a dumping ground for odds and ends. To make the most of this centrally located space, get inspired by these smart ideas for transforming it into a tidy and efficient spot. Try a Pull-Out Caddy A handy wire holder keeps the under-sink cabinet organized , but can also be pulled out and toted around the house on clean-up days. Worried about a tight squeeze? You'll be happy to know the handle height adjusts to fit under plumbing. Available at Amazon ; $73. Related: 13 Unexpected Uses for Baskets Dress It Up With a DIY This homeowner spruced up her under-sink cabinet all too often a dark space with bright and cheery contact paper. (Bonus: It's easy to wipe down!) She also painted an old drawer to use as an organizing tray, and hung under-cabinet baskets up above to make use of every inch. Related: 10 New Uses for Old Dressers Let It Slide The drain pipes beneath the sink can make it tricky to efficiently use the under-sink space, but this clever rack works around the problem. Literally. A large U-shaped drawer slides smoothly in and out, leaving the space in the center clear for the plumbing. Available at Amazon ; $212. Related: Get Custom Kitchen Cabinets with 7 Easy Installs Hang a Trash Bag Rail Many folks keep their trash bags under the sink a logical spot for them, since the kitchen bin is often there, too, or nearby. With dowels and curtain-hanging brackets, this homeowner constructed a neat way to store large rolls of bags within easy reach. Related: Recipe for Success - 10 Easy Kitchen Storage Hacks Keep Compost Contained Composting kitchen scraps to enrich garden soil is smart and environmentally conscious, but it requires a bit of thinking to incorporate a compost bin into a busy working kitchen. This model cleverly tucks inside the sink cabinet door, so veggie peelings and leftovers can be tossed right in. Available at Amazon ; $54. Build a Towel Holder The paper towel roll is one of those items that you'll want both close at hand and, if possible, out of sight. If you're handy, consider making this wooden towel holder to hide inside your sink cabinet. It even has a shelf for cleaning sprays! Related: 10 Surprisingly Simple Woodworking Projects for Beginners Repurpose a Curtain Rod A tension rod, usually used for curtains, is transformed here into a brilliant solution for maximizing vertical-space storage in an under-sink cabinet. Just hook spray bottles over the rod, where they're easy to grab for a quick tidying session. Space on the sides can be used for hanging cleaning brushes, a sink plug, and other essentials. Related: 21 Ways to Spring Clean Your Whole House Naturally Get Hooked Removable adhesive hooks are ideal for renters who want to hang brushes and gloves in organized cabinets without making permanent alterations. The latest versions work surprisingly well so long as you follow the directions and come in a slew of attractive colors, from bright shades (as shown) here to cool metallics that mimic bronze or chrome. Related: Get Hooked - 10 Favorite Wall Storage Ideas Label It With Love This homeowner believed (and we agree) that even the unglamorous cavern beneath the sink deserves a little love. To make efficient and eye-pleasing use of door space, she attached clothespins to use as storage clips and added witty labels with stick-on vinyl. Related: 10 Novel Uses for the Classic Clothespin
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Vitolo scored the fastest goal in UEFA Europa League history as Sevilla took a giant stride towards the quarterfinals with a 3-1 win at La Liga rival Villarreal on Thursday. In an enthralling opening to the first leg of this last-16 encounter, Vitolo volleyed in his fifth goal in four games after just 13 seconds. After Luciano Vietto had hit the bar for Villarreal, a clinical Sevilla side moved further ahead through Stephane Mbia. Vietto's close-range finish in the 48th minute gave Villarreal hope, but that was extinguished almost instantly due to Kevin Gameiro's emphatic effort. A frustrated Marcelino was sent to the stands as his side slipped to only a second home defeat in 13 matches, while Sevilla made it three straight away wins in all competitions. Marcelino was without Giovani dos Santos and made a number of changes, with Vietto among those drafted in, while Gameiro started for Sevilla as Carlos Bacca was dropped. The visitors made a stunning start as a long ball found Gameiro and he flicked the ball into the path of Vitolo, who coolly controlled before volleying past Sergio Asenjo. In a breathless opening, the hosts should have equalized when Ikechukwu Uche's low cross found Vietto, but he shot against the crossbar and an off-balance Denis Cheryshev could not guide the rebound on target. The game continued at a frantic pace, with Vicente Iborra heading at Asenjo and Vietto forcing Rico to save with his feet, and the visitors moved further ahead after 26 minutes when a left-wing cross was met by a bullet header from Mbia. Sevilla should have put the game to bed five minutes before the break, but Aleix Vidal hit the crossbar following a swift counterattack. The opening exchanges of the second half also proved eventful, with Villarreal notching a deserved goal in the 49th minute after Sevilla failed to clear Cheryshev's shot. The ball found its way to Vietto, who prodded home from close range. However, Villarreal's ecstasy turned to agony within two minutes as a long free kick from Sevilla bounced loose to the unmarked Gameiro and he lashed home emphatically to restore his team's two-goal cushion. It was too much for former Sevilla coach Marcelino, who was sent to the stands after 53 minutes, but Villarreal fought valiantly to maintain its unbeaten run in this season's competition and substitute Joel Campbell saw a volley wonderfully kept out by Rico on the hour. A thunderous effort from Cheryshev after 68 minutes flew just wide and Rico ensured his side retained a comfortable advantage by saving two point-blank headers from Gerard in the final minute.
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The BBC has announced it is working on a drama depicting the making of the popular Grand Theft Auto video game series. Think along the lines of The Social Network, only based in Scotland.The BBC has announced it is working on a television show based on the popular Grand Theft Auto video game franchise. GTA was created by New York-based Rockstar Games, but was developed principally by its Rockstar North studio in Edinburgh, Scotland so we take it that's where the show will be based. So maybe it'll be a bit like Trainspotting then, but with less heroin and swivel-headed babies, and more energy drinks and pasty programmers. According to our compatriots at Engadget , the show will be a single-episode, 90-minute feature. It's being undertaken as part of the BBC's "Make it Digital" campaign that aims to encourage young Brits to go into tech-related fields. No word yet on when the show will air, but if the Beeb insists on canceling Top Gear , it may have an open time slot on its schedule.
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After keeping it close the entire game, the Jayhawks manage to get a 64-59 win over the Horned Frogs. Find out what Bill Self wants his team to improve on before playing Baylor in Friday's semifinal.
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Lily James will step into the glass slipper in Disney's live-action Cinderella on March 13, but she won't be the first actress to flee the ball at the stroke of midnight. In fact, we can add James to a long list of praised actresses to take on the title role.
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PHOENIX While visiting with students and giving advice on how best to achieve their dreams, Danica Patrick revealed a dream of her own on Thursday: She wants to write a cookbook. Patrick met with youths at Arizona Call-A-Teen Resources, an educational and workforce development agency which won a contest from her sponsor GoDaddy. She ducked into classrooms to participate in several projects and then held a lengthy question-and-answer session, during which students asked her to reflect on her own success and how they might also meet their goals. One student asked if Patrick had any projects she was working on for the future, and Patrick brought up the cookbook idea. But it doesn't sound like it's very far along. "It seems like it's stunted my creativity," said Patrick, who often posts pictures of her homemade dishes on social media. "All of a sudden, now that I need to write down my recipes, I'm like, 'Oh, that sucked.' Because now it's got to be like cookbook quality, you know? "At first, it was like, 'Oh, that's delicious.' Now it's like, 'Well, is that cookbook quality though?' " Patrick attended high school until halfway through her junior year, then left to pursue a racing career in England (she later earned her GED). She told the students she leaned toward the creative arts rather than math and science. "I think it's OK your dreams change over time, and mine have definitely ebbed and flowed over time," she said. "... I enjoy creating and working with paint, wood, building things. I don't know where it may take me in the future, but your couch or your picture on your wall or your cookbook in your kitchen might come from me someday." Follow Jeff Gluck on Twitter @jeff_gluck .
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Democratic donors, seeing no alternative candidate, are urging Hillary Clinton to launch her 2016 bid sooner than planned. While Clinton's response to the controversy that already surrounds her embryonic campaign was widely criticized as late, incomplete, and inadequate, top Democratic bundlers aren't turning away. If anything, the negative attention is making donors anxious for her to have a full team in place so that she can get into the race. "For me, it reinforced that she needs to announce her candidacy ASAP," said Allan Berliant, an Ohio-based Democratic donor who bundled for Obama in 2008 and 2012. "I am itching to get started, I want to get this show on the road … pick any cliché you like." According to Berliant, press coverage of Clinton's unauthorized server and her decision to delete emails she did not want the public to see has created a "real sense of urgency" for the campaign to begin in earnest. "There's been zero [talk] about, 'Oh, maybe we should look at a different candidate,' or 'Oh gosh, this is horrible,'" he said of the network of donors he's in touch with. "Nothing like that. The only thing I'm getting phone calls saying is 'Let's go, let's go.'" Clinton's team is still reportedly planning for an early April launch date, putting the start of her official campaign just a few weeks away. But her news conference at the United Nations Tuesday, eight days after The New York Times first broke the news about her use of a private, unauthorized email account and server underscored for some Clinton supporters just how important it is to have a full rapid-response team in place to deal with bad headlines. Along those lines, the Times reported Thursday that Clinton had hired former Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spokesman Jesse Ferguson and is in talks with five other Democratic staffers to fill out its communications team. "That's why it's really important that she should declare her candidacy if she's planning to run," said Kamil Hasan, a Bay Area-based donor who bundled for Clinton in 2008 and Obama in 2012. When she's a candidate, he said, she'll have a team in place to handle negative stories and "she won't get distracted from major issues, which she should be talking about, about how to move the country forward," he added. Berliant too said that an earlier campaign launch which gets Clinton out on the trail and more frequently on the stump will help her shake off some of the rust and get back into campaign mode. "I think she needs to sharpen her skills on the podium," he said, reflecting on her presentation at the Tuesday press conference. "I thought she was flat … practice makes perfect." What the sustained bad headlines haven't done, these donors said, is dampen enthusiasm for Clinton within the Democratic monied-class, even as they acknowledge that the email story isn't going away soon. "Hillary supporters are very avid," said Alan Patricof, head of the New York-based venture capital firm Greycroft, who has long ties to the Clintons. "Because of the style and personality she's conveyed to anyone who's ever been involved with her, I think those supporters are not wavering. Nothing has occurred that in any way would diminish that support." He said Clinton did everything she needed to at the news conference and that she made an "extensive effort" to be transparent about the process behind disclosing her emails. He called the Republican Party's attempts to go after both Hillary and Bill Clinton "never-ending," noting that this controversy has added ammunition to their arsenal. "There is obviously partisanship involved here, and there is a never-ending effort to undermine anyone whose name is Clinton," Patricof argued. "In the environment we're living in today, Benghazi and emails are never going to be dropped, they will continue even when five committees go through and analyze them … [Republicans] still like to create that cloud of doubt and suspicion." Still, while Hasan said the controversy was "completely blown out of proportion," he acknowledged the press conference was "not enough" to put the issue to rest and that and there remain "some questions" to be answered. "I think this will linger for some time," he said, noting he hopes it's put to bed "in the next couple of months or so." Despite the headlines and the desires of some donors, Patricof said he doubts Clinton will adjust her timeline. "Her decision to run, whichever way she decides, will be made at a time that's appropriate and I don't think this will accelerate it," he said. "This certainly won't slow it down."
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FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) The Boston Red Sox have finalized a minor league contract with 19-year-old Cuban infielder Yoan Moncada. The Red Sox announced the deal Thursday night. He will be assigned to the team's minor league camp at spring training. The switch-hitting Moncada played two seasons for the top league in Cuba. He spent last year at second base. Moncada's agent and the Red Sox reached agreement in late February on a deal with a $31.5 million signing bonus. Moncada had to pass a physical before the contract was completed. The Red Sox will pay $63 million overall to get Moncada, due to a tax by Major League Baseball involving international signings.
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The Cowboys on Thursday lost the NFL's leading rusher in DeMarco Murray, who opted to sign with the rival Eagles. The Cowboys reportedly offered Murray $5 million a year, while he got $42 million over five years with $21 million guaranteed from the Eagles. Murray helped the Cowboys win the NFC East title last season while rushing for a franchise-record 1,845 yards. He broke the Dallas record held by NFL career rushing leader Emmitt Smith and also set a league mark with eight straight 100-yard games to start the season. Owner Jerry Jones wouldn't budge on the price he was willing to offer Murray, but released a statement saying he's upset about losing Murray. Here is the full text: We are very grateful to DeMarco Murray for his contributions to the Dallas Cowboys. He is a quality person, a very good football player, and a player that we wanted to keep. We have great appreciation for his skills, and if there was no salary cap in place, DeMarco would be a Cowboy. This came down to an allocation of dollars within the management of the salary cap. Obviously there is emotion involved in these decisions, but it is critical that there be must be discipline involved as well. If it were a question of having an open checkbook with no salary cap constraints, we all know things would have worked out differently. We have recently made significant commitments to top players who are currently on the team, specifically at key positions such as quarterback, left tackle and wide receiver, and we were comfortable with the offer that we made to DeMarco to include him in that structure. These are difficult decisions that are part of the NFL. They are decisions that take into account the entire team, the current economic structure of the team, and the financial concerns for the short and long term future of the team. At the end of the day, this is about finding the best way to collectively fit all of the individual pieces together, in terms of talent, offensive players, defensive players and dollars -- under the salary cap structure -- that gives you the best chance to have a championship team.
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Britain's Andy Murray and Japan's Kei Nishikori will stop at the ATP event in Washington in their August preparations for this year's US Open, tournament officials announced Thursday. World number four Murray, the 2012 US Open and Olympic champion and 2013 Wimbledon winner, has not played in the hardcourt event at the US capital since 2006, when he lost to Frenchman Arnaud Clement in the final. Fifth-ranked Nishikori, who lost to Croatian Marin Cilic in last year's US Open final in his first Grand Slam championship match, made Washington's Citi Open his only hardcourt stop ahead of his Flushing Meadows run, falling to France's Richard Gasquet in the quarter-finals. "Andy and Kei are two of the most dynamic and popular players in the world and we're happy to have them make such an early commitment," ATP Citi Open tournament director Jeff Newman said. "It sends an early message that DC is a top tournament to play." The August 3-9 tournament will be staged one week before the ATP Masters Series event in Montreal and two weeks before the Cincinnati Masters, both of which figure to lure all of the world's top players as the main tuneups for the year's final Grand Slam event, which begins August 31 at New York. "If you are Andy Murray and you are going to try to win the US Open, you want to get here early and get sharp. This helps with that in every way," tournament chairman Donald Dell said. Argentina's Juan Martin del Potro is the last player to win the Washington crown on the way to capturing the US Open title, doing so in 2009 before shocking Roger Federer in a thrilling five-set final of Flushing Meadows. World number six Milos Raonic is the reigning champion at the $1.5 million (1.4 million euro) event, having beaten Vasek Pospisil 6-1, 6-4 last in the ATP's first all-Canadian singles final. Washington was Raonic's first stop after a career-best Grand Slam run to the Wimbledon semi-finals last year. Murray, 27, has won 31 career ATP singles crowns, three of them coming last year in Shenzen, Vienna and Valencia. Nishikori, 25, won his eighth career ATP crown earlier this year at Memphis, his third consecutive trophy at the event. Their early move could boost the field in Washington, which also stages a WTA event the same week. It comes one week after the opening US hardcourt event of the US Open run-up in Atlanta. "This will help us certainly in attracting three or four more top 12 players in the world," Dell said. "We hope to have five of the top 10 players in the world."
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New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) said Thursday that he would meet with state lawmakers and other top officials to discuss revising the state's email storage policy, which now automatically deletes messages after 90 days. The announcement came after a top aide to Attorney General Eric Schneiderman (D), who has had a tense relationship with Cuomo -- announced that his office would stop following the 90-day deletion policy and would develop a new one. "Attorney General Schneiderman is committed to openness, transparency and restoring the trust of New Yorkers in their government," Schneiderman's chief of staff, Micah Lasher, wrote in an email to the staff. "Consistent with that commitment, he has decided to suspend, effective immediately, the policy that was first put in place in the Attorney General's office in 2007 of automatically deleting most office emails after 90 days. He has directed his Counsel to formulate, in short order, a new document retention policy." State lawmakers on Thursday introduced legislation that would retain emails of some state employees for at least seven years and subject members of the legislature to the Freedom of Information law. State legislators have criticized the deletion policy, which has been unevenly enforced, saying it creates a lack of transparency. Cuomo's office said the policy was put in place by former Gov. Eliot Spitzer (D). Former Spitzer staffers have disputed that account.
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Jihadi John, Osama Bin Laden, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Mohamed Atta, Faisal Shahzad and many more terrorists come from wealthy backgrounds.
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My boyfriend is funny, cool, and really bright. We've been together for a couple of years. I decided to date him two years after a rough breakup, having had time to regroup and feel more like myself again. Our one problem is sex. My ex-BF was the most comfortable man I had ever known concerning sex. Open to suggestions, incredibly at ease with my body he made me feel beautiful and sexy. My current BF admits to having huge hangups about sex, feeling uncomfortable in his own body, and having a low libido. His previous GFs have all complained to me about this, so it's not just me. HOWEVER: I find it hard to not feel in the sexual dumps, and have started to feel completely in limbo. Our biggest hurdle is that talking about it makes it worse, not better since my boyfriend is very sensitive and feels very bad about this recurrent situation. Any suggestions on solo activities that might make me feel better about myself? Any tips on relaxing about this? -S Sex educator and author Emily Nagoski just had an interesting piece in The New York Times about the ways we pathologize human sexuality and why we should knock it off already. She was writing about a drug intended to treat low sexual desire in women, but all her points seem applicable to male-bodied people as well. Your boyfriend is funny, cool, really bright, and he desires a smaller amount of sex than you desire. This is an incompatibility, but not necessarily an insurmountable one. If he sees his libido as problematically less active than he'd like, I'd recommend he see a physician to check his physical function and then consider seeing a sex-positive therapist if possible. That one-on-one time in a safe space with doctor-patient confidentiality can help with relaxation, and the training that therapists go through makes them way more qualified to guide a person to and through hang-ups than, like, friends at a bar or a stranger on the Internet. It sounds like you're looking for ways to get your sexual needs met and also stay in a romantic relationship with your current partner. The possibility of ending this relationship and finding a partner with comparable levels of desire does bear mentioning, though. There's no shame in realizing that you don't match up with someone on a big issue and separating. One thing you can do right now is get super into masturbating. Make appreciating your body and satisfying yourself physically a priority. Go full-on Narcissus-at-the-pool with loving yourself, and make sure your confidence in your beauty and sexual allure is rooted in your own body. This might involve massaging yourself in a warm bath strewn with rose petals, or taking brightly lit photos of yourself on the kitchen floor with the handle of a saucepan in your butthole, or (most likely) some other activity. If you aren't already the main expert on your own unique sexual tastes, go forth, experiment, and make it so. Another option is opening up your relationship and exploring polyamory, or its less emotionally invested cousin: polysexery. Since you've said your boyfriend already feels bad and is sensitive, be very cautious of his feelings if you decide to broach the subject of adding new sexual partners. This conversation can be incredibly difficult to navigate, even under ideal conditions, and this sort of situation can easily turn into the partner with the lower libido feeling like they're being replaced. M y wife and I have been married for seven years now and together for nearly a decade. Up until a year and a half ago, my wife would give amazing blow jobs. Not necessarily on the regular, but enough that I could remember the last time I got one. Now, she says she's done with them. She says she feels demeaning doing them, they hurt her jaw too much, and she wants to feel better about herself as a person. So, BJs are out. The rest of our sex life remains largely unchanged aside from the fact that she wants me to be more controlling circa Fifty Shades of Grey . I have made a few attempts at it (some better than others) , but I just don't feel like I'm that type of person. I'm assuming this is a large part of the BJ lockdown. I love my wife to death, but lately I have found my thoughts straying to "other means" to get that amazing BJ. I don't think I'll ever act on these rogue thoughts, but I also can't stop thinking about the amazing BJs I used to get. What can I do to get them back? P "More controlling circa Fifty Shades of Grey " is super vague. Furthermore, Fifty Shades , like Secretary before it, presents a frequently arousing but textbook abusive relationship. Both might be great to get turned on by and start important conversations about kink and consent, but (just like most pornography) neither should be taken as an educational how-to. So, you two need to have a conversation: Does she want you to tell her what to wear? Tell her what to do? What limits does she have and what is her safe word* going to be? Does telling her what to do extend to telling her to give you those amazing blow jobs? Because if it does, then your BJ nostalgia problem is solved. But, if it doesn't, then demanding them while topping her would be a violation of consent. If specific and detailed discussion of sexual desires and fantasies is uncomfortable face-to-face, consider talking about it through text or email (just remember that data is never completely secure), handwritten letters, or turning the lights off. Once you've got a deeper understanding of what your wife wants from you as far as control or domination, you might find yourself more comfortable with those roles. Now, on to those blow jobs you miss: Your wife might never want to participate in them again. If that's the case, I feel for you, but you do need to respect both her limits and whatever agreements about monogamy the two of you have made. The option of a consentingly open relationship might be worth pursuing. You also may want to explore what about fellatio feels degrading to your wife. Was she frequently on her knees? Did you typically grab the back of her head? Degradation is highly subjective, so her specific feedback on this might unlock the way to oral pleasure she feels comfortable and happy giving you. Maybe something as simple as massaging her jaw might make giving oral sex an attractive activity. *The safe word is a very important part of BDSM, and is used by the submissive, dominant, or any other person involved to call an immediate stop to whatever is going on.
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Rangers defenseman Kevin Klein could miss the remaining 16 games of the regular season with what is likely a broken arm. Klein was injured in the final minute of the Rangers' 3-1 win in Washington Wednesday, when he was struck by a shoot-in attempt by Alex Ovechkin. He had X-rays after the game and returned to New York to be examined by team doctors on Thursday. It's a big blow for the Rangers since Klein had been one of their steadiest defensive defensemen this season, who also surprised everyone with his unexpected offense career highs nine goals (four of them game-winners) and 26 points and a plus-24 rating. The Rangers' season ends in just over four weeks, on April 11 also at Washington and the playoffs begin the week of April 13. With the Rangers up against the salary cap, they won't be able to make a move to bring up a defenseman from Hartford (AHL), which is probably a moot point anyway. Matt Hunwick, who had been scratched seven straight games including the last five since the Rangers acquired Keith Yandle will step back into the lineup. Earlier in the season, the Rangers survived a stretch without Klein, Ryan McDonagh, Dan Boyle and John Moore, and they have also somehow thrived during the injury absence of goalie Henrik Lundqvist. So the Find-A-Way Rangers, who had the NHL's best record after Wednesday's win, will have to find a way again. The Rangers, 31-7-3 in their last 41 (equivalent of half a season) are in Buffalo Saturday and home against Florida Sunday. The team remained in Washington yesterday, will practice there Friday and fly to Buffalo. Rick Carpiniello writes for the Westchester County (N.Y.) Journal News.
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Everything you cherish will be destroyed.
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Top US general in South America says recruits have left homes in Caribbean to join ISIS in Syria - and if they return to places like Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, could ultimately find a way into America
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Oh, the wisdom of youth ... Find X Here it is. Doodle time I mean, you have to give the kid a B for at least his drawing skills. What ended in 1896? 1895. Where was the American Declaration of Independence signed? At the bottom. Write an example of a risk? This. HCOONa Matata. Clue This kid's favorite game is Clue. Too bad the teacher probably isn't as big a fan. This boy is... C. Ugly. Kid for prez This kid is a future President. I don't know where of, but SOMEWHERE. What is the strongest force on earth? Love. I earn money at home by... I don't. I'm a freeloader. Classroom masterpiece We never realized you could do THAT. Draw a sketch of the situation Let's hope the teacher is a fan of The Jersey Shore. Tony practices the piano 20 minutes every day "Effect: he is a big nerd." At least the kid is following the bouncing ball. Why are there rings on Saturn? Because God liked it, so he put a ring on it. The girl's name might be hope, but we're not holding out much of it. The man 'Pet' the dog. (You should not hit dogs). Pauli Exclusion Principle No parrots allowed. What is love? Baby don't hurt me, don't hurt me. No more. The first cells were probably...? Lonely. Because I'm smart I think this little kid answered correctly. What would you say to or ask Abraham Lincoln? "I'd tell him not to go to a play ever." Please write any overall comments about this course or instructor not covered above. "If I had one hour to live, I'd spend it in this class because it feels like an eternity." Write . a. 0.5 or 1.0 The diagram below best illustrates "e. Giraffes are heartless creatures." Tell how you know when to regroup. "I don't want to tell you how!" Miranda can't see anything when she looks down her microscope. Suggest one reason why not. "She is blind" Perry the Platypus "If for any reason my answers aren't sufficient, I hope Perry the Platypus will convince you otherwise." F Words "Fart" Expand (a+b) "= (a + b)^n" Briefly explain what hard water is. "ice" Equation answer "Close enough" What are the three things you want to do in the future? "1. get a girlfriend 2. kiss her 3. rule the world" Which holds the least people? "Fart"
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KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Not particularly well was good enough for Kansas. The ninth-ranked Jayhawks shot below 50 percent from the field, including 0-of-8 from 3-point range, but managed to hold off TCU 64-59 in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament on Friday at the Sprint Center. Kansas (25-7) will face Baylor in the semifinals on Friday night. BOX SCORE: KANSAS 64, TCU 59 "It was obviously a win, which we're happy about," Kansas coach Bill Self said. "But we didn't play particularly well. "Kelly (Oubre) and Landen (Lucas) made enough plays to allow us to win. They were the two best performers we had today by a long shot." Oubre scored 25 points, including 17 in the second half. He was joined in double figures by Lucas with 13 points. TCU (18-15) was led by Trey Zeigler with 20 points and Chris Washburn with 10. "Obviously, we weren't good enough this afternoon," TCU coach Trent Johnson said. "I thought we competed really hard and had opportunities to make plays down the stretch and didn't make them. The bottom line is Kansas was the better team this afternoon and I would like to go ahead and let these guys answer questions so they can get off their feet." The Horned Frogs' chances were hurt when point guard and leading scorer Kyan Anderson picked up his fourth foul with 16:37 left in the second half and TCU trailing 35-32. Anderson had three fouls in the first half. But the Horned Frogs hung tough. They trailed by seven at the half but rattled off the first six points after intermission. They never grabbed the lead but tied the score several times, the last at 51. "Kyan is a big part of what we do," Zeigler said. "It kind of put (the ball) in my hands the whole second half. We just tried to battle and keep ourselves in the game." Johnson was not using Anderson's absence as an excuse. "It's tough for us to beat anybody when we don't have one of our best players on the floor," Johnson said. "We played well without him at certain times during the course of the year. The bottom line for us is we didn't do a good enough job at the defensive end." Self was impressed with the Horned Frogs' effort without their best player. "It was probably good for us that he was out," he said. "But on the flip side when he's out that meant that Zeigler had the ball the whole time. He's the one who killed us." The Horned Frogs trailed 54-52 when Anderson returned with 5:18 left. Just over a minute and a half later, he was gone with his fifth foul. Kansas relied on Oubre late in the second half. Oubre scored 10 straight points, including eight of 10 from the free-throw line. For the second time in three games, the Jayhawks did not convert a 3-pointer. "If you ask all coaches what's the most important thing, (they'll say) making shots," Self said. "I'll spin it that it's really a positive because it made us focus on the defensive end and rebounding." TCU hung around in the first half, leading 18-17 with just over 8:00 remaining. An 11-3 run Kansas a 28-21 lead and the Jayhawks led 33-26 at halftime. Ziegler led TCU with eight first-half points, with Karviar Shepherd adding seven. Anderson was held to three points to go with his three first-half fouls. Oubre led Kansas with eight points in the first half. Lucas had seven points and forward Jamari Traylor added six. Neither team connected on a 3-point attempt in the first half. NOTES: Kansas was without starting F Perry Ellis, who sprained his right knee in the penultimate game of the regular season against West Virginia. He is expected to be ready for the NCAA Tournament. ... Kansas now stands 10-1 against TCU all time. The Horned Frogs' lone victory came at home in Fort Worth in the first -ever Big 12 matchup between the teams. ... TCU outrebounded Kansas 83-69 in the two regular-season losses, including 38-14 on the offensive end. ... TCU won its first postseason tournament game as a member of the Big 12 with a 67-65 victory over Kansas State on Wednesday. -----------------------------------------------
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PORTSMOUTH, Ohio A southern Ohio woman was convicted Thursday of rape, kidnapping and other charges related to her grandchildren and was immediately sentenced to four life prison terms with no chance for parole. A jury in Scioto County deliberated for nearly six hours before convicting the 53-year-old woman. She testified the day before that the children were lying about being chained, beaten, underfed and sexually assaulted. The case in the Ohio River town of Wheelersburg arose after one girl emailed a teacher for help. The children's mother and her boyfriend previously pleaded guilty to rape charges and were sentenced to prison last week. A prosecutor depicted the grandmother as a guardian who didn't speak up about the abuse because she didn't want to lose hundreds of dollars in government benefits paid for the three children. "I have seen a lot of evil but this is the most evil I have ever seen," Judge William T. Marshall told the woman, according to the Portsmouth Daily Times. "You have shown no remorse. You put those children through hell." The Associated Press is not naming the adults to protect the children's identities. During her testimony, the grandmother acknowledged she punished the children with spankings and by making them face a wall but denied hurting them further, explaining that the chains in the house were for a dog and the children's bruises and scars were from playing "cops and robbers" with ropes. But she conceded regrets. "I failed my grandchildren," she said, according to The Columbus Dispatch. "I should have done more. I beat myself up for that every day. I'm sorry."
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The idea of powering humanity by gathering an endless supply of solar energy from space has taken a huge step towards becoming a reality. Scientists working for JAXA, Japan's space administration , have announced a major breakthrough in wireless power transmission ... in that they've actually been able to do it with a high degree of accuracy for once. The team reportedly beamed 1.8 kilowatts, enough juice to power an electric tea kettle, more than 50 meters to a small receiver without any wires. Up next: scaling the technology for use in tomorrow's orbital solar farms. The researchers were able to do so by first converting the electrical signal to microwaves, then beaming them to a remote receiver, and finally converting them back into electrons. This successful experiment is the first time scientists have been able to move electrons over any appreciable distance with such a high degree of accuracy, one JAXA researcher explained to the AFP . JAXA has been diligently working on this technology for years as part of the agency's SSPS ( Space Solar Power Systems ) effort. The program aims to harness the constant supply of solar energy directly from space using orbital solar farms, then beaming it back to Earth (and into a global grid) via microwave transmission. What's more, these orbital arrays would never have to deal with obscuring cloud cover or darkened nights as their terrestrial counterparts do. Of course, the SSPS is still far closer to science fiction than science fact but JAXA's latest success clears one of the biggest and most fundamental hurdles facing the program: delivering power from space without having to run an extension cord out to Low Earth Orbit. PhysOrg
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news
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Comedian Andy Samberg, star of the award-winning "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" series, will host the 67th Primetime Emmy Awards on 20 September. Widely known as the television equivalent of the Oscars, the Emmy Awards will take place at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles. Nominations will be announced on 16 July. "The moment the Emmy Awards' host was brought up, we said it had to be Andy," said Gary Newman and Dana Walden, chairmen and CEOs, Fox Television Group. "He is fearless, hilarious, an award-winning comedian, singer, writer and actor with incredible live TV experience. We know he'll deliver the laughs and give viewers an incredible night they will enjoy." Samberg, 36, an Emmy and Golden Globe winner, who was formerly a member of the "Saturday Night Live" cast, added: "Buckle your seat belts, Emmy viewers like, in general you should buckle your seat belts in your car. In fact, even if you're not an Emmy viewer, you should buckle your seat belt. "It can be dangerous on the road. Also, if you're not an Emmy viewer, you should strongly consider becoming one this year because I'm hosting and it's gonna be a wild ride. So buckle your seat belts." Seth Meyers, also of "Saturday Night Live" fame, presented last year's Emmys.
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entertainment
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Spanish-language U.S. television network Univision fired presenter Rodner Figueroa after he likened first lady Michelle Obama to a cast member of the film "Planet of the Apes," the network said on Thursday. Figueroa made the comment during an appearance on the popular talk show "El Gordo y La Flaca" on Wednesday while discussing the work of a makeup artist who works to copy the looks of famous people. "Look, you know that Michelle Obama looks like she's part of the cast of the film 'Planet of the Apes,'" Figueroa said in Spanish. The comparison quickly drew accusations of racism against Figueroa. "Rodner Figueroa made comments regarding First Lady Michelle Obama that were completely reprehensible and in no way reflect Univision's values or views," the Miami-based network said in a statement. "As a result, Mr. Figueroa was immediately terminated," the statement said. Figueroa had served as a fashion expert on Univision, among other roles, and he was seated next to the two main hosts of the show Raúl De Molina and Lili Estefan when he made the remark. Estefan responded with, "What are you saying?" and De Molina interjected to say that Michelle Obama is attractive. Figueroa, in an open letter to the first lady posted on the website Latin World Entertainment, wrote in Spanish that his comments were not directed at Michelle Obama but toward the makeup artist who had sought to replicate her look. "I feel mortified, and I ask for your forgiveness, because there is no excuse for a professional like myself to make a comment like that which can be interpreted as offensive and racist in these volatile times that our country is experiencing," he wrote. (Reporting by David Adams in Miami and Alex Dobuzinskis in Los Angeles; Editing by Mary Milliken and Sandra Maler)
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entertainment
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A former U.S. Marine jailed in Mexico last year on weapons charges but freed seven months later so he could seek treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder has been arrested in Georgia on suspicion of drunken driving and other traffic offenses. Andrew Tahmooressi, 26, was taken into custody on Wednesday morning after a traffic stop. He was charged with driving under the influence, driving with an open container of an alcoholic beverage, reckless driving and improper passing, according to the Emanuel County Sheriff's Office in Georgia. He was released on Thursday on $4,000 bond, according to the county jail's watch commander. Tahmooressi, who left the Marines in 2012 after two tours of duty in Afghanistan, was detained in Mexico after arriving at the border from California last March with three guns in his pickup truck. The military veteran has insisted he had mistakenly gotten onto a southbound freeway ramp in San Diego and that, when he ended up in Mexico by accident, he asked at the San Ysidro crossing to return to the U.S. side. He was arrested instead by Mexican customs agents and charged with firearms offenses. Mexico freed Tahmooressi in October on psychological grounds after a seven-month campaign led by his mother in Florida to win his release, a cause that became a staple of U.S. talk shows and gained support in Congress, principally from U.S. Representative Duncan Hunter, a California Republican. Bill Richardson, a Democrat and former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, helped the U.S. State Department negotiate Tahmooressi's release, and he returned in November to Florida, where he was to undergo PTSD treatment. In January, Tahmooressi was Hunter's guest at the State of the Union address by President Barack Obama on Capitol Hill, according to the Marine Corps Times. (Editing by Steve Gorman and Paul Tait)
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news
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Asian shares shook off early losses on Friday, underpinned by overnight gains on Wall Street, while the dollar steadied after its recent rally ran out of steam on disappointing retail sales data. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan (.MIAPJ0000PUS) was up about 0.1 percent on the day. It was well off 7-week lows plumbed earlier in the week but still on track for a weekly loss of around 2 percent. Japan's Nikkei stock average (.N225) was up 0.9 percent ahead of Friday's settlement for Nikkei futures and options contracts expiring in March. Investors with long positions in Nikkei futures would like to see them settle at a higher price. On Wall Street, U.S. shares rallied on Thursday, but the S&P 500 (.SPX) was still on track to post its third consecutive weekly decline, hit by the prospect of higher U.S. interest rates and the effect of the strong dollar on corporate earnings. But the dollar pulled away from its recent multi-year highs after U.S. retail sales unexpectedly fell in February, a month marked by harsh weather. That tempered the outlook for first-quarter growth and gave investors reason to doubt that the Federal Reserve would hike interest rates as early as June. However, many investors' rate-hike bets remained intact after last week's stronger-than-expected U.S. payrolls report. The Fed's policy-setting committee meets next week, and investors hope the meeting will yield further clues about the timing of the rate increase. "Despite the improvements in the labor market, rises in wages and decline in gas prices, Americans cut spending for the third month in a row but judging from the price action of the greenback, dollar bulls are telling themselves that weak retail sales does not change the bigger story of monetary policy and growth divergence," Kathy Lien, managing director at BK Asset Management, said in a note to clients. Lien expects the U.S. central bank to tighten in September. The dollar index (.DXY) edged lower, after skidding 0.4 percent on Thursday - its biggest one-day fall in a month. The index earlier rose as far as 100.060, a high not seen since mid-April 2003, and was still on track to end the week up more than 1 percent. Against its Japanese counterpart, the dollar edged up about 0.1 percent on the day to 121.42 yen (JPY=), moving back toward this week's nearly eight-year high of 122.04. The euro also inched down about 0.1 percent against the greenback to $1.0620 (EUR=), but remained well above a 12-year trough of $1.0494 plumbed in the previous session. In sharp contrast with the Fed, the European Central Bank launched a quantitative easing program this week that sent yields on the debt of nearly all euro zone countries to record lows, and prompted investors to park their funds elsewhere. Oil prices steadied after an overnight selloff following estimates showing another big supply build at the delivery point for the U.S. crude contract. U.S. crude (CLc1) added about 0.1 percent to $47.10 a barrel after plunging 2.3 percent in the previous session, while Brent (LCOc1) added about 0.4 percent to $57.31 after shedding nearly 1 percent.
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finance
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What if our husbands don't like each other?! Let's date brothers!
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lifestyle
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Losing weight is no walk in the park, and staying committed to your new healthy lifestyle can be even more challenging. We asked nutritionists and a celebrity trainer (she works with Sofia Vergara and Kelly Ripa!) for their advice on how to make sure your new figure doesn't disappear into a Girl Scout Cookie box. 1. Your metabolism is slower now and you don't realize it. Basically, that smaller number on your scale actually means your body metabolizes a smaller number of calories, too. "The amount of calories you burn is closely tied to your body weight," says Karen Ansel, R.D. "An overweight person generally burns more calories during a workout because they weigh more and it requires more energy to move and maintain all that extra weight. But after you've lost those pounds, your body requires less calories, so you burn a smaller amount each day." Ansel warns that if you don't adjust the amount you eat to correspond to your new size, the weight you lost will inevitably creep back on. 2. You're not sleeping enough. Not only does sleep help you feel more energized, but it also keeps your waistline in check.Why? "When you don't catch enough Z's, you'll look to snacks for that much-needed burst of quick energy," says Amy Shapiro, R.D. "Your body [also] produces more gherlin, [a hormone that] makes you want to eat more, and less leptin, [which is] the hormone that tells you when to stop eating." Not to mention that when you're exhausted, your metabolism slows down, according to research from the University of Chicago. So if you're short on shut-eye, start counting sheep as soon as you finish this article. 3. You don't have a Plan B. Celebrating a dieting victory with a cheeseburger isn't how it works, unfortunately (OK,except for every once in a while). "Anybody will regain lost weight if they go back to their old eating habits," says Ansel. "One of the best strategies for lasting weight loss is to focus on healthy foods in smaller portions." So instead of looking for a quick fix throughout your weight loss plan, try to make tiny changes that'll stick for the long run, like always having a vegetable on your plate or opting for whole grains over processed foods, says Ansel. 4. You're wasting your willpower. Despite the myth of having an iron will, studies show that we're only given a finite amount of self-discipline each day. So if you're draining your willpower reserves on resisting a piece of dark chocolate when research shows one piece here and there is actually good for you, you'll be more tempted to eat unhealthily later. Melissa Hartwig, author of the upcoming book The Whole30 , suggests planning to complete your hardest or least-fun tasks like prepping all of your healthy meals or squeezing in a hardcore workout first thing in the morning, when your willpower (and motivation) is at its highest. And there's no need to overly restrict calories at breakfast, since your brain needs the energy. "You need to preserve some willpower for later in the day especially between dinner and bedtime so you don't feel tempted by sweets after a long day." 5. Mentally, your old habits linger. Just because you're changing what you eat doesn't mean you automatically took care of how or why you eat. "But it's important to address your underlying feelings towards food so that you don't go back to giving [it] too much power as a form of comfort or guilty pleasure," says Melissa Halas-Liang, R.D. She recommends looking to your environment for answers: "Do you feel pressure to eat when you're socializing with friends out at a restaurant, or is your leisure time spent surfing the Internet or watching movies? Do you fall into the trap of the 'good value' appeal getting more food for less money and then feeling compelled to finish it?" Keeping a journal can help illustrate why some of your poor food choices are back, and how to remedy them. "You can white-knuckle your way through any cleanse or detox through sheer willpower," Hartwig adds, "but if you haven't chosen a program designed to actually change your bad habits, then your brain and metabolism will be ready to betray you once your diet is over." 6. You're working out the same way. When you lose weight, you lose fat and muscle simply put, you use calories to make both fat and muscle, so when cut back, you end up losing both. (Side note: if you up your protein intake, it can help your body maintain the muscles it needs to keep your metabolism burning.) "It's important to always change up your workouts so that your muscles are challenged in a variety of ways, which will avoid both a mind and a body plateau," explains celebrity trainer Anna Kaiser. A boring routine not only means that you won't physically push yourself as hard as you would when you're excited about the workout, but also that your muscles will already know what to expect. Work out smarter with high-intensity interval training, also known as HIIT (think running as fast as you can on the treadmill for one minute, followed by one to two minutes of slowly jogging), so that your body continues to repair muscle and burn extra calories without the risk of becoming complacent in your workout. More from MSN 5 Incredibly Simple Tips to Stop Your Skin From Aging 6 Foods That Work Better in Pairs
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health
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The U.S. National Institutes of Health will admit to its hospital on Friday a U.S. healthcare worker who tested positive for the Ebola virus while working in Sierra Leone. The NIH said the patient will be transported in isolation by chartered aircraft to its high-security containment facility on its Maryland campus. Earlier on Thursday, a British military healthcare worker infected with the Ebola virus in Sierra Leone was flown to London for treatment, and health officials said four more workers were being assessed for possible infection. The unidentified American will be admitted and treated at the NIH Clinical Center's Special Clinical Studies Unit. The patient will be the second confirmed Ebola patient to be treated at the facility, which also took care of Texas nurse Nina Pham, who became infected with Ebola while treating a patient at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas. In addition to the two confirmed patients, NIH has also cared for two individuals who experienced high-risk exposures to Ebola while working in West Africa, but who were subsequently found not to be infected. The NIH said it is not releasing any more details about the patient at this time. Ebola has now killed nearly 10,000 people in the three worst-affected countries, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea. Rates of new infections have come down quickly in recent months, however. Liberia last week released its last known Ebola patient from hospital, but Sierra Leone still had 127 patients in Ebola treatment centers as of March 10. (Reporting by Julie Steenhuysen; Editing by Andre Grenon)
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news
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Facebook isn't exactly a stranger to the courtroom, but it'll soon have another legal headache to deal with thanks to a recent court ruling out of San Jose, California. You see, US District Court Judge Beth Labson decided on Tuesday that in spite of the company's best efforts, Facebook will have to deal with a brewing class action lawsuit involving kids, credit cards and the company's long-dead virtual currency. If you don't remember Facebook Credits, well, you're probably not alone. The company tried for about three years to transform Credits from a not-so-wild-eyed idea into a viable way for people to convert cold hard cash into, erm, Farmville renovations. The entire Credits initiative got the boot in mid-2012, but somewhere along the way two kids used their parents' credit and debit cards to buy said Credits... and lots of them. Facebook basically balked (potentially in violation of Calfornia law) when said spawnbearers argued for hundreds of dollars in refunds, so the parents promptly filed suit against Facebook in April 2012. Coincidentally, Credits died an ignominious death in a post on Facebook's Developers blog just two months later. That's the thrust of Facebook's latest legal odyssey, but the juiciest parts of the story have yet to be written -- Labson estimated that hundreds of thousands of potential plaintiffs could surface in search of their financial comeuppance when this whole thing comes to trial on October 19. Reuters
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Family, friends and former staff came together Wednesday to honor the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy as he was inducted into the Labor Hall of Honor. Former Labor Secretary Alexis Herman recalled the senator being late to an event and being reprimanded by his older sister, Eunice Kennedy Shriver. After the incident, one of his staff gave him a look which prompted the senator to say, "Oh, so you've got a big sister too?" "He may have been Eunice Kennedy Shriver's little brother, but for us, he was always &ellipsis; a hero of a man," Herman added. "He had this spirit of compassion. He just did not like seeing other people treated unfairly," former Rep. Patrick Kennedy, D-R.I., his youngest son, recalled. Patrick Kennedy also joked about his father's staff being a literal family. "You were in our house, you were using our bathrooms," he said. President Barack Obama sent in a video tribute to the event. When he heard about the honor, his response was, "What, he's not already there?" Up last was Labor Secretary Thomas E. Perez. Perez recalled the senator's ability to make friends on both sides of the aisle. He recalled Sen. Strom Thurmond, R-S.C., telling Kennedy, "I like you; I just don't like what you stand for." Perez ended his tribute by echoing Kennedy's most famous speech, at the 1980 Democratic National Convention, which he later referenced in a 2008 speech at that year's DNC. "Because of all of you, the work does indeed go on. &ellipsis; Because of Sen. Kennedy, the dream shall never, ever die." The 114th: CQ Roll Call's Guide to the New Congress Get breaking news alerts and more from Roll Call in your inbox or on your iPhone .
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news
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The Cleveland Browns have re-signed tight end Jordan Cameron to a two-year, $15 million deal, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network . Cameron agreed to the new deal the same day he visited the Miami Dolphins, who slapped the transition tag on tight end Charles Clay. Cameron is coming off a disappointing season with the Browns, due to multiple injuries, but a Pro Bowl appearance in 2013 made him the top tight end to become available this offseason. It's not a particularly strong free agent class at the position, nor is it a strong draft class after the top guys like Maxx Williams and Clive Walford. He played in just 10 games this past season, which is likely the reason the Browns didn't choose to use the franchise tag on him, despite having plenty of cap space. The franchise tag would have paid him $8.347, slightly more than he'll get with his new deal, which is a massive increase from the $1.431 million Cameron earned in 2014. Cameron finished the 2014 season with 24 receptions for 424 yards and two touchdowns, but he had 80 receptions for 917 yards and seven touchdowns in 15 games in 2013. In all, he has 130 receptions for 1,600 yards and 10 touchdowns since being made a fourth-round pick by the Browns in 2011.
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sports
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(Bloomberg) -- To America's police, the shooting of two of their own in Ferguson, Missouri, reinforces a sense that they're under siege. "The bottom line is, any police officer who puts on a uniform has to be concerned," said Pat Camden, spokesman for Chicago's Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge 7. There are fewer walking the streets after cities made the thin blue line even thinner because of the recession. Unions have clashed with public officials over cuts to pension and health benefits. At the same time, police have been confronted by accusations of racism, some of which were reinforced last week when the U.S. Justice Department said the St. Louis suburb used the courts and cops to squeeze fines from blacks to keep itself afloat. A midnight Thursday ambush at the Ferguson Police Department was the latest conflict in that city since Darren Wilson, a white officer, shot and killed Michael Brown, an unarmed black 18-year-old, in August. Brown's death sparked riots and demonstrations that month and in November, when a grand jury declined to bring charges against Wilson. Police have yet to arrest a suspect in Thursday's shooting. Officers have been on edge for months. In New York, two were shot and killed in December while sitting in their squad car. In September, a Pennsylvania trooper was killed and another wounded when a man opened fire on a barracks. Attacks Rare Such attacks are rare. From 2003 through 2012, an average of 53 law-enforcement officers died each year as a result of attacks while on duty, 11 of which were unprovoked or premeditated, according Federal Bureau of Investigation statistics. In 2013, the most recent year for which figures are available, there were 27 such deaths, only five of which were unprovoked. But on the streets, anger at police has boiled over in cities from New York to Oakland, California. A Gallup poll last year found that a quarter of blacks had little or no confidence in the police. Twelve percent of whites shared the same view. Public attitude toward law-enforcement officers has long fluctuated based on the events of the day, a phenomenon that's gained new force during the social-media age. Maria Haberfeld, a professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City, said, "9-11 happens and everybody looks at police officers as heroes. Today they are the villains of the nation." New Attention Since the Ferguson shooting, several killings of unarmed blacks by white police officers have drawn attention. Demonstrations broke out in December after a New York grand jury declined to indict an officer for the death of Eric Garner, a black man, who was placed in a chokehold. Last week, 19-year-old Tony Robinson, who is black, was killed by a white police officer in Madison, Wisconsin. The gulf between police and communities has been reinforced by the use of military gear, such as night-vision goggles, helmets and armored vehicles intended for counterterrorism. Since 1997, more than 8,000 law-enforcement agencies have received $5.4 billion worth of such equipment, according to figures from the U.S. Department of Defense. Municipal financial strains have also taken a toll. Retirement and budget cuts reduced the number of police officers to 390,000 in 2013, 14 percent fewer than four years earlier, according to FBI figures. ATM Enforcement Some cities are relying on citations, tickets and arrests to raise revenue. The Justice Department report on Ferguson said the city made a priority of "maximizing" ticket revenue to finance the budget, a burden disproportionately borne by blacks. David Couper, a former Madison police chief, said turning the justice system into a cash machine is the worst thing cities can do, especially in areas sensitive to race. "They began to look at African-Americans less as citizens and more as sources of revenue," he said. "It sounds a lot like Jim Crow." Couper says police need to spend more time in communities. "If the police retreat now, it's all lost," he said. "We're gonna be like some third-world country where police are like an unjust government." President Barack Obama set up a task force last year to find ways to ease tensions that erupted after Ferguson. Resources Lacking A report by the group last week said departments need to invest in more protective equipment and counseling to help officers do their jobs better. "A lot of the departments around the country don't have the resources," said Art Acevedo, chief of the Austin, Texas, department. "There are still police officers in this country that aren't issued protective vests, and that to me is unconscionable." In Chicago, a city with teetering finances, officers are issued protective vests, which last about five years before wearing out. They are required to buy replacements with their own money, according to Camden, the police union official. Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo wants New York to pay for bulletproof vests for officers, body cameras and protective glass for patrol cars in high-crime areas. "We need to do everything we can to keep our police safe," Cuomo said. "These are dangerous, dangerous jobs, especially during these times." San Francisco Police Department officers aren't changing tactics in light of the recent violence, said Officer Albie Esparza, a spokesman. Fundamentally, he said, nothing has changed. "We've always been targets by simply putting on our uniform," he said. "You are a target, you respond to calls, officers get killed." --With assistance from Romy Varghese in Philadelphia, Freeman Klopott in Albany, Chris Christoff in Lansing and Toluse Olorunnipa in Washington. To contact the reporters on this story: Lauren Etter in Austin at [email protected]; Tim Jones in Chicago at [email protected] To contact the editors responsible for this story: Stephen Merelman at [email protected] William Selway
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The United States Men's National Team returns to official competitive matches this summer with the return of the CONCACAF Gold Cup, and the confederation finally announced the final details of the 2015 version of the competition. Today in Philadelphia, CONCACAF dignitaries gathered to unveil the tournament's groups and playing venues. As we've come to expect in these events, the USMNT found themselves drawn in the toughest group of the three. The Americans will face Panama, Haiti, and the winner of a playoff between Honduras and French Guiana. Group A Schedule July 7 - Toyota Park, Frisco, Texas Panama vs Haiti USA vs Honduras or French Guiana July 10 - Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts Honduras or French Guiana vs Panama USA vs Haiti July 13 - Sporting Park, Kansas City, Kansas Haiti vs Honduras or French Guiana Panama vs USA Group B consists of Costa Rica , El Salvador, Jamaica , and Canada. Rounding up Group C is Mexico , Guatemala, Trinidad and Tobago , and Cuba. If the USMNT finish in first or second place in the group, they'll be playing their quarterfinal game up the road from Washington DC at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, while the other quarterfinal matches will be in New Jersey at Met Life Stadium. The semifinals will be down in Atlanta at the Georgia Dome, and the final will take place at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. Since the USMNT won the 2013 Gold Cup, Jurgen Klinsmann and his team will face the winner of this tournament in a playoff to determine who goes to the 2017 Confederations Cup. If the USMNT win the Gold Cup again, they'll automatically earn a spot in Russia.
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sports
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Coca-Cola Co (KO.N) said its chief executive earned $25.2 million in total compensation in 2014, about 23 percent higher than the previous year, while declining a bonus as the company implements a new cost-cutting plan and tries to boost growth. The company said in October it had adopted new guidelines limiting its executive pay plan for this year, after its outsized employee share rewards were criticized by investors including Warren Buffett. Chief Executive Muhtar Kent's total compensation included salary, stock awards and changes in pension value. Excluding a $7.1 million change in pension value, his compensation was $18.1 million, down slightly from $18.2 million last year. Coke also said that below-target annual incentives were awarded to its executives in 2014 and a significant amount of previously granted long-term incentive compensation would not be realized because the company did not meet certain targets. The company is struggling to boost sluggish sales for carbonated soft drinks, which have been declining in developed markets like the United States as people shift to healthier options. Coke's shares were up 1.6 percent to $40.40 in midday Thursday trading. (Reporting by Yashaswini Swamynathan in Bengaluru; Editing by Joyjeet Das and Jonathan Oatis)
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finance
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Traveling from Miami to Havana is a haphazard, seemingly nonsensical process that requires patience, guile, humor and a ruthless willingness to cut lines. Thankfully, I'm traveling with Alberto Magnan, so we skip the airport check-in line because he knows a guy . Magnan, who's 53, was born in Cuba, left at the age of 7 and, aside from a short stay in Spain, has been living in New York City ever since. He and his wife, Dara Metz, are behind the Magnan Metz art gallery in Chelsea, where they focus on international artists, particularly Cubans. Ninety minutes before our flight takes off, we breeze past the folks who started lining up two hours ago, and head straight for the ticket counter, where he greets a woman who is clearly in charge of something . She takes my passport, then disappears. Magnan tells me not to worry. While we wait, he introduces me to Mark Elias, president of Havana Air. He says long lines have been "the norm" for years for charter flights between Miami and Cuba. Most flights "require three or four different check-in positions to finally get your boarding pass," Elias says, adding with a bit of pride, "but we check the flights differently. We check a flight in an hour and a half." Thankfully, the woman who took my passport reappears about 20 minutes later. She hands me a rectangular folder, and inside I find my boarding pass, my return ticket, my passport and a brochure about Cuba. Tucked all the way in the back is a pale blue piece of paper that looks like trash. "Don't lose it," she says. "What happens if I do?" She and Magnan say, almost in unison, " Don't ." Less than an hour after we take off, we land in Havana. As soon as the wheels touch down, the pilot comes on the intercom: "If you're happy to be in Havana, clap!" The plane sounds like my apartment did when the New England Patriots won the Super Bowl in February (I'm from Boston). By the time Magnan and I drop our bags at the hotel and eat dinner, it's evening. We've hired a driver, a thin, 50-year-old man named Raphael. He is a trained physician, but he quit medicine after four years to start his taxi business. He drops us off at the mouth of Plaza de San Francisco de Asis in Old Havana, and before we walk 15 feet, half a dozen taxistas converge on us. Need a ride? Americano? Where to? I shake my head no and keep walking toward the vast cobblestone square, which is lit up with floodlights and packed with people. The view from Hugo Cancio's office in Havana. "On Cuba" has set up office as foreign press on the island, complete with internet and computers on the 8th story of this building in El Vedado neighborhood. Lisette Poole for Newsweek Day and night, tourists flock here for the historical sites and architecture. Across the street is Havana's seafront boulevard, the Malecón , teeming with young people, day or night. In a country where many earn in a month less than what it costs to eat at a paladar (a privately owned restaurant, as compared with the dominant state-run restaurants, where the government funds the eating establishment and makes decisions about management and wages), the Malecón gives locals something to do. We walk through the plaza, down a ways and into a modest lobby. There's a security guard at the door and, just inside, a woman sitting behind a desk. Magnan speaks to her in Spanish. I have no idea what he says (I speak high school French), but he's clearly persuasive, because eventually she nods. We're in. Magnan, a few of his friends and I pile into the tiny elevator. Someone asks him a question about the event, but Magnan silently shakes his head and points to the ceiling. His message is clear: They're listening . We all shut up and wait for the doors to open. When they do, we are on the roof-deck of a two-story penthouse apartment overlooking Old Havana. The scene looks as if it's been airlifted from a high-end Miami hotel: sleek white chairs and couches, delicate flower arrangements, a full bar. Off to one side, a film is being projected onto the facade of a nearby building. Half an hour later, guests start disappearing inside, so I follow down a spiral staircase until I reach a living room so vast and opulent I feel as if I'm on the set of a Leonardo DiCaprio period drama. A large hammock of thick velvet hangs from the ceiling. The floors are covered in ornate rugs. Oversized plants rise up against the walls studded with sconces and artwork. Nearby, equally ornate rooms hold a pool table and a robust dinner buffet. Down the hall is the most pristine bathroom I'll see during my week in Havana. Perched on a ledge near the shower is a fat statue of...yes, those are penises. On set at the recording of salsa group, La Charanga Habanera's music video "Olvida que te Olvidé," model Ailén Soto Serrer fixes her hair in between takes. She is the wife of a singer from La Charanga, Heikel Valdes García, aka "Sexy Boy." Lisette Poole for Newsweek Everyone here is dressed older women in gowns, young models in tight dresses, men in sharp suits and hats and shiny shoes. It's as if age and Communism doesn't exist here; older guests mingle with the younger set, and not a single person is looking at a smartphone. I am surrounded by Cuba's intellectual and cultural elite. I meet Cucu Diamantes, the Grammy-nominated Cuban-American singer and actress, and her husband, Andrés Levin, a Venezuelan-born and Juilliard-trained American record producer and filmmaker who won a Grammy in 2009 for the In the Heights cast album. He spearheaded the inaugural TEDxHabana last November. Together, he and Diamantes founded the fusion band Yerba Buena, which earned a Grammy nomination for its 2003 debut album. Levin points out some famous Cuban actors and musicians. There are even a few members of the Castro family. A cloud of cigarette and cigar smoke envelops us all. The U.S. embargo, which began in the early 1960 s, prohibited American investment in Cuba. Art, books and music, however, were exempt, giving artists the leeway to earn their money and travel outside the country, albeit under the watchful eye of the government. In a country where there are neither real estate tycoons nor hedge fund moguls, artists and intellectuals are among the 1 percent! This is not the Havana most tourists see; nor is it the Havana most Cubans know. Even writing about it seems like something the Cuban government wouldn't approve of, because, well, viva la revolución , right? For the rest of my time in Cuba, I see the Havana you probably see in your mind: The vintage Chevy convertibles with rusted tail fins; the propaganda posters that read " La Revolución es invencible " in faded red letters across buildings; the dilapidated mansions and rickety bicycle taxis; the cigar shops clogged with snowbird tour groups; and the kids who follow you around, ask where you live and, when they find out it's New York City, shout, "New York Yankeeeeees!" (I didn't have the heart to tell them I grew up near Boston.) On a Sunday afternoon, kids walk by a Ché mural in Old Havana, on the side of the tunnel that leads to Havana's eastern beaches. They've just gotten off the bus from the beach. Lisette Poole for Newsweek At the same time, in a country where almost nothing has changed for generations, I found cranes erected across the city in preparation for renovations and construction. New paladares pop up almost weekly, as do small pizza shops. Hotels are filled with tourists; at Meliá Cohiba, where I stayed, I heard more American accents than I usually do walking down a random New York City street. Now that the country is opening up for the first time in over five decades, hope, determination and money are in the air, and everything is up for grabs: real estate, construction, telecommunications, tourism. Small businesses, from bicycle and car repair to plumbing, restaurants and taxis, are all poised for growth. Netflix has announced it is coming, despite the fact that just 5 percent of Cubans have Internet access, according to a 2012 Freedom House report. (Twenty-three percent of Cubans can access the government-sanctioned "intranet.") In February, Conan O'Brien became the first late-night host to tape a show in Cuba since 1962 (the episode aired March 4). Which colossal American brands are next? Home Depot? Best Buy? McDonald's? Royal Caribbean International? Donald Trump? Cuba is suddenly brimming with potential, restrained by a tentative government and populated by hopeful, hardworking people. Who, exactly, stands to benefit and who could be left behind? Is Cuba's future a newfangled Jamaica, thronged by spring breakers, bachelors and bachelorettes wearing Che Guevara T-shirts and Castro-style Army caps? And is that a best- or worst-case scenario? The Art of Change "I remember having my mom pick me up at school and say, 'We have 24 hours to leave. Pack a suitcase. We're going to be traveling outside of Cuba,'" Magnan says. "It was scary." Forty-six years ago, Magnan's mother, an art professor, and his father, an accountant for a tobacco factory, left everything they owned in Havana car, furniture, jewelry, possessions. Even then, Magnan was a collector: baseball cards, stamps, coins, stickers. "I loved to draw but was never pushed into the art field. The Cuban mother wants you to be a doctor or lawyer." Instead, he became an art dealer. Alberto Magnan observes Enrique Rottenberg's "La Fila" (The Line) at Havana's Fabrica de Arte Cubano (Cuban Art Factory) with a group of art collectors from the U.S. Magnan, as a collector that specializes in Cuban art, has been bringing American groups to Cuba for years. Fabrica is one of Havana's most popular nightlife spots complete with several dance floors, live music, and art gallery. Lisette Poole for Newsweek Magnan is known for showing Cuban artists like Roberto Diago , who explores race, religion and Afro-Cuban roots; Alexandre Arrechea , a founding member of the collective Los Carpinteros; and Glenda León , who represented Cuba in the 2013 Venice Biennale. His first time back to Havana, in 1997, was during Cuba's Special Period, the economic crisis that began with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Cuba lost billions of dollars in support and subsidies. There were shortages of everything: transportation, food, electricity, cars, replacement parts, toothpaste. Once-stunning homes started falling down, creating the kind of dilapidated beauty that fuels ruin porn. "I fell in love with the artists because what they were doing during the Special Period was very different. They had no materials. They were working with paints that were not paints. Canvases were metal or fabric or mops. They'd take everything they could and make it into art. I said, 'Oh my God, the U.S. collectors have to see what's going on here.'" Today, Magnan is behind some of the most innovative and controversial art events in Cuba, including Chelsea Visits Havana at the National Museum of Fine Arts in 2009, the first art exhibit of American artists in Cuba since the revolution. The event was part of the 10th Havana Biennial, which, despite its name, has occurred every three years since 2000. "That was a key turning point in Cuba-U.S. relations, when I realized art can make a difference," Magnan says. Over the past few decades, a handful of Cubans and Cuban-Americans have been working quietly as cultural ambassadors, building bridges between the two countries by focusing on the arts. Magnan is one of them. "Havana is alive and well," he says. "Artists are doing incredible things. And they are choosing to remain in Cuba to pursue their careers.... The changes that are happening through art and culture are making the way for other changes." On our second day in Havana, we visit Cuban curator Juanito Delgado at his apartment overlooking the Malecón . It's early evening as we gather in his living room, which is covered floor to ceiling with framed paintings and photographs. He leans back into a deep wicker couch, crosses one red velvet slipper over the other and says (through Magnan's translation), "When you make good art, it poses all of the political questions. Don't make politics art. Make art political. Then you have the dialogue." Alberto Magnan and Juanito Delgado at Delgado's home in Havana which overlooks the Malecón, Havana's seawall. Delgado says it is the inspiration for his exhibition which takes place at each Havana biennial. Delgado curates the exhibition with several public installations and performance art; Magnan this year discusses installing a hockey rink along the seafront. Lisette Poole for Newsweek In 2012, Delgado transformed the Malecón into an art exhibit for the 11th Havana Biennial. Arlés del Río's Fly Away featured the silhouette of an airplane cut into a large, rectangular chain-link fence placed at the edge of the seawall. Rachel Valdés Camejo installed a large mirror facing the water; she called it Happily Ever After No. 1. "Art moves society, and art moves people," Delgado says. "I hope Obama will help the cultural scene here, give funding to make books, do shows and help artists promote their work…. I want Havana to have its theaters filled." He pauses for a moment, then looks straight at me. "Bueno," he says. "Maybe you could find out where [the new money] is gonna go?" One Less Brick in the Wall Cuba is just 90 miles from the United States, but it has been essentially frozen in time since 1959, when Fidel Castro overthrew the dictator Fulgencio Batista with an army of guerrillas. Under Castro's Communist reign, education and health care were free but the economy crumbled, poverty spread, and Cubans were rarely permitted to travel abroad. Castro has a long history of punishing and repressing critics; in 2013, there were over 6,000 arbitrary detentions of human rights activists, according to the Foundation for Human Rights in Cuba . Freedom of speech does not exist here, the state owns all official media outlets, and the government has intimidated bloggers and locked up journalists, who face gruesome conditions in prison. Since 1982, Cuba has been on the U.S. government's list of countries that sponsor terrorism because, according to a 2013 State Department report , it has offered "safe haven" to members of the Basque Fatherland and Liberty (ETA), in Spain, and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, and it also harbored fugitives wanted by the U.S. That designation prohibits Cubans from banking with America. While Barack Obama has promised to review Cuba's status, Republicans are protesting the potential removal. In 2008, Fidel's brother Raúl took over. In the past few years, he has instituted a series of reforms that permit Cubans to travel abroad more easily and for longer periods of time; buy and sell cars and homes; legally start private businesses (with over 100 types); and stay at Havana's international hotels. (Historically, Cubans were shut out of high-end hotels, partly because they accept only the tourist currency, CUC (pronounced kook), and state workers earn their wages in the essentially worthless Cuban peso (CUP), and partly because the government didn't want the hotels to become hotbeds of drugs and prostitution.) While Raúl's policies have been applauded, the economic reality for most Cubans has not, since the majority can't afford to do any of these things. "The reforms, even as reforms, are tepid, halting and partial," says Fulton Armstrong, who served as national intelligence officer for Latin America from 2000 to 2004 and is currently a Senior Fellow at the Center for Latin American and Latino Studies at American University. "[When] you don't have the influx of new capital, new trade, new money coming in, even if opportunities exist, the resources for using those opportunities do not exist." A woman walks by a garage and barber shop on Neptuno Street, a major commuter street in Havana. Outdoor barbershops like this one are very common in Havana. Lisette Poole for Newsweek The average Cuban makes less than $20 a month . Last year, some doctors reportedly got a pay increase from $26 a month to $67 . In an appliance store I wandered into, a microwave was on sale for $72.60, and a coffeemaker cost $30. Most meals I ate were around $30 a head. Now that Americans can send Cubans $8,000 a year, up from $2,000 before Obama's December announcement, the gulf between blacks and whites is expected to widen. According to The New York Times , white Cubans are 2.5 times more likely than blacks to receive financial support from relatives abroad, making it easier for them to start businesses. White Cubans living in rural areas are also likely to struggle, Armstrong says. There are 11 million people in Cuba, and many stand to benefit from the thawing of U.S.-Cuban relations: tradesmen, farmers, all those who receive remittances from relatives living abroad to enable them to open up small businesses. "The informal economy of Cuba is massive, and it's been the training ground for large sectors of society to practice entrepreneurialism," says Armstrong. "Some, like artists, have been doing it for decades, and they're very good at it. People who've stayed on the straight and narrow, either because of personality or closeness to the party or institutional affiliation with tight oversight, haven't engaged as much in the black market. Those people will have a slightly slower start." The losers, Armstrong says, are those who tend to lose everywhere, every time: the poorly educated, the elderly and those with health problems. "Always, change is good for a group of people and bad for another," says Meylin Bernal, 32, a tour guide with San Cristóbal, one of Cuba's state-run tour companies. "Everyone is excited about having the chance to work and, according to their wages, be able to have a normal life. Not to struggle, but to survive." Photographs: Cuba's Antique Cars Because of the embargo, Cuba is home to thousands of old U.S. cars that could never be replaced. slideshow 'The Sun Is Different Here' "That's a Muscovy. Russian! That black one is a Chevy, 1953. I used to own some of them." Raphael has been shouting the names of cars we pass as we drive through Havana. "That one over there, the green one, is a Chevy, '52. That one is a Mercury, 1951. That's a Dutch '58. That used to be a Shell gas station before the revolution." We're heading to Párraga, a poor neighborhood on the outskirts. It's about a 30-minute drive, so to pass the time, I ask him why he decided to stop working as a doctor. "The wage was not enough!" he says. Raphael says he earned between $12 and $15 a month. (Today, doctors earn four times that, he points out.) As a taxi driver, he earns about $200 a month, which helps him support his family. "At the beginning, I missed my work as a doctor, but now it's so many years working as a taxi driver " He trails off. "Juan Carlos just graduated dentist university in July," Raphael says of his 24-year-old stepbrother. "He worked two days for me and made $30 a day more than he makes in a month. It's awful. Juan Carlos would like to go to the U.S. He's studying English. I'll send him some money to help him. There's no future for him here." We pull over on a quiet street and pick up Sandra Soca Lozano, a 28-year-old Cuban psychology professor at Havana University who has agreed to spend the day with me. Lozano is short, with long brown hair, big brown eyes and a friendly smile. She lives with her mother, a psychologist, and father, who's retired, and her grandfather. She's never left the island. "Because I love my country and I love my parents and I'm an only child, I don't want to leave them behind," she says. When Lozano is not teaching at the university, she volunteers with children and teenagers who have cancer. But like other Cubans who opt to keep their government jobs, she makes a measly income just $30 a month. ("Every Cuban does the black market to make purchases and earn money," says Armstrong, "because obviously the $30 income is not her only income. Don't kid yourself.") Children play on the street in Centro Havana at sunset on March 3, 2015. Children play outdoors often in Havana, escaping hot and overcrowded homes. There is little in the way of computer games and technology keeping them indoors, and family and neighbors are always present; streets in Cuba are safe for kids. Lisette Poole for Newsweek Lozano longs to buy a car and go salsa dancing with her friends, but both are luxuries beyond her means. The challenges of daily life are compounded by watching her peers succeed abroad. "Lots of friends live outside of Cuba, and after four months they have cars! And they have houses! They can go on vacations wherever they want. My parents, who work like hell, cannot do regular stuff. My mother can't go to Egypt and look at the pyramids." We continue driving, past abandoned gas stations, bus stops teeming with people and an old port without boats. I ask Lozano what it is about Cuba, aside from her family, that keeps her here. "It's the people, the places," she says. "Structurally, the streets suck and the buildings I know that. But the smell from the sea! I've always lived near to the sea. This is a particular smell that I love. The sun here is different. You can always find someone who'll help you, who'll share with you." "Oldsmobile, 1955!" It's Raphael again. He explains that we're driving through a neighborhood called Luyano. We pass people sitting on stoops or standing on sidewalks waiting for a communal taxi. A large sign that says, "Gracias Fidel" hangs from a bridge. Eventually, the streets get rockier. After a few more turns, we end up on a wide, pothole-ridden street devoid of cars and covered in trash. People are hanging out in the streets, and dogs roam the sidewalks as if they own them. Aluminum sheets serve as fences around tiny houses that are nestled up to each other like sardines. This is Párraga. There is no tourism here, and the water doesn't run every day. A friend suggested we spend some time here, and introduced me to someone who might offer a window into what life is like on this side of the city. Justina Cordero Mesa greets us on her porch, stretching her thin, wrinkled hands out toward mine and kissing me on the cheek. She's wearing a white print dress, dark green socks and black flip-flops. Her white hair is clipped in a messy twist on top of her head, and fluffy white eyebrows hang over her eyelids. Her face is marked by deep creases. She's 90. Mesa waves us into her home and points to the couch and a couple of chairs covered in brightly colored pillows. Lozano, Magnan and I sit down. It's a tiny space, not more than six by eight feet. Cracks and stains line the pale mustard walls and tiled floor. In one corner, a tiny Christmas tree and a boombox sit on a small brown table. On another table are a vase of fake flowers, a green piggy bank and a couple of other miniatures. Hanging above the table is a framed photo of Fidel Castro. Outside, dogs are barking. In a raspy voice, Mesa tells us her television was recently stolen when someone broke in through the window. When I ask if the culprit was ever found, Mesa laughs. Her home is small, dark and filled with flies. Behind the living room is a small dining room with a wooden table and short refrigerator covered in vegetable-shaped magnets. In the even-smaller kitchen, old buckets and some cups and bowls sit on a makeshift countertop. There is a plate of what looks like chicken bones near a hot plate, and four cooking utensils hang from the pale blue wall. The ceiling is low, not just here but in all of the rooms. A small door in the kitchen leads to a back alley, where Mesa hangs her clothes and washes her dishes. Justina Cordero Mesa, 90, in her home in Parraga, Havana, February 21, 2014, before her television was stolen. Mesa says of the Fidel photo on her wall that her late husband was a police officer, working for the government, he revered Fidel and placed his photo on the wall years ago. Now she says, "it just stayed there." Lisette Poole for Newsweek "My grandson wants to take his house and this house and trade them for one bigger house, so that I can live with him. But I don't know," says Mesa, who has lived here for more than 60 years. Her husband, who worked for the police, died a few years ago. They have one son, who lives in Cuba, and her sister and niece live in the U.S. "My sister wanted to take me, but I didn't want to leave. I have my family…. My history is big. But what am I going to do with that?" I ask Mesa if she thinks life in Párraga will get better now that the embargo has been lifted. "It hasn't changed. Every day it's worse, because everything is more expensive," she says. "I can't hear or see well. I'm very old. I'm really old. Whatever I'm gonna see now I've already seen." When I return to New York City, I email Lozano. She says it was "hard" to see how Mesa lives. "On the other hand, she represents exactly what I think it is to be a Cuban, because even living in those conditions she would never leave her country. She loves it. She hopes for good things for others and not for herself. She offers the few things she has, and she is old but still…independent and she still cares of her family.… For me that's the essence of the Cubans always take care and worry for someone else, always resilient, always helping the other, even if you don't know him too much." 'Will They Beat Up People?' Vedado, an urban center in Havana where Hugo Cancio has been slowly growing his media empire, is a long way from Párraga. Cancio, who's Cuban, is the founder and CEO of Fuego Enterprises, which focuses on business, media, telecommunications, real estate and travel opportunities in Cuba and the U.S. A few years ago, he and his wife were on a flight from Miami to Havana along with about 40 Americans. He overheard some of them talking about what Cuba is all about "other than that famous last name that starts with a C," he says. "Is Cuba a militarized country?" "Will we find people with machine guns in the street?" "Will they beat up people who say bad things about Fidel?" "My wife said, 'Why don't you get up and tell them what Cuba is all about?'" Cancio recalls. "I was getting pretty upset, because as you can see, this country is about more than Castro and the dissidents and the opposition. It's a beautiful country with beautiful people. I approached them and started talking to them about Cuba." Twenty minutes later, he returned to his seat. His wife had an idea: print a brochure about Cuba, to be given to tourists on flights to Havana. "Do something!" he remembers her saying. Early morning on Infanta Street in Centro Havana. The pink house on the right is newly painted, in Havana one sees many homes painted alongside ones that aren't. Cubans are almost exclusively owners of their homes and responsible for maintenance. Paint is expensive and hard to come by. In this way, painted homes are becoming an indicator of haves and have-nots. Lisette Poole for Newsweek Instead of a brochure, Cancio launched On Cuba , the first Cuba-focused bilingual magazine, which is sold throughout the U.S. and Cuba. Its website gets between 600,000 and 1.2 million visitors a month, and the magazine and its sister publication, ART On Cuba , which Cancio launched last June, are sold in all U.S. Barnes & Noble stores and all Hudson News shops at Miami International Airport and Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C. This month, the magazine goes into 184 Publix supermarkets across Florida. And in a nod to his wife's original idea, On Cuba is the official in-flight magazine on most charter flights between Miami and Havana. Cancio, 50, was born in Havana. His mother, Monica Leticia, was a famous Cuban singer, and his father, Miguel Cancio, co-founded the legendary Cuban quartet Los Zafiros (the Sapphires), affectionately referred to as the Beatles of 1960s Cuba. During the famed 1980 Mariel boatlift, when Castro announced that anyone wanting to immigrate to the U.S. could leave the country, 125,000 Cubans fled on 1,700 boats . Cancio, then 16, left with his mother and 13-year-old sister. Not long before, he'd been expelled from his prestigious high school for making a joke about Castro. "My mother said, 'You have no future here,'" Cancio recalls. "'We gotta go.'" With no relatives in Miami and nowhere to go, they spent three weeks in a shelter at the Orange Bowl stadium. Later, they moved to a tiny studio in South Beach. "My mom slept on a sofa bed, and I slept on the floor on a mattress for three years. She regretted her decision for many years." Back in Cuba, Cancio's father had been working with the Ministry of Culture's Centro Contraciones, but he lost his position for permitting his family to leave. He got a job as a street sweeper and later worked in construction. "I'm the only construction worker who goes in a three-piece suit to work," Cancio recalls his father writing in letters. A few years later, he, too, left the country. Today, Cancio is a pioneering ambassador for Cuban music and art in the U.S., especially in his hometown of Miami. He has produced nearly 140 concerts and 30 music tours, and his résumé reads like a primer of the Cuban-American culture wars. In 1999, he planned a concert at the Miami Arena for Los Van Van, one of the most successful Cuban musical groups. "Right-wing Cubans were outside throwing eggs and cans, and their sons and daughters were inside dancing," he recalls. Cancio was also behind the first Cuban-American feature film produced in Cuba since before the revolution, Zafiros, Locura Azul (Blue Madness), about the rise of Los Zafiros. The film premiered in 1997 at the Havana Film Festival, where it won the people's choice award and then ran in theaters for six months. When he brought it to Miami, thousands of protesters rallied outside the theater. "My mom had brought me to this country to be a free man and to have a better future," he says. "How can you prevent me from doing something I have every right to do in a democratic country your parents brought you to because in Cuba you couldn't do anything?" With U.S.-Cuban relations changing, Cancio is expanding the On Cuba footprint. In March, On Cuba Real Estate will arrive, focusing on architecture and local neighborhoods. This spring he's launching On Cuba Travel , a Travelocity-type website focused on Cuba, and, later, On Cuba Money Express , a money remittance business. He's also partnering with two large telecommunications companies in the U.S. (Blackstone Online is one; he declines to name the other) in an effort to bring the Internet and cellphones to the Cuban people. "I have been fighting for this for many, many years not defending the government but defending my right as a Cuban to change U.S. policy towards Cuba, which was inhumane and didn't work, as President Obama said," Cancio says. "All of that combined has given me some credibility in Cuba." Who, exactly, stands to benefit from all of the work he's doing? I tell him about Lozano, the psychology professor, and Mesa, and ask him what he thinks their futures will look like. "I'm concerned the first people that will benefit will be the well connected," he says. "It will be a lengthy process, but we are breathing a different air. I see it in my people who work for our publication. I've seen the transformation from when they started working with us to how they are today. They're happier. Their houses are being rebuilt. They're thinking of putting a little money aside to take a trip to Mexico or Honduras." The On Cuba office is empty when I visit on a Saturday, save for the editorial director, Tahimi Arboleya. She's sitting at a desk in one of the offices, surrounded by a few computers. On her desktop: Gmail and Facebook. It's the first time I've seen those websites during my entire trip. It's also one of the few times I've seen working computers. Sun sets on the night of December 17, 2014. The day that Raul Castro and Barack Obama announced the US and Cuba would restore diplomatic relations. Since then, life on the island is much the same, many locals feel the changes will take too long or not reach them at all, while internationally, news is teeming with the changes in policy. Lisette Poole for Newsweek "I think that we can do something. A little, you know?" says Arboleya of her work at On Cuba. "It's very, very important to us to inform Cubans and Americans [about] what happens in Cuba, what is the reality of the Cuban people. The information about Cuba in the United States is very I don't know how to say in English polarizing?" My last night in Havana, I invite Lozano to join Magnan, me and a few others for dinner. At first, she isn't interested. She's supposed to meet up with some friends to go salsa dancing, which she hasn't done in weeks, but after making a quick stop at the salsa club and finding out it's full, she decides to join us. Raphael drops us off near the water in the Miramar section of Havana. A bouncer stands at the foot of a walkway leading up to an imposing white house. He and Magnan talk it looks as if they know each other and then we head into Rio Mar, a seafood paladar overlooking the Almendares River. We sit at a long table on the terrace, beneath a navy blue awning. All around us are tables of tourists: Americans, French, people speaking Spanish and more Americans. White Christmas lights hang from the balcony, lighting up the clear glasses and bottles of Acqua Panna. Lozano keeps commenting on how clean the water tastes. She'd never had blue cheese before, so she orders chicken breast in blue cheese sauce. Before dessert arrives, she disappears inside and takes photos in the restaurant's lobby, posing on a couch with one of the waiters. "That place, it's kind of magic. I felt like I was move to another country or time," she says later in an email written in nearly perfect English. "[It] makes me nostalgic of my future, of my parents, of my family to be, of my country…. But I know that in the current situation of my country's economy, and the struggles of my government to keep public systems like health and education with quality, working in my field (education) will never allow me to go by myself to places like that. I will always have to wait to be invited by someone else." In Cuba, she says, "there are lights and shadows everywhere and you can choose what to show, but most important for me how to show them both."
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"Mad Money" is celebrating 10 years on air today. Host Jim Cramer shares his view of the "Fast Money Halftime Report" traders contest portfolios.
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As New York City FC prepared for its home opener on Sunday at Yankee Stadium, an issue began to arise that may last throughout the team's tenure at the stadium. NYCFC and the New York Yankees will be sharing the stadium this season and into the foreseeable future, as the soccer club doesn't have a realistic stadium plan on the horizon at this point. Such an arrangement could have a damaging effect on the Yankee Stadium grass, and Yankees first basemen Mark Teixeira was not optimistic about the state of the field for the upcoming baseball season. "It's going to suck, but you have to deal with it," Teixeira said in quotes published by the New York Daily News. "It's going to tear up the infield, but there's nothing we can do about it, so we'll deal with it." NYCFC coach Jason Kreis hit back at Teixeira, reminding him that it's a two-way street: "I could turn it around, ask them if they'd take care of it for us," the former Real Salt Lake boss said. Although the field is still in the process of being put together for Sunday's NYCFC game against the Revolution, Yankees president Randy Levine said he's confident that the surface can survive a season with two tenants. "We spent a lot of time with a lot of people, including our stadium operations and grounds crew, who we think are best in the world," Levine said. "Man City, who are soccer experts, and their crew also advised us on how to keep the field in good shape." While NYCFC begins its home schedule Sunday, the Yankees have their home opener April 6.
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Teams to watch and avoid in your March Madness bracket AVOID: VCU You'll be tempted to pick VCU on name recognition and the Rams' NCAA Tournament seed. Beware! The Rams lost the linchpin of the havoc defense, Briante Weber, on Jan. 31 and finished on a 5-6 slide, although they did win the Atlantic 10 Conference tournament. VCU had defeated only one KenPom top 100 team without Weber. WATCH: Baylor The Bears were 6-6 in the Big 12 on Valentine's Day before winning five of their last six during the regular season, the only loss in the road in overtime to a desperate Texas team. Some of the wins were a little lightweight Baylor played Big 12 No. 10 seed Texas Tech twice in the final six. But Baylor also beat Iowa State on the road and Kansas State and West Virginia at home. The Bears beat West Virginia in the Big 12 tournament Thursday. AVOID: Indiana Given the roller coaster of Indiana basketball this season, maybe a great postseason is in the works for the Hoosiers. Indiana was 15-4 on Jan. 22 and has gone 4-8 since. The defense in the last three games, in particular, has been dreadful, allowing 1.16 points per possession against Northwestern, Iowa and Michigan State. The Hoosiers beat Northwestern on Thursday in the Big Ten tournament. WATCH: Boise State The Broncos did plenty of damage to their at-large hopes in a two-week span during the holidays, losing to Loyola (Ill.), Utah State and Wyoming amid a four-game losing streak from Dec. 23-Jan. 10. A dismal non-conference schedule and a loss to Fresno State in February didn't help, either. Still, Boise State may have saved itself by winning 14 of its final 15, including a season sweep of San Diego State. Senior Derrick Marks, who is carrying the team solo since Anthony Drimic was hurt in December, will try not to let this moment slip away. The Broncos handled Air Force on Thursday. AVOID: Kansas The Jayhawks, who beat TCU in the Big 12 tournament Thursday, expect Perry Ellis back for the NCAA tournament. Make no mistake: That's huge for their prospects. The junior forward has been carrying KU for the latter portion of the conference schedule. Even with Ellis, though, Kansas flashed some warning signs in losses to Oklahoma State, West Virginia and Kansas State, plus sluggish games against TCU and Texas. Kansas won its 11th consecutive Big 12 title and will be seeded well, but unless the Jayhawks do something great in the conference tournament, stay away. WATCH: BYU The Cougars were 7-5 in the West Coast Conference on Feb. 5, but rebuilt their NCAA resume thanks to eight consecutive wins, including a 73-70 win at Gonzaga to finish the regular season. Kyle Collinsworth picked up his sixth triple-double of the season in the WCC semifinal against Portland. If he can pick up one more in the NCAA Tournament, he'll break the career record set by LSU's Shaquille O'Neal. AVOID: Oklahoma State At one point in February, Oklahoma State had defeated Baylor twice and Kansas once. Since Feb. 14, the Cowboys are 1-6, including two losses to West Virginia and losses to TCU and Texas Tech. Oklahoma State doesn't have a ton of scoring depth and one of those options (Phil Forte) is prone to awful days from 3-point range. WATCH: Cincinnati The Bearcats helped their case for NCAA Tournament inclusion in the final week of the season by defeating Tulsa 56-47 on the road and Memphis 77-65 at home. After back-to-back narrow losses to Tulane and Xavier in February, Cincinnati won five in a row to clinch a bye in the American tournament. Not bad for a program that's been under interim coach Larry Davis since December. AVOID: Ole Miss The Rebels lost to South Carolina on Thursday in the SEC tournament, most likely knocking them off the bubble. Since Feb. 25, Ole Miss lost at home to fellow bubble team Georgia and a Vanderbilt team that's not going to get an at-large bid. The Rebels also lost by 10 on the road to LSU. WATCH: Davidson Bob McKillop has his most dangerous team since Stephen Curry was on campus. The Wildcats closed the regular season with nine consecutive wins to claim the Atlantic 10 regular season title in only their first year in the league. Davidson is a machine on offense, averaging 1.21 points per possession during the nine-game winning streak. During that span, Davidson is making 11.3 3-pointers per game at a 41-percent clip. AVOID: Texas The Longhorns closed the regular season with victories over Baylor and Kansas State in what were essentially must-win games. The Longhorns then blew a double-digit lead and lost to Iowa State on a buzzer-beater in the Big 12 tournament Thursday. Before that, Texas had underachieved all year with two four-game losing streaks contributing to a 6-10 Big 12 record at one point. WATCH: Maryland The Terrpains started the season 14-1 with the only loss coming to Virginia. The Terps finished the regular season on a seven-game win streak to clinch the No. 2 seed in the Big Ten tournament. Maryland has been excellent on the defensive end, highlighted by holding Wisconsin to 0.96 points per possession in a 59-53 upset of the Badgers on Feb. 24. AVOID: Texas A&M Like Ole Miss, Texas A&M is flirting with disaster after losing to Auburn in the SEC tournament. Unlike the Rebels, the Aggies don't have as many quality wins A&M swept the series against LSU whereas Ole Miss beat Arkansas and Oregon on the road and Arkansas on a neutral court. Texas A&M went from reasonably safe to losing nailbiters to Florida and Alabama. WATCH: Oregon Dana Altman earned Pac-12 coach of the year honors after his team surged through the end of the season. The Ducks have won 11 of their last 13 after a 90-56 loss at Arizona on Jan. 28. During that span, Oregon defeated Utah and potentially knocked Stanford out of the NCAA Tournament. The Ducks perhaps already played their way into the field, but they fell to Arizona in the Pac-12 title game Saturday. AVOID: Utah The Utes were one of the best turnaround stories in the sport, and when Utah was 21-4, it was easy to get overly optimistic. The last three weeks of the season may have brought things down to Earth. Arizona completed a season sweep of Utah, and the Utes let a lead slip away in a 77-68 loss to a Washington team that won only five Pac-12 games all year. The Utes overcame a halftime deficit to blow out Stanford on Thursday in the Pac-12 tournament.
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Social video of the demonstrations outside police headquarters in Ferguson, Mo., captures the scene before and after two officers were shot.
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Santiago, Chile A masked protester takes part in a rally ahead of International Women's Day on March 6. Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan The Soyuz TMA-14M spacecraft is seen as it descends under parachute on March 12. N'djamena, Chad Ami and Ashbu, both three-years-old, walk arm in arm in the Zafaye refugee camp on Wednesday, March 11, 2015. Kansas City, Missouri Kansas State's Justin Edwards gets a hand to the face from TCU's Karviar Shepherd while approaching the basket during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game on Wednesday, March 11, 2015, Miyagi, Japan A fisherman touches the name of a fellow fisherman killed by earthquake and tsunami four years ago, at a cenotaph on March 11. King George Island, Antarctica Russian Orthodox priest Sophrony Kirilov reaches out to a Skua at his doorstep on March 6. Decatur, Georgia Omega Menders cries as she speaks to protesters demonstrating the shooting death of 27-year-old Anthony Hill by a police officer, Wednesday, March 11, 2015. Tehran, Iran An Iranian woman walks past a wall bearing stains of exploded fire crackers from last years Fire feast on March 10. New York, New York A pedestrian in an animal costume takes a walk in a snowstorm on March 5. Boshkop, South Africa A competitor takes aim at a target in the Mounted Archery Grand Africa Tournament on March 7, 2015. Paris, France A woman walks her dogs before the Valentino show during Paris Fashion Week Fall Winter 2015/2016 on March 10, 2015. Guwahati, India Water falls on the colored hand of a man, during Holi celebrations on March 6. Lisbon, Portugal A fisherman under the April 25th bridge by the Tagus river bank during a foggy morning on March 10. Crewkerne, England A small boy looks inside a fairy door at the bottom of a tree in Wayford Woods on March 6, 2015. Over the past few years more than 100 fairy doors have appeared delighting local children and adults alike who come to see homes of the fairies and leave gifts and messages. Letpadan, Myanmar Student protesters try to speak to their family members from a prison vehicle as they are transported to a court in Letpadan on March 11, 2015. Garabulli, Libya Illegal immigrants sit at an immigration holding centre on March 10. Anhui, China A customer shops for shoes at a mall on March 10. Rafah, Gaza Strip A Palestinian girl sits on a suitcase as she waits with her family for a travel permit to cross into Egypt, at the Rafah crossing, on March 10. Jerusalem, Israel The parents of Muhammad Musallam, an Israeli Arab held by ISIS as an alleged spy, react beside a picture of him in their home on March 10. Innsbruck, Austria A skier climbs up the summit on Seegrube mountain on March 10. Al-Alam, Iraq A member of militia kneels as he celebrates victory while smoke rises from a clash with Islamic State militants on March 10. Beverly Hills, California A Border Collie named 'Spring' soars as he attempts to catch a Frisbee during a competition at the annual 'Woofstock 90210' dog show in on March 8, 2015. New York, New York A woman reacts as she looks at a gruesome collection of images of dead bodies taken by a photographer, who has been identified by the code name "Caesar," at the United Nations Headquarters on March 10. San Francisco, California Apple CEO Tim Cook stands in front of a MacBook on display after an Apple special event at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts on March 9. Moscow, Russia An elderly woman passes the place where Boris Nemtsov, a Russian opposition leader, was gunned down near the Kremlin, on March 8. Redondo Beach, California Madeleine Klonoski sits on her father's leg at a kite festival on March 8. Beijing, China Catherine Gang, whose husband is a missing passenger on Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, holds a sign as she and other relatives protest outside the Malaysia Embassy on March 8. Meizhou, China Local villagers perform a dragon dance as fireworks are set off in Puzhai Twon on March 5, 2015. Selma, Alabama First lady Michelle Obama holds the hand of her husband President Barack Obama as US Rep. John Lewis speaks prior to a symbolic walk across the Edmund Pettus Bridge on March 7. Orizaba, Mexico A mummified frozen body sticks out from snow in a glacier on the Pico de Orizaba volcano, Mexico's tallest peak. Officials said on March 6 that climbers found a second mummified body which may be the remains of one of the three climbers missing since a 1959 avalanche on the peak. Tegucigalpa, Honduras A white faced monkey (Cebus capucinus) dozes beside her cub in the Rosy Walther zoo, in the El Picacho protected area, 18 km north of Tegucigalpa, on March 6, 2015. New Delhi, India Exiled Tibetan protesters run towards the Chinese embassy during a protest in the Indian capital on March 10, 2015. Prague, Czech Republic Runners leave the blocks at the start of the Women's 60 meters Hurdles during day one of the 2015 European Athletics Indoor Championships at O2 Arena on March 6, 2015. Ankara, Turkey Riot police use water cannon to disperse demonstrators during a protest on March 11, 2015. Turkish police on Wednesday fired water cannon and teargas at hundreds of protesters who had gathered to mark the first anniversary of the death of a teenager fatally wounded during anti-government demonstrations. Sanaa, Yemen Supporters of Ahmed Ali Abdullah Saleh, the son of Yemen's former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, stand on the monument of the Unknown Soldier, during a demonstration to demand that presidential elections be held and for him to run for presidency on March 10, 2015.
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Retailer Lumber Liquidators said Thursday it stands by its products and will pay for the safety testing of laminate floors for customers to help ease concerns. The Toano, Virginia, company addressed concerns raised following a "60 Minutes" report said the company's laminate flooring made in China contained high levels of formaldehyde, a carcinogen. The report earlier this month said the company's laminate flooring fell short of California's standards, something it denies. Lumber Liquidators has said that it complies with all regulations for its products. "We are confident that all of our products are safe and none of our products pose significant health or safety issues," CEO Rob Lynch said, adding it would "never knowingly" put customer health or safety at risk. The testing being offered by the company is limited to customers with Chinese laminate flooring. Customers are understandably concerned because "sensationalized reports provide little context," the company said in a regulatory filing ahead of its business update with investors. "We are incensed that individuals with a financial agenda can orchestrate a campaign against us regarding the safety of our product and cause a portion of our customer base undue concern," Lynch said. In the nine days following the broadcast, Lumber Liquidators says sales at stores open at least a year a key gauge of a retailer's health because it excludes the volatility from stores recently opened or closed fell nearly 13 percent but sales are returning to normal levels. Lumber Liquidators said the indoor air quality test kits that customers will receive are the same quality used by federal officials to test workplace exposure. So far, less than 1,000 customers have requested the testing kit. If tests show high levels of formaldehyde, the company said it will pay for further testing and may pay to reinstall flooring. A chart the company included in its regulatory filing indicated that formaldehyde emission rates of its installed laminate flooring are lower than those in cosmetics, newly applied latex paint and foam insulation. But Whitney Tilson, the managing partner of Kase Capital Management who reached out to "60 Minutes" after receiving a tip that Lumber Liquidators was selling tainted laminate flooring, said after the company's presentation that he remains convinced that it is doing so. "It's telling that, on its conference call, management simply read a prepared statement and didn't take any questions, despite the fact that they have had weeks to prepare," Tilson said in an email statement. Tilson first started shorting the stock in October 2013 at $102.69. Shorting a stock is a way for investors to bet that a stock is going to decline. Lumber Liquidators also worked Thursday to address investor worries about its liquidity after executives last week backed out of a planned appearance at an investor conference in Florida. While the company is unable to forecast its full year net sales or profitability, the company said it believes its cash flow from operations and existing liquidity sources will be sufficient to fund its operations and anticipated expenses for the foreseeable future. The company, which has more than 350 locations in North American, also said it plans to open 25 to 35 new stores and remodel 10 to 20 existing stores in 2015. It also plans to increase the number of stores where it provides installation services to 150 by the end of the year. The company will provide an update on its net sales for the first quarter on April 2. Shares of Lumber Liquidators Holdings Inc. have plunged almost 50 percent in just one month and are down almost 70 percent over the past 12 months. Shares rose $3.35, or 10.2 percent, to close Thursday at $36.08.
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PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (AP) Mets reliever Josh Edgin has a stretched left elbow ligament and tendinitis, and the team saus he must decide between a conservative rehabilitation attempt or Tommy John surgery that would sideline him for about a year. ''A decision is expected in the next day or two,'' Mets general manager Sandy Alderson said Thursday. ''It's not black or white. There's a certain amount of gray area here that requires some judgment on the physicians' part, as well as Josh deciding exactly how he wants to approach it.'' The 28-year-old left-hander experienced elbow discomfort and gave up back-to-back RBI triples to left-handed hitters in 13-2 loss Monday to Miami. Alderson said Edgin could try rehab for two-to-three weeks and choose surgery later if his elbow didn't respond. Alderson did not think the ligament would tighten without surgery and said Edgin likely would start the season on the disabled list no matter the choice. ''It's disappointing,'' Edgin said. ''Actually, really disappointing. We're going to have a great year this year, whether it's with me or without me.'' Edgin was 1-0 with a 1.32 ERA in 47 appearances last season. He missed two weeks late in the season because of tendinitis and bone spurs in his elbow, and he received a platelet-rich plasma injection. New York's only other left-handed relievers in camp are Sean Gilmartin, who was selected from Minnesota in the winter meeting draft; and a trio at spring training with minor league contracts: Scott Rice, Dario Alvarez and Jack Leathersich.
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Execution order issued for Shafqat Hussian, 24, over conviction for murder for which he has been in jail since 2004. Pakistan has issued execution orders for a man convicted in an anti-terrorism court, despite his being a juvenile at the time of the offence and being tried on the basis of a confession he claims was obtained under torture, his lawyers and family members say. Shafqat Hussain, 24, is due to be hanged on March 19 in Karachi, where he has been incarcerated since 2004, according to a death warrant issued by an anti-terrorism court in Karachi. His execution had earlier been stayed on January 5 by the government, pending re-investigation of his case. Hussain was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in a case involving the kidnapping and murder of a seven-year-old child from an apartment building where he was then employed as a guard. He was tried by an anti-terrorist court in Karachi as an adult, after police incorrectly stated his age as being 23, and his state-appointed defence lawyer did not challenge the assertion, rights groups say. Then 14 years old, Hussain maintains his innocence, and says he was forced into a confession after being beaten by police officers for nine days, according to his lawyers and family members. "When I met my brother, he actually [urinated on] himself," Manzoor Hussain, Shafqat's elder brother, told Al Jazeera last month, while recalling his meeting with Shafqat for the first time after his arrest. "His nails had been removed, and he was just saying to me that he was innocent and needed help. They burned cigarettes on him. I saw the marks." 'No reinvestigation or tests' Earlier, on January 5, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali had issued a stay of execution for Shafqat, saying that the case would be re-investigated, particularly the matter of Shafqat's age at the time of the trial. On Thursday, Shafqat met with lawyers and told them that no investigators had spoken to him, and neither had he undergone any government medical tests to ascertain his age. "No-one from the government has approached him - no-one has gone to the jail to talk to him. And no-one has come to us to find out about his age, either," Manzoor, his brother, told Al Jazeera on Thursday. An interior ministry spokesperson told Al Jazeera he was not able to confirm the status of the reinvestigation. Sultana Noon, Amnesty International's Pakistan researcher, termed the issuance of death warrants "a blatant violation of Pakistan's human rights obligations under domestic and international law". "Instead of conducting an inquiry into his case, as Pakistan's government promised, authorities have once more brought him to the brink of dying at their hands. His death sentence is a huge stain on Pakistan's commitment to promote and protect the basic human rights of children," she told Al Jazeera. World's largest death row Pakistan lifted its moratorium on executions specifically in terrorism cases following the December 16 attack on a Peshawar school which killed 149 people, the worst attack by Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) fighters in the country's history. On Tuesday, the government fully lifted the moratorium on executions, ordering jail authorities to begin preparing death warrants for convicts in all capital cases. A statement issued by the Interior Minister's office after a meeting with British High Commissioner Philip Barton on Wednesday said that maintaining a partial moratorium on executions "would have been discriminatory and against [the] law and the Constitution". The minister said that "due process will be followed, in letter and spirit, in ensuring just application of the law", according to the statement. Since December, the government has executed 25 people, mostly those who have been convicted by the country's anti-terrorism courts. The latest execution took place on Thursday morning, of a man convicted of having murdered three people following a theatre performance in 2004. Pakistan has the world's largest recorded death row population, according to rights groups, with more than 8,500 people currently awaiting execution. There are currently 27 crimes that carry the death penalty in Pakistan, including murder, kidnapping, rape, drug trafficking and blasphemy. The moratorium on executions had been in place since 2008, although courts have continued to sentence convicts to death in capital cases since then. "It is outrageous that lifting the moratorium means that Pakistan starts executing juveniles as in the case of Shafqat Hussain," said Sarah Belal, the executive director of rights group Justice Project Pakistan, which is representing the convict. "In January our Interior Minister promised an inquiry into Shafqat's juvenility. No inquiry was conducted, nor Shafqat's family and legal counsel ever contacted to provide evidence of his juvenility. How then has the government decided that it's now okay to execute Shafqat?" Manzoor, Shafqat's brother, meanwhile says that his family is losing hope for a reprieve. "This is about his age - we are all begging the government to investigate the matter of the age and to reopen the case.
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Most visitors to New Mexico set out on the predictable Santa Fe‒Taos circuit in the northern part of the state, but those that follow the compass further south are pleasantly rewarded. Here, in these less-trodden reaches of the American Southwest, Mother Nature has tucked away unexpected treasures, including undulating fields of white-sand dunes and enormous limestone caves set unassumingly underfoot. Here you can step into another era in a perfectly preserved Wild West stagecoach town (once Billy the Kid territory) or explore an old silver mining center that's since been colorfully reinvented as a thriving culinary and arts haven. And as southern New Mexico gears up to serve as the world's gateway to outer space as the setting of Spaceport America , featuring Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic don't miss a chance to pass through the UFO capital of the world, at the site of a supposed 1947 UFO crash that still piques curiosity, nearly 70 years later. 1. Roswell's Alien Invasion Roswell attracts more than just little green men these days, and the no-frills town doesn't skip a beat in catering to the UFO hunters and conspiracy theorists that descend here in droves. The international spotlight landed on this dusty cow town-cum-pop culture mecca thanks to an alleged UFO crash here back in '47. Much of today's activity is anchored at the International UFO Museum and Research Center , which takes a serious approach to documenting the occurrences surrounding that fateful incident (weather balloon or spacecraft you be the judge!), as well as presenting UFO research and phenomenon from all over the world. Stop by the Alien Zone , just down the road, where for a few bucks, you can take essential campy pics with life-size sets depicting a UFO crash site, alien autopsy, and more. In fact, the entire town seems to offer a tongue-in-cheek nod to the mysterious event, with business signs proclaiming "Welcome, aliens!" and street lamps shaped like alien faces. Visit during July's annual UFO Festival for the most out-of-this-world experience. When not out searching for spaceships, it's well worth popping into two (free!) local museums that serve as testament to New Mexico's legendary artistic spirt: the Roswell Museum and Art Center and the Anderson Museum of Contemporary Art . Refuel on heaping, chile-smothered burgers at Big D's Downtown Dive , sample New Mexican wine and beer at the welcoming Pecos Flavors Winery , and hobnob with the locals at quintessential dive bar Billy Ray's . 2. Carlsbad Caverns National Park This subterranean wonderland engulfs mind-bogglingly vast chambers carved out of limestone reef, marking some of the largest and most impressive caves on the entire continent. Located underneath the Chihuahuan Desert's Guadalupe Mountains, parts of the network of more than 119 known caves at Carlsbad Caverns National Park can be visited on self-guided (audio guides are available) or ranger-led tours, accessible via an elevator or 750-foot-long trail from the cave's natural entrance (each descend the equivalent of about 79 stories underground). Wild formations (stalactites, stalagmites, and more) and gaping limestone chambers including the most famous: the 8.2-acre-sized Big Room capture the imaginations of visitors here, in a hollowed-out setting sculpted over a 250-million-year-long geological process, dating back to when the caves you see today started off as ancient undersea reef. When it's in season, stick around, too, for the memorable sunset flights of bats from the cave entrance. 3. Silver City This former silver-mining town today touts a thriving arts and foodie scene, with a creative small-town spirit reminiscent of Santa Fe before it was so widely discovered. Wander Silver City 's historic downtown, with its colorful Victorian buildings (now galleries, coffee shops, bars, and eateries) and murals; pop into the Silver City Museum for insights on regional history and cultural heritage; and peruse art galleries clustered in the "Texas/Yankee" district. Most surprisingly for a town of its size (population: 10, 200), Silver City has attracted national acclaim for its top-notch culinary scene, supported by locally grown foods. Sample the best of it at the Curious Kumquat , helmed by chef/owner Rob Connoley, who creates inventive dishes based on foraged and local ingredients. Dig in on 5- to 7-course dinners (starting from $39/person), veritable culinary adventures led by the chef's whims, with entrées like the memorable mole negro cauliflower. On the outskirts of town, nature beckons with high desert, mountain, and river landscapes, especially scenic in the City of Rocks State Parks or Gila National Forest (site of the Gila Cliff Dwellings ). 4. White Sands National Monument Wander the world's largest gypsum dune fields at White Sands National Monument , where some 275 square miles of glistening white-sand dunes tower as high as 60 feet overhead. The dunes run through the Tularosa Basin, within the Chihuahuan Desert, in dreamscape waves made of fine white gypsum sand. Visitors can learn more about the geological processes behind the unusual dune formations at the visitor center, and then set out on the 16-mile scenic drive through this wonderland, stoping to hike at designated dune trails along the way. Most fun of all: Purchase a sled at the visitor center for a ride like no other down the dunes. Insider Tip: Seeing the white sands under lunar light is a sight to behold about once a month, from May through October, the park stays open late to accommodate full moon visits ; consider timing your visit accordingly. 5. Old Mesilla Brush elbows with the ghosts of the Wild West (in some establishments, perhaps quite literally with spots like the Double Eagle restaurant claiming its very own resident specters!), in this town where Apache tribes and Billy the Kid once roamed (the notorious outlaw was once sentenced to death in a courthouse here). Transporting and atmospheric, Old Mesilla , dating back to the 1500s, sits just outside of the city of Las Cruces, and presents a trip back through time via a perfectly preserved 19th-century frontier town that was once a bustling stagecoach stop. Wander the old square, fringed by 150-year-old adobe buildings (now galleries, eateries, and gift shops) and the 19th-century San Albino Church , then pop into the historic Double Eagle tavern, a residence-turned-restaurant littered with antiques, artworks, chandeliers, and a gorgeous 30-foot-long hand-carved oak and walnut bar. Refuel here on potent margaritas paired with some of New Mexico's signature chile-influenced cuisine (don't miss the green chile cheeseburger). La Posta , just down the block, is another charming drinking-and-dining venue, set within a converted 1850s-era adobe hacienda. Where to Stay Expanses are vast and driving distances are long in southern New Mexico break up your trip accordingly. Bunk down in Roswell, where the 70-room Hampton Inn & Suites Roswell stands out from the town's pack of nondescript chain hotels and motels, with modern facilities and extras like an indoor heated pool, fitness room, and free daily breakfast. In Silver City, lodge in one of the charming Victorian-style homes-cum-B&Bs our favorite is the Inn on Broadway (built in 1883), set on a quiet side street just steps from the attractions and drinking and dining establishments of downtown. Four guestrooms come with tasteful period furnishings and decor, and rates include delicious home-cooked breakfasts. Elissa Garay is a contributor to Fodor's, Yahoo, Condé Nast Traveler , Cruise Critic , About.com, and more. Based in Brooklyn, NY, she has traveled to and reported on some 55 countries and 20 cruise lines around the globe, and has resided in Argentina, France, England, Denmark, and the Netherlands. Follow her @TravelSpiritNYC .
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Nick Glass travels to San Francisco to meet a company with an ambition that's out of this world; to map every inch of the planet using the world's largest constellation of Earth-imaging satellites.
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CNBC's Bob Pisani reports on Thursday's broad market rally which started earlier this morning. Pisani looks at the dollar rise.
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It's not uncommon for shift workers to struggle with the quality of their sleep, often logging less than six hours of shut-eye each night. However, a new study shows that such sleep quality is affected by more than just the timing of your job -- your "early bird" or "night owl" tendencies play a substantial role, too. A team of researchers from the Institute of Medical Psychology at Ludwig-Maximilian-University in Munich, Germany, recently found that both workers' sleep and general well-being can be improved by employees abiding by work schedules that naturally coincide with their biological clocks. Using a factory as their real-life laboratory and the employees that work there as their subjects, the researchers set out to uncover potential changes that would benefit their sleep, stress levels and overall health. The results of their study were published in the journal Current Biology. After determining the chronotype of each employee as early, intermediate or late in regards to their natural sleeping patterns, the researchers created a shift scheduling system that took such information into account, pairing workers with shift times at which they felt most awake and alert. The result? They were able to sleep longer and better after their work, and felt less of a need to make up for lost sleep during their time off. "A 'simple' re-organization of shifts according to chronotype allowed workers to sleep more on workday nights," Till Roenneberg, one of the study's authors, said in a statement. "As a consequence, they were also able to sleep less on their free days due to a decreased need for compensating an accumulating sleep loss. This is a double-win situation." Employees not only felt more satisfied with their sleep quantity and quality, but also noticed that their "social jetlag," the difference between their desired sleep time and the time actually allowed by their social constructs, decreased by an hour on average. Shift workers tend to be particularly susceptible to the effects of social jetlag, with its effects leading to health problems beyond sleep like obesity and unhealthy habits, such as cigarette smoking and excessive alcohol consumption. Allowing employees to take over shifts that pair with the times of the day they naturally feel most awake and alert could not just help them sleep better, but improve their long-term health as well. Despite these improvements, the study did document one main drawback: those who prefer to stay up later did not benefit as much from the new shift work schedule as the early or intermediate chronotypes. Roenneberg attributed this lack of change to the fact that just because a person prefers to stay up later doesn't make them truly nocturnal; at the end of day, night work is more demanding on every employee, regardless of sleeping habits.
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Hillary Clinton says neither the federal government nor an independent third party has the right to review emails she sent as secretary of state if she deems them personal. "Government officials are granted the privacy of their personal, non-work related emails, including personal emails on .gov accounts," her office says. That's inaccurate. State Department guidelines say there is "no expectation of privacy" for personal emails sent by government employees on a department email system. "No one creating records on an official government network has an individual 'privacy right' to demand that their emails or e-records should be shielded beyond the reach of public access requests under FOI [Freedom of Information] laws, state or federal," Jason R. Baron, a lawyer at Drinker Biddle and a former director of litigation at the National Archives, told us in an email. Clinton, a likely presidential candidate in 2016, has been embroiled in an email controversy since March 2, when the New York Times reported that she exclusively used a private email account at clintonemail.com to conduct government business. At a press conference on March 10 , Clinton said she sent and received more than 60,000 emails during her time in office. At the State Department's request, Clinton turned over about half of them to the government in December. The rest were deleted because they were personal, she said. Asked if she would agree to allow an "independent third party to come in and examine your emails," Clinton replied that she should be treated no differently than federal employees who have a government email account and a personal email account. They can decide when they send an email whether to use the government or private account. "So, even if you have a work-related device with a work-related .gov account, you choose what goes on that," she told reporters. That's true, of course, but the situation she describes is not entirely analogous, since Clinton had no government account. She made the choice to use only a personal email account set up on a personal server. Moreover, Clinton's office went too far when answering the same question in a Q&A it released on the day of the press conference. The Q&A detailed the Clinton team's review process and answered some common questions that have been raised since the Times story first appeared. One of the questions in the Q&A: "Do you think a third party should be allowed to review what was turned over to the Department, as well as the remainder that was not?" Clinton's office answered, in part: "Government officials are granted the privacy of their personal, non-work related emails, including personal emails on .gov accounts. Secretary Clinton exercised her privilege to ensure the continued privacy of her personal, non-work related emails." That characterization of the rules governing government email systems is not accurate. State Department policy spelled out in the Foreign Affairs Manual under "Points to Remember About E-mail" says there is "no expectation of privacy." Specifically, 5 FAM 443.5 says, in part: "Department E-mail systems are for official use only by authorized personnel" and "The information in the systems is Departmental, not personal. No expectation of privacy or confidentiality applies." Clinton is correct that the department policy allows employees to delete emails that are not work-related. The 5 FAM 443.5 rule also says, "Messages that are not records may be deleted when no longer needed." But Baron who served 13 years as director of litigation at the National Archives , which is responsible for maintaining government records said in an interview that Clinton's use of a private server gave her exclusive control, thus preventing the department from having full access to emails she sent and received while a federal employee. Government employees have no right to privacy on government computers and even personal emails are subject to review and perhaps release at the department's discretion. "Setting up a private server to conduct public business inappropriately shifts control of what is accessible to the end user alone rather than allowing the institution to decide threshold questions," he told us. We sent emails to Clinton's office and to the State Department asking about the privacy claim, but received no response. At her press conference, Clinton said the State Department "already had the vast majority" of her emails because she made it a habit to email government officials on their government email accounts "so those emails would be automatically saved in the State Department system to meet record-keeping requirements." Her office said it turned over 30,490 printed copies of emails to the State Department and about 90 percent of those emails were already in the State Department's possession. It also said that 31,830 were private emails, and those were not turned over and were destroyed. Baron also questioned the thoroughness of Clinton's review process to determine which emails to preserve and which to delete. The Q&A issued by her office described a four-step process. There was a search for emails sent to and received from government accounts, and a search for keywords such as "Benghazi" and "Libya." There was also a search of first and last names of more than 100 government officials, and emails were sorted and reviewed by both sender and recipient to account for any mistakes made in the name search. Baron said all the emails should have been reviewed by hand to avoid missing some work-related emails. The State Department did not set a deadline, he said, and a team of people could have reviewed all 60,000 emails in a week or two. "There are legitimate questions being asked if Ms. Clinton's staff did an adequate job of deciding what constituted a personal record, before emails were deleted," he told us. "But she opted for control through a private server, something no other average public sector employee would ever contemplate." Eugene Kiely
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Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti has been handed a vote of confidence by club president Florentino Perez. The Italian has endured a challenging few days after a 1-0 loss to Athletic Bilbao in La Liga on Saturday was followed by a 4-3 defeat at the hands of Schalke in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday. The loss to Athletic saw Real lose its place at the top of La Liga to fierce rival Barcelona, though Los Blancos were still able to progress in the Champions League courtesy of a 2-0 victory over Schalke in the first leg. Ancelotti faces a crucial month, which will see Madrid travel to Camp Nou to face Barca in what could well become a title decider. Real fans voiced their disapproval at the final whistle Tuesday, while Ancelotti insisted he was not fearful of losing his job a feeling that appears well-founded. "Whatever happens in the next few weeks, Carlo Ancelotti will remain as Real Madrid coach," Perez said. "The attacks on our coach and players is being overexaggerated. The club has full confidence in our coach and our players. Carlo Ancelotti has experience. He is focused on his job and has no doubt that we will have a good season. "Carlo Ancelotti has the confidence and affection of the president and the board of directors. I am here to say that whatever happens in the Clasico will not change anything." Perez was less forthcoming when asked if the Italian was safe in his job next season, replying: "I've said what I've said."
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Household net worth rose by $1.5 trillion in the fourth quarter of last year to a record $83 trillion, the Federal Reserve said Thursday. The gains were driven by a surging real estate market. Household real estate holdings rose by $265 billion to hit their highest level since 2007. Real estate equity levels also hit a 2007 high. Household stock holdings also rose with the broader markets. But at the same time, the central bank reported debt was on the rise. Total debt -- including households, governments and corporations -- rose by 4.7 percent, the most since 2012.
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A U.S. man confessed in an Indonesian court on Thursday to killing his pregnant girlfriend's mother, in a grisly case in which the victim's battered body was found in an abandoned suitcase on the resort island of Bali. Tommy Schaefer and Heather Mack, both from Chicago, are being tried separately and have been charged with premeditated murder in the death of Shiela von Wiese-Mack. Schaefer has argued self-defense, telling the court Wiese-Mack attacked him in anger because she objected to the couple's relationship. "She squeezed my neck for about 20 to 30 seconds so I couldn't see because my eyes were watering," Schaefer said, describing through an interpreter the moments leading up to the murder. "She wanted to reach for a bowl but I reached it before she did. I couldn't see so I just swung it." Mack, who is eight months pregnant, told a court hearing on Wednesday that Schaefer had killed her mother after she had threatened to kill the couple's unborn baby, according to media. Bali police conducted a four-month investigation into the killing that included a re-enactment with the defendants at the luxury hotel where Wiese-Mack's body was found. Other evidence submitted to prosecutors included CCTV footage showing the couple speaking to a taxi driver after dropping the bloodied suitcase along with other luggage outside the hotel. The pair could face the death penalty if found guilty of the murder, which took place in August of last year. (Writing by Kanupriya Kapoor; Editing by Gareth Jones)
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Bill Clinton, the first United States president to send an email from the White House, is famous for practically never having used it. Clinton "sent a grand total of two emails as president," he said in a 2011 talk , a claim that has since been repeated widely . Except it's not true. The email often cited as Clinton's first presidential email was a congratulatory note to astronaut John Glenn in 1998. The other, he said, was a note of support to troops in the Adriatic. But there are other public records showing Clinton's early email trail. Like the fact that he had an AOL address in 1993, [email protected], according to The Los Angeles Times that year. The very first message he sent as president was just a test and there was some debate as to whether it even qualified as "electronic communication" for archival purposes since, as Reuters reported in 2004 , its purpose was "to see if the commander in chief knew how to push the button on an e-mail." Here's how John Gibbons, who was the director of White House Science and Technology Policy in the Clinton administration, remembers it : [W]e wanted to introduce the President to email and the Net. So we brought him over to the old EOB, and he sat down in front of this computer it may have been the first time he sat down in front of a computer and showed him how email worked and gave him his email address over across the street in the Oval Office. So he typed in his first email message. It was something like, Bill Clinton, it's time to come home for lunch. Signed, Hillary, something like that. I saved a copy of it. That was his first email. The president had a reputation for being more interested in face-to-face communication than his vice president, Al Gore, who was constantly on the computer in his office, according to several accounts. But Clinton did refer to himself a "cybernaut" when his administration uploaded a 1996 bill to the Internet. (It was a Telecommunications Act , naturally.) And though Clinton routinely joked about his technological cluelessness (his daughter knew more than he did, he insisted), White House aides told The Los Angeles Times that he used email before he was elected in 1992. Clinton talked about the "information superhighway" a lot in the mid-1990s. Records of his public remarks are filled with references to a future in which American school children might access foreign libraries to learn about, say, volcano science in Australia. (That was a favorite example of his. It appears in at least a dozen speeches.) But he also referenced his administration's email habits, and his own. "We're the first White House to communicate with huge numbers of people from all over by Email," he told his Committee on the Arts and the Humanities in 1994 . "And I'm trying to do a sociological analysis now of whether there's a difference between the E-mail communication and the mail communication or the female communication." Then, in February 1994, Clinton sent what the White House touted as the first email to a foreign head of state a reply to Carl Bildt, then prime minister of Sweden, who wrote to Clinton saying he wanted to test his "connection on the global Internet system" and congratulate the president on lifting the trade embargo on Vietnam. Clinton's response: Dear Carl: I appreciate your support for my decision to end the trade embargo on Vietnam and thank you for all that Sweden has done on the question of the POW/MIA's. I share your enthusiasm for the potential of emerging communications technologies. This demonstration of electronic communications is an important step toward building a global information superhighway. Sincerely, BILL What that transcript doesn't reveal, though, is that Clinton apparently wrote to the prime minister IN ALL CAPS, LIKE HE WAS SHOUTING. The president, The New York Times explained in 1994, hadn't "learned the basic protocol of 'netiquette,' the unofficial code of manners that has evolved on the network." Writing to Bildt with caps-lock on, the newspaper explained, was a "cardinal breach." (I asked the prime minister's office in Sweden for an archival copy of the email, but haven't heard back yet.) The William J. Clinton Presidential Library claims to have just two emails from the former president in its trove of 40 million emails from the Clinton White House. He certainly sent more. Hillary, it seems, is not the only Clinton with disappearing emails.
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Ted Cruz and Charles Bolden would probably agree that the core of the Earth is a mass of molten metal as hot as the sun. But as for the core of NASA's mission, the senator from Texas and the former astronaut split ways. Since taking the chairmanship of the Senate Space, Science, and Competitiveness Subcommittee this year, Cruz has been pushing the agency to adopt a "more space, less Earth" strategy. The Republican lawmaker argues that the Obama administration is wrongfully neglecting the country's space exploration operations like potential missions to Mars and beyond in favor of global-warming research. And he wants to know if Bolden, NASA's administrator, thinks so, too. "I'd like to start by asking a general question," said Cruz on Thursday during a subcommittee hearing on the president's $18.5 billion budget request for NASA for fiscal 2016, which allocates considerable funding for Earth- and ocean-science projects. "In your judgment, what is the core mission of NASA?" Bolden said he'd been contemplating that mission over the past few days, and had read over the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958, which created the agency. "Our core mission from the very beginning has been to investigate, explore space and the Earth environment, and to help us make this place a better place," he said, adding that the study of aeronautics is important as well. Cruz didn't seem pleased with the "Earth environment" part of Bolden's answer. "Almost any American would agree that the core function of NASA is to explore space," he said. "That's what inspires little boys and little girls across this country ... and you know that I am concerned that NASA in the current environment has lost its full focus on that core mission." Cruz then pointed to a chart behind him titled "Focus Inward or Focus Outward? Refocusing NASA's Core Priorities" that compared NASA's budget in 2009 with the current request. He said that since 2009, funding for Earth sciences has seen a 41 percent increase, while funding for exploration and space operations, what Cruz "would consider the core function of NASA," has seen a 7.6 percent decrease. "In my judgment, this does not represent a fair or appropriate allocation of resources, that it is shifting resources away from the core functions of NASA to other functions," Cruz said. "Do you share that assessment?" Bolden, who decides how to allocate NASA's annual budget, did not. That dip in space exploration funding? That was kind of the whole point. "Mr. Chairman, I am very interested in your chart," he said. "I will say one thing it is interesting to note that there is a decrease in exploration and human spaceflight when, in fact, that was somewhat intentional because we were trying to get the cost of exploration down as we reach farther out into the solar system." Bolden said the now-defunct space shuttles cost NASA $2 billion a year to maintain whether they flew or not. Today, NASA has a $6.6 billion contract with private companies Boeing and SpaceX that will provide for 16 human spaceflights over a span of three to four years. "So I think the decrease is actually a little bit of what we're trying to do to get the cost of flying humans into space down," he told Cruz. "That's what's driving the market, is reducing launch costs." More money for Earth-science research is a good thing, he said. "The fact that Earth-science has increased I'm proud to say that it has enabled us to understand our planet far better than we ever did before," Bolden said. The NASA chief distanced himself from Cruz's assessment of spending changes within the agency. 'You asked me about your chart. There's a lot of chartsmanship," Bolden said, chuckling. "I'm not sure what you include in 'exploration,' for example. So, by my statement, I was not acknowledging that I agree with the numbers on the chart. I don't want everyone to say I accept the numbers on the chart." The exchange offered a glimpse of NASA under a potential Cruz presidency. Climate-change researchers let out an audible groan when Cruz, who is expected to run in 2016, took the helm of the Senate subcommittee overseeing the federal agency in January. Cruz's views especially his belief that global warming doesn't exist are at odds with NASA's extensive climate-science programs , which study solar activity, sea level rise, and oceanic temperatures, to name a few. On Thursday, Bolden appeared to hope the senator's opinions wouldn't get in the way of how NASA spends its money. "We can't go anywhere if the Kennedy Space Center goes underwater and we don't know it and that's understanding our environment," Bolden said, alluding to the risk that climate change poses to the low-elevation state of Florida. "It is absolutely critical that we understand Earth environment because this is the only place that we have to live."
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NILAND, Calif. Over the decades, the legend of Slab City as "The Last Free Place in America" has grown, fed by portrayals in magazines and film as an endless Woodstock. An unregulated squatter settlement, Slab City is home to perhaps 150 year-round residents refugees from mortgages and bill collectors, former hippies, rebels and self-identified misfits who live in personal camps made from old trailers, truck campers and crude lean-tos, and call themselves Slabbers. From October to April, the population swells to perhaps 2,000 as snowbirds, attracted by the guaranteed sunshine and zero fees, arrive in sometimes majestic motor homes. "This is the only place I have ever lived where I feel I belong," said Christina Swistak, who goes by the nickname Dreamcatcher and moved to "The Slabs" three years ago after drifting from Arizona. But now, the denizens of this bleak stretch of desert between the Salton Sea and a military bombing range are bitterly divided. After the notion spread that the California State Land Commission might sell the land, the Slabbers started debating what to do: Should they try to buy the place that they occupy illegally? Should they form a residents' association to save the anarchistic soul of Slab City, or would that spawn the type of bureaucracy that people came here to escape? "Some people come here just to disappear, and we don't want leaders," said Ms. Swistak, 41, part of the faction that says that residents must organize and seek title to the land before someone else does. "But sadly, yes, we have to appease The Beast," she said, using the label here for the looming outside world. The debate has tested friendships, with some accusing the leaders of the recently incorporated Slab City Community Group of seeking personal power. Opponents of the group say that the state is unlikely to sell the land and that its efforts will lead to the dreaded zoning and building codes, health and sanitation rules. "We might as well go back to the suburbs," wrote one opponent, Michael "Solar Mike" Gohl, a seller here of solar panels, on the community group's website . Named for the abandoned foundations of a 1940s Marine base, Slab City has no electric lines, no water, no sewage, no taxes and no rules beyond "live and let live." Yet it is not truly off the grid: Cellular service is decent, many residents have laptops, and everyone drives into nearby Niland or other towns for propane gas, generator fuel and water. Those with Social Security or pensions live well; those without scrounge for odd jobs and are sometimes arrested collecting scrap metal from the nearby Chocolate Mountain Aerial Gunnery Range. Some residents demarcate their plots with chain-link fences or old tires, and many have installed solar panels. There is no prototypical resident, but Morgan Wolf, 66, and her partner, Cody Parsons, 63, tell a familiar story. Ms. Wolf, who was on her bike on a recent day leading three dogs for a walk, lost her job as a social worker in Lancaster, Calif., in 2010. The couple lost their house and decided to give Slab City a try. They built a fenced compound with old campers, a trailer and a tent of plywood and plastic. They have stayed here through the scorching summers because it is hard to move all their dogs and cats, she said. But she has learned to love the place. "I'll live here for the rest of my life if I can," she said. "It filters out the world." The hippie gloss was burnished by scenes in the 2007 movie " Into the Wild ," directed by Sean Penn. In the film, actors mingle with real Slabbers at the weekly music fest at an outdoor theater called The Range. They also visit Salvation Mountain, a gloriously painted monument to Jesus built from mud and hay at the entrance to Slab City and speak on camera with its infectious creator, Leonard Knight, who died in 2014. How the land discussions even started is in dispute, but the serious illness of Mr. Knight seems to have set things in motion. A group of Mr. Knight's admirers formed a nonprofit group, Salvation Mountain , and began talking with state land officials about buying a 160-acre lot and running it as a cultural shrine. Then another group organized the Chasterus F oundation , which hopes to buy 30 acres and nurture the East Jesus arts center, an artist's colony and garden of fanciful sculptures made from discarded materials. ("East Jesus" is meant as a synonym for "middle of nowhere.") William "Builder Bill" Ammon, 66, who moved here 16 years ago after becoming homeless in San Diego, said he grew worried after a 2013 meeting with the California State Lands Commission , which was considering Salvation Mountain's proposal for a purchase. The commission is supposed to use or sell its lands for the benefit of the teachers' retirement fund, but it has never figured out what to do with this remote patch, which may well be polluted with military waste. "I came out of that meeting thinking that all of Slab City is in danger," Mr. Ammon said. "I had the impression that the state saw this land as a liability." Mr. Ammon, who runs The Range, and others formed the Slab City Community Group, elected a board early last year and have inquired about obtaining 450 acres in a trust. The group's current president is "Pastor Dave," Joel David Huntington, 53, who runs a ministry from his trailer with boxes of free clothes out front. "You can't remain static, or you go backward," said Mr. Huntington, an 11-year resident, describing his vision of Slab City as a "living laboratory" with lessons for the world on the frugal life. But Gary Brown, 63, a vociferous opponent of the community group, has a less lofty vision of Slab City's purpose. "I see the necessity to have a place where people can hit rock bottom," he said, recalling his own arrival six years ago after he went broke in Denver. The state has put up with the squatters for more than 40 years, he said. Now, he fears, residents are going to stir up trouble and force the state to take actions that will destroy the settlement. State officials, for their part, stress the complex issues they face and say that no sale is imminent. The lands commission is in the process of having the land appraised and surveying possible needs for chemical cleanup or even disposal of unexploded ordnance. "We have not yet decided whether to sell it," said Jim Porter, a land management specialist with the commission. For now, at least, Slab City, with all its factions and characters, seems to work, even if it was never quite the Eden that some portrayed. The Imperial County Sheriff's office, which patrols the area, said it had received 62 calls for services around Slab City in January and February, often in response to heated arguments over camp boundaries and sometimes for burglaries. Methamphetamine use has been a recurrent problem. Mr. Ammon, who sees organizing as a necessity, expresses nostalgia for a Slab City golden age. "People communicated on CB radio, so it was like a party line," he said. "You always knew who was looking for a job, who was selling something, who was mad at someone. "And everyone had some little gig one was a welder, one fixed cars, one made pies," Mr. Ammon said. "Nowadays, a lot of people are just coming to hang out for the party."
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Japanese automaker Honda said Thursday it was launching a US advertising blitz to urge owners to bring in recalled vehicles for Takata airbag repairs. Honda will spend millions of dollars on print, digital and radio advertising in a campaign that begins Monday and prioritizes regions at the greatest risk to affected owners, the company said in a statement. "The goals of this campaign are to save lives and prevent injuries," said John Mendel, executive vice president of the Automobile Division of American Honda Motor Co., in a statement. "Honda hopes that this new consumer information campaign will bolster our existing and continuing efforts to reach our customers and maximize the vehicle repair completion rates associated with recalls to replace Takata airbag inflators." Honda and other leading automakers have recalled about 20 million vehicles to fix the problem, linked to at least five fatalities. The airbags can deploy with excessive explosive power, spraying potentially fatal shrapnel into the vehicle. But Honda noted Thursday that an estimated one-third of all recalled vehicles in the US are never repaired, a problem more common with older model vehicles. Honda has recalled mostly older model Honda and Acura vehicles for the airbag fix. Honda is booking full-page, color advertisements in more than 120 newspapers and radio spots in more than 110 markets, with both campaigns appearing in Spanish or English according to the targeted media outlet. Customized Facebook posts mentioning the specific vehicle owned by each identified user will appear on owners' timelines. "These ads are a strong call to action from our company designed to break through the clutter, grab the attention of customers driving affected vehicles, and urge that they get required repairs as soon as possible," said Mendel. Honda said the campaign will focus mainly on the 11 states and US territories that it believes pose the greatest risk because of their high absolute humidity levels that could contribute to an inflator rupture in some older-model Takata front airbags. That marked an expansion of the four areas -- Florida, Hawaii, the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico -- that Honda had initially identified last year amid a wave of airbag recalls. Among the states newly included are California, Texas and South Carolina. Shares in Honda surged 2.6 percent to $34.23 in late-morning trade on the New York Stock Exchange.
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10 Kettlebell Exercises for a Total-Body Burn 10 Kettlebell Exercises for a Total-Body Burn Incorporating a series of kettlebell exercises into your workout routine once or twice a week can greatly help to improve your functional fitness (or, in other words, increase your capacity to handle everyday movements like carrying groceries, sitting down and standing up, or hauling heavy luggage). Plus, unlike the more rigid movements you might perform using a dumbbell or cable machine, many kettlebell moves integrate the use of momentum, which requires a greater amount of engagement from both your large and small muscle groups. There's also the benefit of combining cardio and strength into one workout. Using a kettlebell you can perform fast-paced, compound movements that will challenge both your muscles and your cardiovascular system so you can burn fat and build muscle at the same time. If your aim is to build strength and muscle, focus on using a heavier weight and complete three sets of 8 to 12 reps for each exercise. If your goal is more targeted toward fat burn, use a lighter weight that will allow you to complete 10 to 20 reps at a faster pace. Make sure to start with a 5- to 10-minute warm-up. Renegade Kettlebell Row This exercise targets your upper back muscles, biceps and abs all at the same time. With a kettlebell in each hand, being in high plank position. Keep your core tight and your spine neutral as you lift a kettlebell off the floor and row your right arm back. Return your right arm to the floor and then repeat the movement with your left arm. (Concentrate on keeping your hips in place. Try not to twist your body. The movement should be exclusive to your arms.) You can alternate between rowing with your right and left arms or perform a single set of reps using one arm before switching to the other. Single-Leg Kettlebell Deadlift This move works to build strength in your hamstrings, glutes and core while also challenging your balance and stability. Start standing with your feet about hip-width distance apart. While holding the kettlebell in your right hand, lift your left leg off the ground slightly. Keep your core tight and your spine neutral as you hinge forward at your hips, letting the kettlebell fall towards the floor and your left leg extend up and back. Slowly return to the starting position (try not to let your left leg touch the ground) and repeat for the desired number of reps before switching to the other side. Kettlebell Overhead Triceps Extension + Squat This double-duty exercise will challenge your lower body while also very specifically targeting the triceps muscles in your arms. Hold the kettlebell with both hands over your head. As you squat down (be sure to keep your core tight and your spine neutral) flex your elbows to lower the kettlebell down behind your head, making sure to keep your elbows close to your head (don't let them flair out). Slowly return to a standing position while simultaneously re-extending your arms over your head. Seated Kettlebell Twist The seated twist works to strengthen your core, specifically your obliques, and adding the overhead press to this move means you'll target your shoulders, too. Begin seated with your knees slightly bent and the kettlebell in your hands (you can rest your heels on the ground or for a bigger challenge, hold your feet in the air). Your torso should lean back slightly so that your core is engaged. Keep your core tight as you touch the kettlebell down to the floor on your left and then twist to the right as you raise it up above your head until your arms are stretched above you completely. Lower the kettlebell back to the floor on your left by reversing the twist. Repeat the desired number of reps, then switch to the other side. Kettlebell Swing This is an intricate move that beginners should first practice without using weight, but when done correctly the kettlebell swing is a great exercise for increasing your lower-body and core strength. Plus, it will increase your heart rate for improved cardiovascular fitness. Hold the kettlebell in both hands, start standing with your feet slightly wider than hip-width distance apart. Lower your body toward the floor as if about to sit back into a chair and so that the kettlebell is hovering just above the floor. (In the down position your thighs should almost be parallel to the floor and your knees directly over your ankles.) Keep your spine neutral and your core engaged as you use your quads, glutes and hamstrings to swing the kettlebell forward and return to standing position, making sure to thrust your hips forward and squeezing your glutes at the top. (At the top of the movement your arms should be extended directly in front of you with the weight in the air.) With control, follow the momentum of the weight to return back to the staring position. Bent-Over Kettlebell Row You can perform this exercise, which targets the upper and middle back and the biceps, using one arm at a time while leaning on a bench (as pictured here) or in a bent-over standing position with both feet on the ground and rowing both arms simultaneously. Hold the kettlebell handle with your arm(s) extended. Keep your core muscles tight and your spine neutral as you "row" the weight up. Make sure to keep your elbow(s) tucked in close to your body and focus on squeezing your shoulder blades as you lift the kettlebell. Sumo Squat + Kettlebell Upright Row This compound move will target your quads, glutes and inner thighs while also working your shoulder muscles. Begin standing tall with your feet pointed slightly outward and slightly wider than hip-width distance apart. Hold the kettlebell handle with both hands and extend your arms so it hangs down between your legs. Keep your core tight and your spine neutral as you squat down. As you make your way out of the squat by returning to the starting position, bend your elbows, drawing your hands to your chin to complete the row. Kettlebell Side Plank Begin in high-plank position with the kettlebell in your right hand. Keep your core tight and your spine neutral as you slowly lift the weight up by rowing your arm back while simultaneously rotating your body to open up into a side plank and eventually extending your arm fully above your head. Repeat for the desired number of reps before switching to the other side. (This is another move that beginners should take extra precaution with and even first practice without using any weight.) Side Lunge + Kettlebell Upright Row This two-for-one lower-body move will target your quads, glutes and inner thighs as well as your shoulders. Start standing tall with tour feet about hip-width distance apart. Hold the kettlebell handle with both hands and extend your arms so it hangs down near your legs. Keep your core tight and your spine neutral as you lunge to the right while also bending your elbows and drawing your hands to your chin to "row" the kettlebell upward. Step your right leg back to the center and lower your arms to return to the starting position. Repeat for the desired number of reps before switching to the other side. Kettlebell Deadlift Like the single-leg deadlift, this move will target your hamstrings, glutes and core, but while working both legs with the same motion simultaneously. Start with your feet shoulder-width distance apart and the kettlebell on the floor in front of you. Keep your spine neutral, your chest out, and your head up as you bend down to grab the kettlebell. Keep your arms straight as you use your glute, hamstring and core muscles to raise your torso until you're standing completely upright. Slowly return to the starting position.
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March 12 (Reuters) - The wreckage of a Army Black Hawk helicopter that crashed during a nighttime training mission off Florida's Gulf Coast has been found and none of the 11 service members on board are believed to have survived, a military official said on Thursday. "At this point we are not hopeful for survivors, and we are transitioning our search and rescue operation to a recovery and safety investigation," U.S. Air Force Colonel Monte Cannon told reporters at a news conference in Navarre, Florida. Seven Marines and four soldiers were on the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter reported missing during a training exercise Tuesday night. Officials say the cause of the crash has not been determined, although heavy fog was reported in the area at the time and a second helicopter in the exercise turned back due to the weather. Search efforts focused on the Santa Rosa Sound, a stretch of water along the Florida Panhandle where the helicopter went down. Officials at the nearby Eglin Air Force Base were notified of the crash at around 10 p.m. on Tuesday and immediately began a search and rescue operation hampered by heavy fog and a lack of sonar equipment, said Mark Giuliano, fire chief at the base. When sonar equipment arrived Wednesday morning, searchers were able to locate the helicopter, which had broken into multiple pieces, in the middle of the bay, Giuliano said. "It was certainly a high-impact crash," he said. Some human remains have been recovered, Giuliano said. The Marines on board were part of a special operations unit from Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. They were conducting training involving "helicopter and boat insertion and extraction," with the Army air crew providing the helicopter support, a Marine Corps spokesman said. The soldiers and the helicopter were part of the Louisiana National Guard assigned to an Army unit based in Hammond, Louisiana. Names of the military members will be released after their family members are notified, officials said. The next phase of the investigation will be led by officials from the U.S. Army, Louisiana National Guard and U.S. Marine Corps, and will focus on determining the cause of the crash, Cannon said.
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There are a number of factors that trigger acne, but our diet really affects our complexion. Krystin Goodwin (@krystingoodwin) has the best foods to clear skin from within.
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Commerzbank will pay $1.45 billion to settle criminal charges it hid transactions with Iran and Sudan and conspired with camera-maker Olympus on a massive accounting fraud, US officials announced Thursday. The second-largest German bank admitted and accepted responsibility for illegal conduct under US sanctions and bank secrecy laws, the Justice Department said. Prosecutors described the Commerzbank routinely flouting of US sanctions on the two countries and decried shoddy oversight that fell far short of standards for detecting and reporting suspicious activity. "When there was profit to be made, Commerzbank turned a blind eye to its anti-money laundering compliance responsibilities," said Benjamin Lawsky, superintendent of financial services in New York state. "Bank employees helped facilitate transactions for sanctioned clients such as Iran and Sudan, and a company engaged in accounting fraud." Commerzbank will pay about $1.15 billion in fines and forfeited sums to US and New York state agencies and another $300 million to victims of the Olympus fraud. Prosecutors said Commerzbank from 2002 through 2008 systematically processed transactions with Iranian and Sudanese entities in violation of US sanctions. Bank staff ignored warnings that the transactions were problematic and did not heed advice from auditors to alert US staff, Justice said. The bank admitted in the federal deferred prosecution agreement to "knowingly and wilfully" moving $263 million through the US financial system on behalf of the two countries. Commerzbank stripped out information identifying sanctioned parties, even designating a special team of employees to manually process Iranian identifying information that might trigger red flags that would delay or block transactions, the New York agency said. The bank also made loans and handled transfers for Olympus, helping the company to hide hundreds of millions of dollars worth of losses in violation of the US Bank Secrecy Act and anti-money laundering rules. Commerzbank loaned money to off-balance-sheet entities created by Olympus to disguise losses. It also transacted more than $1.6 billion through its New York division to further the fraud, the Justice Department said. "Commerzbank enabled Olympus to evade detection for years. And worse yet, failed to create a process to prevent this criminal behavior," said FBI assistant director-in-charge Diego Rodriguez. In September 2012, Olympus and three senior executives pled guilty in Japan to inflating the company's profits by about $1.7 billion. As with the sanctioned transactions, some Commerzbank officials expressed worry in writing that the work on behalf of Olympus was illegal, but those concerns were not heeded. A Commerzbank statement said the bank would take an additional 338 million euro ($359 million) charge in addition to prior provisions. "We take these violations very seriously and deeply regret the actions that led to today's announcements," said Commerzbank chief executive Martin Blessing. "We have made, and will continue to make, changes to our systems, training and personnel to address the deficiencies identified by US and New York authorities." Under a deferred prosecution agreement, the Justice Department will seek dismissal of the criminal case after three years if Commerzbank meets requirements on reporting offenses and improving internal program. The bank agreed to install an independent monitor and terminate five New York employees to settle charges with Lawsky's office.
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Related Content Buttermilk pancakes with winter fruit salad Crispy clovers with guacamole 10 Irish-inspired baby names Green Apple Smoothie Green Eggs & Ham Craft Your Own Four-Leaf Clovers Keep the kids entertained by having them make their own lucky four-leaf clovers. Find it here: Happy Clippings Snack on Crispy Clovers with Guacamole Kids will love this green snack it's healthy and yummy. Recipe: Crispy Clovers with Guacamole Fun Printable Add this cute (and free) message to your fridge or window to show everyone your St. Patrick's pride. Find it here: A Little Tipsy Hang Shamrock Streamers A fun and inexpensive way to have the luck of the Irish all around you. Find it here: Studio DIY Make a Green Breakfast There are so many things a person could turn green, but starting the day with pancakes is sure to get smiles. Use our easy pancake recipe and just add a few drops of green food colouring to your batter. Find it here: Thoughtfully Simple Dye Your Flowers Green This age-old carnation dying trick is fun for kids. Have your little one share their festive flowers with a friend or teacher. Find it here: Theme A Party Indulge in Pretzel Treats This yummy treat is easy to make with little ones who will love layering on the goodies! Find it here: That's What Che Said St. Patrick's Day Math Don't let your brain turn to green mush. Play this fun St. Patty's math game with the kids. Find it here: Cool Math Magically Turn Milk Green Sure you could just mix up some green milk and serve it to the kids. But this way is so much better and your kids will delight at the surprise unfolding before them. Find it here: Snap Guide Don a Festive Hat Get in the spirit by having your kids make their own Leprechaun hat. Find it here: Activity Village
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Harper Lee was interviewed by Alabama investigators last month over allegations she was manipulated into publishing her next book against her will, the New York Times reports . According to the report, the investigators were responding to at least one complaint of potential elder abuse regarding the publication of the 88-year-old author's second book Go Set a Watchman, a follow-up to her famous book To Kill a Mockingbird. Watchman is due out later this year. One person who said he had filed an anonymous complaint told the Times he is a doctor who has known Lee for years. He said he had called Alabamas adult protective services hotline and asked the state to investigate whether Lee was too infirm to have fully consented to the publication of Watchman. It's unclear as yet what will come of the investigation, but a source close to the probe told the Times that Ms. Lee "appeared capable of understanding questions" and "provided cogent answers to investigators." Lee suffered a stroke in 2007 and many close to her believe her lawyer and publisher have taken advantage of Lee in her old age and pressured her to release the book, which Lee wrote and set aside more than fifty years ago. "One faction," the New York Times writes, "argues that Ms. Lees mental health is too shaky for her to have knowingly authorized the new book, while the other just as vigorously affirms her competence." Lee's publisher, lawyer and literary agent claim the author has enthusiastically endorsed the publication. A spokeswoman for Lee's publisher HarperCollins said the company has yet to be contacted by investigators.
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Here's your look at highlights from the weekly AP photo report, a gallery featuring a mix of front-page photography, the odd image you might have missed and lasting moments our editors think you should see. India Holi festival A Hindu woman devotee lifts her veil as she stands drenched in colored water during "Huranga," celebrated as part of Holi, the Hindu festival of colors, at the Baldev Temple in Dauji, 113 miles south of New Delhi, India, Saturday, March 7, 2015. Iditarod Sled Dog Race Norwegian musher Joar Liefseth Ulsom feeds his dogs in the Tanana, Alaska checkpoint during the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Tuesday, March 10, 2015. Chad Central African Republic Ami and Ashbu, both three-years-old, walk arm in arm in the Zafaye refugee camp, some 10 miles from downtown N'djamena, Chad, Wednesday March 11, 2015. Pope Francis Pope Francis kisses a baby as he arrives for his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square, at the Vatican, Wednesday, March 11, 2015. Mideast Yemen Supporters of Ahmed Ali Abdullah Saleh, the son of former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, gather at the Monument of the Unknown Soldier during a demonstration demanding presidential elections be held and the younger Saleh run for the office, in Sanaa, Yemen, Tuesday, March 10, 2015. Myanmar protest crackdown A police officer beats a student protester in Letpadan, 90 miles north of Yangon, Myanmar, Tuesday March 10, 2015. Reds-Royals spring baseball Cincinnati Reds' Brennan Boesch is reflected in manager Bryan Price's sunglasses as he warms up on deck during the second inning of a spring training baseball game against the Kansas City Royals Saturday, March 7, 2015, in Surprise, Ariz. South Africa daily life A man watches the sun set in as he overlooks the skyline in Johannesburg, South Africa, Tuesday, March. 10, 2015. Paris fashion week Model Cara Delevingne, center, wears a creation for Chanel's ready-to-wear fall-winter 2015-2016 fashion collection while German fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld, behind right, walks past, during the Paris fashion week, in Paris, France, Tuesday, March 10, 2015. Selma 50th anniversary A Marine salutes Air Force One as it departs with President Barack Obama and the first family on board Saturday, March 7, 2015, in Montgomery, Ala.
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Pink Panthers, an international network of jewelry thieves, are credited with pulling off jewel heists so elaborate criminologists are in awe. Could they be behind the most recent Paris theft? Early Wednesday morning, 15 armed assailants stole $9.5 million worth of jewels from two vans on France's A6 autoroute, near Auxerre. The thieves forced the drivers out of their vans, which they used to drive away with their haul. According to CNN, the vans were stopped at a tollbooth when the thieves used a gas to subdue the four drivers. No shots were fired and no one was injured in the robbery, according to police officials. The two vans, stripped of all valuables, and four getaway cars were found torched in the forest not far from the site of the attack. The drivers are being held for questioning by the Central Office for the Fight against Organized Crime, which is leading the investigation. The national police force are currently using an aircraft to search the Yonne region in Burgundy for the thieves and searching the scene for remaining forensic evidence. This incident is the latest in a series of large jewel heists in France over the last few years, including one in November 2014 on the touristy Champs-Élysées Avenue in Paris, and two at the Cannes Film Festival in 2013. Each time there is a major jewelry theft in Europe, Pink Panthers, an international jewel thief network that has pulled off some of the most audacious and glamorous heists in history, are the first suspects. Interpol has credited the gang with stealing over $348 million from a several different heists in Europe, Japan, and Dubai since 1999. Several news sources have suggested that Pink Panthers could be behind this most recent theft. But Alain Bauer, a professor of criminology at the National Conservatory for Arts and Crafts in Paris, said that Wednesday's heist doesn't fit the pattern of Pink Panther gang attacks because "they don't usually attack trucks." With about five or six heists per year, France is actually experiencing a drop in jewelry thefts. "That's actually low, historically. Ten or 20 years ago, we had two or three times more," Bauer said. He accredits the decrease to the French authorities commitment to dismantling jewelry thief networks in France, many jewelry thieves now come from the Balkans and eastern Europe. Just last month, eight people were convicted for being connected to the 2008 robbery at the Harry Winston boutique in Paris when three gunmen dressed up as women stole $92 million. This article was written by Rowena Lindsay from Christian Science Monitor and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network.
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Investing in dividend-paying stocks is a smart way to build lasting wealth. However, as seasoned investors know: Not all dividend stocks are created equal. The trick isn't finding stocks with the highest dividend yields, but rather investing in companies with reliable payouts that don't run the risk of cutting their dividends down the road. Below, three Motley Fool contributors explain why Nokia , CenturyLink , and Windstream could slash their dividends in 2015. Dan Caplinger (CenturyLink): The telecommunications sector has always been a hotbed for high dividend yields, and over the years, rural telecoms have done an especially good job of rewarding their shareholders. Yet one high-yielding telecom stock, CenturyLink, has the potential for cutting its dividend for a second time, and while that might not be bad news for long-term investors, those who are seeking current income could be in for disappointment. In early 2013, CenturyLink made a move that crushed income investors, cutting its dividend by roughly 25%. Yet unlike some of its rural telecom peers, CenturyLink's dividend cut wasn't out of necessity but rather from a conscious decision to shift some of its capital allocation strategy away from dividends toward more productive uses of cash. Reducing its payout wasn't popular among those who rely on portfolio income, but it nevertheless gave the company greater flexibility to pursue different strategic options. With poor earnings results to start out 2015 and questionable forward guidance, CenturyLink might face pressure to reduce its dividend one more time. Still, with CenturyLink's valuation at relatively low levels even for the telecom industry, even a dividend cut might not be enough to make the stock any less attractive than it is right now -- at least to those who don't rely on quarterly dividend checks being as large possible. Anders Bylund (Nokia): Finnish telecom infrastructure specialist Nokia is almost guaranteed to cut its dividend payouts within the next couple of years -- again. This 2% yield is not built to last. Don't take my prediction as an insult to Nokia or its investors. There's nothing fundamentally wrong with the company, its chosen target market, or the global telecom environment as a whole. It's just that the company's board of directors isn't interested in protecting or raising dividends no matter what. Instead, the company keeps a light hand on its dividend policy , ready to divert dividend-earmarked funds into other projects as needed. This is not news. Longtime Nokia investors have seen this before, and are unlikely to panic when it happens. Committing to ceaseless dividend increases year after year tends to add a Dividend Aristocrat premium to share prices. Nokia isn't aiming for this, or even pretending to. This attitude is more widespread in Europe than in America. Hence, companies can qualify for S&P's European Dividend Aristocrat index by raising payouts for 10 years. The American version sets the bar much higher, at 25 years. The frequent dividend cuts you see in the chart below may look like a series of disasters from an American point of view, in stark contrast to the small but relentless increases an American telecom like AT&T will deliver. But it's actually standard operating procedure in Europe. So yes, Nokia will almost certainly slash its dividend again -- and that's perfectly fine. Just make sure to adjust your expectations for this stock accordingly. Tamara Walsh (Windstream) : Income investors love rural telecommunications company Windstream for its sky high dividend yield, which currently clocks in at more than 13%. Not only is that the largest yield of any company in the telecom sector, but also it's markedly above the S&P 500 average dividend yield of just 2.02%. On the surface, this seems like an easy way to earn a great return on your investment dollars. However, a closer look reveals that Windstream may be forced to cut its dividend. For starters, Windstream paid out more in dividends last year than it earned. The company, for example, paid $1 per share in dividends in 2013, yet only generated full-year earnings of $0.35 per share. Common sense tells us this is not something that can be maintained over the long-term. To be fair, Windstream's ability to generate free cash flow in recent years has helped the company pay down debt and kept its dividend afloat up to this point. That said, there isn't much cash left over for Windstream to adequately invest in its business, and with mounting competition from cable companies now offering phone services, Windstream may need to ramp up CapEx going forward. By increasing its CapEx, Windstream would likely be forced to slash its dividend. The company's weak balance sheet is another reason for concern. In addition to being one of the most debt-ridden companies in the telecommunications services industry, Windstream's current operating profit and assets are not enough to offset its ongoing debt obligations. Analysts now expect Windstream to generate a loss of $0.02 per share in fiscal year 2015, down from earnings of $0.06 per share a year ago. As a result, shareholders shouldn't be surprised when Windstream is forced to follow in fellow telecom giants Frontier and CenturyLink's footsteps and slash its dividend. The article 3 Companies That Could Slash Their Dividends originally appeared on Fool.com. Anders Bylund has no position in any stocks mentioned. Dan Caplinger has no position in any stocks mentioned. Tamara Rutter has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy . Copyright © 1995 - 2015 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy .
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Lumber Liquidators (LL) is standing by its products saying they are 'safe.' The hardwood flooring retailer hosted a call to calm customers and investors. The company defended claims from CBS's '60 Minutes' (CBS) report alleging its flooring sourced from China had dangerous levels of a cancer-causing substance. Some highlights from the call include free indoor air quality tests for qualifying customers. Lumber liquidators said sales dropped about 7.5% in the nine days after the show aired compared to the same period in 2014. And its PR machine is revving up. The company is planning to boost spending in marketing and adjust its retail prices. CEO Rob Lynch also responded to what he's calling an attack from people with their own financial agenda. The stock has recovered from being nearly sliced in half since the 60 minutes report, which was prompted by hedge fund manager Whitney Tilson. Tilson tells TheStreet, he has no intention of changing his short position.
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Tinder has been making waves the past month with the introduction of Tinder Plus, a premium tier of the service that adds extra features like the ability to rewind a left swipe or search for potential matches in a different city. However, Tinder Plus also brings a new "right swipe limiter" into the mix, as users who swipe right too much or too often in a 12 hour period will run out of likes unless they upgrade to Tinder Plus (which is between $9.99 and $19.99/month, depending on age). As you might expect, some users who are running into the right swipe limiter (internally called Bouncer) are outraged by the change. Some people have grown accustomed to using Tinder in a specific way. According to a blog post from Tinder, the company has seen "a small number of users who only swipe right just to see who likes them back." They won't say what percentage of users have displayed this behavior, or how that percentage has decreased or increased over time. But the company indicates that the right swipe limiter is working. "When you get as big as Tinder, with as many different types of users, we're bound to make decisions that will disappoint a certain amount of edge-case users," said Tinder CEO Sean Rad in an interview with TechCrunch. "But we make them for the greater good of the community as a whole." All Right Everything You know this person. The one who swipes right on everybody just to examine people who liked them and then unmatch the ones they're not interested in. In fact, a Glossary of Tinder terms in The Awl gave this user a name back in 2013: The Indiscriminate Narcissist. This is the behavior that Tinder would like to 'correct'. But this behavior is bigger than Tinder. Though the dating app lists under the Lifestyle section instead of the Social section of the App Store, I think the generation of users that are active on Tinder see it as yet another social network built for dating, like Twitter is with public sharing or Facebook is with keeping track of friends or Instagram is for sharing photos. The list goes on and on, and in each case down the list, the user expects more. We want more followers, friends, likes, snaps, taps, and everything in between. More. The Bad News "Just like Dunbar's Rule, there is a Tinder rule," said Rad. "You can only maintain so many relationships at any given time, and that holds true on Tinder in its own way. If you go past a certain point with the amount of people you swipe right on, there is a diminishing return on every match." Tinder, then, is faced with the challenge of maintaining the value of a match while offering a product that inherently begs the user to do more . After all, isn't Tinder a game as much as it is a messenger or a platform to meet new people? I've heard of impromptu Tinder parties, where a group of friends gather around a screen and vote collectively on swiping left or right. I, myself, have had people hand over their phone "swipe for me for a while," they say as though the act of judging other humans, with another human, is a cherished pasttime. And if we put anecdotal behavior stuff aside, we can point to the obvious truth: The actual design of Tinder is based around a deck of cards. Can't get much more gamified than that. Users want to swipe more because that is the game of Tinder, but the match is the equivalent of a turbo-charged Like on another social network. It's not just a friend giving you a hat-tip on your photo or some random follower favoriting your tweet. It's someone who might actually like you. Someone who may potentially want to have sex with you. The stakes are raised, and so is the reward. Sure, it saves time to swipe right on everyone, narrow down your choices to people who have already stated their intentions by swiping right on you, and clear out the rest. It's a lower stakes game. You know everyone who is interested in you, and the ball is entirely in your court. But when you know you'll get rid of 90 percent of your matches after doing this, the match itself ceases to matter all that much. What's worse, the Indiscriminate Narcissist is not only bringing down the value of a match for themselves, but they are bringing down the value of a match for every person they get paired with. The Good News People are going to be upset when they hit their like limit, that's a given. But Tinder says it's seeing positive results thus far. Ten days into launch, Tinder is seeing a 25 percent increase in the number of matches per right swipe, and a 25 percent increase in the number of messages per match. Plus, spam bots, Bouncer's primary target, have decreased more than 50 percent since launch. "We made unlimited likes a paid feature because it would be a big enough barrier to entry for spam bots to cut out that usage, but we still want our users to have the freedom to use Tinder in whatever way they want," said Rad. "It's a platform at the end of the day." Plus, the app just introduced new reporting features that give users more control over the process of giving feedback. For example, users can report bad offline behavior after meeting up with someone (who might have been a jerk). The reporting process lets user report the reason each time they unmatch or report another user, which Tinder then uses to notify the offending party, giving people the chance to correct their behavior before getting booted from the app entirely. Tinder has created an ecosystem that is nearly ubiquitous. There are more dating apps out there than I can count (I've covered lots of them) and none have the same reach and engagement as Tinder. And that's where it's success comes from. "What makes us different is not a set of features," said Rad of competition. "We have a community. There are a bunch of awesome bars and restaurants in Los Angeles, but each night there are only one or two hotspots. And that's determined by the crowd of people there. The community. What we're doing is trying to protect the integrity of our community." But balancing growth, not only in users but in user engagement, with maintaining a certain level of quality for every match, message, etc. is a difficult line to walk. At some point, Facebook stopped being the place where the cool college kids hung out and it started being the place where your aunt posts pictures of her barbecue (plus advertisements). Burning Ahead Tinder has yet to actually introduce advertisements, though sources say it will arrive within the next six weeks. Just as people overreacted to the launch of Tinder Plus (and Facebook ads, and Twitter ads, and Instagram ads), they will hoot and holler about Tinder advertisements. But if the service remains effective, people will get over that. The greater problem is growth. Moreso than a flexible income, Tinder jacks up the price of 30 or older users because the success of many social networks is dependent not necessarily on the size of the crowd, but the density at which a certain demographic engages with the service. Rad calls it "protecting the integrity of the community," but we can be more blunt about it than he can. Tinder is more successful when it is filled with attractive single people, and generally speaking, the younger you are the more likely you are to be a potential Tinder user. There is an undercurrent of exclusion there that may make some people uncomfortable, but it's par for the course in many dating apps. The League, for instance, proudly advertises that it's just for the 'rich, pretty people'. Tinder doesn't exclude those in their dotage, but it does charge them more, creating an artificial limit on people outside of their most desired demo. So yes, hitting a paywall after furiously swiping right all evening kind of sucks. And yes, advertisements on Tinder will invariably suck. But that will fade with a nearly endless, free stream of attractive people just a few swipes away. When the "It's A Match" notification gives you that extra hit of dopamine. And all the while, Tinder is not only growing its future advertising revenue with its massive userbase, but it is simultaneously limiting that growth with a premium tier. Rad said that keeping that balance is something that has taken a lot of time, a lot of data, and a clear sense of what Tinder wants to be in the future. "You have to build for the future, and when we think about what we want to be, it's bigger than the Tinder you see today," said Rad. "What Google did for search, we want to do for meeting new people. Everywhere. In every vertical."
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As he has worked assiduously over the last couple of years to refurbish his image ahead of a likely 2016 presidential bid, Rick Perry has not been shy about soliciting advice on international affairs from a variety of sources. Following an appearance in New Hampshire on Thursday morning, the former Texas governor singled out one Republican senator whose input he has been particularly interested in seeking. Perry had just finished an appearance at a "Politics and Eggs" breakfast at Saint Anselm College's New Hampshire Institute of Politics-a must-visit stop for any White House hopeful-when he was asked to sign a poster board that previous speakers this year had inked. Among them were Ohio Sen. Rob Portman, former New York Gov. George Pataki and South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham. With his microphone still hot, C-SPAN 2 captured what Perry said next about Graham, who also is considering a presidential run. "Lindsey is by buddy," Perry said as he signed the board. "I am a big Lindsey Graham fan. I think he is one of the most knowledgeable people we have on foreign policy, and we need to listen to him. He is a very, very bright Republican senator. He's carved out his niche, and it is foreign policy." Perry told Steven DiSalvo, Saint Anselm's president, that he had recently sought Graham's perspective on one particular international hotspot. "I talked to him night before last and just picking his brain a little bit about what's going on in Ukraine, in particular," Perry said. "Putin is a dangerous guy. And this strategy of kind of strategic patience with him I don't think is wise. Because the theory is that, well, with oil prices being in the tank and he's got all of these economic problems, and we'll just outlast him and he'll collapse. You've got to remember the '90s and how bad it got in Russia. It's not anywhere near as bad as that now because he's got like $386 billion in reserves." Perry continued that he favored arming the Ukrainian military with "lethal weapons" and taking steps to remove Putin's "Swiss banking ability."
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Jeremy Clarkson has been suspended by the BBC for allegedly getting into a fight with a producer of the award-winning car show "Top Gear." It's the latest in a series of controversies related to Clarkson, who has hosted the wildly popular program for over a decade. This reminds us the last time Clarkson & Co. ran into a bit of bother and were forced to flee from a shooting location in Argentina by an angry mob last year. "Top Gear" and its three hosts Clarkson, James May, and Richard Hammond were filming the show's annual Christmas Special episode in the southern Argentine region of Tiera Del Fuego when the license plate on a car driven by Clarkson caused locals to take offense. The blue Porsche 928's plates which read "H982 FKL" were reportedly seen as a reference to the 1982 Falkland conflict between Great Britain and Argentina. (The progam later explained that the car came with the plates and that no bellicose references were intended.) According to the Daily Telegraph , the angry mob confronted the BBC crew at its hotel in the town of Ushuaia. During the confrontation, the show's hosts concealed themselves "under a researcher's mattress." After the initial confrontation, the hosts and the female members of the crew were ushered onto a chartered plane and flown to safety in Buenos Aires. However, 29 members of the "Top Gear" crew stayed behind and were forced to escape the mob by driving the convoy of production vehicles to safety in nearby Chile. Reports on the size of the mob varied widely. Along the way, the convoy and its police escort were met by roadside crowds hurtling rocks and profanity at the cars. The Falklands War is a particularly touchy subject for Ushuaia. The port city was the last port for the Argentine battle cruiser General Belgrano before it was sunk by British torpedo's during the conflict taking the lives of more than 300 sailors. Controversy over the sinking of the warship and ownership of the Falklands Islands lingers, more than 30 years later. Clarkson later confirmed on Twitter that all of the crew had made it out of Argentina. However,the "star cars" driven by the hosts were left behind in South America. The outspoken host and prolific newspaper columnist took to Twitter to explain the incident: All TG crew now safely out of Argentina. I just got back to UK. Horrified to see so many newspapers have the story completely wrong. Jeremy Clarkson (@JeremyClarkson) October 4, 2014 The number plate WAS a coincidence. When it was pointed out to us, we changed it. As pics in this morning's Mail show. Jeremy Clarkson (@JeremyClarkson) October 4, 2014 This was not a jolly jape that went awry. For once, we did nothing wrong. Jeremy Clarkson (@JeremyClarkson) October 4, 2014 My profound thanks to all the people who helped. And to the sensible Argentinians who have apologised. Jeremy Clarkson (@JeremyClarkson) October 4, 2014 This is my car on its last day in Argentina. Note the plates that everyone says caused offence. pic.twitter.com/mCfncbMa6F Jeremy Clarkson (@JeremyClarkson) October 4, 2014 As everyone is now finding out after Clarkson's latest dustup, the automotive program and its bombastic lead host are no strangers to controversy. Last year, the host was accused of using a racial epithet in a crass joke during an episode set in Myanmar . Over the past decade, "Top Gear" has drawn criticism from numerous groups ranging from truck drivers to Mexicans . Take a look at a video of the Argentine mob as it confronts the "Top Gear" convoy: NOW WATCH: The New Mercedes Driverless Car Even Has The Driver's Seat Facing Away From The Road
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Paris Saint-Germain captain Thiago Silva has accused Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho of showing his side a lack of respect. Mourinho criticized an "aggressive" PSG in the buildup to Wednesday's UEFA Champions League last-16 second leg. But Silva and his team-mates had the last laugh, as the defender's header deep into extra time earned a 2-2 draw and qualification via the away goals rule, despite Zlatan Ibrahimovic's red card after half an hour. "I think Mourinho did not have enough respect for us," Silva told Canal Plus. "This goal is not personal revenge, even if there are people [who] have talked a lot, saying they [Chelsea] were happy to face Paris."
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REPORTING FROM WASHINGTON - The Federal Communications Commission on Thursday publicly released the details of its new net neutrality regulations, which now will be pored over by broadband Internet service providers as they prepare for an expected legal challenge to the rules. The 400-page order enacting the regulations was posted on the FCC's website two weeks after it was approved on a partisan 3-2 vote by the Democratic-controlled commission. The rules, crafted by FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, change the legal classification of wired and wireless broadband, treating it as a more highly regulated telecommunications service in an attempt to ensure that providers don't discriminate against any legal content flowing through their networks to consumers. The decision to reclassify broadband under Title 2 of the telecommunications law, which has applied to conventional telephone service, was controversial even though Wheeler promised a light, modernized approach. The FCC's action was strongly opposed by AT&T Inc., Verizon Communications Inc., and other broadband providers as well as most Republicans. AT&T hinted at a likely legal challenge of the regulations Thursday. "Unfortunately, the order released today begins a period of uncertainty that will damage broadband investment in the United States," said Jim Cicconi, the company's senior executive vice president of external and legislative affairs. "Ultimately, though, we are confident the issue will be resolved by bipartisan action by Congress or a future FCC, or by the courts," he said. Matt Wood, policy director of Free Press, a digital rights group that strongly supported tough net neutrality rules, said release of the order would end "fear-mongering" by opponents of the FCC's action. "Now that Congress and everyone else can read the rules, we can continue to have a debate about protecting free speech on the Internet," he said. "But we can dismiss the ridiculous claims from the phone and cable companies and their fear-mongering mouthpieces," he said. "This is not a government takeover of the Internet or an onerous utility-style regulation." The actual new regulations take up just eight pages in the FCC's order. The main provisions prohibit broadband providers from blocking or slowing delivery of any lawful content for any reason other than "reasonable network management" and ban so-called paid prioritization, which would involve offering websites faster delivery of their content to consumers for a price. The FCC could waive the ban on paid prioritization if a broadband provider or company could demonstrate it "would provide some significant public interest benefit and would not harm the open nature of the Internet." Most of the order was an explanation of the new regulations and the reasons for enacting them in hopes of withstanding a court challenge. Two previous FCC attempts to enact net neutrality rules were largely overturned by federal judges. The last 87 pages of the order are statements from the five commissioners, including a 64-page dissent from Republican Commissioner Ajit Pai. Pai and the agency's other Republican commissioner, Michael O'Rielly, as well as key GOP members of Congress, unsuccessfully pushed Wheeler to release the entire proposal before the Feb. 26 vote. But Wheeler did not, noting it was longstanding agency practice not to release draft proposals until they were approved by the commission. In the two weeks since the vote, agency lawyers have been preparing the final version of the order. It now will be published in the Federal Register in the next few weeks. Most of the rules will go into effect 60 days after that publication. For breaking economic news, follow @JimPuzzanghera on Twitter
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Paris Saint-Germain striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic will be banned for the first leg of the club's Champions League quarterfinal after UEFA confirmed the team cannot appeal his red card against Chelsea. Ibrahimovic was sent off in the 31st minute of PSG's dramatic 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday, which sent the Ligue 1 champions into the last eight on away goals. The decision appeared harsh on Ibrahimovic, who was dismissed for a foul on Chelsea midfielder Oscar when challenging for a 50-50 ball. PSG went on to produce a superb performance with 10 men to progress against the odds after extra time, with Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho calling for Ibrahimovic's red card to be rescinded in the aftermath. But a UEFA spokesman told Perform: "According to the regulations, a red card means automatically at least a one-match ban. The UEFA Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body will meet on March 19 to deal with this case. In other words, they will take a decision on whether the player is suspended only for one match or more." UEFA added that, under its regulations, a team has no right to appeal aside from a case in which a referee has made an obvious error, such as mistaking the identity of the offending player.
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sports
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A public health epidemic of loneliness may be afoot. A new study from Brigham Young University has found loneliness and social isolation can predict early death similar to the risks predicted by obesity. Thirty years ago, the issue of obesity was still in its infancy. America was indeed getting fatter, but the extent to which our health was declining earned little attention. Now the obesity epidemic sits front-and-center, as more than a third of the country is obese and more than two-thirds is overweight. Unfortunately, with much of the spotlight on physical health, mental health continues to suffer largely in the dark. How we socialize, or choose not to, seems to play a deciding role, says BYU psychology researcher and co-author of the study, Tim Smith. "Not only are we at the highest recorded rate of living alone across the entire century, but we're at the highest recorded rates ever on the planet," Smith said in a statement . As communication goes global, the means by which we connect to people even those who are within walking distance are making a digital migration. Conversation is changing, and sometimes going away for good. According to Smith and his colleagues, this trend is dangerous. Looking at 70 different studies with more than three million people included in the total sample, they found loneliness increased a person's risk of death by 26 percent, social isolation by 29 percent, and living alone by 32 percent. These risks are in line with more well-established causes of death, including obesity, substance abuse, lack of immunization, mental health disorders, and violence or injury, as outlined by the Department of Health and Human Services. Interestingly, the risks were greatest among people younger than 65 years old. To the researchers, this implied a deepening disengagement with the social world. "With loneliness on the rise," Smith said, "we are predicting a possible loneliness epidemic in the future." Can't Buy Me Love Social connections are increasingly winning praise as not just a perk of healthy lifestyles, but as a cause of them. Intuitively, many of us already know this. Friends and family help bring out an energy that we can't tap into on our own. We may prefer to be alone in order to reconcile our thoughts and emotions, but when it comes to feelings of belonging and compassion, a loved one's affection has no peers. To explain these bonds, science turns to the hormone oxytocin. It gets secreted when we have sex, give hugs, and feed our babies. Its role in promoting intimacy frequently earns it the nickname, the "love hormone," but don't mistake a cute moniker for expendability. The World Health Organization recognizes oxytocin as of its Essential Medicines for maintaining basic health. Without it, we not only shy away from intimacy; we may also turn aggressive . We also keep our health for longer. Oxytocin helps us maintain the social connections that preserve our vitality as we age. Having people around boosts our sense of well-being and instills in us a sense of optimism, which we may then apply to other aspects of our lives in a virtuous feedback loop. "In essence," Smith said, "the study is saying the more positive psychology we have in our world, the better we're able to function not just emotionally but physically." Affluent countries carry the highest rates of solitary living since the census began tracking that behavior, the researchers point out. Left to themselves, people turn to electronic communication as their primary source of contact with much of the outside world. By 2030, some predict , loneliness will reach epidemic proportions. "Although living alone can offer conveniences and advantages for an individual, this meta-analysis indicates that physical health is not among them, particularly for adults younger than 65 years of age," the authors wrote. In other words, while the richest countries in the world may be able to afford to continue living in isolation, their health cannot. Source: Holt-Lunstad R, Smith T, Baker M, Harris T, Stephenson D. Loneliness and Social Isolation as Risk Factors for Mortality: A Meta-Analytic Review. Perspectives on Psychological Science . 2015.
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health
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PARIS Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras insisted Thursday that his government will pay debts that are due soon, even if Athens doesn't get part of a rescue loan that will only get released if current bailout talks are successful. While in the French capital to drum up support for his government's reform plans, Tsipras said, "It is certain that Greece will meet its obligations." Still, he urged quick disbursement of part of a 7.2-billion-euro ($7.6 billion) rescue loan installment to prove to Greeks that international creditors are taking the new radical left government's concerns seriously. Technical talks between Greece and its creditors began in Brussels on Wednesday to finalize reforms that Athens must implement in order to get the remaining funds from its bailout package released. Without the money, Greece will have difficulties paying off debts that are due, raising the risk of bankruptcy and a potential exit from the euro currency. Since 2010, Greece has depended on 240 billion euros worth of bailout cash to meet its debt obligations. Greece's creditors in the 19-country eurozone agreed last month to extend the country's bailout until June. However, the release of the final tranche of cash will only be sanctioned if the Greek government's reform plans are approved. Building confidence over the government's plans was the main reason why Tsipras was in Paris. He signed an accord with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development for cooperation on the reforms. The Greek government has listed a series of reforms it intends to push through over coming months, with many aimed at tackling tax avoidance and evasion. Tsipras said the OECD will put "its stamp on the reforms," which will be "very significant to build mutual trust" with Greece's creditors. Greece and the OECD pledged to work together on strengthening the tax system, tackling oligopolies and cartels, and reducing the administrative burden to business. A fact-finding team from Greece's creditors was in Athens on Thursday to discuss macroeconomic and fiscal issues. A separate team is due next week to focus on banking and structural reforms. But amid resentment over past creditors' on-site austerity inspections, government spokesman Gavriil Sakellaridis insisted that the visiting teams wouldn't be allowed into ministry buildings. Instead, the data will be handed over in another location. ___ Nicholas Paphitis in Athens contributed to this report.
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finance
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The Tampa Bay Lightning's efforts to win the Atlantic Division and possibly earn home ice in the playoffs hit a road block Thursday when it was announced that three players would miss time because of injuries. The Lightning will be without Braydon Coburn (four to six weeks), Ondrej Palat (two to three weeks) and Cedric Paquette (10 to 14 days). Coburn and Palat are dealing with lower-body injuries, while Paquette has one to his upper body. The Lightning are one point behind the Montreal Canadiens for the top spot in the division, and one away from being tied for the best record in the NHL. J.T. Brown, who had missed several games because of an upper-body injury, will return to the lineup. Mike Angelidis has also been summoned from the American Hockey League as an emergency recall so the Lightning would have enough forwards to play the Boston Bruins tonight. General manager Steve Yzerman told reporters that he believes defenseman Matt Carle could return to the lineup Saturday, though Nikita Nesterov will draw back into the lineup now. Coburn was acquired by the Lightning at the trade deadline in order to bolster a defense that was already deep. He has two assists in four games, while averaging close to 17 minutes of ice time. Palat's absence could be tougher to swallow. The 23-year-old has 15 goals and 52 points, and is seventh in the league with 2.91 points per 60 minutes at five-on-five play. Tyler Johnson, Nikita Kucherov and Palat have formed one of the more dynamic second lines in the game. Paquette has 12 goals and 19 points this season, while playing in a bottom-six role.
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sports
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