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Rapper 50 Cent will be back in court in June defending his decision to put a young Florida woman's naked image on YouTube, where it got 3.2 million viewers. Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Paul Wooten told lawyers for the busy singer, whose real name is Curtis James Jackson III, that he couldn't juggle everybody's schedule and accommodate his request for a trial in October. Instead, jury selection will start May 26 and the two-week trial will follow that. Both Jackson and his accuser, Lastonia Leviston, are expected to take the stand. Leviston, a Florida resident, sued Jackson for emotional distress in 2010 after he posted a video of her having sex with a former boyfriend, Maurice Murray. According to court papers, Murray gave Jackson the tape in 2009 after Jackson, 39, recognized Leviston as former girlfriend of the rapper's rival, Rick Ross. She is also the mother of Ross' child. Before posting the tape on the Internet, Jackson altered the tape, inserting himself into it. He blurred Murray's face but not Leviston's and she says the mental and emotional distress almost caused her to commit suicide. Thursday, lawyers for both sides asked Wooten to bar jurors from hearing some evidence they've uncovered in the discovery process leading up to the trial, including emails and other items exchanged by the parties. For example, Leviston's lawyers wanted to scratch statements by Jackson who said in a deposition that Murray told him Leviston was "a freak" who would "do anything sexually"; that she made several tapes with Murray; and that "she doesn't mind" if Murray shared the tapes with Jackson. The judge said he would decide shortly which evidence to eliminate and whether to grant Jackson's motion to seal the papers where the salacious material was discussed fully.
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The sculptor who has crafted a statue of Mahatma Gandhi for London's Parliament Square gives the BBC a sneak preview.
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The FBI's vault of historic and rare guns features weapons used by John Dillinger, Pretty Boy Floyd and other famous gangsters. It also holds is a key component in solving crimes
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Antti Niemi shut out the Predators for the second time this season, as he helped the Sharks to a 2-0 win. It's his 32nd career shutout.
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Amber Rose Amber Rose doesn't have the time to "stress" over Twitter feuds. The outspoken rapper - who publicly fought with Khloe Kardashian on the microblogging site recently - isn't "crying" about the argument, her assistant Benji Carlisle revealed. He shared: "She's not crying; she's not punching holes in the walls. "We really don't have time to stress or be sad or be mad because tomorrow, the next day, we have to work, we have meetings, we have a brand." And whilst Benji does help the 31-year-old model with various things, he isn't in control of her social media accounts. He added: "She's in control of her own social media. But I would say I'm the cheerleader of the group. "She never thinks about the reactions [when she tweets either]. It's never premeditated, it's never scheduled, we don't have meetings, it's not like, 'Oh, let's do this.'" One of Benji's self-proclaimed roles is "encouraging" Amber to show off her body by posting photos on Instagram. He told Cosmopolitan.com, "I was like, 'Miss Rose, baby, you can't just go tan in that, you definitely have to take a picture.' She's like, 'Really? In this?' I'm like, 'Yes. Miss Rose, just trust me. Let me take a couple pictures. You don't even have to post them, this is just for you because you look so good right now.' "I'm always encouraging... I'm usually the mastermind behind all - I can't say all the pictures - but I'm usually the mastermind behind the photos or videos that get controversy."
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KANSAS CITY, Mo. When Monte Morris' game-winning, buzzer-beating jump shot fell through the net Thursday night, Rick Barnes stood motionless near the Texas bench. The 17th-year Texas coach offered no visceral reaction to the dagger of a shot that gave No. 15 Iowa State a 69-67 victory in the Big 12 tournament quarterfinals and triggered the start of an anxious period of uncertainty for his program. Will Texas (20-13) be one of the final at-large teams selected for the NCAA tournament? The Longhorns' final statement to the selection committee was an inspired effort that ended by squandering a 10-point advantage with 3:56 to play. The broader question is whether Barnes will be retained for an 18th season regardless of what the NCAA tournament selection committee decides Sunday. A season that began with Final Four aspirations was undermined by injuries and widespread inconsistencies. A wider snapshot of the program reveals a team that has reached the NCAA tournament in 15 of 16 seasons under Barnes but has not made the Sweet 16 since 2008. When asked if missing the NCAA tournament two out of three years would be a major blow to the program, Barnes said, "No, no, no. I don't believe that. If you go back and follow college basketball, there aren't many programs that can say 15 out of 17 (years) … We all look around at college basketball, the parity in it today. There's no given." Barnes entered the season with a roster full of players who helped lead a Texas resurgence last season. Add heralded freshman Myles Turner and it looked like the Longhorns could pose a serious challenge to Kansas in the Big 12. Then adversity: Martez Walker was dismissed from the program. Point guard Isaiah Taylor missed 10 games with a broken wrist. Guard Javan Felix and Jonathan Holmes missed games because of concussions. And Barnes had to recalibrate on the fly during an arduous schedule in the nation's toughest league. "It has been a grind, all year for everybody," Barnes said. "This league is a great league … It's been tough, been tough on everybody just wanting to play well." Barnes finally saw his team beginning to find its rhythm and cohesiveness before the Feb. 24 game at West Virginia, which Texas lost, 71-64. Then came a narrow defeat to Kansas in Lawrence and critical home victories against Baylor and Kansas State. And for 35 minutes against Iowa State, Texas played the best basketball of its season. Then Iowa State's full-court pressure frazzled the Longhorns and the Cyclones had just enough during a frenetic four-minute scramble to eke out a victory. After leading 67-57 with 3:56 to play, Texas did not score again. The Longhorns had a chance to take the final shot of a tie game in regulation, but Felix shot an open three-pointer with about 9 seconds left and missed. Iowa State grabbed the rebound and called a timeout, which set the stage for Morris' fade-away heroics from 17 feet away. "Still not sure how we won it," Iowa State coach Fred Hoiberg said. The Sprint Center erupted after Morris' shot fell through the net. The atmosphere didn't feel exactly like Hilton Coliseum, but it wasn't far off. This was a road game for Texas. "I don't know how many teams in a conference tournament have to play in front of a home crowd," Barnes said. It would have been Texas' most impressive win of the season. It would have cemented an NCAA tournament berth. Now the Longhorns must lean on a flawed tournament résumé that includes a 3-12 record against top-50 teams in the RPI. They will be sweating it out this Sunday. But an at-large berth is still a possibility especially a slot in the First Four in Dayton if other results across the country break right for Texas the next three days. And Barnes would have no issues with a trip to Dayton. "We started in a play-in game here, or whatever you call it," he said of Texas needing to beat Texas Tech in the opening round of the Big 12 tournament. "History has proven that teams can do it." Barnes believes his team is good enough to "play and beat anybody in the country." When asked if his team could make a run to the Sweet 16, if invited to the tournament, Barnes went even further. "We could do it all," he said. "I believe that." Barnes' team may get a chance to find out. But regardless of whether or not Texas reaches the NCAA tournament, Barnes' future at Texas remains in question, even after Steve Patterson last summer extended Barnes' contract through 2018-19. The only certainty in Austin is uncertainty. There are no givens. As Barnes said, "We are where we are."
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Almost seven years ago, a troubled 11-year-old girl reported that she had been raped twice in her Northwest Washington neighborhood. Despite medical evidence of sexual assault, records show that no suspects were arrested and the cases were given only sporadic attention by the police . Instead, in the second case, the police had the girl, Danielle Hicks-Best, charged with filing a false report. After Danielle's family agreed to what her parents say was a poorly understood plea, she was convicted and made a ward of the court. She spent the next few years in and out of detention and secure treatment centers between episodes of running away. She never finished high school, had a baby at 15 and is struggling to move forward with her life. "After 11, she lost the rest of her childhood," said Danielle's mother, Veronica Best, who campaigned for years with her husband, Mayo, to get the police to focus on the assaults, contacting officers all the way up the chain to D.C. Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier and her deputy, Peter Newsham. Last fall, after inquiries from The Washington Post, the department launched new investigations into the cases and the way they were handled, according to the Bests and a law enforcement officer familiar with the matter. Danielle and her parents have spent years urging the police to charge the suspects and seeking an explanation for the way the criminal justice system treated an already disturbed young girl who was sexually assaulted. [ Photo gallery: When the system failed Danielle Hicks-Best ] At 11, Danielle had severe behavioral, academic and mental-health issues rooted in the drug exposure and physical abuse she suffered from her birth mother, a crack addict. The Bests, her adoptive parents, struggled to handle those issues, turning to but not always following the recommendations of the school and psychiatric communities. The couple and other supporters say the cases are complicated by Danielle's instability. But after Danielle reported the rapes, the police interviewed her in a manner that violated guidelines for handling child sexual assault cases, records and interviews show. They delayed analyzing DNA evidence and then analyzed only some of it. An officer misled her to get her to contradict her account, and then had her charged her with lying, according to police reports. And many officers treated her with extreme skepticism; in one internal e-mail, a lieutenant called her "promiscuous" and the "sex" consensual. Yet Danielle was just 11 years old, well under the age of consent, which is 16 in the District. The suspects in the police reports obtained by the Bests were described as being in their late teens or early 20s. The Bests say that after The Post approached the police, Lanier telephoned the family to apologize. Lanier would not confirm either the new investigations or the phone call, citing the confidentiality practices governing cases involving juveniles. But she said, "If there is a case that has not been handled properly, I think it's important that that victim or that family hear from the chief of police that we screwed up and we want to fix it." She added: "Obviously we cannot turn the clock back and fix things that have happened in the past. . . . The best I can offer the hypothetical victim from six or seven years ago . . . is to make sure if there were any investigative leads that were never followed or things that should have been done that they are done. It's never too late to try to correct things." The new investigations, confirmed by the law enforcement officer who is not authorized to speak on the record, have left the Bests with mixed emotions. "I was desperate for the police to do their job six years ago and get those guys off the street and away from Danielle," Veronica Best said. "It's hard not to be angry when she was the one locked up and labeled . . . a delinquent." 'Hard to listen to' Police documents say Danielle was charged with filing a false report because her recounting of the rapes shifted and she acknowledged lying about the identity of one of the abductors, who claimed the sex was consensual. Danielle said she cannot recall exactly what she told the police about the alleged abductor; experts say inconsistent accounts by rape victims are not uncommon but do not mean that rape did not occur. Furthermore, Danielle's age at the time of the assaults raises the question of why, when there were two medical reports detailing the sexual injuries she suffered, the police did not at least look into statutory rape charges. The Bests' is not the first criticism of the police department's handling of rape cases. Last year, the D.C. Council passed the Sexual Assault Victims' Rights Amendment Act, which gives victims the right to have a trained advocate present during police interviews and medical exams and provides for oversight of the department's handling of sexual assault cases, among other measures. Veronica Best testified during a public hearing on the legislation, which was introduced by then-Council member Tommy Wells. The family's story is "hard to listen to," Wells told The Post. "It's painful. And you think about the terror and bewilderment of the parents, who are trying to keep their child safe." This story is based on legal, medical, police and psychiatric documents provided by Veronica and Mayo Best, police records that Danielle Hicks-Best obtained through Freedom of Information Act requests, and interviews with police, the Bests, and experts in child psychiatry, juvenile justice and law enforcement. Veronica, 66, and Mayo, 69, live with Danielle, her twin brother, David, and her son, Levi, in a modest rambler in Temple Hills, Md. The dining room table is surrounded by boxes of documents related to Danielle's case, including a collage she created in therapy when she was 12 or 13. The word "water" represented when Danielle "got into hot water," she explained to a reporter. A picture of a derelict building portrayed "how I felt about the police as though everything was coming down on me like it was my fault." Danielle has an engaging smile and often sports flamboyant hairstyles and long, elaborately painted nails. She displays a tattoo of a pistol and the words "Boss Lady" on her chest warnings, she says, not to "mess with" her. "I walk through the streets with so much hatred, and I do not care anymore," she said. "I feel like everything's taken from me." Danielle says she is studying for her GED and that she would like "to become a lawyer or work with social services and help victims of sexual assault." At other times, she says she wants to leave her parents' home with 2 1 / 2 -year-old Levi but doesn't have a coherent plan. She argues frequently with her parents, then apologizes in calmer moments at which point they try to coax her to get back on medication for anxiety and depression and visit her therapist. Danielle hopes that speaking out will help her move forward, and others as well. "A lot of this same stuff happens to young girls and they just keep it within themselves, sometimes for a long time. But if you bottle it up, you don't get anywhere. If you can talk about it . . . people will understand better where you're coming from and maybe you can get some closure." Although The Washington Post usually does not identify rape victims, Danielle has chosen to go public. "I used to be very closed off about it all," she said, "but I'm not ashamed anymore." A bare mattress on the floor The first rape took place Saturday evening, April 19, 2008, Danielle said, not far from her house in the District's Columbia Heights neighborhood. Her parents had put her in a timeout for coming home late from a nearby playground. "I got angry," she said, "so I went out secretly." On the street, she ran into young men from the neighborhood hanging out, "like always." The family estimates their ages ranged from the late teens to early 20s. One of the young men started talking to Danielle, and "I walked with him, I wasn't forced," Danielle said. They walked to a house several blocks away. Danielle said the young man asked her to come inside to watch TV in what seemed to be a basement apartment. "I went in and I didn't like the vibe," she said. "I saw how dirty it was." Two other young men were there, and she thinks the man she walked in with left. The two who remained locked the door. She remembers a bare mattress on the floor and a gun beside it. She said both men raped her repeatedly overnight. On Sunday afternoon, another man burst in waving a flier, saying, "They are looking for her; she is missing," and the two young men ordered her to leave, she said. Danielle walked home in a daze and arrived disheveled. D.C. police had been summoned, and a female officer and Veronica Best found blood on the 11-year-old's underwear. Detective Kenneth Carter of the Youth Investigations Division retraced Danielle's steps with her. She said he took her back to the exterior of the house where the attack occurred "and I was scared." In Carter's report, obtained by Danielle through a FOIA request, the two suspects are described as "18-19 yrs. old" and one is called a "friend of a month and a half." Danielle recently said to a reporter that she did not recall telling the officers he was a "friend." In the report, Danielle gives a confusing description of the sexual assault, at one point saying she was thrown over a suspect's shoulder and carried up and down the neighborhood. Experts say that trauma often causes rape victims to give inconsistent accounts, which should not be used to determine credibility. They suggest that police investigators' initial interviews with young victims be brief and involve only minimal facts, with follow-up interviews conducted by specialists. The D.C. police signed a best-practices memorandum to that effect in 2003. Using specialists is especially important in the case of children who have suffered prior abuse, according to Cindy Bridgman, director of clinical services at Safe Shores, the D.C. Children's Advocacy Center. A child "who reports sexual assault and has a history of trauma should be taken as soon as possible after the incident to . . . a child-friendly setting to be interviewed by a trained forensic interviewer," she said. After speaking with Carter, Danielle was taken to Children's National Medical Center to be examined. In the medical report, a copy of which was obtained by the Best family, the doctor wrote that she had vaginal tears, cuts and scrapes. She had scars on her left leg and thigh from "burns when younger." "Patient, raped in vagina and anus by [name] and another male last night after leaving home in anger. One held her while the other raped her. Also oral sex . . . Rape kit specimens collected." The report includes a first name Danielle gave the doctor, but The Post is not reporting it because no one was charged. Over the next few days, Veronica, a retired hospital administrator, and Mayo, a retired letter carrier, waited for news of the investigation. When none was forthcoming, they said, they made calls to the Youth Investigations Division and went to the police station to try to speak to Carter, with no success. (Carter, who moved to the department's Internal Affairs Division last July, referred requests for comment to the D.C. police's media office, which declined to comment on a case involving a juvenile.) Danielle was an emotional mess, her parents say often crying or withdrawn, not eating or sleeping and they kept her home. The only exceptions were school and a visit to the District's Children's Advocacy Center. 'I was exhausted' On Monday evening, May 12, the Bests made a decision they said was a mistake: They let Danielle visit her uncle across the street. He sent the 11-year-old to the corner store. As Danielle passed an alley, she recalled to a reporter, she was pulled into a vehicle full of young neighborhood men, including one from the first rape. She said she was driven to a parking lot, where that man raped her again, then back to the grubby basement apartment, where, she said, she was raped by both of the young men from the first incident. Later that evening she was let go, then picked up by passersby who told her they would take her home. Around 11, before reaching her house, the car was stopped by police who were searching vehicles to try to find her. This time, she was interviewed by Detective William Weeks of the Youth Investigations Division, who consulted with Carter. Weeks, who left the youth division in 2008 and as of last fall has been assigned to the Property Division, declined to comment. A copy of Weeks's report, obtained by the Bests, said he tracked down and questioned a 21-year-old man Danielle had identified as the man who had abducted her that evening. According to the report, the 21-year-old said he hadn't seen Danielle since a month earlier, when he had taken a flier for the missing 11-year-old to a basement apartment where "she was in the back bedroom offering to have sex with any number of a group of young men, telling them she was 16." In the District, sex between anyone younger than 16 and someone at least four years older, whether coerced or willing, is first-degree child sexual abuse, a felony punishable by up to life in prison. Mistaking an underage victim for a 16-year-old is not accepted as a defense. Weeks went to the hospital to interview Danielle again. It was now after 5 a.m. May 13, according to his report; Danielle and her parents recalled that she had been up all night. In his report, Weeks said he "confronted the Complainant with a ruse" he told her that he knew the man that she had identified was in a restaurant at the same time she claimed he had abducted her. Danielle admitted that the man "did not abduct and then forcibly rape her . . . she fabricated the report," according to Weeks's notes. When asked why, Danielle said the man was a drug dealer "headed to prison anyway," the report said. "Over the next three-hour period, the Complainant proceeded to tell Detective Weeks a myriad of stories. . . . In the presence of her parents the Complainant continuously changed her stories whenever confronted with inconsistencies from the previous tale. It became apparent that the Complainant was determined to get any story across that she could, regardless of how incredible it might be," Weeks's report said. "I don't remember giving lots of different accounts," Danielle said recently. "What I remember was being confused, and I was exhausted, and I was still wearing the same clothes and I felt horrible." Weeks and the Bests took Danielle to a doctor at the hospital for a forensic rape exam. Weeks's report said that he informed the doctor "of the early morning antics of the Complainant." That exam, like the first, determined that Danielle, who at that point was "barely comprehendable," had been sexually assaulted, according to a copy of the medical report kept by the Best family. Weeks concluded his report, dated that same day, by noting that he had decided to ask the Office of the Attorney General for a custody order so Danielle could be charged with making a false or fictitious police report. He then marked the child sexual abuse case "closed." Eleven days later, a supervisor signed off on the report. Advocates for rape victims say victims should not be challenged by the police. "The victim's response to the trauma of a sexual assault shall not be used in any way to measure credibility," reads the 2005 Model Policy for Investigating Sexual Assault from the International Association of Chiefs of Police, an Alexandria, Va.-based organization that develops guidelines to assist police departments in establishing their own policies. Six days after the second incident, Danielle was admitted to the psychiatric ward at Children's Hospital as a suicide risk. Her evaluation report reads: "Pt stated that she was going to kill herself with a knife. . . . she is fearful of remaining at home b/c the boys who raped her have been watching her & threatening to harm her again." On June 20, 2008, two months after the first reported rape, Weeks and prosecutor Joshua Henline, who had been with the Office of the Attorney General for two years, met and requested an order for Danielle's arrest, which was issued by D.C. Superior Court Judge Anita Josey-Herring, according to a police document obtained through Danielle's FOIA request. The report's conclusion read: "Based on the Complainan/Respondent's admission of lying to Detective Weeks, and her subsequent arrest for filing a false police report. It is recommended that this case be classified as 'Unfounded' for sexual abuse." Henline, who left the attorney general's office in 2012 and is the assistant general counsel at the D.C. Fire and EMS Department, said he cannot comment on a juvenile case. Spokespersons for the attorney general's office and the Superior Court also declined to comment, citing confidentiality issues. On June 28, after the family was told by Weeks that there was a warrant for her arrest, Danielle, who had recently turned 12, went with her parents and turned herself in to police. Her mother said she felt her heart breaking as she watched her daughter shuffle into court in shackles . Dunked in a scalding bath That was the start of Danielle's legal problems, but her life troubles began before she was even out of the womb. Danielle and her twin, David, were born in 1996 to a crack addict named Marquise Hicks. The family believed their father was Hicks's boyfriend, Emmanuel Brooks, Veronica Best's brother. At 4 months old, Danielle was rushed to the hospital "suffering from second-degree burns on her buttocks, vagina, left leg and foot," according to court records. The authorities think Hicks dunked Danielle in a scalding bath and said there had been reports of other abuse. It was Veronica and Mayo who came to the hospital to see Danielle, scoop up baby David and take him to their home. The Bests, who had two grown children, adopted the twins although it turned out that Veronica's brother was not the father. The twins' biological parents have since died. A 2000 pre-adoption report by the D.C. Child and Family Services Agency, kept by the Best family, praised Mayo and Veronica's parenting and described the twins as happy and playful. But it also concluded that Danielle had attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and reactive attachment disorder, which is typically caused by abuse as a baby and inhibits normal relationships. Her emotional instability appeared to be greatly exacerbated in 2005 after an elementary school friend was fatally shot while playing in front of his house a few blocks from hers. Already in therapy, she began more intensive treatment. But by the time she was 10, she had cycled through four schools. At 11, she underwent two psychological evaluations. One report ascribed the "fragility of Danielle's functioning" to drug exposure in utero and abuse as an infant. The other said she drifted into trances at school, became overwhelmed by anxiety, had been roughed up by peers and had no friends. Her mental abilities were evaluated as borderline to low average. The reports said Danielle displayed behavior that included being disruptive, disrespectful and combative, yelling, lying, throwing things, using profanity, throwing herself to the ground, banging her head into a locker, fighting and arguing. Both reports, issued approximately six months before the first rape, recommended full-time special education and suggested she would benefit from medication to treat ADHD and post-traumatic stress disorder. The Bests did not pursue the recommendations, saying they were satisfied at the time with her therapy and with her individualized education plan at her public charter school. 'Reckless and ill-advised' When Carter came to Danielle's house to investigate the first sexual assault, Veronica Best said, she warned him that her daughter was unstable. He included Danielle's age and key points about her mental-health history in his police report. There are no documents in the materials Danielle received through her FOIA request that detail how the police conducted the April rape investigation. "I'm not sure they ever really did much," Veronica Best said. The family said Danielle continued to spot the young men she thought had been involved in the rapes in the neighborhood, which they reported to the police. Roger Canaff, a former prosecutor in Alexandria who has worked as an adviser to the U.S. Army on prosecuting sexual assault, said he is puzzled by the police actions. "I understand why the police may not have believed Danielle's version of events, because it was unreliable; the account of what happened is so mixed up," he said. "But she's 11, and you have strong medical evidence that she has been sexually assaulted, and she has a history of mental-health problems. I don't know if they could have prevented the second rape, but the police could have worked with Danielle to develop suspects and, if nothing else, warned them away from her while they were conducting their detailed investigation." The decision to close the second sexual assault case and charge Danielle with filing a false report "was reckless and ill-advised," Canaff said. "This case renders me speechless," said Carol Tracy, executive director of the Women's Law Project in Philadelphia. "At no point should a child who said she was raped at 11 have been arrested. That is inexcusable." Lanier said that in circumstances such as Danielle's today, the victim would "absolutely not" be charged with lying. She said that since 2011 she has "completely revised" the department's handling of sexual assault for adult and youth cases, improving the treatment of victims and the way files are classified, tracked and reviewed throughout the investigative process. But, "even in 2008, the process was not to arrest a victim for discrepancies in reporting," she said. "There is no rationale for that." 'We never really understood' Danielle faced probation or commitment to a youth rehabilitation facility if convicted. Her court-appointed lawyer, Madhavan Nair, informed her by letter in July 2008 that prosecutors had offered a plea deal: If she admitted guilt, they would not oppose probation. Danielle refused to plead guilty, she and her parents said. But her parents said her behavior deteriorated markedly. Sometimes she was withdrawn, other times she was wild and belligerent. She started running away from home. She was hospitalized several times and put on antianxiety and antidepressant medication. In the fall of 2008, Danielle initially reported another sexual assault. But, her parents wrote at the time to the police, "our daughter has been so mentally traumatized as a result of the first 2 rapes" that they had decided she could not participate in an investigation and had "reluctantly" agreed not to go forward with the charges. On Jan. 3, 2009, Danielle ran away for almost two weeks. When she was located, according to the police report, she told them that during that time she had "engaged in a sexual act with six or seven unnamed males." She was taken to Children's Hospital and admitted to the psychiatric wing, according to police records obtained through the FOIA request. Bridgman, of Safe Shores, said: "Research indicates that children who have been sexually assaulted have a higher rate of risky sexual behaviors, contrary to what people might expect. Especially ones who feel disbelieved or not protected. The reason why you might repeat what happened is because you don't believe you deserve any better and you report it as a sexual assault because there is a part of you that knows it's wrong, or you may be being coerced or threatened into participating." Danielle's therapists were also concerned about the risky behavior in which she was engaging. While she was missing, they sent a letter to Danielle's probation officer requesting residential care for the 12-year-old, who by that time had also been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, mixed with psychotic features. "Although Mr. and Mrs. Best have been responsible and reliable . . . they are incapable of ensuring their daughter's safety at this time and they need the court's urgent assistance," the therapists wrote. "Due to Danielle's severe impulsivity, fragile emotional functioning/mood lability, delusional thinking, non-compliance with medication, severe insomnia, traumatic flashbacks, multiple elopements, sexual promiscuity, and profound poor judgment, she is now in urgent need of residential care placement." Other action was taken while Danielle was missing: After consulting with Court Social Services, the D.C. Family Court's probation agency, prosecutors decided to go ahead with the false-report charge against her, citing the fact that she had violated the terms of her pretrial supervision by running away from home. One legal official familiar with the situation, who is not authorized to discuss it on the record, suggested prosecutors proceeded with the case against Danielle to "get her into the system" to obtain additional therapeutic services. "There's not a lot of funding available for youth that are not charged," the official said. "You have to be neglected or a juvenile delinquent." Ted Gest, a spokesman for the Office of the Attorney General, said that although the office could not discuss specific cases, "we often bring juveniles into the juvenile justice system when they can benefit from services that the system has to offer." That explanation baffles the Bests. "Why the heck would you want to do that when we already had things in place?" said Veronica, referring to the therapy and other treatment Danielle was receiving. On Feb. 13, Danielle passed a second evaluation of her competency to stand trial, but her parents worried that she was too unstable to endure a trial. Instead, she entered an Alford plea , according to her parents and a person who is not authorized to speak on the record. The plea meant that she would acknowledge that there was enough evidence for a conviction in effect, consenting to the court's finding of guilt while maintaining that she was actually innocent. "We never really understood the plea very well," Mayo Best said. Nair, Danielle's attorney, has declined to comment. On Feb. 23, Danielle was declared a ward of the District by the Superior Court. The Bests were shocked. Veronica and Mayo said they wish they had pushed their attorney for more help and had been more familiar with court procedures. "I feel guilty. I do," Veronica said. "She would say, 'Daddy, I got raped and I got locked up,' " Mayo said. "I still hear her voice today saying that to me." 'Promiscuous behavior' Danielle spent much of the next 2 1 / 2 years in residential mental-health facilities as a ward of the District. The Bests continued to try to find out from the police what had become of the physical evidence collected during the two forensic medical exams. A series of e-mails between police officers discussing the case and the evidence, which were obtained through the FOIA request, includes this from one lieutenant to another on July 27, 2009: "Danielle was convicted of lying. No other evidence, so I'd suspect therefore based on poor victim credibility all other cases she reported were suspended. . . . All sex was consexual. Parents are unable to accept the fact of this child's promiscuous behavior caused this situation." Only one e-mail in the documents obtained through the FOIA request noted that Danielle was a minor and sought to know how old the suspects were. No follow-up e-mail was included in the documents. In November 2009, the Bests left the District. Veronica and Mayo had lived at various addresses on the same block for 30 years but were hit by rising interest rates and fell behind on their mortgage payments. With their house under repossession and Danielle still traumatized by seeing her attackers in the neighborhood, they decided to move to a rental in Temple Hills. In May 2010, the Bests wrote to Lanier complaining about the continuing silence. They also appealed to their D.C. Council member, Jim Graham, who e-mailed Lanier copying the Bests on the message saying, "I am deeply concerned." Lanier wrote back to the Bests promising answers and asked Newsham, her assistant chief, to follow up. Later that day, according to documents received through the FOIA request, Newsham got an e-mail from colleagues saying the April rape kit had been tested by a private contractor on an undisclosed date "as part of the FBI backlog project." The swabs of Danielle's body had not found semen, the e-mail said, while two semen stains on Danielle's underwear had yielded DNA without sufficiently clear profiles. The May rape kit hadn't been tested, the e-mail continued, because Danielle had been charged with filing a false report. Newsham e-mailed the Bests saying that neither rape kit had been entered into the FBI's Combined DNA Index System, or CODIS. "There are very stringent rules regarding the entry of DNA profiles into CODIS," he wrote. "The two cases you have inquired about were not entered for the following reasons: 1. Evidence analyzed profiles obtained were not CODIS eligible. 2. Case was unfounded." The e-mail confused the Bests, who remained unclear about the status of the investigations. Meanwhile, Danielle continued to run away. Her parents sent her to a residential mental-health facility in Utah for almost a year. Then, after her return to the Washington area, she became pregnant. In September 2011 the city eased its supervision of Danielle, under conditions that included obeying her guardians, avoiding drugs and keeping her appointments with her social worker. After a few months with a foster family, she was allowed home. She had her baby May 16, 2012, shortly before she turned 16. She named him Levi because, she said, "I like the jeans." When Danielle is not out with friends, she plays with Levi and reads nonfiction, particularly young women's stories about overcoming adversity. She spends a lot of time on the Internet, looking especially at fashion Web sites. She prefers the computer to television, although when she does watch TV her favorite shows are "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" and "CSI." She has oscillated between periods of emotional calm and turbulence. Since the summer, her worried parents said, Danielle has settled into more regular hours and is studying for her GED, but she still isn't in therapy or on medication. "I think she ties it in with when she had no choice, when they stand over you while you take your pills and you have to attend therapy, and now she is free she's making a choice not to; it's part of her empowerment," Veronica said. "But I wish she would." Danielle and her family said she has had some meetings with the police. But she is worried about the emotional effect the new investigations will have on her. "I've held it in for so long," she said. "I walk around seeming like I'm strong, but deep down inside I still feel helpless." Walters is a freelance writer whose work has appeared in the Guardian, the Observer and Marie Claire, among other outlets. Follow her on Twitter at @joannawalters13 .
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BOSTON (AP) -- Boston and Tampa Bay got a rare glimpse at what might be the future of overtime hockey. Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand scored shootout goals to lift the host Bruins to a 3-2 victory over the Lightning on Thursday night. BOX SCORE: BRUINS 3, LIGHTNING 2 (SO) The NHL is considering 3-on-3 hockey as an alternative to the shootout, and the AHL is already testing that out. "I'd prefer 4-on-4 or 3-on-3 versus a shootout," Bruins forward Chris Kelly said. "The shootout turns a team game into an individual game, but we are in the business of entertaining fans." Kelly and Lightning forward Alex Killorn took matching penalties 51 seconds into overtime, providing a 3-on-3 opportunity. "The 3-on-3 made me a little nervous," Marchand said. "There was so much room I didn't know what to do with it. But I would take 3-on-3 over the shootout." The Bruins had dropped seven straight shootout decisions. "Nice to finally get a win in the shootout," Marchand said. "It felt different on the bench. Guys were calm and confident." Boston beat Tampa Bay for the 10th straight time, the longest active slide for a Bruins opponent. Since joining the NHL in 1992, the Lightning have won only five times in 48 games at Boston. The Lightning have also never beaten the Bruins after regulation in 18 tries, going 0-9-9. Tampa Bay failed to capitalize on a power play in overtime. "I always believe that this is a team sport and should be decided by a team," Bruins coach Claude Julien said. "If the fans like it that much and they keep it in then I have no issues. But if you ask me my personal opinion, I'd like to see it decided in a way that it's more than just one player against a goaltender. "Whether its four-on-four or three-on-three, it's still a group." Tuukka Rask made 35 saves for Boston, 6-0-1 in its last seven games, including four straight wins. "Well I'll give credit to their goalie. He's pretty good, and he did what he had to do, he kept them in it," Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. "But it comes down to who scores the most goals not who gets the most chances." Vladislav Namestnikov tied it 2-2 for Tampa Bay with 11:56 remaining in the third period when he slid the puck through Rask's pads. Ben Bishop made 28 saves for Tampa Bay, which had its four-game winning streak snapped. Tyler Johnson, who leads the Lightning with 66 points, extended his career-best point streak to eight games. The Lightning missed an opportunity to take over the top spot in the Eastern Conference with Montreal losing and the New York Rangers idle. Bergeron scored 2:20 into the third when his slap shot got under Bishop's glove for a 2-1 Bruins lead. David Pastrnak converted a feed from Ryan Spooner to give the Bruins a 1-0 lead at 7:57 of the first period. The goal was reviewed briefly because the puck went in the net off Pastrnak's skate. Tampa Bay's Steven Stamkos picked off a pass by Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara and scored an unassisted goal to tie it at 15:29. Stamkos received a 10-minute misconduct with 1:01 left in overtime when his stick broke and he threw it into the crowd. "I'm obviously a little frustrated that it broke, and to see it go over the glass, I knew right away that it's a 10," Stamkos said. " It's kind of just a little frustrating, we had an opportunity there and a couple good looks, Kuch (Nikita Kucherov) had a great look, and Rask made a big save." NOTES: Tampa Bay's Ondrej Palat will miss 2-to-3 weeks, and Braydon Coburn will be sidelined 4-to-6 weeks due to lower-body injuries. Coburn was acquired at the trade deadline from Philadelphia, and this will be the third time this season he has missed a month caused by similar injuries. Cedric Paquette will also miss 10-to-14 days because of an upper-body injury. ... Pastrnak has three goals in two games against the Lightning this season. ... Spooner recorded a point in his seventh straight game. ... Tampa Bay outshot Boston 16-4 in the second period.
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On the ground in Ferguson, Don Lemon speaks live with a collection of people who were all eyewitnesses to the shooting of two police officers
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There are several upset-minded teams lurking around the NCAA Tournament, just waiting to ruin the championship dreams of a high seed. It's what makes the annual sporting event a spectacle and some of most-watched reality TV on the air. Don't sleep on the likes of Providence, Oregon and giant-slayer Davidson. They're some of the teams that will likely be tough outs because of their guard play, their experience or their ability to create troublesome matchups. Connecticut played the role last year all the way to the title. The Huskies were a No. 7 seed entering the NCAAs, but the backcourt of Shabazz Napier and Ryan Boatright got rolling and led the them to a surprise national championship. With Selection Sunday looming, here's a look at some of teams the favorites wouldn't be happy to see in their part of the draw: --- PROVIDENCE The duo of Kris Dunn and LaDontae Henton have the ability to put up big numbers on anybody for the Friars (22-10). Henton, a 6-foot-6 senior, entered the postseason averaging a team-best 20.1 points and had a career-high 38 in an upset of now-No. 11 Notre Dame in November. Dunn, a 6-3 sophomore, was averaging 15.5 points, 7.4 assists and 2.8 steals. In their Big East tournament opener Thursday, Dunn had 17 points and 11 assists, while Henton had 20 points and 12 rebounds in a performance that had coach Ed Cooley calling Dunn a ''maestro'' and Henton a ''junkyard dog.'' ''These guys, when they play well,'' Cooley said, ''we're a tough out.'' --- OREGON The Ducks (24-8) have the Pac-12 player of the year in senior guard Joseph Young, the league coach of the year in Dana Altman closed the regular season with a ton of momentum. Young averaged about 20 points per game and a league-best 92 percent shooting from the foul line in the regular season. He leads an offense that ranks 22nd nationally in scoring (76 points) and 14th nationally in free-throw shooting (75.4 percent), so they can put pressure on a defense and capitalize at the line in a close game while also causing problems with their own pressure defense. Oregon went 9-1 the final month of the regular season. ''I just hope they're not satisfied with that,'' Altman said before the Pac-12 tournament. ''We've got a lot of work yet to do. We can get better here the next couple of weeks and hopefully win a few more games.'' --- NORTH CAROLINA STATE Wolfpack coach Mark Gottfried was a UCLA assistant when Tyus Edney's unforgettable baseline-to-baseline buzzer beater kept the Bruins on course for the 1995 NCAA title. ''Guards can make plays in the tournament,'' Gottfried said. That's why Gottfried is feeling pretty confident if the Wolfpack get into the NCAA Tournament. It lost to Duke in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament Thursday, but N.C. State (20-13) is hard to beat when its guards are on. Alabama transfer Trevor Lacey is an all-ACC pick, Ralston Turner can hit 3s in bunches and speedy point guard Anthony ''Cat'' Barber - assuming he's healthy after being injured in an on-court collision Thursday - has improved outside shooting to go with his open-court speed. Among N.C. State's wins: Duke, at Louisville, at North Carolina. ''I don't think a lot of teams would want to play us,'' Lacey said. --- DAVIDSON New conference, no problem. Davidson (23-6) made a surprise run to the Atlantic 10 regular-season crown, the latest success under coach Bob McKillop. This year's Wildcats have multiple scorers, can shoot from outside and don't make many mistakes. Led by league player of the year Tyler Kalinoski, they closed the regular season ranked fourth nationally in scoring (80.6 points) and eighth in 3-point shooting (40 percent) while leading the country in assist-to-turnover margin. ''I'm just overwhelmed with how well we are playing and how consistently these guys are getting better,'' McKillop said after his team hit a program-record 20 3-pointers and had 35 assists on 40 baskets in its regular-season finale. Davidson sits at No. 24 for its first ranking since 2008, the year the Stephen Curry-led Wildcats came within shot of a stunning Final Four appearance. --- GEORGIA A year after falling on the wrong side of the NCAA bubble, these Bulldogs (20-10) are road-tested. Georgia had a school-record six road wins in the Southeastern Conference. The Bulldogs also threatened top-ranked Kentucky's unbeaten season by leading the Wildcats by nine in the second half. It's an experienced team with five double-figure scorers, led by Marcus Thornton, and closed the regular season ranked 18th nationally in field-goal percentage defense (38.8 percent). If No. 2 scorer and top perimeter defender Kenny Gaines is healthy after spraining his foot last week, Georgia could give someone fits if the Bulldogs get in the tournament. ''This is a complete team,'' senior forward Neme Djurisic said. ''We've just had a little bit of adversity with all of the injuries ... but when we are healthy and complete, we are a pretty good team.'' --- AP Sports Writer Charles Odum in Athens, Georgia, and Rachel Cohen in New York contributed to this report. --- Follow Aaron Beard on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/aaronbeardap
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While whipping up a breakfast smoothie is usually pretty fast, here are some ways to make that morning meal even quicker! Freeze Greens Buying greens in big containers or bags can save you money, but not if those greens wilt by the time you get halfway through. Save money and time by freezing your greens. Measure one- or two-cup portions in labeled freezer bags, or puree greens in a blender and freeze them in ice cube trays to use later. Coconut Water Ice Cubes Instead of adding plain ice cubes to the blender, throw in frozen cubes made of coconut water to add more essential electrolytes to your glass. Depending on the size of your ice cube tray, each coconut-water cube is equivalent to about two-thirds to one ounce. For reference, one ounce of coconut water contains five calories, four mg of calcium, and 60 mg of potassium, so grabbing cubes is an easy way to measure without actually measuring. Keep Chilled Tea in the Fridge Adding calorie-free green tea to smoothies can suppress your appetite and increase your metabolism, but it takes time boiling the water, letting the tea steep, and then chilling the tea. Save time by brewing a larger batch of tea and chilling it in a pitcher in the fridge. You can also freeze your brewed tea in ice cube trays if you know you won't go through a whole pitcher within a week. Smoothie Freezer Packs If you're really pressed for time or like to use ingredients that you can't buy frozen like pears or melon, make smoothie freezer packs. Note what liquid and extra ingredients to add on the bag, and your smoothie will be ready in minutes. Almond Milk Ice Cubes Grab your favorite unsweetened almond milk, and use that to make ice cubes. One cup makes about eight ice cubes (depending on the size of your tray), so it's an easy way to know how much you're using without having to measure (and dirty) a measuring cup. Best Way to Freeze Bananas Peel, slice, and freeze bananas on a pan or plate lined with parchment paper or in freezer bags. The smaller pieces make it easy to choose the amount you like, and they blend faster too.
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Kyrie Irving scored a career-high 57 points, including a tying three at the buzzer that forced overtime in Cleveland's road victory over San Antonio. Irving spoke after his thrilling performance.
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Anytime thereâs skulls on something it means poison, or danger, or DONâT.
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Four identical satellites that will study the interactions between solar winds and the Earth's magnetic fields blasted off into space on Thursday and settled into orbit begin a two-year study, NASA said. The Delta V rocket of the United Launch Alliance lifted off from its launchpad from Cape Canaveral in Florida at 22:44 local time (2:44 GMT Friday) as planned at the beginning a 30-minute window of opportunity. The quartet of spacecraft weighing 1.2 tonnes known as "Magnetospheric Multiscale" or MMS, will fly in a pyramid formation. They later eased away from each other successfully. "Spacecraft separation is complete!" NASA said later in a statement two hours later. "All four of NASA's Magnetospheric Multiscale observatories have been released in orbit, where they'll soon embark on an ambitious mission to unlock the secrets of magnetic reconnection," it added. They will obtain three-dimensional images and collect data as they monitor collisions from the Earth's magnetosphere and solar particles arriving at high speed and forming their own magnetic field about 60,000 miles from Earth. Scientists hope to gain a greater understanding of the phenomenon, known as magnetic reconnection. "Magnetic reconnection is one of the most important drivers of space weather events," said Jeff Newmark, interim director of the Heliophysics Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "Space weather events can affect modern technological systems such as communications networks, GPS navigation, and electrical power grids." The $1.1 billion mission is expected to last two years.
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Several people were questioned by investigators after the shooting of two Ferguson, Missouri, police officers during a protest. CNN's Don Lemon has more.
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At first I was repulsed by the jowly, unsettling appearance of Toyota's Mirai fuel-cell car (pictured below), and then I wondered, is that the desired effect? Was it strategically designed to limit the demand for a wildly unprofitable vehicle packing an untenable, ill-advised technology: the compressed-hydrogen fuel cell? The powertrain looks attractive on paper -- emissions-free electric motoring with gas-like range and refueling convenience. But I've yet to learn of a breakthrough that promises to reduce the expense, energy, and challenge of producing, transporting, storing, and dispensing hydrogen, so I view the Mirai's fuel system and bodywork with equal revulsion. I recently learned of a new liquid fuel-cell fuel that can be transported, stored, and dispensed using our existing infrastructure. One that's naturally occurring (certain ants produce it) and boasts low flammability and low enough toxicity to be approved as a food additive in low concentrations. It's formic acid, a widely produced and inexpensive chemical expressed as HCOOH. The hydrogen needed by the fuel cell can be separated onboard using a catalytic reaction that's vastly simpler than the ones used to crack hydrogen from gasoline onboard the 1999 and 2000 Jeep Commander concepts. Illustration by Samuel A. Minick A catalyst heated to 340-375 degrees F (by burning some formic acid) and using less noble metals than in your current catalytic converter breaks the formic acid into hydrogen, CO2, and trace CO. Carbon monoxide is toxic to proton-exchange-membrane fuel cells, so another catalyst converts the CO to CO2, and the H2 powers the fuel cell. (A carbon adsorber that would prevent CO2 release is in R&D.) Patent-holder Neah Power has also patented a fuel cell that runs directly on liquid formic acid but says using the reformer to make H2 for use in conventional fuel cells (or engines) is more efficient. A new liquid fuel-cell fuel can be transported, stored, and dispensed using our existing infrastructure. OK, so this isn't carbon-free driving, but formic acid can be produced via catalytic partial oxidation of wet biomass or catalytic hydrogenation of CO2, making it carbon-neutral. Preliminary studies suggest that adding a formic-acid reformer to boost an existing Nissan Leaf's range by 200 miles would require a 16-gallon tank. That's 12.5 mpg while running on the reformer, which sounds bad until you note that the fuel's energy density is between a quarter and a fifth that of gasoline and that its CO2 emissions equate to a gas car achieving 24.8 mpg. Neah expects onboard waste heat to reduce demand for the burner, boosting efficiency of an automotive system. Related Story: Top Fuel-Sipping Cars Plenty of hurdles remain. Pure formic acid freezes at 42 degrees F, so additives are needed to drop that to at least the -4 degrees that Honda's fuel cell functions at. (Most development work to date has employed 85-94 percent formic acid.) The hydrogen reformer may need 5-10 minutes to warm up from a cold start, so a hybrid battery sized to run the car during that time is needed. And mass will be an issue, as formic acid is 73 percent denser by volume than gasoline. But relative to today's compressed hydrogen fuel cells, Neah president and CEO Chris D'Couto says his system should be smaller, far easier to package, and less expensive than a 5,000-psi hydrogen tank of equivalent range and its related plumbing. He says preliminary talks are underway with automakers, but his company's immediate focus is on developing a mini drone aircraft application just announced with Silent Falcon UAS Technologies. I'm willing to bet Neah's formic fuel-cell technology will land in a viable car faster than a nationwide hydrogen infrastructure will materialize. Related Link: See More Fuel Economy News
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DURHAM, N.C. The "violent sleepwalking" defense worked for a man who strangled his 4-year-old and tried to kill his other two children. A jury decided unanimously that Joseph Anthony Mitchell is not guilty of murder and attempted murder after an expert witness said he was effectively unconscious at the time of his attacks four years ago. Jurors had asked Superior Court Judge James Roberson if they could consider a lesser verdict of manslaughter, but the judge said it was all or nothing: murder, or not guilty. Mitchell, 50, sobbed after Wednesday's verdict, but made no comment as he walked out of court a free man. His ex-wife, Christine Perolini, was so shocked that she hyperventilated and had to be wheeled out on a stretcher. Mitchell testified that he was in financial distress and had not been sleeping well. Prosecutors said those financial difficulties drove Mitchell to kill his son Blake and try to kill the others. Mitchell's 13-year-old and 10-year-old children said they fought him off. But a defense expert said Mitchell's stress and lack of sleep likely resulted in "non-REM parasomnia," a sleep disorder whose sufferers can perform random acts unconsciously. Because of this disorder, he was incapable of exercising criminal intent, the expert said. A psychologist who testified for the prosecution after repeatedly interviewing Mitchell said he had no mental condition that would have left him unconscious during the attacks, and that he must have consciously planned them.
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In a few years, you may be able to download a full-length HD movie to your phone in a matter of seconds rather than minutes. And video chats will be so immersive that it will feel like you can reach out and touch the other person right through the screen. At least, that's what the wireless companies envision for the future of mobile. While many parts of the world are still awaiting the rollout of 4G networks, the telecom industry is already looking ahead to the next generation of cellular technology, called 5G. It was a big topic of discussion at the Mobile World Congress show last week, where companies like Nokia Networks, Huawei and Ericsson talked about what each is doing in the area of 5G and the possibilities it will create. (MWC is an annual event in Barcelona where the wireless industry comes together to show off the latest devices and technologies.) But as an emerging technology, there are a lot of questions surrounding 5G. What is it exactly? How will it work? How will it affect consumers? I asked industry experts, as well as companies like Nokia and Huawei, for their takes on 5G. Most agreed: The technology is still a long way from becoming a reality, but it has the potential to completely change the way we interact with wireless devices, from the smartphones in our pockets to the cars we drive. What is 5G? 5G is the name being given to the next generation of wireless networks (this is the fifth generation, hence 5G), but beyond that, it's hard to define. During a keynote address at MWC, FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler compared 5G to a Picasso painting. "I see something different than you see," he said. "I think that's where 5G is right now. It's all in the eye of the beholder." Uh, okay. The ambiguity around 5G is because it's still largely a concept at this point, and the wireless industry hasn't settled on any standards around the new network. But it's looking to achieve some key goals with 5G: Significantly faster data speeds : Currently, 4G networks are capable of achieving peak download speeds of one gigabit per second, though in practice it's never that fast. With 5G, this would increase to 10Gbps. Ultra-low latency : "Latency" refers to the time it takes one device to send a packet of data to another device. Currently with 4G, the latency rate is around 50 milliseconds, but 5G will reduce that to about one millisecond. This will be particularly important for industrial applications and driverless cars. A more "connected world" : The Internet of Things (wearables, smart home appliances, connected cars) is expected to grow exponentially over the next 10 years, and it will need a network that can accommodate billions of connected devices. Part of the goal behind 5G is to provide that capacity, and also to be able to assign bandwidth depending on the needs of the application and user. What will 5G allow me to do that I can't right now with 4G? To provide a little more context around how much faster 5G speeds will be compared to 4G, let's go back to the video example I mentioned at the beginning. According to Huawei, 5G will allow you to download an eight gigabyte HD movie in six seconds versus the seven minutes it would take over 4G or more than an hour on 3G. But 5G is much more than just faster data speeds on your mobile devices. It also opens the door to a lot of different consumer and industrial applications and uses some of which seem unbelievable now because they're so futuristic. For example, Ulrich Dropmann, head of industry environment networks at Nokia, gave a scenario where you might be cruising in your driverless car when, unbeknownst to you, a crash has just occurred up the road. With 5G, sensors placed along the road would be able to instantly relay that information back to your car (this is where having low latency is important), so it could brake earlier and avoid another accident. Ericsson set up this remote-controlled earth mover outside of Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. Visitors to the booth inside the hall could strap on an Oculus Rift headset and control the digger remotely. At MWC, Ericsson showed how 5G could be used to control heavy machinery from a remote location. Inside the booth, attendees strapped on an Oculus Rift headset and were able to remotely control one of two real diggers to move dirt either outside the conference hall or one thousands of miles away in Sweden. My Re/code colleague Ina Fried tried it out, and it worked! What are the challenges facing 5G? One of the big challenges facing 5G is standardization. There are already multiple groups working to come up with standards around interoperability, backward compatibility with older technologies (4G, 3G), and making sure the network will be future-proof. While many companies agree that a global standard is needed, whether they'll be able to come together and agree on one is another story. Building the infrastructure for 5G is also a huge task, with issues around spectrum and installing new antennas. 5G is likely going to rely, at least in part, on higher-frequency bands. There is more space in those airwaves available, but at such high frequencies, signals can't travel nearly as far as they can over the frequencies used for 4G, resulting in a poor connection. Obstacles like buildings and trees and even bad weather can also cause interference, according to Nokia's Dropmann. To offset that, carriers will need to install more base stations to ensure better coverage, and use antenna technologies like MIMO (multiple-input and multiple-output). Ina Fried has more on the long road to 5G here . How much is 5G going to cost me? Both Huawei and Nokia agreed that 5G can't cost too much more than what consumers are paying now for 4G; otherwise, no one's going to adopt the technology. But it's really too early to say how much 5G devices and services will cost. When will we get 5G? Again, it's too soon to say for sure, but don't count on it in the next couple of years. The most optimistic targets would see the first commercial network up and running by 2020, but even that may be too optimistic. As with LTE, it will take years for the network to become widespread.
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When LeBron James left the Heat last summer to take his talents back to Cleveland and the Cavaliers , a lot of people were surprised. But you could argue that no one was more surprised than Pat Riley , the Heat's team president. He helped orchestrate the deals that brought LeBron and Chris Bosh to Miami in 2010, and he thought that LeBron had the chance to do something "historic" with the Heat. So during a recent interview with Bleacher Report , Riley talked about how surprised he was when LeBron walked. "Generational teams stay together," he said. "The players stay together. They know what they have. They see what they've won. They see that there's going to be a little bit of an adjustment here, and they don't want to leave that. You may never get it again. That was the most shocking to me, that the players would allow that to happen. And I'm not just saying LeBron. I mean, the players, themselves, would allow them to get to a state where a guy would want to go home or whatever it is." Riley then went on to explain that the new generation of NBA players handles things differently than previous generations. "So maybe I'm dealing with a contemporary attitude today of, 'Well, I got four years here, and I think I'll go up there for whatever reason I went.' You know, the whole 'home' thing, I understand that," he said. "But what [LeBron] had here, and what he had developed here, and what he could have developed over the next five or six years here, with the same team, could have been historic. And usually teams from inside…It would be like Magic and Kareem and [James] Worthy, they weren't going to go anywhere. They had come at a time when there were free agents. They weren't going to go. You think Magic was going to leave Kareem? You think Kareem was going to leave Magic?…No, they knew they had a chance to win every year. And this team had a chance every year. So that was shocking to me that it happened." Riley also said that he has "moved on" from the LeBron era in Miami. But in the Bleacher Report feature, he sounds like a guy who's not quite sure what the future holds for him or the Heat. You can read the whole thing here . He makes some pretty good points about LeBron leaving and what that says about the current crop of NBA players. Send all complaints, compliments, and tips to [email protected] . [ via Bleacher Report ]
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Just a few of the powers moms use on a daily basis that go far beyond building ice castles and capturing bad guys. Move Over, Batman: 22 Reasons Moms Are the Ultimate Superheroes My son is obsessed with superheroes. So I had a little chat with him about what makes those dudes so supercool in his mind, and he said, "Because they have powers that do stuff." I looked at him in all seriousness and said, "What about mommy? I have superpowers too!" He looked at me like I had nine heads and laughed hysterically. I then posed the question to my daughter who told me that no, Mom is not a superhero, but Elsa is because she can turn things into ice. Uhhhh, thanks guys. So while my kids may not be on board with the fact that moms truly are superhuman, I am. We do so much more than we give ourselves credit for (or take credit for). Here are just a few of the powers moms use on a daily basis that go far beyond building ice castles and capturing bad guys. Love this? Follow us on Facebook. We Survive on Little (or No) Sleep And can still function like normal human beings. Love this? Follow us on Facebook. We Have Energy Blasts Coffee is our recharge button. Love this? Follow us on Facebook. We Make Humans And then we grow them in our bodies. Love this? Follow us on Facebook. We Have Superhuman Agility Ever felt like Spider-Man as you crawled out of your tot's room when they started stirring so they don't see you? Exactly. Love this? Follow us on Facebook. We Turn Frowns Upside Down In two seconds, flat. Love this? Follow us on Facebook. We Have Superhuman Endurance As displayed when we hold our children on our hips for hours and hours and hours. Love this? Follow us on Facebook. We Can Liquify Anything We can turn anything into a liquid that our kids will drink. Love this? Follow us on Facebook. We Defy All Illnesses Well, actually we don't, but a little cold can't keep us down. Love this? Follow us on Facebook. We Have the Healing Factor One single kiss can make any boo-boo disappear. Love this? Follow us on Facebook. We Are Strong Even when we want to be weak. Love this? Follow us on Facebook. We Can Fly Late for school? Need to get to the hospital fast? Watch us fly. Love this? Follow us on Facebook. We Practice Telekinesis OK, so we actually have to use our hands, but we can turn a messy room into a clean room magically. Love this? Follow us on Facebook. . . . And Duplication Three kids, three different activities, three hours. No problem. Love this? Follow us on Facebook. We Have a Sonic Scream We don't like to raise our voices, but when we do, watch out. Love this? Follow us on Facebook. We Can See Into the Future Especially if we see danger lurking. Love this? Follow us on Facebook. We Have Enhanced Hearing We can hear sneezes while we sleep and detect lies when we're awake. Love this? Follow us on Facebook. We Generate Heat Even if we are freezing. Love this? Follow us on Facebook. We Manipulate Memories My child who doesn't like apples: "Mommy, do I like apples?"Me: "Oh yes, honey. You love them!"My child: "Yum, apples!" Love this? Follow us on Facebook. We Can Stop Our Sobs on a Dime We can be totally upset about something, take a minute in the bathroom, and come out like nothing ever happened. Love this? Follow us on Facebook. We Produce Food From breast milk to dinner, every single night and day. Love this? Follow us on Facebook. We Manipulate Time Unless of course it's daylight saving - even the best superhero can't fix that. Love this? Follow us on Facebook. We Are Omniscient At least when it comes to our kids we are. Love this? Follow us on Facebook.
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lifestyle
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Three British girls who crossed into Syria to join Islamic State (IS) jihadists were helped by a Syrian national working as an intelligence agent for one of the countries in the US-led coalition against the militants, the Turkish foreign minister said Friday. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu unexpectedly announced Thursday that Turkey had arrested an intelligence agent who had helped the three teenage girls cross into Syria. But amid frenetic speculation over which intelligence agency was involved, Cavusoglu gave no details over who the Syrian was working for. "The person arrested by us is someone working for an intelligence agency in the coalition," he said in televised comments. The person "is a Syrian citizen," he told reporters alongside his Macedonian counterpart without specifying further. The Milliyet daily reported Friday that the individual was working for Canadian intelligence but this has already been denied by Ottawa. A senior official in Ottawa told AFP Thursday the suspect "is not a Canadian citizen" and "was not employed by" its spy agency. Close friends Kadiza Sultana, 16, and 15-year-olds Shamima Begum and Amira Abase, crossed into Syria after boarding a flight from London to Istanbul on February 17. They took a bus from Istanbul to the southeastern Turkish city of Sanliurfa close to the Syrian border, from where they are believed to have crossed the frontier. Cavusoglu had said the day earlier that the person arrested was not from the EU or the United States. Along with the US and EU states, Arabian peninsula nations including Saudi Arabia and Qatar have been involved in the coalition against IS, as well as Australia and Canada.
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news
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Has Stephen Kenn created the ultimate masculine sofa? A self-taught designer who grew up in Edmonton, Canada, he arrived in LA in 2005 at age 20 and launched a denim line called Iron Army. Several years ago, he shifted his focus to furniture and made use of WWII military fabrics for upholstery. What also distinguishes Kenn's work is its construction: When he set out to design a sofa, he decided to strip it down to its barest bones, likening the frame, webbing, and cushions to bones, muscles, and skin. The results are impressive: Each sofas is handmade in LA and takes Kenn and his crew four to six weeks to complete (you can watch process videos on his site). Kenn's designs have attracted other designers to come hang out with him. I especially took notice when he unveiled his joint project with one of my (and Remodelista's) longtime favorite companies Truck Furniture of Japan. He worked with Tok Kise of Truck, and then took a coastal motorcycle trip with him out of LA. How's that for the California dream? Above: The Stephen Kenn City Gym Sofa, $6,800, upholstered in U.S. Navy blankets, shown in the West Village apartment of New York fashion director Nick Woosters. Each of Kenn's pieces has an exposed, welded metal frame that's been rusted or oxidized and then coated with polyurethane to stop the aging process. His designs are available directly through his studio. Photograph via Scene Magazine. Above: The Stephen Kenn x Simon Miller Sofa is upholstered in hand-dyed indigo cotton canvas and has a copper-plated frame; $6,900. Above: Kenn's sofas all have a support structure of custom leather belts that are replicas of a 1940s Swiss military belts used to strap supplies on pack mules. Above: Kenn and Tok Kise of Truck Furniture sent each other fabric for design inspiration. The Cord Sofa is made in LA using Truck Furniture's olive green wide wale corduroy from Japan; $6,500. Read more about Truck Furniture here. Above: The back of the sofa is detailed with leather and webbing belts. Above: The Boomerang Chair and Ottoman, $2,800, is made in the Truck Furniture studio in Osaka and upholstered in Kenn's signature military canvas. Above: A Stephen Kenn Inheritance Collection Sofa, $5,600, at Juice Sold Here in Venice, California. The Inheritance pieces are upholstered in repurposed World World II military canvas that's been washed and softened. Above: An Inheritance Collection Armchair, $2,600, and Ottoman, $800. Kenn says that he likes his designs to tell stories via the work that goes into them and the tales old fabrics have to tell. Above: An Inheritance Love Seat, $4,000, in the upstate NY home of Frank Muytjens, head of men's-wear design at J. Crew. Photograph via Trnk, which also sells Kenn's furniture. Stay tuned for Kenn's in-progress collections of shelving, stacking benches, and outdoor furniture. For more small workshop furniture, take a look at: Born to the Trade: LA Designer Michael Felix's Handmade Furniture Solidwool's Responsible Plastic Made from Wool Head & Haft: A New Old-Style Woodworker in Cornwall, England Sawkille Studio's Color-Stained Furniture Made in Rhinebeck, NY More Stories from Remodelista Tiled Moroccan Side Tables for a Song
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lifestyle
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Disney releases the new song, "Make Today the Perfect Day," from the "Frozen Fever" short film. Morgan Manousos (@MorganManousos) has a listen.
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video
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Not many top-notch golfers could see anything positive in squandering a 10-stroke lead midway through the final round of a tournament but world number 12 Martin Kaymer is an exception to the rule. The double major winner and triple Ryder Cup campaigner was almost lapping the field at the Abu Dhabi Championship in January when, all of a sudden, his golfing wheels came off. Kaymer frittered away shot after shot and was overtaken by Gary Stal as the unheralded Frenchman produced one of the shock results of recent European Tour seasons. "It would be wrong to forget about that because you have to remind yourself what happened and ask yourself the right questions as to why it happened," the 30-year-old German told Reuters in a telephone interview. "I reflected on it after the tournament when I spoke to a couple of my friends, my brother and my dad. It's something you have to learn from. "The people in my inner circle asked some uncomfortable questions so I had to be honest with myself and confront the truth about what really happened and I did," said Kaymer. "I know what the reasons were and I'm very happy about that because I will never let it happen again." Although Kaymer, who showed nerves of steel to sink a six-foot putt that won the Ryder Cup for Europe in 2012, has come to terms with his Middle East meltdown he is keeping quiet about the causes. "I could tell you what the reasons were but I don't want to talk about it, I want to keep them to myself," he said. "I believe if you talk about it people will make more out of it and maybe make things worse and maybe change things the way they are for me now. TOO VALUABLE "I don't think it's necessary to talk about it because it's too valuable to me to share it with the public. "It was another experience to add to my overall professional career," said Kaymer. "Of course I could've picked up a trophy and a bit more money but that experience I gained will last a little bit longer and will help me more in the future." The immediate future for Kaymer is built around preparations for the opening major championship of the year, the U.S. Masters at Augusta that starts on April 9. The 2014 U.S. Open winner is also relishing the thought of going back to two special venues for the British Open in July and the U.S. PGA Championship in August. "St Andrews, for me, is the most peaceful place in the world to play," said Kaymer who is a golf brand ambassador for Mercedes-Benz, a global partner of the U.S. Masters. "It just makes you feel comfortable as soon as you arrive at the Old Course Hotel and they are playing music on the bagpipes there. It's pure harmony and peace. "Since I won the 2010 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship there I have been really wishing that one day I can have the chance to win the British Open there too," explained Kaymer. "Winning the Open at St Andrews would be one of the biggest things for me to achieve in my career." The Whistling Straits course on the shores of Lake Michigan also holds a deep meaning for Kaymer because that is where he landed his first major title -- the 2010 U.S. PGA Championship. "That's like a British course but with good weather," he laughed. "It's very linksy in style with beautiful scenery. "That win I had was, at the time, the biggest of my career. It was my first win in America and my first major so it's a place I have a special bonding with." (Editing by Pritha Sarkar)
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sports
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This is an excerpt from my chapter on the Electoral College and 2016, contained in the forthcoming anthology from Rowman and Littlefield, "The Surge." The book is now available for pre - order and will be released next week. Some verbiage is modestly altered in the interests of continuity, and only major breaks are denoted with ellipses. It is a bit of an oddity that most analyses of American elections focus on the popular vote, either implicitly or explicitly. Consider political science models, almost all of which explicitly purport to show a candidate's likely share of the two-party vote. Only a few models examine the Electoral College. This is an oddity, of course, because we don't conduct our elections via the popular vote. Instead we have the Electoral College, a venerable American institution that awards states votes based on the number of representatives that they send to Congress, plus two votes for the state's senators. To be sure, the distinction between popular and electoral vote is typically one without a difference, but as those who recall the 2000 elections know all too well, when the distinction is meaningful, it matters a lot. If our focus is to be on the Electoral College instead, our approach must be different. This isn't to say the popular vote isn't relevant: It very much is, as we'll see below. But consider again our example of demographic change. Hispanics are a powerful, growing bloc in terms of the popular vote. But in the Electoral College? They exceed their share of the overall population in only nine states, only three of which could be considered swing states (Colorado, Florida, and Nevada). While Hispanics account for 17 percent of the United States population, they only account for just over 8 percent of the population of the median state. Only one other swing state (North Carolina) has a higher-than-median share of the Hispanic population. The African-American population raises similar issues. Blacks make up about 14 percent of the population but only exceed that share in 16 states; the median state's population is only 8 percent African-American. There are a fair number of swing states with above-median African-American population shares, but only a handful (Florida, North Carolina, Virginia, and arguably Michigan) with above-average African-American populations. That leaves non-Hispanic whites disproportionately represented, with 37 states sporting above-average non-Hispanic white populations. The upshot of this is that, while Republicans could have theoretically won the popular vote in 2012 by increasing their share of the Hispanic vote to 48 percent, they would have had to increase it to over 70 percent (assuming a uniform swing in vote share across states) to pull in enough Electoral College votes to win. Obviously, our approach with respect to the Electoral College must be slightly different than with the popular vote. When we think about the Electoral College, our focus must instead be primarily upon geographic coalitions, rather than demographic ones. We must think in terms of states. That's not to say that demographics are irrelevant to this sort of consideration; rather, it is only to say that they are subordinate to a larger consideration. The purpose of this chapter is to explore Electoral College coalitions over time and discuss what changes we might see going forward. Might we expect a realignment in the next few years? Are Republicans separated from electoral bliss by a "Big Blue Wall"? By focusing primarily at the state level, we can see that the answers to these questions appear to be "maybe, but probably not" and "no." These two questions are not randomly plucked from the ether: They are ancillaries to the key questions for evaluating the Electoral College. First, what will be the ordering of states (from most Democratic to least Democratic)? Second, how will the national environment drive the popular vote to interact with this rank ordering of states? Think, if you will, of a 51-rung ladder descending into a tidal pool. At the bottom of the ladder is the most Democratic state in the country (in the 2012 elections, this was technically the District of Columbia, but among states it was Hawaii). At the top of the ladder is the most Republican state in the country (unsurprisingly, Utah). The water represents the Democratic tide, driven by national forces such as the economy, presidential popularity, and so forth. As the tide rises, increasingly red states cast their ballots for the Democratic candidates. As it falls, blue states begin to turn crimson. Obviously, both the "ladder" and the "water" are complex and are driven by multiple factors. But it really is the interaction between these two factors that creates an electoral victory, at base. … We start with two basic observations, which are somewhat in tension: Our elections are increasingly polarized and increasingly rigid. We see this plainly in Figure 12.2, which takes the standard deviation for state vote shares for the parties in each election. To smooth things a bit, the data are presented as a three-election rolling average (that is, the data for 2012 are actually 2004 to 2012). As you can see, our Electoral College really is becoming more polarized, a trend beginning in 1992. To be sure, we aren't approaching the heights reached in the wake of Reconstruction's end, but we're still more polarized than we've been since the mid-1900s. Or consider the percentage of states in each election that were within five points of the national average. Once again, as shown in Figure 12.3, we're on a steady downward trend, but we also really are approaching historic territory by this measure: On the other hand, we've seen sharp reversals in the trend before, including the sharp turnaround from 1924 to 1928, which continued through 1952. Might we expect another sharp reversal in 2016? The problem is that not only are we becoming more polarized, we're becoming more rigid. In other words, the order of the rungs on our ladder has been awfully stable in recent elections. [S]ince 2000, only seven states have appeared in the list of the top five most Republican states, and only six have appeared in the bottom five. If we push back to 1988, 11 states have appeared in the top five, while just eight have appeared in the bottom five. [Using some statistical measurements], four of the 10 most stable electoral maps in the past 180 years have been drawn in the past few cycles; none of the recent cycles qualify as unstable. Now again, this doesn't tell us anything about who wins or loses. The strength of these correlations simply confirms that the ladder has been consistent; it doesn't tell us anything about the depth of the pool. But we still should view any claims that that the Electoral College is about to shift radically with skepticism. To be clear, we've seen sharp reversals in individual states' partisan orientations in recent years. Arkansas moved 10 points to the left, relative to the country as a whole, from 1988 to 1992, and 10 points to the right from 2004 to 2008. Wyoming lurched nine points rightward in 2000 (this is probably a testament to how strongly Ross Perot ran there, and which party he drew disproportionately from). Iowa, Nebraska, and North Dakota moved nine points toward Republicans in 1992 as the farm crisis receded, and New Jersey swung seven points toward the New Democrats in 1996. So, we might see some individual state shifts in 2016… [To know for sure, check out the full chapter when "The Surge" is available next week.]
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MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) Mercedes drivers dominated Friday's practice sessions for Formula One's season-opening Australian Grand Prix as expected, while other teams wrestled with mechanical problems, and even a legal dispute. Nico Rosberg set the day's fastest time during the second practice session at Melbourne's Albert Park circuit, just a tenth of a second ahead of teammate and reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton, as the team lived up to expectations of continued dominance in 2015. ''To arrive here and have such good pace in the car for the second year in a row is an amazing feeling,'' Hamilton said, while acknowledging he was ''not 100 percent comfortable with the car'' on the softer tire. Having such a large margin over rival teams meant Rosberg probably did not have to look beyond the team garage to know where the championship fight will be this season. ''It seems again that it's very close between Lewis and me, and he is a great driver, so I need to nail the setup every time to come out on top,'' Rosberg said. ''This year will be a big battle again against him, I'm sure.'' Ferrari drivers Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen were the next fastest, but well behind Mercedes' pace. Third-placed Vettel - making his first official appearance for the team after leaving Red Bull - was seven-tenths of a second behind Rosberg. Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo, the local favorite, was forced to miss the second session after an engine replacement, which is a serious concern as new regulations restrict each car to four engines for the season before penalties kick in. Williams driver Felipe Massa also missed the session due to a water leak, and Toro Rosso's 17-year-old rookie Max Verstappen barely participated in the second session due to a reported battery issue. Such teething problems are common at the season-opening grand prix, and predictable for McLaren, which has struggled throughout preseason testing with its new Honda power unit. While Jenson Button was able to do some sustained running in the second session - a sobering 1.4 seconds off the top pace - Kevin Magnussen crashed into a tire wall early. Magnussen is standing in for Fernando Alonso, who will miss the season-opening race due to injury. Williams driver Valtteri Bottas was fifth-fastest in the second session, ahead of Red Bull's Daniil Kvyat. Toro Rosso rookie Carlos Sainz Jr., Lotus drivers Pastor Maldonado and Romain Grosjean, and Force India's Nico Hulkenberg rounded out the top 10. Sauber skipped the opening session due to an ongoing legal dispute with driver Giedo van der Garde, but enough progress was made in that dispute to allow Marcus Ericsson and Felipe Nasr to participate in the second session. Van der Garde maintains he was promised a seat with Sauber for the 2015 season, but the team dumped him in favor of Ericsson and Nasr in November. The Supreme Court in the Australian state of Victoria ruled Wednesday that van der Garde should be able to race in Melbourne, and rejected a Sauber appeal on Thursday. They were in court again on Friday with van der Garde's lawyers pursuing a contempt of court action, arguing the team had not done enough to comply with the previous rulings. That hearing is scheduled to continue on Saturday. The Manor team, having been taken out of administration by new ownership just two weeks ago, took no part as it scrambles to make its car ready. Principal among the concerns is re-loading the complex software systems into its computers. The software was wiped from the computers to enable them to be sold as part of the administration process. The computers were not sold, but all the material has to be re-entered. Team principal Graeme Lowdon was unsure if the team will be able to participate in Saturday's qualifying, and therefore Sunday's race. ''I don't know, but what I can guarantee you is in terms of commitment and rate of problem solving, we will be absolutely flat out,'' Lowdon said. Even if the team does manage to get going for qualifying on Saturday, its unlikely to be within seven per cent of the pole sitter's time, which is the standard required to take part in the race.
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autos
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A recent rebound in oil prices is built on flimsy foundations, the International Energy Agency warned Friday, with another sharp fall possible and few signs that cheap fuel was giving growth a real boost. Oil prices plummeted by 60 percent between June and January, but have since come off six-year lows and stabilised with London's benchmark Brent trading around $60 per barrel and WTI in the United States fluctuating around $50 per barrel. "Behind the facade of stability, the rebalancing triggered by the price collapse has yet to run its course, and it might be overly optimistic to expect it to proceed smoothly," said the Paris-based IEA, which advises energy consuming nations. It noted that a key driver in the recovery in oil prices, with Brent being up by 30 percent from the lows it touched in January, has been drops in the number of rigs drilling for shale oil in the United States. "Yet US supply so far shows precious little sign of slowing down. Quite to the contrary, it continues to defy expectations," said the IEA in its monthly Oil Market Report, which sharply revised up its output estimates for the end of last year and forecasts for the begging of 2015. With US crude stocks striking all-time records, it noted storage capacity limits may soon be tested. While this would encourage the supply cuts that have so far remained elusive, the IEA warned "...it might also prove more abrupt." The IEA said global supply rose by an estimated 180,000 barrels per day in February to 94.0 million barrels per day (mbd) due to expanding production in countries outside the OPEC oil cartel. Non-OPEC supply is still expected to grow this year, by 750,000 bd, but this is much lower than the 2.1 mbd gain in 2014. Meanwhile, oil demand has also been picking up. The IEA raised its demand forecasts for every quarter this year, with the annual 2015 figure bumped up by 100,000 bd to 93.5 mbd. The increase is somewhat deceptive, the IEA noted, as it rests partially on one-off factors as cold weather and a low point of comparison the previous year. The IEA said "there are still few firm signs at this stage that lower prices are giving the economy a real boost. China, for one, remains in cooling mode."
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finance
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CNBC's Morgan Brennan reports unprecedented congestion on the nation's railroads has led some big rail companies to pour billions of dollars into enlarging its operations.
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finance
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Lil Wayne Lil Wayne was left stunned when a prostitute came to his house. The rapper was visited by the uninvited female guest at his Miami Beach mansion earlier this week, and she claimed he had called her for sex in exchange for money. However, Wayne hadn't made the call and sent the woman away, but it the latest in a string of harassing incidents the 32-year-old musician has fallen victim to over the last two weeks. The 'Lollipop' hitmaker has been bombarded by phone calls where the caller simply hangs up when he answers, and at the start of this month, police came to his house after neighbors reported someone lurking outside. On Wednesday, 11 March, police were called to a report that Wayne had shot four people inside the house. Emergency services surrounded the rapper's $9.4 million property at midday after an unidentified man alleged he had shot four people inside the mansion and "required assistance." But it was established the phone call was a hoax after officers entered the 10-bedroom home and inspected each room before giving it the all-clear and declaring it a sham. Sources have told TMZ that Wayne - whose real name is Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr - and his team believe one person is responsible for the harassment, and they have passed his phone number on to police.
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entertainment
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SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt Secretary of State John Kerry delivered words of encouragement Friday for Egypt's efforts to attract greater foreign investment, but no new military assistance as demanded by the country's president. Kerry's hands are tied because the Obama administration is undecided about whether to affirm Egypt's progress on democracy and human rights or issue a national security waiver. It must do one or other under the 2015 federal budget to unblock hundreds of millions of dollars in military aid for Egypt. In the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, America's top diplomat said investment was needed to restore confidence in Egypt and provide stability for the region. "This part of the world is blessed with a stunning amount of commercial potential," Kerry said at an American Chamber of Commerce event. He said the U.S., whose companies invested $2 billion in Egypt last year, stood ready to help. Kerry was to attend an Egyptian economic conference later Friday and meet with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, who has been clamoring for U.S. tanks, planes and other materiel held up since the military's 2013 coup. El-Sissi said earlier this week the logjam was creating the impression that the U.S. isn't standing by the Egyptians as they battle the Islamic State and other extremists. The country's need for weapons and equipment is "dire," he told Fox News. Kerry had hoped to announce on his three-day trip to Egypt the delivery of F16 fighter jets, according to U.S. officials, who weren't authorized to speak publicly on internal deliberations and demanded anonymity. But no path forward has emerged from multiple White House discussions in recent weeks over funds which were suspended 21 months ago when el-Sissi, then military chief, overthrew Egypt's first democratically elected leader, Islamist President Mohammed Morsi. The U.S. has been providing hundreds of millions in counterterrorism assistance to its ally, which isn't stalled as a result of the coup. Egypt says it needs the money to face growing threats from extremists creeping over the border from lawless Libya or operating in the Sinai Peninsula, and the U.S. sees the funds as critical for stability in the volatile Middle East. But Washington cannot provide almost half of its $1.5 billion annual aid package along with assistance held up from previous years until it does one of two things. It must certify advances by el-Sissi's government on democracy, human rights and rule of law, or tell Congress the assistance should go through because it is in America's national security interest. The administration has reservations about both options. It doesn't want to endorse a post-coup Egyptian crackdown on political opponents that started with hundreds killed in street clashes and thousands jailed. There have since been mass trials and death sentences. Officials are likewise uncomfortable with a national security declaration that would recall the decades of American support for Egypt's former autocrat Hosni Mubarak despite his government's obvious shortcomings. Officials said the focus of Kerry's trip wasn't on military matters but rather the investment conference. Top executives from General Electric, Microsoft and other U.S. companies attended. Egypt's economy was rocked after Arab Spring protesters chased Mubarak from power in 2011. El-Sissi has sought to make the county more conducive for investment and is reforming Egypt's tax code, among other efforts to spur renewed economic vitality. Kerry also is meeting Friday with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Jordan's King Abdullah II. From Egypt, he will travel to Switzerland Sunday for another round of nuclear talks with Iran. Negotiators hope to reach a framework deal by month's end.
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Andy Samberg and wife Joanna Newsom Andy Samberg will host the 2015 Emmy Awards. The 'Brooklyn Nine-Nine' star has warned viewers they are in for a "wild ride" when he takes the helm of the primetime ceremony - which honors excellence in the television industry - during the live show on Fox on September 20. He said in a statement: "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." Show bosses think the "fearless" 36-year-old star - who won a Creative Arts Emmy in 2007 for his 'Saturday Night Live' song 'Dick in a Box' - is the perfect choice as host. Fox Television Group chairmen and CEOs Gary Newman and Dana Walden said in a statement: "The moment the Emmy Awards host was brought up, we said it had to be Andy. "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." Bruce Rosenblum, chairman and CEO of the Television Academy, added: "It's wonderfully fitting that we have Andy Samberg, an Emmy Award winner himself, as our host for this year's Primetime Emmy Awards. "Andy has excelled in all aspects of the television universe, both from behind and in front of the camera. His humor, insights and charisma will be an exciting addition to our annual celebration of television's best and brightest." The Emmys take place at Los Angeles' Nokia Theatre LA Live on 20 September.
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entertainment
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MOSCOW, March 13 (Reuters) - A wave of savage mockery broke over Russian President Vladimir Putin across the Internet on Friday, sparked by days of absence from public view, despite official insistence it was business as usual in the Kremlin. State television footage of Putin working at his residence failed to quell the tide of fantastical theories circulating online that the 62-year-old Kremlin leader had died, been deposed, or travelled to Switzerland to watch his girlfriend give birth. Ukrainian children produced a cartoon showing Putin abducted from the Kremlin by aliens. The hashtag #putinumer (putin died) began trending on Twitter, and a website, putinumer.com , offered readers advice on how to gauge whether the rumours were true. "Look out the window," it advised. "Are people rejoicing, dancing, letting off fireworks? No? That means he hasn't died yet." Putin is normally ubiquitous in state media, but his silence in the past week has fed rumours of a threat to his grip on power. While hard facts are scarce, there has been speculation of a split between rival Kremlin camps since the killing of opposition politician Boris Nemtsov near Red Square on Feb. 27. "Putin has died on purpose to distract attention from the murder of Nemtsov", tweeted Putin#Vor (Putin#Thief). A Ukrainian website carried a cartoon of Putin lying alongside Soviet state founder Vladimir Lenin in his Red Square mausoleum, and mocked-up pictures of Putin on his deathbed or lying in an open coffin. KREMLIN NOT AMUSED While Putin is a target of satire, he remains by far Russia's most popular politician and has enjoyed a surge in patriotic support since annexing Crimea from Ukraine last year. The head of pro-Kremlin pollster VTSIOM said on Friday that his approval rating had hit an all-time high of 88 percent. Asked by Reuters to confirm that the president was in good health, Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: "Yes. We've already said this a hundred times. This isn't funny any more." RIA news agency separately quoted Peskov as denying that Putin had become a father again -- a response to a flurry of speculation that former Olympic gymnast Alina Kabayeva had given birth in Switzerland. The Kremlin has regularly denied speculation of a romantic relationship between Kabayeva and Putin, who formally divorced his wife Lyudmila in 2014. "Putin really does have a packed timetable: yesterday he died, today he gave birth," suggested one Twitter user. In a country where the president dominates state media, demonstrations are tightly controlled and Kremlin opponents risk arrest, fines, prosecution or, in Nemtsov's case, death, the Internet has become the most effective outlet for dissent. In a surreal YouTube video which had been watched more than 93,000 times by Friday evening, two men in camouflage uniform are shown walking through a rubble-strewn landscape past Putin's gravestone, carrying a TV screen showing wild Cossack dancing. "Unbelievable things happen in the world," they sing. "You would think the people will mourn/But the earthlings celebrate/All the continents conduct parades/America is happy, Europe is happy." Theories sprang up to explain why the president this week postponed a meeting with the leader of Kazakhstan -- one suggested he was meeting Muammar Gaddafi and Hugo Chavez, the deceased Libyan and Venezuelan leaders. A spokesman for President Barack Obama was asked aboard Air Force One whether the U.S. government had any information on Putin's whereabouts or whether Obama had been briefed. "I have enough trouble keeping track of the whereabouts of one world leader," White House spokesman Eric Schultz told reporters. "I would refer you to the Russians for questions on theirs. I'm sure they'll be very responsive." (Reporting by Denis Dyomkin, Denis Pinchuk, Ludmila Zaramenskikh, Polina Devitt, Ludmila Danilova, Anton Derbenev, Alessandra Prentice, Ralph Boulton, Thomas Grove, and Jeff Mason aboard Air Force One; Writing by Mark Trevelyan; Editing by Andrew Heavens/Hugh Lawson)
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news
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Stock index futures were little changed on Friday as investors held off on making bets following a volatile week that was marked by sharp swings in both directions. The S&P 500 posted its biggest one-day gain since early February on Thursday, a rally that was offset by the biggest one-day loss since early January on Tuesday. Equities have recently been driven by the U.S. dollar, with the S&P having a high inverse correlation to the currency. Thursday's equity rally corresponded with the biggest one-day drop in the U.S. dollar index (.DXY) in a month. The dollar index is up almost 2 percent this week and is on track for its fourth straight weekly advance. Investors see the continued strength in the greenback as a threat to multinational corporate profits. The index rose 0.1 percent on Friday. Wall Street has also been focused on when the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates, with some strong economic data recently suggesting the first hike could come as early as June. Higher rates tend to raise borrowing costs for companies and individuals and crimp spending, though strong indicators are seen as better for the market in the long term. Trading could be volatile ahead of next week's Fed meeting, when the central bank could provide further insight into when the first rate increase will come. A preliminary read on March consumer sentiment will be released after the market opens, with the University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers seen essentially holding steady with the previous report. Crude oil (CLc1) fell 0.7 percent, which could weigh on energy names. The commodity has fallen in six of the past seven sessions. Walt Disney Co (DIS.N) will be in focus after the company announced it had started work on a sequel to "Frozen," the best-selling animated movie of all time. FXCM Inc (FXCM.N) jumped 13.5 percent to $2.44 in heavy premarket trading a day after the company reported fourth-quarter earnings that beat expectations. This was the currency broker's first quarterly report since the removal of the cap on the Swiss franc sparked massive losses that pushed it to take a rescue loan. The Dow is on track for a weekly rise of 0.2 percent while the Nasdaq is on track for a drop of 0.7 percent. The S&P is down 0.3 percent on the week, and if the benchmark index ends negative for the week, that will mark its third straight weekly decline. Still, Thursday's rally lifted the Dow and S&P back into positive territory for 2015, and the S&P is 2.4 percent from its record closing high. Futures snapshot at 6:46 a.m. EDT: S&P 500 e-minis (ESc1) were up 2.25 points, or 0.11 percent, with 76,349 contracts changing hands. Nasdaq 100 e-minis (NQc1) were up 7.75 points, or 0.18 percent, in volume of 8,779 contracts. Dow e-minis (1YMc1) were up 14 points, or 0.08 percent, with 6,750 contracts changing hands. (Editing by Bernadette Baum)
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news
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Kanye West believes racism is a "dated concept". The 'Bound 2' hitmaker insists it is a term he doesn't like to use because it is "stupid" and used to "separate and alienate" people from one another. He told France's Clique TV: "Racism is a dated concept. It's like a silly concept that people try to touch on to either ... to separate, to alienate, to pinpoint anything. It's stupid. "It's like a bouncing ball in a room with two cats, or something, when you don't feel like playing with a cat. Let them literally fight over the bouncing ball. And the bouncing ball has nothing, no purpose, anything other than that: It bounces. That's racism. It's not an actual thing that even means anything." The 37-year-old rapper - who has 20-month-old daughter North with wife Kim Kardashian West - also shared his Christian views of power, and his belief that he is a "servant", which makes him powerful because people are not interested in him declaring himself to be godly. He said: "The more power that you have, the less you are a king; the more you are a servant, the more power you have. "We are servants. We're providing service with this interview. Maybe people will be - I don't want to assume what someone will get from this - but it's when I figured out what my position was, is when the doors opened up. "It's literally like unlocking a code. And when I'm knocking at the door saying 'I'm a god,' or something like that, everyone's like 'OK, well, god, stay out there.' But if I come in and, mind you, when someone's like 'Hey, I want to come up, I'd like to sweep up your floor for you,' everyone's like 'Alright cool, come in, I need my floor swept.' "To position yourself as a servant, because that's all we are, we're servants to God. This is a Christian view of mine."
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entertainment
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BBC correspondent Lyse Doucet visits Shejaiya, a neighbourhood of Gaza City which remains in ruins 6 months after the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
| 5 | 12,234 |
news
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Spanish police say they have arrested eight suspected members of a jihadist cell in dawn raids across the country. Six men and two women are believed to have been recruiting volunteers to fight for Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, and encouraging attacks in Spain. The arrests took place in Barcelona and Girona in the north-east, and Avila and Ciudad Real in central Spain. More than 20 suspected Islamic militants have been detained in the country so far this year. 'Propaganda machine' In a statement (in Spanish), the interior ministry said the alleged cell "represented a serious and definite threat to national security". It said the suspects had been in contact with an IS "operative", who was co-ordinating their activities from Syria and Iraq. All of those arrested were Spanish nationals, and five of them were of Moroccan origin. The group was a "propaganda machine" for IS, targeting immigrants and Spaniards of Moroccan origin, the statement said. On Tuesday, police arrested two suspects described as "physically and mentally prepared for jihad" in Spain and neighbouring countries. No details have been given about the suspects' identities. Spanish authorities believe about 100 people have travelled from Spain to Iraq and Syria to join the ranks of Islamist groups there. There are concerns that they may return Spain to launch attacks.
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news
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If you're a vegetarian, we have some good news for you: Munching on all those plants may cut your risk for colorectal cancer -- the second leading cause of cancer death in the U.S. -- by about 20 percent. For the study, published in the March 9 online edition of JAMA Internal Medicine , researchers kept track of 77,000 men and women over the course of seven years. Roughly half the participants were meat-eaters, and the others fell into four vegetarian-like groups: Semi-vegetarians (ate meat less than once a week), pesco-vegetarians (ate fish but not other meat), lacto-ovo vegetarians (ate eggs and dairy but no meat) and vegans (no meat, no dairy, no eggs). Researchers found that after seven years, there were 380 colon cancer cases and 110 rectal cancer cases among the group. As it turns out, vegetarians were less likely to develop the disease compared to participants who ate meat, but pesco-vegetarians, in particular, were the real winners. "All vegetarians together had on average a 22 percent reduction in the risk of developing colorectal cancer, compared with non-vegetarians," lead researcher Dr. Michael Orlich said, according to CBS. Those who ate fish, on the other hand, saw a 43 percent reduction rate. However, it should be noted there's still no concrete evidence that this reduction in colorectal cancer is due to diet. "That's the problem in dietary studies of cancer. We don't know exactly what the connection is," Dr. Alfred Neugut, professor of epidemiology at Columbia University Medical Center said, according to CBS. CNN points out that participants in the study sample are Seventh Day Adventists , "a group that typically avoids alcohol and tobacco." Colorectal cancer risk aside, there are plenty of other reasons to stick to a plant-based diet. Not only do vegetarians have a lower risk of Type 2 diabetes , coronary heart disease and high blood pressure , but they can maintain a healthy weight more easily . "Let face it. If you are eating a lot of plant foods, many of which have only 10 to 50 calories per cup, you are going to lose weight," Carole Bartolotto, RD, wrote in a blog post for The Huffington Post. "If you eat these foods instead of fast, fatty, processed, and sweet foods, you will cut out a ton of calories -- and the best part is, you will feel full!" Ready to hit your local farmers market yet?
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foodanddrink
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JOHANNESBURG (AP) Oscar Pistorius' lawyers failed Friday in their attempt to stop an appeal by prosecutors that will again seek a murder conviction against the double-amputee athlete for shooting girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. Judge Thokozile Masipa dismissed an application by Pistorius' defense lawyers to challenge the appeal by prosecutors, who were last year granted permission by Masipa to have Pistorius' negligent killing conviction reviewed. Prosecutors want Pistorius found guilty of the more serious charge of murder for shooting Steenkamp multiple times through a door in a bathroom in his home in 2013. A murder conviction would call for a minimum sentence of 15 years in jail. The 28-year-old Pistorius is currently serving a five-year prison sentence for culpable homicide, which is comparable to manslaughter. He could be released from jail in August to serve the remainder under house arrest. "The order that I grant in this matter is to strike off the application," the black-robed Masipa said in her ruling on Friday, dismissing the defense's application. The ruling means Pistorius' case looks set to go to South Africa's Supreme Court of Appeal, where a panel of judges would decide if Masipa's initial verdict to acquit Pistorius of murder at the end of the seven-month trial last year was wrong. In December, Masipa granted prosecutors permission to take the case to the Supreme Court of Appeal and challenge her own ruling. Pistorius' lawyers were arguing Friday that Masipa should not have allowed the appeal. Masipa made her latest ruling after a short court session in Johannesburg. Pistorius' trial was held in another courthouse in the capital Pretoria. The Olympian and multiple Paralympic champion is in a Pretoria prison and did not attend Friday's proceedings. There were also no members of his or Steenkamp's family present. Masipa heard arguments by Barry Roux, Pistorius' chief defense lawyer at trial, and Gerrie Nel, the chief prosecutor. Roux argued prosecutors had "mistakenly" been given permission to appeal. Nel said there was no basis for this application by Pistorius' defense, which wanted a "never-ending case" to prevent it from going to the appeal court. The Supreme Court of Appeal sits in the central city of Bloemfontein. No date has been given for the appeal but cases can sometimes take two years to reach the court, legal experts say. The mother of Pistorius' slain girlfriend, who attended much of last year's trial, said this week that she was not interested in the appeal. "How is it going to help me?" June Steenkamp said, adding "my daughter died. Horribly."
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sports
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My kids drive me crazy. Does that make me a bad parent? As I'm going on my fourth baby, it took me years to work up the courage to say it out loud, but they do… they can drive me mad and the grueling schedule of Mommy duty 24 hours a day, 365 days a year can be, well… I need a new word for "exhausting." Haul one load of laundry down the stairs. Empty the basket into the wash. Start the cycle. Fold the laundry in the dryer. Take the empty basket back into the bathroom to find piles of dirty clothes and towels already strewn everywhere, enough for another load ready to go. Breakfast. Clean up. Snack time. Clean up. Lunch time. Clean up. Dinner time. Clean up. Snack before bed. Clean up. It's safe to say you could stay in the kitchen all day, morning, noon and night, preparing and serving and cleaning up. It's an entire job, all on its own. I sweep the floors after each meal, and despite doing this multiple times a day, you'd think our floor hadn't been touched in months. It almost makes me gag a bit, at the sight of exactly what I've swept up, again, just hours after it was already done. It almost seems unfathomable. To be able to find a matching pair of shoes is a true task in itself. The closet designated just for shoes is overflowing to the point that there are days I'm tempted to just throw them all out. Everywhere I go, I'm tripping or swimming past a sea of shoes. Naturally, never with its pair, but a random shoe or sock (OK, who am I kidding… or sippy cup or spoon) mixed in with toys, strewn clothes or random items that need to be tossed or organized. Dishes. The dishwasher is running. Both sides are beginning to fill up as you see little hands reaching up over the counter to throw another dirty sippy cup or plate in. Nothing is impossible…but to ever really be fully caught up on the dishes, just as the laundry goes, it's safe to say impossible. One baby needs a diaper change, the other toddler is screaming and needs to be wiped on the potty, while another is hollering from a different floor in the house that you need to come quick, it's an emergency . I'm pretty certain we keep our hard-working garbage men in business. I don't know how so much can get accumulated in so little time. Each of the designated trash cans fills up. Out they go. A new bag goes in as another is ready to be emptied. I wish we could trade in and recycle diapers, tissues and wipies because by this point, I'd easily be a millionaire. The vacuum gets run through the main rooms daily and this, too, doesn't seem to show or matter as I hear it click and crunch over the carpet's surface; when I empty it, I can't believe I just let my children crawl and play on what was beneath them. It's comforting to know that if we ever got stranded somewhere, we'd have a full survival pack of… well, just about anything and everything in our vehicle. This is where, a lot of the time, one of the random missing socks or shoes turns up, along with the missing sweatshirt that was tucked under the seat for some time and the pacifier that was lodged between the back row. With the constant rushing from work to practices to games to events to appointments, it is a race to and from the car, and whatever is left behind will more than likely be found within the next couple of months when we find the 10 extra minutes to clean the thing out. If it's 6:02 a.m. on a Saturday morning and we're just now hearing noise or tiny feet running to our room, then I guess we should be grateful. Sleep is for the weak, right? Have to go to the bathroom? When you do finally make it there, just be prepared to have company or, if you are bold enough to lock the door, prepare yourself to have tiny people trying to bang the door down or stick their hands underneath it in the hope that they will be able to reach you. Some neighbors must think we either have rock concerts or WWE wrestling matches held in our house. Depending upon the time of day or mood of the kids, there could be screaming and all-out battles between our toddlers as they make noises and cries that aren't even mimic-able. Someone is yelling "Mommy!" every minute of every hour of every single day. There are days you feel enslaved in your own home as not a second is ever found to be yours. And then I stop to think… If I didn't have the never-ending laundry, that means I wouldn't have little arms around my neck to help balance themselves as I put their pants on or would never get those kisses on my nose or the sweetest stares as we are forehead to forehead, even if it is the seventh time I'm redressing them for the day. If I wasn't tripping over tiny little shoes and picking up mismatched socks, I wouldn't have the precious feet that I hold and kiss and tickle and massage every single day. If I didn't have dishes to do and meals to serve, I would have a large, empty dining room table that would have nothing more than a boring, lifeless atmosphere without the unpredictable, charming and unfailing liveliness that encompasses it several times each day. Yes, a quiet, cleaner kitchen; however, not one full of memories, no matter how messy they may be. If I wasn't being woken up before sunrise, I wouldn't have a reason to climb out of bed each morning and clamber on to another day's adventures that await me. The little monkeys that rule, terrorize and run in every other direction are my very reason to carry on. If I didn't have the constant commotion and noise, the silence would be nearly deafening to me. I remember from such an early age that I yearned for a big family of my own . And with a big family comes big love, big noise and yes, lots of commotion. Commotion that is also filled with an abundant amount of such a genuine joy that nothing else on this earth could equally fill me with. So… if I didn't need needed , to put it simply… I'd be lost. Some days no, correction, every day is an energy-draining, roller coaster of a marathon that I just bravely attempt to keep up with. However, it's one wild, demanding, rewarding ride that I can't picture a day without. Yes, my kids drive me crazy. It took me so long to be able to bravely say that out loud for fear that it meant I was a terrible mother. But it's the crazy circus full of laughter and love that I've dreamt of and prayed for my entire life. These little people are the absolute loves of my life. So, next time you're ready to pull your hair out, do two things. Remember you are not alone. And sometimes you just have to sit back, laugh and enjoy the hell of a ride that you're on. It will be over before you know it. Turn the music on, pick up a child and dance, love, laugh and just be in these moments with them. There's nothing that a little love and laughter can't heal or touch. We don't have to search and create these big, elaborate moments with our children. They're already there. Just recognize them and hold on tight with both hands. Ride this ride with them.
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lifestyle
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That's what some conservatives allege but the numbers say otherwise If you're inclined to think that America has too many people who take, and not enough who make, then you're probably skeptical that the economy really is improving. The drop in the official unemployment rate from a high of 10% in late 2009 to 5.5% in February is simply a hoax, the skeptics say, because there are 93 million Americans who've dropped out of the labor market, refusing to work or even look for a job. And if you didn't look for a job in the past month, you aren't counted as unemployed. The fear that America will go broke if fewer than half of us are working is credible only if we ignore history. The unemployment rate isn't 5.5%, as the government claims. The real unemployment rate is over 35%, they say, because about 102 million people aren't working, including about 9 million who are officially counted as unemployed and the 93 million who've given up. Now, it is true that the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that 92.9 million adults were "not in the labor force" in February, an all-time high. That's up from 79.2 million as the economy slumped into a recession just over seven years ago. The share of civilian non-institutionalized adults who participate in the labor force (either working or actively searching for a job) has declined from 66% on the eve of the recession to only 62.8% in February, close to a 37-year low. That means three of every eight adults is just sitting on his ass, taking from the rest of us! Don't tell Zero Hedge or Breitbart or Sen. Ted Cruz, but it's much worse than that! Using exclusive data from the Census Bureau provided to me on the Internet, I've learned that a majority of Americans are doing nothing while the rest of us slave all day long! It's not 102 million who aren't working; it's 172 million! The government is hiding in plain sight the brutal fact that only 46% of Americans are working (148 million of a total population of 320 million)! If you consider everybody and not only the 250 million who are over 16 that the BLS counts, only 49% of us are in the labor force. If we include all the babies and retirees and students and stay-at-home moms and dads and the disability cheaters, it turns out that America is full of slackers who won't get a job. How can we ever pay our bills if half of us aren't working? The fear that America will go broke if fewer than half of us are working is credible only if we ignore history, which shows that the percentage of Americans with a paid job has never gotten much above 50% (the record was 51% in January 2007). It turns out that we've always had a lot of children, and old folks, and housewives to support. Indeed, in the 1950s and 1960s, the portion of Americans who had a paid job was always less than 40%. In 1962, it was just 36%. I suppose you're angry with me. Why should we count infants as unemployed? You're right: We shouldn't count infants as unemployed any more than we should count 85-year-olds. But that is what people do when they carp on about the 93 million adults who've "given up" on work. The 93 million figure is meaningless bunk, just as my 172 million number is. Both figures arbitrarily include millions of people who can't work, don't want to work and don't need to work. It's no surprise that many millions aren't in the labor force. About 42 million have retired and are collecting Social Security, and millions more are about to. About 46 million Americans are over 65, and another 40 million are between 55 and 64. About 40 million Americans are between 16 and 24, and many of them are in school: 19 million people are in college and 17 million are in high school. About 14 million people under 65 are too disabled to work. And millions of men and women aren't working because they are taking care of their children, their grandchildren or their parents. They aren't in the labor force, and probably shouldn't be. They are doing other things with their lives. We want people to be able to make choices that are right for them: to retire, to go to school, to take time off work to care for family. What we should do is focus on people who didn't have much of a choice. If you don't think you'll find a job, you'll stop looking. If you don't have the right skills, you won't look until you do. If you don't have transportation to get to a job, you won't apply. If you don't have affordable child care, you'll give up. If you are sick, you'll wait. The BLS asks people who aren't in the labor force if they want to work. In February, 6.6 million of the 93 million said "yes," that if conditions were right, they'd like to have a job. That's too high: It was only 4.6 million as the economy entered the recession. But it's not 93 million. These people haven't looked for work in the past month, but that doesn't mean they won't look next month. According to researchers at the Richmond Federal Reserve, people who say they want a job but didn't look last month have about the same probability of landing a job in the next 30 days as people who've been out of work longer than six months and who did look last month about 14% of both groups will land a job. These 6.6 million people who want a job should be considered just as unemployed as the 8.8 million who did actively look for a job last month. That would make the "real" unemployment rate around 9.4%, down from 13.4% at the worst of the recession, but considerably higher than the 6.8% low reached in 2000. That's a measure of how much slack remains in the labor market. The other 86 million adults who aren't in the labor force aren't unemployed. They just aren't interested right now. Those of us who pontificate about the economy and politics should just leave them alone. They've earned it. Rex Nutting is a columnist and MarketWatch's international commentary editor, based in Washington. Follow him on Twitter @RexNutting.
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finance
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A seven year-old with an underdeveloped right arm gets his very own bionic Iron Man prosthetic from Tony stark himself, in a video that will turn any heart to jelly. Jen Markham (@jenmarkham) has the story.
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video
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The Tennessee Titans have reached an agreement Friday with former Redskins linebacker Brian Orakpo, FOX Sports 1 NFL Insiders Mike Garafolo and Alex Marvez confirmed. ESPN first reportedly the agreement. Orakpo, who spent his first six seasons of his career in Washington, suffered a season-ending pectoral injury in 2014, limiting him to seven games. He has 40 career sacks despite having two of the past three seasons cut short by season-ending injuries. The Redskins used their franchise tag on Orakpo, 28, last offseason after he recorded 10 sacks in 2013. He was limited to a half-sack in seven games last year.
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sports
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Back in April of 2007, when she was campaigning for the Democratic presidential nomination for the first time, then-Senator Hillary Clinton lashed out at the secrecy of the George W. Bush administration. She told a New Hampshire audience that if elected she would implement a "plan to enhance accountability and transparency" and "to replace secrecy and mystery with openness." One part of her plan: "It's time our government went fully online as well." She lost her White House bid. But 20 months later, before Barack Obama took that job and she became secretary of state, she set up a private computer server registered to her home in Chappaqua, N.Y., to handle all her official, as well as private, emails for the next four years. Her decision a secret until earlier this month impeded efforts by the press and others to review State Department actions. Today it is Hillary Clinton's record of transparency that has come under fire. At a press conference Tuesday, she acknowledged that in retrospect "it would've been better for me to use two separate phones and two email accounts." She has asked the State Department to release her official emails, a process that could take months. Few public figures have been as scrutinized as Hillary Clinton. Sometimes her disclosures go beyond what is required, but she's also racked up a reputation for secrecy that at times has returned to haunt her. Here are five examples covering the last two decades. Some are drawn from a 2007 book I did, with Don Van Natta Jr., entitled "Her Way: The Hopes and Ambitions of Hillary Rodham Clinton. (Little Brown & Co.) Clinton's office didn't respond to a request for comment. 1) 1992: The Commodity Trades During Bill Clinton's first run for the White House, his campaign declined to release all of the couple's tax returns. Later it emerged that the campaign had weighed requests from the press and decided not to do so, because a few of the returns showed Hillary Clinton's spectacular success in commodities trading, in which she made almost $100,000 from an initial investment of $1,000 in a matter of months for a return of almost 10,000 percent. Hillary Clinton threatened a campaign lawyer who had access to the material with retribution if she released the data: "You'll never work in Democratic politics again," the lawyer, Loretta Lynch, says Clinton told her. It wasn't until 1994, as the New York Times prepared to publish an article detailing the trades , that the Clintons made public the returns. 2) 1993: The Health Care Task Force As First Lady, Clinton led a presidential task force to overhaul the U.S. health care system. The group, which produced a 1,342-page bill that failed to win approval, came under intense criticism from lawmakers and interest groups for meeting behind closed doors. Several court challenges were brought in an attempt to open the process. Ultimately the courts provided a partial legal victory to the administration. Clinton later wrote she didn't mind the criticism since she was "trying to do something important for people" but acknowledged the failure was partially the result of her "own missteps" in "trying to do too much, too fast." 3) 1994: Records from the Rose Law Firm U.S. investigators in 1994 subpoenaed the First Lady's billing records from her years at the Rose Firm in Little Rock, Arkansas, documents that had been also sought by reporters. A focus of their interest was her legal work for a failing savings and loan, but records of those billings weren't found. Much later, Clinton's long-time assistant, Carolyn Huber, said she found in the White House residence an additional box of records that contained the billing memos. They were turned over to the independent counsel in 1996. Clinton testified she had no knowledge of how the records wound up where they did. 4) 2006: The Energy Task Force Late in her first term as U.S. senator from New York, Clinton set up an energy task force to help her work through the issue, deliver a major speech on the subject and prepare for a possible presidential run, participants in the task force told us for the book. They produced a 40-page report in April 2006. The whole project, including the existence of the group, its members and its work product was a secret, designed, participants said, to encourage frank discussions of the issue. The leader of the task force headed an investment firm with major holdings in the energy sector. Senators routinely get input from outsiders and no law requires their disclosure, but a secret task force is unusual. 5) 2015: The Family Foundation The Clinton family foundation, now called the Bill, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton Foundation, made disclosures that exceed the legal requirements. Charities are not required to list donors, but as part of Clinton's selection as secretary of state the foundation agreed to disclose the identity of contributors and restrict solicitations from foreign governments. Still, the information on the foundation's website is less than full. Donors are identified but not the exact amount of each donation or the date of those contributions. Instead donations fall under ranges and are listed cumulatively. The foundation did not announce that it started raising money from foreign governments after Hillary Clinton left office. But last month the Wall Street Journal pieced together some new foreign donations after the foundation's web site was updated. That article was the first in a spate of news accounts raising questions about foreign money coming into the Clinton network as she prepares a run for president. The foundation has said donors are carefully vetted and their money goes to important charitable projects. Related stories: For more coverage, read ProPublica's previous reporting on Hillary Clinton's emails.
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news
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While many royal weddings don't garner the attention of Prince William and Kate Middleton's big day, it doesn't mean that they lack in lavishness. These couples' weddings are part of a long tradition of elaborate royal weddings around the world. The Most Stunning Royal Weddings From Around the World While many royal weddings don't garner the attention of Prince William and Kate Middleton's big day , it doesn't mean that they lack in lavishness. These couples' weddings are part of a long tradition of elaborate royal weddings around the world. In 2012, Luxembourg treated its Crown Prince Guillaume to an extravagant affair when he married Belgian Countess Stéphanie de Lannoy. The celebration, which reportedly cost around $650,000 and was funded by taxpayers, spanned multiple days and included a guest list packed with kings, queens, and other royals from around the world. In Brunei, Princess Hajah Hafizah Sururul Bolkiah, the fifth daughter of Brunei's sultan, married Pengiran Haji Muhammad Ruzaini at her father's 1,700-room palace in front of 3,000 guests. A state dinner followed, and Queen Elizabeth II even sent her best wishes. These royals make up some of the lesser-known but just as regal royals of the world . And just like the Brits, they know how to throw opulent weddings for members of their families. From the wedding for the future emperor of Japan in 1924 to Grace Kelly's Monaco spectacular in 1956 to Will and Kate's big day on April 29, 2011, here is a guide to the world's royal weddings over the years. 207 Photos: View as Gallery | View as Slideshow Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar and Trishika Kumari Singh The Bride: Trishika Kumari Singh, daughter of Harshvardhan Singh and Maheshree Kumari of Dungarpur. The Groom: Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar, the maharaja of Mysore, India. When: June 27, 2016 Where: Mysore, India Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar and Trishika Kumari Singh The Bride: Trishika Kumari Singh, daughter of Harshvardhan Singh and Maheshree Kumari of Dungarpur. The Groom: Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar, the maharaja of Mysore, India. When: June 27, 2016 Where: Mysore, India Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar and Trishika Kumari Singh The Bride: Trishika Kumari Singh, daughter of Harshvardhan Singh and Maheshree Kumari of Dungarpur. The Groom: Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar, the maharaja of Mysore, India. When: June 27, 2016 Where: Mysore, India Prince Carl Philip and Sofia Hellqvist The Bride: Sofia Hellqvist, a model. The Groom: Prince Carl Philip, only son and the second of three children of King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia. When: June 13, 2015 Where: Stockholm, Sweden Prince Carl Philip and Sofia Hellqvist The Bride: Sofia Hellqvist, a model. The Groom: Prince Carl Philip, only son and the second of three children of King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia. When: June 13, 2015 Where: Stockholm, Sweden Prince Carl Philip and Sofia Hellqvist The Bride: Sofia Hellqvist, a model. The Groom: Prince Carl Philip, only son and the second of three children of King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia. When: June 13, 2015 Where: Stockholm, Sweden Prince Maximilian of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg and Franziska Balzer The Bride: Franziska Balzer, an actress. The Groom: Prince Maximilian of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, son of Prince Otto Ludwig Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg. When: August 6, 2016 Where: Bad Laasphe, Germany Prince Maximilian of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg and Franziska Balzer The Bride: Franziska Balzer, an actress. The Groom: Prince Maximilian of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, son of Prince Otto Ludwig Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg. When: August 6, 2016 Where: Bad Laasphe, Germany Prince Maximilian of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg and Franziska Balzer The Bride: Franziska Balzer, an actress. The Groom: Prince Maximilian of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, son of Prince Otto Ludwig Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg. When: August 6, 2016 Where: Bad Laasphe, Germany Prince Franz Albrecht zu Oettingen-Spielberg and Cleopatra von Adelsheim von Ernest The Bride: Cleopatra von Adelsheim von Ernest, an actress. The Groom: Prince Franz Albrecht zu Oettingen-Spielberg, son of Albrecht, 11th Prince of Oettingen-Oettingen und Oettingen-Spielberg. When: July 9, 2016 Where: Adelsheim, Germany Prince Franz Albrecht zu Oettingen-Spielberg and Cleopatra von Adelsheim von Ernest The Bride: Cleopatra von Adelsheim von Ernest, an actress. The Groom: Prince Franz Albrecht zu Oettingen-Spielberg, son of Albrecht, 11th Prince of Oettingen-Oettingen und Oettingen-Spielberg. When: July 9, 2016 Where: Adelsheim, Germany Prince Franz Albrecht zu Oettingen-Spielberg and Cleopatra von Adelsheim von Ernest The Bride: Cleopatra von Adelsheim von Ernest, an actress. The Groom: Prince Franz Albrecht zu Oettingen-Spielberg, son of Albrecht, 11th Prince of Oettingen-Oettingen und Oettingen-Spielberg. When: July 9, 2016 Where: Adelsheim, Germany Lady Charlotte Wellesley and Alejandro Santo Domingo The Bride: Lady Charlotte Wellesley, daughter of Duke of Wellington Charles Wellesley of the United Kingdom. The Groom: Alejandro Santo Domingo, a financier. When: May 28, 2016 Where: Íllora, Spain Lady Charlotte Wellesley and Alejandro Santo Domingo The Bride: Lady Charlotte Wellesley, daughter of Duke of Wellington Charles Wellesley of the United Kingdom. The Groom: Alejandro Santo Domingo, a financier. When: May 28, 2016 Where: Íllora, Spain Lady Charlotte Wellesley and Alejandro Santo Domingo The Bride: Lady Charlotte Wellesley, daughter of Duke of Wellington Charles Wellesley of the United Kingdom. The Groom: Alejandro Santo Domingo, a financier. When: May 28, 2016 Where: Íllora, Spain Beatrice Borromeo and Pierre Casiraghi The Bride: Beatrice Borromeo, member of Italy's most ancient and aristocratic family. The Groom: Pierre Casiraghi, Princess Grace's grandson. When: July 25, 2015 Where: Angera, Italy Beatrice Borromeo and Pierre Casiraghi The Bride: Beatrice Borromeo, member of Italy's most ancient and aristocratic family. The Groom: Pierre Casiraghi, Princess Grace's grandson. When: July 25, 2015 Where: Angera, Italy Beatrice Borromeo and Pierre Casiraghi The Bride: Beatrice Borromeo, member of Italy's most ancient and aristocratic family. The Groom: Pierre Casiraghi, Princess Grace's grandson. When: July 25, 2015 Where: Angera, Italy Princess Stephanie and Daniel Ducret The Bride: Princess Stephanie of Monaco, youngest daughter of Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier III. The Groom: Daniel Ducruet, the princess's former body guard. When: July 1, 1995. They already had two children, but soon divorced in 1996. Where: Monaco Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles The Bride: Camilla Parker Bowles, the onetime lover of Prince Charles who divorced her first husband in 1995. The Groom: Charles, Prince of Wales, Britain's longest-serving heir apparent. When: April 8, 2005. It was delayed a day so Prince Charles and other guests could attend the funeral of Pope John Paul II. Where: Charles became the first member of the royal family to marry in a civil ceremony. It took place at Windsor Castle and was followed by a religious blessing at St. George's Chapel. The queen chose not to attend the civil marriage but did attend the religious blessing and host a reception after. Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles The Bride: Camilla Parker Bowles, the onetime lover of Prince Charles who divorced her first husband in 1995. The Groom: Charles, Prince of Wales, Britain's longest-serving heir apparent. When: April 8, 2005. It was delayed a day so Prince Charles and other guests could attend the funeral of Pope John Paul II. Where: Charles became the first member of the royal family to marry in a civil ceremony. It took place at Windsor Castle and was followed by a religious blessing at St. George's Chapel. The queen chose not to attend the civil marriage but did attend the religious blessing and host a reception after. Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles The Bride: Camilla Parker Bowles, the onetime lover of Prince Charles who divorced her first husband in 1995. The Groom: Charles, Prince of Wales, Britain's longest-serving heir apparent. When: April 8, 2005. It was delayed a day so Prince Charles and other guests could attend the funeral of Pope John Paul II. Where: Charles became the first member of the royal family to marry in a civil ceremony. It took place at Windsor Castle and was followed by a religious blessing at St. George's Chapel. The queen chose not to attend the civil marriage but did attend the religious blessing and host a reception after. Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles The Bride: Camilla Parker Bowles, the onetime lover of Prince Charles who divorced her first husband in 1995. The Groom: Charles, Prince of Wales, Britain's longest-serving heir apparent. When: April 8, 2005. It was delayed a day so Prince Charles and other guests could attend the funeral of Pope John Paul II. Where: Charles became the first member of the royal family to marry in a civil ceremony. It took place at Windsor Castle and was followed by a religious blessing at St. George's Chapel. The queen chose not to attend the civil marriage but did attend the religious blessing and host a reception after. Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles The Bride: Camilla Parker Bowles, the onetime lover of Prince Charles who divorced her first husband in 1995. The Groom: Charles, Prince of Wales, Britain's longest-serving heir apparent. When: April 8, 2005. It was delayed a day so Prince Charles and other guests could attend the funeral of Pope John Paul II. Where: Charles became the first member of the royal family to marry in a civil ceremony. It took place at Windsor Castle and was followed by a religious blessing at St. George's Chapel. The queen chose not to attend the civil marriage but did attend the religious blessing and host a reception after. Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles The Bride: Camilla Parker Bowles, the onetime lover of Prince Charles who divorced her first husband in 1995. The Groom: Charles, Prince of Wales, Britain's longest-serving heir apparent. When: April 8, 2005. It was delayed a day so Prince Charles and other guests could attend the funeral of Pope John Paul II. Where: Charles became the first member of the royal family to marry in a civil ceremony. It took place at Windsor Castle and was followed by a religious blessing at St. George's Chapel. The queen chose not to attend the civil marriage but did attend the religious blessing and host a reception after. Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles The Bride: Camilla Parker Bowles, the onetime lover of Prince Charles who divorced her first husband in 1995. The Groom: Charles, Prince of Wales, Britain's longest-serving heir apparent. When: April 8, 2005. It was delayed a day so Prince Charles and other guests could attend the funeral of Pope John Paul II. Where: Charles became the first member of the royal family to marry in a civil ceremony. It took place at Windsor Castle and was followed by a religious blessing at St. George's Chapel. The queen chose not to attend the civil marriage but did attend the religious blessing and host a reception after. Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles The Bride: Camilla Parker Bowles, the onetime lover of Prince Charles who divorced her first husband in 1995. The Groom: Charles, Prince of Wales, Britain's longest-serving heir apparent. When: April 8, 2005. It was delayed a day so Prince Charles and other guests could attend the funeral of Pope John Paul II. Where: Charles became the first member of the royal family to marry in a civil ceremony. It took place at Windsor Castle and was followed by a religious blessing at St. George's Chapel. The queen chose not to attend the civil marriage but did attend the religious blessing and host a reception after. Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles The Bride: Camilla Parker Bowles, the onetime lover of Prince Charles who divorced her first husband in 1995. The Groom: Charles, Prince of Wales, Britain's longest-serving heir apparent. When: April 8, 2005. It was delayed a day so Prince Charles and other guests could attend the funeral of Pope John Paul II. Where: Charles became the first member of the royal family to marry in a civil ceremony. It took place at Windsor Castle and was followed by a religious blessing at St. George's Chapel. The queen chose not to attend the civil marriage but did attend the religious blessing and host a reception after. Prince Al-Muhtadee Billah and Dayangku Sarah binti Pengiran Salleh The Bride: Dayangku Sarah binti Pengiran Salleh. The Groom: Al-Muhtadee Billah, crown prince of Brunei. When: Sept. 5, 2004. The bride was 17, and the groom was 30. Where: The sultan's palace in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei. Prince Al-Muhtadee Billah and Dayangku Sarah binti Pengiran Salleh The Bride: Dayangku Sarah binti Pengiran Salleh. The Groom: Al-Muhtadee Billah, crown prince of Brunei. When: Sept. 5, 2004. The bride was 17, and the groom was 30. Where: The sultan's palace in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei. Prince Al-Muhtadee Billah and Dayangku Sarah binti Pengiran Salleh The Bride: Dayangku Sarah binti Pengiran Salleh. The Groom: Al-Muhtadee Billah, crown prince of Brunei. When: Sept. 5, 2004. The bride was 17, and the groom was 30. Where: The sultan's palace in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei. Prince Hamzah and Princess Noor The Bride: Princess Noor bint Asem bin Nayef, second cousin of the groom. The Groom: Prince Hamzeh, former crown prince of Jordan and son of American-born Queen Noor al-Husseein. When: Aug. 29, 2003. But the official wedding celebrations were held on May 27, 2004 Where: Amman, Jordan. Prince Hamzah and Princess Noor The Bride: Princess Noor bint Asem bin Nayef, second cousin of the groom. The Groom: Prince Hamzeh, former crown prince of Jordan and son of American-born Queen Noor al-Husseein. When: Aug. 29, 2003. But the official wedding celebrations were held on May 27, 2004 Where: Amman, Jordan. Prince Hamzah and Princess Noor The Bride: Princess Noor bint Asem bin Nayef, second cousin of the groom. The Groom: Prince Hamzeh, former crown prince of Jordan and son of American-born Queen Noor al-Husseein. When: Aug. 29, 2003. But the official wedding celebrations were held on May 27, 2004 Where: Amman, Jordan. Prince Hamzah and Princess Noor The Bride: Princess Noor bint Asem bin Nayef, second cousin of the groom. The Groom: Prince Hamzeh, former crown prince of Jordan and son of American-born Queen Noor al-Husseein. When: Aug. 29, 2003. But the official wedding celebrations were held on May 27, 2004 Where: Amman, Jordan. Prince Frederik and Mary Donaldson The Bride: Mary Elizabeth Donaldson, an Australian marketing professional who met the prince while he was in Sydney for the Olympics. The Groom: Frederik, crown prince of Denmark. When: May, 14 2004. Where: Copenhagen Cathedral, Copenhagen. Prince Frederik and Mary Donaldson The Bride: Mary Elizabeth Donaldson, an Australian marketing professional who met the prince while he was in Sydney for the Olympics. The Groom: Frederik, crown prince of Denmark. When: May, 14 2004. Where: Copenhagen Cathedral, Copenhagen. Prince Frederik and Mary Donaldson The Bride: Mary Elizabeth Donaldson, an Australian marketing professional who met the prince while he was in Sydney for the Olympics. The Groom: Frederik, crown prince of Denmark. When: May, 14 2004. Where: Copenhagen Cathedral, Copenhagen. Prince Frederik and Mary Donaldson The Bride: Mary Elizabeth Donaldson, an Australian marketing professional who met the prince while he was in Sydney for the Olympics. The Groom: Frederik, crown prince of Denmark. When: May, 14 2004. Where: Copenhagen Cathedral, Copenhagen. Princess Martha and Ari Behn The Bride: Princess Martha Louise of Norway, daughter of King Harald V and Queen Sonja. The Groom: Ari Behn, an author of novels and short stories. When: May 24, 2002. Where: Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim, Norway, although they currently live in London. Princess Martha and Ari Behn The Bride: Princess Martha Louise of Norway, daughter of King Harald V and Queen Sonja. The Groom: Ari Behn, an author of novels and short stories. When: May 24, 2002. Where: Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim, Norway, although they currently live in London. Princess Martha and Ari Behn The Bride: Princess Martha Louise of Norway, daughter of King Harald V and Queen Sonja. The Groom: Ari Behn, an author of novels and short stories. When: May 24, 2002. Where: Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim, Norway, although they currently live in London. Princess Martha and Ari Behn The Bride: Princess Martha Louise of Norway, daughter of King Harald V and Queen Sonja. The Groom: Ari Behn, an author of novels and short stories. When: May 24, 2002. Where: Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim, Norway, although they currently live in London. Prince Felipe and Letizia Ortiz The Bride: Letizia Ortiz, former divorced journalist. The Groom: Felipe, Prince of Asturias, the heir apparent to the Spanish throne. When: May 22, 2004. No one suspected the serious relationship until they announced the engagement on Nov. 1, 2003. Where: Madrid's Almudena Cathedral. Prince Felipe and Letizia Ortiz The Bride: Letizia Ortiz, former divorced journalist. The Groom: Felipe, Prince of Asturias, the heir apparent to the Spanish throne. When: May 22, 2004. No one suspected the serious relationship until they announced the engagement on Nov. 1, 2003. Where: Madrid's Almudena Cathedral. Prince Felipe and Letizia Ortiz The Bride: Letizia Ortiz, former divorced journalist. The Groom: Felipe, Prince of Asturias, the heir apparent to the Spanish throne. When: May 22, 2004. No one suspected the serious relationship until they announced the engagement on Nov. 1, 2003. Where: Madrid's Almudena Cathedral. Prince Felipe and Letizia Ortiz The Bride: Letizia Ortiz, former divorced journalist. The Groom: Felipe, Prince of Asturias, the heir apparent to the Spanish throne. When: May 22, 2004. No one suspected the serious relationship until they announced the engagement on Nov. 1, 2003. Where: Madrid's Almudena Cathedral. Prince Felipe and Letizia Ortiz The Bride: Letizia Ortiz, former divorced journalist. The Groom: Felipe, Prince of Asturias, the heir apparent to the Spanish throne. When: May 22, 2004. No one suspected the serious relationship until they announced the engagement on Nov. 1, 2003. Where: Madrid's Almudena Cathedral. Prince Felipe and Letizia Ortiz The Bride: Letizia Ortiz, former divorced journalist. The Groom: Felipe, Prince of Asturias, the heir apparent to the Spanish throne. When: May 22, 2004. No one suspected the serious relationship until they announced the engagement on Nov. 1, 2003. Where: Madrid's Almudena Cathedral. Prince Felipe and Letizia Ortiz The Bride: Letizia Ortiz, former divorced journalist. The Groom: Felipe, Prince of Asturias, the heir apparent to the Spanish throne. When: May 22, 2004. No one suspected the serious relationship until they announced the engagement on Nov. 1, 2003. Where: Madrid's Almudena Cathedral. Prince Felipe and Letizia Ortiz The Bride: Letizia Ortiz, former divorced journalist. The Groom: Felipe, Prince of Asturias, the heir apparent to the Spanish throne. When: May 22, 2004. No one suspected the serious relationship until they announced the engagement on Nov. 1, 2003. Where: Madrid's Almudena Cathedral. Prince Johan Friso and Mabel Wisse Smit The Bride: Mabel Wisse Smit, who has worked on international humanitarian efforts before and after her marriage. The Groom: Prince Johan Friso, second son of Queen Beatrix of the Neatherlands. When: April 24, 2004. Prior to the wedding, the prince did not ask for permission from the Dutch Parliament after revelations that his bride was connected to a known drug lord, so he was officially kicked out of the Dutch royal family, although he and Mabel still use titles. Where: Delft, a typical Dutch town. Prince Johan Friso and Mabel Wisse Smit The Bride: Mabel Wisse Smit, who has worked on international humanitarian efforts before and after her marriage. The Groom: Prince Johan Friso, second son of Queen Beatrix of the Neatherlands. When: April 24, 2004. Prior to the wedding, the prince did not ask for permission from the Dutch Parliament after revelations that his bride was connected to a known drug lord, so he was officially kicked out of the Dutch royal family, although he and Mabel still use titles. Where: Delft, a typical Dutch town. Princess Salote Lupepeu'u Tuita and Mata'i'ulua Fusitu'a The Bride: Princess Salote Lupepeu'u Tuita, the only daughter of the late king of Tonga and sister of the current king. The Groom: Mata'i'ulua Fusitu'a, a Tongan diplomat. When: June 10, 2003. Where: The Methodist Church in Nuku'alofa. Prince Emanuele and Clotilde Courau The Bride: Clotilde Courau, a French actress. The Groom: Emanuele Filiberto, Prince of Venice and Piedmont, grandson of the last king of Italy. When: Sept. 25, 2003. The bride was six months pregnant. Where: Rome's Basilica of Saint Mary of the Angels, where his grandparents had wed. Emanuele and his family had been in exile from Italy until 2002. Prince Emanuele and Clotilde Courau The Bride: Clotilde Courau, a French actress. The Groom: Emanuele Filiberto, Prince of Venice and Piedmont, grandson of the last king of Italy. When: Sept. 25, 2003. The bride was six months pregnant. Where: Rome's Basilica of Saint Mary of the Angels, where his grandparents had wed. Emanuele and his family had been in exile from Italy until 2002. Prince Emanuele and Clotilde Courau The Bride: Clotilde Courau, a French actress. The Groom: Emanuele Filiberto, Prince of Venice and Piedmont, grandson of the last king of Italy. When: Sept. 25, 2003. The bride was six months pregnant. Where: Rome's Basilica of Saint Mary of the Angels, where his grandparents had wed. Emanuele and his family had been in exile from Italy until 2002. Prince Laurent and Claire Coombs The Bride: Claire Coombs, a British-born woman who had lived in Brussels since childhood. The Groom: Prince Laurent of Belgium. When: April 12, 2003. Where: The civil ceremony was held at Brussels Town Hall followed by a religious ceremony at Cathedral of Saints Michael and Gudula. Prince Laurent and Claire Coombs The Bride: Claire Coombs, a British-born woman who had lived in Brussels since childhood. The Groom: Prince Laurent of Belgium. When: April 12, 2003. Where: The civil ceremony was held at Brussels Town Hall followed by a religious ceremony at Cathedral of Saints Michael and Gudula. Prince Laurent and Claire Coombs The Bride: Claire Coombs, a British-born woman who had lived in Brussels since childhood. The Groom: Prince Laurent of Belgium. When: April 12, 2003. Where: The civil ceremony was held at Brussels Town Hall followed by a religious ceremony at Cathedral of Saints Michael and Gudula. Prince Laurent and Claire Coombs The Bride: Claire Coombs, a British-born woman who had lived in Brussels since childhood. The Groom: Prince Laurent of Belgium. When: April 12, 2003. Where: The civil ceremony was held at Brussels Town Hall followed by a religious ceremony at Cathedral of Saints Michael and Gudula. King Mohammed VI and Salma Bennani The Bride: Salma Bennani, then a commoner. The Groom: Morocco's King Mohammed VI. When: During a two day celebration from July 12, 2002, to July 13, 2002. Where: Rabat. It broke the centuries-old Moroccan tradition of shielding the monarch's wife from the public. King Mohammed VI and Salma Bennani The Bride: Salma Bennani, then a commoner. The Groom: Morocco's King Mohammed VI. When: During a two day celebration from July 12, 2002, to July 13, 2002. Where: Rabat. It broke the centuries-old Moroccan tradition of shielding the monarch's wife from the public. Prince Joachim and Marie Cavallier The Bride: Marie Cavallier, who worked in PR and advertising before becoming Prince Joachim's second wife. The Groom: Prince Joachim of Denmark, sixth in line to the Danish throne and the younger son of Queen Margrethe II and Henrik, Prince Consort of Denmark. When: The wedding took place on May 24, 2008. Where: They married in Mogeltonder Church, in the southwestern corner of the Danish peninsula of Jutland. Their wedding banquet occurred at the couple's residence, Schackenborg Castle. Prince Haakon and Mette-Marit Tjessem Hoiby The Bride: Mette-Marit Tjessem Hoiby, a single mother with a party-girl reputation. The Groom: Prince Haakon, crown prince of Norway. When: Aug. 25, 2001. Where: Oslo Cathedral. Prince Haakon and Mette-Marit Tjessem Hoiby The Bride: Mette-Marit Tjessem Hoiby, a single mother with a party-girl reputation. The Groom: Prince Haakon, crown prince of Norway. When: Aug. 25, 2001. Where: Oslo Cathedral. Prince Haakon and Mette-Marit Tjessem Hoiby The Bride: Mette-Marit Tjessem Hoiby, a single mother with a party-girl reputation. The Groom: Prince Haakon, crown prince of Norway. When: Aug. 25, 2001. Where: Oslo Cathedral. Prince Edward and Sophie Rhys-Jones The Bride: Sophie Rhys-Jones, a PR professional. The Groom: Prince Edward, the youngest son of Queen Elizabeth II. When: June 19, 1999. Prince Edward is the only child of the queen without a divorce. Where: St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle. Prince Edward and Sophie Rhys-Jones The Bride: Sophie Rhys-Jones, a PR professional. The Groom: Prince Edward, the youngest son of Queen Elizabeth II. When: June 19, 1999. Prince Edward is the only child of the queen without a divorce. Where: St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle. Prince Edward and Sophie Rhys-Jones The Bride: Sophie Rhys-Jones, a PR professional. The Groom: Prince Edward, the youngest son of Queen Elizabeth II. When: June 19, 1999. Prince Edward is the only child of the queen without a divorce. Where: St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle. Prince Edward and Sophie Rhys-Jones The Bride: Sophie Rhys-Jones, a PR professional. The Groom: Prince Edward, the youngest son of Queen Elizabeth II. When: June 19, 1999. Prince Edward is the only child of the queen without a divorce. Where: St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle. Princess Anne and Timothy Laurence The Bride: Princess Anne, the only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II. It was the princess' second marriage. The Groom: Timothy Laurence, a British naval officer. When: Dec. 12, 1992. Where: In the Church of Scotland near Balmoral. The Church of Scotland allows remarriage. Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson The Bride: Sarah Ferguson, who had worked in PR and publishing. The Groom: Prince Andrew, the second-youngest son of Queen Elizabeth II. When: March 17, 1986. They divorced on May 30, 1996. Where: Westminster Abbey. Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson The Bride: Sarah Ferguson, who had worked in PR and publishing. The Groom: Prince Andrew, the second-youngest son of Queen Elizabeth II. When: March 17, 1986. They divorced on May 30, 1996. Where: Westminster Abbey. The Duke of Windsor and Wallis Simpson The Bride: Wallis Simpson, a twice-divorced American. The Groom: Edward, Duke of Windsor, the former king of England who renounced his throne to marry. When: June 3, 1937. Where: Chateau de Candé, Monts in France, where they fled after the abdication crisis. Luis Beltrán Ataulfo Alfonso Gómez-Acebo y Borbón and Laura Ponte The Bride: Laura Ponte y Martínez, a Spanish model who has worked for Valentino and Ralph Lauren. The Groom: Luis Beltrán Ataulfo Alfonso Gómez-Acebo y Borbón, nephew of Spanish King Juan Carlos I. When: Sept. 18, 2004. The couple is reportedly separated as of May 2010. Where: The royal palace of La Granja de San Ildefonso, known as the Versailles of Spain, in Segovia. Luis Beltrán Ataulfo Alfonso Gómez-Acebo y Borbón and Laura Ponte The Bride: Laura Ponte y Martínez, a Spanish model who has worked for Valentino and Ralph Lauren. The Groom: Luis Beltrán Ataulfo Alfonso Gómez-Acebo y Borbón, nephew of Spanish King Juan Carlos I. When: Sept. 18, 2004. The couple is reportedly separated as of May 2010. Where: The royal palace of La Granja de San Ildefonso, known as the Versailles of Spain, in Segovia. Luis Beltrán Ataulfo Alfonso Gómez-Acebo y Borbón and Laura Ponte The Bride: Laura Ponte y Martínez, a Spanish model who has worked for Valentino and Ralph Lauren. The Groom: Luis Beltrán Ataulfo Alfonso Gómez-Acebo y Borbón, nephew of Spanish King Juan Carlos I. When: Sept. 18, 2004. The couple is reportedly separated as of May 2010. Where: The royal palace of La Granja de San Ildefonso, known as the Versailles of Spain, in Segovia. Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer The Bride: Lady Diana Spencer. The Groom: Charles, prince of Wales. When: July 29, 1981. Diana was 20 years old and Charles was 32. Where: The ceremony took place at St. Paul's Cathedral in London, and 750 million watched it on TV around the world. Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer The Bride: Lady Diana Spencer. The Groom: Charles, prince of Wales. When: July 29, 1981. Diana was 20 years old and Charles was 32. Where: The ceremony took place at St. Paul's Cathedral in London, and 750 million watched it on TV around the world. Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer The Bride: Lady Diana Spencer. The Groom: Charles, prince of Wales. When: July 29, 1981. Diana was 20 years old and Charles was 32. Where: The ceremony took place at St. Paul's Cathedral in London, and 750 million watched it on TV around the world. Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer The Bride: Lady Diana Spencer. The Groom: Charles, prince of Wales. When: July 29, 1981. Diana was 20 years old and Charles was 32. Where: The ceremony took place at St. Paul's Cathedral in London, and 750 million watched it on TV around the world. Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer The Bride: Lady Diana Spencer. The Groom: Charles, prince of Wales. When: July 29, 1981. Diana was 20 years old and Charles was 32. Where: The ceremony took place at St. Paul's Cathedral in London, and 750 million watched it on TV around the world. Princess Caroline and Philippe Junot The Bride: Princess Caroline of Monaco, daughter of Monaco's sovereign and Grace Kelly. The Groom: Philippe Junot, a French venture capitalist and developer. When: June 28, 1978, was the civil ceremony, while the religious ceremony happened on June 29, 1978. They divorced in 1980. Where: Monte Carlo, Moncao. Princess Caroline and Philippe Junot The Bride: Princess Caroline of Monaco, daughter of Monaco's sovereign and Grace Kelly. The Groom: Philippe Junot, a French venture capitalist and developer. When: June 28, 1978, was the civil ceremony, while the religious ceremony happened on June 29, 1978. They divorced in 1980. Where: Monte Carlo, Moncao. King Carl XVI Gustaf and Silvia Sommerlath The Bride: Silvia Sommerlath, a distant descendant of King Alfonso III of Portugal. She met the then-prince during the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich. The Groom: King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden. When: June 19, 1976. It was the first wedding for a sitting monarch in Sweden since 1797. Where: Stockholm. King Carl XVI Gustaf and Silvia Sommerlath The Bride: Silvia Sommerlath, a distant descendant of King Alfonso III of Portugal. She met the then-prince during the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich. The Groom: King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden. When: June 19, 1976. It was the first wedding for a sitting monarch in Sweden since 1797. Where: Stockholm. King Carl XVI Gustaf and Silvia Sommerlath The Bride: Silvia Sommerlath, a distant descendant of King Alfonso III of Portugal. She met the then-prince during the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich. The Groom: King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden. When: June 19, 1976. It was the first wedding for a sitting monarch in Sweden since 1797. Where: Stockholm. Princess Anne and Mark Phillips The Bride: Princess Anne, Queen Elizabeth's only daughter. The Groom: Mark Phillips, an Olympic horseman and successful military man. When: Nov. 14, 1973. They had two children, Peter and Zara, and divorced in 1992. Where: Westminster Abbey. Princess Anne and Mark Phillips The Bride: Princess Anne, Queen Elizabeth's only daughter. The Groom: Mark Phillips, an Olympic horseman and successful military man. When: Nov. 14, 1973. They had two children, Peter and Zara, and divorced in 1992. Where: Westminster Abbey. Queen Beatrix and Claus van Amsberg The Bride: Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, then the crown princess. The Groom: Claus van Amsberg, a German aristocrat and diplomat. When: March 10, 1966. There were protests, including a smoke bomb thrown at the wedding caravan in Amsterdam on their wedding day, since Claus had served with the Hitler Youth. Where: Amsterdam. King Hussein and Princess Dina The Bride: Princess Dina, daughter of Prince Abdel-Hamid Aoun of Hijaz. The Groom: King Hussein of Jordan. When: April 22, 1955. He would marry three more times, but Dina was his first wife. Where: Amman, Jordan. Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip The Bride: Queen Elizabeth II of England, then Princess Elizabeth. The Groom: Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, the queen's second cousin once removed. He was royal and had served in the Royal Navy during WWII but was a somewhat controversial pick for being foreign-born and without much money. When: Nov. 20, 1947. Where: Westminster Abbey. Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip The Bride: Queen Elizabeth II of England, then Princess Elizabeth. The Groom: Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, the queen's second cousin once removed. He was royal and had served in the Royal Navy during WWII but was a somewhat controversial pick for being foreign-born and without much money. When: Nov. 20, 1947. Where: Westminster Abbey. Emperor Hirohito and Empress Nagako The Bride: Princess Nagako, the groom's distant cousin. The Groom: Hirohito, Crown Prince of Japan, who would become the emperor of Japan. He abandoned his 39 court concubines upon his marriage to the empress. When: Jan. 26, 1924. Where: Tokyo. Princess Nathalie and Alexander Johannsmann The Bride: Princess Nathalie of of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, niece of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark. The Groom: Alexander Johannsmann, a German horse breeder. When: June 18, 2011. Where: Berleburg, Germany. Princess Nathalie and Alexander Johannsmann The Bride: Princess Nathalie of of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, niece of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark. The Groom: Alexander Johannsmann, a German horse breeder. When: June 18, 2011. Where: Berleburg, Germany. King Abdullah and Rania al Yassin The Bride: Rania al Yassin, who was born in Kuwait to Palestinian parents. She worked for Citibank and Apple Inc. The Groom: King Abdullah II, then a prince. When: June 10, 1993, they had met at a dinner party in January of that year. Where: Amman, Jordan. King Abdullah and Rania al Yassin The Bride: Rania al Yassin, who was born in Kuwait to Palestinian parents. She worked for Citibank and Apple Inc. The Groom: King Abdullah II, then a prince. When: June 10, 1993, they had met at a dinner party in January of that year. Where: Amman, Jordan. King Abdullah and Rania al Yassin The Bride: Rania al Yassin, who was born in Kuwait to Palestinian parents. She worked for Citibank and Apple Inc. The Groom: King Abdullah II, then a prince. When: June 10, 1993, they had met at a dinner party in January of that year. Where: Amman, Jordan. Princess Margaret and Antony Armstrong-Jones The Bride: Princess Margaret, younger sister of Queen Elizabeth II. The Groom: Antony Armstrong-Jones, a photographer. However, Princess Margaret's first love was the divorced Peter Townsend, whom her sister forbade her from marrying. When: May 6, 1960. Where: Westminster Abbey. It was the first royal wedding broadcast on TV. Princess Margaret and Antony Armstrong-Jones The Bride: Princess Margaret, younger sister of Queen Elizabeth II. The Groom: Antony Armstrong-Jones, a photographer. Although, Princess Margaret's first love was the divorced Peter Townsend, whom her sister forbade her from marrying. When: May 6, 1960. Where: Westminster Abbey. It was the first royal wedding broadcast on TV and attracted 300 international viewers. Princess Margaret and Antony Armstrong-Jones The Bride: Princess Margaret, younger sister of Queen Elizabeth II. The Groom: Antony Armstrong-Jones, a photographer. Although, Princess Margaret's first love was the divorced Peter Townsend, whom her sister forbade her from marrying. When: May 6, 1960. Where: Westminster Abbey. It was the first royal wedding broadcast on TV and attracted 300 international viewers. Princess Margaret and Antony Armstrong-Jones The Bride: Princess Margaret, younger sister of Queen Elizabeth II. The Groom: Antony Armstrong-Jones, a photographer. However, Princess Margaret's first love was the divorced Peter Townsend, whom her sister forbade her from marrying. When: May 6, 1960. Where: Westminster Abbey. It was the first royal wedding broadcast on TV. Princess Margaret and Antony Armstrong-Jones The Bride: Princess Margaret, younger sister of Queen Elizabeth II. The Groom: Antony Armstrong-Jones, a photographer. However, Princess Margaret's first love was the divorced Peter Townsend, whom her sister forbade her from marrying. When: May 6, 1960. Where: Westminster Abbey. It was the first royal wedding broadcast on TV. Zara Phillips and Mike Tindall The Bride: Zara Phillips, granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II. The Groom: Mike Tindal, and England rugby player. When: June 20, 2012. Where: Edinburgh, Scotland. Zara Phillips and Mike Tindall The Bride: Zara Phillips, granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II. The Groom: Mike Tindal, and England rugby player. When: June 20, 2012. Where: Edinburgh, Scotland. Prince Georg and Princess Sophie The Bride: Sophie Johanna Maria of Isenburg. The Groom: Georg Friedrich, Prince of Prussia. He's head of the former ruling dynasty of the German Empire and Kingdom of Russia. When: The civil wedding took place on Aug. 25, 2011, and the religious ceremony was on Aug. 27, 2011. Where: Potsdam, Germany. Prince Georg and Princess Sophie The Bride: Sophie Johanna Maria of Isenburg. The Groom: Georg Friedrich, Prince of Prussia. He's head of the former ruling dynasty of the German Empire and Kingdom of Russia. When: The civil wedding took place on Aug. 25, 2011, and the religious ceremony was on Aug. 27, 2011. Where: Potsdam, Germany. Prince Georg and Princess Sophie The Bride: Sophie Johanna Maria of Isenburg. The Groom: Georg Friedrich, Prince of Prussia. He's head of the former ruling dynasty of the German Empire and Kingdom of Russia. When: The civil wedding took place on Aug. 25, 2011, and the religious ceremony was on Aug. 27, 2011. Where: Potsdam, Germany. Prince Georg and Princess Sophie The Bride: Sophie Johanna Maria of Isenburg. The Groom: Georg Friedrich, Prince of Prussia. He's head of the former ruling dynasty of the German Empire and Kingdom of Russia. When: The civil wedding took place on Aug. 25, 2011, and the religious ceremony was on Aug. 27, 2011. Where: Potsdam, Germany. Gusti Kanjeng Ratu Bendara and Kanjeng Pangeran Haryo The Bride: Gusti Kanjeng Ratu Bendara, the youngest daughter of the Indonesia monarch. The Groom: Kanjeng Pangeran Haryo. When: Oct. 18, 2011. Where: The sultan's palace in Yogyakarta on Java island. Gusti Kanjeng Ratu Bendara and Kanjeng Pangeran Haryo The Bride: Gusti Kanjeng Ratu Bendara, the youngest daughter of the Indonesia monarch. The Groom: Kanjeng Pangeran Haryo. When: Oct. 18, 2011. Where: The sultan's palace in Yogyakarta on Java island. Princess Felipa and Christian Dienst The Bride: Princess Felipa of Bavaria. The Groom: Christian Dienst, a commoner film producer. When: May 12, 2012. Where: Steingaden, Germany. Princess Felipa and Christian Dienst The Bride: Princess Felipa of Bavaria. The Groom: Christian Dienst, a commoner film producer. When: May 12, 2012. Where: Steingaden, Germany. Princess Felipa and Christian Dienst The Bride: Princess Felipa of Bavaria. The Groom: Christian Dienst, a commoner film producer. When: May 12, 2012. Where: Steingaden, Germany. Princess Felipa and Christian Dienst The Bride: Princess Felipa of Bavaria. The Groom: Christian Dienst, a commoner film producer. When: May 12, 2012. Where: Steingaden, Germany. Princess Maria Carolina and Albert Brenninkmeijer The Bride: Princess Maria Carolina of Bourbon-Parma. The Groom: Albert Brenninkmeijer. When: June 16, 2012. Where: Florence, Italy. Princess Maria Carolina and Albert Brenninkmeijer The Bride: Princess Maria Carolina of Bourbon-Parma. The Groom: Albert Brenninkmeijer. When: June 16, 2012. Where: Florence, Italy. Princess Maria Carolina and Albert Brenninkmeijer The Bride: Princess Maria Carolina of Bourbon-Parma. The Groom: Albert Brenninkmeijer. When: June 16, 2012. Where: Florence, Italy. Princess Maria Carolina and Albert Brenninkmeijer The Bride: Princess Maria Carolina of Bourbon-Parma. The Groom: Albert Brenninkmeijer. When: June 16, 2012. Where: Florence, Italy. Princess Maria Carolina and Albert Brenninkmeijer The Bride: Princess Maria Carolina of Bourbon-Parma. The Groom: Albert Brenninkmeijer. When: June 16, 2012. Where: Florence, Italy. Prince Tupouto'a 'Ulukalala and Sinaitakala Tu'imatamoana 'i Fanakavakilangi Fakafanua The Bride: Sinaitakala Tu'imatamoana 'i Fanakavakilangi Fakafanua, a former teacher. The Groom: Prince Tupouto'a 'Ulukalala, crown prince of Tonga. When: July 12, 2012. Where: Nuku'alofa. Prince Tupouto'a 'Ulukalala and Sinaitakala Tu'imatamoana 'i Fanakavakilangi Fakafanua The Bride: Sinaitakala Tu'imatamoana 'i Fanakavakilangi Fakafanua, a former teacher. The Groom: Prince Tupouto'a 'Ulukalala, crown prince of Tonga. When: July 12, 2012. Where: Nuku'alofa. Prince Tupouto'a 'Ulukalala and Sinaitakala Tu'imatamoana 'i Fanakavakilangi Fakafanua The Bride: Sinaitakala Tu'imatamoana 'i Fanakavakilangi Fakafanua, a former teacher. The Groom: Prince Tupouto'a 'Ulukalala, crown prince of Tonga. When: July 12, 2012. Where: Nuku'alofa. Prince Albert and Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon The Bride: Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon. The Groom: Prince Albert, who would become King George VI. When: April 26, 1923. Where: Westminster Abbey. The BBC's request to broadcast the ceremony was rejected. Princess Hajah Hafiza Sururul Bolkiah and Pengiran Haji Muhammad Ruzaini The Bride: Princess Hajah Hafiza Sururul Bolkiah, the fifth daughter of Brunei's sultan. The Groom: Pengiran Haji Muhammad Ruzaini. When: The civil ceremony was on Sept. 20, 2012, followed by a lavish celebration on Sept. 23, 2012. Where: Nurul Iman Palace in Brunei's capital Bandar Seri Begawan. Princess Hajah Hafiza Sururul Bolkiah and Pengiran Haji Muhammad Ruzaini The Bride: Princess Hajah Hafiza Sururul Bolkiah, the fifth daughter of Brunei's sultan. The Groom: Pengiran Haji Muhammad Ruzaini. When: The civil ceremony was on Sept. 20, 2012, followed by a lavish celebration on Sept. 23, 2012. Where: Nurul Iman Palace in Brunei's capital Bandar Seri Begawan. Princess Hajah Hafiza Sururul Bolkiah and Pengiran Haji Muhammad Ruzaini The Bride: Princess Hajah Hafiza Sururul Bolkiah, the fifth daughter of Brunei's sultan. The Groom: Pengiran Haji Muhammad Ruzaini. When: The civil ceremony was on Sept. 20, 2012, followed by a lavish celebration on Sept. 23, 2012. Where: Nurul Iman Palace in Brunei's capital Bandar Seri Begawan. Prince Carlos and Annemarie Gualthérie Van Weezel The Bride: Annemarie Gualthérie Van Weezel, a parliamentary journalist. The Groom: Prince Carlos de Bourbon De Parme, eldest son of the late Carlos Hugo, Duke of Parma, and Princess Irene of the Netherlands. When: The civil marriage took place on June 12, 2010, and the church wedding was delayed (due to Carlos's father's illness and subsequent death) to Nov. 20, 2010. Where: The civil marriage was in Wijk bij Duurstede, while the church wedding occurred at Abbaye de la Cambre in Brussels, Belgium. Prince Carlos and Annemarie Gualthérie Van Weezel The Bride: Annemarie Gualthérie Van Weezel, a parliamentary journalist. The Groom: Prince Carlos de Bourbon De Parme, eldest son of the late Carlos Hugo, Duke of Parma, and Princess Irene of the Netherlands. When: The civil marriage took place on June 12, 2010, and the church wedding was delayed (due to Carlos's father's illness and subsequent death) to Nov. 20, 2010. Where: The civil marriage was in Wijk bij Duurstede, while the church wedding occurred at Abbaye de la Cambre in Brussels, Belgium. Prince Nikolaos and Tatiana Blatnik The Bride: Tatiana Blatnik, a former event planner for Diane von Furstenberg. The Groom: Prince Nikolaos of Greece and Denmark, son of King Constantine II of Greece and Anne-Marie of Denmark. When: Aug. 25, 2010. Where: In true princess style, Tatiana arrived by horse-drawn carriage to their wedding at the Cathedral of Ayios Nikolaos in Spetses, Greece. Prince Nikolaos and Tatiana Blatnik The Bride: Tatiana Blatnik, a former event planner for Diane von Furstenberg. The Groom: Prince Nikolaos of Greece and Denmark, son of King Constantine II of Greece and Anne-Marie of Denmark. When: Aug. 25, 2010. Where: In true princess style, Tatiana arrived by horse-drawn carriage to their wedding at the Cathedral of Ayios Nikolaos in Spetses, Greece. Prince Nikolaos and Tatiana Blatnik The Bride: Tatiana Blatnik, a former event planner for Diane von Furstenberg. The Groom: Prince Nikolaos of Greece and Denmark, son of King Constantine II of Greece and Anne-Marie of Denmark. When: Aug. 25, 2010. Where: In true princess style, Tatiana arrived by horse-drawn carriage to their wedding at the Cathedral of Ayios Nikolaos in Spetses, Greece. David Bagration and Princess Anna Bagration-Gruzinsky The Bride: Princess Anna Bagration-Gruzinsky, daughter of Prince Nugzar Bagration Gruzinsky and actress Leila Kipiani. The Groom: Prince David Bagration of Mukhrani, a claimant to the headship of the Royal House of Georgia. When: The arranged marriage took place on Feb. 8, 2009. Where: They were married at the Tbilisi Sameba Cathedral in the capital of Georgia. David Bagration and Princess Anna Bagration-Gruzinsky The Bride: Princess Anna Bagration-Gruzinsky, daughter of Prince Nugzar Bagration Gruzinsky and actress Leila Kipiani. The Groom: Prince David Bagration of Mukhrani, a claimant to the headship of the Royal House of Georgia. When: The arranged marriage took place on Feb. 8, 2009. Where: They were married at the Tbilisi Sameba Cathedral in the capital of Georgia. David Bagration and Princess Anna Bagration-Gruzinsky The Bride: Princess Anna Bagration-Gruzinsky, daughter of Prince Nugzar Bagration Gruzinsky and actress Leila Kipiani. The Groom: Prince David Bagration of Mukhrani, a claimant to the headship of the Royal House of Georgia. When: The arranged marriage took place on Feb. 8, 2009. Where: They were married at the Tbilisi Sameba Cathedral in the capital of Georgia. Prince Joachim and Marie Cavallier Prince Joachim and Marie Cavallier The Bride: Marie Cavallier, who worked in PR and advertising before becoming Prince Joachim's second wife. The Groom: Prince Joachim of Denmark, sixth in line to the Danish throne and the younger son of Queen Margrethe II and Henrik, Prince Consort of Denmark. When: The wedding took place on May 24, 2008. Where: They married in Mogeltonder Church, in the southwestern corner of the Danish peninsula of Jutland. Their wedding banquet occurred at the couple's residence, Schackenborg Castle. Prince Joachim and Marie Cavallier The Bride: Marie Cavallier, who worked in PR and advertising before becoming Prince Joachim's second wife. The Groom: Prince Joachim of Denmark, sixth in line to the Danish throne and the younger son of Queen Margrethe II and Henrik, Prince Consort of Denmark. When: The wedding took place on May 24, 2008. Where: They married in Mogeltonder Church, in the southwestern corner of the Danish peninsula of Jutland. Their wedding banquet occurred at the couple's residence, Schackenborg Castle. Peter Phillips and Autumn Kelly The Bride: Autumn Kelly, a Canadian and former management consultant. She converted from Roman Catholicism to the Church of England so that Peter wouldn't lose his place in the line of succession. The Groom: Peter Phillips, the son of Princess Anne and her first husband, Captain Mark Phillips, and sister of Zara Phillips. Although he holds no title, he is a grandchild of Queen Elizabeth II and 11th in line to the British throne. When: They wed on May 17, 2008. Where: The marriage took place at St. George's Chapel in Windsor Castle. Peter Phillips and Autumn Kelly The Bride: Autumn Kelly, a Canadian and former management consultant. She converted from Roman Catholicism to the Church of England so that Peter wouldn't lose his place in the line of succession. The Groom: Peter Phillips, the son of Princess Anne and her first husband, Captain Mark Phillips, and sister of Zara Phillips. Although he holds no title, he is a grandchild of Queen Elizabeth II and 11th in line to the British throne. When: They wed on May 17, 2008. Where: The marriage took place at St. George's Chapel in Windsor Castle. Peter Phillips and Autumn Kelly The Bride: Autumn Kelly, a Canadian and former management consultant. She converted from Roman Catholicism to the Church of England so that Peter wouldn't lose his place in the line of succession. The Groom: Peter Phillips, the son of Princess Anne and her first husband, Captain Mark Phillips, and sister of Zara Phillips. Although he holds no title, he is a grandchild of Queen Elizabeth II and 11th in line to the British throne. When: They wed on May 17, 2008. Where: The marriage took place at St. George's Chapel in Windsor Castle. Peter Phillips and Autumn Kelly The Bride: Autumn Kelly, a Canadian and former management consultant. She converted from Roman Catholicism to the Church of England so that Peter wouldn't lose his place in the line of succession. The Groom: Peter Phillips, the son of Princess Anne and her first husband, Captain Mark Phillips, and sister of Zara Phillips. Although he holds no title, he is a grandchild of Queen Elizabeth II and 11th in line to the British throne. When: They wed on May 17, 2008. Where: The marriage took place at St. George's Chapel in Windsor Castle. Alexandra Manley and Martin Jorgensen The Bride: Alexandra Christina, Countess of Frederiksborg, is the first wife of Prince Joachim of Denmark. She forfeited her title as "Princess Alexandra of Denmark" by marrying photographer Martin Jorgensen, who's 14 years her junior. The Groom: Martin Jorgensen, son of Jacob Jorgensen, owner of Denmark's well-known film production company JJ Film. When: The pair tied the knot on March 3, 2007. Where: The wedding took place in Fakse, Denmark. Alexandra Manley and Martin Jorgensen The Bride: Alexandra Christina, Countess of Frederiksborg, is the first wife of Prince Joachim of Denmark. She forfeited her title as "Princess Alexandra of Denmark" by marrying photographer Martin Jorgensen, who's 14 years her junior. The Groom: Martin Jorgensen, son of Jacob Jorgensen, owner of Denmark's well-known film production company JJ Film. When: The pair tied the knot on March 3, 2007. Where: The wedding took place in Fakse, Denmark. Alexandra Manley and Martin Jorgensen The Bride: Alexandra Christina, Countess of Frederiksborg, is the first wife of Prince Joachim of Denmark. She forfeited her title as "Princess Alexandra of Denmark" by marrying photographer Martin Jorgensen, who's 14 years her junior. The Groom: Martin Jorgensen, son of Jacob Jorgensen, owner of Denmark's well-known film production company JJ Film. When: The pair tied the knot on March 3, 2007. Where: The wedding took place in Fakse, Denmark. Sayako Kuroda and Yoshiki Kuroda The Bride: Sayako Kuroda (formerly Princess Nori) is the daughter of Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko of Japan. She gave up her title and left the Japanese Imperial Family to marry Yoshiki Kuroda. She's also a former ornithologist. The Groom: Yoshiki Kuroda, an urban designer with the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. When: The pair wed on Nov. 15, 2005. Where: Their marriage occurred at the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo. Sayako Kuroda and Yoshiki Kuroda The Bride: Sayako Kuroda (formerly Princess Nori) is the daughter of Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko of Japan. She gave up her title and left the Japanese Imperial Family to marry Yoshiki Kuroda. She's also a former ornithologist. The Groom: Yoshiki Kuroda, an urban designer with the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. When: The pair wed on Nov. 15, 2005. Where: Their marriage occurred at the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo. Sayako Kuroda and Yoshiki Kuroda The Bride: Sayako Kuroda (formerly Princess Nori) is the daughter of Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko of Japan. She gave up her title and left the Japanese Imperial Family to marry Yoshiki Kuroda. She's also a former ornithologist. The Groom: Yoshiki Kuroda, an urban designer with the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. When: The pair wed on Nov. 15, 2005. Where: Their marriage occurred at the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo. Prince Pieter-Christiaan and Anita van Eijk The Bride: Anita van Eijk, a former employee in the marketing department of auction house Christie's. The Groom: Prince Pieter-Christiaan Michiel of Orange-Nassau, van Vollenhoven, the third son of HRH Princess Margriet of the Netherlands and Prof. Pieter van Vollenhoven. Since he didn't seek parliamentary approval for his marriage, he lost his place in the succession to the Dutch throne by marrying Anita. When: They married in a civil ceremony on Aug. 25, 2005, and their religious ceremony took place on Aug. 27, 2005. Where: The civil ceremony look place at the Het Loo Palace in Apeldoorn, and the religious ceremony occurred at the Grote van St. Jeroenskerk in Noordwijk. Prince Pieter-Christiaan and Anita van Eijk The Bride: Anita van Eijk, a former employee in the marketing department of auction house Christie's. The Groom: Prince Pieter-Christiaan Michiel of Orange-Nassau, van Vollenhoven, the third son of HRH Princess Margriet of the Netherlands and Prof. Pieter van Vollenhoven. Since he didn't seek parliamentary approval for his marriage, he lost his place in the succession to the Dutch throne by marrying Anita. When: They married in a civil ceremony on Aug. 25, 2005, and their religious ceremony took place on Aug. 27, 2005. Where: The civil ceremony look place at the Het Loo Palace in Apeldoorn, and the religious ceremony occurred at the Grote van St. Jeroenskerk in Noordwijk. Prince Pieter-Christiaan and Anita van Eijk The Bride: Anita van Eijk, a former employee in the marketing department of auction house Christie's. The Groom: Prince Pieter-Christiaan Michiel of Orange-Nassau, van Vollenhoven, the third son of HRH Princess Margriet of the Netherlands and Prof. Pieter van Vollenhoven. Since he didn't seek parliamentary approval for his marriage, he lost his place in the succession to the Dutch throne by marrying Anita. When: They married in a civil ceremony on Aug. 25, 2005, and their religious ceremony took place on Aug. 27, 2005. Where: The civil ceremony look place at the Het Loo Palace in Apeldoorn, and the religious ceremony occurred at the Grote van St. Jeroenskerk in Noordwijk. Prince Pieter-Christiaan and Anita van Eijk The Bride: Anita van Eijk, a former employee in the marketing department of auction house Christie's. The Groom: Prince Pieter-Christiaan Michiel of Orange-Nassau, van Vollenhoven, the third son of HRH Princess Margriet of the Netherlands and Prof. Pieter van Vollenhoven. Since he didn't seek parliamentary approval for his marriage, he lost his place in the succession to the Dutch throne by marrying Anita. When: They married in a civil ceremony on Aug. 25, 2005, and their religious ceremony took place on Aug. 27, 2005. Where: The civil ceremony look place at the Het Loo Palace in Apeldoorn, and the religious ceremony occurred at the Grote van St. Jeroenskerk in Noordwijk. Prince Albert II and Charlene Wittstock The Bride: Charlene Wittstock, a South African swimmer who allegedly tried to flee before the wedding. The Groom: Prince Albert II, the sovereign of Monaco and son of Grace Kelly. He has two illegitimate children from previous relationships. When: July 1, 2011, for the civil ceremony, followed by a religious ceremony on July 2, 2011. Where: Monte Carlo, Monaco. Prince Albert II and Charlene Wittstock The Bride: Charlene Wittstock, a South African swimmer who allegedly tried to flee before the wedding. The Groom: Prince Albert II, the sovereign of Monaco and son of Grace Kelly. He has two illegitimate children from previous relationships. When: July 1, 2011, for the civil ceremony, followed by a religious ceremony on July 2, 2011. Where: Monte Carlo, Monaco. Prince Albert II and Charlene Wittstock The Bride: Charlene Wittstock, a South African swimmer who allegedly tried to flee before the wedding. The Groom: Prince Albert II, the sovereign of Monaco and son of Grace Kelly. He has two illegitimate children from previous relationships. When: July 1, 2011, for the civil ceremony, followed by a religious ceremony on July 2, 2011. Where: Monte Carlo, Monaco. Prince Albert II and Charlene Wittstock The Bride: Charlene Wittstock, a South African swimmer who allegedly tried to flee before the wedding. The Groom: Prince Albert II, the sovereign of Monaco and son of Grace Kelly. He has two illegitimate children from previous relationships. When: July 1, 2011, for the civil ceremony, followed by a religious ceremony on July 2, 2011. Where: Monte Carlo, Monaco. Princess Victoria and Daniel Westling The Bride: Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden, the heiress apparent to the Swedish throne and the eldest child of King Carl XVI Gustaf and German-born Queen Silvia. The Groom: Daniel Westling, Victoria's former personal trainer and a former gym owner. When: June 19, 2010, on the 34th anniversary of Victoria's parents' marriage. Where: The wedding ceremony took place at Stockholm Cathedral. Then the couple was rowed in an antique royal barge to the royal castle for the wedding banquet. Princess Victoria and Daniel Westling The Bride: Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden, the heiress apparent to the Swedish throne and the eldest child of King Carl XVI Gustaf and German-born Queen Silvia. The Groom: Daniel Westling, Victoria's former personal trainer and a former gym owner. When: June 19, 2010, on the 34th anniversary of Victoria's parents' marriage. Where: The wedding ceremony took place at Stockholm Cathedral. Then the couple was rowed in an antique royal barge to the royal castle for the wedding banquet. Princess Victoria and Daniel Westling The Bride: Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden, the heiress apparent to the Swedish throne and the eldest child of King Carl XVI Gustaf and German-born Queen Silvia. The Groom: Daniel Westling, Victoria's former personal trainer and a former gym owner. When: June 19, 2010, on the 34th anniversary of Victoria's parents' marriage. Where: The wedding ceremony took place at Stockholm Cathedral. Then the couple was rowed in an antique royal barge to the royal castle for the wedding banquet. Princess Victoria and Daniel Westling The Bride: Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden, the heiress apparent to the Swedish throne and the eldest child of King Carl XVI Gustaf and German-born Queen Silvia. The Groom: Daniel Westling, Victoria's former personal trainer and a former gym owner. When: June 19, 2010, on the 34th anniversary of Victoria's parents' marriage. Where: The wedding ceremony took place at Stockholm Cathedral. Then the couple was rowed in an antique royal barge to the royal castle for the wedding banquet. King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and Ashi Jetsun Pema The Bride: Ashi Jetsun Pema. The Groom: King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, formerly Bhutan's prince charming. When: Oct. 13, 2011. It was the biggest media event in the country's history. Where: Punakha Dzong. King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and Ashi Jetsun Pema The Bride: Ashi Jetsun Pema. The Groom: King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, formerly Bhutan's prince charming. When: Oct. 13, 2011. It was the biggest media event in the country's history. Where: Punakha Dzong. King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and Ashi Jetsun Pema The Bride: Ashi Jetsun Pema. The Groom: King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, formerly Bhutan's prince charming. When: Oct. 13, 2011. It was the biggest media event in the country's history. Where: Punakha Dzong. King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and Ashi Jetsun Pema The Bride: Ashi Jetsun Pema. The Groom: King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, formerly Bhutan's prince charming. When: Oct. 13, 2011. It was the biggest media event in the country's history. Where: Punakha Dzong. King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and Ashi Jetsun Pema The Bride: Ashi Jetsun Pema. The Groom: King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, formerly Bhutan's prince charming. When: Oct. 13, 2011. It was the biggest media event in the country's history. Where: Punakha Dzong. Prince Rainier III and Grace Kelly The Bride: Grace Kelly, then a 26-year-old Oscar-winning American actress. The Groom: Prince Rainier III, the sovereign of Monaco, who met Grace Kelly during the Cannes Film Festival. When: April 18, 1956. Where: The Palace Throne Room in Monaco. It was broadcast across Europe. Prince Rainier III and Grace Kelly The Bride: Grace Kelly, then a 26-year-old Oscar-winning American actress. The Groom: Prince Rainier III, the sovereign of Monaco, who met Grace Kelly during the Cannes Film Festival. When: April 18, 1956. Where: The Palace Throne Room in Monaco. It was broadcast across Europe. Prince Rainier III and Grace Kelly The Bride: Grace Kelly, then a 26-year-old Oscar-winning American actress. The Groom: Prince Rainier III, the sovereign of Monaco, who met Grace Kelly during the Cannes Film Festival. When: April 18, 1956. Where: The Palace Throne Room in Monaco. It was broadcast across Europe. Prince Guillaume and Countess Stephanie The Bride: Belgian Countess Stephanie de Lannoy, 28, who will renounce her Belgian citizenship. The Groom: Prince Guillaume of Luxembourg, 30, heir to his country's throne. When: Oct. 20, 2012. Where: Our Lady of Luxembourg Cathedral. Prince Guillaume and Countess Stephanie The Bride: Belgian Countess Stephanie de Lannoy, 28, who will renounce her Belgian citizenship. The Groom: Prince Guillaume of Luxembourg, 30, heir to his country's throne. When: Oct. 20, 2012. Where: Our Lady of Luxembourg Cathedral. Prince Guillaume and Countess Stephanie The Bride: Belgian Countess Stephanie de Lannoy, 28, who will renounce her Belgian citizenship. The Groom: Prince Guillaume of Luxembourg, 30, heir to his country's throne. When: Oct. 20, 2012. Where: Our Lady of Luxembourg Cathedral. Prince Guillaume and Countess Stephanie The Bride: Belgian Countess Stephanie de Lannoy, 28, who will renounce her Belgian citizenship. The Groom: Prince Guillaume of Luxembourg, 30, heir to his country's throne. When: Oct. 20, 2012. Where: Our Lady of Luxembourg Cathedral. Prince Guillaume and Countess Stephanie The Bride: Belgian Countess Stephanie de Lannoy, 28, who will renounce her Belgian citizenship. The Groom: Prince Guillaume of Luxembourg, 30, heir to his country's throne. When: Oct. 20, 2012. Where: Our Lady of Luxembourg Cathedral. Prince Guillaume and Countess Stephanie The Bride: Belgian Countess Stephanie de Lannoy, 28, who will renounce her Belgian citizenship. The Groom: Prince Guillaume of Luxembourg, 30, heir to his country's throne. When: Oct. 20, 2012. Where: Our Lady of Luxembourg Cathedral. Prince Guillaume and Countess Stephanie The Bride: Belgian Countess Stephanie de Lannoy, 28, who will renounce her Belgian citizenship. The Groom: Prince Guillaume of Luxembourg, 30, heir to his country's throne. When: Oct. 20, 2012. Where: Our Lady of Luxembourg Cathedral. Prince Guillaume and Countess Stephanie The Bride: Belgian Countess Stephanie de Lannoy, 28, who will renounce her Belgian citizenship. The Groom: Prince Guillaume of Luxembourg, 30, heir to his country's throne. When: Oct. 20, 2012. Where: Our Lady of Luxembourg Cathedral. Prince Guillaume and Countess Stephanie The Bride: Belgian Countess Stephanie de Lannoy, 28, who will renounce her Belgian citizenship. The Groom: Prince Guillaume of Luxembourg, 30, heir to his country's throne. When: Oct. 20, 2012. Where: Our Lady of Luxembourg Cathedral. Prince Guillaume and Countess Stephanie The Bride: Belgian Countess Stephanie de Lannoy, 28, who will renounce her Belgian citizenship. The Groom: Prince Guillaume of Luxembourg, 30, heir to his country's throne. When: Oct. 20, 2012. Where: Our Lady of Luxembourg Cathedral. Prince Guillaume and Countess Stephanie The Bride: Belgian Countess Stephanie de Lannoy, 28, who will renounce her Belgian citizenship. The Groom: Prince Guillaume of Luxembourg, 30, heir to his country's throne. When: Oct. 20, 2012. Where: Our Lady of Luxembourg Cathedral. Prince Guillaume and Countess Stephanie The Bride: Belgian Countess Stephanie de Lannoy, 28, who will renounce her Belgian citizenship. The Groom: Prince Guillaume of Luxembourg, 30, heir to his country's throne. When: Oct. 20, 2012. Where: Our Lady of Luxembourg Cathedral. Prince Guillaume and Countess Stephanie The Bride: Belgian Countess Stephanie de Lannoy, 28, who will renounce her Belgian citizenship. The Groom: Prince Guillaume of Luxembourg, 30, heir to his country's throne. When: Oct. 20, 2012. Where: Our Lady of Luxembourg Cathedral. Prince Willem-Alexander and Máxima Zorreguieta The Bride: Máxima Zorreguieta, born in Buenas Aires. When they announced their engagement, she addressed the nation in fluent Dutch. The Groom: Willem-Alexander, Prince of Orange, heir apparent to the throne of the Netherlands. When: Feb. 2, 2002. Where: Amsterdam. Prince Willem-Alexander and Máxima Zorreguieta The Bride: Máxima Zorreguieta, born in Buenas Aires. When they announced their engagement, she addressed the nation in fluent Dutch. The Groom: Willem-Alexander, Prince of Orange, heir apparent to the throne of the Netherlands. When: Feb. 2, 2002. Where: Amsterdam. Prince Willem-Alexander and Máxima Zorreguieta The Bride: Máxima Zorreguieta, born in Buenas Aires. When they announced their engagement, she addressed the nation in fluent Dutch. The Groom: Willem-Alexander, Prince of Orange, heir apparent to the throne of the Netherlands. When: Feb. 2, 2002. Where: Amsterdam. Prince Willem-Alexander and Máxima Zorreguieta The Bride: Máxima Zorreguieta, born in Buenas Aires. When they announced their engagement, she addressed the nation in fluent Dutch. The Groom: Willem-Alexander, Prince of Orange, heir apparent to the throne of the Netherlands. When: Feb. 2, 2002. Where: Amsterdam. Prince William and Kate Middleton The Bride: Kate Middleton, Prince William's classmate at the University of St. Andrews and girlfriend of 10 years. The Groom: Prince William, the third in line to British throne. When: April 29, 2011. Where: Westminster Abbey, in front of 1,900 guests. Prince William and Kate Middleton The Bride: Kate Middleton, Prince William's classmate at the University of St. Andrews and girlfriend of 10 years. The Groom: Prince William, the third in line to British throne. When: April 29, 2011. Where: Westminster Abbey, in front of 1,900 guests. Prince William and Kate Middleton The Bride: Kate Middleton, Prince William's classmate at the University of St. Andrews and girlfriend of 10 years. The Groom: Prince William, the third in line to British throne. When: April 29, 2011. Where: Westminster Abbey, in front of 1,900 guests. Prince William and Kate Middleton The Bride: Kate Middleton, Prince William's classmate at the University of St. Andrews and girlfriend of 10 years. The Groom: Prince William, the third in line to British throne. When: April 29, 2011. Where: Westminster Abbey, in front of 1,900 guests. Prince William and Kate Middleton The Bride: Kate Middleton, Prince William's classmate at the University of St. Andrews and girlfriend of 10 years. The Groom: Prince William, the third in line to British throne. When: April 29, 2011. Where: Westminster Abbey, in front of 1,900 guests. Princess Madeleine of Sweden and Christopher O'Neill The Bride: Princess Madeleine of Sweden, the youngest daughter of Sweden's king and queen and fourth in line for the throne. The Groom: Christopher O'Neill, a banker from New York City. When: June 8, 2013. Where: Stockholm, Sweden. Princess Madeleine of Sweden and Christopher O'Neill The Bride: Princess Madeleine of Sweden, the youngest daughter of Sweden's king and queen and fourth in line for the throne. The Groom: Christopher O'Neill, a banker from New York City. When: June 8, 2013. Where: Stockholm, Sweden. Princess Madeleine of Sweden and Christopher O'Neill The Bride: Princess Madeleine of Sweden, the youngest daughter of Sweden's king and queen and fourth in line for the throne. The Groom: Christopher O'Neill, a banker from New York City. When: June 8, 2013. Where: Stockholm, Sweden. Princess Madeleine of Sweden and Christopher O'Neill The Bride: Princess Madeleine of Sweden, the youngest daughter of Sweden's king and queen and fourth in line for the throne. The Groom: Christopher O'Neill, a banker from New York City. When: June 8, 2013. Where: Stockholm, Sweden. Princess Madeleine of Sweden and Christopher O'Neill The Bride: Princess Madeleine of Sweden, the youngest daughter of Sweden's king and queen and fourth in line for the throne. The Groom: Christopher O'Neill, a banker from New York City. When: June 8, 2013. Where: Stockholm, Sweden. Prince Rahim Aga Khan and Kendra Salwa Spears The Bride: Kendra Salwa Spears, a Seattle-born model. The Groom: Prince Rahim Aga Khan, the oldest son of His Highness Aga Khan IV, the spiritual leader of the Shia Ismaili Muslims. When: Aug. 31, 2013 Where: Geneva, Switzerland Prince Rahim Aga Khan and Kendra Salwa Spears The Bride: Kendra Salwa Spears, a Seattle-born model. The Groom: Prince Rahim Aga Khan, the oldest son of His Highness Aga Khan IV, the spiritual leader of the Shia Ismaili Muslims. When: Aug. 31, 2013 Where: Geneva, Switzerland Prince Félix of Luxembourg and Claire Lademacher The Bride: Claire Lademacher, a doctorate student and the daughter of German telecommunications mogul Hartmut Lademacher. The Groom: Prince Félix of Luxembourg, the second son of the Grand Duke of Luxembourg. When: Sept. 17, 2013 Where: Königstein, Germany Prince Félix of Luxembourg and Claire Lademacher The Bride: Claire Lademacher, a doctorate student and the daughter of German telecommunications mogul Hartmut Lademacher. The Groom: Prince Félix of Luxembourg, the second son of the Grand Duke of Luxembourg. When: Sept. 17, 2013 Where: Königstein, Germany Prince Jaime, Count of Bardi and Viktoria Cservenyak The Bride: Viktoria Cservenyak, a lawyer The Groom: Prince Jaime, Count of Bardi, the second son of Princess Irene of the Netherlands. When: Oct. 5, 2013 Where: Apeldoorn, Netherlands Prince Jaime, Count of Bardi and Viktoria Cservenyak The Bride: Viktoria Cservenyak, a lawyer The Groom: Prince Jaime, Count of Bardi, the second son of Princess Irene of the Netherlands. When: Oct. 5, 2013 Where: Apeldoorn, Netherlands Kanjeng Pangeran Haryo Notonegoro and Gusti Kanjeng Ratu Hayu The Bride: Gusti Kanjeng Ratu Hayu, the daughter of Indonesia's Sultan Hamengkubuwono X. The Groom: Kanjeng Pangeran Haryo Notonegoro, an Indonesian-born UN worker who met his bride at a high school reunion and now works in NYC. When: Oct. 21-23, 2013 Where: Yogyakarta, Indonesia Prince Amedeo of Belgium and Elisabetta Maria Rosboch von Wolkenstein The Bride: Elisabetta Maria Rosboch von Wolkenstein, an arts and culture reporter and the only child of Italian aristocrats. The Groom: Prince Amedeo of Belgium When: July 5, 2014 Where: The Basilica of Our Lady in Rome, Italy Prince Amedeo of Belgium and Elisabetta Maria Rosboch von Wolkenstein The Bride: Elisabetta Maria Rosboch von Wolkenstein, an arts and culture reporter and the only child of Italian aristocrats. The Groom: Prince Amedeo of Belgium When: July 5, 2014 Where: The Basilica of Our Lady in Rome, Italy Prince Amedeo of Belgium and Elisabetta Maria Rosboch von Wolkenstein The Bride: Elisabetta Maria Rosboch von Wolkenstein, an arts and culture reporter and the only child of Italian aristocrats. The Groom: Prince Amedeo of Belgium When: July 5, 2014 Where: The Basilica of Our Lady in Rome, Italy Prince Francois d'Orleans and Theresa von Einsiedel The Bride: Theresa von Einsiedel, the daughter of Princess Amelie von Urach of Germany and Curt von Einsiedel Hildebrand. The Groom: Prince Francois d'Orleans, the fourth child of the Countand Countess of Evreux When: July 26, 2014 Where: The Basilica of St. Jacob in Straubing, Germany
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Kathy Griffin announces she is leaving Fashion Police after just seven episodes. Keri Lumm (@thekerilumm) has the story.
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The night after two police officers were shot near a protest, Washington Post reporter Wesley Lowery captured the solemn mood in Ferguson, Mo., through Snapchat.
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A judge has thrown out an attempt by Oscar Pistorius's lawyers to challenge a prosecution appeal against his acquittal of murder . Thokozile Masipa, who presided over the athlete's original trial, said she could not be asked to rule on her decision to grant the appeal, which will be heard at the supreme court at a later date. Pistorius, dubbed the "Blade Runner", is serving a five-year jail sentence for shooting dead his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, but could be moved to house arrest in August. Masipa ruled in December that state prosecutors could appeal against her verdict of culpable homicide the South African equivalent of manslaughter and seek to have it upgraded to murder, which carries a heavier jail term. Masipa agreed with the prosecutors that the verdict was based on her interpretation of law. An appeal can only be granted on a question of law rather than fact. On Friday, Pistorius's defence team requested leave from Masipa to argue that the state challenge was based on matters of fact, not law. At the high court in Johannesburg, defence counsel Barry Roux denied he was appealing against the appeal. But he claimed that the state's appeal would be a factual matter "disguised" as a point of law. It was his legal obligation to raise this argument to make sure he would be able to make these points at the supreme court, he added. Reeva Steenkamp was shot dead on Valentine's Day 2013. Photograph: Gallo Images/Rex Prosecutor Gerrie Nel dismissed the application as "ridiculous", adding that it would "become never-ending … where will it stop?". There was no reason why the defence could not raise its arguments in the supreme court, he added. "In conclusion, this case should be struck off the roll … The court should make it clear that it will not entertain applications for leave against leave." After a short deliberation, Masipa agreed, concluding: "I am not satisfied that this is the correct court to hear this application. For one thing, there is really nothing new in the submissions by counsel for the applicant. In my view, to entertain this application will be tantamount to reviewing my own decision. "And I also think that, procedurally, it would be wrong to grant or refuse this application. Accordingly, the order that I grant in this matter, is to strike off the application." Although unsuccessful, the application represented something of an insurance policy for the defence, allowing it to tell the supreme court it exhausted every avenue in seeking to challenge the appeal decision. Marius du Toit, an attorney, told the eNews Channel Africa that it was all about Roux "dotting his i's and crossing his t's". Unlike Pistorius's trial, Friday's short hearing was held in Johannesburg because Masipa is usually based there. Pistorius, his family and Steenkamp's family were not there. Pistorius testified during his trial that he shot Steenkamp believing she was an intruder , while the state argued he deliberately killed the 29-year-old law graduate and model after an argument. If an appeal court found him guilty of murder, the former Olympian could face at least 15 years in prison. Velekhaya Mgobhozi, a spokesman for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), welcomed Masipa's decision. "The court today has agreed with the NPA this matter should not be heard by this court," he said. "We have always argued this court cannot go back on its word." Mgobhozi said the NPA will be asked to submit a transcript of the trial in late May and heads of argument within a month or two, before the supreme court sets a date for the appeal in the city of Bloemfontein. It seems increasingly likely that Pistorius will have been switched to house arrest by then. "It's in the hands of correctional services," Mgobhozi added. "We have no control over time frames."
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File this one under "What could possibly go wrong?" A few years ago a former client of certified financial planner Rebecca Kennedy had wanted to help out his 20-something son with an investment opportunity. It was shortly after Colorado had passed a voter referendum making medicinal marijuana legal. The son wanted to start a grow operation with a friend. The client was a scientist and had sold a patent that got him a sizable kitty. Since getting his windfall, he had spent wildly, though he had set up trusts for each of his four children. Using the money in the trust for this son, his second eldest, the father spent freely on the operation. "Everything was the best of the best," recalled Kennedy, whose firm, Kennedy Financial Planning, is located in Colorado. "When it came to the water system, it was state-of-the-art, same with the lighting. He ended up using around $200,000 of the son's trust, which was about half its value." It's not hard to guess what happened next. The 20-somethings began squabbling about how to run the operation, and it folded within a year. "They sold the business for parts," Kennedy said. Every financial advisor has a doozy or two about clients doing dumb things. Yet advisors say that while every situation is different, constant themes emerge. Among the most prevalent are parents who let their children take financial advantage of them. Take the client of F. Reid Hartsfield, a CFP with BB&T Wealth Management, who swooped in after his parents' divorce. The father had built a successful real estate business in Florida. The son convinced his 68-year-old mother to take the couple's sports cars, boats and planes as part of her $7-million-plus settlement for his own enjoyment. That reduced the amount she got by $1.5 million. "I tried telling her, 'You really don't need these things, but you do need cash," Hartsfield said. Then the son, who was 43 at the time, asked his mother for $3.8 million to invest in vacation timeshares in Orlando that promised to pay $300,000 a year in income. "Thankfully, I was able to talk her out of that one," said Hartsfield. But he wasn't able to talk the mother out of giving her son and his wife $500,000 to try their hand at house flipping. "That money was gone in three months," Hartsfield said. She also bought them a $1.5 million home, while she settled herself in a home valued at $300,000. "She was very emotionally vulnerable, and she was letting her only son run all over her," Hartsfield said. Now just $1.3 million of the settlement remains, and Hartsfield worries that at age 70, it may not last her the rest of her life. Another emotion trap is real estate. About a decade ago, two clients of Kevin Meehan, CFP and regional president, Chicago, at Wealth Enhancement Group, presented themselves as a responsible couple in their 30s trying to build their wealth. They made sure that their insurance, estate planning, retirement funds and education planning were all in order. But a while later, they vacationed at a Wisconsin lake and fell in love with the area. They decided to buy a vacation home there and needed to liquidate their accounts to make the purchase. "I said, 'What about all these stated objectives and plans?'" he said. "And they came back to me with, 'This is a lifestyle choice.'" Because there were no more assets to manage, Meehan and the couple parted ways. But a year or so later, he checked in on them and asked how they were enjoying their vacation home. "To their credit they came clean and told me that the house was uninhabitable," Meehan said. With no money left, they couldn't afford to do any repairs. They still came to the lake, but instead of enjoying their vacation home, they had to camp in a tent in the front yard. "A second home is always an emotional decision," Meehan said. "I say that's OK if you can afford the emotion you're about to embark on." And then there are clients who do dumb things only because they think themselves so smart. For Rose Swanger, a CFP and investment advisor with Royal Alliance Associates, one client has made three unwise money moves in the last year alone. And he has an MBA. Last year, shortly after the birth of their child, he and his wife applied for life insurance. Insurance companies always ask about smoking. If the applicant admits to smoking occasionally a promotion, the birth of a child some insurance companies may overlook it or raise the premium only a small amount. This client did not disclose his occasional smoking, but enjoyed a cigar the night before his physical. The nicotine was of course detected in his urine sample. Instead of being offered a premium of $1,807 for a $700,000 death benefit, as he was originally quoted, the insurance company offered him a premium $2,981 for a $357,798 death benefit. He decided to forgo the insurance and is looking to increase the amount of his group life insurance policy at work. The client also asked Swanger to assess his 401(k) plan, a well-designed plan with many low-cost options from Vanguard. What Swanger saw left her shaking her head. The client had 16 different target-date funds, all with different retirement-date assumptions. "I've never seen that one before," she said. Also in her initial review, she noticed that the man had a car loan with a staggering 25 percent interest rate. He had been the victim of identity theft shortly before and was working on rebuilding his credit. By the time Swanger met him, his credit score was 660 and she thought it was enough to qualify him for a less usurious rate. She called around and found a credit union willing to make the loan at a 1.6 percent rate. "But he never did anything about it," Swanger said. "He could have freed up cash flow, maxed out his 401(k) and maxed out his Roth IRA." By Ilana Polyak, special to CNBC.com
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WAUKESHA, Wis. A judge in southeastern Wisconsin is expected to decide whether an attempted homicide case against two girls accused of stabbing a classmate to please the fictional character Slender Man should proceed in adult court. Attorneys for the girls, ages 12 and 13, say the defendants don't belong in adult court and that charges of attempted first-degree intentional homicide should be dismissed. Waukesha County Circuit Judge Michael Bohren is scheduled to issue a ruling Friday. The girls are accused of stabbing classmate Payton Leutner 19 times in a wooded park in Waukesha last May. Leutner has recovered from the wounds that nearly killed her. If the girls' case lands in juvenile court and they are convicted, they could be sent to a secure facility until age 25.
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The weird world of phobias While some people have the fear of cooking, some are afraid of cats or the moon. Click through to find out some of the strange and unusual phobias that people may exhibit. Androphobia: Fear of men People who suffer from this phobia feel uncomfortable or nervous when talking to men. Some even avoid men. Achluophobia: Fear of darkness This phobia, which is usually seen in young people, makes the person sick or behave differently. Acrophobia: Fear of heights This phobia is quite common. The phobic gets a panic attack or an anxious reaction when standing at a high height. Arachnophobia: Fear of spiders People who suffer from this phobia experience symptoms like sweating, chest pain, hot or cold flashes, and a feeling of choking. Anemophobia: Fear of winds This phobic is scared of strong winds or storms. The attack symptoms include rapid breathing, sweating, dry mouth and nauseous sensations. Barophobia: Fear of gravity People suffering from this phobia feel that gravity might crush them. They fear falling down. Bathmophobia: Fear of stairs or steep slopes This phobia is associated with the fear of falling and losing balance. Chionophobia: Fear of snow This weather phobia makes the sufferer dislike snow. Catoptrophobia: Fear of mirrors People suffering from this phobia have an abnormal fear of mirrors or one's own reflection. Coulrophobia: Fear of clowns The phobic is scared of excessive makeup, red nose and colored hair. Dendrophobia: Fear of trees This phobia makes the sufferer scared of trees. The attack symptoms include panic attacks and anxiety. Dentophobia: Fear of dentists This common phobia makes the person fear dental care. Ecophobia: Fear of the home This fear of home leads to difficulty of breathing, panic attacks, sweating and crying. Entomophobia: Fear of insects The phobic fears all kinds of insects, irrespective of whether the insect is harmful or not. Felinophobia: Fear of cats People who fear cats have the following symptoms: dizziness, nausea, dry mouth, shaking, heart palpitations, inability to speak or think, and anxiety attacks. Gamophobia: Fear of marriage People who suffer this phobia can't get married or remain committed to a single person for life. Hydrophobia: Fear of water People who suffer from this phobia have an extreme fear of water. Latrophobia: Fear of doctors The fear of going to a doctor is quite common in children, and sometimes it's found in adults too. Koinoniphobia: Fear of rooms This phobia makes a person feel uneasy in shared spaces, including streets and public halls. Lachanophobia: Fear of vegetables Some people are scared of eating vegetables because they think that if they swallow a seed by mistake, it will grow inside them. Mageirocophobia: Fear of cooking A person suffering from this phobia is scared of two things: burning themselves and cooking food incorrectly. Megalophobia: Fear of large things The phobic suffers from panic attacks when he/she looks at objects larger than themselves. Mysophobia: Fear of dirt and germs Mysophobia, which is often related to obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), compels the person to wash hands frequently. Nosocomephobia: Fear of hospitals The person suffering from this phobia has an irrational fear of hospitals because he/she relates them with accidents, and at times, death. Obesophobia: Fear of gaining weight This phobia, also called Pocrescophobia, is easy to find in cultures that value thinness. It can also lead to bulimia (eating food and throwing it up) or anorexia. Ophidiophobia: Fear of snakes The degree of Ophidophobia, which is very common, varies from person to person, with some being scared of all types of snakes while some being scared of just the big ones. Ochlophobia: Fear of crowds The phobic is scared of densely-populated places. They even turn incapable of escaping large gatherings. Papyrophobia: Fear of paper People suffering from this phobia often think that paper can take many shapes and forms. Pyrophobia: Fear of fire In this phobia, the sufferer feels deeply afraid of fire. Even the smell of smoke can trigger an anxiety attack. Quadrophobia: Fear of the number four This phobia is very rare. In it, the sufferer fears of things that come in fours. Rhytiphobia: Fear of getting wrinkles People who want their faces to be perfect have this extreme fear of getting wrinkles. Selenophobia: Fear of the moon Often related to superstition that dangerous creatures appear once the moon is out, the phobic gets scared when the sun is about to set. Tonitrophobia: Fear of thunder It's a fear that primarily arises from thunder and lightning. The phobic is also impacted by gales, heavy rain and hail. Uranophobia or Ouranophobia: Fear of heaven This unusual fear relates to religious factors. Venustraphobia: Fear of beautiful women It's a fear that disallows a person from speaking to beautiful women. The phobia is often connected to having bad experiences with women in the past. Wiccaphobia: Fear of witches and witchcraft A person suffering from this phobia associates witches to dark arts and black magic. Xanthophobia - Fear of the colour yellow An intense, irrational fear of the colour yellow. In severe cases suffers can even become afraid of hearing the word 'yellow' mentioned. Stretchophobia: Fear of yoga It's a fear of twisting the body into tough postures and foreign shapes. Usually a person suffers from this when they are new to yoga. Zoophobia: Fear of animals A very common phobia, the sufferers usually have negative childhood memories involving animals.
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Butler Blue III, the Butler Bulldogs' beloved, live canine mascot, apparently got so excited at the Big East Tournament on Thursday that he unfortunately vomited on the court. As the Bulldogs men's basketball team were preparing to tip-off against the Xavier Musketeers in the Big East Tourney quarterfinals at Madison Square Garden, poor Blue III lost his lunch on the hardwood, which spawned a bunch of social media activity about the mascot's ability to "puke and rally" from none other than the dog … okay, Blue III's owner and trainer Michael Kaltenmark. Blue III later in a tweet thanked Gatorade for the cleanup towels, the Madison Square Garden for "rolling w/ it and the Big East conference for "something to get so e_cited about." According to Kaltenmark , the ill-timed upchuck primarily was caused "sheer excitement." The owner and trainer added that Blue III "was pulling (on his leash) too hard." Unfortunately, despite Blue III's ability to "puke and rally," the Butler basketball team was unable to use his stick-to-it-iveness as motivation, losing to Xavier 67-61 in overtime. After the disappointing loss, Blue III let everyone on social media know that he was feeling much better. "Back at the hotel and doing just fine," read the tweet from the mascot's official Twitter account. "I make no apologies for going to hard tonight. That's who I am. Full day in NYC tomorrow." Indeed.
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U.S. consumer sentiment fell in March as optimism slipped among lower- and middle-income households, a survey released on Friday showed. The University of Michigan's preliminary March reading on the overall index on consumer sentiment came in at 91.2, down from the final February reading of 95.4. It was below the median forecast of 95.5 among economists polled by Reuters. "Consumer optimism slipped in early March among lower- and middle-income households (-6.5 percent from February) while confidence improved among households with incomes in the top third (+3.2 percent)," survey director Richard Curtin said in a statement. "Despite the small temporary setbacks, the overall level of consumer confidence remains favorable enough to support 3.3 percent growth rate in personal consumption expenditures during 2015," he said. The survey's barometer of current economic conditions fell to 103 from 106.9 in February and below a forecast of 105.7. The survey's gauge of consumer expectations slipped to 83.7 from 88 and was below an expected 87.5.
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Authorities serve warrants against LA colleges accused of fraud
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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) The agent for Brian Orakpo says the former Washington Redskins outside linebacker has agreed to terms with the Tennessee Titans. Ben Dogra of Relativity Sports said Orakpo has agreed on a four-year deal worth up to $35 million, with a base of $31 million. Dogra said that Orakpo is ''really happy to be a Tennessee Titan.'' ESPN first reported that Orakpo had agreed to terms. Orakpo, a former first-round pick from Texas, spent his first six seasons with the Redskins. Orakpo has 40 career sacks and is a three-time Pro Bowl selection, but he played just seven games last season before tearing his right pectoral muscle. He also has twice torn the pectoral muscle near his left shoulder.
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A young Chicago Blackhawks fan gets out of her wheelchair and not only scores a goal, but a kiss from one the players in a heart-melting video. Jen Markham (@jenmarkham) has the story.
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Afghanistan coach Andy Moles vowed his side would "come back stronger" after they bowed out of the World Cup with a disappointing nine-wicket defeat by England in Sydney on Friday. Sent into bat after England skipper Eoin Morgan won a good toss in overcast conditions at the SCG, Afghanistan's top-order collapsed in the face of accurate swing bowling led by James Anderson. By the time the first of several rain breaks finally halted their innings, Afghanistan had been restricted to 111 for seven in 36.2 overs. England, who like Afghanistan could no longer qualify for the quarter-finals, were faced with a revised target of 101 in 25 overs under the Duckworth/Lewis method and lost just one wicket in a comfortable chase. But tournament debutants Afghanistan had already made their mark on this World Cup with a thrilling one-wicket win over Scotland, while the likes of batsman Samiullah Shenwari and fast bowlers Hamid Hassan and Shapoor Zadran produced several notable displays. "Our guys will leave this tournament with a lot of good memories," said the 54-year-old Moles, a former opening batsman with English county Warwickshire. "We'll go back and we'll review, we'll look at where we need to get better, and we'll come back a lot stronger from this experience." Reflecting on the non-Test side's Pool A finale -- their first one-day international against England -- Moles said: "I think the conditions were very, very helpful for whoever was going to bowl first. "Anderson, as we all know, in those conditions is one of the better bowlers in the world. "Unfortunately, we just lost a little bit of composure and had too many soft dismissals." However, Moles added: "The boys have given it 100 per cent. They've worked really hard in between fixtures on practice. I couldn't ask for any more." - 'Shop window' - Afghanistan captain Mohammad Nabi said the tournament had been a huge learning curve for his side, with their World Cup record 275-run defeat by Australia, where they faced an imposing fast-bowling attack on a quick Perth pitch, a particularly chastening ordeal. "If you come from the lower stage and come to the top stage, it's a little bit difficult to play against the top-ranking bowlers," said Nabi. "Against Australia in Perth, it was difficult to play in those kind of conditions," he added. The International Cricket Council plan to reduce the number of teams taking part at the 2019 World Cup in England from 14 to 10, effectively freezing out non-Test or Associate teams such as Afghanistan. But their stance prompted a widespread backlash and led ICC chief executive David Richardson to tell AFP a re-think was possible. "I think on the whole, the Associates have put up a good fist and shown that they've improved since the last World Cup" said Moles. "I think the trend is going up. "My personal opinion is it's called the World Cup, and the secret is in the name. "There's the Champions Trophy where it's cut down to the Full Members (Test nations) and I think the World Cup has an opportunity to develop the game and move the game forward. "It's a shop window where people at our level get the opportunity to play against the best players in the world. "Where can they test themselves if they can't test themselves against the best?" "There's a certain mystique about the associate nations and I think it would be something that would be lost if they weren't given the opportunity to do it again."
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Joachim Loew has extended his contract as coach of world champions Germany until the 2018 World Cup in Russia, the German football federation announced on Friday. The 55-year-old Loew's previous contract took him through to Euro 2016, but he said the chance to extend the deal was not one he was going to allow to get away. "I said yes with my heart and my head," Loew said. "We feel incredibly good working together and we have shared goals. "We were crowned world champions and we want to experience that feeling again." Federation president Wolfgang Niersbach added that it was evident how much the 'Mannschaft' had benefited from Loew's "expertise, determination and confidence". "The shared goal is to stay at the summit of world football, we'll do everything to achieve that," Niersbach said. Loew, who began as assistant to Jurgen Klinsmann in 2004 before taking over the top job after the World Cup in in Germany in 2006, led the Germans to World Cup glory in Brazil last year. Loew's first tournament in charge was Euro 2008, where his charges made it to the final but lost 1-0 to Spain. At the 2010 World Cup in South Africa Spain again beat Germany 1-0, this time in the semi-finals. Before the impressive triumph in Brazil, which included a 7-1 semi-final thrashing of the hosts, Germany fell in the last-four of Euro 2012 in a 2-1 defeat by Italy.
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President Obama on Friday said he was "embarrassed" for the 47 GOP senators who signed an open letter to Iran over negotiations to halt its pursuit of nuclear weapons. "I'm embarrassed for them," Obama said in a video posted to YouTube by VICE News Friday. "For them to address a letter to the ayatollah, who they claim is our mortal enemy, and their basic argument to them is, 'Don't deal with our president because you can't trust him to follow through on an agreement,' that's close to unprecedented." The clip previews Obama's interview with VICE founder Shane Smith, which airs Monday on HBO. The president will also discuss climate change, college affordability, marijuana legalization and political gridlock during their conversation.
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Ever wonder what type of mischief your cats get into when they head outside? Look no further than Catstacam. Catstacam is a cat collar with an embedded camera that can snap pictures as your pet plays outside or lollops around the house. Developed by the Australian pet care company Whiskas , the collar captures up to six images per minute. The shutter is motion-activated, snapping whenever your cat makes a sudden move. (Presumably this helps to cut down on repetitive shots from when your cat is napping for 16 hours straight.) When your feline friend gets in range of a Wi-Fi connection, Catstacam automatically uploads the footage to the cat's own furry Instagram account. For now, there's a limited supply of Catstacams, so Whiskas has asked a few friends to demo the product. Early evidence from the collars suggests that cats don't possess the greatest eye for composition, but still, the pictures can be strangely beautiful. You can follow their photos on Instagram with hashtag: #Catstacam Prior attempts could only guess at a cat vision, but with Catstacam, one gets an intimate look into the quiet corners explored by felines.
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Authorities continued their investigation Friday into a deadly overnight shooting in a Metro tunnel at a rail stop in Southeast Washington. The Potomac Avenue station on the Blue, Orange and Silver lines, which had been closed Thursday night for the investigation, reopened Friday morning for riders. The incident occurred just before 9 p.m. Thursday at the Potomac Avenue stop. An operator of a passing train first spotted the man in the tunnel between the Potomac Avenue and Stadium-Armory stations, officials said. The train operator alerted Metro's Rail Operations Control Center in Prince George's County. The control center notified the transit agency's police force about the person in the westbound tunnel near the Potomac Avenue stop. When police arrived, they found the man 400 feet east of the station, and an officer, a woman, fired multiple shots, according to Metro's spokesman Dan Stessel. D.C. police spokesman Paul Metcalf said the shooting happened at 9:10 p.m. No officers were injured in the shooting, Metro officials said. It was not clear late Thursday night, Metro officials said, whether investigators had found any weapon belonging to the man at the scene. On Thursday night, D.C. police officers were beginning a homicide investigation. Outside the stop, dozens of officers surrounded the station at 14th Street and Potomac Avenue SE. The station was closed to passengers after the shooting incident. Riders were taken by shuttle buses around the stop. There was another incident in 2012 where a Metro Transit Police officer shot and killed a 44-year-old man. That man who authorities later identified as Chester Joseph Crestwell Jr. of Lanham was armed and allegedly fired several times at the detective, officials said. The detective returned fire, fatally wounding the gunman. Another fatal shooting involving a Metro Transit officer occurred in 2008. In that case, a transit officer was aiding Virginia State Police in apprehending a suspect. Thursday night's shooting incident at the Metro stop comes as the transit agency has already had a troubled year. In January, a passenger died after the Yellow Line train stopped in a smoke-filled tunnel. Dozens of other passengers were injured. Earlier Thursday, the agency's board decided to stop looking for a new general manager until it figured out what sort of leader could best help it overcome major problems with safety, finances and public relations. Paul Duggan, Clarence Williams and Julie Zauzmer contributed to this report.
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The royal family is often up and running tending to their own schedules, but they reunited for a Service of Commemoration event Friday looking as regal as ever. Welcoming home troops who were stationed in Afghanistan, Kate Middleton, Prince Harry and Prince William, along with Prince Charles and Duchess Camilla, all dressed in shades of blue including the military uniforms to greet the military. Prince George's mom looked gorgeous in a blue coat and matching fascinator only one day after visiting the set of Downton Abbey, with her baby bump fully on display as she and Wills entered and left together. Although the family kept their facial expressions on the more serious side, we couldn't help but notice Kate's beaming smile! It must be that pregnancy glow because she is due in only a couple of weeks! But if you're a fan of a man in uniform, you might want to keep staring at Harry wearing his because he might not be in it for too much longer! The London Evening Standard reported that the 30-year-old plans to leave the armed forces later this year to focus on his charity work. The handsome ginger will reportedly spend "a significant period" in Africa, working on field projects in Africa and pursuing his interests in "conservation and wildlife." Kensington Palace would neither confirm nor deny these reports, telling E! News in a statement: "Prince Harry is currently focused on his work supporting the MoD's [Ministry of Defense] recovery capability programme to ensure those who are wounded injured or sick have appropriate recovery plans and the necessary support thy require. It's a natural progression from the work he did organising the Invictus Games. This involves working alongside case officers in London District's Personal Recovery Unit and visiting various recovery centres and partner agencies (like Forces charities and the NHS) around the country." A source told E! News that regardless of his involvement within the military, it will "always play a very important role" in his life and he will continue to support those who have served and are serving because it's "a topic he is passionate about both personally and professionally...He feels he can use his position to help in the future, regardless of his military role." As long as he stays in uniform, we're OK with whatever he chooses! Love all things royal? The Royals premieres on Sunday, March 15 at 10/9c on E! Follow The Royals on Twitter and Facebook for the latest updates!
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1. Do I not like that The sight of England's bestubbled head coach, Peter Moores, angrily remonstrating with the fourth umpire Ranmore Martinesz, after Chris Jordan was adjudged to have been run out during their World Cup-ending, 15-run defeat to Bangladesh, was something of a rarity in cricket. In the past, following such controversial calls, we would simply witness Andy Flower appearing on the pavilion balcony with murder in his eyes, before disappearing off to vent at the officials behind closed doors. But in Adelaide we were treated to cricket's answer to that most footballing of touchline pantomimes, with Moores invoking memories of Graham Taylor's infamous "Tell your pal that he's just cost me my job‚" cry to the linesman in Rotterdam during England's doomed qualification campaign for the 1994 World Cup a line that proved prescient. Taylor kept quiet on the data thing afterwards, mind you. 2. Mashed In the rush to find the keys to the armoury of publishable expletives in the immediate aftermath of an England defeat, the exploits of the victors are often overlooked. But, to use modern cricketing parlance, all credit to Bangladesh, who qualified for the quarter-finals for the first time in their history by overcoming a tournament format that, in theory, should have been a gentle parade for the big beasts of world cricket. They outplayed England in every department , even sending down the fastest ball of the match courtesy of Rubel Hossain a first, surely and witnessing their first ever World Cup century from Mahmudullah. Particularly heartwarming was the personal triumph of their seam-bowling captain, Mashrafe Mortaza, who, in one lift of his trouser leg, revealed the full extent of a career ravaged by injury. Mortaza was the man who gave the Tigers their coming-of-age moment when his 4-38 sent India home from the Caribbean at the first hurdle eight years ago. But he has also missed nearly half of his country's international cricket since his debut 2001, having been under the knife more times than Jackie Stallone in a bid to resolve a string of knee problems. Fitness permitting he continues to battle a calf issue and missed their final group game with New Zealand Mortaza feels the right man to captain Bangladesh into previously uncharted waters. 3. Jimmy's going nowhere Will England's selectors sweep out the old and usher in the new when they next consider the make-up of a one-day squad? The four-year cycle, we are told, should see those unlikely to feature next time around being dumped in favour of getting runs/wickets/defeats under the belts of the next generation. The likely discards, therefore, are those over 30 with Jimmy Anderson a disappointment in Australia and New Zealand and Ian Bell the perennial frustration the two obvious candidates. But Jimmy, it would appear, is not budging. In his newspaper column for the Sun he stated categorically that he has no intention of stepping aside. Anderson has previously outlined his goal to make the 2019 edition, in what would be his fifth World Cup. Should we applaud a passionate patriot such as Anderson for wanting to remain in the selection mix? Or should we lament his stubbornness given that he will be 36 come the next tournament in England? While retirement from the format, rather than a simple dropping, could possibly impact the returns from his central contract, this writer is prepared to go with the former. It is over to those in charge to make the call. 4. A sinister plot Left-handers eh? Everything they do looks, frankly, weird (this writer is married to one, so speaks from experience) and yet there has never been a better time to be one in cricket. Or more specifically, a left-arm fast bowler. They have already smashed through their previous World Cup wickets record 77 in 2003 and at the time of writing boast 89 at 20 runs apiece, with 11 games still to play. Factoring in spinners, the southpaws have 137 wickets and need a further 16 to make this their most bountiful tournament ever. England, of course, had no such change of angle in their squad. 5. Tread and buried Last season we saw the Sussex batsman Luke Wright pick up the Christopher Martin-Jenkins Spirit of Cricket award after informing the umpires that, while safely holding a catch off Lancashire's Steven Croft, his heel had touched the boundary rope and a six should be awarded. Should Ireland's John Mooney have done the same when his crucial pouch in the deep removed Sean Williams on 96 to set up an epic five-run win over Zimbabwe in Hobart? Or did he not feel a touch? Replays proved inconclusive, with some seeing movement and others prepared to take the fielder's word. Zing, the company that make the flashing bails on display in this World Cup, have already declared an interest in making light-up boundary markers to assist in such circumstances. With their stump systems reportedly costing £27,000 a set, we're not surprised. 6. Total Zimwit Publicly criticising a rival newspaper is a big no-no for print journalists, particularly in these most uncertain of times for the industry. But in the case of the Zimbabwe Herald, a state-owned publication, we are prepared to make an exception. Under the headline "Alcoholic dumps Zim out of WC ‚" the journalist Robson Sharuko dubbed Mooney a cheat while cruelly dragging up problems from his past to present a theory as to why he did not recall the batsman. Cricket Ireland are considering legal action and have complained to the ICC over the matter, while the Zimbabwe captain, Brendan Taylor, has given a classy apology on behalf of his country. Given Sharuko is currently banned by the Zimbabwe Football Association for his role in a match-fixing scandal, you have to question how he got his press pass in the first place. 7. A Taylor woe The Zimbabwe captain, Brendan Taylor, at the ripe old age of 29, has announced he will retire from international cricket at the end of the current tournament to take up a three-year contract at Nottinghamshire as a Kolpak player. While the deal is yet to be signed off by the ECB, it looks a given that Taylor, a British passport holder, will be turning out at Trent Bridge this summer. Nottinghamshire have got themselves a wicketkeeper-batsman with international pedigree and at the top of his game, as demonstrated by his 295 runs at 59 in this competition. The player himself gets financial security for his family. But what does it say about Zimbabwe, a full member of the ICC, when they are unable to remunerate their best player sufficiently to keep him in international cricket? 8. Haq'd off The Scotland off-spinner Majid Haq was sent home in disgrace after taking to Twitter to vent his frustration at his axing from the side to face Sri Lanka, writing: "Always tougher when your [sic] in the minority #colour #race". Had he engaged his brain, Haq might have realised that Scotland's management, with their campaign ended in week three by the defeat to Bangladesh in Nelson, were simply giving young spinner Michael Leask a game. He may get a few more now, too. 9. Dan's the man The slow men are taking their biggest pounding in this World Cup, going at over five runs an over for the first time in history. But it is worth noting that spinners are still marginally under the overall economy rate for the tournament, which stands at 5.5. King of their tribe is unquestionably Daniel Vettori of New Zealand, who had taken six ODI wickets in the 12 months prior to the tournament, but now has 13 from six matches while going at a miserly 3.2 runs an over. 10. Sanga clanger The auction for Indian Premier League is a curious thing. Three weeks ago, during their annual tooling-up session, the eight cash-rich franchises decided that the Sri Lankan master Kumar Sangakkara was not worthy of a single bid. But were the world's cricketers to go under the hammer today, the left-hander would surely be among the hottest property. Sangakkara's 124 against Scotland saw him become the first man to score four consecutive hundreds in one-day cricket and the first to notch up four at a World Cup, before he followed up in the field by becoming the first wicketkeeper past 500 dismissals, 54 of which have been in World Cups another record. As @TheKingsTweets asked on Twitter: "After 70 ODIs, Sangakkara averaged 25.87. If he'd been English, would he ever have been picked again?" Now 37, Sangakkara averages 42 and has scored 14 of his 25 one-day centuries in the last quarter of his career. His last 100 matches have reaped 4,639 runs at 54.58. Hey-ho, the IPL's loss is Surrey's gain. We can't wait to watch him at The Oval from the start of this summer.
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It is almost a week now since England were euthanised out of the Cricket World Cup, and still the most remarkable part of their early exit is not that it was farcically, shockingly inept although it was still farcically, shockingly inept but that it was above all surprisingly boring. This is a significant achievement in its own right. It seems that in England's hands even squawking, slavering, snot-stained failure at every level from batting and bowling, to all‑pervasive corporate claptrap, to an operetta of feuding personalities, can become brain‑manglingly dull. This is at least something new. Throughout the glorious history of English cricket disasters there has usually been a sense of grand, curdled talents, of a team that might finally brush its head against the ceiling if it could only draw itself up to its full height. And even an affectionate, sitcom-ish kind of comedy: Goochy, Hicky, Stewie, Goughie chafing at the walls of their poky Peckham council flat, fretting around the Formica dinner table, millionaires this time next year. And so here we are now with an England team it is almost impossible to get a genuine look at, an amorphous blob without edges, or areas of interest, so boring that even the debrief, with the same old talk of mindsets and sacking the coach, seems interminably dull. The fact is in the end England were beaten by teams who simply had more ragged edges, more extreme qualities, more sense of waspish energy. With this in mind perhaps the best place to start is with something else that seems to have disappeared from English cricket. In the end maybe it all comes back to fast bowlers. There was a moment during Bangladesh's innings in Adelaide on Monday that captured precisely England's sense of managed, toothless tedium. With Bangladesh on 251 for seven, their No7 batsman, Sabbir Rahman, pulled his first delivery from Stuart Broad off the front foot over straight midwicket for a controlled, dismissive six, without at any stage looking particularly pleased or surprised at being able to dump England's most aggressive bowler straight into the crowd. Three hours later Rubel Hossain was bouncing out Eoin Morgan with a series of skiddy, nose-shaving lifters, before wrapping up the game by bowling Broad and Jimmy Anderson. So four years of English planning had been kicked to pieces at the last by a 5ft 10in Bangladeshi fast bowler sending down his street-smart reverse-whizzers from a low-slung muscular action. And in the process releasing the ball at between five and 10 miles an hour quicker than any of England's own battery of semi‑quicks, the most poignant member of which remains Steven Finn who has, after five years of ECB coaching, been reduced to sidling in to bowl like a sad mournful horse preparing to hurl itself under the wheels of a passing tractor. It isn't surprising Bangladesh have a quicker bowling attack than England. These days everyone has a quicker bowling attack than England, to the extent that pretty soon the ECB will have to hire in quick bowlers like they bring in leg-spinners or left-armers just so the batsmen can practise properly. India have a mini-platoon of right‑arm quicks. West Indies have the throat‑ripping malevolence of Kemar Roach. New Zealand have the raw but thrilling Adam Milne and perfectly grooved but thrilling Trent Boult. Even Afghanistan are outgunning England these days, with Hamid Hassan a gorgeously moreish figure in his Frog Brothers bandanna, all coiled, skiddy menace. Of course England as a country has only ever produced a trickle of really fast bowlers, and with good reason, too. Most cricket at development age is played on damp or recently damp pitches, or indoors in some undersized sprung-floor gym. Hardly surprising, then, that the lessons of the early years so often seem to boil down to: 1) Run in without falling over; 2) Get it on target; 3) Repeat until you're playing for England. Plus there is at junior level a large coaching lobby that believes in ironing out and regularising on first contact with a young fast bowler. Run-ups are cut. Actions are trimmed and sanded down and made as physically low-impact as possible. Only last week I met an 11-year-old fast bowler who says he has found he can now bowl "much slower" since having the self-made kink ironed out of his delivery bound. There is a fair chance Hussain, for example, simply wouldn't have been allowed to get away with bowling like that in England, what with his oblique approach, his habit of hurling every ounce of wiry strength into his delivery bound, forgoing the upright seam in favour of fizzing, round-arm reverse-swing. Injury prevention is a part of this and fast bowlers do suffer, even after they've been "adjusted" at some junior level by well-meaning English coaches. There is always a risk of injury with a body sacrificed to extreme speed. But then fast bowling is just one of the great sporting extremes, a captivating fast‑twitch discipline of rhythm and flex and gymnastic skill that can shrink with too much heavy-handed tinkering. It is perhaps for this reason that fast bowlers remain cricket's own caged canaries, their presence a sign of wider good heath and of a system that still lets its cricketers breathe. At which point: enter England. Over-coaching is a buzzword in its own right but the fact is these days short-form cricket demands more extreme, instinctive qualities, other gears, aggressive variation. Whereas English cricket appears to be bent on the systemic destruction of the unusual and the extreme in all forms. Ben Stokes, who can be ragged but is still the most talented young cricketer in England, has batted only nine times in the top six in ODIs in four years since his debut. Leg‑spinners, power-hitters, players who don't fit the mould, are given two or three games to fail, their shortcomings gleefully hoarded. And at the end of all this England are left with a team that is not just bad or boring, but boring for the same reason it's bad. More sports stories: England bow out with rout (Sky Sports) Strauss: England must drop senior stars (Sky Sports) Unbeaten New Zealand end pool stage with win (Omnisport)
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What is Chip Kelly doing? That's a question that has been asked many times over the last week after the polarizing coach traded his starting quarterback and running back for two players coming back from ACL injuries. Coming on the heels of the team releasing several veteran starters, the football world was starting to question the sanity (and motives) of the former Oregon coach after the trades . Many people surmised the frantic maneuvering was part of a grand scheme to land Oregon QB Marcus Mariota, based entirely on the fact Kelly had coached him in college. One "analyst" suggested Kelly's personnel decisions may be influenced by race , despite a wealth of evidence suggesting otherwise. Kelly's approach to this offseason was not based on an emotional tie to a certain player or even a staunch commitment to his offensive system. Kelly has taken a scientific approach to football . Theories are tested, and if they prove successful, Kelly implements them into his program. If something isn't working, he cuts the cord. The Eagles roster before Kelly put an ax to it was not working. Even at 10-6, Philadelphia was a deeply flawed team. Some of those flaws were easy to diagnose. The Eagles gave up 72 passes of 20 yards or more in 2014, by far the most in the NFL. They also led the league in giveaways with quarterbacks Nick Foles and Mark Sanchez throwing a combined 21 interceptions. Other flaws were not so obvious. Like LeSean McCoy's league-leading 125 carries for zero yards or fewer. Or Nick Foles wayward accuracy on downfield throws limiting the offense's big play potential. All of these problems contributed to the Eagles' late-season collapse. And nothing was likely to change without significant improvements. With under $20 million in cap space heading into the offseason, the Eagles did not have the financial flexibility to address all of those issues. With about $5 million needed to sign draft picks and money needed for re-signings or in-season pickups, Philadelphia was looking at around $10 million (remember that number) to make upgrades. So Kelly went to work. It started with release of linebacker Trent Cole for $8.4 million in savings. Then cornerbacks Cary Williams and Bradley Fletcher were shown the door for a combined $10.2 million in cap relief. Guard Todd Herremans was next to go, providing another $2.7 million in cap space. Then came the LeSean McCoy trade, which was painted as a my-way-or-the-highway move, like the DeSean Jackson release the year before it. But just like the decision to cut Jackson, parting ways with McCoy was a financial decision , as Kelly explained in his press conference Wednesday : "The opportunity with LeSean came up and it was offered, you got an outstanding young linebacker at a position we have a huge need at … The result of it is the money that was freed up. They way we looked at it was we got Kiko Alonso and Byron Maxwell for LeSean McCoy. The bottom line is that every decision you have to make is governed by money." After the trade, the Eagles had acquired a talented young player on a modest deal and were up to nearly $50 million in cap space. Byron Maxwell, the top corner on the market, was the first to sign at about $8.7 million a year. Next came his teammate in Seattle, Walter Thurmond, on a one-year, $3.25 million deal. The Eagles had upgraded their secondary and filled a need at linebacker, but after losing McCoy and Jeremy Maclin, who signed with Kansas City, the offense needed attention. Kelly's next move took everyone by surprise: Philadelphia sent Foles and a 2016 second-round pick to St. Louis for Sam Bradford and a fourth-rounder. The Eagles had given up a high draft pick for an injury-prone quarterback with a big cap hit. Kelly was undoubtedly taking a risk. But turn on Bradford's tape and you see the makings of a franchise QB. Bradford has a big-time arm, good accuracy and sees the field clearly. And now he's going from a rough situation in St. Louis to a system that made Mark Sanchez look like a competent NFL starter. Bradford has one year left on his rookie deal, so Philadelphia isn't making a long-term commitment unless Bradford earns it. Worst-case scenario: The Eagles take a one-year flyer on Bradford. Best-case scenario: Kelly finds his quarterback. If he stays healthy, Bradford is, at the very least, an upgrade over Foles. Next up was finding McCoy's replacement. After striking out with Frank Gore, Kelly signed Ryan Mathews, a downhill runner whose value had been hurt by injury problems in San Diego. Then out of nowhere, reports of DeMarco Murray expressing interest in Philadelphia surfaced. A day later, the NFL's leading rusher had walked away from the Cowboys to sign with their division rivals. Murray and Mathews will make a combined $12.5 million in 2015 or only $1.25 million more than the Eagles were set to pay McCoy before the trade. Two good backs for the price of one. Coming into free agency, the knocks on Murray were a heavy workload and a statline supposedly inflated by a dominant Cowboys line . But Murray has 527 fewer career carries than McCoy and has now gone from Pro Football Focus' second-highest graded run-blocking line in Dallas to to the only line graded higher in Philadelphia. Murray shouldn't have a problem adapting to Kelly's system; the Eagles and Cowboys employ a similar zone-blocking scheme in the run game. And he will do a better job of keeping the Eagles in favorable down-and-distances. McCoy had the third-highest rate of runs for zero or less yards, while Murray had the ninth-lowest rate, per ESPN Stats and Info . Murray may not be the electrifying talent McCoy is, but his north-south style is a better fit for Kelly's offensive philosophy. McCoy's east-west running style had caused Kelly to sour on the 26-year-old, according to the MMQB's Peter King . The Eagles have yet to replace Maclin. But they have to 20th pick in a draft deep on playmaking wideouts. Let's say Philadelphia takes a receiver with their first-round pick. We'll give them Oklahoma's Dorial Green-Beckham. That gives the Eagles a skill position rotation of Green-Beckham, Riley Cooper, Jordan Matthews, Brent Celek, Zach Ertz, Murray, Mathews and Darren Sproles, with only one of those players making more than $5 million. On the other side of the ball, the Eagles have upgraded their secondary and linebacking corps while maintaining a good defensive line. And Kelly made all of these improvements with just an $8 million increase in payroll. Safe to say he made the most of that $10 million he had to work with at the start of the offseason. Not to mention, the six players he sent packing were an average age of 29.5. The six he brought in average out at 26.7 years old. Fewer than two months into the offseason, Philadelphia is younger with fewer holes. What is Chip Kelly doing? He's making the Eagles better. One calculated move at a time. Chip Tha Gawddd lmao " @HeelPapi_ : https://t.co/ztfxP7KKrR " Lu (@_knicksdynasty) March 11, 2015
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Pamela Anderson brought her son, Brandon Thomas Lee, as her date to the premiere of "The Gunman" in Los Angeles Thursday. Anderson donned a plunging gold wrap dress and rocked a bob hairstyle for the event at Regal Cinemas L.A. Live. Brandon, her 18-year-old son with ex-husband Tommy Lee, wore an all-black outfit with sneakers. In January, Anderson talked about raising sons Brandon and Dylan Jagger Lee during an interview with Parade in January. "I want them to respect women. I say even if it's just for mom. I haven't given them too many shining examples in our personal life. I still struggle with self worth and trying to fix people. I'm surrounded by broken toys," she said, adding that her sons give her so much in return: "Respect, love, admiration. They believe in me like no one else. They know me. And laugh at my flaws. We are a close family. The three of us -- the magic triangle."
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The brutal winter cold has wreaked havoc on our roads, creating the likes of crater-sized potholes that we haven't seen in years. Your car will probably take some hard shots and bring on mounting car repairs. In fact, a survey conducted by Trusted Choice and the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America found that half of car owners from 2009 to 2014 experienced vehicle damage due to potholes. Driving into a pothole puts enormous strain on your tires, wheels, and suspension. The shape and depth of the road hole and the speed you travel all play into the severity of potential damage, but there are other considerations as well. A lot of cars, for example, now come with performance tires, which come with short sidewalls that provide responsive cornering but with less area to flex and conform to a pothole edge compared to a taller conventional tire. As a result, performance tires are also more prone to sidewall cutting and blistering. Any direct hit in a pothole could bring about near instant air loss and will require immediate replacement. Any tire that survives a pothole and has sidewall damage should also be replaced in short order. Wheels also take a beating; drive into a really deep pothole and you may be replacing the tire and the wheel. And just think of what that pothole shock does to your car's suspension. It's always a good civic duty to report potholes to your local municipality. Many major cities and states now have apps for sharing pothole locations. This time of year, town and city officials should be repairing the holes to thwart any further road degradation and curb vehicle damage and accidents. Should the worst happen and you experience pothole damage to your vehicle, most auto insurances will cover the damage, but may not cover normal wear and tear items such as tires. In the Trusted Choice survey, 31 percent of respondents who experienced pothole damage filed an insurance claim. The majority paid out of pocket for repairs. How to survive pothole-ravaged roads Slow down and pay attention to the road conditions. Don't be fooled, thinking that some potholes are small. If they are filled with water they can be more than you bargained for. Also, keep some distance between you and car you are following that will give you time to react should there be a pothole hazard up ahead. Avoiding potholes is the best bet, but if the impact is inevitable, try to at least partly slow down before entering, and drive straight into it. Turning into a pothole exposes more tire sidewall to potential damage. Be diligent after a pothole encounter. Any shake or shimmy in your car's ride can mean something was damaged. Stop the car, check for visible signs of tire and wheel damage. Keep in mind that if the front tire ran over the hole, the rear tire probably did as well check both. Also, if no damage is visible, it could mean the car threw a balance weight off a wheel or possibly suffered suspension damage. Have everything checked by your mechanic. Keeping your tires inflated to the recommended inflation pressure is one of the best guards for minimizing pothole damage to your tires and wheels. Under- or overinflated tires can affect a tires' or wheel's resistance to pothole damage. Most cars now have a tire pressure monitoring system to alert the driver if a tire is losing air pressure. If your car does not have a tire pressure monitoring system, check the tire pressure when the tire has cooled to ambient temperature to be sure it's not losing air from the pothole encounter. See our tire buying advice and tire ratings. Gene Petersen More from Consumer Reports: Best and worst three-row vehicles Safest and most lethal late-model cars Best new cars for under $25,000 Consumer Reports has no relationship with any advertisers on this website. Copyright © 2006-2015 Consumers Union of U.S.
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autos
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Pope Francis marked the second anniversary of his election on Friday by giving an interview in which he says he expects his time at the Vatican to only last for another two or three years. "I have a feeling my pontificate will be brief," the 78-year-old told Mexico's Televisa channel. "Four or five years, I don't know. Two years have already gone by. "It is a vague feeling I have that the Lord chose me for a short mission. I am always open to that possibility." The first pope from Latin America has hinted in the past that he could retire, emulating his predecessor Benedict XVI, who became the first pope to resign in seven centuries when he stepped down in February 2013. Francis said Benedict had "opened an institutional door" but stopped short of repeating previous hints he could also resign, which drew criticism from some conservative theologians. "The idea of fixing an age limit of 80 is not one I like very much," he said, arguing that it would create lame-duck pontiffs. Francis said he visited and spoke by telephone to Benedict, who lives a monastic life in a former convent inside the Vatican. "He is happy, satisfied and respected by everyone," he said. "He can be asked for advice and he is loyal to the death." Intriguingly, when asked if he liked being pope, Francis replies: "I don't not like it," before expanding on his dislike of travelling and his fondness for the comforts and familiarity of home. Despite that, Francis insisted he did not feel lonely in the top job, although he did confess to sometimes longing for the anonymity enjoyed as the parish priest he once was. One thing he would really like is to be able to go out of the Vatican one day without being recognised and "go and eat a pizza," he said.
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Wine is a notoriously intimidating subject, but it doesn't have to be that way. Spend five minutes talking to master sommelier Laura Maniec, and you'll feel instantly at ease. She's co-founder of Corkbuzz Wine Studio and one of the world's youngest women master sommeliers -- or any wine expert for that matter. This may not sound like a logical approach for tempering your wine insecurities, but Maniec just has a way about her. One of the most accessible and delicious ways to approach wine is by pairing it with food. Maniec knows this better than anyone. Corkbuzz, which has two locations in New York City and one opening in Charlotte, NC, celebrates food as much as it does wine and Champagne. Enter A.J. Schaller, the chef at Corkbuzz as of August and another incredibly accomplished and disarming woman who will leave you inspired, not intimidated. Not only does Corkbuzz offer menus geared for food and wine, it also offers classes on the subject. Think rosé and burgers, and biscuit-making with wine pairings. Feeling more at ease yet? Pairing wine with food is easier than it sounds, and Maniec and Schaller can prove it. Here are six guidelines these experts suggest. Note, these are not hard-and-fast rules. Every wine is different and experimentation is part of the fun. By the end of this list we guarantee you'll feel more relaxed and ready to take on the wine world, one meal at at time. Focus On The Weight Of The Wine Instead of stumbling over the types of wine when you can't even pronounce or remember some of the grapes, just think about the weight. Take what you know and ask a sommelier or someone at your local wine store to fill in the rest. Are you eating a heavy meal of filet mignon and scalloped potatoes? (Amen.) Then you'll need a heavy wine, like a Cabernet or Merlot. Eating a delicate dish of fluke crudo? You'll want something light, like a Riesling. What Grows Together Goes Together This is a classic approach that's stuck around for a reason. Generally speaking, meat goes well with wine that comes from landlocked areas. For example, Rioja goes great with pork. Similarly, wines that come from coastal regions pair well with seafood. Wine from Tuscany tastes great with Tuscan tomatoes and olive oil. Think About Freshness And Age Meniac and Schaller like to think seasonally, pairing fresh food with younger wines and earthy food with wine from the old world. They might pair spring vegetables like peas and ramps with a California Chardonnay, whose fruitiness will match the freshness of the vegetables. They might pair mushrooms with Barolo or Burgundy. Don't Get Bogged Down By Color White wine goes with seafood and red wine goes with meat, right? Not necessarily! Think more about the weight and the origin, and less about the color. A light-bodied red, like a Pinot Noir, can pair really nicely with tuna , for example. At Corkbuzz, Maniec recommends the octopus with a Grenache. Fat And Tannins Are A Great Match Tannins are responsible for making wine taste dry. They come from the grape skins and stems. The thicker the skin, the more tannic and drier the wine. Tannic wine goes well with fatty food, and we're not just talking about red meat. Think about a rich sunchoke ravioli with cheese, butter and cream. That's one fatty, awesome meal that would go really well with a big, dry red, Meniac says. Don't Over-Think Things Wine should riff off food, but it could compliment a dish or contrast with it. There's no right way to do it, so have fun and don't stress. The worst thing that can happen is you'l find a pairing you don't love, and you'll have to open up another bottle of wine to try. Cheers! fregole.tumblr.com Want to read more from HuffPost Taste? Follow us on Twitter , Facebook , Pinterest and Tumblr .
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lifestyle
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Update: WAUKESHA, Wis., March 13 (Reuters) - The case of two girls accused of stabbing their classmate 19 times to please a fictional Internet character known as Slenderman will move forward in adult court, a Wisconsin judge ruled on Friday. Morgan Geyser and Anissa Weier, who were both 12 at the time, were charged as adults with attempted first-degree homicide in the May 2014 attack on a classmate in Waukesha, Wisconsin, a suburb of Milwaukee. Previous version: A Wisconsin judge is expected to decide on Friday if an adult court will hear the case against two girls accused of stabbing a classmate 19 times to please a fictional Internet character known as Slenderman. Morgan Geyser and Anissa Weier, who were both 12 at the time, were charged as adults with attempted first-degree homicide in a May 2014 attack on their classmate in the Milwaukee suburb of Waukesha. Prosecutors have said the girls lured their 12-year-old victim into the woods the morning after a sleepover and stabbed her 19 times to impress Slenderman, a tall online bogeyman, according to authorities. Waukesha County Circuit Court Judge Michael Bohren heard testimony last month from defense witnesses, who supported the argument that the pair feared Slenderman's wrath. Geyser's attorney, Anthony Cotton, said Bohren should dismiss the first-degree charge because it requires the crime to have occurred without any mitigating circumstances. Four police officers, who testified for prosecutors, told the court that the girls did not show any remorse, tried to cover up the crime and planned the attack for months. Wisconsin law requires cases to begin in adult court if they involve juvenile suspects at least 10 years old who are charged with first-degree attempted intentional homicide. In December, Bohren found the girls competent to stand trial and said he would announce on March 13 whether the case would move forward as charged. Bohren could dismiss the case, leaving prosecutors the option to press charges in juvenile court, where the girls would face incarceration up until age 25 if convicted. They could be sentenced to 60 years in prison if convicted as adults. (Reporting by Brendan O'Brien; Editing by Bill Trott)
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Failing to beat 10-man Paris Saint-Germain shows just how far away Chelsea is from being a great team, according to Paul Scholes. Jose Mourinho's men twice squandered the lead at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday as the Ligue 1 champions overcame the first-half dismissal of Zlatan Ibrahimovic to reach the Champions League quarterfinals. Despite Gary Cahill scoring from a corner and Eden Hazard converting from the penalty spot, Chelsea struggled to create clear chances in two hours of play at home and Scholes believes the Blues are still some way short of the very best. "In the buildup to the first leg against Paris Saint-Germain last month, Jose Mourinho said that his Chelsea side could already be considered 'a great team,' a remark that struck me at the time as premature, to say the least," the former Manchester United star wrote in his Evening Standard column. "Great teams do not play away in Europe and create just one goalscoring chance in the course of a game, as Chelsea did in Paris. And great teams certainly do not fail to beat opponents reduced to 10 men at home, as Chelsea did on Wednesday. "Even down to 10 men, PSG carried on creating chances, like the one in the second half that ended with Edinson Cavani hitting the post. That's what the top teams do, even away from home. "Chelsea's failure to create chances in Paris, and then again this week, shows how far they have to go to be considered among the very best in Europe."
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sports
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School renames gym after cheerleader
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U.S. stocks closed lower Friday as a week of mixed economic data, renewed dollar strength and sharply lower oil prices made traders cautious ahead of next week's Fed meeting. "I think the fear is the Fed is going to raise rates... to preserve their reputation," said Paul Nolte, portfolio manager at Kingsview Asset Management. "That's part of the reason why we're seeing a very strong dollar, weakness in oil and metals." The U.S. dollar rose more than half a percent to a new 52-week high, for its first close above 100 since April 2003. The euro extended losses to fall below $1.05. "I think the market is trading off the dollar. Obviously the dollar strength is pressuring stocks," said Peter Boockvar, chief market analyst at The Lindsey Group. Crude oil futures settled down $2.21, or 4.70 percent, to $44.84 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Gold futures settled up 50 cents to $1,152.40 an ounce, briefly turning negative amid its the worst losing streak since 1973. The Dow fell more than 250 points before recovering to close 145 points lower. The major indices declined, with nearly all blue chips lower and all S&P 500 sectors in the red. The Dow and S&P 500 posted their third week of declines, while the Nasdaq closed lower for the second straight week. "I think it's down because the mixed economic messages we're getting is making the Fed move messy," said Tim Dreiling, senior portfolio manager at U.S. Bank Wealth Management. "When the data is mixed and the data is messy, that injects the fundamental uncertainty," he said. Friday's economic data added to the mixed growth picture, but most analysts attributed weakness to seasonality. The U.S. Producer Price index for February showed a decline of 0.5 percent, missing estimates of a 0.3 percent gain. Consumer sentiment data showed a preliminary read of 91.2 in March versus 95.4 in February. All consumer data are affected by weather, said Maris Ogg, thee president of Tower Bridge Advisors. "I think the spring will bring spending and retail sales will" pick up. Since the release of February's jobs report last Friday, stocks have fluctuated with changing perceptions of an interest rate hike and strengthening in the dollar. "Today's PPI shows that inflation is not the problem. I suggest that fixation (on the Fed) has caused this market to act in a very volatile manner and preparing itself for declines. Not a fundamental issue," aid Peter Cardillo, chief market economist at Rockwell Global Capital. "We're looking at a choppy market," Cardillo said. "Many traders are not going to put in many trades before next week's major events." The Federal Open Market Committee meets next week, with all eyes on whether or not "patient" remains in the statement. Quarterly options also expire. "There's no question that the chances of the Fed statement being altered have risen, certainly to about 50 percent. But there are other factors that (indicate) the Fed is not going to change it's language," Cardillo said. U.S. stocks surged on Thursday as the dollar paused its rally, continuing several days of downward and upward swings. "I think it's just the fact that the market is pretty fairly valued," Ogg said. "There's a lot more risk when the market is fairly valued. We probably have to suffer through this volatility through this year." "The path of least resistance at this moment seems to be down, not big, but there's a lack of conviction," she said. "We're trading a little with oil. I wouldn't be surprised to see a 5 to 10 percent (correction) in the next few months." The market was also intrigued with Russia, as President Vladimir Putin canceled a planned summit in Astana this week. The Kremlin published three official photos of Putin meeting with a Russian Supreme Court Judge on Friday, Dow Jones reported. Phil Quartuccio, CEO of Illustro Trading, said "we've been big buyers today" and "we're trading as usual." In the unfolding story over Herbalife (HLF) , Dow Jones reports that prosecutors are interviewing people tied to investor Bill Ackman in a case involving potential manipulation of Herbalife's stock. Ackman has had a long-standing short position in Herbalife, saying the nutritional supplements maker is a pyramid scheme. He told CNBC he has not heard from the FBI or the Justice Department , and that he's happy to answer any questions they may have for him. Google (GOOGL) is not planning to compete aggressively with soon-to-be-public GoDaddy in the internet domain space, according to a report in Friday's New York Post . Pfizer's pain drug Lyrica did not meet goals in a study that examined its effectiveness in treating adolescents with fibromyalgia. The U.S. 10-year Treasury yield (US10Y) traded higher near 2.12 percent. The CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) (.VIX) , widely considered the best gauge of fear in the market, traded near 16. Three shares declined for every advancer on the New York Stock Exchange, with an exchange volume of about 512 million and a composite volume of nearly 2.7 billion in afternoon trade. High-frequency trading accounted for 47.5 percent of March to date's daily trading volume of about 6.6 billion shares, according to TABB Group. During the peak levels of high-frequency trading in 2009, about 61 percent of 9.8 billion of average daily shares traded were executed by high-frequency traders. As of Thursday's close: The Dow Jones industrial average was within half a standard deviation above its 50-day moving average. Since 1981 the index has been in this position 5.49 percent of all trading days, according to quantitative analytics tool Kensho. The probability of the index moving lower is 47.1 percent and the probability of it moving higher in the days following is 52.9 percent. The S&P 500 was within half a standard deviation above its 50-day moving average. Since 1980 the index has been in this position 5.10 percent of all trading days, according to Kensho. The probability of the index moving higher in the days following is 56.3 percent and the probability of it moving lower is 43.7 percent. The Nasdaq composite was within one standard deviation above its 50-day moving average. Since 1980 the index has been in this position 6.46 percent of all trading days, according to Kensho. The probability of the index moving lower is 54.5 percent and the probability of it moving higher is 45.5 percent. CNBC's Katrina Bishop and Peter Schacknow contributed to this report. More From CNBC.com: Watch this signal for more dollar strength Traders right to be worried about Friday the 13th Robots may make it harder for Americans to advance
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From start to finish, the average taxpayer filing a Form 1040 spends 16 hours on his or her taxes including eight hours combing through records. Yet despite that scrutiny, you could still be leaving money on the table. "Sometimes folks just automatically assume their taxes are going to be the same as they were in the prior year," said Melissa Labant, director of tax advocacy for the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. "That is dangerous." Changes in tax law, changes in your financial situation or a combination of both can mean you're eligible for a host of breaks that you weren't before. "The one I see that gets overlooked a lot is charitable contributions," said Labant. Consumers usually comb through their checkbook and credit card statements, but can miss cash donations and donations of physical goods. Some companies let workers donate from their paycheck, but that won't show up on your W-2, she said you'll need to look at your year-end paystub for the total. And volunteers might not realize they can deduct mileage driven to and from charitableactivities, at 14 cents per mile. The retirement savers credit is a bigger-ticket benefit that often gets passed over. "That's a tax break of up to $1,000, or up to $2,000 if you're married, for making contributions to retirement accounts," said Labant. Taxpayers just starting out don't often know about it, and so miss out. Others don't even consider the break due to its low income threshold single filers making more than $30,500 and married filing jointly making more than $61,000 don't qualify. But if you were unemployed or retired for part of the year, or had a bad year as a freelancer, your income might have dipped enough to grab at least a partial credit, she said. Another possible miss? The dependent care credit, which is worth as much as 35 percent of up to $3,000 in qualifying expenses for one child (or other qualifying person); $6,000 for two or more. Most parents know to grab the break for daycare and nanny services, but the IRS also allows some qualifying medical expenses and day camps. Even after April 15, make sure you're not missing out on other valuable tax breaks for the rest of 2015 namely, pre-tax contributions to an employer-sponsored retirement plan or flexible spending accounts for medical, child care and transit expenses. "That's money left on the table," Labant said.
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finance
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Scary accident caught on surveillance camera in Colorado
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video
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Las Vegas is home to one of the largest Chinese New Year Celebrations in the US.
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travel
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President Obama poked fun at himself by reading mean tweets during an appearance on ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live."
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news
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If you've got money in the bank, you're likely earning some interest but not a lot. Many banks today offer less than 0.05 percent interest annual percentage yield (APY) on deposits in regular savings accounts and even on certificates of deposit (CDs) with maturities of one-year or less, according to a Money Talks News survey of current offerings. Your money is safe in a bank or credit union, but you pay for that safety by earning less interest, says Money Talks News financial expert Stacy Johnson. Stocks are known for their risks but often offer higher rewards for sticking your neck out a little, Stacy says. For example: -- AT&T: At its recent price of around $34 a share, the telecommunications giant's message to you would be a dividend of about 5.5 percent. -- Microsoft: Recently priced at $44 a share, the software behemoth would seem to excel at a 2.8 percent return on your investment (Microsoft owns and publishes MSN Money). -- McDonald's: At its recent price of $94 a share, the fast food leader would pay you a tasty 3.6 percent. Dividends can go up or down over time, as can the share prices of companies you purchase. To compute a dividend yield, divide the annual dividend by the current stock price. For example, if stock in Company A cost $50 a share and the company paid and an annual dividend of $1, its yield would be 2 percent. Research any company before you buy its stock "It's better to have a partial interest in the Hope Diamond than to own all of a rhinestone," billionaire master investor Warren Buffett says in his Feb. 28 annual letter to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders. In the letter, commemorating 50 years of running Berkshire, he talks about the importance of dividends. Berkshire increased its ownership interest last year in each of its "Big Four" investments American Express, Coca-Cola, IBM and Wells Fargo. Together, those companies' paid Berkshire dividends of $1.6 billion, up from $862 million three years earlier, Buffett said. Berkshire reported net income of $19.9 billion for 2014. Berskhire's other top stock holdings, the letter says, are DaVita HealthCare Partners, Deere & Co., DirectTV, Goldman Sachs, Moody's, Munich Re, Procter & Gamble, Sanofi, U.S. Bankcorp, USG Corp., and Wal-Mart. The Oracle of Omaha also notes in his letter that stock prices will be volatile but "widely-diversified stock portfolios that are bought over time and that are owned in a manner invoking only token fees and commissions" will not be risky. He says investors may see "a good income for life by simply buying a very low-cost index fund whose dividends would trend upward over the years and whose principal would grow as well (with many ups and downs, to be sure)." He warned against these actions that make stock ownership "highly risky": -- Active trading. -- Attempts to "time" market movements. -- Inadequate diversification. -- Payment of high and unnecessary fees to managers and advisers. -- Using of borrowed money. All those "can destroy the decent returns that a life-long owner of equities would otherwise enjoy," Buffett says. Dividends in 2015 Some investors don't trust companies that issue dividends. The money should be used to fuel company expansion, their argument goes. However, proponents of dividends prefer the payouts, not just for the steady stream of income but as proof that company managers are running operations properly. The National Association of Investors, in its BetterInvesting.org blog says to look for stock in a company with a long but moderate dividend history, around 2 percent a year. Dividends in Standard & Poor's 500-stock index have been increasing at double-digit percentage rates in recent years, rewarding income-hungry investors, says Kiplinger , a personal finance and investment newsletter publisher. Kiplinger warns, however, that in 2015 fewer companies will initiate new dividends and many firms will redirect cash to much-neglected capital spending. Its eight recommendations and their dividend yields are JPMorganChase, 2.6 percent; Wells Fargo, 2.6 percent, Boeing, 2.2 percent; General Electric, 3.3 percent; Honeywell, 2.1 percent; Home Depot, 1.9 percent; VF Corp., 1.7 percent; and Yum Brands, 2.1 percent. If you're risk averse, there are safe ways to enter the stock market, such as buying index funds and watching for low management fees . Also, don't discount your ability to buy and sell mutual funds, stocks and bonds even if you don't have deep pockets. There are several ways to get into the market, as shown here . Are your dividend-focused investments paying off? Share your experience in the comments below or on our Facebook page .
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finance
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Some consumers like being able to make their credit cards unique, just like there shoes, their smartphone cases and even their cars. But is it a good idea? Is there a downside to putting an image that makes you smile (your toddler) or, better yet, a security advantage in putting your own mug on your own card? Adam Levin, chairman and co-founder of Credit.com and Identity Theft 911, says it's more of a security risk than a potential advantage, though that has not always been true. "For a period of time people put their pictures on credit cards to help with authentication," Levin said. "I remember that Citicards touted that as a security feature." (Citi is not the only issuer that offers this feature.) But that's just for in-person purchases when someone asks to see your card. In many transactions, your card never need leave your hand as you swipe or dip it yourself. In that case, no clerk will see the picture on your card, so your face on your credit card is not going to be very useful for security. It can, however, be a way you accidentally compromise your privacy, which means as much as you love your favorite vacation spot or even your puppy, you might want to think twice about putting them on your credit card. Sometimes harmless-looking images can give clues to the answers of your security questions for financial accounts, email, etc. (Where did you go on your honeymoon? The image on your card might give a thief a hint.) The bottom line? "I think it's unwise to put any picture on a credit card which contains anything that could be a clue to your life," Levin said. "If you want to do a picture of a flower, fine. Beyond that, anything you post on a credit card could lead to a secret question or answer." If you still want a card that doesn't look like everyone else's, issuers have stock photos you can choose from. Or, if you want to use one of your own images, think hard about what information about you or your family the image might reveal. Think creatively identity thieves do. Thinking like an identity thief is just part of keeping your credit and identity safe. Check your credit reports regularly (you are entitled to a free annual report from each of the three credit-reporting agencies), and check your credit scores, which you can get for free on Credit.com , regularly for any major changes. Keep tabs on charges to your credit cards, too, because monitoring account activity can help you spot any sort of misuse early, and put a stop to it before your credit is damaged. This article originally appeared on Credit.com .
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CHICAGO In her 18 years, Zinyra Ross has lived two distinct lives. In one, she was isolated by severe cognitive disabilities, stigmatized by teachers as stubborn and uncooperative, and bullied and beaten by classmates. In the other, more recent life, she's a public speaking ambassador, outstanding student, role model and mentor. A determined single mom and a suburban school with strong special-education resources helped shepherd her from one life to the other. But the transformation of Zinyra mostly occurred in a somewhat mysterious way: She volunteered at a zoo. "It just brings tears of joy to my eyes," said Danielle Reed, her former preschool teacher. "It's amazing." Zinyra's metamorphosis personifies a hotly debated, growing body of research into whether human-animal interaction can be used to treat an array of disorders, from autism and post-traumatic stress to insomnia and cardiovascular disease. But scientific links are inconclusive. Still, for those who know Zinyra, the zoo's impact was clear. "Her life changed that day," her mother, Myra Ross, recalled of the morning her daughter entered Brookfield Zoo, in the town outside Chicago. "Everything changed about her. The independence, the confidence, her social skills. She was the kid who was teased because of the way she talked or because she couldn't talk. This is a kid who walked with her head down all the time." After accumulating hundreds of hours as an exemplary Brookfield Zoo volunteer over four years, Zinyra was hired part time last summer as a greeter, guide and teacher at the institution's popular Hamill Family Play Zoo. Last spring she received a standing ovation after speaking to more than 600 people at the Chicago Zoological Society's black-tie fundraiser on the zoo grounds. In May, the special education department at Waubonsie Valley High School in Aurora, Ill., chose her as its Outstanding Senior. In September she opened a news conference for then-Gov. Pat Quinn, who wrote this to the girl whom many know as Z: "Zinyra You are my hero! I love you!" The disabilities in Z's life are broad, overlapping and a little unclear. A Pediatric Developmental Center evaluation when she was 11 noted "mild retardation, sensory regulatory disorder and repetitive behaviors." That same year, an evaluation at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago placed her IQ at 60 and noted that her mother reported that Z burned herself with boiling water and stuck herself with sharp objects. Over the years, psychologists, teachers and occupational therapists have told Myra Ross that her daughter exhibits "autistic tendencies," including spinning, flapping her hands and never making eye contact. Today her official list of challenges includes significant impairments in reading, writing and math, and apraxia of speech, a disruption of messages from the brain to the mouth. On the carpet in her bedroom is a worn spot where she still spins to relax. "This is just a mystery," Ross said of her daughter's challenges. "It's a little bit of everything." Born in April 1996 in Chicago and raised on the South Side, Z began displaying disabilities particularly an inability to speak early. Ross, a single first-time mother, was unsure what she was seeing. One clear trait was Z's near-obsession with nature and animals. Her favorite TV networks were Animal Planet and Discovery. Although she couldn't read, Z loved to look at animal pictures in books. "We would be in Englewood," Ross said. "A bunch of sidewalks, a lot of glass, a lot of rocks. Z would go to a park, in the dirt and she would dig it up until she would find worms or these little weird bugs and she would, like, take care of them." At 2 years old, Z enrolled in Taylor Day School in Chicago's Auburn Gresham neighborhood. Evaluations from her early years make repeated references to Zinyra having a behavioral problem. Teachers reported that she didn't socialize well with other children, would flap her hands frequently and would rarely sit still. Z was unable to make eye contact and would cry for long periods, teachers said. Preschool teacher Reed said she "absolutely" thought Z was on the autism spectrum. In an effort to find a suitable school environment for Zinyra after preschool, Ross over the next decade placed her in three city public schools and tried home schooling. She met regularly with school officials to create an individualized education plan and found additional reading, academic and therapy programs for the girl. Yet Zinyra's developmental issues persisted. Her speech was gibberish that teachers were unable to understand. Letitia Douglas, Z's second-, third- and fourth-grade teacher at Morgan Elementary School in Gresham, recalls that her special-education classroom was a haven for Zinyra. But the girl experienced teasing and bullying in the lunchroom and gym class, Douglas said. She calls the change in Zinyra "awesome. I'm telling you, Every time I look at her now, I cry." But in elementary school, Douglas said, Z would sob "and get hysterical" while being teased. "Then they would call down to me to come and get her." The teasing took such a toll that Z regularly would come home in tears, picking at her skin, Ross recalled. In fifth grade, a classmate at Z's third school, Carter Elementary in Washington Park, beat her so severely that police were called and filed a charge of simple battery. Throughout the abuse, Z never retaliated, teachers and her mother said. But the girl was "terrified" to go to school, Ross said. In seventh grade, a spark of hope appeared. Myra Ross heard about Brookfield Zoo's Youth Volunteer Corps and called supervisor Debra Kutska, who welcomed Z. She turned 13, the minimum age for volunteers in the program, and mother and daughter drove 45 minutes to the zoo from their South Side home. When Z finished that afternoon, she was thrilled, Ross recalled. Her daughter said everyone was nice and she'd made a friend, something Z had done only once before in her life, in sixth grade. Although she was shy her first few months at the zoo, Z connected with other kids in unassuming ways, Kutska said. Zinyra knew a great deal about animals and was hungry to learn more. Her confidence, social skills and elocution improved. Always cheerful, she volunteered for additional days, Kutska said. As the months passed, Zinyra became a mentor to other kids, Kutska recalled, partly because she so openly shared her challenges. When other kids without disabilities saw how far Z had come, she became an inspiration to them, Kutska said. "I doubt she ever knew that," she added. That experience seemed to dovetail into her high school journey. After deciding against the city's public school system for her daughter's high school education, Ross researched high schools with strong special education programs, settling on Waubonsie Valley High School in Aurora. She and Z moved to an apartment there a few weeks before the 2010 school year. She was drawn out by a supportive staff and the school's array of programs for students with special needs. "Zinyra grew more comfortable with who she was as an athlete and gained confidence in all that she was able to do," Waubonsie Special Olympics coach Sarah Kemerly said in an email. After excelling on the school's Special Olympics basketball, bowling and track teams, Z now competes in those sports with the school district's Special Olympics program for alumni. Social worker Gina Bogin, who managed stage productions for students with special needs, said Z at first was afraid to go onstage. In a few months, she played the Wicked Witch in "Wizard of Oz," then Alice in "Alice in Wonderland" and the wicked mother in "Rapunzel," Bogin said. She became a public speaking ambassador for Special Olympics and Best Buddies, a nonprofit that promotes friendships, jobs and leadership training for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. In spring, Z completed four years at Waubonsie and is now enrolled in the school district's post-high school transitional program that teaches life skills to special education students. "I believe all of them helped her develop into the person she is today," Kemerly said of Waubonsie's programs. She called the zoo program "vital." How and whether animals helped unlock Z's potential is a small part of a lively scientific debate that explores the broader topic of animals' potential to help the human condition. Celebrated author, speaker and animal behaviorist Temple Grandin is a central figure. She maintains that her autism helps her think like animals and that animals are a safe way for people with autism to interact socially. Kutska, who spent nearly eight years working with the teen volunteer program before leaving Brookfield Zoo last summer, said she has witnessed the power of the human-animal connection many times. "The ability to come in here and spend the day learning and talking about animals does allow for a lot of transformation and growth for those students," she said. "I see it in most of the kids who came through, no matter what their ability is." Marguerite O'Haire, assistant professor at Purdue University's Human-Animal Interaction Research group, has been studying the subject for about a decade. In a study she published in 2013, O'Haire concluded that children with autism spectrum disorder were more social in the presence of guinea pigs than in the presence of toys. The study "demonstrates that the presence of an animal alone ... can increase social interaction," she wrote. A 2010 study she noted suggested that children with autism experienced decreased stress when interacting with service dogs. O'Haire also pointed to a study in 2003 that indicated human interaction with animals releases oxytocin, known as "the love hormone," in children without autism. Scott Lilienfeld, a psychology professor at Emory University, has reviewed dolphin- and equine-assisted therapies and found the evidence "equivocal" on whether they yield long-term improvement in psychological conditions. Studies suggesting an enduring improvement are "not too rigorous," particularly in understanding control groups, Lilienfeld said. An effective therapist can use a topic a patient is passionate about to spark favorable change, Lilienfeld said, and he suggested that Z's work around animals may have "started her on a cascade" of other, favorable developments. "We probably could never know what actually happened," Lilienfeld said, "but I'm not opposed to thinking that (her involvement at the zoo) could have unlocked some things." Brookfield Zoo is exploring the possibilities. Last year the Chicago Zoological Society, which runs the institution, created its Social Innovation Initiative, a broad effort to bring change in Chicago's most vulnerable populations. One segment of the plan includes programs for people on the autism spectrum. A 'miracle' in action Zinyra starts her shift as a play program assistant shortly before 9 a.m. Mondays and Tuesdays and works until 5 p.m. At her post in the play zoo one snowy Monday morning last month, Zinyra played with a little girl near the kookaburra cage, then stepped over to the lemur exhibit and ushered two children close to the glass. Z's speech can be muffled and she sometimes struggles to form words, but that morning, children and adult guests easily engaged with her. Zinyra said the zoo "is like a little comfortable cover for me where nobody judges you." Her favorite part of the job is meeting people from all over the world, she said. Her dream is to become a veterinarian. The experience has helped her talk to more people, Z said, "and sometimes I get to help them out too." That morning she was the picture of poise, something that so many who knew her years ago find astonishing. Even Kutska, who saw it unfold, said she still gets choked up when remembering Z receiving a standing ovation after speaking to commissioners of the Cook County Forest Preserve District about three years ago. "She doesn't realize," Kutska said, "the miracle that she is."
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Can anything stop Disney? It's going to have an amazing year at the box office and CEO Bob Iger delighted investors with news of a Star Wars spin-off and Frozen sequel.
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CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (MarketWatch) Because March Madness begins next week, you might want to stay out of the stock market until it ends April 6. Come again? What does the NCAA men's college basketball championship have to do with the stock market? More than you think: Believe it or not, stocks more often than not produce below-average returns during widely followed sports tournaments. Last year's March Madness was a case in point. Despite an overall positive year for equities, the S&P 500 fell 1.5% between the opening round of the 2014 NCAA championship and the final game. A rigorous study that appeared in the August 2007 issue of the prestigious Journal of Finance suggests that last year's experience was not a fluke. The study, "Sports Sentiment and Stock Returns," was conducted by finance professors Alex Edmans of the London Business School and the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School; Diego Garcia of the University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill); and Oyvind Norli of the Norwegian School of Management. The authors measured what happens to a given country's stock market immediately following losses of its national teams in international competition. They focused primarily on soccer matches in the World Cup, but they also studied cricket, rugby and basketball. They found that, if a country's team lost, its stock market the next day suffered a significant diminution in return. As the researchers were unable to find any rational explanation for the result, they concluded that the diminished returns were caused by the "impact of sports results on investor mood." You might wonder what their study has to do with March Madness, since only U.S.-based teams are playing. For each team that loses, another one wins, of course, and investors in the winning team's region will presumably be as exuberant as fans of the losing team will be despondent. Won't their moods cancel each other out, leaving no net impact? No. The researchers found little evidence of a correspondingly positive effect on a country's stock market when its team won. The consequence of this asymmetry is that stocks will often experience below-average returns whenever large groups of investors become discouraged, even when the dampening of their spirits has nothing to do with investing per se. By the way, the non-sports fanatics among you shouldn't become too holier than thou because of the lunacy of sports hysteria.The relationship between the stock market and investor mood extends well beyond sports. Just take the move to Daylight Saving Time, which took place this past weekend. Another academic study, which appeared in the September 2000 issue of the American Economic Review, found that the stock market's returns are significantly below normal, on average, following shifts to Daylight Saving Time. To explain those results, the authors theorized: "We have all struggled through a day after a poor night's sleep, weighed down by weariness, fighting lethargy and perhaps even facing despondency." The bottom line: Take some (money) chips off the table for the next couple of weeks, and replace them with some (corn) chips while you watch the tournament.
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LONDON (AP) Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho defended his players Friday following accusations that they intimidate referees, pointing to the fact the team has only been charged once this season for on-field misbehavior. The English side was criticized after nine of its players surrounded referee Bjorn Kuipers to persuade him to punish Paris Saint-Germain striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic for fouling Oscar during a Champions League game on Wednesday. Ibrahimovic, who was given a straight red card, described the Chelsea players as ''babies'' for their reaction. The only time Chelsea has been charged this season for failing to control its players was after the 1-0 win over Everton in the Premier League last month. Late in that game, Chelsea's players reacted to a foul on Willian, and Branislav Ivanovic escaped punishment for appearing to wrap his arm around Everton midfielder James McCarthy's neck. ''If they surround the referee, we are charged,'' Mourinho said, defending his team. ''We have at this moment eight or nine months of competition, we were charged once.'' Mourinho said his players paid the previous fine of 30,000 pounds ($44,000). Chelsea captain John Terry said after the game against Paris Saint-Germain, which finished in a 2-2 draw that qualified the French team for the quarterfinals, that badgering the referee is ''part of the game.'' ''It's there and you have to stick up for your teammates,'' said Terry, who led the protests against Ibrahimovic. ''The fans want to see that and that's the same with every side. Every other side is as bad as each other.'' Mourinho wouldn't comment any further about the incident Friday. Chelsea goes into Sunday's match against Southampton holding a five-point lead in the Premier League and with a game in hand. ''For many months, we played better than everyone. In that moment, you were all saying Chelsea was a candidate to win the Champions League,'' Mourinho said. ''We cannot play fantastic all season and we had our lowest point in a moment we couldn't have. We lost the game (against PSG), we are out of the competition.''
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BOSTON When Judy Clarke , the lead defense lawyer for Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, announced at the outset of his trial last week that her client was responsible for the Boston Marathon bombings, she was following a strategy laid out by Clarence Darrow almost a century ago. Darrow, one of the most renowned criminal defense lawyers in American history, was representing two infamous child-killers in Chicago named Leopold and Loeb. He started with a guilty plea. That left him free to focus on his goal: saving them from the gallows. He delivered an extraordinary 12-hour closing argument against the death penalty that left the judge in tears, after which he sentenced the pair to life in prison. Ms. Clarke, a death penalty opponent, is similarly single-minded in seeking to save Mr. Tsarnaev. Every move she makes is aimed at trying to spare him from execution, including her blunt opening admission of who planted bombs at the 2013 marathon: "It was him." Although the analogy with Leopold and Loeb is not exact Mr. Tsarnaev, 21, has not actually pleaded guilty, and he faces a jury, whereas Darrow argued to a judge the strategy for saving him is striking and familiar. Defense lawyers in the most challenging death penalty cases often start by admitting a certain degree of guilt, then arguing that someone else deserves more of the blame. That calibration of culpability shaped the legal strategy for Lee Malvo, the 17-year-old Beltway sniper, who along with an older accomplice killed 10 people in the Washington, D.C., area in 2002. "We are not suggesting to you that they got the wrong man," Mr. Malvo's lawyer told the jury. Rather, the lawyer said, his client was heavily indoctrinated by a charismatic father figure who schooled him in the ways of murder an approach, sometimes called the Svengali defense, that Ms. Clarke is employing as she casts Mr. Tsarnaev's older brother as the mastermind in the marathon bombings. The strategy worked for Mr. Malvo: He was sentenced to life in prison. And the odds suggest that could be Mr. Tsarnaev's fate, too. Since 1988, of the cases in which juries in federal death penalty trials reached the point of choosing between life and death, they have opted for life 66 percent of the time, according to the Federal Death Penalty Resource Counsel Project. Legal experts say it is easier for jurors to show mercy what Darrow called "the highest attribute of man" if they first see the defense accept responsibility. "Admitting guilt is not being invented for the first time in this trial," Eric M. Freedman, a death penalty specialist and law professor at Hofstra University, said of the Tsarnaev case. "In a capital case, a competent lawyer keeps his or her eye on the big picture, even if that means engaging in some well-planned strategic retreats." In her dramatic opening statement, Ms. Clarke told the jury that she was not contesting the who, what, where and when of the government's case, only the why. The government had portrayed Mr. Tsarnaev as a radical jihadist bent on murder as retribution for the deaths of so many Muslims in American-led wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. By contrast, Ms. Clarke cast her client as a lost teenager who fell under the malevolent sway of his radicalized older brother, Tamerlan. She did not change his plea to guilty, but in a bit of courtroom jujitsu, she said he would not sidestep responsibility for his crimes. He faces a 30-count indictment, which includes the marathon bombings, which killed three people, maimed 17 and injured 250 others; the killing of an M.I.T. police officer; a carjacking; and a shootout with the police. Admitting to the crimes gave her the chance to build credibility with the jury. The evidence against Mr. Tsarnaev is so overwhelming, legal experts say, that she could appear disingenuous if she tried to deny it, and jurors would probably feel insulted and annoyed. But admitting culpability in an opening statement is very different from formally pleading guilty. Ms. Clarke has offered the government a guilty plea in exchange for a sentence of life in prison. But the government has spurned the offer. Prosecutors are insisting on pursuing the death penalty, and as long as that is the case, Mr. Tsarnaev has no incentive to change his plea. Also, pleading guilty would close off his avenues of appeal. And he has another subtler but equally compelling reason not to plead guilty: Doing so would abbreviate the jury's role. Some legal experts believe that if a jury is given the chance to find a defendant guilty, it can do so, feel it has done its job, and then be more likely to exercise leniency when it comes to sentencing. "It is not very satisfying for the jury if you hand them a guilty plea and then ask for life," said Rosanna Cavallaro, a law professor at Suffolk University. "It leaves the jury feeling like, 'The only thing I've done as a juror is give you a break.'" Judge George A. O'Toole Jr. of Federal District Court, who is overseeing the Tsarnaev trial, has predicted that the proceedings could last through June. So far, the defense's admission does not appear to have altered that timetable. The government still has to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt. And it seems to be trying to do so as zealously as if Ms. Clarke had never made her admission. Government witnesses have not scrimped on the horrific details of the bloody carnage at the marathon finish line, accounts that have moved many in the courtroom to tears. In continuing with its full case, the prosecution intends not only to prove guilt, but also to justify why it is seeking the death penalty. "In a run-of-the-mill criminal case, judges will often rush the government along, saying, 'Do you really need this witness?'" said Jeremy M. Sternberg, a former federal prosecutor in Boston and now a partner in the Boston office of the law firm Holland & Knight. "But that won't happen here. There's too much at stake." Ms. Clarke is trying to use this phase of the trial to her advantage, planting seeds now that she hopes will bloom in the second phase, when she can explain her narrative more fully as the jury contemplates the sentence. On Monday, for example, defense lawyers pressed one official to establish that Mr. Tsarnaev's brother was a few steps ahead of him as they walked down Boylston Street. This line of questioning might have suggested what little evidence the defense has to make its case, but at the same time, it helped reinforce the defense's theme that Tamerlan Tsarnaev was the leader. On Tuesday, after the government suggested that posts from Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's Twitter account revealed him to be a jihadist, the defense showed that some of them were in fact lyrics from rap songs and from a show on Comedy Central more reflective of Mr. Tsarnaev's college stoner culture than of a holy war. "What you want to be doing in the first phase is be consistent with the second phase so that by the time you get to the second phase, the jury is nodding in agreement and recognition," Mr. Freedman of Hofstra said. Mr. Sternberg, the former prosecutor, said Ms. Clarke was "playing two chess games at once." "The first is the guilt phase, but the long game is the penalty phase," he said. "The more she gets to talk in the guilt phase about his being brainwashed, or being a cipher, or not doing anything independently, she's got it on the jury's mind for the penalty phase. It's a chance to ring the Tamerlan bell twice."
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The Panthers took down the Winnipeg Jets 4-2 on Thursday, but that wasn't the best part from this game. Derek MacKenzie scored quite possibly the goal of the year. See for yourself.
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Dave Kasper characterizes it as a "good question with a long answer." Four months after D.C. United completed the most dramatic single-season turnaround in MLS history, the club's general manager isn't completely sure how to address the query. Just how did United go from the league cellar in 2013 to the Eastern Conference summit in 2014? "The opportunity to really put a thoughtful plan in place for the future that was the starting point for us," Kasper told Goal USA. "We started very, very early and our owners committed to keeping everything intact. We created a plan and executed it, and it all came together. "You learn more by defeat than by winning, I believe. Although 2013 was humbling, it was a real learning opportunity and one that made me a better general manager, a better person, by going through that. You learn how to deal with adversity, you learn how to keep calm and do the necessary things to right the ship." After a roster overhaul set the stage for United to go 17-9-8 last season, the club rewarded Kasper this week with a new multi-year contract. The deal comes less than six months after the organization came to terms with coach Ben Olsen on his own contract extension. For a club built around emerging young stars such as goalkeeper Bill Hamid, defender Steve Birnbaum and midfielder Perry Kitchen, stability in the front office was a natural step. "It's important for individuals and it's important for the organization in many ways," Kasper said. "That obviously filters down to the players we have a lot of young talent that we want to keep here long term. Players knowing that the people they're going to be working for, working with, are going to be here for a long time I think helps them as well." Having joined the club for the 2002 season as technical director before becoming general manager in 2007, Kasper now has another title: vice president of soccer operations. In his words, the additional role will see him focus on "building out more of the soccer infrastructure to support our long-term success." Facets of that plan are already in motion: The club last month registered its Under-23 team in the Premier Development League and announced a residency program in conjunction with the Calverton School in Huntingtown, Maryland. While eight MLS clubs now operate reserve teams in the USL, United has maintained an affiliation with the Richmond Kickers that sees D.C. loan a handful of young players to the third-tier side each season. But it's an arrangement under evaluation. Over the next six months, Kasper will compile a report for ownership on how United plans to secure meaningful matches and a constructive training environment for the club's prospects going forward. "We're really studying what our next step will be in terms of USL, whether it's a stronger affiliation with an existing USL team or whether it's doing our own standalone USL team," Kasper said. "We're far away from making that decision right now. ... But I believe that's an important area for us to take a close look at, and I'll be spending the better part of this year analyzing that." Although Kasper quickly acknowledges it's "a little far away," he also says the club envisions a revamped training facility with several fields that would allow academy players to train alongside the first team on a daily basis. At the moment, there is just a single synthetic turf field available next to United's practice pitch at RFK Stadium. It's another goal for an organization that launched in MLS as a dynasty but now lags behind franchises that have secured soccer-specific stadiums and modern training facilities. Yet with funding for a new stadium approved and United scheduled to kick off at Buzzard Point in 2017, Kasper is embracing the opportunity to help shape the organization as it enters a new era. "We've been dreaming about a stadium for many, many years," Kasper said. "That will be icing on the cake, and it will be very well deserved when we christen that stadium and play our first game. It's going to be an incredible moment, and I want to live that moment here and be a part of it."
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By Larry Brown Steve Nash only played in 15 games last season and none this season because of injuries that have essentially ended his career. Nash knew the injuries were so bad last season that he was prepared to call it a career before this season, but a report says the Lakers asked him not to retire. The result has been the two-time MVP point guard collecting checks from the Lakers despite really being a member of the team in name only. Bleacher Report's Kevin Ding had the scoop : Nash was ready to call it a career before the season. After deep soul-searching to accept his body does not belong in an official NBA uniform any longer, he wasn't just out for the season. He was, and is, done. The Lakers asked Nash not to announce anything, according to team sources. They hoped they could trade Nash's $9.7 million salary, not only an expiring contract but also a giant coupon for another club to take and immediately save real dollars via insurance, to get a building block for the Lakers' future. The Lakers were unable to trade Nash, so he has been trying to give them some value by helping a few of their young players (despite what Byron Scott said about that back in November ). Now 41, he at least has some wisdom to offer as his playing days are over. And despite his best efforts to return to the court, his body would not cooperate, which has led him to the next stages of his life.
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Thanks to his colorful outfit, Henrik Stenson stole the show during the first round of the Valspar Championship.
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A surprisingly satisfying reboot of Subaru's AWD midsize sedan. A New Legacy A New Legacy Subaru has seen record sales every year since 2009, and while the Japanese carmaker has always had an offering in the competitive midsize sedan market, the Legacy has not contributed much to those record sales. The folks at Subaru are hoping this new Legacy will change that. Completely new with fresh styling, an updated interior and excellent chassis not to mention Subaru's signature Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive there's nothing preventing this sixth-generation Legacy from gaining popularity and market share among midsize sedan buyers. Model lineup Model lineup The Legacy is available in four trims ranging from the entry-level 2.5i to the top-level 3.6R. At a starting price of $21,695, the 2.5i is well equipped with standard remote keyless entry, stability and traction control, 17-inch wheels, incline start assist, multiple airbags with rollover sensor (including a new seat-cushion airbag) and a 6.2-inch multi-function display featuring HD radio, CD player and STARLINK smartphone integration with Aha, Pandora and iHeart Radio. A rearview camera is also standard on all Legacys. Most Popular Legacy Most Popular Legacy For an additional $1,800, buyers can upgrade to the 2.5i Premium, which adds an upgraded infotainment system with a 7-inch touchscreen display and multi-touch gesture controls, voice-activated controls, a 6-speaker audio system, SiriusXM satellite radio, SMS text messaging, iTunes Tagging capability, dual USB ports and vehicle information display. Subaru's Eyesight driver assist system improved for 2015 is available on the Premium, as is GPS navigation, a rear-vehicle detection system and a power moonroof. Subaru expects the 2.5i Premium to make up the bulk of Legacy sales. Top-of-the-Line Top-of-the-Line Priced at $26,495, the 2.5i Limited comes fully loaded, adding to the Premium with a 10-way power driver's seat, 18-inch alloy wheels, a 576-watt Harmon/Kardon premium audio system, heated front and rear seats, fog lights and leather upholstery. The top-level 3.6R Limited starts at $29,595. In addition to the more powerful engine, the 3.6R gets dual-exhaust, HID headlights and larger brake rotors in front. Under the Hood Under the Hood Two engines are available for the 2015 Legacy: a 2.5-liter four cylinder or a 3.6-liter six cylinder; both have a horizontally-opposed (boxer) configuration, which has been a Subaru staple for years. The 2.5-liter 4-cylinder unit produces 175 horsepower (a slight increase over the previous generation) and 174 lb-ft of torque, while the 3.6-liter 6-cylinder powerplant bumps up to 256 horsepower and 247 lb-ft of torque. Both engines are teamed with Subaru's continuously-variable transmission (CVT), which features a 6-speed manual mode and steering column-mounted paddle shifters. The manual transmission has been discontinued. Fuel Efficient Fuel Efficient Subaru expects most buyers will opt for the 2.5-liter engine, which in our experience provides more than adequate power and impressive fuel economy. EPA ratings for the 2.5i are 26 city/36 hwy/30 combined, while those that go for bigger power pay the price in fuel economy. The 3.6 is rated at 20/29/23, respectively. Improved Interior Improved Interior The new Legacy is slightly wider than the outgoing model, which makes a roomier, more spacious interior. Front seats in leather or cloth are supportive and comfortable, and there's plenty of room in the rear seat for two adults. A long road trip in the Legacy would not be a problem. The trunk offers plenty of space for some large luggage; however, the opening is a bit small. Infotainment Infotainment The most welcome change is the updated infotainment system. Legacy has always lagged behind the competition on this feature but no more. The large screen is easy to read and you can pinch zoom with two fingers like a tablet or smartphone. Buttons alongside the screen make audio system, navigation, and other features easy to find. Climate control functions are separate, and thus always accessible. On the Road On the Road We had a chance to take the Legacy down some twisty roads along the Pacific Coast and we happily detected a little WRX DNA infused in the Legacy. Pinpoint steering feel and the new firm suspension help drivers handle tight corners with ease. In addition to the added grip of all-wheel drive, the Legacy now uses torque vectoring, which applies braking to the inside wheels in a turn to help eliminate understeer. Power Power Although neither engine makes the Legacy a performance sedan, with 80 more horses the 3.6R is considerably quicker than the 2.5i. Sixty mph arrives in about 7 seconds about 2 seconds quicker than the 2.5i and slightly quicker than the outgoing generation. The 3.6 possesses plenty of passing power, and the CVT seems to enhance power rather than sap it. Obviously the 2.5i needs to work harder to get up to speed, but it's relatively quick off the line and for most situations doesn't feel underpowered. CVT Transmission CVT Transmission Although typically we're not fans of CVT transmissions, Subaru's CVT is one of the best on the market, and it's a value-add for the Legacy. Simulated shift points give the feedback of an automatic transmission while providing the fuel-efficiency advantage of the CVT. Even in traffic with lots of hills and curves we achieved 29 mpg with the 2.5-liter engine. Eyesight Eyesight Subaru's camera-based Eyesight driver-assist system is much smaller for the new Legacy, and considerably less obtrusive mounted behind the rearview mirror. It also provides 40 percent greater range, which means it can react faster to decelerating vehicles it even recognizes brake lights. The adaptive cruise control performs well in varying traffic speeds. Although the lane-departure warning can get a bit annoying at times, being gently alerted when cars in front of the Legacy start moving from a standstill is much kinder than the staccato horn honks of impatient drivers behind you. Right for You? Right for You? Significantly improved over the outgoing model, the new Legacy stacks up impressively well against the competition. Legacy pricing starts lower than two big players in this segment Toyota Camry and Honda Accord and adds the benefit of all-wheel drive as well as better fuel economy. With an improved interior, tasteful exterior styling, roomy cabin and great driving characteristics, the Legacy should be on your shopping list if you're in the market for a new midsize sedan you'll be pleasantly surprised. Rating: 9.0 Bottom Line: With all-wheel drive, great fuel economy, attractive styling and a low starting price, it's hard to justify buying any other midsize sedan. Pros: All-wheel drive Great handling Much-improved interior Cons: No manual transmission Small trunk opening Larger engine only available on loaded trim
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RUBY, Alaska A blind dog is helping musher Kelly Maixner find the Iditarod finish line in western Alaska. The 5-year-old, 50-pound sled dog named Laura has a cornea disease called pannus, Anchorage television station KTUU reported (http://is.gd/fcj09V ). Maixner first noticed the dainty-faced Alaskan Husky's eyes were becoming cloudy about two years ago. Veterinarians told him she is "fairly blind," and she often seems confused, Maixner said. "Sometimes I have to throw snacks on the ground extra hard so she can hear where it falls," he said. But Laura is comfortable running in every spot on Maixner's sled team except lead. When the pediatric dentist puts her in front, she relies on the other dog sharing the lead position to guide the way. Laura is a favorite of her handlers. Maixner said she's not only a reliable runner, but a cheerleader for the team as they make the trek from Fairbanks to the old gold-rush town of Nome. This is Maixner's fifth Iditarod attempt. He scratched from competition late in the race last year, but he's aiming to finish in the top 10 this year with Laura's help. ___ Information from: KTUU-TV, http://www.ktuu.com
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EUGENE, Ore. A 39-year-old female driver apparently set herself on fire, crashed her car on a bridge and jumped 40 feet to a park below, Eugene police said Thursday. The Eugene woman was being treated for critical injuries at a Portland-area hospital. The woman's family had recently reported her missing, police spokesman John Hankemeier said. A 911 caller reported Thursday afternoon that a car appeared to be on fire from the inside, with the woman at the wheel driving recklessly, The Register-Guard newspaper (http://is.gd/ZBElBA ) reported. After the car crashed into a bridge guardrail, witnesses told police the woman jumped out on fire and began taking her clothes off as she ran to the edge of the span. Truck drivers tried to put out the flames with fire extinguishers and another person tried to grab the woman, but she was still able to jump, police said. "I am thankful for the witness who helped us piece together what happened and was trying to keep this woman from jumping off a bridge," traffic Lt. Doug Mozan said. "Her efforts were nothing less than heroic." When the car crashed, a piece of its bumper sailed over the bridge, injuring a 40-year-old woman below. The pedestrian was treated for minor injuries, police said. The car was still engulfed in flames when police arrived, Mozan said. The accident damaged the bridge and traffic was backed up for almost two hours. The fire and crash remain under investigation. "I believe it was intentionally set on fire but at this point we're still investigating," Mozan told KVAL-TV. "I think according to witnesses she was spreading some sort of propellant but it's hard to say what exactly that was." ___ Information from: The Register-Guard, http://www.registerguard.com
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NEW YORK (AP) -- No secrets on either side in this one. Just a grind-it-out game that Xavier snatched away in the end. Jalen Reynolds converted a three-point play with 3:22 left in overtime that put the Musketeers ahead for good, and Xavier rallied past No. 22 Butler 67-61 on Thursday night in a tense Big East Tournament quarterfinal. ''We scouted them really well. We knew their stuff. We just wanted to make sure we didn't get out-toughed,'' senior center Matt Stainbrook said. Stainbrook, Dee Davis and Myles Davis each scored 13 points to lead five players in double figures for the sixth-seeded Musketeers (20-12), who have reached the conference semifinals in both seasons since joining the Big East. They play 23rd-ranked and second-seeded Georgetown in the doubleheader finale Friday night. ''It seems like every time we play Butler here over the last five or six years, they're just gritty games,'' Xavier coach Chris Mack said. ''We didn't get off to a really good start either the first or second half. I thought our team responded with the resiliency that at times maybe we haven't had, but certainly we've had over the last month of the season.'' The hard-fought victory might have cemented a spot in the NCAA Tournament for the Musketeers, though it seemed most recent projections had them safely in the field before this one. Alex Barlow had a career-high 22 points for the third-seeded Bulldogs (22-10), still looking for their first Big East Tournament win after two years in the league. Kellen Dunham scored 17 and Kameron Woods grabbed 14 rebounds, but both fouled out in overtime - costing Butler in a game it led most of the way. Minus their leading scorer (Dunham) and rebounder (Woods), the Bulldogs were unable to make the plays they needed down the stretch. ''I think any time you play a team that has a lot of familiarity with each other, it's bone on bone,'' Butler coach Chris Holtmann said. ''It comes down to, can you make free throws? Can you take care of the ball a little bit better? Xavier did a better job than us tonight.'' Woods fouled out on a layup by Reynolds, who added the free throw to give Xavier a 59-56 lead. Reynolds, who finished with 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting, hit another free throw and then fouled out himself with 2:04 to play. Trevon Bluiett made a free throw with 1:40 left, then missed the second. Stainbrook grabbed the rebound - he pulled down 10 in all - and Myles Davis followed up another offensive rebound with a basket that made it 63-58 with 1:05 left. Two free throws by Myles Davis extended Xavier's cushion to 66-59, all but sealing it with 29.5 seconds remaining. Dee Davis opened overtime with a three-point play for Xavier, which erased a 10-point deficit in the first half and climbed out of a nine-point hole in the second period. Barlow nailed a 3-pointer to tie it before Reynolds made his big play. Xavier pulled even at 53 when Bluiett hit a 3 with 2:36 remaining in regulation, and neither team scored the rest of the half. The Musketeers had the ball in the final seconds with a chance to win, but Barlow stole it from Stainbrook and came up just short with an on-line heave from halfcourt at the buzzer. Andrew Chrabascz had 16 points for the Bulldogs. They started the second half with a 14-3 run, capped by a 3-pointer from Dunham that gave Butler a 42-33 edge with 14:10 remaining. Then the Bulldogs went almost six minutes without scoring as Xavier began to chip away at the lead. --- TIP-INS Xavier: The Musketeers reached 20 wins for the ninth time in the last 10 years, and 17th in the past 19 seasons. They improved to 5-2 against Top 25 teams this season. ... Xavier scored 16 points in the first half off nine Butler turnovers. Butler: The Bulldogs fell to 4-8 Madison Square Garden. ... Butler, which set a school record by making all 20 free throws last Saturday in a win at Providence, went 10 for 19 from the line (52.6 percent). ''Obviously, we've got to do a better job of knocking them down,'' Holtmann said. ''When we've lost a couple of close games this season, a couple times it's been because of free throw shooting.'' YOU, AGAIN The teams split two regular-season meetings, with each winning by double digits at home. And while Xavier and Butler might be relative newcomers to the Big East, they're plenty familiar with each other. They also squared off as conference rivals in the Atlantic 10 and Midwestern Collegiate Conference (now the Horizon League). Butler won the previous meeting in a conference tournament, 78-61 in 1992 in the MCC. Xavier leads the all-time series 35-18, winning 14 of the last 18 and seven of the past nine meetings. UP NEXT Xavier: The Musketeers won both regular-season meetings with Georgetown, by an average of 15 points. Butler: Waiting on an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.
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ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Brian Elliott didn't want to blink. The St. Louis goalie and Steve Mason, his Philadelphia counterpart, both earned shutouts on Thursday night. Elliott also came away with a win as the host Blues edged the Flyers 1-0 in a shootout to give coach Ken Hitchcock his 700th regular-season victory. BOX SCORE: BLUES 1, FLYERS 0 (SO) "It's kind of whoever blinks first," Elliott said. "Mason played unbelievable down at the other end, so I was just trying to keep pace. We played our game that we wanted to, I think, and my guys were blocking shots." Elliott didn't blink. He made 25 saves in regulation, then three more in overtime before stopping both Philadelphia attempts in the shootout. Mason turned aside 35 shots but T.J. Oshie and Vladimir Tarasenko both scored in the tiebreaker. "Everybody is kind of scraping right now to get to the top," Elliott said. "We're right there. Every point matters. When you've got a couple guys like that (Oshie and Tarasenko) burying the shootouts right away, it makes my job a lot easier and puts the pressure on them." The Blues, winners of three straight and five of seven, improved to 43-19-5 overall and 24-8-2 at home. Hitchcock, the former coach of the Flyers, became the fourth coach to record 700 wins, joining Scotty Bowman, Al Arbour and Joel Quenneville. "Every day we play we're trying to become harder and harder to play against, and that's what was nice today," Hitchcock said. "We didn't give them very much. We were hard to play against, very determined on the puck. "That's what we're trying to build here. That group, the way it's going to get built here, we're not going to be fun to play against if we play the right way." Elliott record his fourth shutout of the season and 29th in his NHL career, including 20 with the Blues. That tied the franchise record set by his former teammate Jaroslav Halak. Elliott credited his teammates for the shootout, and specifically pointed to the effort they made in blocking shots in front of him. St. Louis was credited with 23 blocked shots, including five apiece by defensemen Alex Pietrangelo and Carl Gunnarsson. "It was huge," Elliott said. "It was a lot of blocked shots, a lot of sacrifices. It makes my job a lot easier, and I can kind of just focus on the puck." Mason posted his third shutout this season and 26th in his career for the Flyers, who lost their fourth straight. Philadelphia fell to 28-27-14 overall and 9-18-8 on the road. "It was good game overall," Mason said. "I was happy with that. Got some help from the posts, which you need sometimes. Schultzie (Nick Schultz) made a big save there in the third period. "It's not an easy place to play in, that's for sure. They're a big heavy team. Especially at home, the Blues play a hard game." Jakub Voracek and Wayne Simmonds were both stopped by Elliott in the shootout for the Flyers, who have dropped five straight away from home. "We had pucks on net, we had our chances, and we've got to find a way to put it in," Flyers forward Claude Giroux said. "A loss is a loss. Obviously, we got a point, but we want two. We need to play more 60 minutes, and we had chances. I think we had our chances." The Flyers had plenty early. They had three power plays in the first period and another in the second. The Blues' penalty-killers, who entered ranked 13th in the NHL at 81.6 percent, have killed 21 of 22 power plays over a seven-game stretch. The Flyers killed two penalties and caught a break when Alexander Steen's shot from the left circle with 39 seconds left in the second period hit the far post. Steen hit the post again late in the third, when the Blues outshot the Flyers 17-9. St. Louis outshot Philadelphia 33-28 in regulation, but the Flyers outshot the Blues 3-2 in overtime. "I thought it was a very good effort," Philadelphia coach Craig Berube said. "Tough building. Tough team. I thought we did a good job against them. I thought it was a hard game. Both goalies played well." NOTES: Blues LW Chris Porter was in the lineup for the first time since Feb. 21 when he injured an ankle. He opened the game on the first line with David Backes and Oshie. ... St. Louis D Jay Bouwmeester returned after missing two games because of an illness. ... Philadelphia signed F Cole Bardreau to an entry-level contract. Bardreau led Cornell in scoring this season.
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The Devils gave the Avalanche all they could handle on Thursday night, and Jarome Iginla carried the team. Iginla scored all of the goals, including the shootout winner, on the way to a 2-1 win.
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LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Derek Fisher stepped onto the familiar hardwood below all those championship banners, and memories of his golden past with the Los Angeles Lakers came flooding back to him. Fisher then led the New York Knicks to a victory that left him feeling slightly more optimistic about a bleak future back East. BOX SCORE: KNICKS 101, LAKERS 94 Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 22 points, Andrea Bargnani added 16 and the Knicks snapped their five-game losing streak with just their fifth road victory of the season, 101-94 over the Lakers on Thursday night. Alexey Shved had 14 points and 11 rebounds as the Knicks ended a seven-game road skid against the Lakers since 2007. New York won for Fisher in the former Los Angeles point guard's return to Staples Center, where he won five NBA championships alongside Kobe Bryant. "It was great to get a sweep for D-Fish against his old team," Hardaway said, noting the Knicks' home win over the Lakers last month. The crowd gave an enthusiastic pregame welcome to Fisher, who exchanged warm greetings with dozens of Lakers employees, players and wealthy fans who watched him at courtside for years. "I don't enjoy causing harm to people that I'm close to and I care about," Fisher said. "We're both going through challenging times at the moment. ... (The Lakers) will be back, this organization. We haven't had a successful season, but we feel like we're on a path that's going to take us where we want to go." Langston Galloway scored 12 points as the Knicks won a meeting of two NBA cornerstone franchises fallen on the hardest of times. At a combined 30-98, New York and Los Angeles have two of the NBA's four worst records with five weeks still left in their miserable seasons. Former Lakers assistants Jim Cleamons, Kurt Rambis and Rasheed Hazzard also are working alongside Fisher and Knicks president Phil Jackson, who watched the second half sitting in the second row next to Jeanie Buss, his fiancee and the Lakers' executive vice president of business operations. Jackson turned up at the Knicks' shootaround earlier in the day, further indicating the importance of this game to the Knicks' transplanted brain trust. "He didn't say much, but he definitely wanted to make sure everybody was ready to go tonight," Hardaway said of Jackson, the 11-time NBA champion coach. The NBA's worst team (13-51) calmly maintained a lead down the stretch, sweeping the season series with Los Angeles (17-47) and picking up its first road victory over a Western Conference team all season. Jordan Hill had 19 points and 10 rebounds for the Lakers, who have lost six of seven. While Fisher was encouraged by the game, another former Lakers guard was baffled. "I'm sure D-Fish would like to play us 10 more times before the season is over," Los Angeles coach Byron Scott said. "If I was him, I would. If we haven't learned our lesson about looking at other teams and thinking that we're better than them, then we're not very bright, obviously. You still have to have a fear of losing games like that. I mean, we played teams in the `80s that we knew we were better than, but we made it a point to come out and prove it right away because we didn't want to lose to that team." Scott also called the Lakers a "selfish" team that "got exactly what we deserved. It wasn't pretty." Hardaway's driving layup with 3:35 to play put the Knicks up 96-82. Hill hit his second career 3-pointer to trim New York's lead to 98-94 with 24.2 seconds left. TIP-INS Knicks: New York beat Los Angeles 92-80 at Madison Square Garden last month on 31 points from Carmelo Anthony. ... Quincy Acy missed the game for personal reasons. Lakers: Top scorer Nick Young missed his ninth straight game with a sore left knee. ... Fisher is fifth in Lakers history with 915 games played for the franchise. NEW GUY Jabari Brown scored seven points in the first half in his NBA debut for the Lakers, who recalled him from their D-League affiliate. Brown and rookie point guard Jordan Clarkson played together in Missouri's backcourt last season. Brown wasn't drafted after his junior season at Mizzou, but he leads the D-League with more than 24 points per game. UP NEXT Knicks: at Golden State on Saturday. Lakers: host Atlanta on Sunday.
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World number one Novak Djokovic says as much as he would like to win a fourth Indian Wells title, claiming the elusive French Open crown is taking priority over everything else. The 27-year-old Serbian star is aiming for back-to-back Indian Wells titles to go with his fifth Australian Open title won earlier this year. He has two Wimbledon crowns and one US Open but has yet to lift the trophy at Roland Garros, having finished runner-up twice. "The highest priority is the French Open," he said Thursday at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden stadium. "The French Open of course is the Grand Slam I've never won. But I've had a lot of good tournaments there. I played a couple times the finals there, got a step closer." Djokovic said he doesn't agonize over his defeats in the final of the French but rather sees them as a learning experience. "I use the losses as a way to grow mentally, physically and emotionally as a player so I can understand what I need to do better," he said. He said Thursday he doesn't want to dwell on whether it will happen this year but he plans to show up in top condition and ready to go the distance. "It's still too early to talk about it. The difference to those goals and approach is I won't put too much pressure on myself. "I don't want to take away too much energy thinking about if I will make it or not." Djokovic knows the drill in the two week Indian Wells tournament which saw the men's first round singles round get underway Thursday. He won in 2011 and 2008 before conquering Swiss star Roger Federer in last year's final. Federer seeks his fifth Indian Wells trophy after sweeping titles from 2004-2006 and taking the top prize in 2012. Also bidding for a fourth Indian Wells championship is Spain's Rafael Nadal, who won in 2007, 2009 and 2013. Since 2003, the only Indian Wells champion not from among that star trio is 2010 winner Ivan Ljubicic. "It can't stay that way forever," Djokovic said. "I think we expect a new generation to come along." Djokovic had his career breakthrough in Indian Wells in 2007 when he reached the final for the first time. Djokovic would parlay that success to break into the top 10 and then win his first major at the Australian Open. Djokovic's three Indian Wells titles ties him for second most with Jimmy Connors, Michael Chang and Rafael Nadal, behind Federer's four.
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Nick Gordon and Bobbi Kristina Brown Nick Gordon's family fear for his life. The 25-year-old star has been spiralling out of control since his girlfriend Bobbi Kristina Brown was found unresponsive in the bath on January 31, and his loved ones are worried he won't be able to cope if the aspiring singer - who is in a medically-induced coma - loses her fight for life. Jack Walker Jr., Nick's mother Michelle's partner who the troubled star regards as a father figure, said: "He's out of control right now. He's hurt. He's hitting rock bottom with this. "If something happens to Bobbi Kristina... if she doesn't pull through then I will fear for my son's life." Nick checked into rehab last week and Jack admits it has been "harder and harder" watching him try to cope with what has happened to Bobbi Kristina. He told 'Access Hollywood': "Every day. It hurts a lot, seeing him in pain. [Him] not wanting to go forward because he's hurt so bad... It's hard for him each day. He doesn't know if he can make it another day. It's getting harder and harder." Nick and Bobbi Kristina claimed they were married in January 2014, but it recently emerged they had never legally tied the knot, and Jack insists the family were as clueless about their relationship status as anyone else. Asked if he believed they had married, he said: "I couldn't say 100 percent sure yes or no. I wasn't there. If you say, 'I eloped,' you know, you've got to take someone's word for it. "Everyone was told what the media was told. That they were married."
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FIFA vice president Jeffrey Webb has cast doubt on the future of the 2018 World Cup in Russia, claiming the tournament cannot be held there with the current level of racism in the country. Qualification for Russia 2018 began on Thursday but Webb, who also serves as CONCACAF's president, believes FIFA will have to move the World Cup somewhere else if the Eurasian nation does not clean up its act. According to the World Values Survey - an international network of social scientists - between 15 and 20 percent of the Russian population answered "people of another race" when asked to pick groups they would not want as neighbors in 2013. For countries such as the United States, Australia, Sweden and Britain the percentage dropped to between zero and five percent. Webb confirmed this is a concern for FIFA, despite the fact football's global governing body selected Russia ahead of Portugal-Spain, Belgium-Netherlands and England in 2010. "Definitely Russia poses a huge challenge for FIFA and the World Cup from a racism standpoint," Webb told ESPNFC.com on Thursday. The prevalence of racism in Russian society is mirrored in its football. In September, Zenit St Petersburg striker Hulk was the subject of racist chants during a match against Spartak Moscow, while in 2013, Manchester City's Yaya Toure suffered similar treatment in a UEFA Champions League match away to CSKA Moscow. In 2012, a Zenit fan group sent a petition to the Russian Premier League club demanding the St Petersburg-based outfit never signs "black players" or those from "sexual minorities". The Fare (Football Against Racism in Europe) Network released a report last month detailing 99 reported incidents of racism in Russian football from May 2012 to May 2014. Fare proposed a number of ideas to improve tolerance in Russian football but conceded "the opportunity to bring about long-term change [prior to the World Cup] may have passed". But Webb was more positive, although he did not shy away from the amount of work required. "There's a lot of work there to be done from a educational aspect," he said. "[Russia's] minister of sport [Vitaly Mutko], who is also on the FIFA executive committee, has acknowledged that, and I believe now they're going to put some plans in place to start to tackle diversity education programs. "From our task force standpoint, we now have a dedicated staff who works with us on racism, and they're working very closely with Russia to implement and execute education programs. It's a huge opportunity to influence some change and we better influence some change over the next three years. We have to. We can't have a World Cup there under the current conditions."
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By Jason Rowan The unique lifestyle of Toronto Blue Jays pitching prospect Daniel Norris has been extensively covered heading into spring training, and for good reason. After all, has there ever been another major league player who has taken up permanent residence in a van? The 21-year-old Norris, a Tennessee native, is a wanderer who enjoys the nomadic existence afforded by living out of his old van, a 1978 Volkswagen Westfalia he has nicknamed "Shaggy." While there are some perks associated in living out of one's van Norris apparently lives on only $800 per month despite earning a $2 million signing bonus there is probably one consequence of having a mobile homestead for which Norris was not prepared: Someone stealing his beloved van-home and taking it out for a joy ride. But that's exactly what happened on Thursday when fellow Blue Jays pitcher R.A. Dickey hopped into Norris' ride and took it out for a little spin, even driving it on the field before posting evidence of his shenanigans on Twitter. Fahrvergnügen, man. Fahrvergnügen.
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The shattered wreck of a Japanese World War II battleship was shown lying on a Philippine seabed in startling detail Friday, as the first images emerged from the historic discovery by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen. American billionaire and explorer Allen announced the find of the Musashi -- one of the most sophisticated battleships ever built -- in the Sibuyan Sea in the central Philippines eight days ago, after a high-tech mission lasting eight years. It was the latest of many searches for the ship, with the find coming some 70 years after it was sunk by US forces in World War II. Giant gun turrets and propellers, a torpedo-damaged hull and a plane wing resting on silt were among the images beamed live by an unmanned mini-submarine from about a kilometre (0.6 miles) below the water's surface. "We think we're conveying something to the world which is significant. It also teaches us about the past and what happened," said Yannick Olson, captain of Allen's yacht, from where the mini-sub was being directed. Excited historians have likened the discovery to finding the wreck of the Titanic, the famed British passenger liner that sank in the North Atlantic Ocean after colliding with an iceberg in 1912. The wreck of the Musashi, partially buried and scattered over a large debris field, is also the presumed graveyard of some of the more than 1,000 crew members killed in the battle. However, the video streamed on Allen's website showed no human remains. "It's quite clear it didn't land on the bottom in one piece," Olson said. "The destruction was total." Barnacles and light-coloured coral clung to the broken hull, propellers and anchor of the 263-metre (863-foot) ship, as well as on corroded sections of range-finders for the ship's guns, their armour plating ripped off. An eel was seen crawling out of the remains of the warship's aeroplane catapult, with instructions in Japanese script written on it, while two pink fish patrolled outside the hull. The worn remains of the chrysanthemum seal of the Japanese emperor remained on the ship's bow. Scott Matthews, a commentator for the live-stream, said the Allen expedition took two weeks to explore the debris field, which measured about 0.44 square kilometres (0.17 square miles). The Philippine government said last weekend that it would take control of the wreck and coordinate with Allen over its exploration. It said the wreck will most likely not be salvaged, the same as other Japanese World War II shipwrecks still lying in its waters, but will be preserved as a cultural heritage site. Seattle-born Allen, 62, who founded Microsoft with Bill Gates in 1975, is the world's 51st richest person with a net worth of $17.5 billion, according to Forbes Magazine.
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NASA's Magnetospheric Multiscale mission (MMS) has successfully made it to space aboard an Atlas V rocket. The mission, made up of four identical spacecraft, will spend two years studying the boundary between the magnetic fields of the Earth and the Sun. 4th of 4 identical @NASA_MMS spacecraft have separated. #MagRecon pic.twitter.com/fgHWJy2XqN NASA MMS #MagRecon (@NASA_MMS) March 13, 2015 The relationship between those fields is something we don't know a lot about right now. NASA wants to change that, because massive eruptions on the surface of the Sun can pose a real danger to electronic systems here on Earth. The rocket launched on schedule at 10:44 PM ET, and proceeded to space as the scientists on the ground expected, dropping its payload of four satellites in orbit around the Earth. NASA specifically wants to know more about what's called "magnetic reconnection," which is the process that accelerates particles to these dangerous levels. Not only does it occur on the Sun (it's the driving force behind the Sun's coronal mass ejections), but it takes place in this boundary area as well.
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