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'La Nina', a weather phenomenon that periodically causes devastating droughts and storms, will likely occur more frequently and more violently this century as a result of global warming, researchers said Monday. An exceptionally harsh La Nina like the 1998-9 event which killed thousands of people and displaced millions, will become almost twice as common in the 21st century, according to their statistical modelling. If emissions of Earth-warming greenhouse gases continue unabated, an "extreme" La Nina (Spanish for The Girl) will occur once every 13 years on average, compared to once every 23 years in the previous century, the team wrote in the journal Nature Climate Change. "It means more occurrences of devastating weather events, and more frequent swings of opposite extremes from one year to the next, with profound socio-economic consequences," they warned. Las Ninas sometimes occur the year after an extreme El Nino (The Boy), which the researchers said may also become more damaging and frequent. The two phases are part of a natural cycle of weather variability called the El Nino Southern Oscillation or ENSO, which can be disruptive around the Pacific rim and further afield. Contrary to El Nino, La Nina is characterised by cold sea-surface conditions in the central equatorial Pacific Ocean and a sharper contrast with land temperatures in western Pacific countries like Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Bangladesh and Vietnam. This "temperature gradient", which could increase with global warming, influences atmospheric air flow and precipitation patterns -- a steeper difference brings wetter conditions to the western Pacific countries and drier weather for the Americas to the east, said the authors. The extreme 1998-9 La Nina, which followed an exceptional 1997-8 El Nino, changed droughts into floods in western Pacific countries, and wet weather into severe drought in the southwestern United States. - Devastating floods - More than 200 million people were displaced by floods and storms in China, and Bangladesh experienced one of the most destructive floods in modern history. The new study used 21 climate models to simulate the probability of extreme La Ninas from 1900 to 2099. "On average, for the 2000-2099 century, we should get about eight such (extreme) events," study co-author Cai Wenju of the Ocean University of China in Qingdao told AFP. There is no reliable data on La Nina before 1950, but two extreme events were recorded in the 50 years to 1999 -- in 1988 and 1998. The team based their calculations on a worst-case warming scenario which mirrors an unbraked rise in greenhouse-gas emissions. In its latest, Fifth Assessment Report, the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) said this scenario would cause warming this century of about 3.7 degrees Celsius (6.66 degrees Fahrenheit), in a range of 2.6 to 4.8 C. The UN targets warming of no more than 2 C over pre-industrial levels. Whether ENSO will be amplified by man-made global warming is a big debate among scientists. A January 2014 study said there did not appear to be a link between climate change and the frequency and volatility of El Nino events. According to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, ENSO events occur on average every three to five years, but since 1975, Las Ninas have been only half as frequent as Los Ninos. | 5 | 3,400 | news |
LOS ANGELES As Los Angeles County sheriff's Deputy Ricky Hernandez was being lowered from a helicopter to inspect an abandoned car in rugged terrain, his team spotted a bear on the ground. But when team members tried to warn Hernandez, they lost radio contact. Luckily the bear was startled by the chopper and ran off into Angeles National Forest. Still, Hernandez was in for a shock when he peered inside the car Sunday and came face to face with some bear cubs that had made themselves at home. KABC-TV reports (http://bit.ly/1zioTvh ) the two or three cubs had torn up all the upholstery and made the vehicle into a den. After a brief investigation, Hernandez got out quickly. Hernandez says he learned a valuable lesson: Always be on the lookout, even on routine calls. ___ Information from: KABC-TV, http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/ | 5 | 3,401 | news |
Kobe Bryant will have shoulder surgery after all. The Los Angeles Lakers star on Monday finally relented to the doctor's recommendation relating to his torn right rotator cuff, agreeing to have surgery that is expected to be season-ending. According to a team statement, Bryant was examined by Neal ElAttrache of the Kerlan Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic on Monday morning and agreed to have surgery Wednesday morning. A specific timeline will be issued following the surgery, according to the news release. Bryant injured his shoulder Wednesday . The team announced the injury Thursday . Bryant met with one team doctor Friday , then another Monday before making his decision. The team sent out a news release Monday: "Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant, who injured his right shoulder in last Wednesday night's game against the Pelicans in New Orleans, was examined this morning by Dr. Neal ElAttrache of the Kerlan Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic. Dr. ElAttrache confirmed an earlier diagnosis of a torn rotator cuff, and advised Bryant to have surgery to repair the shoulder. Bryant has agreed, and surgery has been scheduled for Wednesday morning. A timeline estimate for Bryant's return will be issued following the surgery." After missing the 2013-14 postseason because of a torn Achilles tendon and playing just six games last season because of a left knee injury, Bryant finds himself with yet another monumental physical challenge on his hands. While he told the Los Angeles Times recently that he had considered retiring after this season, his plan all along had been to hang up his sneakers after next season. He's owed $25 million for the 2015-16 campaign, giving him plenty of financial incentive to return. Bryant averaged 22.3 points, 5.6 assists and 5.7 rebounds per game this season, but was shooting a career-low 37.3% from the field. Still, the Lakers (12-31) were showing signs of improvement with Bryant taking a heavier role in distribution recently, going 7-13 since Thanksgiving when Bryant was in the lineup. USA TODAY Sports' Adi Joseph contributed to this story. | 1 | 3,402 | sports |
A family in France wanted to name their child Nutella, but sadly a judge told them no. Keri Lumm (@thekerilumm) reports on the baby's new court appointed name. | 8 | 3,403 | video |
It's one of the most overused terms in weather, CNN meteorologist Pedram Javaheri says. So what exactly defines a blizzard? | 8 | 3,404 | video |
Bringing back the scheduled single-admission doubleheader once a year for Mr. Cub is a wonderful idea. Doubleheaders, the scheduled variety, anyway, are a thing of baseball's past. Originally conceived as a way to get more customers to the ballpark ("Two for the price of one!"), they wound up costing owners too much money by taking home dates off the schedule. The heyday of doubleheaders was the 1950s; in 1957 the Cubs played 17 doubleheaders at Wrigley Field, reducing the 77 home games into 60 home dates. (And had a further 13 twin bills on the road!) Without an original 1957 schedule, I can't say how many of those 17 were scheduled, but it's likely half or even more -- teams often played doubleheaders on most home Sundays and all holidays in that era. The Cubs' last scheduled single-admission doubleheader at Wrigley Field was July 4, 1983, a holiday Monday against the Montreal Expos. (The Cubs got swept.) Since then, doubleheaders at Wrigley have been played only as makeup dates for rainouts, with the exception of the split DH against the Washington Nationals last June, scheduled to avoid conflict with the annual Pride Parade in the Wrigleyville area. The last single-admission doubleheader of any kind at Wrigley Field was August 3, 2006 against the Arizona Diamondbacks . That occurred because that date was the last scheduled game between the two teams in 2006, the previous night had been rained out, and no common off days were available for a makeup game. (The Cubs lost the first game and won the nightcap.) I bring all this up, of course, because of Ernie Banks and his cheerful "Let's play two!" mantra, something that has to bring smiles to the faces of any baseball fan. Who wouldn't want more baseball? Here's a proposal made on CSN Chicago Monday morning that I could get behind, although logistics might make it tough for this year: Legendary sportscaster Bob Costas shared his memories of Banks and he had the idea that the St. Louis Cardinals and Cubs play a true doubleheader (not a day-night doubleheader) and have "every player who was associated in any way with Ernie Banks" show up.The Cubs and Cardinals meet at Wrigley Field to open the 2015 season on Easter Sunday. It would be a good time for the teams to adopt Banks' "Let's play two" mindset, given everybody should be somewhat fresh after spring training and the teams could have Monday and Tuesday off afterwards without disrupting the schedule. Right now, the Cubs and Cardinals are scheduled to play Sunday night, Tuesday night and Wednesday afternoon. I suppose it'd be possible for the two teams to play a single-admission doubleheader Sunday, though that might make it tough for ESPN, scheduled to carry the game at 7:05 CT. Or, the teams could play a doubleheader Tuesday or Wednesday. Or, since 2015 schedules are already out, why not take some time and try to figure out a way to do this every year starting in 2016? I think having the Cubs and Cardinals, traditional rivals, play a single-admission doubleheader once a year at Wrigley Field would be awesome. The Cubs could charge a higher price for that one date -- more than a single Cubs/Cardinals game but somewhat less than two games -- to make up for some of the difference in losing a home date. It'd be a guaranteed sellout, I'd think. If they do this, it should be a daytime affair, starting at 12 noon, as Cubs afternoon doubleheaders did from 1974 through 2006. And make it on a weekday, too -- that way, the Cubs wouldn't be giving up a weekend date, and you might get a bigger crowd on a day that wouldn't otherwise be SRO. It wouldn't have to be on a specific date every year, though some have proposed May 12 (the date of Ernie's 500th home run) or September 17 (the anniversary of his major-league debut). Just the idea of doing this every season in tribute to Ernie and the idea of "playing two" would be good enough, I think. I hope the Cubs and Major League Baseball give serious consideration to doing this. It would be the ultimate honor for the greatest and most beloved Cub ever. | 1 | 3,405 | sports |
The National Weather Service was predicting a "potentially historic" storm on par with some of the biggest to ever hit the densely populated northeastern U.S. In 2004, the weather service developed a scale for rating Northeast snowstorms similar to the Fujita and Saffir-Simpson scales used for tornadoes and hurricanes. The index, which factors population to determine severity, was deemed necessary because the storms can have a profound impact on transportation and economic activity throughout the country. Here's a look at the Northeast's Top 10 storms in the last 60 years, according to the Northeast Snowfall Impact Scale: ___ 10. FEB. 10-12, 1983 More than a foot of snow dropped from Washington to New England, and more than 20 inches in New York, leading to hundreds of canceled flights and a ruined Valentine's Day for many florists and other love-reliant businesses. Cities and states blew through most of their snow removal budgets for the entire year. ___ 9. DEC. 25-28, 1969 A white Christmas was already on tap for most of New York and much of Vermont after a foot of snow fell on Dec. 22, but another 2 feet would drop during this three-day storm. Some streets in Albany weren't cleared for weeks. One town near Montpelier, Vermont, got 44 inches of snow. ___ 8. JAN. 19-21, 1978 This blizzard was the third of a series of rapid-fire storms to hit the Northeast, bringing with it a fresh foot-plus of snow from Maryland to Maine. Thousands of National Guard troops were called in around the region to help with snow removal. On the banks of Lake Ontario, the city of Oswego was buried under 56 inches of snow over five days. ___ 7. JAN. 21-25, 2005 Up to 3 feet of snow fell in southern New England, including 22.5 inches in Boston. Some areas around the city reported snowfall rates of 3 to 5 inches per hour and wind gusts up to 85 mph, leading to whiteout conditions. Many cities throughout the Northeast were shut down. ___ 6. JAN. 11-14, 1964 A severe storm spread a blanket of snow from the Mississippi River to the Atlantic coast, including more than 10 inches for the Northeast's major cities and up to 2 feet across parts of Pennsylvania. Williamsport in the central part of the state recorded the most snow from a single storm in a record dating to 1896. ___ 5. FEB. 2-5, 1961 More than 20 inches fell in the New York City region, with up to 40 inches in the central part of the state and lesser but still substantial amounts throughout New England. ___ 4. FEB. 15-18, 2003 This storm on Presidents' Day weekend paralyzed a swath of the Northeast from Washington to Boston, producing the latter city's heaviest snowfall on record, a whopping 27.6 inches. The Baltimore area suffered the most, as more than 3 feet fell north of the city enough to collapse the roof of the B&O Railroad Museum. ___ 3. MARCH 2-5, 1960 More than 10 inches of snow was reported from West Virginia to Maine, while northern New Jersey to eastern Massachusetts was pummeled with more than 20 inches. Blizzard conditions produced damaging winds in much of the region, including gusts up to 80 mph in parts of Massachusetts. New York City received 14.5 inches, as recorded in Central Park. ___ 2. JAN. 6-8, 1996 A widespread blanket of 2 to 3 feet of snow fell from the mid-Atlantic states to New England, including 30.7 inches in Philadelphia, the city's highest on record. Sixty fatalities were reported during the storm. A week later, another storm brought heavy rain and warm temperatures to the same area, causing significant flooding across the Northeast as melting snow overflowed many rivers. ___ 1. MARCH 12-14, 1993 Dubbed the "Storm of the Century," this intense storm produced tremendous amounts of snow from Tennessee to the Canadian border, with many locations breaking snowfall records. Over 40 inches was recorded in upstate New York and 70 mph winds blew snow drifts up to 20 feet high. The storm was so treacherous nearly 300 deaths were attributed to it. ___ WILD CARD MARCH 11-14, 1888 Too old to officially make the weather service's list, the Blizzard of 1888 punished the Northeast with the most snow "in living memory," according to reports at the time. Cities were shut down for days as residents hunkered down against 85 mph winds. Official totals included 50 inches in one Connecticut town, where a snow drift was reported to stand 38 feet high. | 5 | 3,406 | news |
Have you ever wanted to sleep in a luxury vehicle? Well that dream can now come true thanks to Airbnb. Keri Lumm (@thekerilumm) gives the scoop on how much it costs to work with the Tesla Renter. | 8 | 3,407 | video |
You need to see this right meow. | 4 | 3,408 | lifestyle |
Dear real-estate moguls of Stuart Venner's ilk: if you must have a mistress, and buy her an apartment, please don't make your poor wife the property manager of that apartment. In a lawsuit filed earlier this month in Philadelphia, Venner's wife Grace Chang claims that her husband leased a Society Hill apartment he bought in 2012 to allow Panadda Pratomtang to live there for $1 a month until the year 2053, "in return for her providing prostitution services to Board Member, [Stuart] Venner." Turns out Mrs. Venner wasn't so keen on with this arrangement, which she only discovered because she was listed as property manager. For all anyone knows, Pratomtang may have been offered such a discounted lease for her delightful company. Stuart Venner made headlines back in 2013 when he sent eviction notices to a bevy of mom-and-pop shops in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, which he replaced with upscale retail and urgent care facilities. So everyone should be very surprised that Stuart Venner, community man, is capable of something like this. | 4 | 3,409 | lifestyle |
Facebook said Monday it is testing a lightweight version of its mobile app for mobile phones with poor-quality Internet connections in emerging markets. A spokesman told AFP in an email that the "Facebook Lite" Android app is designed "for people on 2G (second-generation) connections or in areas of limited Internet accessibility." The move expands Facebook's efforts to grow the world's biggest social network, which already has more than a billion users. Most of Facebook's growth is coming from emerging markets, but many people lack the phones or computers needed for the full-featured app. The "lite" version can allow users with low-cost Android handsets to quickly load Facebook feeds and photos. Technology news website TechCrunch said the app was launch in several countries in Asia and Africa over the weekend, including Bangladesh, Nepal, Nigeria, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Vietnam and Zimbabwe. Facebook has previously launched a version of its service for people with simple mobile phones. The social network has launched a project called Internet.org to help bring connectivity to underserved regions of the world. | 5 | 3,410 | news |
COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Columbus Blue Jackets, one day after hosting a successful All-Star weekend, announced bad news that could affect their outlook for the rest of their season. The team said Monday that No. 1 goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky will miss four to six weeks with a groin muscle injury. The news wasn't surprising because Bobrovsky wasn't able to put weight on his right leg when he was helped off the ice Wednesday after stretching to try to stop a shot. The injury kept him out of the All-Star weekend. But the impact is devastating because the 2012-13 Vezina Trophy winner had been one of the NHL's best players in December to give the Blue Jackets hopes of getting back into the playoff hurt. A January slide, though, leaves them 14 points out. The Blue Jackets, who made the playoffs last season for the second time in franchise history, have been devastated by injuries this season, including a broken finger that cost Bobrovsky eight games earlier this season. Nathan Horton (back) has yet to play and Boone Jenner and Artem Anisimov have had two long-term injuries. Bobrovsky had signed a four-year, $29.7 million extension this month. The Blue Jackets called up goalie Anton Forsberg on an emergency basis. | 1 | 3,411 | sports |
Narendra Modi's daring fashion choices have won plaudits in the past, but the Indian leader's decision to wear a suit with his own name printed all over it sparked a barrage of mockery on social media. The rare sartorial misstep involved a pin-striped suit Modi wore for his one-on-one meeting with visiting US President Barack Obama on Sunday. When images of the prime minister were enlarged, it became clear that the subtle pink stripes were made up of the words "Narendra Damodardas Modi" printed in tiny letters on the tailored wool suit. Close-up images of the suit have gone viral, triggering sardonic responses from social media users under the hashtag #ModiSuit. "Maybe he was afraid that someone would steal his clothes?" Suprateek Chatterjee tweeted, calling it a "vanity-striped suit". Other critics were more blunt. "WTF were his designers thinking," tweeted Vinay. The suit -- Modi's second outfit of the day after he greeted the Obamas at the airport wearing a beige kurta and saffron shawl -- clearly did not offend the US president. Obama complimented Modi on his style during his toast at dinner that evening, and said he had considered wearing a kurta himself. Modi is not the first world leader to wear his name on his sleeve. In 2011 former Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak was photographed wearing a bespoke suit with his name printed into pin-stripes. | 5 | 3,412 | news |
PEMBERTON, N.J. (AP) A New Jersey woman accused of dousing her newborn daughter with accelerant, setting her on fire and leaving her in the middle of a road repeatedly said "I'm sorry" as a man held her down, according to audiotape of a chaotic 911 call. The Philadelphia Inquirer ( http://bit.ly/1CISo96 ) reported that a woman who called 911 from the scene told the suspect, 22-year-old Hyphernkemberly Dorvilier of Pemberton, that she was "disgusting." The newspaper obtained a copy of the 911 call through a public records request. Dorvilier told the woman, "It's not mine, it's not mine," then said, "I didn't do it, I didn't do it, I didn't do it." Dorvilier is charged with murder in the Jan. 16 death of her daughter. She remains jailed on $500,000 bail. Authorities say Dorvilier had given birth to the baby shortly before her death. They say she somehow hid the pregnancy from her family. When the baby was found, she still had the umbilical cord and placenta attached, investigators said. Prosecutors haven't specified a motive for the killing. The Inquirer reported that it took police and paramedics more than seven minutes to arrive at the scene. A dispatcher was initially unable to interpret the correct address from a frantic 911 caller, while another neighbor also reported fighting and screaming in the street before discovering the infant. "There's a baby on fire," the first 911 caller told dispatchers. In the background, a man could be heard telling Dorvilier to get down. "You're not going anywhere," the man told her. ___ Information from: The Philadelphia Inquirer, http://www.inquirer.com | 5 | 3,413 | news |
Francisco Rodriguez recorded 44 saves for the Brewers last year, but it had appeared the team was going to move on from its closer. Milwaukee tried to acquire Phillies closer Jonathan Papelbon , but that deal has reportedly fallen through. So the Brewers have once again turned their attention to Rodriguez. Rodriguez, or "K-Rod", led the National League with 66 games finished last season. Along with his 44 saves, he was 5-5 with a 3.04 ERA and saved 89 percent of his chances. But Rodriguez was not as effective down the stretch, part of a Brewers bullpen that surrendered 50 home runs as Milwaukee blew its season-long lead in the National League Central to finish third in the division and miss the playoffs. Rodriguez allowed 14 of those 50 homers. Rodriguez, 33, led the American League in saves three times from 2005-08 and needs 52 saves to reach 400 for his career. Rodriguez is a three-time All-Star, including 2014, and his 62 saves in 2008 with the Angels is a major league record. The Brewers traded him to Baltimore in 2013 before bringing him back last year. The Brewers had expected Jim Henderson to be the 2014 closer, but shoulder issues have put his season in doubt. Henderson saved 28 games in 2013. The Brewers have shaken up their pitching staff, sending ace Yovani Gallardo to Texas for three prospects including a pair of young pitchers. "We're looking at anyone who is available," Brewers owner Mark Attanasio said Sunday . "(General manager) Doug (Melvin) is looking at any number of players and combinations of players that would fit our roster. Frankie had an 89-percent save percentage and the guy has never been on the DL. We know he likes Milwaukee." | 1 | 3,414 | sports |
New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick sounded like a science teacher over the weekend as he discussed atmospheric conditions and pounds per square inch of pressure in connection with the Patriots' underinflated ball controversy. At his core, Belichick is a teacher of football. Final exam ahead: Super Bowl XLIX against the Seattle Seahawks. Pass-fail. The test of coaching isn't just telling players what you want them to do. It's teaching them how to do it. Belichick didn't invent that concept, but his ability to apply it practice after practice, game after game, season after season has the Patriots in their sixth Super Bowl in his 15 seasons as coach. He preps them for big tests by making the lessons tough. He gives individual instruction to stars and strugglers alike. His pupils never know when he'll toss in a history lesson or a surprise quiz question for one of them in front of their peers. "He'll do that to anybody," Patriots defensive end Rob Ninkovich said. "He'll talk to (cornerback Darrelle) Revis about a technique. He'll talk to me about a technique. It doesn't matter what position you play. If he thinks he can help you with any particular technique you're doing, he'll help you." Revis, in his first season with the Patriots, is a six-time Pro Bowler. "(Belichick) is very detailed," Revis said. "The conversations that you do have with Bill are about football, and it's about your position. He's very technique-sound, and he wants you to play very technique-sound and very disciplined. "I look at it as feedback. … Bill has a lot of experience. He has over 40 years of experience, so at this point it's all feedback and you just bounce things off each other, ideas, techniques." With footballs in the news, wide receiver Brandon LaFell noted another Belichick teaching method is to routinely have his offense practice with balls that aren't in optimal condition. "We practice with the worst balls ever made, and it's like the more we complain about the balls the worse the ball will be," LaFell said. "If it's out there rainy, 'Coach, the ball is slippery, can we change our gloves?' (He says) 'OK you go change your gloves.' But from there on out every snap he's got the water bottle pouring a whole water bottle on the ball. He does that just to mentally toughen things to get you ready to play in worse conditions. … That's just Bill." Now, Belichick is preparing his team for the defending champion Seahawks. "For us, there's no doubt in anything we do as far as schedule-wise or practice-wise. … Just whatever Bill has for us, that's what we go out and do," safety Devin McCourty said. "So far that's steered us in the right direction. So I think as a team sometimes when you play in the biggest game, you might have doubts. But we've got a leader that has done this plenty of times. He's won these games." Belichick acknowledged last week that preparation alone won't get it done. He paraphrased a quote from Dwight D. Eisenhower, 34th president of the United States and commanding general of allied forces in Europe during World War II. "Preparation is everything until the battle starts. … Then you react to what happens in the game, in his case, what happens in the battle," Belichick said. Belichick grew up around the football program at the U.S. Naval Academy, where his late father, Steve, was an assistant coach known for his acumen in scouting opponents and identifying tendencies. It didn't surprise the Patriots that Belichick mentioned Eisenhower. "Coach Belichick is real big on history," said linebacker Dont'a Hightower. "There are times throughout the year, Veterans Day, Memorial Day, just different historic events that happened throughout the year that occasionally he'll bring to our attention." McCourty: "I think it helps. It relates to the game we play in a way. I think it's a lot of useful information." Another Belichick teaching method is to ask individual players pop questions in team meetings or when he walks by them in the hallway. He'll ask about game plans or scouting reports or personal information about upcoming opponents each Patriot will be facing. "He actually did catch me in the hallway whenever I was a rookie," Hightower said. "And he asked me a question a couple of years ago about a play, I can't remember which one it was, but apparently it was a big play by a big player and I didn't get it. It's kind of frowned upon by all the other guys, so I learned my lesson then." McCourty: "I mean Bill knows everything about a team, from personnel to the coaching staff, the players, everything. By the end of the week we usually know it too." Seahawks next. "We've won a lot of games because (Belichick) is our leader," said wide receiver Julian Edelman. "And he's showed us the way and showed us what we've had to do." *** Follow Gary Mihoces on Twitter @ByGaryMihoces | 1 | 3,415 | sports |
The Unique Health Benefits of Eight Different Nuts The Unique Health Benefits of Eight Different Nuts A cornerstone of vegan, raw, and Paleo diets, nuts may very well be the perfect snack they're whole, plant-based, and packed with protein and fiber. Plus, they're easy to eat on the go. Problem is, it's hard to feel guilty about going overboard when you know something is so good for your health. In a 2013 study of nearly 190,000 people published in the New England Journal of Medicine, those who ate a one-ounce serving of nuts daily decreased their risk of dying from any cause, including cancer and heart disease, by 20%. "These people also tend to be leaner, which is a curious finding, considering a serving of nuts is 160 to 200 calories," says study researcher Charles S. Fuchs, M.D., M.P.H., professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. Fuchs suggests that nuts' positive effect on energy balance, metabolism, and satiety likely explain how the high-fat snack can actually keep your weight in check.But this isn't a free pass to eat peanuts and pistachios by the bagful. "The key is portion size," says Maureen Tarnus, M.S., R.D., executive director of the International Tree Nut Council Nutrition Research & Education Foundation. "The FDA-qualified health claim for nuts and heart disease recommends 1.5 ounces (about 1/3 cup) per day, and much of the research on nuts and diabetes, weight, and so on, has looked at that same amount."In terms of variety, "pick whatever nut you like," advises Fuchs. "They all appear to be providing comparable benefits." Still, some nuts offer unique health-boosting bonuses, like strengthening bones, boosting braining health, or improving eyesight, so zero in on these eight. Pistachios Serving size: 49 nuts, 160 calories, 6g protein, 8g carbs, 13g fat, 3g fiber If snacking presents a once-you-pop-you-can't-stop problem, pick pistachios. The tiny green nuts afford you the biggest serving size 49 kernels and since they're typically sold in-shell, the work that goes into peeling the nuts slows down consumption. Pistachios are also the nut with the highest levels of three eyesight-boosting antioxidants: lutein, zeazanthin, and beta-carotene. Almonds Serving size: 23 nuts, 163 calories, 6g protein, 6g carbs, 14g fat, 3.5g fiber Almonds offer up more fiber than any other nut, which may help explain why participants in a Purdue University study who added 1.5 ounces of the nut to their daily diets reported less hunger and did not gain weight despite taking in 250 extra calories. Almonds also contain 75mg of calcium per serving a fourth of what's in a cup of skim milk. Peanuts Serving size: 28 nuts, 166 calories, 7g protein, 5g carbs, 14g fat, 2g fiber Since they grow underground, peanuts are technically legumes, but offer the same health and nutrition benefits as tree nuts. At 7g per serving, peanuts are the big winner when it comes to protein. They're also of the best sources of arginine. The amino acid promotes the production of nitric oxide, which helps dilate blood vessels and may help lower blood pressure. Walnuts Serving size: 14 halves, 190 calories, 4g protein, 4g carbs, 18g fat, 2g fiber Walnuts' claim to fame: they're the only nuts that are a significant source of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), a plant-based omega-3 fatty acid that boosts heart and brain health. What's more, a walnut-rich diet may reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease, as the nut's high levels of antioxidants protect the brain from degeneration, according to research published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease. Brazil Nuts Serving size: 6 nuts, 186 calories, 4g protein, 4g carbs, 19g fat, 2g fiber Brazil nuts are best known for their selenium content a 1-ounce serving delivers 777% of the recommended daily intake of the antioxidant. Selenium fights free radicals particles that damage cells and cause diseases like cancer and heart disease plays a role in thyroid function and reproduction, and may bolster the immune system, so stock up during flu season. Cashews Serving size: 18 nuts, 157 calories, 5g protein, 9g carbs, 12g fat, 1g fiber In addition to being the nut that's lowest in fat, cashews are also an excellent source of copper one serving takes care of almost 100% of your daily intake of the mineral. Copper does a number of things in the body: it helps absorb iron (and make energy); manufacture red blood cells; and form collagen, a key component of bones and connective tissue. Hazelnuts Serving size: 21 nuts, 178 calories, 4g protein, 5g carbs, 17g fat, 3g fiber Hazelnuts are big on folate a lack of the B-vitamin, found primarily in leafy green vegetables, may cause mental health issues, like depression. Hazelnuts also have a higher concentration of proanthocyanidins (PACs) than any other nut. PACs are antioxidant plant compounds that may lower blood pressure, keep blood vessels and arteries healthy, and reduce the risk of heart disease. Pecans Serving size: 19 halves196 calories, 3g protein, 4g carbs, 20g fat, 3g fiber Think outside the pie. Pecans are the nuts with the highest concentration of antioxidants, especially vitamin E, according to research published in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry. Joined by foods like blueberries and beans, food potent in antioxidants protect against cell damage and decrease the risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and neurological diseases like Alzheimer's.17 Foods You'll Find in Any Fit Guy's Fridge>>> | 7 | 3,416 | health |
As the Northeast anticipates one whopper of a snowstorm, we're reminded of another storm that left its mark on the region: the blizzard of 1888. From the nation's capital to New York, the region was paralyzed beneath several feet of snowfall. Click through the gallery for a look at some early photographs from the storm. Here, the awning of a grocery store is damaged from the weight of the snow during the blizzard of 1888 in New York City. The blizzard on March 12-14 paralyzed the city with about 40 inches of snow and winds that reached up to 60 miles per hour, creating drifts as high as fifty feet. A photo from 1888 shows New Yorkers hiking across the bridge after being forced to leave their train when it stalled as a result of the heavy snow. A New York street during the blizzard of 1888. Grand Central Depot in New York City during the blizzard of 1888. Following a snowstorm, a women on a brownstone-lined street sweeps the sidewalk near where two horse-drawn buggies are parked in Brooklyn, New York, circa 1888. Brooklyn during the blizzard of 1888. A scene from the Brooklyn borough of New York City during the blizzard of 1888. The snow-covered exterior of the Grand Opera House at Elm Place and Fulton St. during the blizzard of 1888. A man standing by a snow hut after the blizzard of 1888 in Washington, D.C. As trains pass by on either side, a lone person walks across the Brooklyn Bridge after a blizzard left the bridge and tracks covered in snow on March 14, 1888. A trolley pushes through the snow and ice brought by the "Great Blizzard of 1888" in Washington, DC. Carts haul snow and ice, cleared from city streets, to the East Riverin New York, possibly during the Blizzard of 1888. Men clean the streets after the blizzard of 1888. A scene from New York in 1888. | 5 | 3,417 | news |
Microsoft appears to be well past the days when it was writing off unsold Surface tablets and struggling to match Sony in game console sales. The Windows developer reports that its Devices and Consumer group's revenue grew 8 percent year over year in the last calendar quarter of 2014, thanks in no small part to healthy Surface and Xbox sales. It's not revealing shipment numbers for the Surface, but it notes that revenue for the slate computers shot up 24 percent versus a year earlier, thanks in no small part to the Surface Pro 3 . The company also notes that it sold a healthy 6.6 million Xbox systems during the holidays. Unfortunately, Microsoft isn't breaking that down by model. While there's no doubt the Xbox One turned a corner this fall through aggressive discounts and a better game selection, it's hard to know how many of those sales were modern systems. Sony was quick to say that it sold 4.1 million PlayStation 4s just during the last month of holiday shopping, so it's apparent that there was at least a fierce fight between current-generation platforms. It's otherwise a mixed quarter for the Redmond crew. The company posted a rare net operating loss of $243 million, although you can largely chalk that up to the costs of both its massive restructuring plan and integrating Nokia's former mobile team . Windows licensing revenue is down 13 percent year-over-year thanks to both an unforgiving PC market and free Windows licenses for small devices, but that's offset by the company's continued successes in cloud efforts, such as Bing search and Azure. In short, Microsoft is still transitioning away from an old-school strategy where Windows sales reign supreme. The upcoming release of Windows 10 will undoubtedly be important, but it won't be quite as much of a make-or-break product as its ancestors. MSN is owned by Microsoft. | 5 | 3,418 | news |
There have been more than 6,000 flights canceled due to severe storms in the Northeast. CNN's Rene Marsh reports. | 2 | 3,419 | travel |
Goalkeeper Hope Solo faces the possibility of being left off the American roster for this year's Women's World Cup if she fails to complete tasks set for her by the U.S. Soccer Federation, which may include alcohol counseling. The 33-year-old was suspended for 30 days last Wednesday for what the U.S. Soccer Federation called ''an incident that occurred during the current WNT training camp'' in Carson, California. Asked whether she could be omitted from the team's World Cup roster, USSF President Sunil Gulati said Monday: ''Look, that's possible. We hope that's not the case. We hope she's making progress and joins the team. That's certainly the goal, hers and ours.'' Jerramy Stevens, Solo's husband, was driving a team vehicle when he was arrested last week on suspicion of driving under the influence, a person familiar with the details of the arrest told The Associated Press last week. The person spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because they could not discuss the case publicly. Solo was ordered to refrain from drinking alcohol last June after she was arrested on domestic violence charges at her sister's home in Kirkland, Washington. The charge was dropped this month. Speaking on a conference call with U.S. coach Jill Ellis, Gulati said he had to speak carefully because of the involvement of ''health-related issues.'' Asked whether Solo had been asked to undergo alcohol counseling, Gulati said ''I think neither of us denied or confirmed that.'' ''She's been given time to deal with some issues, and we think that in this period she'll certainly start that process, and we'll evaluate,'' he said. Gulati said the length of the suspension was determined during conversations he had with Ellis and USSF Secretary General Dan Flynn. ''Thirty days seemed to be the appropriate suspension under our rules and given the circumstances,'' he said. ''So there are a number of things that Hope is being asked to do in that 30 days. We're not going to get into the specifics of that. And then we'll evaluate where things stand at the end of that period and make the decision going forward.'' Solo will miss exhibition games at France (Feb. 8) and at England (Feb. 13) and the Algarve Cup tournament in Portugal. ''The situation warranted a consequence, and we thought it was reasonable,'' Ellis said. ''This is important for us to be able to focus the players that we have on these games and then allow Hope some time to sort of reflect on some things. So I think as far as the specifics, like Sunil said, we're not going to get into those, but Hope and I had some very good conversations and I'm optimistic about moving forward.'' Ellis said forward Alex Morgan was ''fully integrated back into this training camp'' reinjuring her left ankle Oct. 17 during a game against Guatemala at the CONCACAF Women's Championship. Morgan, who has 49 goals in 77 international appearances, was sidelined for seven months after injuring the same ankle during training in October 2013. ''She's coming along great. We're very excited about where she is,'' Ellis said. | 1 | 3,420 | sports |
The cast of 'Full House' reunites, takes a bunch of pictures and performs the theme song! Holy '90s nostalgia! Sean Dowling (@SeanDowlingTV) has the details. | 8 | 3,421 | video |
It's weigh-in day for you at the gym and the scale has gone up favorably hitting your target weight goal. After ingesting 3,000-plus calories a day and pouring your energy and sweat into working out the gym, you can now say that you've successfully gotten through the bulking phase. You're eager to start cutting to get that lean and ripped physique. For many people, cutting is more difficult than bulking up you have to count your calories, give up that sweet tooth, and stay motivated. The cravings fairy may be whispering in your ear, but you can't give in it's all mental from here on out. The cutting phase entails dropping almost 400 calories a day, and meals are every two to three hours due to the smaller portion sizes. Slow and steady is the name of the game for cutting. Cutting too fast can diminish those hard-earned muscles, an maintaining proper nutrition is essential. However, if you feel like you need that extra jolt of nutrition, then consider taking certain supplements that can assist in supporting fat loss while preserving muscle mass. Sixty-one percent of your skeletal muscle contains the amino acid glutamine . After a strenuous workout, levels of glutamine will drop significantly. This amino acid is crucial in maintaining muscle mass and fostering muscle protein synthesis. As for fat loss purposes, glutamine can offset fat storage, making it a beneficial supplement for weight loss. Let's not also forget that as we get older, levels of human growth hormone (HGH) start to decrease. Well, glutamine increases your body's ability to secrete the fountain of youth hormone; HGH helps burn fat and build muscle. As the precursor to nitric oxide (NO), arginine can produce more muscle pumps during an intense workout. It works by widening your blood vessels during workouts, so that more oxygen and nutrients are hitting your muscles. Besides giving you more muscle pumps and growth, arginine is also a quality fat burner. As mentioned above that glutamine prevents the storage of fat, arginine will then use that freed fat as fuel (lipolysis). Carnitine is also another valuable amino acid that can be of an aid during the cutting phase. It functions by moving triglycerides (TG) into the mitochondria of your cells. Once TGs enter the mitochondria, they get broken down for energy. With carnitine, your body will further prevent fat storage while increasing your aerobic threshold to burn calories. Similar to the function of L-carnitine, Coenzyme Q-10 heightens metabolism, giving you more energy. CoQ10 accelerates the rate at which food gets used for fuel; this helps stabilize the amount of fat in the blood. This antioxidant also helps support basic cell function in the body. Alpha lipoic acid (ALA) can also increases your body's ability to turn food into energy. While dropping 300 or more calories a day, it's a necessity that your body is still getting proper nutrition. Your goal is to effectively lose weight while preserving muscle mass. Incorporating these supplements along with a multivitamin will help get you the results that you've worked hard to get. | 7 | 3,422 | health |
Don't mess with Barbie. Sales of the world's most iconic plastic doll have plunged, leading to the resignation of Mattel Chief Executive Bryan Stockton. Christopher Sinclair, a board member, will take over as interim CEO of Mattel . "The board believes that it is the right time for new leadership to maximize its potential," Sinclair said in a statement. Mattel sales fell 6% year-over-year to $1.99 billion during the holiday quarter, while profit plummeted 59% to $149.9 million, Mattel reported Monday. In the third quarter, Barbie sales fell 21% year-over-year; fourth-quarter results are due on Jan. 30, 2015. Barbie arrived in stores in 1959 when Dwight D. Eisenhower was president and in the intervening years has been a favorite doll and a cultural icon, but at times struggled to find her footing. Barbie with careers as varied as astronaut, presidential candidate and chef has faced competition from newcomers like MGA Entertainment's leopard-print-clad Bratz dolls and criticism from researchers showing how Barbie's unrealistic proportions affect young girls' body image. In 2013, artist Nickolay Lamm created a Barbie doll with a "normal" figure, using Centers for Disease Control and Prevention measurements of an average 20-year-old woman weighing 166 pounds. Barbie also suffered from "age compression," or kids getting older younger and tiring of toys at a younger age. "Maybe Barbie is a financier instead of a stewardess, but it's pretty much the same Barbie no matter how you spin it," says Jaime Katz, equity analyst at Morningstar. Barbie accounts for around 18% or $1.2 billion of Mattel's $6.48 billion in annual sales. "There are a lot of girls who aren't playing with traditional dolls," she adds. Mattel's other brands such as American Girl, which encourages girls to find a doll that suits their personality and interests, and Ever After High (teenage offspring of fairy tale characters) and Monster High (teenage offspring of ghouls) continue to grow, Katz adds. Barbie has also been slower than other toy makers to tackle some social issues. In 2012, MGA released bald versions of its Bratz and Moxie Girlz dolls after social networking pages called for toy makers to create hairless dolls to support children with cancer, donating $1 from every doll to the City of Hope charity for cancer research. Mattel responded two months later with a "Beautiful and Bald Barbie" Facebook page by distributing a bald "Friend of Barbie" rather than actual official Barbie doll to children's hospitals with accessories like wigs, hats and scarves. And in 1992, there was the ill-judged "Math class is tough" talking Barbie. Mattel has stayed current in other ways, introducing 40 nationalities, apps, e-books and movies the latest, "Power Princess," which casts Barbie in the role of superhero her own web series "Barbie: Life in the Dreamhouse," which pokes fun at her fluffy persona, and adding other dolls. Ruth Handler, who created Barbie, never wanted Barbie to have her own distinct story, says Christopher Byrne, content director of TimeToPlayMag.com. "Barbie is an evergreen brand," he says. "She's always been cyclical and needs to be periodically reinvented." "In 2015, having an outside story is an integral part of dolls. That's been a challenge," Byrne says. Barbie's target market has shrunk to girls aged 3 to 6, hence Mattel's other dolls, he adds. "It's time for Wall Street to look at Mattel's entire doll portfolio and not put so much weight on those little plastic shoulders." | 3 | 3,423 | finance |
The Ottawa Senators now have a sled hockey team. | 8 | 3,424 | video |
The escalation of Boko Haram's bloody insurgency in northeastern Nigeria, including its assault Sunday on the strategic city of Maiduguri, has raised serious concerns about the ability of a significant portion of the Nigerian electorate to participate in the country's upcoming presidential elections. The potential disenfranchisement of up to 1.5 million people displaced as a result of the violence by the militant Islamist organization could undermine the credibility of the already divisive election and raises the likelihood of sectarian violence in the aftermath of the hotly contested political battle. The Boko Haram insurgency will have an effect on voting in the three northeastern Nigerian states in which it is most active, experts said. Amid questions about the logistics of setting up polling stations in the midst of instability in Adamawa, Yobe and Borno, there is also the matter of Nigerian electoral law, which requires voters to cast ballots in their home constituencies. Such a provision will make it nearly impossible for the more than 1 million refugees and internally displaced citizens to vote in the Feb. 14 election. This will be Boko Haram's biggest impact on the election, said Alex Thurston, who teaches at the African Studies program at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. "They've made a serious, credible election untenable in Borno state and will make it difficult to hold an election in the other two states," he said. "There are really high estimates of people displaced and there haven't been adequate provisions made to make sure these people can vote." A failure to enfranchise this subset of the Nigerian electorate would be bad enough on its own, but the possibility that it could undermine the electoral process as a whole is also a major concern, said Jennifer Cooke, the director of the Africa program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington D.C. "Even in a best faith effort, it's going to be very difficult to ensure the vote of all Nigerians in Borno and the northeast," she said. "The question is what level of enfranchisement and access is going to be acceptable to both parties. There has to be some agreement on that before elections because if there isn't some standard of agreement… it could call into question the legitimacy and constitutionality of the election as a whole." Incumbent leader Goodluck Jonathan is facing former ruler and opposition candidate Muhammadu Buhari in the February election, which has already proven divisive and polarizing. Jonathan's main base of support comes from the southern, oil-producing Niger Delta region, while Buhari is mainly favored in the southwest and the north, the predominantly Muslim region that has a record of voting for the opposition. The three states in which Boko Haram is strongest -- Borno, Adamawa and Yobe -- are thought to have majority Muslim populations, though Nigeria's official census does not record religious affiliation. While the disenfranchisement of a significant portion of the electorate in the opposition stronghold of the north may on the surface appear to favor Jonathan, the reality of Nigeria's formula for calculating electoral victory means that neither candidate would benefit from the situation. "It's unfair to say that either side benefits by not having people vote," said J. Peter Pham, the director of the Africa Center at the Atlantic Council, a Washington think tank. "It's a double edged sword. Voter suppression in the north would tend to suppress votes that would likely go to the opposition but it would also suppress those that may have gone to the incumbent that they would need to meet the vote threshold required by the Nigerian constitution." Not only does a successful presidential candidate need to win 50 percent plus one vote of the total cast, but Nigeria's constitution also stipulates that candidates are required to garner 25 percent of the vote in two-thirds of the states. Based on past elections, it is doubtful that Jonathan will be able to carry northern states. However, his potential victory could still depend on garnering votes among reliable pockets of support in the north, where the ability to vote could very well be impacted by Boko Haram. Despite this reality, a narrow electoral margin could turn the spotlight on the north's disenfranchised voters, who could become the focus of post-election rhetoric by the loser of the presidential race. "Even if the [winner] is elected cleanly, legally and otherwise, a sore, irresponsible loser has plenty of scope to blow smoke because of the situation created by Boko Haram violence," said Pham, who warned of the possibility of an "asterisk mark" next to the winner's legitimacy. The possibility that the election results could be undermined does not bode well for Nigeria, a country that has seen significant post-election violence in its previous presidential elections since the end of military rule. Following Jonathan's victory in the 2011 contest, rioting broke out in the north and at least 800 people were reportedly killed in the violence. The loaded rhetoric around the current presidential race could mean that the aftermath of this election will not be much better. "The appeal to ethnic and religious identities going on right and left in Nigeria... can set the stage for quite a bloody ethnic and religious conflict in the aftermath of the elections," said former U.S. ambassador to Nigeria, John Campbell, the Ralph Bunche senior fellow for Africa policy studies at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York. According to Campbell, the breakdown of the system of power alternation, the informal Nigerian political agreement that held that the presidency would alternate between the predominantly Muslim north and the predominantly Christian south, has encouraged a new focus on using ethnic and religious differences to rally support. Jonathan's decision to run in 2011 was a departure from the informal system and contributed to the rise of northern animosity toward the Jonathan government. "Boko Haram and the insurgency in the north has deepened some of the polarization in the rhetoric on religious lines," said Cooke, who pointed out that though elections tend to bring out these sorts of issues, this time around the rhetoric in Nigeria has been slightly elevated. The concern in the immediate term is that a protracted political battle fought out in Abuja in the aftermath of the elections could distract attention away from the northeast, "with the possibility of Boko Haram taking advantage to expand its attacks or take additional territory," according to Cooke. It will be up to the loser of the election to not "irresponsibly stoke the flames for political gain," said Pham. "Just like last time, the real danger of that is it could produce violence... and Boko Haram can step in and capitalize on a situation they helped bring about," he said. "Boko Haram will be the only winner if that happens." | 5 | 3,425 | news |
Scientists are leveraging cloud services provided by Google and other companies to streamline and share massive amounts of data generated by sequencing the human genome. The hope is that the increased power and speed of cloud services will accelerate research and increase opportunities for advances in medicine and other fields. For example, a thousand genomes of people who fall within the autism spectrum were uploaded to Google's servers Monday as part of a new project sponsored by the nonprofit Autism Speaks. The data dump represents the first of 10,000 genomes that will eventually be stored in the company's cloud and shared among autism specialists. The funders of the project, known as Mssng , hope researchers will use the trove of genomes to enable earlier diagnosis, develop targeted treatments or even find a cure for the disorder thought to have at least some basis in genetics. Mssng is the latest in a series of genome-based projects that use cloud storage technology to advance science. Through these initiatives, cloud storage technology has proven to be a boon for both companies and scientists. Worldwide, cloud services make up a $45.7 billion industry, according to analysts at International Data Corp. Google has welcomed researchers by creating the Google Genomics platform to allow for easy upload, storage and sharing of genomic data and the Compute Engine and BigQuery tools for quick analysis. Cloud storage has been used in other genomic research. One such project is called Charge and is run by Baylor College of Medicine in conjunction with Amazon and a company called DNAnexus. The project resulted in 3,751 genomes being analyzed to study heart disease and aging. In a similar venture, IBM and the New York Genome Center recently entered into a partnership to leverage Watson's smart computing software for genomic research. This first upload by Mssng of autistic genomes to Google was also part of a study published Monday by Nature Medicine that analyzed the genomes of siblings for clues about how genetics influences the disorder's development. The results showed that a brother and sister who both have autism do not necessarily share the same autism-linked genes from their parents, according to a statement provided by Autism Speaks. Researchers already knew that parents of a child with autism are more likely to have a second child who is affected , and that even identical twins do not always exhibit the same type of autism. Mssng's developers hope this new data paired with cloud-based analytical tools will help researchers learn more about the inheritability of autism, which affects one in 68 children in the U.S., according to a blog post written by Robert Ring, chief science officer at Autism Speaks, when the project was announced. Google may hold other interests in furthering genomic study. Two years ago it started a health care company called Calico that is partnering with drug company AbbVie to build a $1.5 billion research facility in the San Francisco Bay area to seek ways to extend longevity, according to the San Jose Mercury News. The team could look for solutions that engineer or make repairs to parts of the genome. Last year, the company joined Merck & Co. and Amgen as members of the Global Alliance for Genomics and Health , a health consortium focused on developing medicine based in genomics. Genomic data has been highly prized since it was made possible by DNA sequencing techniques in the late 1970s. In 2003, the Human Genome Project gave geneticists a map of all the genetic variety that exists within humankind. Sequencing a genome in the early days, though, could cost as much as $100,000, according to Nature . Costs have since come down to about $5,000 per genome and set off an explosion of data within the field. In the past, server capacity and analytical tools have placed limits on how much of this data was used or shared. "In the beginning, we shared genomic information by shipping hard drives around the world," Ring wrote in his blog post. "Downloading even one individual's whole genome in a conventional manner can take hours the equivalent of downloading a hundred feature films." The new open-access database through Google should allow researchers who haven't yet sequenced a genome to skip that step and move straight to analysis, and to help those who have to stop worrying about the technical details and focus on their science. All entries are stripped of identifying information like names before they are uploaded to the database. "Researchers will spend less time moving data around and more time analyzing data and collaborating with colleagues," Ring wrote. "We hope this will enable us to make discoveries and drive innovation faster than ever." | 5 | 3,426 | news |
Wearing a camouflaged flak jacket at a counter shaped like a Chinese aircraft carrier, the manager of Beijing's Diaoyu Islands Malatang Noodle Shop insists nevertheless that Japanese "friends" are welcome. The two countries are at loggerheads over the East China Sea islets which Tokyo controls and calls Senkaku and Beijing claims as Diaoyu. Both sides repeatedly send ships and aircraft to the area. Owner Lu He's nationalist fervour is evident throughout the restaurant, replete with replica machine guns and national flags and a central counter modelled on China's first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning. "We just have our stance," he said, gesturing towards the heart behind his fake body armour. "The Diaoyu Islands belong to China, and this claim is made with our patriotic passion." His wife and co-owner Zhang Yanchunzi, dressed in a military officer's tunic, added: "'Diaoyu Islands belong to China' was a phrase engraved deeply on our minds when we were young kids. So this matter is quite important to me, and to Chinese people." Business was brisk when AFP visited, with about two dozen customers slurping spicy noodles under plastic military jets hanging from the ceiling, admiring a huge image of the islands plastered along two walls. Lu is embroiled in his own personal row with his property managers. He says they removed an advertising board for fear it could harm relations with Japanese tenants. "It was not like what other (restaurants) said -- 'Japanese people and dogs are not allowed to enter'," Lu said defensively. "We welcome people from abroad, including Japanese friends." Customers eating delicacies including "Diaoyu hand grenades" (banana fritters) and "Diaoyu heavy artillery" (sweet potato balls) said they came to the restaurant to show support for the manager. "I cannot imagine why such a thing could be so insensitive," said Chen Yonggang, taking a break from his spicy noodles with sheep's intestines and pig lung. "This is bad and so unnecessary," he added, referring to his bowl which was emblazoned with a Chinese flag in the shape of the largest of the disputed islands. | 5 | 3,427 | news |
If you're living in the Midwest or on the East Coast, no one has to tell you how cold it is - just one look at the weather forecast is enough to send us under the covers with some hot chocolate to sip. While a steamy beverage and a steady stream of Netflix movies will keep the kids warm for the time being, a hot and hearty meal will warm them through and through. Read on for our favorite family-friendly meals for the most frigid of days. Chicken With Pepperoni Marinara Sauce This dish is guaranteed to be a crowd-pleaser. From Sweet Treats & More, this recipe takes all the things your kids love - cheese, pepperoni, crispy chicken - and bakes them up in one dish in less than 30 minutes. Source: Sweet Treats & More Related: Great recipes to cook with kids More: What to eat when it's really, really cold out Ziti with "Extra" Veal Ragu Mario Batali spends a lot of time working with veal. His Ziti With "Extra" Veal Ragu will quickly become a family favorite. Source: Mario Batali Cheesy Chicken Wild Rice Casserole Here's a casserole that has been pinned over and over with comments declaring it one of the tastiest and most kid-friendly dishes around. From Picky Palate, this recipe combines creamy cheese, flavorful chicken, and healthful wild rice. Source: Picky Palate Traditional Chili Warm up any night of the week with a big bowl of slow-cooker chili . And you can tailor this recipe to fit your family by adding different types of beans, using ground turkey instead of the beef, or going vegetarian for a really healthy dinner! Source: POPSUGAR Food Browse: Amazing and popular chili recipes Broccoli Cheese Soup One easy way to get your kids to eat broccoli (and carrots and celery)? Put the veggies in this yummy broccoli cheese soup from Center Cut Cook. Source: Center Cut Cook Cauliflower Mac and Cheese You can't go wrong with a recipe from Michelle Obama . Especially since she found a way to sneak in some vegetables! Source: Sara Yoo Bolognese Gnocci Bake If you're looking for a cheesy pasta recipe, try Glenda D.'s Bolognese Gnocchi Bake . Source: Glenda Drage Browse: Classic Italian favorites Vegetable Barley Soup The addition of beans and barley means you won't miss the meat in this vegetable barley soup . Source: Flickr User simplefoodrecipes Confetti Mac and Cheese Peas and Crayons takes mac and cheese to the next level by adding cooked veggies and a dash of mustard. Source: Peas and Crayons Pork and Mango Stir-Fry This pork and mango stir-fry from Amanda Haas and Cooking Light - which can also be made with chicken breasts - can be prepped before everyone heads off for work and school in the morning and then cooked in just 10 minutes! Source: Amanda Haas Browse: Pork chops and more popular pork recipes Cheesy Lasagna Rolls Instead of layering that lasagna, try a reinvented version by rolling the noodles around a cheesy filling. Check out the easy lasagna roll recipe from POPSUGAR Food. Source: POPSUGAR Food Corn and Potato Chowder There's nothing more comforting than a thick bowl of potato soup, and this recipe for corn and potato chowder from Mama Loves Food is guaranteed to really hit the spot. Add cooked, shredded chicken for extra protein, or serve with a big salad for a family-friendly Fall dinner. Source: Mama Loves Food Slow-Cooker Turkey Meatballs With Spaghetti These tender turkey meatballs simmer all day for a tasty spaghetti dinner the whole family will love. And Mommy Hates Cooking shows you how easy it is with simple step-by-step directions. Source: Mommy Hates Cooking Browse: Turkey recipes for every day of the week Butternut Squash Soup A cool-weather classic, butternut squash soup makes for a rich and creamy meal that's worthy of serving to company as well as your own family. Source: Betty Crocker Chipotle Black Bean Soup Serve chipotle black bean soup alongside cheesy quesadillas or with chips and salsa for a Mexican-inspired Fall feast. Source: POPSUGAR Food Braised Chicken With Sweet Onions and Parmigiano To warm up a cold, Winter night, Mario Batali offers up a recipe for braised chicken with sweet onions and Parmigiano - a "soupy and restorative" dish. Source: Mario Batali Browse: Chicken recipes Chicken Pot Pie Soup Shugary Sweets' chicken pot pie soup combines the flavors of two comforting favorites: chicken pot pie and broccoli cheddar soup. While the soup only takes about 30 minutes to make, it tastes like you've been cooking all day! Source: Shugary Sweets Taco Soup Spice it up with a hearty batch of taco soup . It's meat-free, but you could always throw in some ground turkey or beef - or shredded chicken - for an added boost of protein. Source: Anna Roberts Tangy Sloppy Joes With only a few ingredients, these sloppy Joes from Budget Gourmet Mom are on the table and ready for noshing after a day of cooking slow and low, thanks to your Crock-Pot. And leftovers do double duty as lunch the next day. Source: Budget Gourmet Mom Browse: Popular sloppy joes Slow-Cooker Pulled Pork Don't be afraid: this pulled pork may look like it took tons of time and effort, but thanks to the Fearless Homemaker's easy directions - and the help of your slow cooker - your family can enjoy a pulled-pork dinner with hardly any fuss or muss. Source: Fearless Homemaker Cheeseburger Pizza Pie Instead of popping that juicy burger on a roll, try this inventive recipe from BlogChef for cheeseburger pizza . This easy family dinner can be topped with your favorite burger toppings for a really unique meal. Source: BlogChef Slow-Cooker Chicken Parmesan Here's a slow-cooker chicken parmesan recipe from Full Bellies, Happy Kids that will have you coming back for more. This recipe sticks with tradition, using bread-crumb-coated chicken and lots of Parmesan cheese for a wonderfully tasty slow-cooker dinner. Source: Full Bellies, Happy Kids Browse: Slow-cooker favorites 30-Minute Cheesy Chicken Pasta Bake You might think there is no way this bubbling casserole can be ready in 30 minutes, but according to The Slow Roasted Italian, the dish is ready to eat after a short prep and a quick 15-minute bake in the oven. Source: The Slow Roasted Italian Turkey and Rice Soup There's no better way to satisfy a kid with a cold than with a steaming bowl of broth-based turkey and rice soup . Source: Anna Roberts Chicken and Broccoli Cheddar Casserole This is the ultimate comfort food for your hungry kids! A lightened-up version of the classic Chicken Divan , this dish is loaded with cheesy, creamy goodness. It's perfect served over rice to soak up all of the sauce. Source: Amanda Haas Browse: Casserole recipes for the whole family Mexican Stuffed Shells Mix Mexican with Italian, and stuff some shells with a flavorful filling made from ground beef and cheese. This recipe is very easy and is sure to become a family favorite; just serve it with fresh salsa and a dollop of sour cream. Source: The Way to His Heart Split Pea Soup "Place in crockpot and head to work - yummy dinner will be ready and waiting for you at the end of the day," Chelle_N of Food.com said of her old-fashioned split pea soup . Source: Food.com Macaroni and Cheese Soup What could be more kid-friendly than macaroni and cheese soup ? Add some roasted tomatoes on top if you want to up the gourmet factor. The best part about this soup: it's even better when reheated! Source: Culinary Covers Browse: Soup recipes Vegan Vegetable Soup A delicious, satisfying way to use up your leftover veggies, vegan vegetable soup is a flexible recipe that you can adjust to suit your family's tastes (and what's in the fridge!). Source: POPSUGAR Fitness Creamy Cheesy Tortilla Soup Produce on Parade's creamy cheesy tortilla soup is actually a vegan dish, but we won't tell if you throw some dairy in. Source: Produce on Parade White Bean Soup With Andouille and Collards Take your family's tastebuds on a ragin' Cajun adventure with this flavorful and delicious white bean soup with andouille and collards . Source: José Picayo for Real Simple Browse: Cajun and Creole cuisine Hearty Roasted Tomato Soup We know grilled cheese and tomato soup is just about the best food pairing ever, so why not put them together in the same dish? Amy's Cooking Adventures shares a hearty and healthy recipe that will leave your family with empty bowls. Source: Amy's Cooking Adventures Chile Colorado Burritos Feeling like Mexican? Here's a recipe for slow-cooker burritos from Food Pusher that will definitely spice up any night of the week. Full of flavor and melty cheese, this recipe is sure to become a family favorite. Source: Food Pusher French Onion Mac and Cheese Two comfort foods are better than one! I Wash You Dry created a dish that's perfect on a cold day (or really any day!). Source: I Wash You Dry Browse: Macaroni and cheese recipes Mexican Pizza Lasagna Here's a fun spin on lasagna that offers a bit of Mexican flair. This recipe from Peas and Crayons for Mexican pizza lasagna is seriously easy, which makes it a perfect recipe for inviting your child into the kitchen to help with making dinner. Source: Peas and Crayons Mexican Skillet Casserole The most-requested recipe on Amanda Haas's site, this Mexican skillet casserole is bound to become a family favorite - even when temperatures are above freezing. Filled with rice, cheese, and beans, it can easily be eaten on its own or rolled up in a burrito. Source: Rebecca Gruber Michelle Obama's Broccoli Soup If it's good enough for the White House, it's good enough for your house! Give Michelle Obama's nutrient-packed broccoli soup a try. Source: Lauren Hendrickson Browse: Popular broccoli recipes Skillet Lasagna Instead of spending all that time making perfect lasagna layers, this quick and easy skillet lasagna recipe cooks in one pot, making it a family-friendly weeknight dinner. Source: Sarah Lipoff Slow-Cooker Pizza Pasta Who said you can't make pizza in a slow cooker? Simple Organized Living shares this recipe for slow-cooker pizza pasta that takes all of your little one's favorites and simmers them together into one amazing dish. Source: Simple Organized Living Gluten-Free Tomato Soup With Grilled Cheese Croutons Low carb and gluten free, All Day I Dream About Food's simple tomato soup with grilled cheese croutons is comfort food without the guilt. Source: All Day I Dream About Food Browse: Gluten-free diet recipes Curried Pumpkin Soup A savory pot of curried pumpkin soup is the perfect pre-trick-or-treating dinner. Source: Anna Roberts Corn and Butternut Squash Chowder Martha Stewart's corn and butternut squash chowder take just 15 minutes to prep, and the addition of fresh and frozen veggies makes this recipe something you can feel good about feeding your kids. Source: Martha Stewart Cheesy Turkey Chili Mac Cheesy turkey chili mac from Lauren's Latest is loaded with healthy turkey, carrots, corn, and zucchini, and kids will love the addition of curly pasta and lots of cheese. Source: Lauren's Latest Browse: Cheesy favorites Lasagna-Stuffed Shells Instead of using lasagna noodles, stuff shells with lasagna filling for a fun family dinner. Get the easy reinvented lasagna recipe from Living Like the Kings. Source: Living Like the Kings Potato Chowder The most fun thing about a big batch of potato chowder ? The endless options for toppings! Source: Food.com Lasagna Soup This rich, hearty recipe for lasagna soup rethinks the Italian classic. Source: A Farm Girl Dabbles Browse: Classic and veggie lasagna recipes Crisper Drawer Pasta With four daughters running around her home, Melissa d'Arabian knows about the chaos that can occur at dinnertime. The Food Network host and author of Ten Dollar Dinners also knows that busy moms can't always remember what's hiding in the corners of the refrigerator. That's how she came up with Crisper Drawer Pasta , a quick and productive weeknight meal - the whole recipe can be made in 30 minutes - that helps use up everything in the crisper drawer. Source: Melissa d'Arabian New Orleans Seafood Gumbo Jamillah C. calls this stew "a great, quick version of New Orleans seafood gumbo ." Yum! Spaghetti and Meatball Soup I don't think anyone can resist a big bowl of this soup! From Iowa Girl Eats, this flavorful soup is a perfect comfort meal. Serve it with a big salad and garlic bread, and you're guaranteed empty bowls. Source: Iowa Girl Eats Browse: Meatball recipes Black Bean Soup Protein-rich black bean soup is satisfying on its own or can be made into a more complete meal when served with quesadillas or chips and salsa. Source: Michelle Bell Slow-Cooker Chicken Enchilada Soup Throw all the ingredients for Dainty Chef's chicken enchilada soup in your slow cooker in the morning, and you'll come home to a delicious, filling meal. Source: Dainty Chef Pasta e Fagioli Soup Give the ol' spaghetti and meatballs a break with a hearty bowl of traditional Italian pasta e fagioli . Source: Food.com Browse: Italian favorites Vegetarian Spaghetti and Meatballs This wonderfully easy and simply delicious dish uses premade vegetarian meatballs, making dinner a snap. From Bohemian Kate, this recipe will surely become a new family favorite! Source: Bohemian Kate Cheddar Cheese Soup Cheddar cheese soup is the very definition of comfort food. Source: POPSUGAR Food Chicken and Pasta Soup Nothing beats the simplicity and comfort of chicken and pasta soup . Full of veggies and soothing broth, it's just the thing for warding off those pesky cool-weather sniffles. Source: Romulo Yanes for Real Simple Browse: Soup recipes Spaghetti and Meatball Potpies From Plain Chicken, this spaghetti and meatball potpie is sure to make the whole family happy. Bake the potpies in ramekins and then flip for a really special presentation.Source: Plain Chicken Cheeseburger and Fries Casserole This casserole totally hits the spot. With hamburger, cheese, and French fries baked right in, this cheeseburger casserole from Lauren's Kitchen is serious comfort food. Source: Lauren's Kitchen Slow-Cooker Mac and Cheese We know kids love creamy macaroni and cheese, which makes this seriously easy recipe from Culinary Cory perfect for cold Winter days. Serve with roasted chicken and fresh steamed veggies for a complete meal. Source: Culinary Cory Browse: Slow-cooker recipes Loaded Baked Potato Soup Topped with crispy bacon, sour cream, and cheddar cheese, Just a Taste's easy loaded baked potato soup is a creamy, smooth version of the classic. Source: Just a Taste Cheeseburger Soup The Recipe Critic's cheeseburger soup has kid favorite written all over it. The addition of lots of fresh veggies make it a cheeseburger you'll feel good about giving to your kids over and over again. Source: The Recipe Critic Curried Carrot Bisque Don't be afraid to serve your kids curry - this carrot bisque is colorful, light, and healthy. Source: Susannah Chen Also try: Curry puffs Turkey Chili Nothing says Winter like a big bowl of turkey chili with cornbread. Source: Flickr User Nathan Yergler | 0 | 3,428 | foodanddrink |
Federal agents on Monday arrested an alleged Russian spy in New York accused of trying to recruit sources and collect economic intelligence while working as a Manhattan banker, officials said. US prosecutors named the alleged covert intelligence agent as Evgeny Buryakov, 39. He appeared before Judge Sarah Netburn in a Manhattan federal court on Monday, a court official said. Prosecutors said he was assisted in covert espionage by Russian spies Igor Sporyshev, 40, and Victor Podobnyy, 27, who had been attached to the Russian trade and UN missions in New York. Sporyshev and Podobnyy were protected by diplomatic immunity and have since left the United States, so have not been arrested. They are charged in absentia, officials said. Buryakov's detention is likely to rock already deeply strained relations between Moscow and Washington, which have been at their lowest ebb in years over the crisis in Ukraine and war in Syria. US prosecutors allege Buryakov started working as an undercover agent for Moscow's SVR foreign intelligence agency in New York in 2012 while posing as a banker at a Russian bank in Manhattan. It is the first such case since 10 deep-cover agents including Anna Chapman, were arrested in the New York area in 2010. They pled guilty and were part of a prisoner swap with Moscow. - Russian spies 'in our midst' - The FBI said it opened the investigation into the alleged spy ring within months of those guilty pleas. Attorney General Eric Holder said America was committed "to combating attempts by covert agents to illegally gather intelligence and recruit spies within the United States." Manhattan Attorney Preet Bharara said it showed that "more than two decades" after the Cold War, "Russian spies continue to seek to operate in our midst under cover of secrecy." The trio allegedly communicated through code to arrange meetings and swap intelligence, generally outdoors and in person to avoid electronic interception, US officials said. In the FBI indictment, the alleged spies who worked for SVR's economic division complain that the humdrum nature of their work is rather removed from the adventure of James Bond films. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said Buryakov and Sporyshev were under their surveillance as early as March 2012. From then until mid-September 2014, FBI observed dozens of meetings in which Buryakov passed a bag, magazine, or slip of paper to Sporyshev at meetings set up by a short telephone call. Prosecutors said they were recorded attempting to recruit US residents, including consultants working for major companies and several young women with ties to a New York university. - Russian state-owned media link - In 2013, Sporyshev asked Buryakov for help in asking questions to be used for intelligence gathering by others associated with "a leading Russian state-owned news organization," prosecutors said. Officials said the net closed on Buryakov after he met numerous times last summer with an FBI source posing as the representative of a wealthy investor looking to develop casinos in Russia. The trio are charged with conspiring for Buryakov to act as an undeclared foreign agent. Buryakov is also charged with acting as an undeclared foreign spy, and the other two with aiding and abetting that offense. The charges against Buryakov are punishable by 15 years in prison. It is illegal in the Untied States for foreign spies to operate undeclared. Sporyshev was Russia's trade representative in New York from November 2010 to November 2014. Podobnyy worked at the Russian mission to the United Nations from December 2012, to September 2013. While both were exempt from declaring their espionage activities, they were not allowed to conspire, aid or abet Buryakov with his work, US prosecutors said. | 5 | 3,429 | news |
BOISE, Idaho Supporters of religious freedom went toe-to-toe Monday against hundreds of gay rights advocates who had waited nearly a decade to speak in the Idaho Legislature for a measure that would create protections for gay and lesbian people in the state. The legislation has been denied a public hearing for nine consecutive years by the Republican-controlled Statehouse. Yet advocates have refused to be ignored. The movement peaked in 2014 after protesters disrupted the Statehouse with a series of civil-disobedience demonstrations leading to more than 190 arrests throughout the session and forcing the hand of conservative legislative leaders, who conceded the time for a hearing had finally come. "My son now presents as my daughter, and I can't bear the thought of my precious child being treated unfairly by anyone simply for being herself," said Diane Terhune of Meridian, while testifying in front of the House State Affairs Committee. "For those of you who think (lesbian and gay) individuals don't need to be protected as a group because they choose their lifestyles, let me tell you that no one chooses this life. It is one of hardship." Terhune and other gay rights supporters not only face opposition among the state's staunchly conservative legislators but also from Idaho's deeply religious population. Some at the hearing testified on Monday that they fear the bill, commonly known as "Add the Words," will infringe on their rights as individuals and business owners. "Don't make laws that protect (against) laws against nature and sexual deviant acts," said Paul Thompson of Twin Falls. "Regardless of sexual orientation, it is a law that makes a mockery of all that is created and to our creator." State Rep. John McCrostie of Boise, currently Idaho's only openly gay state lawmaker, responded that he, too, was a Christian and asked if Thompson's beliefs were greater than his own. "I respect an individual's desire to want to live out their lives as they feel compelled to do so," Thompson said. "But I owe myself authority to the written word of God." According to the bill, the words "sexual orientation" and "gender identity" would be included in the state's Human Rights Act, which already bans discrimination based on race, sex, color, religion and national origin in situations like housing or employment. While gay rights advocates celebrated the recent legalization of same-sex marriage not only in Idaho but also across the majority of the nation, they have repeated that the fight is not over until states pass anti-discrimination laws. As of Monday morning, nearly 500 people had signed up to testify in front of the House State Affairs Committee. "I want to be valued as a human being based on the person that I am, the person that my mother raised me to be," said Julie Stratton of Post Falls. "Please include my wife and me as fully equal citizens of this state and help us to be proud of living here." Stratton's testimony along with many other personal stories of discrimination from lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered Idahoans was countered by the many concerns coming from pastors, small business owners and national conservative organizations afraid the bill would infringe on free speech and religious freedoms. Arizona-based United Families International President Laura Bunker cited cases in other states where businesses were sued for declining to serve to same-sex couples getting married. "In the end these non-discrimination laws are not fair to all. Someone is ultimately discriminated against," Bunker said. "Why would Utah, or Idaho, sorry, want to put that kind of wedge between its citizens?" Currently, 19 states have passed anti-discrimination laws that include sexual-orientation and gender-identity protections. Three states have passed laws protecting just sexual orientation. Meanwhile in Idaho, 10 cities have bypassed the state and approved their own anti-discrimination laws. "I'm somewhat offended that this bill has been introduced and is seriously being debated," said Doyle Beck of Idaho Falls. "It implies that Idahoans are nasty people and that we discriminate against our neighbors unless the government somehow intervenes and comes in to straighten us out. I'm not saying that discrimination doesn't exist, but I am saying that it's very minimal." Beck added that he felt he had been discriminated while growing up because he had hair down to his shoulders, but he didn't feel the need to sue because of it. Republican state Rep. Tom Loertscher of Iona says the House State Affairs Committee will reconvene at 5 p.m. to listen to more testimony. | 5 | 3,430 | news |
Swiss scientists build a new drone that can both fly and walk, modeling it after the movements of common vampire bats. Jen Markham (@jenmarkham) has the story. | 8 | 3,431 | video |
BOSTON (AP) Brushing aside the controversy over deflated footballs, jubilant New England fans gathered downtown Monday for a spirited send-off as the Patriots headed to Arizona for the Super Bowl. Several thousand fans packed City Hall Plaza in Boston, chanting ''Brady! Brady!'' and waving signs that read ''Finish the Job,'' ''In Tom We Trust'' and ''Keep Calm and Go Long.'' Brady told the crowd his team will be relying on their support as it faces the Seattle Seahawks in Sunday's NFL title game in Glendale, Arizona. ''I couldn't be more excited. I tell you, it's an unbelievable accomplishment for our team,'' he said as snowflakes swirled around the square. ''It's been a long ride. We have the best fans in America. We're going to go represent you guys in Arizona as best as we possibly can. Go Patriots!'' Mayor Marty Walsh sported a No. 12 Brady jersey as he and other officials led the crowd in cheers before the team left for the airport. Dan Connolly, Vince Wilfork, Devin McCourty and Matthew Slater also joined team owner Robert Kraft on the podium for Monday's pep rally. The Patriots left on a midday flight to beat a blizzard bearing down on New England. One fan held a sign that read, ''NO-HATERS-ZONE,'' a reference to a week of grief directed at the embattled Patriots and their fan base. Coach Bill Belichick, beleaguered since the Patriots' AFC Championship rout of the Indianapolis Colts by allegations that his team cheated by using underinflated footballs, didn't mention the controversy. Over the weekend, Belichick insisted the Patriots followed NFL regulations to the letter and said he was done discussing the issue. ''We really appreciate your support. You've been there all year for us. We love you, Boston!'' Belichick told the crowd. ''Be safe through these next couple of days of snow. We'll be thinking about you,'' he added. The massive winter storm bearing down on the Boston area didn't deter Sue Dittullio of Hanover, Massachusetts, from turning out to support the team. ''Despite the blizzard, this is more important. We've got to send them off in style,'' she said. | 1 | 3,432 | sports |
On Sunday night, a woman who has dominion over our universe was crowned in Doral, Florida. It was the Miss Universe pageant. There were hockey sticks on dresses, an ambassador for child prostitution, and a big upset. Here's what you may have missed. Who won? Miss Colombia (Paulina Vega). Miss USA (Nia Sanchez) finished in second. Miss Colombia is now in control of our universe. But as always, the real reason to watch was everything that happened before the winner was crowned. Miss Canada dressed up like this... The national costume is meant to be an embodiment of the country's pride and culture, hence Canada's hockey stick peacock costume. Somehow, however, Miss Canada (Chanel Beckenlehner) didn't win the international costume competition. Miss Indonesia (Elvira Devinamira)'s extravagant, 44 lb. outfit took home the title. No African countries made the top 15 Granted, this a beauty competition. It doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things. There are no lives being saved here. That said, people were upset (and rightfully) at the message that was sent when no African country made it into the top 15 the top 15 is essentially the first cut of the televised portion of the show, meaning there were no African countries represented for nearly three-quarters of the night. The winner of Miss Congeniality was... Miss Nigeria (Queen Celestine). But since no African countries made the cut, the only time we got to really see her on television was when she accepted her award. The judges asked Miss USA about global terrorists Miss USA made the top five, the part where the contestants are asked a question and are judged for their answer. And the question she received was completely bizarre. "If you had 30 seconds to deliver a message to global terrorists, what would you say?" judge Manny Pacquiao asked. Is it really fair that we are asking a woman who is devoting a portion of her life to be judged in a bikini something that's usually reserved for presidents and prime ministers to answer? What exactly is a global terrorist? Are global terrorists watching Miss Universe? And what kind of speaking terms does this question assume? Is this message to global terrorists out of the blue? Is it formal, or is it candid? At what occasion will this message be played? Miss USA cobbled together some word salad about hope, love and inspiration the best she could when faced with a strange question. "As Miss USA I can always spread a message of hope and love and peace," Sanchez said. Actually, all the contestants bombed the interview part Aside from the global terrorist inquiry, there were some good questions out there. Judge Lisa Vanderpump asked whether Miss Universe should eliminate the swimsuit portion. Another judge asked about violence against women. And there was another question about what women can learn from men. But the contestants crashed and burned. Miss Jamaica (Kaci Fennell) mumbled something about international crime and working together to abolish it. Miss Colombia said that women should learn that men still believe in inequality (perhaps this was lost in translation). Miss Netherlands (Yasmin Verheijen) said she was an ambassador for child prostitution (this also seems like something was lost in translation). And Miss Ukraine (Diana Harkusha) said she likes nice swimsuits. Miss Netherlands had the most WTF evening The statement about child prostitution was only the second weirdest Miss Netherlands moment of the night. The strangest part of the evening was during the "fun facts" segment, where the announcers tell us things about the women while they strut around in swimsuits. Miss Netherlands' fun fact was that she was locked in a cage for 12 hours. There was no follow-up to this, and her 12 hours in a cage still remains a mystery. The upset of the night Miss Jamaica, a well-liked and (relatively) eloquent contestant, was the fourth runner up a.k.a. the fifth-place finisher. When hosts Natalie Morales and Thomas Roberts announced the result, the crowd erupted in boos. The outrage was still brewing Monday morning . | 4 | 3,433 | lifestyle |
MELBOURNE, Australia It's the first of two consecutive days of quarterfinal play in the men's and women's singles draw, meaning that the part of the tournament where you have to watch con-current matches is over. To celebrate, we preview the four battles set for Tuesday inside Rod Laver Arena at the Australian Open. (3) Simona Halep (ROU) vs. (10) Ekaterina Makarova (RUS), 11 am local/7 pm ET Monday The No. 3 seed Halep has slipped quietly through this draw, but she meets an in-form opponent in Makarova, who has made her third quarterfinal at this tournament in her last four appearances. These two have met just once, with Halep capturing that match in straight sets in New Haven in 2013. Makarova, however, is surging with confidence, having made the semifinals at the US Open and registering an 18-4 record at Melbourne Park in the last five years. (2) Maria Sharapova (RUS) vs. (7) Eugenie Bouchard (CAN), not before 12:30 pm local/8:30 pm ET Monday This is the match that all eyes are fixated on during the day session, when the superstar Sharapova meets up-and-comer Bouchard. It was here at this event that Bouchard had her breakout run a year ago, following that up with a semifinal appearance at Roland Garros and a runner-up finish at Wimbledon. Sharapova was the player that defeated the young Canadian in Paris, and they haven't met since. The exchange promises to be high-powered and high-octane, as these two women are known as the most fiercely independent (and competitive) players on tour. (3) Rafael Nadal (ESP) vs. (7) Tomas Berdych (CZE), following Sharapova-Bouchard Can Berdych do the unthinkable and stop an 18-match skid against Nadal? If there were any time it's now, in a tournament where Nadal has appeared all over the map. But the Spaniard, winner here in 2009, looked convincing in his fourth round win over Kevin Anderson, a three-set wallop that many expected to be close. Berdych plays a similar style to Anderson, meaning Nadal is primed to make his fifth Australian Open semifinal and second straight. The last time Berdych beat Nadal? In 2006 - and 18 matches ago. (6) Andy Murray (GBR) vs. Nick Kyrgios (AUS), 7:15 pm local/3:15 am ET It's the match that all of Australia will be watching -- as well as cheering on their local hope inside Rod Laver Arena. Murray will draw on his one match win over the 19-year-old upstart, a 6-2, 6-2 affair last summer. But Kyrgios will conjure up World Cup soccer-like conditions as he tries to further his Cinderella run against one of the best in the world. Murray took care of a challenge in Grigor Dimitrov in four sets to make it here, while Kyrgios was a match point down in his five-set epic over Andreas Seppi, the Italian who knocked out Roger Federer. Whether the weather: It's only supposed to top out at a tepid 72 Tuesday in Melbourne, with temperatures dipping as low as 52. Who does that help? No player, in particular, though Nadal's game usually thrives in hotter conditions. Bundle up, tennis fans! | 1 | 3,434 | sports |
South Korea reach the Asian Cup final with a 2-0 win over Iraq in a rain-soaked semi-final played in Sydney. | 8 | 3,435 | video |
Stock prices have been rising faster than earnings are expected to grow. As a result, valuations have been getting richer with the price-to-expected-earnings ratio reaching 16.6 , the highest level since March 2005. Recently, the disconnect between stock prices and earnings expectations have been more about falling earnings expectations than surging stock prices (see chart below). "At the sector level, the Energy sector has witnessed the largest decrease in the forward 12-month EPS estimate of all ten sectors during this time frame," FactSet's John Butters noted. "Since December 31, the forward 12-month EPS estimate for the Energy sector has dropped by 27.3%. No other sector has recorded a decline in the forward 12- month EPS of more than 1.6% over this period." This of course is due to plunging oil prices. Butters notes that the price-to-expected-earnings ratio for energy sector stocks is currently at its highest level since April 2002. "It is interesting to note that despite the decline in the forward 12-month EPS estimate for the S&P 500 (due to the downward revisions to EPS estimates in the Energy sector) over the past few weeks, analysts are still projecting record-level EPS for the S&P 500 for three of the next four quarters," Butters said. "At this time, the Q3 2014 quarter has the record for the highest bottom-up EPS at $30.09. While industry analysts in aggregate predict that earnings for Q1 2015 ($28.35) will be below this record-level EPS, they believe EPS for the S&P 500 will exceed $30.09 in the following three quarters (Q2 2015 Q4 2015)." Keep in mind, just because valuations are above average doesn't mean they will collapse immediately. Valuations tend to drift, which means the price-to-expected-earnings ratio may go much higher. | 3 | 3,436 | finance |
NEW YORK ( MainStreet ) Housing decisions are never easy, but the New Year is a good time to reevaluate whether renting or buying is right for you. Prices for both are on the rise the national median home price was $208,500 in 2014, an increase of 5.8% from 2013, according to the National Association of Realtors . Meanwhile, the average rent payment has grown more than 12% from January 2013 to December 2014, according to online payment processing company YapStone . Here's what to consider before signing a lease or taking out a mortgage in 2015. If you're thinking of buying... As interest rates stay low, buying is a very attractive option, says Kathy Braddock, managing director of real estate company William Raveis NYC . "Many people have made significant gains in the stock market over the past several years, and they have more money to pull out of the market for a down payment," she says. "And real estate has been proven to be a good diversification of assets." With that said, the average homebuyer should keep in mind that a house is not a liquid asset. "For most people, buying a home should not be viewed as an investment to flip, but rather a place to live with you and your family," she says. In the current market, homes should be seen as a better investment than renting, but not as an investment, says Kurt Cambier, CFP and senior partner at investment advisory firm Centennial Capital Partners . Read More: These 6 Things Could Sabotage Your Career Without You Knowing It "The average appreciation over a long period of time is only 2.5%, he says. "A home is not the stock market, but one day you'll own something you can leverage." There's no real rush to buy now to ensure a low interest rate rates will be low for the next several years but home prices are a different story, he says. "As the Millennials mature, it's going to put more pressure on commodity prices, and it's going to be more expensive to buy a home five years from now than it will be today." Of course buying is only a solid option if you're in a place where you have job stability and a career that doesn't require you to be mobile, Cambier says. If you expect to move in the next three to five years, it's probably better to rent. If you're looking for a good deal on a home purchase, you may want to check out your old neighborhood as in your childhood neighborhood, suggests Diane Saatchi, vice president with real estate firm Saunders & Associates . The area where your parents live may not cater to young families as much as it did in the 1980s, but that's where the deals are, she says. "Where your parents and grandparents are, that is where you are going to have big inventory," she says. "You're going to get stores and restaurants that suit people in their 60s, 70s and 80s, but you're also going to see some real deals." Of course the main stumbling block to buying for many younger people is the amount of money required to make it happen, Saatchi acknowledges. "There are always good reasons to become a purchaser. The downside is gathering the cash for the down payment. Some people are getting help from their parents or grandparents, others are just renting until they're financially ready." If you're thinking of renting... Even people who have enough money for a down payment on a home are often choosing to rent, says Whitney Fite, senior vice president of Angel Oak Home Loans . "All the Millennial generation has known is change. They've seen the economy boom and bust, then re-boom and bust. They've seen people lose their homes to foreclosure, or buy a home for $250,000 and then a year later it's worth $200,000. It's what they've lived through, so it's only human nature for them to be sitting on the sidelines," Fite says. Thanks to technology, many people are able to be mobile for work and for them, renting is the best choice. "People who have a job where they're traveling all over the place, sometimes they're taking jobs in cities that aren't going to work for them long term," he explains. "They're not putting down roots. Also, they're probably not going to be at that company for the next 30 years, so it just doesn't make sense to buy." If you think there is a slim chance you might need to relocate in the next several years, rent, Braddock says. "Run the numbers. Do a 'rent vs. buy' analysis. See where it makes sense, and some of that will depend on which state you live in." Most people don't start to invest and buy "hard assets" until they hit 35, Cambier says. It's largely the Millennials who are driving today's rental market. "As soon as people get married and have kids, they're going to start thinking about a home. They're going to want a backyard," he says. "But we're still a few years off from seeing the Millennials really influence the housing market. Right now, they're happy where they are." By Kathryn Tuggle for MainStreet | 3 | 3,437 | finance |
The world's longest train route spans more than 8,000 miles, crosses through eight countries, and covers a greater distance than the diameter between the North and South pole. The China-Europe Block Train begins in the east Chinese city of Yiwu and crosses through Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, Poland, Germany, and France before reaching its destination 21-days later in the Spanish capital of Madrid. Also called Yixinou, the route surpasses the world's second and third longest routes, the Trans-Siberian railway (5,772 miles) and the Moscow-to-Beijing (4,340 miles) train. In mid-November China launched the 82-railcar freight train from Yiwu, an important wholesale distributing hub near Shanghai, to Madrid. The maiden convoy pulled approximately 1,400 tons and switched engines 16 times (about once every 500 miles) during the entirety of the journey, Spain's El País reports . And now it is sitting in Madrid, despite operators hoping the train would return to China in time for the country's new year on February 19. While the new train service is nearly 10 days faster than the traditional sea route, the cost is also 20-30% higher, El País reports . Another drawback of the marathon route stems from the variety of climates the cargo undergoes while in transit. The harsh Russian winters of minus-22 degrees Fahrenheit cause serious problems for commodities like Spanish wine and jamón, increasingly popular products among China's middle class, The Local Spain reports . Consequently, the report adds, "thirty containers set to make the voyage to China remain empty in a Madrid warehouse." Yazhong Huang, the Director of Business at the Chinese Embassy in Madrid, told El País , that the European Union is currently China's largest trading partner with Spain being China's seventh largest partner within the EU. "The volume of bilateral trade in 2013 reached $24.9 billion," Huang said. Here's a visualization of the train and its route: | 2 | 3,438 | travel |
LONDON Male domination in the leadership of the Church of England ended Monday, as the 500-year-old institution consecrated its first female bishop. The Rev. Libby Lane became the eighth Bishop of Stockport in a service at York Minster. Her consecration comes after the church ended a long and divisive dispute by voting last year to allow women to serve as bishops. The traditional service was interrupted by a lone protester, identified by the church as the Rev. Paul Williamson. He stepped forward and raised an objection when the congregation was asked if it was their will that Lane be ordained. Williamson said "No, not in my name," and asked to speak. Lane swallowed hard, but remained stoic. The archbishop of York, John Sentamu, seemed prepared for questions and answered his detractor with a prepared statement, a nod to the tremendous controversy that led to this moment. Sentamu then moved on and asked the 2,000 people attending the service once again if they approved. This time, the response was a thunderous "Yes!" Dozens of bishops then huddled around Lane. They placed their hands on her head or on the shoulders of the bishop in front of them creating an enormous circle of solidarity tinged by their red vestments. Sentamu gave her a Bible and anointed her head. The consecration comes 21 years after the first female priests were named. A saxophone player and soccer fan, Lane was one of the first women to become a Church of England priest. Her husband, who sat beside her at the service, is also a priest. | 5 | 3,439 | news |
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has defended striker Mario Balotelli and said his Anfield career is not over. Rodgers acknwoledged after Saturday's 0-0 draw with Bolton in the FA Cup that he had overlooked the striker following below-par displays in training and urged the summer signing to step up if he wanted to be involved. While the Reds boss accepts his striker has struggled to impress since his move to Anfield, he is not prepared to give up on the Italy international yet. "It's been a difficult period for Mario but he wants to fight for an opportunity here," he told reporters. "The opportunity is there." In more positive news, Daniel Sturridge returned to full training with the Liverpool squad Sunday as his return to first-team action for the first time since August draws near. Liverpool face Chelsea in the second leg of a League Cup semifinal Tuesday, with some suggesting Sturridge could be involved. But Rodgers is not looking to rush the striker back. "We'll see how it is today," Rodgers said. "He trained very, very well yesterday. That was as comfortable as he's looked, he looked back to normal. We won't risk it that's for sure. He's been out for a long time and we need to make sure he's ready." Chelsea suffered a shock 4-2 home loss to Bradford City in the FA Cup on Saturday, but Rodgers does not feel that result will help his side. "Chelsea had a tough result at weekend, but they are an outstanding team. They are dangerous," he said. "Confidence is high. We certainly won't underestimate Chelsea, but our form and resilience is getting better." When asked if Liverpool was set to do any business in the remainder of the January transfer window, Rodgers responded: "I don't think so. Unless something dramatic happens we will go with what we have." | 1 | 3,440 | sports |
MELBOURNE, Australia American tennis is alive and well… in Australia. Monday three American women booked their spots in the quarterfinals of a major for the first time in over 10 years, led by wins by Venus and Serena Williams. How did the day in Melbourne shake out while you were sleeping? Find out here. The sisters and Madison : Both Venus and Serena survived three-set challenges on Monday, Venus in an upset over No. 6 seed Agnieszka Radwanska and Serena over Garbiñe Muguruza, who had stunned her at the French Open last year. Nineteen-year-old Madison Keys joined her compatriots in the last eight with a win over another American, Madison Brengle, 6-4, 6-2, to advance as well. She and Venus will face off for a spot in the semifinals, which likely could mean an all-American semi, as the winner will play Serena should she overcome a resurgent Dominika Cibulkova, who was a finalist here a year ago. Bryan brothers downed: It wasn't all good news for the American contingent in Melbourne, however, as top seeds and world No. 1s Bob and Mike Bryan were ousted in the third round of the men's doubles event. The Bryans lost to the No. 14 seeds Dominic Inglot and Florin Mergea 7-6, 6-3. The brothers, who have won here six times, have lost in the third round here two straight years now. They were US Open champions in September, their 16th major and 100th career title. They won three more titles to close 2014, bringing their record total to 103. Kei'd in: No. 5 seed Kei Nishikori was in demoralizing form on Monday, knocking out grinder David Ferrer 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 to book his spot in the quarterfinals. He'll face defending champion Stan Wawrinka, who won in four sets over Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain, while big-serving Canadian Milos Raonic needed five to advance to the last eight over another Lopez, Feliciano. Three-time Australian Open winner and world No. 1 Novak Djokovic was in action in the night session, taking on journeyman Gilles Muller of Luxembourg. Mind, meet microphone: Players haven't held back in speaking their minds at the Australian Open this year, most recently marked by Aussie Bernard Tomic's open criticism of the tournament's scheduling practices on Sunday night. Monday was no different, with Serena Williams thanking a fan in the crowd for his or her free advice during her match: "My fan coach was like, 'Use some spin, Serena!' I was like, 'Okay, okay… you're right.'" Meanwhile, Keys revealed she'll be buying herself a Louis Vuitton handbag to celebrate her breakout event. The 19-year-old also told journalists which emoji she currently relates to the best: "You know the one that she's in a salsa dress dancing? That would be me right now." | 1 | 3,441 | sports |
Motorola, the mobile handset maker bought by China's Lenovo Group Ltd (0992.HK) from Google Inc (GOOGL.O) for $2.9 billion, is optimistic about its prospects in the Chinese market, its president told Reuters. Lenovo's acquisition, completed three months ago, ended Google's move into the consumer mobile handset business. The deal has turned personal computer-maker Lenovo into a challenger in the higher-end smartphone market, competing with Samsung Electronics (005930.KS) and Apple Inc (AAPL.O). "The (Chinese) market itself is so big here and Motorola has no share today, so we believe that what we're really going to succeed in doing is hopefully take some share from other people in the market," Rick Osterloh, President of Motorola Mobility told Reuters. Motorola will compete in China with Apple and Samsung in the premium smartphone market and with the world's third biggest smartphone maker Xiaomi Inc [XTC.UL] in mid- and mid-high level phones. Lenovo is already the number two smartphone maker in China. "Our approach is to have global products tailored and customised for local markets," Motorola's Osterloh said. Motorola will also stick to relatively high-end products, he said. Bryan Ma, a Singapore-based analyst at tech research firm IDC, said Motorola might test the waters with smartphones designed for the Americas, but in the next 12-24 months they could announce more localised products. "They're trying to introduce themselves to a new group of friends and trying to establish street cred," Ma said. "What they have in their pockets is assets from the U.S." "The good thing is Lenovo has enough of a strong cash position and local channel presence that they can bankroll Motorola in the country for while," Ma said. ($1 = 6.2535 Chinese yuan renminbi) (Editing by Jane Merriman) | 5 | 3,442 | news |
World number one Novak Djokovic fought off Gilles Muller to reach his eighth consecutive quarter-final at the Australian Open on Monday as he steps up his charge towards another Grand Slam title. The four-time champion did not have his service broken as he downed the 42nd-ranked Muller from Luxembourg 6-4, 7-5, 7-5 and will play Milos Raonic for a place in the semi-finals. Djokovic was outstanding on service, winning a high 82 percent of first serves and fighting off four break points. The Serb top seed hit 47 winners and only 16 unforced errors in a masterly performance against the left-handed Muller. "I got the crucial three breaks at the important moments, especially in the second and third at 5-all, managed to play some good passing shots," Djokovic said. "I was trying just to make him play an extra shot. He takes away the time from the opponent. "I was fortunate to serve very well in important moments in the third set and not allow him to capitalise on his break point opportunities. "It was very hard to read his serve, he has an exceptional sliced serve and he comes to the net and has a lot of variety in his game." Djokovic said the lanky, power-serving Raonic would be a tough challenge in the quarter-finals. "I played Milos in the finals of Bercy last time. I know what to expect. We practice a lot. We live in the same place. We're good friends," he said. "He's very confident. He's been playing some great tennis in last 15 months. "He deserves to be where he is now, top 10, coming closer to top 5 of the world. Tough one. Definitely a tough one." Djokovic broke in the eighth game when Muller's forehand was wide and then raced to three set points in the following game to take the opening set in 32 minutes. The world number one had several break chances of Muller's serve before finally breaking him in the eighth game with some backhand errors. Djokovic seized on his advantage and got to three set points, taking it with a strong serve on his second set point for a two sets to love lead. His speed around the court and dexterity of shots was outstanding as Muller found it difficult to stick with him. Djokovic was at his scrambling best to save four break points in the sixth game of the third set, the last one a marvellous pick up off a drop shot and put away volley for the winner. Muller came under pressure in the 11th game with three break points before Djokovic hit a cracking backhand cross court winner for the break. He claimed victory on the first of his three match points in the following game. | 1 | 3,443 | sports |
Getting organized for taxes can be overwhelming, but you can put technology to work to help. | 3 | 3,444 | finance |
Home improvements should do triple duty: They should be attractive, make your home more comfortable, and save you money in the long run. That final point is a very important one, because if you are going to lay out a big chunk of change for home improvements, you want to be sure you'll get your money's worth. If you're ready to make some changes, these are the best places to use your home improvement funds. Replacement windows The Natural Resources Defense Council found that a third of a home's total heat loss comes from drafty windows. Though energy-efficient replacement windows might seem like a large investment, they can save you money every month after installation, as well as beautify your home. Serious insulation According to Energy Star, good insulation can save up to 20 percent in energy costs. To be sure of how much insulation you need, find your location on the Energy Star map and look for the corresponding R-value. Energy-efficient appliances Appliances draw a great deal of power, so it pays to turn to energy-efficient models. The appliances in your home account for up to 20 percent of your costs, according to the U.S. Department of Energy . By going with Energy Star products, you can reduce your home's energy and water usage by 10-15 percent. Programmable thermostat Speaking of energy-efficiency, few things can help lower your heating bills like a programmable thermostat. According to the U.S. Department of Energy , turning the thermostat down 10 to 15 degrees for eight hours each day can save up to 15 percent on heating costs. Water heater Fifteen percent of your utility bill goes to that old water heater, according to the DOE . If your tank is ancient, look into a tankless or on-demand water heater. A solar water heater can save a whopping 90 percent on operating costs. The little things count, too As you make these big changes, look to the smaller things, too. Close up drafts with caulk and weather-stripping, insulate switches and outlets, and unplug your appliances when they aren't in use. To get even more ideas, invest in a home energy audit that can help you pinpoint what needs work. Photo credit to Myryah Shea | 3 | 3,445 | finance |
Having done away with phone subsidies, T-Mobile on Sunday launched a different way for customers to avoid paying full price for their next cell phones. The carrier is offering a program called Score , in which, for a $5 monthly fee, customers get various discounts toward their next phone purchase. After 6 months in the program, T-Mobile says customers can get a free low-end smartphone, or after a year Score members can get a discount on top-of-the-line models like the Galaxy S5 or Nexus 6. it's an unusual approach, with customers paying ahead for an uncertain discount on their next phone. For T-Mobile, though, the benefit of Score is clear as customers will be, in essence, incentivizing themselves to stick with the carrier for their next phone. And it comes amid an increasingly fierce battle for customers, with T-Mobile and Sprint aggressively looking to win market share away from their far larger rivals, AT&T and Verizon. Historically, customers have gotten as much as hundreds of dollars in savings on a new phone in exchange for signing a two-year contract. It was T-Mobile that, starting in 2013 , led the move away from such contracts and subsidies, with all the major carriers now offering at least the option of paying full price in exchange for lower monthly fees. Score is available to both traditional postpaid customers as well as those on monthly prepaid plans. | 3 | 3,446 | finance |
Two weeks ago, a sexual health company called Minna Life approached The Verge and asked if one of our reporters might want to try the kGoal a Kickstarter "smart Kegel exerciser" meant to help women strengthen their pelvic muscles. Having written about a number of women's health issues , I jumped at the opportunity. I wanted to be among the first to try this rare breed of women-focused technology: a device that isn't about losing weight, getting pregnant, or having orgasms. But after spending two days trying out the kGoal, I had to admit defeat. It might be a great product for some women, but it certainly isn't for me that thing hurt like hell. "Kegels" are pelvic muscle exercises, named after Arnold Kegel, the man who first described them in 1948. Women can do Kegels by contracting and relaxing the muscles of their pelvic floor an act that basically means squeezing and releasing the muscles around their vagina and anus, sort of like you would if you were trying to stop the flow of urine. The main benefit of doing Kegels on a regular basis is that they can help women avoid or reduce incontinence , a problem that can affect women of all ages and of all backgrounds, notably athletes who take part in high impact sports. Kegels may also improve a woman's orgasm because having bigger, stronger muscles in that area helps women enhance vaginal stimulation. Pelvic floor exercises may also strengthen posture. having bigger, stronger muscles helps women enhance vaginal stimulation There's a problem with Kegels, though: a lot of women end up doing them wrong. In a 2014 study , researchers reported that 23 percent of women who do Kegels do them incorrectly. This is unfortunate. When Kegels are done right, women show up to 70 percent improvement in stress incontinence symptoms, regardless of their age. That's why Minna Life came up with the kGoal, a Kegel exerciser made out of medical-grade silicone, that helps women do Kegels the right way. "You can tell if you're just using your glute muscles because it won't vibrate in the way that it does if you actually squeeze with your pelvic floor muscles," Liz Miracle, a pelvic floor physical therapist and a consultant for Minna Life, told me. "So it does tell you if you're doing the contraction correctly or not." I met with Minna Life CEO Brian Krieger and consultant Liz Miracle last week, a day before I tried it out myself. "We are very female empowered focused," Miracle said. "It's not about your partner being more satisfied with your pelvic floor muscles it's about you and your connection with yourself, and you feeling good about yourself and your strength." "It's not about your partner being more satisfied with your pelvic floor muscles." Minna Life is mostly known for its sex toys you may have seen the " limon " in sex shops like Babeland. But last year, the company launched a Kickstarter that didn't have anything to do with sex, at least not directly. Krieger isn't sure how the idea for the kGoal came about. "We've been excited about the idea of doing something that's pelvic fitness-oriented for years and years and years," he said. Miracle, for her part, found out about the project through a friend, and was intrigued. She had wanted to develop a pelvic exercise device for quite some time, but had had trouble finding the right team. "The attitude was the biggest thing," she said. "If I was going into a room with guys trying to make vaginas tighter to make men happy, then I was not going to be a part of this team." Luckily, Minna Life's intention behind the product aligned with hers. There's definitely a consumer interest. The k Goal crowdfunding campaign attracted 2200 backers who contributed $266,917 surpassing the original $90,000 funding goal by $176,917. After the campaign ended, the company received around 800 additional pre-orders for the $150 product. The Kickstarter shipments are set to begin this week, Krieger said , and they expect to see more orders after the kGoal's launch today. Both Krieger and Miracle think the kGoal has the potential to lead in the Kegel exerciser market. It's different from other offerings, like the Skea , because the app shows the user when they aren't completely relaxing their muscles. "A lot of women have trouble relaxing their muscles all the way," Miracle said. The device hasn't been tested by an independent evaluator, but both Miracle and Krieger say it works. "I've seen women who leak urine [in my practice], and they're leaking less urine over time as they use the product," Miracle said. "They're getting stronger with their pelvic floor muscles." kGoal is a silicone device with two handles. The smaller handle stays outside the body; it contains the start button, the battery, and the Bluetooth antenna. The large oblong handle is inserted in the vagina. The sides of the larger handle can be deflated to make the "installation process" easier. But it doesn't deflate completely the device's bulbous tip is rigid. That part contains the internal tactile feedback motor, Krieger told me in an email. It was also kept rigid because it "helps prevent [the kGoal] from slipping out while in place." when a woman contracts her muscles more tightly, the vibration intensifies The kGoal works by giving users tactile feedback through an optional proportional vibration feature: when a woman contracts her muscles more tightly, the vibration intensifies. When she lets go, the vibration stops. Women also have the option of looking at their progress on the accompanying cell phone app; the kGoal connects to your phone through Bluetooth and tracks your progress through time. When the app launches in the Apple store, it will have one workout available that focuses on both strength and speed. I tested it by holding the kGoal in my hand, and it seemed to work well. Minna Life couldn't give me access to the app at home, however, so I wasn't able to test it out under real-life conditions. That night, I went home and hung out with my partner and one of our friends. We discussed what trying the kGoal might be like. Our friend suggested that my experience with the kGoal might resemble that of Peggy Olson, a Mad Men TV character, when she tried the " Relax-a-Cizor " a vibrating panty-shaped pleasure device that advertisers in the show marketed as a weight loss machine to avoid offending 1960s husbands. "Have a good day tomorrow!" our friend said with a knowing smile as she left. The next day, I stayed home from work. I felt confident as I removed the kGoal from its packaging. Miracle had given me a tutorial about how the device worked 24 hours earlier, so I figured the process would be simple. To deflate the device, you press the button at its base and press on its sides. Then, you guide it in. Once you've inserted the device, you press on the button at the base again to inflate it again. The kGoal can also be adjusted, so that you can use it while standing up or doing lunges. I didn't expect to be able to do any of that just yet, however you need to build up to it, Miracle told me. I got my first hint of the pain to come when I deflated the kGoal alone for the first time. Back at the office, it had seemed small in my palm, but when it finally came time to face the task at hand, I suddenly noticed how large the device's bulbous tip the part that doesn't deflate actually is. I made use of the 95% organic lube packages that come with the device. I was gentle at first, but it refused to go in. I focused on what Miracle had told me. The pain wasn't subsiding. Now I had to get the damn thing out "Make sure you're relaxed when you go to put it in, specifically if you're squeezing the muscles," she said. "You should lay down, and open your legs up and relax." Since I was already laying down, I decided to close my eyes for a minute or so. Then, I tried again. This time, I used more force and the kGoal went in. From that moment on, my vagina was on fire. "Maybe once I inflate it, and the kGoal is turned on, it'll feel better," I thought. I followed the procedure that Miracle had described. Eventually, I managed to clench my muscles twice, and I immediately felt the kGoal vibrate in response. Still, after two wimpy Kegels, I was done. "This shit is crazy," I said out loud. The pain wasn't subsiding. Now I had to get the damn thing out. The only way I can describe what taking the kGoal out felt like is by asking Verge readers who menstruate to imagine the most painful experience they've ever had with a tampon. Then, take that pain and triple it that's what taking the kGoal out felt like. By the end of the first attempt, I was covered in sweat. I took some time to recover. Here is my first journalistic impression of the device, as received by my editor: "Holy shit that kGoal thing is PAINFUL. Jesus. WTF. Whyyyyy." Shortly after that I emailed Miracle to tell her about my experience. I asked her for tips about how to make using the kGoal less painful. "The best way to insert is to be semi-reclined, legs out like in butterfly pose, deep breathe, exhale as you insert. Use lubricant as well," she wrote back the next day. "Also, you can try exhaling and bearing down slightly to remove." If the purpose of this product is for women to gain control, then I was doing just that by putting the KGoal away I decided to give the kGoal another try. This time, I didn't get very far. As soon as I began wondering why I was putting myself through this again, I stopped. Women don't listen to their bodies enough, and if the purpose of this product is for women to gain control, then I was doing just that by putting the kGoal away. According to Miracle, the kGoal was sized to fit most women. "There will be cases where it is uncomfortable to insert,"she said."Trying to find a size that works for all women is nearly impossible, so we did user testing to arrive at a size that would be insertable for most." According to Krieger, Minna Life tested the kGoal on around 20 women. After two separate attempts, I can safely say that kGoal isn't my idea of a good, or even acceptable pelvic floor workout. But I'm not going to pretend that every kGoal backer will have a similar experience. I asked a friend to try it out on Saturday. She told me that although she was able to use it, inserting it was painful, and so was taking it out. She admitted that the vibration triggered by the contractions was pleasurable however. "I wouldn't buy it though," she said. one-size-fits-all products rarely deliver on that promise Of course every woman and every vagina, for that matter is different. I found the kGoal exceedingly unpleasant. But it does seem to work pretty well, and the app appeared to be well-designed, based on the brief period I spent with it. I can only conclude that it isn't right for me. Others might find it easy to use they might even love it. And if that's the case, it may really benefit them in some measurable way. Krieger says that his company is thinking of making a smaller version of the product. "We don't have concrete plans yet," he wrote in an email. Right now, the focus is on getting the initial version going. From a business perspective, I can see how that would make sense: build a market for your product, and then expand your line. But let's be honest, one-size-fits-all products rarely deliver on that promise, especially when it comes to women's bodies. Paying $150 for the kGoal might be worth it for many, but it's hard to know before you actually try it and honestly if I wanted to spend $150 on torture devices, I'd buy a new pair of heels. | 5 | 3,447 | news |
GENESEO, N.Y. Authorities have scheduled a news conference to release more information on the case of a teenager whose body was found in a western New York cornfield 35 years ago. WHAM-TV in Rochester reports (http://bit.ly/1Be9xD6 ) that police are expected to announce that the body has been identified as that of a girl who went missing from Florida in 1979. The Livingston County Sheriff's Office has scheduled a news conference for 2 p.m. Monday at its headquarters in Geneseo (jeh-NEH'-see-oh). The girl's body was found on Nov. 10, 1979, in a field just off Route 20 in the rural town of Caledonia, about 18 miles southwest of Rochester. Police say she had been shot in the back of the head. ___ Information from: WHAM-TV, http://www.13wham.com | 5 | 3,448 | news |
If Alex Rodriguez advances up the ranks on the career home run list this season, the Yankees are going to try to make sure he doesn't get paid for it. The team plans a fight to void the up to $24 million in marketing bonuses owed to Rodriguez should he chase down Barry Bonds or one of the other three sluggers who sit ahead of him on the all-time list, according to the New York Daily News . SPECTOR: 29 teams that shouldn't trade for A-Rod Rodriguez has 654 career home runs. If he hits six more to equal Willie Mays' 660, Rodriguez would be in line for a $6 million bonus. He would then make another $6 million each time he ties Babe Ruth (714), Hank Aaron (755) and Barry Bonds (762), en route to becoming baseball's home run king. The bonuses, set as incentive to partake in public relations and promotional campaigns during the record chase, are tied to a deal Rodriguez signed in 2007 that is separate from his player contract, which still owes him $61 million over the next two seasons. Rodriguez is notorious for creating a distracting sideshow when he unexpectedly opted out of his contract with the Yankees during the 2007 World Series. He eventually signed a 10-year, $272 million contract with the Yankees, but the separate marketing contract was included to secure his return. But the Yankees now consider the marketing bonuses invalid after Rodriguez's suspension for violating the MLB's drug policy, the report said. His subsequent tactics to launch attacks against the team and the league only further alienated Rodriguez, and the Yankees will argue that he signed the contract under false pretenses, severing his right to the bonuses based on his lies and eventual admission to the use of PEDs. "This is a relationship that is never going to be repaired," a source told the Daily News. | 1 | 3,449 | sports |
Kurdish fighters have expelled Islamic State group militants from inside the Syrian border town of Kobane, a monitor said Monday, dealing a key symbolic blow to the jihadists' ambitions. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor, said fighters from the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) had pushed IS militants out of the town after four months of fighting. In Iraq meanwhile, a senior army officer announced that Iraqi forces had also "liberated" Diyala province from the Islamic State group. Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP that YPG forces had "expelled all Islamic State fighters from Kobane and have full control of the town." "The Kurds are pursuing some jihadists on the eastern outskirts of Kobane, but there is no more fighting inside now." The monitor said Kurdish forces were carrying out "mopping-up operations" against remaining IS forces in the Maqtala district, on the eastern outskirts of the town. There was no immediate official announcement from the YPG, but Mustafa Ebdi, an activist from the town, told AFP that "fighting has stopped" in Kobane. YPG forces were "advancing carefully in Maqtala because of the threat of mines and car bombs," he added. The advance by Kurdish fighters came after 24 hours of heavy bombing by the US-led coalition fighting IS in Syria and Iraq. In a statement, the Pentagon said the coalition had carried out 17 air strikes against IS positions in Kobane in the 24 hours from January 25 alone. The targets included "tactical units" and "fighting positions" as well as an IS vehicle and staging areas, the statement said. 'A huge symbol' The loss of Kobane, also known as Ain al-Arab, would be a key symbolic blow against IS, which has lost more than 1,000 fighters since it began its advance on the town on September 16. At one time it looked set to overrun Kobane, which lies on the Syrian-Turkish border. The group vastly outgunned the YPG thanks to weapons captured from military bases in Syria and Iraq, and sent hundreds of fighters to the battle. But Kurdish forces gradually pushed back the jihadists with the help of extensive air raids by the US-led coalition fighting IS as well as fighters from Iraq's Kurdish peshmerga forces. Analysts say the loss of Kobane is both a symbolic and strategic blow for IS, which set its sights on the small town in a bid to cement its control over a long stretch of the Syrian-Turkish border. Since the group emerged in its current form in 2013, it has captured large swathes of territory in both Syria and Iraq. It has declared an Islamic "caliphate" in territory under its control, and gained a reputation for brutality, including executions and torture. But its apparent failure in Kobane could put the brakes on its plans for expansion in Syria. "Kobane has become a huge symbol. Everyone knows Kobane, it's where the Kurds stopped IS," Kurdish affairs analyst Mutlu Civiroglu said earlier in January. "They (IS) lost hundreds of fighters, millions of dollars of weapons, and the image that wherever IS goes no one can stop them," he told AFP. "Instead of being a great prize for them, it's turned around on them like a boomerang." The fighting in Kobane has killed at least 1,600 people, according to the Observatory. Civilians though were largely spared because the town's residents evacuated en masse, mostly across the border into Turkey, in the early stages of the fighting. More than 200,000 people have been killed in Syria's complex, multi-front war, which began in March 2011 with anti-government protests but spiralled into a bloody conflict. Over the border in Iraq, Staff Lieutenant General Abdulamir al-Zaidi announced they had "liberated" Diyala province from IS militants. "We announce the liberation of Diyala from the (IS) organisation," he said. "Iraqi forces are in complete control of all the cities and districts and subdistricts of Diyala province." | 5 | 3,450 | news |
Seven months into the takeover of Iraq's second-largest city by Islamist extremists, electricity, rice, flour and medical supplies are dwindling. The water is mucky. Religious minorities are confined to prison camps, and the overwhelmingly Muslim population of Mosul is subject to strict and increasingly arbitrary religious rules. Those who disobey Islamic State's fundamentalist edicts - including banning smoking or doing business during daily prayer times, and requiring women to cover their heads and faces - are whipped. Or worse. Late last month, two doctors were executed, according to ousted officials who continue to communicate by phone with Mosul residents, for having failed to save the life of an Islamic State leader wounded in an airstrike. "The people of Mosul, a lot of them were educated overseas and they're facing this primitive mentality," said Atheel Najafi, governor of surrounding Nineveh province and scion of an old Mosul family, who was forced to flee when the city fell to the Sunni militants in the summer. "In many ways, this is a clash of civilizations," he said, "Day by day it gets worse. People are becoming more and more backward." Such is life in Mosul, a city of more than a million occupied since June by Islamic State, according to escapees and residents interviewed in person and by phone in recent weeks. Although their reports cannot be independently verified - travel to Mosul is nearly impossible for outsiders - they are beginning to provide a picture of a city that has undergone a startling transformation. The militants have blocked roads and blown up bridges into the northern Iraqi city, which they proclaim as one of the capitals of their self-styled Islamic empire, or caliphate, extending west into northern Syria. Early this month, Islamic State released a video showing British hostage John Cantlie touring Mosul, visiting a market, hospital and police. City services appear to be functioning, the streets full of people and cars. A Kurdish peshmerga commander in a bunker atop the mountain here overlooking Mosul said the news from the city was discouraging. "They have police, they have law, they have a government; it's a full-on regime. They're even trying to introduce a currency," said Maj. Haji Abu Hussein, 47, who keeps in touch by cellphone with a Sunni feed salesman in the city. Other witnesses say the reality of life in Mosul is far more grim: basic services scarce and prices soaring even as the quality of fuel and water deteriorates. The city's hospitals, schools and other government offices remain open in part because the Iraqi government continues to pay salaries to tens of thousands of civil servants, a policy opposed by some Kurdish officials, who say it serves to prop up the extremist occupiers. Reached in Mosul by phone this month, Abu Hussein, 35, a day laborer and father of four, said that contrary to the Cantlie video, government workers were serving Islamic State, not the public. "Entire hospitals have been commandeered for the fighters," he said. "I tried to take my son because he was sick to the hospital, but they said, 'Get out of here! This is for fighters!' and they gave me 20 lashes of the whip." Mosul's hospitals face severe shortages of medical supplies, equipment and staff, particularly female nurses and specialists such as surgeons and anesthesiologists, who have fled, according to reports from staffers at the International Organization for Migration. Militants have instructed pregnant women that it is haram, or unholy, to give birth at a hospital, so they have had to use midwives at home, Abu Hussein said. Residents have had electricity only for up to two hours every three days, he said. Cellphone reception in the city center was nonexistent in early January, according to the migration group's employees. Gas fuel canisters went up from $8 to $90 under Islamic State, Abu Hussein said. He and others heat their ovens with firewood. Islamic State militants in search of fuel chopped down part of the landmark Al Ghabat forest on the banks of the Tigris River. Water flows from the tap once a week, but only for a few hours, he said. Other residents told officials outside the city that chlorine shortages contributed to the poor water quality. Some have started to dig wells, according to the migration group. "We use the river water for washing, but it's very dirty. Children in the southern part of Mosul are getting very sick from it," Abu Hussein said. Abu Hussein doesn't send his children to school because militants have been teaching religious extremism and recruiting young students as fighters. Civics and sports have been banned, and by law teachers are allowed to instruct only students of the same sex. Those caught smoking, using a cellphone or doing business during five daily prayer times are punished in Islamic courts by untrained judges, usually with fines and whippings. Islamic State court documents show a man with a cellphone was sentenced in November by a former construction worker-turned-judge to a whipping and fined $10,000. Those caught doing business during prayers are lashed 50 times and forced to close for a month; the second time, they are lashed 80 times, their business burned. The punishment for smoking: 40 whips the first time, 100 whips the second time. Abu Hussein said militants forced a woman from her home and whipped her 40 times because she wasn't wearing the required veil. But there are signs the militants' grip on the city is slipping. Recent militant convoys from Mosul have been smaller and less frequent, their weaponry less sophisticated. Najafi, the governor who fled, remains in contact with workers by phone and the Internet from a guarded compound in nearby Dahuk. He said that residents complain about the lack of fuel and basic services, but that their biggest problem is what he calls the "psychological burden" of living under Islamic State, whose local fighters are primarily less educated young men from the countryside. There are fewer foreign militants in town, and local ones are beset by infighting, he said, forced to draft boys to fill their ranks, some as young as 12. The streets are patrolled mostly by local Islamic police. Najafi said he pays 60,000 to 70,000 civil servants a total of about $10 million a month. "We encourage them to work for the necessary services: health, water supply, education," he said, and to report back on conditions in the city. He said the money is paid directly to the workers through a hawala system of informal money brokers as well as mobile banking. The salaries are an important hearts-and-minds tactic, he said. "If we stop the salaries, we will lose all of our employees. They will follow ISIS," Najafi said, using an acronym for Islamic State. Cutting off salaries would also deprive residents the few basic services they still have, he said, contending that women and children in particular would suffer if hospitals and schools were forced to close. "We would face a total crisis inside the city," the governor said. "We are keeping people alive." If workers are found to have collaborated with Islamic State - for instance, if an instructor agrees to teach religious extremism - officials withhold a portion of their salary, he said. Thus far, salaries have been terminated for only a few Islamic State collaborators, his staff said, including eight municipal workers, one of whom became Mosul's new minister of public works. Some Kurdish officials believe all salary payments should be halted, noting that civil servants in nearby Kurdistan have not been paid by the central government for a year because of a dispute over oil revenue sharing. "It's a puzzling policy that they are paying terrorists, but not the ones fighting them," said an official in the Kurdish security chancellor's office who asked not to be named. He said Kurdish officials have sought to have Baghdad stop the Mosul payments, questioning how Najafi and others can be sure that those who are being paid are not Islamic State supporters. "We are not for cutting people's livelihoods, but the person paying out the salaries must know if they are supporting ISIS," he said. The official said cutting Mosul salaries probably would have the opposite effect of what Najafi fears. "It will make the people feel very disenfranchised. They will turn to ISIS for that money and they won't have it and the people will have no choice but to rise up," he said. Najafi said Mosul residents post updates almost daily on a Facebook page called "The Mosul Brigades," including details about how they have shot and killed Islamic State fighters in stealth attacks. An additional 11,000 resistance fighters have begun training outside the city with U.S. and Canadian advisors at two sites under the command of a retired Iraqi general, Najafi said. Many of the volunteers are former Mosul police who fought Islamic State in the summer and know the terrain and the people. "If we want them to rise up," Najafi said of Mosul residents, "we need to communicate with them, give them some weapons and support." | 5 | 3,451 | news |
Super Bow 49 is less than a week away, which means both teams have arrived in Arizona, and are into their full practice routines. The Super Bowl line opened with the Seahawks as a two-point favorite, but it has now swung to the Patriots being one-point favorites at many sports books . The Bovada sportsbook manager has said upwards of 70 percent of money has come in on the Patriots, resulting in the line coming down those three points. The Super Bowl also brings with it a wide array of proposition bets that you don't find for most sporting events. A proposition bet allows you to bet on specific events within or surrounding the game. You can bet on football-specific things like which player will score the first touchdown, whether or not there will be a safety, or even whether or not the first coaches' challenge will be successful. You can also bet on non-football things like the length of the National Anthem, who the MVP will mention first in his post-game speech, and even what color Gatorade will be dumped on the winning coach. Bovada.lv has an extensive list of prop bets to consider. You can view their complete list, but I have also posted a rundown of the more interesting odds you do not normally see in regular action. ENTERTAINMENT ODDS AND ENDS SPECIAL (NE vs SEA) - How long will it take Idina Menzel to sign the US National Anthem? Over/Under 2 minutes 1 second SPECIAL (NE vs SEA) - Will Idina Menzel forget or omit at least 1 word of the official US National Anthem? Yes +400 (4/1) No -600 (1/6) SPECIAL (NE vs SEA) - How many times will "Deflated Balls" be referred to during the game? Over/Under 2½ SPECIAL (NE vs SEA) - Will Marshawn Lynch be fined by the NFL for any incident on Media Day? Yes +400 (4/1) No -600 (1/6) SPECIAL (NE vs SEA) - Will Marshawn Lynch grab his crotch after scoring a TD in the game? Yes +400 (4/1) No -600 (1/6) SPECIAL (NE vs SEA) - Which Coach will be mentioned first by name on TV after Kickoff? Pete Carroll Bill Belichick SPECIAL (NE vs SEA) - Which Coach will be shown first on TV after Kickoff? Pete Carroll Bill Belichick SPECIAL (NE vs SEA) - Which Color will Bill Belichick's hoodie be? Grey 1/2 Blue 7/4 Red 7/1 SPECIAL (NE vs SEA) - Bill Belichick Hoodie Type? Sleeves Cut -150 (2/3) Sleeves Intact +110 (11/10) SPECIAL (NE vs SEA) - Will Bill Belichick smile during the game on camera ? Yes +150 (3/2) No -200 (1/2) SPECIAL (NE vs SEA) - How many times will Katy Perry be mentioned in the 1st Half? Over/Under 1½ SPECIAL (NE vs SEA) - Which song will Katy Perry perform first at Halftime? Firework 3/2 Roar 3/2 This Is How We Do 5/1 Dark Horse 12/1 E.T. 12/1 Wide Awake 12/1 Waking Up In Vegas 20/1 SPECIAL (NE vs SEA) - What will Katy Perry be wearing when she begins the Halftime show? Skirt or Dress 4/5 Pants (below knees) 2/1 Shorts (above knees) 2/1 SPECIAL (NE vs SEA) - What color will Katy Perry's hair be when she begins the Halftime show? Black/Brown 2/1 Pink/Red 3/1 Blue/Green 3/1 Blonde 4/1 Purple 5/1 SPECIAL (NE vs SEA) - How many times will Gisele Bundchen be show on TV? Over/Under 1½ SPECIAL (NE vs SEA) - Will Al Michaels refer to the point spread, total, odds on who wins game or any prop bet? Yes +200 (2/1) No -300 (1/3) SPECIAL (NE vs SEA) - Who will be shown more on TV during the game? Robert Kraft -200 (1/2) Paul Allen +150 (3/2) SPECIAL (NE vs SEA) - Will it be mentioned that Pete Carroll was the last head coach of the Patriots? Yes +110 (11/10) No -150 (2/3) SPECIAL (NE vs SEA) - What will the Nielsen Rating of the game be? Over/Under 47½ SPECIAL (NE vs SEA) - Which region will have the higher Nielsen Rating? Boston +110 (11/10) Seattle -150 (2/3) SPECIAL (NE vs SEA) - How many viewers will the game have? Over/Under 113 Million SPECIAL (NE vs SEA) - Who will the Super Bowl MVP mention first in his interview? Teammates 3/2 God 5/1 Fans/City 15/2 Coach 12/1 Family 12/1 Owner 12/1 Does not mention any of the above 2/1 SPECIAL (NE vs SEA) - What Color will the Gatorade (or liquid) be that is dumped on the Head Coach of the Winning Super Bowl Team? Orange 3/2 Yellow 5/2 Clear/Water 3/1 Red 15/2 Blue 15/2 Green 10/1 SPECIAL (NE vs SEA) - What will happen with the Dow Jones the day after the Super Bowl? Market Up -140 (5/7) Market Down EVEN (1/1) SPECIAL (NE vs SEA) - Who will Barack Obama pick to win the game? New England -140 (5/7) Seattle EVEN (1/1) SPECIAL (NE vs SEA) - What will be higher? Russell Wilson Passing Yards -15½ US National Average Gas Price (in cents) on Monday, February 2nd +15½ SPECIAL (NE vs SEA) - Groundhog Day Parlay Punxsutawney Phil sees shadow and Patriots win the Super Bowl 5/2 Punxsutawney Phil does not see shadow and Patriots win the Super Bowl 11/5 Punxsutawney Phil sees shadow and Seahawks win the Super Bowl 11/4 Punxsutawney Phil does not see shadow and Seahawks win the Super Bowl 12/5 TEAM/GAME PROPS (NE vs SEA) - Margin of Victory New England Patriots 1 to 6 points 7/2 New England Patriots 7 to 12 points 11/2 New England Patriots 13 to 18 points 8/1 New England Patriots 19 to 24 points 14/1 New England Patriots 25 to 30 points 20/1 New England Patriots 31 to 36 points 35/1 New England Patriots 37 or more points 30/1 Seattle Seahawks 1 to 6 points 7/2 Seattle Seahawks 7 to 12 points 11/2 Seattle Seahawks 13 to 18 points 8/1 Seattle Seahawks 19 to 24 points 14/1 Seattle Seahawks 25 to 30 points 20/1 Seattle Seahawks 31 to 36 points 35/1 Seattle Seahawks 37 or more points 30/1 (NE vs SEA) - Team to score first wins the game Yes -165 (20/33) No +135 (27/20) (NE vs SEA) - Will there be a score in the first 7min 30 seconds of the 1st quarter? Yes -180 (5/9) No +150 (3/2) (NE vs SEA) - The first score of the game will be? New England Patriots Field Goal 4/1 New England Patriots TD Pass 3/1 New England Patriots Rushing TD 11/2 New England Patriots Safety 33/1 New England Patriots Defensive or Special Teams TD 14/1 Seattle Seahawks Field Goal 7/2 Seattle Seahawks TD Pass 4/1 Seattle Seahawks Rushing TD 4/1 Seattle Seahawks Safety 33/1 Seattle Seahawks Defensive or Special Teams TD 14/1 (NE vs SEA) - Half Time/Full Time New England Patriots / New England Patriots 7/5 Seattle Seahawks / New England Patriots 9/1 Tie / New England Patriots 16/1 Tie / Seattle Seahawks 16/1 New England Patriots / Seattle Seahawks 9/1 Seattle Seahawks / Seattle Seahawks 7/5 New England Patriots / Tie 35/1 Seattle Seahawks / Tie 35/1 Tie / Tie 35/1 (NE vs SEA) - Total 1 st Half Team Points - New England Patriots Over/Under 12½ (NE vs SEA) - Total Team Points - New England Patriots Over/Under 24½ (NE vs SEA) - Total 1st Half Team Points - Seattle Seahawks Over/Under 12 (NE vs SEA) - Total Team Points - Seattle Seahawks Over/Under 24½ (NE vs SEA) - Will the 1st half end in a tie? Yes (1st Half Tied) +550 (11/2) No (1st Half Not Tied) -900 (1/9) (NE vs SEA) - Which will be the Highest Scoring Quarter? 1st Quarter 9/2 2nd Quarter 7/5 3rd Quarter 9/2 4th Quarter 9/5 (NE vs SEA) - Will the game go to overtime? Yes (Overtime) +800 (8/1) No (Overtime) -1600 (1/16) (NE vs SEA) - What will be the Result of the First Coaches Challenge in the Game? Play Overturned -130 (10/13) Play Stands EVEN (1/1) (NE vs SEA) - Will there be a safety in the game? Yes (Safety) +550 (11/2) No (Safety) -900 (1/9) (NE vs SEA) - Longest Touchdown in the Game Over/Under Yards 44½ (NE vs SEA) - Longest Successful Field Goal in the Game Over/Under Yards 44½ (NE vs SEA) - Shortest Successful Field Goal in the Game Over/Under 24½ (NE vs SEA) - Will there be a defensive or special teams TD scored in the game? Yes +160 (8/5) No -200 (1/2) (NE vs SEA) - Total QB Sacks in the game Over/Under 4½ (NE vs SEA) - Total Points - Odd or Even? Odd -140 (5/7) Even +110 (11/10) (NE vs SEA) - Will a 2 point Conversion be attempted in the Game? Yes (2pt Conversion Attempted) +200 (2/1) No (2pt Conversion Not Attempted) -250 (2/5) (NE vs SEA) - Will there be a Successful 2 point Conversion Attempt in the Game? Yes (Successful 2pt Conversion Attempt) +350 (7/2) No (Successful 2pt Conversion Attempt) -500 (1/5) MVP AND FIRST TO SCORE A TOUCHDOWN ODDS Super Bowl XLIX MVP - Odds to Win Tom Brady 8/5 Russell Wilson 7/2 Marshawn Lynch 4/1 Rob Gronkowski 9/1 LeGarrette Blount 12/1 Julian Edelman 25/1 Doug Baldwin 33/1 Richard Sherman 33/1 Kam Chancellor 33/1 Darrelle Revis 33/1 Earl Thomas 40/1 Jermaine Kearse 50/1 Bobby Wagner 50/1 Jamie Collins 50/1 Brandon LaFell 66/1 Shane Vereen 66/1 K.J. Wright 75/1 Danny Amendola 75/1 Luke Willson 100/1 Rob Ninkovich 100/1 Dont'a Hightower 100/1 Patrick Chung 100/1 Devin McCourty 100/1 Stephen Gostkowski 100/1 Steven Hauschka 100/1 Malcolm Smith 100/1 Byron Maxwell 100/1 Field 25/1 (NE vs SEA) - Player to score the first TD in the game? Marshawn Lynch (SEA) RB 11/2 Rob Gronkowski (NE) TE 13/2 LeGarrette Blount (NE) RB 9/1 Julian Edelman (NE) WR 10/1 Doug Baldwin (SEA) WR 12/1 Brandon LaFell (NE) WR 12/1 Russell Wilson (SEA) QB 12/1 Jermaine Kearse (SEA) WR 14/1 Shane Vereen (NE) RB 16/1 Luke Willson (SEA) TE 16/1 Danny Amendola (NE) WR 20/1 Ricardo Lockette (SEA) WR 20/1 Timothy Wright (NE) TE 20/1 Robert Turbin (SEA) RB 25/1 Brandon Bolden (NE) RB 30/1 Jonas Gray (NE) RB 30/1 Cooper Helfet (SEA) TE 30/1 Tom Brady (NE) QB 35/1 Tony Moeaki (SEA) TE 40/1 Kevin Norwood (SEA) WR 40/1 James Devlin (NE) FB 50/1 Michael Hoomanawanui (NE) TE 50/1 Christine Michael (SEA) RB 50/1 Will Tukuafu (SEA) FB 50/1 Field 15/2 No TD scored in the game 125/1 PLAYER PROPS (NE vs SEA) - Total Passing Yards - Tom Brady (NE) Over/Under 260½ (NE vs SEA) - Total TD Passes - Tom Brady (NE) 0 7/2 1 11/5 2 5/2 3 3/1 4 or more 7/1 (NE vs SEA) - Total Rushing Yards - LeGarrette Blount (NE) Over/Under 62½ (NE vs SEA) - Total Receiving Yards - Rob Gronkowski (NE) Over/Under 72½ (NE vs SEA) - Will Rob Gronkowski (NE) score a TD in the game? Yes -170 (10/17) No +140 (7/5) (NE vs SEA) - Total Receiving Yards - Julian Edelman (NE) Over/Under 67½ (NE vs SEA) - Total Receptions - Julian Edelman (NE) Over/Under 6 (NE vs SEA) - Total Interceptions - Darrelle Revis (NE) Over ½ (+275, 11/4) Under ½ (-350, 2/7) (NE vs SEA) - Total Passing Yards - Russell Wilson (SEA) Over/Under 219½ (NE vs SEA) - Total TD Passes - Russell Wilson (SEA) 0 5/2 1 3/2 2 13/5 3 5/1 4 or more 12/1 (NE vs SEA) - Total Rushing Yards - Russell Wilson (SEA) Over/Under 40½ (NE vs SEA) - Will Russell Wilson (SEA) score a Rushing TD in the game? Yes +220 (11/5) No -280 (5/14) (NE vs SEA) - Total Rushing Yards - Marshawn Lynch (SEA) Over/Under 92½ (NE vs SEA) - Will Marshawn Lynch (SEA) score a TD in the game? Yes -200 (1/2) No +160 (8/5) (NE vs SEA) - Total Receiving Yards - Doug Baldwin (SEA) Over/Under 54½ (NE vs SEA) - Total Interceptions - Richard Sherman (SEA) Over ½ (+200, 2/1) Under ½ (-250, 2/5) CROSS-SPORTS PROPS CROSS SPORT - What will be higher on games played February 2nd? Chris Bosh Total Points Pick Marshawn Lynch Rushing attempts Pick CROSS SPORT - What will be higher on games played February 2nd? Kobe Bryant Total Points, Rebounds & Assists Pick (+120, 6/5) Tom Brady Passing Attempts Pick (-150, 2/3) CROSS SPORT - What will be higher on games played February 2nd? Carmelo Anthony Points Pick Patriots Points scored Pick CROSS SPORT - What will be higher on games played February 2nd? Sidney Crosby Points Pick Russell Wilson TD Passes Pick CROSS SPORT - UFC Parlay Special - Silva vs Diaz Silva wins Patriots win 5/4 Silva Wins Seahawks win 3/2 Diaz wins Patriots win 6/1 Diaz win Seahawks win 7/1 CROSS SPORT - What will be higher on games played February 2nd? Tiger Woods day 1 score at the Masters Pick (+120, 6/5) Julian Edelman Receiving Yards Pick (-150, 2/3) HISTORICAL MATCHUP PROPS HISTORICAL MATCHUP - What will be higher? Tom Brady Super Bowl 2015 Passing Yards +15½ Tom Brady Super Bowl 2012 Passing Yards (276 Yards) -15½ HISTORICAL MATCHUP - What will be higher? Russell Wilson Super Bowl 2015 Passing Yards -13½ Russell Wilson Super Bowl 2014 Passing Yards (206 Yards) +13½ HEAD-TO-HEAD PLAYER PROPS (NE vs SEA) - Who will have more Passing Yards in the game? Tom Brady (NE) QB -39½ Russell Wilson (SEA) QB +39½ (NE vs SEA) - Who will have more Rushing Yards in the game? LeGarrette Blount (NE) RB +29½ Marshawn Lynch (SEA) RB -29½ (NE vs SEA) - Who will have more Receiving Yards in the game? Julian Edelman (NE) WR -12½ Doug Baldwin (SEA) WR +12½ | 1 | 3,452 | sports |
The far-left Syriza party, led by Alexis Tsipras, won Greece's general election yesterday and has formed a governing coalition intent on renegotiating the country's bailout terms. Tsipras has vowed to end Greece's "humiliation and pain", and promised to write off half the nation's debt. Optimism reached its highest level for years on the streets of Athens last night amid a sense of hope that years of crippling austerity may finally come to an end. However, European lenders may not be prepared for a compromise with Tsipras and several countries have voiced their concerns about his ability to deliver on his promises. Germany in particular has indicated it will not renegotiate Greece's bailout terms, which could eventually signal a Greek exit of the eurozone. Tsipras will need to deliver on his promises quickly. Even though the mood in the aftermath of Syriza's victory was one of unyielding positivity, the nation comes first in the world for economic gloom. In spring of 2014, Pew Research found that 53 percent of the Greek population were expecting the economic situation to worsen in their country over the next 12 months. France came second with 48 percent while Lebanon rounded off the top three with 46 percent. Greek voters feel Syriza offers the only real hope of bringing back economic optimism. However, the harsh realities of governing an austerity ravaged nation and delivering all of those big promises may prove too much for the country's new coalition. Syriza has offered the people of Greece hope for the first time in years but failure to deal with the harsh realities of govern | 3 | 3,453 | finance |
For two teams, it's Super Bowl week. Thirty others, meanwhile are focused on the 2015 NFL Draft . We are coming off Senior Bowl week, a showcase for some of the nation's top college prospects. In a draft dominated by underclassmen, this mock only features just four playesr from the Senior Bowl, but three of them are top 15 picks. The highest drafted Senior Bowl player is LSU offensive tackle La'el Collins. In a draft that has no standout offensive lineman, some teams may prefer his powerful blocking style over other plays. This week's mock draft includes no trades. Have an idea for a draft trade that makes sense? Leave it in the comments. 1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers : Jameis Winston, QB, Florida State Look for this pick to remain Winston unless something comes out about the Buccaneers not liking him. For now, that doesn't exist. Winston is the draft's most pro-ready quarterback and could step into the starter's job as a rookie. Don't forget, the Buccaneers were the pick of many before last season to squeeze into the playoffs. Could a good quarterback get them there? 2. Tennessee Titans : Leonard Williams, DE/DT, Southern California Which is more likely: the Titans are comfortable with Zach Mettenberger or head coach Ken Whisenhunt is willing to change his offense around for Marcus Mariota? The Mettenberger scenario seems more likely right now. In Williams defensive coordinator Ray Horton would have a player he could use the same way he utilized Calais Campbell in Arizona. 3. Jacksonville Jaguars : Randy Gregory, DE/OLB, Nebraska At this point, this pick has become rote. Gregory would be the young pass rusher the Jaguars need. He could help transform a defense for Gus Bradley that is starting to really have a nice collection of good players. 4. Oakland Raiders : Amari Cooper, WR, Alabama The simple part of the pick for the Raiders is going with a wide receiver for emerging quarterback Derek Carr. The question over the next few months will be which one it will be. For now, Cooper is considered the best in the class. He can be used in a variety of ways and should be productive in any of them. 5. Washington: La'el Collins, OT, LSU The opinions about Collins vary. Some consider him a very good left tackle prospect. Others think he's a guard. This is absolutely his drat ceiling, but he's a tough and physical player who could fit in Washington's scheme. He could be brought in as the team's right tackle and give them a player opposite Trent Williams who can maul defenders. 6. New York Jets : Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon It shouldn't be a surprise to see Mariota here. It also shouldn't be a surprise if we start to see him a little lower in these mock drafts. The reasoning is because we don't know exactly how the new Jets coaching staff likes Geno Smith and how well they think Mariota will fit. The talent should be too great to pass up, though. 7. Chicago Bears : Dante Fowler, DE, Florida The Bears need to go heavy on line play this offseason, on both sides of the ball. Fowler is a high-effort pass rusher the Bears can move all over the place. In Vic Fangio's defense, Fowler would play the same role Aaron Lynch does for the 49ers . 8. Atlanta Falcons : Vic Beasley, DE/OLB, Clemson Forget everything you've read about Beasley playing at 220 pounds this season. It doesn't matter. At the NFL Scouting Combine , expect him to be much bigger than that. Care more about Beasley's first step. He has the best initial burst of any pass rusher in the draft and closes in a hurry. He's an easy fit in the Bruce Irvin role for Dan Quinn's defense. 9. New York Giants : Brandon Scherff, OT, Iowa In the NFL, Scherff should be able to hold up fine on the left side. If not, he should be stellar playing right tackle or guard. He's a mean, powerful blocker who can knock around bull rushers. It's true, speed rushers can give him issue. But how many offensive tackles easily handle those guys anyway? 10. St. Louis Rams : T.J. Clemmings, OT, Pittsburgh I still contend the Rams are in a terrible spot at No. 10. The best offensive tackles could be gone and it's hard to see St. Louis using yet another high pick on a wide receiver. Clemmings may not have had a good Senior Bowl week, but that's more a function of getting put on the left side. At right tackle for Pittsburgh this season he dominated players. 11. Minnesota Vikings : DeVante Parker, WR, Louisville This pick is just too fun to not make. Parker is what the Vikings' offense needs and his timing with Teddy Bridgewater should come back quickly. He's a big-impact wide out who can do good work in the red zone and after the catch. It's hard to find flaws in Parker's game so pick 11 isn't a reach for him. 12. Cleveland Browns : Kevin White, WR, West Virginia Which scenario do the Browns prefer, a wide receiver at No. 12 and a defensive tackle at No. 19, or the other way around. You know by now Josh Gordon is expected to be suspended next season, so that could force Cleveland's hand. There's nothing wrong with that if White is available. Now if the top three receivers are off the board at 12, that's the scenario where we see Cleveland taking a player like defensive tackle Danny Shelton here. 13. New Orleans Saints : Shane Ray, DE, Missouri With the future of Junior Galette up in the air, the Saints could bring in a pass rusher who can impact the game. Ray really fires off the snap impressively and showed at Missouri this season he can finish. 14. Miami Dolphins : Danny Shelton, DT, Washington If the Dolphins choose to go with a defensive tackle here, they will have their choice of a few including Eddie Goldman of Florida State, Jordan Phillips of Oklahoma and Carl Davis of Iowa. Following a good week of Senior Bowl practices, this is probably the furthest Shelton will fall in the draft. He's a pure nose tackle prospect, something the other top defensive tackles can't claim, and could be brought in to replace Randy Starks immediately. 15. San Francisco 49ers: Eddie Goldman, DT, Florida State Should the top three wide receivers be off the board, should San Francisco goes for the fourth best player at his position or a potentially high impact defensive lineman who can play inside and outside? Florida State utilized Goldman's athleticism working him around the line. New 49ers head coach Jim Tomsula could do the same and have insurance in case Justin Smith does retire. 16. Houston Texans : Trae Waynes, CB, Michigan State Starter Kareem Jackson is a free agent and the on-roster replacements aren't exactly stellar. Waynes is immersed as the draft's top cornerback because of his lanky build and proven ability to play man coverage. 17. San Diego Chargers : Ereck Flowers, OT, Miami Flowers would be quite the find for the Chargers since they're moving D.J. Fluker inside to guard. He could slot into Fluker's old spot at right tackle and could potentially be moved to the left if needed. 18. Kansas City Chiefs : Jaelen Strong, WR, Arizona State Don't expect this pick to change anytime soon. If Strong happens to be gone, though, another wide receiver like Dorial Green-Beckham could be the pick. If not a wide receiver, the Chiefs could target a defensive lineman or offensive lineman. 19. Cleveland Browns (via Buffalo Bills ): Jordan Phillips, DT, Oklahoma A defensive tackle like Phillips would help improve the Browns' terrible run defense. That is assuming a tackle is the issue on the defense. Expect the 6-foot-6, 334-pound Phillips to be a draft riser in the coming weeks. If he's gone before 19, don't be surprised. 20. Philadelphia Eagles : Landon Collins, S, Alabama While Collins is a better run defense and tackling safety, there's no reason to think he can't improve in coverage. The Eagles need to overhaul their defensive backs, and taking the best one available in the first round is a start. 21. Cincinnati Bengals : Bud Dupree, DE, Kentucky The Bengals need to find someone up front on defense who will generate more of a pass rush than Wallace Gilberry has. Finding a good pass rushing end can be difficult after the first round, so going for the best one available could be an option at No. 21. 22. Pittsburgh Steelers : Marcus Peters, CB, Washington The Steelers haven't taken a defensive back in the first two rounds of the draft since 2005, and the level of talent on the team shows it. Peters may have had some issues at Washington, but they may have been overblown. 23. Detroit Lions : P.J. Williams, CB, Florida State Lets assume for this mock draft that the Lions figure out a way to bring back Nick Fairley and Ndamukong Suh. After that, one of the team's biggest needs is cornerback. A player like Williams could be brought in to replace Rashean Mathis . 24. Arizona Cardinals : Eric Kendricks, ILB, UCLA There are a few directions the Cardinals can go with this pick. A pass rusher, offensive lineman or defensive lineman make some sense. Kendricks is a plug and play prospect who could become one of the team's leaders straight away. 25. Carolina Panthers : Andrus Peat, OT, Stanford The pick for the Panthers in these mock drafts has consistently been an offensive tackle. Peat is the best one available, and there looks to be a drop off after him in this scenario. If not an offensive tackle, the Panthers could look at another wide receiver or more talent for the secondary. 26. Baltimore Ravens : Dorial Green-Beckham, WR, Missouri It's true, adding Green-Beckham to Baltimore would be a tough sell. If he's clean and contrite in the interview process, he's a perfect fit for Baltimore. His deep ball ability compliments where Joe Flacco excels and he can become an asset in the red zone. 27. Dallas Cowboys : Melvin Gordon, RB, Wisconsin If the Cowboys let DeMarco Murray walk in free agency, Joseph Randle isn't the type of running back who should be in a lead role. Gordon has the traits of a feature back. He's fast, possesses good size and could step in right away and be productive. 28. Denver Broncos : Malcom Brown, DT, Texas Terrance Knighton could cash in big in free agency, and leave the Broncos with a big hole along the defensive line. Enter Brown, a massive 320-pound run stuffer who can hold the nose. 29. Indianapolis Colts : A.J. Cann, G, South Carolina General manager Ryan Grigson has been uneven in drafting offensive linemen, but it would be hard to fail taking Cann. He's the draft's best pure guard prospect and may have been South Carolina's best player last season. 30. Green Bay Packers : Carl Davis, DT, Iowa While Davis isn't a massive nose tackle, he's disruptive in the run game and showed at Iowa last season he can take up multiple blockers. A good Senior Bowl week should boost Davis into the first round discussion and the Packers could add talent up front. After this year's playoffs, it looks like they need it. 31. New England Patriots : Ellis McCarthy, DT, UCLA It's a fat guy party in the first round of this mock draft. At 325 pounds, McCarthy is the type of player who could replace Vince Wilfork on the defensive line. McCarthy may not have been considered a starter for UCLA, but that's a consequence of an abundance of talent on a three-man front. He was on the field as much as a starter and could blossom in the Patriots' defense. 32. Seattle Seahawks : Maxx Williams, TE, Minnesota At some point in the very near future, the Seahawks are going to have to pay Russell Wilson huge money and because of that could rely on the pass game more. To do that, he needs better receiving weapons. While tight end hasn't been a big part of Seattle's offense, it could be with Williams. This pick also factors in five wide receivers already being off the board. | 1 | 3,454 | sports |
When 55-year-old Connie Antoniou visits her fitness studio, the leg press knows her name. "The machines are programmed for my body so they take the guesswork out and I'm not worried I'll injure myself," said Antoniou, an Illinois realtor. "The traditional approach didn't work for me. It just took too long." An increasing number of gyms are using high-tech exercise equipment that can prompt, respond and adapt to individuals in what fitness experts say may signal a future that frees clients from trying to gauge how fast, how hard or how long to work out. Now her trainer at The Exercise Coach fitness studio punches a code into the fitness machine, her name pops up on a screen,and a session tailored to her personal goals and strengths begins. Antoniou said because of the workout she is stronger and has improved her golf game with just two 20 minute sessions per week. The Exercise Coach, a Chicago-based firm that has 30 franchises nationally, is among the gyms and fitness studios turning to responsive machines to improve workouts. "The paradigm is shifting to workouts that are briefer, more challenging, more intense, and less frequent," said Bryan Cygan, the founder and chief executive of The Exercise Coach. He cited research published in the journal "Preventive Medicine" showing virtually all benefits of resistance training are likely to be obtained in two 15- to 20-minute training sessions a week. "We take individual snapshots of customers and provide exercises that are appropriate to them," he explained. "Then our software makes intelligent recommendations." The coach-led, circuit-style workouts cost up to $40 each and typically include leg curls, leg presses, multiple upper body exercises, and core work and elliptical trainers. Ted Vickey, senior consultant on fitness technology for the American Council on Exercise, said the big box gyms are also exploring the benefits of responsive machines. "The problem is that people aren't exercising, period," said Vickey, who is finishing a Ph.D. on the uses of technology in fitness. "I'm a fan of small steps." Vickey says wearable trackers are currently the most important fitness devices. He envisions a future in which fitness centers resemble fitness hubs, where clients with stored information can get professional recommendations. "I like the fact that we can use that tech to make a change, but I want humans to make that change," he said. "I don't want equipment telling me what to do." (Editing by Patricia Reaney and Steve Orlofsky) | 7 | 3,455 | health |
Calise Manning keeps her cool, saves her pregnant mother | 5 | 3,456 | news |
It's cold and flu season again , and with more than 55 flu-related pediatric deaths reported since September by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it's no surprise that some parents may become concerned with their child's every sniffle and sneeze. But what's a parent to do when their kid suddenly develops blisters in the mouth; fluid-filled lesions on a limb; or an inexplicable rash? Each is a symptom of a disease described below, which some parents may have never heard of but really should know, as these illnesses are usually more common in childhood. Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease This viral infection is often found in children under 10, though adults with compromised immune systems are vulnerable too. Hand, foot and mouth disease should not be confused with foot-and-mouth disease, which affects animals such as cattle and sheep. People cannot contract the animal disease, and animals cannot catch the human disease. "As the name implies, affected patients experience sores on their hands, feet, palms, soles and inside their mouths," says Sean Elliott, professor and associate chair of the department of pediatrics and medical director of infection prevention at the University of Arizona Health Network and College of Medicine. "The mouth lesions typically are ulcerated and very painful, so many patients become dehydrated due to their inability to swallow liquids or food. Patients [may] experience low- to mid-level fevers and malaise, and some also have vomiting and diarrhea." Hand, foot and mouth disease is very contagious; the virus can spread through saliva (think tainted toys) and feces (often from a diaper change), and symptoms typically occur three to six days after exposure. The best treatment course is supportive care, "meaning rest, plenty of fluids and antipyretics [drugs that reduce fever]," Elliott says. Seek medical attention if your child stops urinating or is unable to swallow anything due to the pain, Elliott adds. "Proper hand-washing is essential in helping to prevent the disease from being spread to other children," says Lisa Lowery, section chief of adolescent medicine at Helen DeVos Children's Hospital in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Cleaning contaminated surfaces with sanitizers and disinfectants will help, Lowery adds, along with avoiding close contact with infected people. An infected person can still transmit the virus for up to two weeks after he or she no longer has any symptoms. Fifth Disease Fifth disease got its name from a historical classification system that placed it fifth in a list of common childhood rashes. It's also known as "slapped cheek syndrome," since the rash can cause a child's cheeks to become very red. "Anyone can become infected with the [parvovirus B19] virus that causes fifth disease," Lowery explains, "but the disease is most often recognized in elementary school-aged children." Symptoms include a low- to medium-grade fever, runny nose, cough and decreased appetite for several days not unlike the common cold, Elliott says. The child will then develop bright red spots over the face, particularly the cheeks, which, Elliott adds, may progress to the chest, back and belly and appear like pink lace. Children with fifth disease may not feel very sick, even when the rash makes its appearance, though children with weakened immune systems from conditions such as AIDS or leukemia or blood disorders like sickle cell anemia can become especially ill if infected. Unfortunately, if a child develops fifth disease, treatment options are limited. "Since it is a viral infection, there is no cure," Lowery says. "The goal of treatment is to help reduce symptoms." An infected child should drink more fluids and may be given an antihistamine to relieve the itching. Parents can also use acetaminophen or ibuprofen to treat a fever, but Lowery warns: "Do not give aspirin to children, [which] can cause a serious health condition called Reye syndrome." Unfortunately, measures to effectively control fifth disease have not been developed, Lowery says, but as with most diseases, "good hand-washing may be a practical and effective method to reduce the spread of the virus in schools or daycare centers where there are known cases." Impetigo Impetigo, sometimes referred to as "school sores," is a bacterial skin infection caused by staphylococcus aureus or group A streptococcus . Fluid-filled lesions appear that eventually rupture and drain, leaving areas covered with honey-colored crusts. This typically occurs around the nostrils and mouth, but can really happen anywhere on the body, says Dyan Hes, medical director of Gramercy Pediatrics in New York. "They often spread from area to area as a child scratches and infects other body parts with a contaminated hand." These lesions can be made worse by poor hygiene and warm temperatures, Lowery adds. "It's [also] easier for a child with an open wound or fresh scratch to contract impetigo," Lowery explains. "Other skin-related problems such as eczema, body lice, insect bites, fungal infections and various other forms of dermatitis can make a person susceptible to impetigo." While children between ages 2 and 5 are most vulnerable, Hes says, impetigo can affect any age group. "It's more contagious in crowded living areas, day cares and schools." Treatment is usually a topical antibiotic applied to the lesions, though if there are many, oral antibiotics may be prescribed. "Kids may go back to school once they've been on topical antibiotics for 24 hours, and exposed lesions should be loosely covered," Hes adds. Impetigo may be considered a superficial skin infection but there can be cases of bullous impetigo, where large blisters may form. For these infections, Hes urges parents to seek medical attention immediately. "Otherwise, this is not a particularly dangerous illness." What's the best method of prevention? Daily hand-washing with antibacterial soap. Ringworm Despite the name, ringworm is an infection caused by fungus not a worm. It affects the skin on places such as the scalp, hands and feet, along with nails. Lowery notes that ringworm most commonly occurs in children, specifically boys, though those with skin conditions such as eczema and a weakened immune system are also at risk. With scalp-based ringworm, flaky areas (often misdiagnosed as dandruff) may appear. "However, they are often ring-shaped areas of inflammation and scaling with raised edges," Hes says. "They can become intensely itchy, and in some cases, the hairs will break off." Ringworm affecting the skin will appear as round or oval scaly lesions with raised red boarders, Hess explains. They usually have a clear center, but not always. These rings can be very large or come in multiples. A topical antifungal can be used to treat ringworm on the skin, while ringworm of the scalp requires oral antifungal medication because the fungus infects the hair shaft. Though ringworm complications are typically cosmetic, if left untreated, ringworm can cause boil-like swellings on the scalp with hair breakage and intense itching, Hes says. "An untreated skin infection will be itchy and can get super-infected from bacteria with all the scratching." And untreated infections can continue for weeks to months. To avoid ringworm, "be careful to thoroughly wash and dry any area susceptible to infections; for example, the region between the toes and skin creases near the groin," Lowery says. "And it's always a good idea to prevent the sharing of brushes, combs or hats." RSV "Respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, is a common, seasonal virus contracted by nearly 100 percent of infants by their second birthday," says Paul Checchia, medical director of the cardiovascular intensive care unit at Texas Children's Hospital. Babies born prematurely and those with certain types of congenital heart disease and chronic lung disease are especially vulnerable. In fact, RSV is the leading cause of hospitalization for babies in their first year of life. Especially common November through March, the virus is typically caught in schools and day cares. RSV spreads by sneezing and coughing or physical contact with infected objects; the virus can "survive on hard surfaces such as toys, tables and crib rails for up to eight hours," Checchia says. Most babies with RSV develop a mild respiratory infection and show symptoms resembling the common cold or flu, but in severe cases, they may experience persistent coughing or wheezing; spread-out nostrils and/or a caved-in chest when trying to breathe; a bluish color around the mouth or fingernails; fever (a rectal reading over 100.4 degrees); or difficulty drinking from the bottle or breast. In some cases, Checchia adds, RSV can lead to congestion in the small airways of the lungs or pneumonia, which may mean a hospital stay or even respiratory failure requiring admission to the intensive care unit and assistance from a breathing machine. Says Checchia: "There is no cure for RSV. All we can do is support children through the course of the disease. All parents should avoid crowds; people who may be sick; and frequently wash hands, toys and clothes." Parents should also check with their pediatrician to determine if their baby is high-risk for RSV and learn the best preventive steps. Staying Healthy Despite parents' best efforts, children can and will get sick on occasion there can be no avoiding it at times but most experts agree there are steps caregivers can take to keep a child armored against all these diseases. You've heard it before, but we'll say it again: Hand-washing is one of the most effective ways to keep germs at bay . Help your child learn to properly use soap and water, lathering for 15 seconds, then following with a thorough rinse. Use of an alcohol-based, waterless gel is also good, Elliott says. Children should be current with all vaccinations and get the annual flu shot as well, he adds. "Parents [also] shouldn't underestimate the power of good sleep and nutrition to help their children build and keep a strong immune system," Lowery says. "With today's busy schedules, which threaten sleep and healthy meals, be your child's advocate. Eliminate electronic use in the hour proceeding bedtime, honor the dinner hour and keep healthy snacks within your child's reach." And last but not least, Elliott emphatically requests that all people feeling sick and showing symptoms please stay home. Do not, he insists, share your or your child's illness with others at work, school, playgroup and other public places. Copyright 2015 U.S. News & World Report | 7 | 3,457 | health |
I'm going to tell you a number that's too big to imagine: Four hundred and thirty billion. That's how many web pages have been captured and preserved by the weird, wonderful, Wayback Machine since it launched in 1996. I learned this from Jill Lepore's engrossing profile of the Internet Archive, printed in The New Yorker this week. (Actually, that number has ballooned to four hundred and fifty two billion , and it's always climbing.) I also learned that Internet Archive founder and Wayback Machine inventor Brewster Kahle once decided to squeeze the entire web into a shipping container. Here's how Lepore tells it: I was on a panel with Kahle a few years ago, discussing the relationship between material and digital archives. When I met him, I was struck by a story he told about how he once put the entire World Wide Web into a shipping container. He just wanted to see if it would fit. How big is the Web? It turns out, he said, that it's twenty feet by eight feet by eight feet, or, at least, it was on the day he measured it. How much did it weigh? Twenty-six thousand pounds. He thought that meant something. He thought people needed to know that. Kahle put the Web into a storage container, but most people measure digital data in bytes. This essay is about two hundred thousand bytes. A book is about a megabyte. A megabyte is a million bytes. A gigabyte is a billion bytes. A terabyte is a million million bytes. A petabyte is a million gigabytes. In the lobby of the Internet Archive, you can get a free bumper sticker that says "10,000,000,000,000,000 Bytes Archived." Ten petabytes. It's obsolete. That figure is from 2012. Since then, it's doubled. Others, too, have endeavored to turn the web into something you can pick up and turn over with your hands. As of July 2013, a crowdsourced effort to print out the entire web had produced 10 tons of pages the equivalent of three or four baby blue whales, as the Washington Post put it . "It's a lot of paper. Yet it's not even a sliver of the whole Internet." The whole Internet is hardly something that can be counted or printed or put into a shipping container. And so far it's not even something that can be preserved, not comprehensively not even close. But Kahle is trying. "The Internet as most people now know it Web-based and commercial began in the mid-nineties," Lepore wrote. "Just as soon as it began, it started disappearing. And the Internet Archive began collecting it." You can read the rest of her story here . This article was originally published at http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/01/how-much-does-the-web-weigh/384822/ | 5 | 3,458 | news |
ATLANTA (AP) A Georgia couple is missing after driving across the state to check out a classic car advertised on Craigslist, and police say the man who last had phone contact with them faces charges. Investigators have obtained warrants for 28-year-old Ronnie Adrian "Jay" Towns on charges of giving false statements and criminal attempt to commit theft by deception. He hasn't been accused of harming Bud and June Runion. Telfair County Sheriff Chris Steverson tells WMAZ-TV in Macon (on.wmaz.com/15zHjtJ) that Towns was interviewed, and information he provided didn't match what investigators knew of the case. The Runions are from Marietta, just outside Atlanta. On Thursday, they drove to McRae, about three hours away in South Georgia, to meet someone who responded to Bud Runion's ad seeking a 1966 Mustang. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (http://on-ajc.com/1zGIipm) says family members became concerned when the couple didn't come back or answer calls. | 5 | 3,459 | news |
Mattel CEO Bryan Stockton has resigned from the helm of the toy giant just weeks after announcing a corporate reshuffle aiming to restore the fortunes of the struggling Barbie manufacturer. Stockton will be replaced in the interim by board director Christopher Sinclair, one-time CEO of Pepsi. Stockton's resignation comes at a tough time for Mattel, which released disappointing fourth quarter results on Monday morning at the same time as it announced Stockton's departure. Sales during the all-important holiday shopping season fell 6% to $1.99 billion. Mattel has been trying of late to diversify away from Barbie , who seems to be falling out of fashion with young girls, most recently in favor of characters from Disney's mega-hit Frozen . In fact, a November study released by the National Retail Federation showed Mattel's 56-year-old pony-tailed fashionista had been dethroned as the top girls toy for the first time in the survey's 11-year history by Frozen merchandise. Mattel has in recent times offered up what they must have seen as modern interpretations of Barbie to appeal to future career girls and their parents. At 2014′s New York Toy Fair, the toymaker unveiled Entrepreneur Barbie, carrying a briefcase, smartphone and tablet . The move was greeted with some cynicism. As Time's Jessica Roy rather drily put it: "Given the current climate for women at startups , perhaps next Mattel can craft ' Silently Enduring Sexual Harassment With the Hope I Will Get a Raise' Barbie; ' Making Less Than My Male Counterparts' Barbie; ' Getting Turned Down by Investors Because I'm Pregnant ' Barbie; or ' I'm Going to Die Eating This Sad Salad at My Desk Alone' Barbie." This time last year, lamenting another lackluster quarter, Bryan Stockton told investors: "We just didn't sell enough Barbie dolls." It now appears this inability to shift the pink-clad plastic beauty has cost Stockton the top job. Barbie's Careers Through The Years | 3 | 3,460 | finance |
Five teams competing for the $30 million Google Lunar X Prize have just been awarded a combined $5.25 million for meeting significant milestones in developing a robot that can safely land on the surface of the moon, travel 500 meters over the lunar surface, and send mooncasts back to the Earth. A tiny start-up from India, Team Indus, with no experience in robotics or space flight just won $1 million of this prize. It stood head to head with companies that had been funded by billionaires, had received the assistance of NASA, and had the support of leading universities. The good news is that governments no longer have a monopoly on space exploration. In two or three decades, we will have entrepreneurs taking us on private spaceflights to the moon. That is what has become possible. What has changed since the days of the Apollo moon landings is that the cost of building technologies has dropped exponentially. What cost billions of dollars then costs millions now, and sometimes even less. Our smartphones have computers that are more powerful than the Cray supercomputers of yesteryear which had strict export controls and cost tens of millions of dollars. We carry high-definition cameras in our pockets that are more powerful than those on NASA spacecraft. The cameras in the Mars Curiosity Rover, for example, have a resolution of 2 megapixels with 8GB of flash memory, the same as our clunky first-generation iPhones. The Apollo Guidance Computer, which took humans to the moon in 1966, had a 2.048 MHz processor slower than those you find in calculators and musical greeting cards. The same technologies as are available in the United States and Europe are available worldwide. Innovation has globalized. That is why Team Indus was able to compete with companies such as Moon Express, which has the backing of several billionaires and received key technologies from NASA to help it get its start; Astrobotic, which is a spinoff from the Carnegie Mellon University Robotics Institute; and Israel-based SpaceIL, which has the backing of the country's top research institutes. The Bangalore-based start-up was founded by a former I.T. executive, Rahul Narayan and four of his friends: an Air Force pilot, a marketing executive, an investment banker, and an aerospace engineer. Neither company had experience in building spacecraft or robots, yet they were able to build technology that could navigate to the moon. Narayan says he expects completion of his space mission to cost around $30 million. Moon Express chief executive Bob Richards estimates $50 million. These numbers are higher than the $20 million prize that they hope to win. But both see far greater opportunities: they hope to be pioneers in what could be a trillion-dollar industry. Richards is looking to mine the moon for minerals and bring them back to Earth. Each payload could be worth billions. The Google Lunar X Prize has 26 teams competing from around the world. Collectively, they will spend in the hundreds of millions of dollars on their efforts. For them, it is not all about winning the contest; many of the losers will still commercialize their space technologies or put their knowledge to use in other fields. This is the power of such competitions. They lead entrants to spend multiples of the offered purse on innovative solutions. And they motivate people outside the industry, such as Narayan, to enter it with out-of-the-box thinking. Innovation prizes are not new. In fact, a number of celebrated historical feats were made possible, in part, by the desire to win these prizes. In the 1920s, New York hotel owner Raymond Orteig offered a $25,000 prize to the first person to fly non-stop between New York and Paris. Several unsuccessful attempts were made before an American airmail pilot named Charles Lindbergh won the competition in 1927 with his plane, The Spirit of St. Louis . Lindbergh's achievement made him a national hero and a global celebrity. And it sparked the interest and investment that led to the modern aviation industry. That is what I expect will come of the Lunar X Prize. And that is why I am looking forward to booking my round-trip ticket to the moon one summer in the 2030s. | 5 | 3,461 | news |
Imagine opening up a can of food for lunch, and you notice something alien-like inside... looking right at you. Scared yet? Well, that's exactly what happened to Zoe Butler, 28, from the U.K. Almost immediately after opening up some Princes tuna, Butler spotted a "sea creature" she knew wasn't supposed to be in her food. "I opened the top of the lid and saw a purple-y thing, a gut sack or intestine then I turned it round and pushed it with a fork and saw it looking back at me…It's got like a spiny tail along the bottom," she told the Nottingham Post . @NottinghamPost can you tell me what this is? Nearly fed this to my children!! From Princes tuna chunks can pic.twitter.com/IHNw1PdFnO Zoe Butler (@zoelouisebutler) January 19, 2015 She then (as anyone else would) screamed in horror. She eventually contacted the company, sending them images of the animal, which is thought to be a type of crab . They quickly responded and apologized. Since she kept the creature as evidence, she will send the can (and the critter) to Princes so they can investigate what happened. What is THIS? Mum makes a very odd discovery in her can of tuna: http://t.co/Hhy1EON5Bj pic.twitter.com/2h4Q73yVSZ Nottingham Post (@Nottingham_Post) January 22, 2015 Butler says she's not looking for any form of payment or a lifetime supply of tuna. "I just want to find out what it is and to make sure it doesn't happen to somebody else." | 0 | 3,462 | foodanddrink |
(Bloomberg) -- Hackers are opening new horizons: having learned how to break into Apple Inc.'s iPhones they may target smart televisions next, according to cybersecurity firm Kaspersky Lab. "There are already Trojan viruses that can penetrate an iPhone when it's connected to a computer," founder and Chief Executive Officer Eugene Kaspersky said in an interview. "Smart TVs would be the next step." In the future, hackers will be able to interfere with smart TVs -- the latest generation of TVs that are connected to the Internet -- and require users to send a paid text message to get them unlocked, Kaspersky predicts. Criminals may also seek to steal money from online movie accounts or use the TV's camera to record what users are doing, he said. Hackers are boosting attacks on targets ranging from corporate computer networks to individual smartphones for data that could help steal money from user accounts. Those attacks are extending from Microsoft Corp.'s Windows-run computers and Google Inc.'s Android-based smartphones to platforms including Apple's iOS. An Apple spokeswoman declined to comment. Kaspersky Lab's Russian business may slow this year as some companies switch to pirated software, while others may go out of business amid the economic crisis, the CEO said. Russia accounts for about 15 percent of Kaspersky Lab's sales. "Europe is the largest market for us, and euro devaluation versus the dollar has eaten up several percentage points of our revenue growth," Kaspersky said. The company's programmers are mostly based in Russia, which lowers costs in dollar terms after the ruble plunged last year, the CEO said. To contact the reporters on this story: Olga Tanas in Moscow at [email protected]; Ilya Khrennikov in Moscow at [email protected] To contact the editors responsible for this story: Balazs Penz at [email protected] Kenneth Wong, Torrey Clark | 5 | 3,463 | news |
The Do's of Color: 1. Whether it's your first time coloring your hair or you're just considering changing your current shade, bring several pictures of looks that you like. It gives the colorist a visual of what appeals to you. 2. If you don't have a colorist and you're not sure where to go, look up reputable salons in your area and schedule one or two consultations with their head colorist. It's good to get a few opinions and a professional will help you decide your best look. 3. Let your colorist know what kind of maintenance you can keep up with to suit your lifestyle and budget. 4. If you're thinking about coloring your hair and want to try something with no commitment, ask for a semi-permanent color glaze that will add shine, tone, and enhance your look. 5. Always use shampoos and conditioners for color-treated hair to protect and extend your color. If your hair is dry and porous use a leave-in conditioner that will help keep the cuticle sealed. You can also use a conditioning masque once a week. Highlighted and bleached blondes are one of the most fragile colors, so they should double-dose on treatments. I'm loving Brilliant Contrast Gloss Infusion by Goldwell it protects and gives lots of shine! The Don'ts of Color: 1. Don't wash your hair for 48 hours after a coloring (unless you hate it)... Protect your investment. 2. Don't think that choosing a color that looks good on your friends will look the same on you. Skin tone, eye color, hair texture, and hair cut all have a lot to do with your best color look. 3. Don't ever change your color the day before an important event... This could be a bad idea! 4. Don't be impulsive when coloring your hair. Mood and season changes may inspire potential color change, but give yourself time to think it through and get the opinion of a professional. A consultation is always a good idea. 5. Don't believe hair coloring products claiming to be "natural" are better. Sometimes some of the "natural" ingredients limit future color changes. | 4 | 3,464 | lifestyle |
If there's one thing we've learned from our continuing coverage of the Jendashians, it's that public opinion of this family is majorly mixed. Take Kendall is she a mega-talented new face with a supermodel future? Or, is she overrated and overexposed? (Maybe both!) No matter how you feel about her, you have to credit Karl Lagerfeld , eternal master of the zeitgeist, for his savvy in casting her in his spring '15 campaign. In it, Kendall appears alongside fellow models Sasha Luss, Ming Xi, and Baptiste Giabiconi. But, she's not terribly recognizable , thanks to the shots' photography and styling: super-high contrast; heavy, blunt bangs; and giant sunglasses having a way of obscuring famous faces. If you love Kendall, you'll be thrilled she's scored another coup in a career that's gone from strength to strength (and from Vogue photoshoot to Vogue photoshoot) in a shockingly short amount of time. If you can't stand her, you might not even spot her here. Everybody's happy and with these anonymized, black-and-white portraits, all the focus is on the brand's accessories. Touché, Karl. | 4 | 3,465 | lifestyle |
NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Jarrett, who had spent the last seven years in the ESPN broadcast booth after he retired from racing, will join the NBC Sports broadcast team for Sprint Cup and Xfinity races. Jarrett will join Krista Voda and Kyle Petty on the prerace and postrace shows. He also will be in the booth for select Xfinity (formerly Nationwide) Series events. MORE: Best performances of 2014 | Deflate-gate and NASCAR | Gordon's legacy NBC and NBC Sports Network will televise the final 20 Cup races and 19 Xfinity races this year, the first of a 10-year deal that has Fox and NBC splitting the NASCAR race telecasts. Jarrett, son of NASCAR Hall of Famer Ned Jarrett, won 32 Cup races and won the 1999 Cup title. | 1 | 3,466 | sports |
CHICAGO Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson has dabbled in baseball, but hasn't played in a Major League game. He didn't follow in the footsteps of Bo Jackson, one of the few two-sport stars of the modern era. Jackson once advised Wilson to stick with football, and is still a fan of Wilson's. But it's not for sporting reasons. "I like the way he plays. I like the way he carries himself. He isn't a showman. He lets his play speak for him," Jackson said while attending the Chicago White Sox fan festival. "I'm impressed with him from a philanthropic standpoint. That's what impresses me. Just being a football player, being an athlete of any sort, after having the life that I've had, that's not impressive to me. I'm impressed by what the young guys are doing off the field because that's what's going to stay with them longer than any accolade they could win on the field." MORE: Sen. John McCain joins Goodell's critics Jackson played for four seasons with the Raiders and nine seasons with three different baseball teams. In just 38 games in the NFL, he had 2,782 yards and 16 touchdowns. These days, business keeps him so busy that he doesn't have much time for sports. "Usually, when I'm catching up with sports, I'm seeing it on the news, or somebody's talking about it. Not that I'm not a fan, because I am, but I've got other businesses that I'm trying to make successful. In the process, it has me all over the country," Jackson said. ARMOUR: Sherman sees real issue in Deflategate His business ventures include a stake in a small community bank in suburban Chicago, an indoor sporting complex, and a product distribution company. "The business world challenges make sports challenges look like cupcakes," Jackson said. "But the way that they are similar is that if you don't put forth the effort, you're always going to end up riding the bench. You're always going to be watching everyone from behind. | 1 | 3,467 | sports |
New York Giants' Host Bob Papa reflects on the amazing rookie season of WR Odell Beckham Jr. To see more Giants videos download the Giants DeskSite. | 1 | 3,468 | sports |
USC The Trojans started their weekend with a bang, picking up the commitment of five-star linebacker Osa Masina. The Salt Lake City (Utah) Brighton star is rated as one of the best linebacker prospects in the entire nation, and his commitment alone bumped USC up to third in the 247 Composite team rankings with just a few weeks left before Signing Day. Conquest Chronicles, our USC blog, is understandably excited about Masina's addition to the 2015 class. LSU The Tigers moved up to 10th in the 247 Composite rankings with the addition of a familiar name, Lanard Fournette. The younger brother of freshman phenom Leonard Fournette is only a three-star recruit, but is reportedly athletic enough to play running back, wide receiver, or defensive back. Ole Miss Hugh Freeze had a big weekend, picking up a pair of commitments from four-star wide receiver Van Jefferson and three-star defensive end Rasool Clemons . Their inclusion in the Rebels' 2015 class pushed them up five spots in the 247 Composite rankings, all the way up to 13th. Unfortunately for them, that's only good for seventh in the SEC. Michigan It may have taken Jim Harbaugh a few weeks to lock down his first commits for Michigan, but they came quickly in succession. The Wolverines added three commits over the weekend , headlined by four-star quarterback Zach Gentry , whom they flipped from Texas. They also added three-star defensive end Rueben Jones and two-star offensive lineman Nolan Ulizio. The Wolverines are still only 69th in the 247 Composite rankings, but the trio of commits bumped them up 22 spots, and they still only have nine players in their 2015 class. There's still a ton of work to do, but Harbaugh and the new staff can finish strong. Missouri The Tigers added a pair of three-star recruits over the weekend, securing the commitments of Texas wide receiver Brandon Martin and Louisiana defensive tackle Tyrell Jacobs. Missouri is now up to 21 commits in their 2015 class, and jumped nine spots up to 26th in the 247 Composite. NC State The Wolfpack are the surprise big gainers of the weekend, flipping a pair of in-state recruits to their cause . NC State gained the commitments of four-star running back Johnny Frasier, flipping him from Florida State, and three-star three-star defensive end Emmanuel Olenga, who was previously committed to East Carolina. The Wolfpack are now up to 27th in the 247 Composite, and Dave Doeren and staff are putting together a really solid class in Raleigh. | 1 | 3,469 | sports |
The Obama administration will make historic changes to how the U.S. pays its annual $3 trillion health-care bill, aiming to curtail a costly habit of paying doctors and hospitals without regard to quality or effectiveness. Starting next year Medicare, which covers about 50 million elderly and disabled Americans, will base 30 percent of payments on how well health providers care for patients, some of which will put them at financial risk based on the quality they deliver. By 2018, the goal is to put half of payments under the new system. For doctors and health facilities, the system will tie tens, and then hundreds, of billions of dollars in payments to how their patients fare, rather than how much work a doctor or hospital does, lowering the curtain on Medicare's system of paying line-by-line for each scan, test and surgery. "We believe these goals can drive transformative change," Sylvia Mathews Burwell, secretary of the Health and Human Services Department, said in the statement. The program would be a major shift for hospitals, health facilities and physicians, eventually more than doubling the reach of programs that the U.S. said has saved $417 million and that have been a model for how the government hopes to influence, and slow down, health spending. Medicare paid about $362 billion to care providers in 2014, the health department said in a statement, making it the biggest buyer of health care services in the U.S. Paying separately for each procedure, called "fee-for-service," has long been viewed as an inefficient driver of U.S. health spending, which at more than 17 percent of gross domestic product is the highest in the world. Broad Reach The Obama administration's announcement today is the first time the government has ever set specific goals to steer the nation away from fee-for-service payments. Medicare's practices are often echoed by private insurers who cover 170 million Americans. If the U.S.'s plan is successful, non-elderly consumers could eventually see cost savings, though they may also find that doctors and hospitals offer fewer services as they seek to cut waste and maintain profits. Doctors and hospitals are already facing changes under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare. About 20 percent of Medicare spending is now paid through programs in which health-care providers either take some financial risk for their performance or at least collect and report measures of their quality, the health department said. Expanding that figure was a key goal of the the law. At Risk "The people who are delivering care are increasingly at financial risk for the services that are being rendered," Dan Mendelson, CEO of Avalere Health, a Washington consulting firm, said in a phone interview. "It's increasingly likely the physician or the hospital is going to make more money if they provide less care." The country's main lobbying groups for doctors and hospitals said they were on board, at least with the broad idea behind the overhaul. "We support secretary Burwell's goals and plans," said Maureen Swick, a representative of the American Hospital Association. Robert Wah, president of the American Medical Association, said that physicians were worried about additional bureaucracy. "This idea that we're talking about delivery reform and setting up a system of delivery reform, we're very supportive of that," Wah said in an interview in Washington. "The details will be important to see." Industry Reaction Burwell met with about two dozen health industry officials this morning to brief them on the administration's plan. Participants included executives of Verizon Communications Inc., Boeing Co., UnitedHealth Group Inc., Anthem Inc. and representatives of large hospital chains and physician organizations. The Affordable Care Act, often criticized by its opponents for not doing much to control health-care costs, created several programs the Obama administration now plans to rely upon to end fee-for-service payments. For example, the law penalizes hospitals with high rates of readmissions of Medicare patients within 30 days of discharging them, and encourages doctors and hospitals to band together and closely coordinate their care, with the aim of reducing redundancies and inefficiency. Those programs have saved about 50,000 lives and reduced health-care spending by about $12 billion, based on preliminary estimates, the health department said. To contact the reporter on this story: Alex Wayne in Washington at [email protected] To contact the editors responsible for this story: Crayton Harrison at [email protected] Drew Armstrong | 3 | 3,470 | finance |
Julia Roberts thinks Hollywood was "easier" when she was beginning her career. The 47-year-old actress thinks it is tougher for young starlets to succeed these days, because people are not as "nice" as when she started working and anonymous online criticism makes things even more difficult. She told 'Entertainment Tonight': "I think it was easier back when I was starting, probably than it is now. People were nicer, I think." There's just a lot of anonymity now for critiquing people and pretending that you know people, and I think that that becomes complex. There are just a lot of people who hide." However, when asked to advise young hopefuls on what they should do, the 'Normal Heart' star insisted she wasn't the right person to ask.She said her advice would be: "Don't take advice from actors. Ever." The 'Pretty Woman' actress - who has children Hazel and Phinnaeus, 10, and Henry, seven, with husband Daniel Moder - previously said she has never been "ambitious" in her career and didn't feel bitter when roles she wanted went to other people. She said: "I always feel like there is room for everybody. I don't consider myself really all that ambitious. When I didn't get a part - even when I was younger and needing to pay my rent - I would think, 'Oh, someone else got it. She's going to be so good.' I never felt sour grapes." | 6 | 3,471 | entertainment |
Almost 500 coal miners were trapped for a while in separatist-controlled Donetsk in Ukraine, after shelling knocked out a power station. But a Donetsk city official told the Donetsk News Agency later in the afternoon that all the miners had been removed without injury and the power station was back online. At about midday local time artillery fire damaged the Kievsky district power station, leaving 496 men stranded underground in the Zasyadko mine, the Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported. Officials from the self-declared Donetsk People's Republic later told local news outlets that 110 miners had been evacuated and the rest were gradually coming out of the mine. A Zasyadko miner who recently joined the pro-Russian separatists told the Guardian that workers usually set up a mobile generator above ground to power lifts and gradually take the miners out in such instances. He said several of his friends were currently in the mine and blamed Ukrainian forces outside the city for the artillery strike. "They're still shelling at this very moment," said the miner, who would give his name only as Andrei. "They don't make war on the rebels, but rather on civilians." "Measures are being taken, we can't leave our people down there. I'm waiting for their call." Ukrainian forces have often shelled Donetsk and caused civilian casualties, at least sometimes firing in response to separatist shelling originating in residential areas. At least seven civilians were killed in the mysterious shelling of a bus stop in the city last week, with both sides blaming each other for the carnage . The conflict in Ukraine, which has killed more than 5,000 people, reignited this month despite the work of diplomats in support of a little-observed ceasefire. Miners in the Donetsk area have previously faced danger on numerous occasions due to the artillery war raging above their heads. Electricity to the Zasyadko mine was reportedly lost due to a shell strike on 11 January, trapping 364 miners below ground. A French photographer happened to be with more than 50 miners half a mile below the surface at another mine in November when a shell impact cut off the electricity and ventilation. He documented their escape as they walked miles through underground shafts to an elevator that was still working. The Zasyadko coal mine is one of the largest in Ukraine and has seen many incidents before, including a methane explosion in 2007 that killed 101 miners. Separatist-controlled Donetsk and Luhansk are both part of a coal-rich region historically known as "Donbass," or the Donetsk basin. The local economy is dependent on coal mining and metallurgy, and the local football team Shakhtar which has been forced to play its home games in Lviv in western Ukraine since the conflict began is named after the Ukrainian word for miner. . | 5 | 3,472 | news |
Indonesian President Joko Widodo tells Christiane Amanpour "this is a momentum to fix the administrations related to the airline industry." | 8 | 3,473 | video |
Almost anyone can save $100 a month a mere $25 a week for retirement. Tax breaks and a 401(k) match make it even easier to accumulate an extra $1,200 by the end of the year. Here's how to painlessly pad your retirement account with an extra $100 a month. Payroll deduction. The easiest way to save $100 per month for retirement is to have the amount withheld from your paycheck and deposited into a retirement, savings or investment account. Depending on how often you are paid, you can elect to have $50 withheld from twice-monthly paychecks or have $25 directly deposited from weekly payments. If you don't have access to a retirement account at work, you can have the money directly deposited to an individual retirement account or investment account. "The best way to save is to make an automatic deduction from your paycheck, and then the money does not arrive in your checking account to spend," says Marilyn Plum, a certified financial planner and director of portfolio management at Ballou Plum Wealth Advisors in Lafayette, California. "If you don't have a 401(k), anyone can set up their own individual retirement account or Roth IRA and still have the automatic deductions taken out of their checking account. That's a great way to save in an easy fashion, and you don't get tempted to spend that money." Employer match. Saving $100 per month is much easier if you get a 401(k) match . If your employer matches 50 cents for each dollar you save, you only need to tuck away about $67 to realize $100 per month in savings. If your employer matches your contributions dollar for dollar, you could get away with saving $50 per month and still end the year with an extra $1,200 in savings. Get an immediate tax deduction with a 401(k). If you elect to have $100 directly deposited from your paycheck to a 401(k) plan each month, your take-home paychecks will decline by less than $100 because you are deferring paying income tax on the amount you save. "If you have $100 taken out of your paycheck, tax-deferred, and you are in the 15 percent tax bracket, really, your paycheck will only go down by $85 instead of $100 because of not having to withhold tax on the full amount," says Patricia Seaman, senior director of marketing and communications for the National Endowment for Financial Education. "Use the tax system to help you get to that $100 without it feeling like that $100 is taken right out of your pay." You may get an additional tax break at the state level, meaning your paychecks will decline by even less than $85 if you make a $100 401(k) contribution. And if you are in a higher tax bracket, the tax deferral is even more valuable. Workers in the 25 percent tax bracket who contribute $100 to a traditional 401(k) will only see their paychecks decline by $75. Get a tax-time deduction using an IRA. You could also contribute $100 per month to an IRA. Although you won't see an immediate tax reduction on your paychecks when you contribute to an IRA, you can exclude that amount from income tax when you file your tax return. If you are in the 25 percent tax bracket and contribute $1,200 in an IRA, it will reduce your tax bill by $300. IRA contributions can be made up until your tax-filing deadline, so you can reduce your current tax bill by contributing to a traditional IRA. "When you use tax software, you can see how putting in $100 or $1,000 effects your tax bill," says J. Michael Collins, director of the Center for Financial Security at the University of Wisconsin Madison. "If you get a refund, you can split your refund between your retirement account and your checking account if you want to do that." Claim the saver's credit. In addition to the tax deduction on your retirement account contributions, workers with adjusted gross incomes below $30,500 for singles, $45,750 for heads of household and $61,000 for married couples in 2015 can claim the saver's credit . This valuable tax credit is worth between 10 percent and 50 percent of the contribution amount, up to $2,000 for individuals and $4,000 for couples, with bigger credits going to people with lower incomes. "You get the deduction, and then in addition to that, you get the tax credit," Plum says. "It is a double benefit." Copyright 2015 U.S. News & World Report | 3 | 3,474 | finance |
North Carolina and Wake Forest jointly announced Monday that they have agreed to play a non-conference football series in 2019 and 2021 with the first game in Winston-Salem. Wait a second, you're probably thinking. Aren't North Carolina and Wake Forest in the same conference? Indeed, they are both still members of the Atlantic Coast Conference and will presumably remain so when these games are played in 2019 and 2021. You haven't missed any major realignment news. But with the ACC swelling to 14 members and deciding to continue with an eight-game league schedule, some traditional rivals will play each other far less frequently than they would like. That prompted discussion amongst athletics directors at last spring's conference meetings about the possibility of ACC teams scheduling each other for non-conference games. North Carolina, for instance, is scheduled to play Wake Forest as a conference game in 2015 but not again until 2022. The ACC schedule rotation is currently set through 2024. "This is a unique opportunity to play a regional rival in years that fall outside the normal conference rotation," UNC athletics director Bubba Cunningham said in a release. "We have a long history with Wake Forest that has historical value and will generate interest within our fans." In other words, instead of UNC and Wake Forest spending upwards of $1 million to fill a non-conference date with someone like Louisiana-Monroe or North Texas, they will play a more cost-effective game against a real rival, which will generate more fan interest and ticket sales. Even though it's a bit awkward and will create some confusion, it's pretty much a win-win for those two schools. It's also something other schools in the ACC could look to duplicate. | 1 | 3,475 | sports |
There are a ton of rituals female celebrities have to endure before taking that long stroll down the red carpet on awards nights. Aside from the primping and preening, there are all the asinine questions to answer that have nothing to do with their latest project. As if that wasn't enough, since 2012 E! has been asking them to step up to the Mani Cam to show off their elaborate nail art and bling-y ring choices. It seemed like a good idea when nail art was at its fever pitch. But, now that the trend is starting to wane, it feels played out. Still, stars are having to suffer the indignity of parading their polished digits effectively reducing themselves to the lacquer on their tips. "Oh, you're up for a best-actress Oscar for portraying a Nobel laureate? That's nice. Let's see if your nail polish matches your engagement ring!" At last night's SAG Awards, it seemed like a lot of the celebs were mad as hell and not going to take it anymore. At least four leading ladies snubbed the Mani Cam. Jennifer Aniston looked at Maria Menounos like she had eight heads when the host asked her to parade her paws. Reese Witherspoon used a distraction tactic: She pulled Sofia Vergara over to Maria to show off her ring. Orphan Black star Tatiana Maslany was having none of it and apparently hurt E!'s feelings so much, its staff wrote an article about it. Julianne Moore was the most direct of the bunch, saying, "I'm not doing that!" After which, Maria Menounos' head appeared to explode. Frankly, the entire practice is insanely awkward and boring. Plus, it's not like anyone asks dudes to go for a stroll with their fingers while the camera zooms in. We're glad these women are starting to see the cam's ridiculousness. Keep fighting the good fight, ladies. Here's hoping E! takes the hint and kills the Mani Cam before the Oscars. Although, we'd pay good money to see Angelina Jolie's sure-to-be-priceless reaction to being asked to "walk" her fingers down that makeshift little carpet. Just sayin'. | 4 | 3,476 | lifestyle |
Kimberly-Clark (KMB.N) is set to increase advertising and promotional spending for its diapers and launch new products in an escalating war with bigger rival Procter and Gamble Co (PG.N) in North America. Industry analysts say moms are either going upscale and choosing Pampers or going down-market with Luvs, both P&G brands, leaving Kimberly-Clark's mid-tier Huggies Snug & Dry line without a real identity. To compete better, Kimberly-Clark said on Friday it would cut prices and "improve" its Snug & Dry line starting this quarter, without giving details. Huggies is the core of Kimberly-Clark's baby care products business, which generates about $7 billion in annual sales. Pampers, P&G's largest brand, alone has sales of over $10 billion. "The consumer is shifting downward in price and they (Kimberly-Clark) don't have a lower-priced product," Sanford Bernstein analyst Ali Dibadj told Reuters. Dibadj said the company could play either end of the price spectrum: introduce a lower-priced brand or "a product that is of such high quality that people are willing to pay more for it." P&G and Kimberly-Clark control about 80 percent of the U.S diaper market, but the Kleenex maker is losing share, according to Euromonitor International data. Huggies' U.S. market share dropped to 8.50 percent in 2013 from 10.2 percent in 2008. Indeed, weakening sales of Huggies and other core products in North America is expected to lead to fall in sales in 2015, Kimberly-Clark said on Friday. Its shares fell 6 percent. To claw back market shares, Kimberly-Clark plans to launch new products this year and spend more on advertising them. Barclays analyst Lauren Lieberman estimates the company could have up to $500 million of cost savings, some of which could be used for these initiatives. Kimberly-Clark spent about $3.71 billion on marketing and research in fiscal 2014. P&G spent nearly triple, $9.73 billion, just on advertising in 2013. Lieberman said Luvs sells at a roughly 20 percent discount to Huggies Snug & Dry, with the magnitude of the discount varying with promotional activity. For example, the lowest-priced Huggies Snug & Dry 44-pack for a size 1 newborn baby costs $8.97, while P&G's 48-pack Luvs for the same size sells for $6.99, according to Wal-Mart Stores Inc's (WMT.N) website. Luvs has been promoted for almost every week this year at one of P&G's main retail customers, Kimberly-Clark Chief Executive Thomas Falk said. "I think Luvs has picked up 2 share points so far this year." | 3 | 3,477 | finance |
Seniors who struggle to maintain a regular appetite and keep their weight up may see dietary improvements if they start cooking with umami flavors, a new study finds. The so-called "fifth taste, which accompanies salty, sweet, sour, and bitter, could get older adults eating more due to increased salivation. The new study comes as part of a bundle of new research into taste, which was recently published in the open-access journal Flavour as "The Science of Taste . " The research sought to blend insights from food science, social science, natural and life sciences, and the arts to create "a composite mosaic of our current understanding of taste." For seniors who lack the sensitivity to certain tastes, the new findings could extend far past simple delights of the palate and into overall health benefits. "In general, our understanding of taste is inferior to our knowledge of the other human senses," said Ole Mouritsen, professor of biophysics at the University of Southern Denmark, in a statement . Mouritsen served as a guest editor on the new report, which put into words what transpired at an international symposium last August. "An understanding and description of our sensory perception of food requires input from many different scientific disciplines." As umami research is concerned, the data seem to overturn much of the conventional wisdom. Monosodium glutamate (MSG), for instance, isn't nearly the bad guy people make it out to be. Glutamate naturally occurs in our bodies, and the liver is highly adept at processing out any extra we may consume. It's for this reason MSG was the focus of the new study, which involved 44 elderly patients with some form of taste disorder. With its heart, full-bodied flavor, MSG promoted salivary flow and got people hungry and eating again. "Sensitivity to umami taste seems to contribute to good overall health in elderly people," the researchers wrote. This isn't the first study to find umami can help boost wellness. In July of last year, University of Sussex researchers found umami flavors can actually achieve the opposite effect appetite reduction in obese subjects. People who ate an umami-rich soup before lunch ate less of their meal yet reported similar rates of satisfaction and fullness. Umami is distinct from other flavors because it stands out as the only one related to savory. It's found most often in soups, broths, meat, and other protein-centric dishes. Some food scientists argue there may even be a sixth sensation (and countless more ), called "kokumi." The Japanese describe it as less a taste than a supplement to other tastes, such as the mouthfeel afforded by garlic, onions, and scallops. A separate study in the symposium found the addition of a kokumi substance added depth and thickness to an all-natural peanut butter, suggesting traditionally bland low-fat foods could be improved in taste without sacrificing nutrition. Source: Mouritsen O, The science of taste. Flavour . 2015. | 7 | 3,478 | health |
Safety is often celebrated as the biggest benefit of a world full of driverless cars, but two other presumed social improvements follow closely behind. One is that the technology could reduce traffic congestion, since shorter gaps between cars means more cars per lane. The other is that car travel will become more productive time for either business or pleasure the way riding a train is today. To wit: the way Mercedes envisions driverless interiors isn't much different from the set-up already used in Amtrak's Acela. A new simulation-based study of driverless cars questions how well these two big secondary benefits less traffic and more comfort can coexist. Trains are conducive to productivity in large part because they aren't as jerky as cars. But if driverless cars mimic the acceleration and deceleration of trains, speeding up and slowing down more smoothly for the rider's sake, they might sacrifice much of their ability to relieve traffic in the process. "Acceleration has big impacts on congestion at intersections because it describes how quickly a vehicle begins to move," Scott Le Vine of Imperial College London, who led the research, tells CityLab via email. "Think about being stuck behind an 18-wheeler when the light turns green. It accelerates very slowly, which means that you're delayed much more than if you were behind a car that accelerated quickly." For their study, Le Vine and colleagues simulated traffic at a basic four-way urban intersection where 25 percent of the vehicles were driverless and the rest were standard. In some scenarios, the driverless cars accelerated and decelerated the way that light rail trains do more comfortable than, say, riding in a taxi, but still a little jerky at times. In other scenarios, the cars started and stopped with the premium smoothness of high-speed rail. Within these broad scenarios the researchers also tested alternatives that reduced speeds but improved smoothness, such as longer yellow lights or following distances. All told they modeled 16 scenarios against a baseline with all human-driven cars. The researchers then ran each simulation for an hour, repeated it 100 times, and calculated the average impact that scenario had in terms of traffic delay and road capacity. In every single test scenario, driverless cars designed to create a comfortable, rail-style ride made congestion worse than it would have been in a baseline scenario with people behind every wheel. The final traffic tolls ranged from annoying to frightening. In the baseline situation, without any driverless cars, each vehicle experienced a delay of 20 seconds at the intersection. When driverless cars accelerated and decelerated in the style of light rail, the congestion worsened from 4 percent (21 seconds) to 50 percent (30 seconds). The number of cars traveling through the intersection at 1,793 in the baseline scenario also fell between 4 percent (1,724 cars) and 21 percent (1,415 cars). The HSR-smoothness scenario was even scarier. Against the same baseline, autonomous cars that started and stopped like high-speed rail increased delay anywhere from 36 percent (27 seconds) to nearly 2,000 percent (6 minutes and 44 seconds!). Meanwhile, intersection capacity fell between 18 percent (1,469 cars) and 53 percent (850 cars). In other words, if we want riding in a driverless car to be as comfortable as riding in a train, we need to consider the possibility that more traffic will be the result. Le Vine and company conclude: "Our findings suggest a tension in the short run between these two anticipated benefits (more productive use of travel time and increased network capacity), at least in certain circumstances. It was found that the trade-off between capacity and passenger-comfort is greater if autonomous car occupants program their vehicles to keep within the constraints of HSR (in comparison to LRT)." The work is a reminder that the full benefits of a driverless-car world might take quite some time to materialize and that we should prepare for the challenges, too. Le Vine acknowledges that congestion might very well clear up once every vehicle in the fleet is autonomous, or even once there are enough to create driverless platoons. Until then, however, the traffic outcomes are much less predictable and very possibly negative. Consider, for instance, that these simulations didn't include pedestrians. Doing so no doubt would have led to even more starting and stopping, and thus more delay. And if seatbelts remain mandatory in driverless cars, that might require smoother acceleration and deceleration; much of the comfort of a train ride, after all, is the lack of seat restraints. Traffic behavior would also change if manufacturers offer people several driving profile options say, from ultra-smooth to aggressive. All the more reason to think driverless cars will complement, rather than immediately replace, public transportation in cities. | 5 | 3,479 | news |
An Italian father who forced his teenage daughters to ski competitively and eat a macrobiotic diet because he was concerned they were too fat has been found guilty of abuse and sentenced to nine months in prison. The unusual case in Turin may set a precedent in how Italian courts define psychological abuse of children. There are no similar cases of abuse on record. The case started in 2011 when the two teenage girls one is now an adult complained to their mother that "Daddy treats us badly" and said they no longer wanted to visit their father. The parents are separated. The 53-year-old father, who has not been named in press reports but has been described as a wealthy individual, has said he became worried about his daughters' health when he saw pictures of them on Facebook. He said he encouraged them to ski and to eat a macrobiotic diet, avoiding processed and otherwise refined foods, out of a normal level of parental concern. But the mother of the teenagers and the prosecutor in the case painted a different picture, of constant pressure and taunting by the father of his daughters. The sentence for mistreating the girls and causing psychological trauma was a month short of the punishment sought by the prosecutor. The father has said he will appeal against the verdict. Experts say children subjected to psychological abuse sometimes face the same mental health challenges as children who are sexually or physically abused and can suffer from anxiety, depression, low self-esteem and substance abuse. | 5 | 3,480 | news |
10 Smart Swaps for Healthier Snacking Keri Gans , registered dietitian/nutritionist and author of The Small Change Diet , says that for most people, when it comes to maintaining a healthy, balanced diet the biggest problem with snacking is a poor understanding of portion sizes. "Most people have no idea what a correct portion size is and sometimes their 'snack' becomes another 'meal'," she says. For smart snaking and portion control, Gans recommends keeping all snacks in the range of 200 calories or less. She also offers the following smart "snack swaps" that can help turn a horrible habit into a satisfying healthy eating strategy. Swap flavored yogurt for plain, low-fat yogurt Instead of flavored yogurts, which are often filled with added sugar , Gans recommends opting for plain, low-fat yogurt. Add fresh fruit, homemade granola, slivered almonds, or powdered chocolate to sweeten it up and add texture. ""Whatever will help satisfy your cravings without over doing it," says Gans. Swap store-bought trail mix for homemade Trail mix is a smart snack choice because with nuts, seeds, and dried fruits it can offer a nutritious balance of protein, healthy fats, and carbohydrates. However, many store-bought trail mix brands contain added sugar. Gans recommends making your own mix at home to avoid extra sugar. "Combine almonds, your favorite dried fruit, and a high fiber cereal," she says. Making your mix at home also gives you the opportunity to separate it into single-serving portions, which will help you to avoid snacking right from the bag and adding extra calories to your daily intake. Swap traditional party snacks for veggies and dip For those who are super dedicated to their diet, Gans recommends bringing healthy snacks, like veggies and hummus, to social gatherings to help avoid the temptation of typical party foods that are often less nutritious. Pair carbohydrate-rich foods with proteins and fats Pair carbohydrate-rich foods like apples and crackers with foods that contain protein and fat. Gans suggests opting for apples with cheese or crackers with almond butter. She says that eating carbs alone may leave you feeling hungry and unsatisfied, but including protein and healthy fats in your snacks will keep your tummy feeling full. Swap store-bought energy bars for homemade Just like with trail-mix, many energy bar products found at the store include added sugar. Gans recommends making your own bars at home so you'll know exactly what ingredients they're made of without having to decipher a nutrition label. " Make yours with rolled oats, almond butter, and dried cranberries," she says. If you have no choice but to opt for store-bought bars, Gans says opt for bars with more fiber and protein and less calories and saturated fat. Swap chips for flavored popcorn Instead of potato chips, Gans suggests snacking on popcorn. "Load unbuttered popcorn up with your favorite spices or try a crunchy and tasty popcorn mix with almonds and seasoning like lemon, pepper, or garlic salt," she said. Swap ice cream for ricotta cheese with fresh fruit For a more nutritious alternative to ice cream, Gans recommends trying low-fat ricotta cheese paired with fresh strawberries (or any other of your favorite fresh fruits.) "Low-fat ricotta is a good source of protein and can be the perfect addition to your favorite fruit," she said. Swap pastries and sweets for a decaf almond milk latte For those who have a seemingly unstoppable sweet tooth, Gans recommends swapping sugary sweet treats for a decaf latte. " You might be surprised how much a decaf latte made with unsweetened almond milk and topped with cinnamon and chocolate powder can do the trick," she said. Swap soda or jucie for water Gans says that water is the one "snack" you should never leave home without. "It can be thirst that is making you feel hungry," she explains. "So make sure to always have a water bottle by your desk or in your bag." Staying hydrated can help you to avoid eating snacks when you're not actually hungry, and replacing it for sodas and juices will can help you to cut excess calories and sugar from your diet. Swap fried chips and crackers for black bean chips Chips made with black beans provide more protein and fiber, Gans says. This option will help you feel fuller for longer and is a better choice than fried potato chips or crackers. | 7 | 3,481 | health |
NASA's New Horizons space probe has traveled nearly 3 billion miles on its journey to Pluto. | 8 | 3,482 | video |
The American hunger for meat, especially beef , is abating for the first time in living memory. Now vegetables are claiming more space in an unexpected place: the fast food counter, with White Castle and Chipotle heavily promoting new vegan entrees. The new options come as Washington and the United Nations are pushing plant-based diets to save the environment and lower health care costs . The restaurant chains, however, say they're just answering consumer demand with new products, not letting bureaucrats lead them by the nose. White Castle introduced its vegan slider, made by Dr. Praeger's Sensible Foods, on December 30. The product was trial tested over the summer in New York and New Jersey, White Castle's second largest market after the Chicago area. Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. is promoting its new vegan organic tofu Sofrita burritos on Monday, January 26, by offering customers who buy it a free meal when they return with their receipts over the next month. "This is what we heard from customers, especially Millennial customers and potential customers, 18 to 24 years old,"said Jamie Richardson, vice president of government and shareholder relations at White Castle System, Inc. "They might have a range of reasons for wanting a vegan option, and they might not be vegan but have friends who are." Food experts summoned by the Obama administration are wooing the same demographic. The committee charged with drafting the 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (and the accompanying "food pyramid" graph recently redesigned as a plate) for the Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Agriculture agreed to include a blurb about the environmental costs (and therefore future food security impact) of meat consumption. As reported by Science , the food sustainability and safety subcommittee chair, Tufts University professor of nutrition Miriam Nelson, PhD said, "Research shows that, with young adults, a green message can be a real motivating factor....It could be used as another messaging tool." Congress balked at this new environmentalist inroad and demanded in its late December budget package that the Dietary Guidelines stick strictly to nutrition. The UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reported in November that eating less meat could slow global climate change, confirming earlier findings published in peer-reviewed science journals. Those papers prompted pronouncements against meat overindulgence by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon. The UN has a tough row to hoe. Where wealth increases, as in China and even India, meat consumption tends to follow. In many nations, agriculture is a bigger contributor to climate change than even transportation. The U.S. is, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, the second largest per capita meat eating nation after Luxembourg. That said, "Per capita meat consumption in the U.S. has stagnated in recent years and may be declining," noted Emily Cassidy, research analyst with the Environmental Working Group . That's because omnivores have shifted to eating more vegetables. Vegetarians, who eat eggs and dairy but not meat, make up just 5% of the U.S. population, according to a 2012 Gallup poll , flat or slightly down from 1999. About 2% of Americans say they're vegan, abstaining from all animal products. Over 9 billion farm animals are slaughtered each year for meat, according to the Human Society . Americans eat nearly 271 pounds of meat per person annually , with chicken now surpassing beef for the first time in a century. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's fisheries division reported in October that U.S. operators landed 9.9 billion pounds of fish and shellfish in a year, up 245 million pounds from just two years before. "If all Americans forego meat and dairy for one day a week, that's the equivalent of taking 7.6 million cars off the road for the year," said Cassidy of the Environmental Working Group . "From 2001 to 2011, all agricultural greenhouse gas emissions were up 14%. Globally, livestock accounts for 18% of greenhouse gas emissions ." Going vegan isn't the only way to reduce emissions -- the U.S. has already reduced its carbon footprint by eating chicken instead of beef. When asked if such information spurred Chipotle's concurrent menu expansion, Chipotle's communication director Chris Arnold said, "That's not the motivation..It's not about the environmental benefits. That's not what drives our business. Great tasting food is." Ditto for meat. "We started down this path, because we think meat from animals that are raised in humane ways and without the use of antibiotics or added hormones simply tastes better," Arnold said. But because of short supplies of meat measuring up to Chipotle's exacting standards -- trademarked as "Responsibly Raised" -- the company has at least twice in the past year needed to suspend selections, first beef and then pork. Arnold insisted to MainStreet that the vegan promotion and selected meat shortage were unrelated. According to Arnold, "Overall, Sofritas accounts for about 3% of sales." Eschewing conventional modern livestock practices -- the much lambasted "industrial farming" -- might preserve soil and biodiversity, Cassidy said, but at the cost of increasing greenhouse gas emissions like methane from ruminant digestion. That's because Chipotle's "Responsibly Raised" cattle take longer to reach slaughter size. Chipotle might not be able to account for such environmental impact complexities anytime soon. In May, shareholders rejected by 2:1 margin a motion by Trillium Asset Management LLC and Domini Social Investments requiring that the company issue an annual sustainability report. White Castle hired Social Responsibility and Sustainability Manager Shannon Colliver four years ago. While the company reuses cardboard boxes and piloted a composting program in Columbus, Ohio (and is exploring composting in New York City and Chicago), "we're in the early stages of being able to understand better what our impact is." That White Castle and Chipotle concurrently have major vegan rollouts is more striking for the companies' dissimilarities. Among fast food companies White Castle and Chipotle could scarcely be more different in management and growth strategies, never mind cuisine. Columbus-based White Castle is an old, family-owned Midwestern stalwart that prefers to add outlets to its established markets. Chipotle is a hot young company that in a single generation swooped down from hipper Denver and into 44 states. Chipotle went public in 2006 and remains a darling among investors even as fast food giant McDonald's, which once owned a chunk of the burrito maker, stumbles. Herbivores find ways to graze at other fast food chains . The other American burrito grande, Yum! Brands subsidiary Taco Bell, replaced lard with soy oil in its beans over 20 years ago, making possible a range of dishes that People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals calls "accidentally vegan." Even Dairy Queen sells dairy-free Starkiss treats and Burger King started slinging vegetarian burgers in 2002. Despite that encouraging background and success in the summer trials, Richardson says White Castle underestimated how popular vegan sliders would be. The company won't reveal sales data but results were encouraging enough that it's racing to reformulate its buns to be vegan too. Currently, White Castle buns are made with L-Cysteine, which Richardson admitted was derived primarily from "duck feathers." The company went to market with that incomplete package, because "we didn't want the perfect to be the enemy of the good," Richardson said. Glossing over the fine print while trumpeting a switch away from animal products can ignite vegan ire. In 2002 McDonald's settle a lawsuit for $10 million and suffered bad press when American Hindus discovered that while the company switched to vegetable oil from tallow for its french fries, one of the product's unspecified "natural flavors" still came from beef. | 3 | 3,483 | finance |
Kate Middleton is already one of the most flawless women on the planet, but an Australian magazine decided that she wasn't flawless enough when they photoshopped the hell out of her for a cover. Making a public appearance at the new Kensington Leisure Centre in London last week, the pregnant Duchess of Cambridge looked glowed in a baby blue coat while holding a bouquet of flowers. But when Woman's Day used an image for its cover, she looked completely unrecognizable. The magazine not only lightened the 33-year-old's eyes, but it also gave her lips a new lipstick hue despite wearing an au natural look to the event. The publication also added an artificial sparkle to her earrings. This isn't the princess' first go around with the photo-altering program, as Marie Claire South Africa went so far as to photoshop the royal's head and hands onto a fashion model's body so as to pretend she posed for the magazine. Obviously, she hadn't actually modeled for the cover, but Marie Claire South Africa did open up about the mysterious cover and even came clean about the motivations behind it! Calling it a "tribute" to Kate, the magazine's editor told The Telegraph , "We were so inspired by her fairytale wedding and her life as a modern-day princess, which is why we elected Kate Middleton as our cover star for the August issue." "The cover is actually a hyper-real illustration of Kate, meant to be a fan art tribute to fashion's new royal icon," editor Aspasia Karras added. Of course, the world had some Photoshop fun when the Duchess bared her slim tummy during some volleyball shortly after giving birth to Prince George. Looking like she was never even pregnant, Kate donned skinny jeans and abs during the game, which fans turned into some amazing pictures, courtesy of a Photoshop competition. E!'s new scripted series The Royals premieres Sunday, March 15, at 10 p.m.! Follow The Royals on Twitter and Facebook for the latest updates! | 6 | 3,484 | entertainment |
Critics have expressed concern after US President Barack Obama announced a breakthrough agreement with India on civilian nuclear cooperation, saying little is known about the deal and it's unclear whether compensation would be paid to victims of any nuclear disaster. Detractors of the agreement also said national security could be jeopardised if American companies are given nuclear reactor inspection rights at Indian facilities, as demanded by the US. India's Communist Party of India (Marxist) protested Obama's second visit to India on Saturday with about 100 demonstrators chanting: "Barack Obama, hands off India" with some burning the US president's effigy. The issue of compensation by foreign corporations after industrial accidents is particularly sensitive in India following the 1984 Bhopal disaster, in which thousands of Indians were killed and disabled after poisonous gas leaked from the American Union Carbide factory. Thirty years later, outstanding victim compensation claims remain. MUST READ: The optics of the N-deal outweigh its substance Few specific details in the agreement have been released after the breakthrough was announced at a press conference with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday. It's unclear where India's Nuclear Liability Act - which provides civil liability for nuclear damage and prompts compensation for victims of an incident - will be amended. Jogendra Sharma is a senior member of the Communist Party of India that has long criticised a civilian nuclear deal with the US. He led some of the recent protests against Obama's visit. "Our main concern is that victims of nuclear accidents will not be fairly compensated if this deal goes through," Sharma told Al Jazeera. "We want strict laws that will hold US companies accountable to pay compensation to the victims in the event of a nuclear accident." Nuclear deal Obama arrived in New Delhi on Sunday for a three-day visit, shortened by the death of Saudi King Abdullah with the US president heading to Riyadh for the state funeral. On Monday, Obama attended India's Republic Day celebrations, the first US president to do so. Civilian nuclear talks began in 2005 between the US and India, but had been stalled over the issues of nuclear accident compensation and national security. Uday Bhaskar, a director at India's Society for Policy Studies think-tank, said the deal announced on Sunday is a game-changer for broader US-India relations. "The impact of this Delhi breakthrough on the nuclear issue will re-energise and reset the moribund India-US bilateral relationship, and this will in all likelihood have a beneficial ripple effect on all the other issues that are awaiting traction during Obama's visit," said Bhaskar. Modi's Bharatiya Janaty Party (BJP) which came to power last year had initially criticised the Nuclear Liability Act, saying it wasn't strict enough on compensation rules. "It is unfortunate that after coming into power, the Bharatiya Janaty Party has changed its views over the liability act and is now giving in to the demands of imperialist America," Sharma said. BJP earlier proposed the creation of a compensation fund managed by insurance companies to pay potential victims in case of a nuclear incident. It remains unclear whether this is part of the deal announced by Obama and Modi on Sunday. MUST READ: Modi wins N-deal; what will Obama want in return? "They have proposed that insurance companies instead of the US nuclear manufacturer in India pay compensation," said Sharma. "Now, we all know that insurance companies have tricky ways to delay and even avoid compensating victims. This is proof that BJP is sliding towards America after coming into power." 'Best interests' BJP spokesman GVL Narsimha Rao said the government had the best interests of the country in mind when securing the nuclear deal with the US. Rao also brushed aside comments by the Communist party. "The claims by our critics on BJP's slanting position towards America regarding the nuclear deal are all baseless," he told Al Jazeera. "We are a nationalist party and our prime minister has the best interests of the Indian people in his mind while securing the deal." Rao declined to answer questions about the possible creation of an insurance fund to compensate victims of any nuclear accident. Modi was also vague on the fine details of the agreement when questioned at Sunday's press conference. "Let it be behind the curtain," Modi told the news conference, a reference to the name of a popular Hindi song. Obama said the implementation of the agreement cannot happen "overnight" and will take time to finalise. MUST READ: Obama in India: Full coverage Lessons learned The backlash against allowing foreign companies to operate in India goes back to the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy - one of the world's worst industrial disasters. More than 500,000 people were exposed to poisonous gasses such as methyl isocyanate; nearly 4,000 people died, and about 3,000 were permanently disabled. In 2010, when Obama visited India, he was met with protests organised by some survivors of the Bhopal tragedy, which for many needs to be resolved before US-India relations can move forward. Rachna Dhingra, India coordinator for the International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal, said the Nuclear Liability Act clearly outlines compensation responsibilities of foreign suppliers in case of a nuclear catastrophe, and that fact should not be changed by the Obama-Modi announcement. "The government of India is offering to absorb all risks by propping an insurance pool to cover suppliers' liability," she told Al Jazeera. "It is a matter of shame that the heads of two leading democracies have blatantly put corporate interests above public welfare." | 5 | 3,485 | news |
NEW YORK (AP) Police say a man has apparently shot himself to death outside the News Corp. building in midtown Manhattan. The 41-year-old man died after the shooting at about 9 a.m. Monday. Authorities aren't certain what prompted the shooting, which occurred outside the building that houses Fox News, the New York Post and The Wall Street Journal. The media conglomerate News Corp. is controlled by Rupert Murdoch. It's not clear if the man had any ties to News Corp. or if he was just standing outside the building. A weapon was recovered at the scene, and no one else was injured. Traffic was snarled in Midtown as police investigated. | 5 | 3,486 | news |
Emma Watson was first attached to a live-action version of "Beauty and the Beast" all the way back in 2011 . Guillermo del Toro was the director at that point, and Warner Bros. was set as distributer . Four years later, Watson is back on board, but at a different studio and for a different filmmaker. As first reported by TheWrap, and then confirmed by Disney, the former "Harry Potter" star will play Belle in Disney's "Beauty and the Beast," a live-action film from director Bill Condon. According to Disney, production is expected to begin later this year. | 6 | 3,487 | entertainment |
SANAA, Yemen A U.S. drone strike targeted al-Qaida in Yemen on Monday, signaling Washington's determination to keep fighting the militants despite political paralysis brought on by a Shiite power grab. Yemeni tribal and security officials in the central province of Marib said the missile hit a vehicle carrying three men near the boundary with Shabwa province, an al-Qaida stronghold. The strike killed two Yemeni fighters and a Saudi fighter, an al-Qaida member told The Associated Press. A boy was also reported killed. Despite the renewed drone campaign, Yemeni officials and analysts say an effective U.S.-backed ground strategy against the al-Qaida affiliate has been undermined by the rapid disintegration of the Yemeni armed forces, which has received millions of dollars in U.S. military aid. The prospect of a leaderless Yemen has raised concerns about Washington's ability to continue targeting al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, as the Yemeni branch is known. The group claimed the recent attack on a French satirical weekly and has mounted several failed attacks on the U.S. homeland. The drone strike was the first since Yemen's U.S.-backed President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi resigned along with his cabinet on Thursday rather than agree to the demands by the Shiite rebels, known as Houthis, for more power. The Houthis continue to hold Hadi and his government ministers under house arrest, and what comes next is unclear. Pentagon spokesman Col. Steve Warren stressed on Monday that the counter-terrorism operation will continue, including training of Yemeni forces, though "they are curtailed in some cases." He did not give details. According to other U.S. officials, intelligence gathering has not been curtailed or shifted to other countries. Although the Houthis chant anti-American slogans, one hopeful sign for Washington is that they are also staunch opponents of al-Qaida. Nevertheless, experts said that both ground operations and intelligence gathering will suffer in addition to the loss of a faithful partner in Hadi. Yemen's president was a vocal proponent for the U.S. war against al-Qaida, saying at one point that he approved each strike at a time. "Hadi was an extraordinary important," said Bill Roggio, the managing editor of Long War Journal, which tracks militant groups' activities. "He made it easy to cooperate with Yemeni military and intelligence. His loss is a major loss for U.S. side." Roggio added that the "upheaval will make it more and more difficult to get intelligence." The Houthis, who seized the capital in September, say they want their fair share of power, which they feel they have been denied. Shiites make up one-third of Yemen's population. Critics say the Houthis want to retain Hadi as a figurehead president and that they want to rule the country from behind the scenes; they also accuse the Houthis of being a proxy of Iran, an allegation the rebels deny. Over the past several weeks, Houthi rebels overran the presidential palace, military camps and air force bases and occupied security and intelligence offices in the capital, Sanaa. It's unclear how the Houthis' takeover would impact on the drone operation, according to a top Yemeni security official. He said that the operation is led by American experts either inside the heavily fortified U.S. Embassy in Sanaa or in the Yemeni military base housing U.S. experts in Lahj province, both untouched by Houthis. He added that Saudi not Yemeni intelligence is playing the vital role in recruiting informants and collecting information on the whereabouts and movement of al-Qaida members. The Saudi man killed in Monday's U.S. drone strike was identified by the al-Qaida member as Awaid al-Rashidi, who he said was in his 30s and had been imprisoned in Saudi Arabia for seven years, apparently over terrorism charges. The two Yemeni al-Qaida members killed in the strike were Abdel-Aziz al-Sanaani and Mohammed al-Jahmi from Marib's tribe of Jahmi, the member said. Both Yemeni officials and the al-Qaida member spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to media. A 12-year-old boy was also killed in the drone strike, according to Baraa Shiban, a researcher for Reprieve, an international human rights organization that helps victims of drone strikes. The drone campaign has had its pitfalls, with dozens of civilians killed or badly wounded in the crossfire, feeding anti-American sentiment among large sectors of Yemenis and prompting disgruntled tribesmen to become easy recruits for al-Qaida. Drone strikes are just one leg in an elaborate counter-terrorism operation. Under Hadi's leadership, Yemeni armed forces carried out major military offensives against al-Qaida militants, driving hundreds from cities they overran in 2011. Yemen's army has been torn between tribal and political loyalties. After the ousting of long autocratic leader Ali Abdullah Saleh in 2012, Hadi's main mission was to restructure the army to purge Saleh's relatives and loyalists; however, his mission appeared to have collapsed. Many believe the Houthis' easy capture of the capital and other institutions came with the help of Saleh's men in the military. Led by Osama bin Laden's top aide Nasser al-Wahishi, al-Qaida's Yemen branch has posed the greatest danger to Western interests, especially the United States. After several unsuccessful operations on U.S. soil, the group claimed responsibility for this month's bloody rampage at the office of a French satirical newspaper that left 12 dead, to avenge cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad. Last year, at least 23 U.S. drone strikes killed 138 al-Qaida militants as well as some civilians, according to the Long War Journal. The number of strikes is much smaller than it was in 2012, when the U.S. carried out 41 airstrikes that killed some 190 militants in Yemen. U.S. officials rarely comment on the covert drone program. ___ Michael reported from Cairo, Egypt | 5 | 3,488 | news |
The season just keeps getting worse for the Lakers. The latest: Lakers head coach Byron Scott 's decision to bench Nick Young at halftime of the team's Sunday loss to the Rockets , later saying that he did so because "It looked to me that he didn't want to be here." Young played just eight minutes in the first half of the Lakers' eventual 99-87 home loss -- which dropped them to 12-33, the fourth worst record in the NBA -- before getting pulled. He missed on his only two attempts from the field, turned the ball over three times and went scoreless for the first time since he played for the Sixers. After the game Scott was asked by reporters why Young only played eight minutes. Here, via ESPN , is how he answered. "At halftime, we showed stuff on the tape where he was guarding [Houston swingman Corey] Brewer in the corner. I asked [Young], 'What were you thinking on his play?' The answer he gave me, I couldn't figure it out. So I just felt with his body language that he didn't want to play tonight, so I chose not to play him." Scott didn't specify, but it can be assumed that the play he was talking about is this one , which took place with just under a minute left in the first quarter. Check out below where Young is as his man, Brewer, spots up in the right corner for a three-pointer. Amazingly, Young's positioning gets even worse as the possession goes on. When Brewer finally receives the Ball, Young is, for some reason, standing underneath the basket. Young also avoided the media after the game, which for him is news in itself. Hopefully, this is just a minor blip and not something that carries on the rest of the year. Everyone -- NBA fans, the Lakers, especially now that Kobe Bryant is out -- benefits from Swaggy P's swaggy existence. | 1 | 3,489 | sports |
Oil prices have collapsed in stunning fashion in the past few months. The spot price of Brent crude reached $115 a barrel in June, and was above $100 a barrel as recently as September. Since then, it has plummeted to less than $50 a barrel. There is a sharp split among energy experts about the future direction of oil prices. Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal recently stated that oil prices could keep falling for quite a while and opined that $100 a barrel oil will never come back. Earlier this month, investment bank Goldman Sachs weighed in by slashing its short-term oil price target from $80 a barrel all the way to $42 a barrel. But there are still plenty of optimists like billionaire T. Boone Pickens, who has vocally argued that oil will bounce back to $100 a barrel within 12 months-18 months. Pickens thinks that Saudi Arabia will eventually give in and cut production . However, this may be wishful thinking. Supply and demand fundamentals point to more lean times ahead for oil producers. Oil supply is comfortably ahead of demand The International Energy Agency assesses the state of the global oil market each month. Lately, it has been sounding the alarm about the continuing supply demand imbalance. The IEA currently projects that supply will outstrip demand by more than 1 million barrels per day, or bpd, this quarter, and by nearly 1.5 million bpd in Q2 before falling in line with demand in the second half of the year, when oil demand is seasonally stronger. That said, these projections are built on the assumption that OPEC production will total 30 million bpd: its official quota. However, OPEC production was 480,000 bpd above the quota in December. At that rate, the supply-and-demand gap could reach nearly 2 million bpd in Q2. Theoretically, this gap between supply and demand could be closed either through reduced supply or increased demand. However, at the moment economic growth is slowing across much of the world. For oil demand to grow significantly, global GDP growth will have to speed up. It would take several years for the process of lower energy prices helping economic growth and thereby stimulating higher oil demand to play out. Thus, supply cuts will be necessary if oil prices are to rebound in the next two years-three years. Will OPEC cut production? There are two potential ways that global oil production can be reduced. One possibility is that OPEC will cut production to prop up oil prices. The other possibility is that supply will fall into line with demand through market forces, with lower oil prices driving reductions in drilling activity in high-cost areas, leading to lower production. OPEC is a wild card. A few individuals effectively control OPEC's production activity, particularly because Saudi Arabia has historically borne the brunt of OPEC production cuts. Right now, the powers that be favor letting market forces work. There's always a chance that they will reconsider in the future. However, the strategic argument for Saudi Arabia maintaining its production level is fairly compelling. In fact, Saudi Arabia has already tried the opposite approach. In the 1980s, as a surge in oil prices drove a similar uptick in non-OPEC drilling and a decline in oil consumption, Saudi Arabia tried to prop up oil prices. The results were disastrous . Saudi Arabia cut its production from more than 10 million bpd in 1980 to less than 2.5 million bpd by 1985 and still couldn't keep prices up. Other countries in OPEC could try to chip in with their own production cuts to take the burden off Saudi Arabia. However, the other members of OPEC have historically been unreliable when it comes to following production quotas. It's unlikely that they would be more successful today. The problem is that these countries face a "prisoner's dilemma" situation. Collectively, it might be in their interest to cut production. But each individual country is better off cheating on the agreement in order to sell more oil at the prevailing price, no matter what the other countries do. With no good enforcement mechanisms, these agreements regularly break down. Market forces: moving slowly The other way that supply can be brought back into balance with demand is through market forces. Indeed, at least some shale oil production has a breakeven price of $70 a barrel-$80 a barrel or more. This might make it seem that balance will be reasserted within a short time. However, there's an important difference between accounting profit and cash earnings. Oil projects take time to execute, involving a significant amount of up-front capital spending. Only a portion of the total cost of a project is incurred at the time that a well is producing oil. Capital spending that has already been incurred is a "sunk cost." The cost of producing crude at a particular well might be $60 a barrel, but if the company spent half that money upfront, it might as well spend the other $30 a barrel to recover the oil if it can sell it for $45 a barrel-$50 a barrel. Thus, investment in new projects drops off quickly when oil prices fall, but there is a significant lag before production starts to fall. Indeed, many drillers are desperate for cash flow and want to squeeze every ounce of oil out of their existing fields. Rail operator CSX recently confirmed that it expects crude-by-rail shipments from North Dakota to remain steady or even rise in 2015. Indeed, during the week ending Jan. 9, U.S. oil production hit a new multi-decade high of 9.19 million bpd. By contrast, last June when the price of crude was more than twice as high U.S. oil production was less than 8.5 million bpd. One final collapse? In the long run barring an unexpected intervention by OPEC oil prices will stabilize around the marginal long-run cost of production (including the cost of capital spending). This level is almost certainly higher than the current price, but well below the $100 a barrel level that's been common since 2011. However, things could get worse for the oil industry before they get better. U.S. inventories of oil and refined products have been rising by about 10 million barrels a week recently. The global supply demand balance isn't expected to improve until Q3, and it could worsen again in the first half of 2016 due to the typical seasonal drop in demand. As a result, global oil storage capacity could become tight. Last month, the IEA found that U.S. petroleum storage capacity was only 60% full, but commercial crude oil inventory was at 75% of storage capacity. This percentage could rise quickly when refiners begin to cut output in Q2 for the seasonal switch to summer gasoline blends. Traders have even begun booking supertankers as floating oil storage facilities, aiming to buy crude on the cheap today and sell it at a higher price this summer or next year. If oil storage capacity becomes scarce later this year, oil prices will have to fall even further so that some existing oil fields become cash flow negative. That's the only way to ensure an immediate drop in production (as opposed to a reduction in investment, which gradually impacts production). Any such drop in oil prices will be a short-term phenomenon. At today's prices, oil investment will not be sufficient to keep output up in 2016. Thus, T. Boone Pickens is probably right that oil prices will recover in the next 12 months-18 months, even if his prediction of $100 oil is too aggressive. But with oil storage capacity becoming scarcer by the day, it's still too early to call a bottom for oil. Adam Levine-Weinberg has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Goldman Sachs. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days . We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy . Related Links Social Security: 5 Facts You Must Know Warren Buffett Tells You How to Turn $40 Into $10 Million Social Security: 3 Things to Know Before Taking Benefits Early | 3 | 3,490 | finance |
BP (BP.L) is freezing base pay across the group this year, the latest in a series of steps by oil majors to cut costs in response to sinking oil prices. Over the past year, oil majors have been selling assets to protect cash flows and shareholder dividends. Many have accelerated cuts in capital and operating expenditures, including freezing some projects, as crude prices more than halved since June to below $50 per barrel (LCOc1). Salaries in the oil sector are a major part of operating expenses. BP employed 83,900 employees in 2013 and paid them around $13.6 billion in benefits, including wages and pensions, according to the company's website. "The tougher external environment in 2015 means that our businesses and functions need to work... to take a number of measures in response to the harsh trading environment," Chief Executive Bob Dudley said in a message to staff on Monday. "One of the measures we are taking across the group is a general freeze to base pay for 2015, with only a few exceptions for specific circumstances around the world," Dudley added. A BP spokesman would not comment directly on the internal message but confirmed the step, saying: "We have told staff across BP that we intend to freeze base pay worldwide for 2015. "Together with our work to simplify and increase efficiency across BP, we see this as a prudent measure in response to the current challenging market environment in which BP is operating." In December, BP announced a $1 billion program to cut thousands of jobs globally, including its UK North Sea operations. | 3 | 3,491 | finance |
Salt trucks are on standby as New York City gets ready for a potentially historic blizzard that could dump up to 3 feet of snow in the Northeast. Linda So reports. | 8 | 3,492 | video |
A report by John Ourand and Michael Smith in the Sports Business Journal says that both ESPN and the NFL want the College Football Playoff to change its planned dates for future events. First, the Worldwide Leader. ESPN is concerned about a ratings dip for next year's semifinals, the Orange and Cotton Bowls: Sources say that senior network executives as high up as ESPN President John Skipper are pushing for the change as a way to get better television ratings, but the CFP is unwilling to make such a move because it is committed to the original plan to hold tripleheader bowl games, including the semifinals, on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. "We've started a new tradition and we don't want to back away from it now," said Bill Hancock, the CFP's executive director. For what it's worth, the Orange Bowl was the latest of the New Year's Eve CPF games, and it pulled a low rating by the game's standards. Of course, some of that could be the fact that the teams in the game Mississippi State and Georgia Tech are not traditional powers and don't tend to generate massive interest on their own. A lot of it was probably that people were out celebrating New Year's and not at home watching football. It's also not hard to see what's going on with semifinals happening on New Year's Eve when you look at the future schedule . The semifinals are set for NYE not just next season but the season after too. On New Year's Day both times, however, the Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl are happening. The Rose has been a New Year's Day game since forever, and the Grandaddy will get what it wants thanks to having the powerful Big Ten and Pac-12 as its patrons. The Sugar is the bowl for the SEC and Big 12 (but mostly the SEC), and there is prestige associated with it being on New Year's Day instead of New Year's Eve too. So, the CFP is making a questionable call by putting the semifinals on New Year's Eve two of every three years so both the Rose and Sugar can always be on New Year's Day. It's probably due to politics, so the bowl of the SEC doesn't in any way look less prestigious than the bowl of the Big Ten and Pac-12. It's also likely for that same reason that they set up a rotation where, instead of having one contract bowl and one host bowl every season, the Rose and Sugar (both contract bowls) are together. One couldn't let the other go first in the inaugural year, so they had to be together. And before you make a historical argument about the Sugar Bowl and New Year's Day, the Orange Bowl is just as old as the Sugar and also was traditionally a January 1 game. In the CFP system, it will never take place on New Year's Day. It goes to show how much pull the ACC has vis-a-vis the other power leagues. As for the NFL, the argument for a schedule change is on much shakier ground. The league is thinking about expanding its playoffs ever further, something that this year's awful Cardinals-Panthers Wild Card Game should have shut the door on forever. If the NFL did expand its playoffs, it might want to feature a wild card game on Monday night. The problem is, the CFP has scheduled its championship game for the Monday night in question and doesn't want to change: "We picked Monday night because it was open and it was the best night for our game. We announced that in June 2012," Hancock said. "We established that our game was going to be on Monday night for 12 years." You can make an argument for moving the title game off of Monday to Saturday so that it's not on a school night and children can possibly stay up until the end. Or on a Saturday, it could just kick off earlier without having to be late at all. That case can be made, but it has nothing to do with accommodating the pro league. Figuring out a way to put semifinal games on New Year's Day is a worthy cause. Moving the title game solely because the NFL wants a crappy wild card game on Monday night is not. | 1 | 3,493 | sports |
A couple of Jets players gave their thoughts on the recent problems surrounding the New England Patriots. How do you feel about the Jets being happy with the Patriots woes? | 1 | 3,494 | sports |
Rent in New York City is too damn high, even for Oscar-winner Dianne Wiest. In a recent interview with The New York Times, Wiest said she has been having trouble finding enough work to cover the rent . "I have to move out of my apartment soon," the 66-year-old, who has won two Academy Awards, told The Times. She said she has been typecast as "a nice mom" throughout her career and only found different roles in theater. She would not jump at just any part that came her way ("The parts that I sometimes get offered, I'm like: Really? I'm at the top of my game, and you want me to do this?"), but admits that might not have been the best response: "I think that if it's meant to happen, it will happen. Which is I guess a real sign of stupidity." The Oscar-winner has had rent issues in the past. In 2011, the New York Post reported Wiest was involved in a lawsuit against the landlord at her West 78th Street apartment building. The landlord was apparently illegally charging tenants market-rate rent, despite getting a tax break from the city, which should have provided for rent-stabilization. She was reportedly paying upwards of $7,000 a month at the time. Wiest has two Best Supporting Actress Oscars to her name: one for 1986's "Hannah and Her Sisters" and the other for 1994's "Bullets Over Broadway." She is currently starring in the Broadway play "Rasheeda Speaking" with Tonya Pinkins. | 6 | 3,495 | entertainment |
Ever wonder if you're cut out for small living? Through the power and reach of the web, tiny homes are but a click away to rent through a website like Airbnb.com, the travel community wherein members can visit and stay in the most unique locations in more than 180 countries. But even if you can't make it out to test-drive a super-small space, you can see, admire, and learn from the tricks tiny homeowners are employing in their miniature abodes all around the world. We certainly did! Check out our 11 favorite space solutions. Lesson #1: Double the function of storage. Want to make your small space feel bigger? Wall-mounting is the way to go! The owners of this cozy studio hung a double-duty rack above their sink for drying and storing dishes, freeing up valuable counter space beneath. See the listing: Independent House in Mallorca (Binissalem, Balearic Islands, Spain) Lesson #2: Best storage is always under the bed. For maximum functionality, get creative with storage options for your small space. Time after time, space beneath the bed is where it's at. Here, bookshelves on wheels slide open to create a top-secret storage area under this custom lofted bed. See the listing: Tiny but Special Studio Apartment! (Rome, Lazio, Italy) Lesson #3: Try platform seating. This minimalist Mallorca rental is in a container home , so space-saving was top of the checklist when choosing furniture. Here, the shared space is a cozy living room by day; by night, the seating's oversized cushions serve as extra mattresses for guests staying over. See the listing: Container Home, a Unique House! (Palma de Mallorca, Balearic Islands, Spain) Lesson #4: Use every inch. Take a creative eye to every bit of unused space in the room to make sure it reaches its fullest potential even when it looks inaccessible. Small spaces work best with unconventional solutions tailored to the room. Here, an eight-shelf unit can house books or kitchen necessities behind a ladder to a lofted bed, converting an almost-empty wall to open storage . See the listing: Container Home, a Unique House! (Palma de Mallorca, Balearic Islands, Spain) Lesson #5: Cut corners in the kitchen. It takes both discipline and creativity to fit the functionality of a kitchen into a space of compact proportions. As often as possible, give insert extra purpose. These butcher block countertops , for example, make every available surface potentially usable for prep work. See the listing: The Rustic Modern Tiny House (Portland, OR, United States) Lesson #6: Stick to a theme. There's no such thing as a space that's too small to decorate. The key is to choose and remain loyal to a single theme, motif, or color palette . Though eclecticism certainly has its place, that's not in cramped quarters, where disparate elements create chaos. Here, the consistent decorating scheme exudes calm. See the listing: Igloo by the Sea #6 (Trinity Beach, QLD, Australia) Lesson #7: Use vertical space. When you can't build out, build up. Lofted beds over the kitchen and the bathroom allow guests to use the rest of the 200-square-foot floor plan to spread out. Meanwhile, a wall-mounted TV eliminates the need for a bulky entertainment center and a narrow set of floor-to-ceiling shelves makes space for kitchenware. See the listing: Music City's Tiny House (Nashville, TN, United States) Lesson #8: Rely on double-duty furniture. If space is tight, make sure your furniture can serve dual purposes . A drop-leaf table serves as a breakfast table by day and a desk by night. This window bench is a great place to drink your coffee each morning, but comfortable enough to serve as a guest bed. See the listing: Garden Caravan Tiny House (Sandpoint, ID, United States) Lesson #9: Conserve floor space. The more open floor space, the better your illusion of a neat and spacious room. Here, a floating shelf works as a bedroom nightstand , positioned just so that a door doesn't whack it as it swings open. See the listing: Cozy! 2BR Apt in Greenwich Village (New York, NY, United States) Lesson #10: Wherever possible, fake a high ceiling. Not every home is going to be blessed with 11' tall walls, so learn to work with what you have. To make low ceilings appear further away than they actually are, fill the room with short furniture even a bed without a frame. See the listing: Private Cozy Tiny House, Large Yard (Berkeley, CA, United States) Lesson #11: Open storage is very forgiving. Skip the standard, bulky cabinets ; open shelving takes up less space visually while still offering comparable storage space. Airy storage coupled with glass doors to the outdoors really works to lighten the space no claustrophobia here. See the listing: Mini House, a Magazine Profiled Home (Seattle, WA, United States) | 4 | 3,496 | lifestyle |
Jay Rishel, 34, still dreams of tater tots. But that's about all the computer systems administrator in York, Pennsylvania, misses about his old, carb-heavy lifestyle. Since going on a ketogenic diet last July trading his potatoes for bacon he's lost more than 30 pounds and rarely feels hungry. "It kind of changes your whole relationship with food," he says. His wife has a different story. A few months after adopting a less restrictive version of her husband's diet, she experienced stomach pain so severe she wound up in the emergency room. Doctors suspected gallstones, which can be triggered by dieting. Needless to say, "it seemed that my high-fat diet wasn't working well for her," Rishel says. The pair now eats leaner meats that Rishel tops with cream or another high-fat sauce, and his wife's stomach pain has lessened. His words of wisdom for other couples considering the same diet plan? "The advice might be don't," Rishel says. While experts say the central components of a healthy diet high in fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean protein and low-fat dairy are gender-neutral, there are both biological and behavioral differences between men and women that may make some types of diets more effective, or at least more appealing, to each sex. As for the Rishels, their experience demonstrates just how much diets can affect people differently, regardless of gender, says Elisabetta Politi , the nutrition director of Duke University's Diet & Fitness Center and one of U.S. News' expert panelists for the Best Diets rankings. "I don't sit down with a client so much thinking of the gender," Politi says, "but from the conversation I have with them, [we come] up with what is a sustainable plan." Battle of the Sexes: Weight-Loss Edition Here's a fact of life that many women resent: Men lose more weight and faster. They're bigger and have more muscle mass in general, which means that they burn more calories whether at rest or at play. "They wake up every morning with a bonus that women don't have," Politi says. Melissa Musiker, a registered dietitian in the District of Columbia who works in public relations, knows that firsthand. When her husband decided to try Weight Watchers with her in 2013, "weight would just melt off of him in the most obnoxious way," she says. "For me, it was a struggle." Men's brains might also give them a leg up when it comes to resisting temptation . In a 2009 study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers measured the brain activity of 23 hungry men and women while tempting them with their favorite foods. (Among their choices: a cheeseburger, ribs, chocolate cake and a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich.) While both men and women reported to be less hungry when told to resist the treats, only men's brains actually mirrored that. The results support what Musiker has seen with her husband: Women have a tougher time controlling cravings. "He'd say, 'I just don't eat that anymore,' whereas I'd be sitting there measuring out how much cheesecake I could eat for 3 points," she says. But there's a silver lining for the ladies, Politi says. Just because a man sheds pounds faster, doesn't mean he'll sustain the weight loss longer. "How fast you lose weight is not a predictor of how well you're going to keep it off," she says. "Some lose very well and regain it." Choosing a Diet In U.S. News' Best Diets rankings, the results apply to both men and women: The DASH Diet and TLC Diet ranked in first and second place, respectively, while the Mayo Clinic Diet , Mediterranean diet and Weight Watchers tied for third. "I would group men and women together when discussing a 'best fit' diet, simply because aside from differences in energy and nutrient needs based on body size and muscle mass the fundamental needs are very similar," says Lawrence Cheskin, director of Johns Hopkins' Weight Management Center and a U.S. News Best Diets panelist . Still, components of some diets might appeal more to one gender than the other an important consideration since it's really the diet that you'll stick with that will work the best, says Musiker, chair of the District of Columbia Board of Dietetics and Nutrition. "Any diet can make you lose weight because you eat less," she says. "What's really critical is that maintenance phase and figuring out what's going to empower you to maintain it not just help you lose it." For women, that's often diets that emphasize fruits and vegetables , such as DASH and the Mediterranean diets, because women tend to eat more of those foods in the first place, says Joan Salge Blake, a registered dietitian in Boston and spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. In Cheskin's experience, he's seen women drawn to meal plans that are lower in fat and offer sugar-free alternatives to their traditional choices. Men, on the other hand, are often more attracted to high-protein diets, such as Atkins and paleo , "some because they prefer the taste, others out of a desire to build additional muscle mass," Cheskin says. (High-protein diets, however, don't necessarily build muscle, he adds, noting that Americans already tend to consume adequate protein and need resistance exercise to boost muscle.) Men also tend to prefer diets that don't require calorie counting or impose limits, but rather eliminate certain food groups altogether, Politi says. "When it comes to portion control, men have a hard time," she says. "They just like the diet where you don't have to count calories, where you don't have to control the portion, where you're just told to eat certain food and especially food they like." That was the case for Rishel, whose ketogenic diet requires him to eat lots of fat, few carbs and moderate protein. The built-in support system that comes with some plans, including Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig , also seems to be a bigger factor for women than men. "[Dieting] can feel a little bit socially isolating, and I think men and women respond to that in different ways," Musiker says. For her, the added support from her husband made following the plan "100 times easier," she says. "When you do something like that alone, your partner's bad habits can be sabotagers for you." Of course, any healthy diet can work for both men and women. Emily Dubyoski, a dietitian who works with Cheskin at Johns Hopkins Weight Management Center, endorses both the DASH and TLC diets, but says the Flexitarian and Volumetrics diets "may be good places to begin, since they are a little more flexible and may be easier to start out with." That leeway was key for Musiker and her husband, who found Weight Watchers to suit both of their priorities: He could still eat Chipotle (minus the chips and guac), and she could still enjoy a taste of cheesecake. He could still meet friends for a beer; she could still do the same for lunch. "It's less focused on what you eat and more on the behavior of how you're eating it," she says. Overall, there's less gender division in diets today than in the past and that's a good thing, Blake says. "The boomers are raising millennials who are very conscientious about what's in their food, where it comes from … and that's gender-free," she says. "The tide is changing where you're going to see less of a gender difference and more of just people in general understanding and looking for healthier options." Copyright 2015 U.S. News & World Report | 7 | 3,497 | health |
So far today, nearly 6,000 flights have been cancelled , and it's not even noon yet. That means hundreds of thousands of potentially stranded passengers. Will you know what to do if it happens to you? First thing to know: What do airlines owe travelers when they cancel a flight? You're not going to like the answer: Nothing. But they will make an effort to book you on the next available flight at no extra cost. That's the case whether you're stranded midway through your trip or are about to embark. Watch Money Talks News money expert Stacy Johnson explain the rules in this video . Then read about nine ways to cope with a cancellation. The federal site USA.gov says: If your flight is canceled, most airlines will rebook you on the earliest flight possible to your destination, at no additional charge. If you're able to find a flight on another airline, ask the first airline to endorse your ticket to the new carrier. This could save you a fare increase, but there is no rule requiring them to do this. Airlines do have incentive to help you. Says USA Today: Your airline ticket represents a contract between you and the airline; therefore, standard contract rules apply, leaving airlines open to a potential lawsuit if they don't make reasonable efforts to fulfill their side of the bargain. For that reason and to keep customers happy most airlines will try to rebook you as soon as possible, as space and weather permit. However, some federal rules do apply. The U.S. Department of Transportation explains, "If your flight is canceled or diverted or experiences a lengthy delay, and you choose to cancel your trip as a result, you are entitled to a refund for the unused transportation even for nonrefundable tickets and for any bag fee that you paid." Airline policies Each airline has a policy on cancellations. ABC News offers links to cancellation policies for larger airlines, including those of American Airlines , JetBlue , United , US Airways and Spirit . When the weather is really bad, airlines often offer passengers more options. Says ABC News : In the case of bad weather, airlines issue flexible policies that allow travelers to take their trips at a later date. These policies also waive change fees, even on the lowest-priced, most restrictive tickets. Delta, for example, promised to refund the cost of tickets for canceled flights during last January's storm. It also offered passengers whose flights weren't canceled a free, one-time ticket change if they were traveling to one of the East Coast destinations most affected by the storm. JetBlue, criticized for closing nearly its entire operation in Boston and New York for a short stretch last year, promised $50 credits or 5,000 frequent-flier miles for each canceled flight to an estimated 150,000 affected travelers, according to the Hartford Business Journal . It also pledged to "review compensating stranded customers for their out-of-pocket expenses." The days of freebies may be over If your flight is canceled because of weather, you can ask for meal and hotel vouchers, but don't get your hopes up. Travelers' experiences vary. Money Talks News editor Karen Datko said she was once on a flight to Philadelphia that was forced to land in Pittsburgh because of thunderstorms. The airline provided hotel vouchers to many stranded travelers on the flight, then hired a bus to drive others to Philly at no extra cost. But Frank Zurline, owner of Bellingham Travel & Cruise in Bellingham, Wash., said the days when airlines shelled out such goodies are pretty much over. "Believe me, when they start charging you for everything, it's a nickel-and-dime industry," he said in an interview. Airlines may dole out food and hotel vouchers at their discretion, but that's usually when the carrier is at fault, not for cancellations because of weather. Travel expert Mark Murphy with Travel Alliance told us: If it's weather, they don't have to pay you for your hotel or anything else. On the other hand, if it's a mechanical or another issue, there may be more flexibility for you as a consumer to negotiate. One exception: valued customers There's an exception: If you're a valued frequent traveler, you're likely to get better treatment. That happened to Murphy once when faced with a flight cancellation on a business trip. His carrier, US Airways, offered a seat on its next available flight to his destination. But it was the following day, too late to make his meeting. He says he approached airline representatives pleasantly and pointed out that he'd flown with the airline 66 times that year. Could they please help him out? They found him a seat on another airline that same day. To be fair, he says, feeding and lodging the tens of thousands of travelers stranded in events like last year's would have been prohibitively expensive for the airlines. 9 tips for coping with cancellations You can take steps to reduce the inconvenience and stress of flight cancellations. Buy tickets from a travel agent . You'll pay a small fee, perhaps $20 or $30. But a good agent watches your itinerary and, if your connection is canceled, re-books you on another flight while you're in the air, Murphy says. You can waltz off the plane and onto your next flight while your fellow passengers scramble to find new accommodations. Consider trip insurance . But be realistic about the coverage. For example, American Airlines says on its website : Trip cancellation coverage will only refund prepaid, nonrefundable payments if you have to cancel for an unexpected covered reason. Covered reasons may include sudden medical emergencies, death of a family member or traveling companion, certain terrorist acts, being called for jury duty, or bad weather that completely shuts down your common carrier. Get early warnings . Download your airline's app onto your phone and sign up for flight alerts. Be sure the airline has your phone number and email address. Keep an eye on Flight Aware while traveling to learn immediately if your flight's been grounded. The sooner you learn of trouble, the faster you can act. Get re-booked . Line up at the customer service counter and, at the same time, call the airline's toll-free number. Try getting re-booked to fly out on your current airline or another. If you find a flight on another airline, ask your first carrier to endorse your ticket to the new airline. Stay open to alternatives . When re-booking, try other airports or other cities near your destination. Try Amtrak, buses and even car rentals. (Before renting a car, ask about drop fees and mileage charges for one-way trips.) Mind your P's and Q's . When asking overwhelmed airline personnel for help, remember that they didn't cause the problem. Try to be gracious, if for no other reason than it'll get you further. Buy a one-day pass . If you're stuck in an airport and you don't belong to your airline's frequent-flier club, purchase a day pass for about $50. You get entry to a comfortable lounge and use of the loyalty program's hotline, advises The Associated Press . The main benefit, though, is that members get better, quicker access to help from airline personnel in the lounge. Travel in Europe . European Union laws are more generous than those in the U.S., says USA Today . Your airline must provide meals and "a hotel stay when the cancellation results in an overnight layover and a full reimbursement when the cancellation delays the passenger for five hours or more." Crucial last words . Don't leave home with a maxed-out credit card. Do you have a flight cancellation story or tips to share? Tell us in the comments below or on our Facebook page . Sign up for our free newsletter Like this article? Sign up for our newsletter and we'll send you a regular digest of our newest stories, full of money saving tips and advice, free! We'll also email you a PDF of Stacy Johnson's "205 Ways to Save Money" as soon as you've subscribed. It's full of great tips that'll help you save a ton of extra cash. It doesn't cost a dime, so why wait? | 3 | 3,498 | finance |
The House will no longer hold votes on Monday night due to the snowstorm that is set to slam the Northeast. Furthermore, a controversial border security bill originally slated for a vote on Wednesday has now been removed from this week's schedule. The bill would require the Department of Homeland Security to prevent all illegal crossings into the United States within five years. The House is only in session through Wednesday this week to accommodate the House Democratic retreat in Philadelphia on Thursday and Friday. Originally, the House was set to consider six bills to combat human trafficking on Monday and vote at 6:30 p.m. But snow is expected to accumulate to as much as two inches in the Washington, D.C. area Monday evening. Lawmakers in the Northeast, including from New York, Boston, Rhode Island and Philadelphia, would likely have been unable to make it to votes on Monday evening, with as much as three feet of snow is expected to fall in the Northeast through Tuesday. The House is now slated to vote on the remaining human trafficking bills on Tuesday, as well as begin consideration of a measure to expedite exports of liquefied natural gas. But if the storm produces record snowfall, as expected, votes in the House this week could be in doubt. The liquefied natural gas bill is now the only agenda item for Wednesday. | 5 | 3,499 | news |
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