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If there's one thing (and there is) I miss about carrying around my Lumia 1020 , it's that phone's dedicated, two-stage camera button. Designed to mimic "real" camera shutter releases, it's a feature I've missed dearly on my current daily driver, Apple's iPhone 6 . Seattle-based Moment seems to think I'm not alone in wanting a more camera-like experience when snapping pics with my phone. Starting today, the small company is taking to Kickstarter to launch the Moment Case -- a camera case it hopes will bring DSLR-like control to iPhone shutterbugs. To achieve that goal, Moment's case adds a raised camera grip and, perhaps most notably, a two-stage shutter release key. There's no mechanical connection between the case and the iPhone; instead, the Moment Case uses Bluetooth Low Energy to bridge the gap. As with a DSLR shutter release, you can lock focus and exposure with a half-press before pressing fully down to take a shot. "We believe this is the future of photography; it's in your pocket," Moment's Marc Barros told me in the company's Seattle offices. "We're attempting to bring the features of a DSLR to your phone." The grip builds on the success of Moment's lenses, a pair of detachable, high-quality optics the company launched via Kickstarter last year. While those lenses are compatible with a variety of iOS and Android smartphones and tablets through mounting plates, the Moment Case is custom-made for the iPhone 6. Prices start at $49 for either an all-black or black-and-white model, like the prototype I checked out. Higher-priced packages include the company's lenses -- $125 for one of Moment's two currently available optics (a wide-angle or a tele); $199 for both. The $299 top-tier offering includes a laser-engraved walnut grip. I had the opportunity to handle one of Moment's prototype cases and came away fairly impressed by the form factor and the substantial travel of the signature two-stage key. In fact, a half-press on the Moment Case prototype takes more effort than some full presses on other devices -- there should be no mistaking when you've got it halfway down. Responsiveness seemed solid for the most part, and the Bluetooth Low Energy connection only suffered a few momentary hiccups during my brief time with the case (likely due to the case's prototype status). The grip gives your right hand more real estate to grab when shooting, though it's not as pronounced as, say, the Lumia 1020's accessory grip . I happened to be wearing the skinniest jeans I own (though they're fairly normal, I figure), and the Moment Case slipped in my front pocket surprisingly easily. With focus control moved away from the screen, Barros used the associated Moment App to lock focus with the shutter release, and then used his finger to meter a different part of the scene to lock exposure. You can also slide your finger on the screen to adjust exposure levels. "What we're finding is you're taking better, cleaner pictures," he said. The Moment Case is powered by a standard watch battery housed inside the grip -- Barros said battery life should be around six months, but I obviously didn't have time to test that claim. The case is compatible with Moment's add-on lenses and it felt pretty well-balanced with one attached. Barros added that the plan is for the case to recognize which lens is mounted and offer specific options in the app depending on what's connected. If you're especially serious about your phone-based photography, the case also supports camera straps via an aluminum bar at the base. Whether you opt for the strap or not, Barros said the idea is for the Moment Case to be your default iPhone enclosure. "It's an in-your-pocket, everyday case," he said. "It just happens to take great pictures." Kickstarter
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Find that shovel, snow blower or your neighbor's kid if you're in the Northeast. Thanks to winter storm Juno, your driveway and walkway are likely topped with a lovely coat of white snow that could cost you a pretty penny if you don't clear it quickly. "Property owners face legal obligations to keep their property clean, safe, and ice-free," says Loretta Worters, vice president of communications for the Insurance Information Institute . "If you fail to shovel your sidewalk or other public walkway, and someone slips and falls, you could potentially face a lawsuit. In some states, you may have broken the law, too." You're responsible not just for snow and ice on private walkways but also public ones that abut your land. If you fail to keep your premises safe, those who are injured on your property could sue you, says Worters. "If someone slips on ice because of a poorly positioned downspout, it is considered negligence," she adds. Some places like New York City and Bridgeport, Conn. have also enacted laws that make landowners responsible for keeping public sidewalks clear of ice and snow. Those who fail to follow the law can be fined. In New York, you could have to pay up to $150 and be subject to up to 10 days of imprisonment. Often, places that have snow clean up laws will also have a time limit for when pathways need be cleared. "Some jurisdictions say that a property owner can wait a 'reasonable amount of time' before clearing, which is nebulous," says Worters. "But in Boston , property owners have three hours after the snow falls to shovel." While it is a good idea to check directly with your local municipality to find out if snow clearance laws apply for your town and state, the safest route is to simply shovel your area within a few hours of the snowfall's end so you can avoid both fines and litigation. After all, even in places that do not legally require you to clear the snow, such as Ohio , you can still face a lawsuit. Since even the most vigilant shoveler may miss a spot, Worters also recommends having liability insurance coverage to pay the cost of your legal defense and any court awards (up to the limit of your policy) should someone slip on your property and sue you. Liability limits generally start at about $100,000, but the Insurance Information Institute advises that you purchase at least $300,000 worth of protection.
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Alex Brown joins to give some player perspective on who he would rather play for: Pete Carroll or Bill Belichick.
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BERLIN (AP) Governments and private donors, among them the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, have pledged a record $7.5 billion to replenish a global vaccination program for the poor. The Gates Foundation gave $1.55 billion to the public-private Gavi alliance that has immunized hundreds of millions of children worldwide since 2000. Britain pledged $1.57 billion, Norway gave $969 million and the United States pledged $800 million at a conference Tuesday in Berlin. Together with prior pledges this provides Gavi with a pot of $9.6 billion slightly more than it requested for its work between 2016 and 2020. The Geneva-based organization said that the money would help immunize an additional 300 million children against preventable diseases, providing one of the most cost-effective ways to prevent millions of premature deaths.
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A sporting goods company is highlighting the problem of street harassment in Peru by catching cat-callers on hidden camera whistling at women who turn out to be their own mothers in disguise. Jen Markham (@jenmarkham) has the story.
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Cuban leader Fidel Castro has broken his silence on a historic rapprochement between Washington and Havana, implicitly endorsing it even as he expressed an abiding distrust of his old foe. The 88-year-old revolutionary icon had said nothing since last month's surprise agreement, raising questions not only about where he stood on mending relations with Washington, but also about his health and political status. But late Monday, Castro appeared to answer some of those questions in a letter read out on state television that reflected both skepticism of and tacit support for the decision by his brother Raul to normalize ties. "I don't trust in the policy of the United States, nor have I exchanged one word with them," he said, adding that his words were not meant to be interpreted as "a rejection of a peaceful solution to conflicts -- far from it," he said. He said Raul Castro had acted in keeping with his powers as president. "Any peaceful and negotiated solution to problems between the United States and the peoples or any people of Latin America, which does not imply force or the use of force, should be treated according to international norms and principles," Castro said "We will always defend cooperation and friendship with all the peoples of the world, among them our political adversaries. It's what we are calling for on everyone's part," he said. In Washington, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Castro's comments were "a positive sign: and that Washington looks forward to Cuba adopting international norms "for a democratic, prosperous and stable Cuba." The text of the letter, which was addressed to the Federation of University Students, was published Tuesday in the official Communist Party newspaper Granma and other state publications, under headlines that did not highlight his comments on the US-Cuba rapprochement. In his typically loquacious manner, Castro covered a range of topics in the letter, touching on Ancient Greece and Cuba's military campaigns in Africa in the 1970s and 1980s before coming around to his comments on the rapprochement with the United States. "The text sends a double message: cautious support for normalizing relations between the two countries and concern over the intentions of the powerful neighbor to the north," said Jorge Duany, a Cuban academic at Florida International University. - Long road to normalization - The agreement to begin normalizing ties after more than 50 years of enmity stunned the world when it was announced December 17 by US President Barack Obama and Raul Castro, who succeeded an ailing Fidel as Cuba's president in 2006. Last week, the highest-ranking US delegation in 35 years began negotiations with Cuban officials in Havana on reopening embassies in their respective capitals. The agreement will ease trade and travel restrictions to open the flow of contacts between the two countries separated by 90 miles (145 kilometers) of water but an enormous political gulf. It has been criticized by some US lawmakers and many Cuban Americans for not gaining concessions on human rights and democratic reforms. Latin American leaders across the political spectrum, however, have hailed it as a long-overdue end to the US-imposed isolation of Havana. What had been missing was word from Fidel who, although retired, remains the embodiment of the one-party communist state he erected in defiance of Washington after Cuba's 1959 revolution. His silence had raised doubts about whether he was even alive, until visiting Argentine soccer star Diego Maradona made public a letter he had received from Fidel. - Absence from public view - Castro, who did not comment on the rumors about his health in the letter, was last seen in public more than a year ago, when he attended a friend's art gallery opening on January 6, 2014. Fidel had been a frequent contributor to Cuba's state-run newspapers, but published his last column in mid-October, when he proposed that Cuba and the United States cooperate in fighting the Ebola epidemic in west Africa. His absence was especially noted upon the return of three Cuban spies, celebrated as heroes in Havana, as part of the agreement with Washington. They were swapped for a Cuban imprisoned as a US spy. Jailed US contractor Alan Gross also was freed at the same time. Arturo Lopez-Levy, an analyst at New York University, said Castro's letter was a reminder that the regime's revolutionary wing remains a major factor in Cuban decision-making. "There is no abandonment of revolutionary zeal in favor of foreign policy pragmatism, but rather a calibration in the balance between those two components," he said. Both countries still "must deal with the legacy of their own histories," he said.
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I've been working from home long before we had children. I started in 2007 when I opened up my own design company with my husband and set up our home office. There I was, free of the daily commute, Skyping into client conferences instead of physically being there, and usually blissfully getting through the day without having to apply makeup. Work and life felt balanced, and I felt happy. However when my son arrived in 2011, working from home became a whole new ballgame. Suddenly, it was not only clients who needed my attention during normal 9-5 business hours (and often beyond!) this sweet new baby did as well. During office hours, after hours really, any hour of the day and night. Between the needs of a newborn and the needs of our clients, I wondered how I could manage all of them and my sanity. Was that one o'clock deadline for the new web design brief or the next feeding? For almost three years, I've experienced a slowly evolving situation that has included the following: Monitoring and managing employees while on "maternity leave" (AKA Handling only work "emergencies" but also responding to client's "Congratulations!" emails to prove I wouldn't abandon them now that I have a baby. ) Working at home with an infant (AKA Emailing clients with the one arm that isn't pinned down by a baby who I do not dare transfer to the crib) Sharing work and care time with my husband (AKA "You go work for the next 15 minutes while I change his diaper, then I'll work for the next 30 minutes while you feed him lunch.") Hiring an in-home nanny a few days a week (AKA Hear my son screaming for me through the door. Is it worse to ignore him or undermine the nanny?) Enrolling my son in daycare/preschool (AKA It's three o'clock already?! I'm only on #1 of my to-do list!) Even with my partner working by my side and raising our son, it's never been as smooth as we originally imagined. When I was pregnant, I had idealized fantasies on how things would work, most of which differed greatly from the reality. Here's a little of what I learned and some tips that may help you too! Myth: "Sleep when the baby sleeps" is a great way to stay rested. This common phrase for moms doesn't apply to the work-at-home mom. The nap and bedtime are prime times for cramming in as much work as possible before our eyelids droop uncontrollably. What helps: Categorize your to-dos by the amount of effort required to complete them. Have a task that requires deep concentration or for you to call an important client? Plan for when you know you you'll be at your sharpest. Reserve any mindless tasks for times when you know you feel your best and combine tasks with daily chores and errands. For example, proofread a contract while on the exercise bike, fold the clothes while catching up with the evening news, or answer emails while on the subway or bus. One of the best things about working from home is the flexibility and with a little creative planning, you can get done more than you think! Myth: My child will quietly play by himself while I work nearby. It seems ridiculous now, but before my son was born, I thought toys were enough to keep kids occupied and age appropriate toys meant they could play safely. Right? Apparently not. I know every child is different, but for my almost-three-year-old, toys are just the gateway into some other highly messy, loud, or dangerous activity that needs my attention. To often I'm faced with a, "Mommy, can I show Mickey how to use the knife?" Or, "I'm just getting the screwdriver, my Thomas needs new batteries." Or, "Mommy, I don't want to play with any of my toys, I just want to climb on your head." Basically, a non-ideal working condition. What helps: I'm afraid there's not a lot you can when you have to get work to do and don't have childcare. As moms, we know that our children and their safety always come first, but we also know that there are occasionally emergency situations. I like to have a few of my son's favorite and rarely played-with toys on hand just in case these times come up. Everyday-toy-bin toys won't work a preoccupied mommy is ALWAYS more enticing than those. When the child is younger, you may get away with a play-pen, bouncer, or swing. For infants, a baby wrap leaves you hands free for typing while also giving you the ability to sway the little one to a nap. (With a few deep knee bends, you get the exercise in too!) And then there are my true "in-case-of emergency" props: The iPad and TV. These are great last resorts, especially if you withhold them normally (which I do). Once I had a video conference call with a client and my childcare fell through at the last minute. I couldn't cancel the call so I gave my then two-year-old the iPad and turned on a Thomas video. Between the two forbidden delights, his head nearly exploded from joy and I got a child-free 30 minutes to handle the call. Not an ideal situation, but sometimes you just gotta do it.
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The snowfall wasn't historic, but it still disrupted the economy. Estimates for just how bad winter storm Juno would be for New York City were way off. Estimates for how bad it could get in terms of lost economic output were off, too. So, how much is it going to cost? About $1.25 billion. Estimating the costs of winter storms require a large number of assumptions. One approach is to assume the worst . If this week's Northeast storm and blizzard had crippled the Philadelphia, Boston and New York metro area economies, leaving them essentially dormant for two days, the immediate economic cost would have been $16 billion . However, a good chunk of this lost output would have been made up in subsequent weeks. Now that the severity of the storm is known, the cost will be significantly less. To determine the cost, we looked at daily output per working day by industry in the areas hardest hit by the storm. Each industry will fare differently and numerous assumptions were made. For example, while construction in New England likely lost almost a full day of output, workers should be able to put in overtime and this will be recouped in subsequent weeks. Similarly, manufacturers can recoup lost output by having workers put in more hours and keeping the production lines running longer. Transportation will be among the big losers. Transit systems were shut down, including in New York, and these lost sales won't be recouped. Must Read: The U.S. Labor Market's Chicken-and-Egg Problem Based on disruptions and industry composition of the affected areas, our preliminary estimate is that the economic cost appears to be around $1.25 billion. Of this, $650 million is in New England, $300 million in Greater New York and a combined $300 million in New Jersey and Philadelphia.
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Turkey's central bank said Tuesday that inflation could sink to its lowest in 45 years, pushed down by falling oil prices and the country's tight monetary policy. Central bank governor Erdem Basci said at a press conference that the inflation rate was forecast to end this year at 5.5 percent, within a range of 4.1 percent and 6.9 percent. That compares with a previous forecast of 6.1 percent and is sharply down from the rate of 8.7 percent for 2014. Basci also projected inflation would fall further to five percent next year, saying the bank's tight monetary policy was beginning to take effect. "As long as we keep our cautious stance during the rate reduction period, it is possible that we will see the lowest level of inflation in the past 45 years by the end of 2015," he said. The central bank, which is nominally independent, has been under pressure from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to bring interest rates down to sustain growth. A year ago, the bank aggressively raised key rates to avert a major economic crisis following a steep drop in the value of the the lira. Last week, it lowered the one-week repurchase rate to 7.75 percent from 8.25 percent, for the first time in six months. But Erdogan is still pressing for further cuts. Basci said the bank may convene its monetary policy committee on February 4, rather than previously announced February 24, to review interest rates if inflation eases by one percentage point in January. "Today's announcement is likely to reinforce concerns that the central bank is caving in to government pressure to ease policy," said economist William Jackson at Capital Economics. "All in all, this is likely to limit the scope for significant policy easing this year," he said. The Turkish lira was trading down 0.54 percent to 2.36 to the dollar on Tuesday.
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Unemployment in France hit a new record in December, with official statistics published Tuesday showing 3.496 million people claiming jobless benefits. The figures showed a rise of 8,100 people on the jobless queue compared with the previous month, a rise of 0.2 percent on the month. Overall in 2014, there were 189,100 more people out of work than in the previous year, a gain of 5.7 percent. President Francois Hollande has pledged not to seek re-election in 2017 if he fails to bring down stubbornly high unemployment. France's economy is barely growing, showing a gain of just 0.3 percent in the third quarter of last year. The government in Paris is banking on a lower oil price and a weaker euro -- which makes exports cheaper -- to kick-start the economy and is banking on 0.4 percent growth for the whole year. Nevertheless, most economists believe that France, the eurozone's second largest economy, needs a growth rate of around 1.5 percent to create jobs. Hollande has launched a two-pronged attack on unemployment. The first is known as the Responsibility Pact, a series of tax cuts for business in return for job creation. The second is a package of reforms aimed at opening up France's closed economy, including extending the number of Sundays per year when stores can open their doors. However, both reforms are hugely controversial, with the latter in particular bringing thousands out onto the streets in protest. "The full deployment of the Responsibility Pact and an improvement of the economic environment will boost employment in 2015," the labour ministry said in a statement. "Whatever happens, the government will not let up in its efforts."
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January is typically a month bursting with New Year's resolutions. The promises we make ourselves and sometimes our friends and families are most often followed by a well-intended fervor of commitment, several weeks of gung-ho excitement, and then months of trickling off into oblivion. Few things are ever resolved before the cycle starts all over again the following year. How do we stop this madness? Having the best intentions means little if we can't manage to stick to the changes and meet the goals we set for ourselves. It's taken me some grown-up years, but I've come to believe that you have to look beyond those lofty, Champagne-drenched plans if you really want to make long-lasting changes. I'd say getting in touch with your deepest desires is the only way to make shit happen. That's how I was with my modeling career. Once becoming a model became a clear goal, I quickly realized that the knowing was the easy part. I had to adjust my attitude and outlook and persevere like I'd never done before. If you've got a dream you haven't made reality yet, now's the time to knock the dust off and truly look within. Reflect on what you want to change in your life and start making it happen . If you do it right, it's not going to be instant. Change is a process. It won't be easy, but I promise you can move mountains if you are doggedly persistent and want to badly enough. Here's my time-tested model of success. Follow The Dream Arriving in New York City to chase my dreams, I was admittedly not camera-ready. It was fabulous that I'd gotten a few agencies to agree to meet with me after seeing my photos, but I had quite a long way to go before anyone would even consider calling me a model. I didn't get the first modeling job I sought, but luckily, I persisted and a woman named Faith Kates gave me my first ever big break; I've been with Next ever since because of that. When someone believes in you, believe in their belief. Don't be overly humble or dismissive of the kindness or encouragement you receive when you're following your dreams. This way of thinking might just change your life. My struggles didn't end the day that Kates signed me with the agency. No, I had a lot to learn. She sent me to Germany for six months where I gained valuable modeling experience and built my portfolio. But, not so fast. When I first checked in to the German agency, I was told that I was too fat. Not only was I too fat, I didn't have the right look. The German booking agent was ready to send me back to the States, jobless. Cue That Tiger Tenacity In spite of the booker's disdain, I begged him to just send me on a couple of castings so I could make back the money I owed the agency for my international flight. I believed in myself, even though no one else did. It's okay if at times you're the only one lending yourself a helping hand or being your own cheerleader. The important thing is to be confident, and remember that soon others will catch on. Fake It & You'll Make It You might not have it all together yet, but you just have to take that leap. Commit to the future you desire. At castings, I wasn't always the prettiest, the tallest, or the skinniest. I didn't have the clearest skin or the best body. I did have lots of determination and more often than not faux confidence. I'm a firm believer of fake it till you make it because you will make it. Did I always get the job? Nope. But, no matter how many times I was rejected, I held my head high, moved on, and focused on the next opportunity. Wait For Your Moment Years later, after I had become a successful supermodel in Europe, I ran into that infamous German booking agent who'd rudely tossed me aside. I looked damn good that day: leather pants, designer pumps, healthy skin, and swagger. I remember it like it was yesterday. It was totally my moment. The agent, who was much shorter than I remembered, mumbled a halfhearted congratulations and I flipped my hair, cracked a smile, and kept on walking. I didn't look back because I didn't need to. Thank god I'd refused to let his negativity sour my dream. If I had, I would not be where I am today. It is absolutely imperative to listen to what is within you, and don't be afraid to take your life into your own capable hands. Design Your Own Route The road less traveled is the more bumpy one for sure, but when you arrive, you'll know that the journey was worth it. Let the rejections you'll face along the way wash over you; smile graciously in spite of your desire to curl up in a ball and cry, and then move on. Demonstrate Grace & Gratitude My Mama taught me to always be gracious and grateful. It is an easy mantra to practice when you are winning but harder to execute when things don't go your way. That's where I believe the real inner beauty and growth lies. Don't let anything or anyone break you down. You are solely in charge of your power and self-worth. No boss, significant other, friend or family member is in control of who you are and what you're to become. As you begin to wrap up January, reflect and recalibrate the path to your goals. Think of it as spring cleaning for your soul in the dead of winter when maybe you need it most. Stay positive and focused, and your turn will come.
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Once a week, USA TODAY Sports asks its network of college basketball experts to analyze the biggest topics. This week: Which is the best league this season? Scott Gleeson, USA TODAY Sports : I think top to bottom, the Big 12 is the best conference in the country. Depth-wise, there's no comparison. There are eight NCAA tournament-worthy teams and the other two of those teams trump other leagues' basement squads. Ninth-place TCU entered conference play without a loss. And last-place Texas Tech just upset Iowa State last week. Now, if we're going based on how far teams go in the NCAA tournament, I think the ACC has the upper hand given the Final Four potential of Virginia and Duke. However, hypothetically the Big Ten, in one of its worst seasons as of late, could muster the same type of fortune with Wisconsin and another surging team that's dealt the right matchups. Same goes for the Pac-12, which has two top-10 teams in Arizona and Utah. Plus, if we're going based on strength of teams , then we'd have to mention the SEC given Kentucky's dominance despite the parity among teams racing for second place in that league. Take last year's NCAA tournament as a barometer. The American Athletic Conference was notably snubbed with Southern Methodist missing the cut and Louisville getting a lower-than-expected No. 4 seed. Then Connecticut won the whole thing as a No. 7 seed. Grading the best league based on Big Dance prowess is almost too tricky. I look at it this way: In which league would Kentucky and Virginia the two remaining undefeated teams struggle the most? I think it's the Big 12. There are no nights off in this conference. Despite Duke, Louisville, Syracuse and others roaming the ACC, the wear and tear of playing a top-25 caliber team every night leads to hiccups. Randy McClure, Rush The Court : The debate over which conference is the best is one that fills up airwaves and print space every college basketball season. And while it's mostly an exercise in meaninglessness remember, the NCAA Selection Committee doesn't consider conference affiliation when it makes its selections and seedings for March Madness it's probably one of the most fun barstool conversations a couple of fans can have while kicking back a few cold ones. There are a couple of ways to look at this, and both have merit. The first is to consider a league in its totality from top to bottom. From this perspective, the Big 12, with its relatively low number of teams (10) is probably the best. Eight teams Kansas, Kansas State, Texas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Baylor, Iowa State and West Virginia have legitimate NCAA tournament aspirations. Even the two weaklings have something to offer: TCU was ranked in the AP Top 25 at one point, and Texas Tech just knocked off then-top-10 Iowa State. There really aren't any nights off in this league, and that makes for a compelling case. The problem with that analysis is that, while the Big 12 is competitive from top to bottom, there might not be a Final Four team among the bunch. To take it a step further, if things break unfortunately for this league come March, there might only be one or two Sweet 16 teams. This brings up the other meritorious way to have the best conference discussion a concentration of strength at the top. The ACC , with Duke, Notre Dame, Virginia, North Carolina and Louisville, can claim five of the 10 to 15 best teams, and it wouldn't surprise many followers of the sport if two or even three of those names found their way to Indianapolis in April. Sure, there are several bottom-feeders in this 15-team league, but few people argue the merits of a league's worst teams when making their case for the best conference. For my money, I'll go with the league with the best bet to do the most damage in March. It might not be as mathematically sound as the other way of looking at best conferences, but it will allow me to enjoy my last laugh at my Big 12 friends when their teams are all at home while several ACC groups are still lacing up their sneakers this spring. Ryan Neu, The Sports Quotient : There are only two conferences that could possibly be considered the best in the country the ACC and the Big 12. As it stands right now, the ACC holds the honor. The ACC has four teams in the top AP top 10 and six teams in the top 25 total. The Big 12 has six teams in the top 25 as well but its highest-ranked team, Kansas, sits at No. 9 and the other five rank between 15 and No. 24. The ACC has two top-10 offenses (Duke and Notre Dame) and two top-10 defenses (Virginia and Louisville) while the Big 12 only has one of each (Iowa State and Texas). The only knock on the ACC is the six teams that reside in the basement of the conference. A clear line can be drawn between the teams that hope to some day scrape the surface of the conference and the teams that will almost certainly make the tournament come March. The Big 12, on the other hand, only has two or three teams out of the 10 that will not be invited to the tournament. But what makes up for that is the quality of teams at the top of the conference. The best three teams in the ACC (Virginia, Duke and Notre Dame) all are better than the top three teams in the Big 12 (Kansas, Iowa State and West Virginia) and as you look continually down the list the Big 12 team that matches up with its respective ACC team is rarely better. Excluding the cellar of the conference, the quality of teams in the ACC is much higher than that of the Big 12 and that's why it's the best conference in the country. David Aldridge, Duke Report : I'll pick the Big 12 , but this really depends on how you want to frame the argument. In terms of having the most teams with legitimate chances of winning the national championship, it's the ACC. The ACC has five teams (Virginia, Duke, Notre Dame, Louisville, North Carolina) in the Top 15 in both polls and the KenPom ratings, and it's not a stretch to think any of them are capable of reaching the Final Four. However, the bottom four teams in the ACC (Boston College, Wake Forest, Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech) are a combined 2-24 in conference play and all four schools are outside the KenPom Top 100. The bottom of the ACC is bad. Really bad. The Big 12 isn't as top heavy, but with only 10 teams it's a more balanced league. Though Kansas is the only one currently in the Top 10 in the polls (ninth in AP, 11th in USA TODAY Sports), eight schools are in the KenPom Top 50. Texas Tech is the only team in the league that probably has no chance to reach the NCAA tournament. The other nine schools are either in good position or capable of making a run that could impress the selection committee. And with a true round-robin schedule, we're actually getting a chance to see which teams are the best because they're facing each other multiple times. Interesting that what hurt the league in football is actually helping it in basketball? From top-to-bottom, you can't beat the Big 12. Paul Gotham, Pickin' Splinters : Deciding upon the metric might be as difficult as arriving at this answer. Is it player development? Per RPIRatings.com, the ACC leads the way with 69 former players on opening day NBA rosters. The Pac-12 ranks at the top with 5.2 players a school, and the ACC stands in second at 4.6. The SEC has 55 (3.9), the Big 12 has 34 (3.4) and the Big Ten has 35 (2.5). Maybe its championships you want. In the last 10 years, the ACC claims three crowns, the SEC three, the Big East two (Louisville now in ACC), and the Big 12 and AAC have one each. Maybe you want current standings. Hearing a lot about the Big 12's depth. They have five teams in this week's top 25 with only one (Kansas) in the AP top 10. The Pac-12 has two teams in the top 10. That's pretty good. SEC has bookends: No. 1 and No. 25 with a whole lot of nothing in between. Four ACC teams sit in the top 10 and six among the first 25. Not to mention the top four coaches in career (all-DI) wins reside in the ACC: Coach K, Jim Boeheim, Roy Williams and Rick Pitino. All this and I didn't even mention this year's national champion: Virginia. ACC is the best.
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Call it the Week of Walker. With rave reviews from Iowa in his pocket, the Wisconsin governor is advancing his likely 2016 presidential run by launching a new political organization that will allow him to raise large amounts of cash and sharpen his campaign message. Several presidential hopefuls have established their own political committees that help them fundraise and travel before officially entering the race. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie launched his leadership PAC earlier this week. But Walker's organization, called " Our American Revival" , is being established as a 527 organization, or a tax-exempt non-profit, which has fewer financial restrictions, giving the potential campaign greater flexibility. Walker aide Rick Wiley, a former RNC political director, confirmed to RCP that he is leading the new group. The Washington Post first reported the news . Walker used the phrase "our American revival" in his response to the president's State of the Union address and in Iowa over the weekend. The new organization has been in the works for several weeks as part of Walker's gear-up to a national campaign that included the hiring of top talent like Wiley. But its launch comes on the heels of a successful Iowa swing, in which the mild-mannered governor defied expectations by delivering a rousing speech to Hawkeye State conservatives at a gathering hosted by Rep. Steve King. The governor has also recently hired Republican strategist David Polyansky to be his political adviser in Iowa, the Des Moines Register reported . Walker's resume is central to his presidential pitch as a candidate who can appeal to both ends of the Republican Party's spectrum. Advisors and political operatives say that Walker can position himself a consensus candidate and move ahead of the pack by being the second-favorite choice for voters hoping for a GOP victory in 2016. In Iowa, Walker highlighted his credentials as a blue-state governor who took on the unions and won. "If you are not afraid to go big and bold, you can actually get results," he told the crowd on Saturday. The governor also touted the fact that he has been elected three times in the past four years -- "Three times, mind you, in a state that hasn't gone Republican for president since I was in high school more than 30 years ago. How about that?" he said. The governor isn't expected to make an official presidential announcement for another couple of months, as he is focusing on getting a budget passed through his state legislature. But Walker's political schedule is picking up in the meantime. He will make his first campaign visit to the early voting state of New Hampshire in March. He will travel across the pond next month to lead a trade mission to the U.K., as several other presidential hopefuls have done or are planning to do.
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As a Winter Storm Juno ravages the Northeast , many employees are skipping their daily commutes and office 9-to-5, and instead getting comfortable with their living rooms and laptops. This remote work may be something we should be doing more of, according to two new studies. Working from home can be good for your health and productivity. Not only did people who worked from home report greater work satisfaction and less "work exhaustion," they also got better sleep. Separately, researchers found that the highest performing workers were the most likely to cultivate and excel in a "WFH" environment. Researchers from Stanford University recently conducted a study on 255 employees of a large Chinese travel agency, all of whom had been employed with the agency for at least six months. Half of the employees worked from home for a period of nine months, while the other half of the employees acted as a control group, and continued to work out of the office. Both group worked the same shifts at the same time. While the performance of the group that stayed in the office remained stable, the performance of the work from home group increased by 13 percent, as measured by their sales rate and interactions with customers. They were also more productive per minute. The researchers cited less noise distraction, fewer breaks and fewer sick days as some possible reasons for the boosts in productivity, Harvard Business Review reported . But they found something else that was interesting. After the test period was over, the employees were given the choice whether to continue working from home or to return to the office. Roughly half the work-from-homers decided to return the office, and three-quarters of the group who remained in the office decided to stay there -- and typically, it was the highest-performing employees who chose to work from home, likely because they were not worried about getting distracted. "Our advice is that firms at the very least ought to be open to employees working from home occasionally, to allow them to focus on individual projects and tasks," the study's authors wrote in Harvard Business Review . Another way that working from home may improve employee productivity and satisfaction is by improving sleep quality, according to an unrelated new study. Research conducted on nearly 500 workers found that employees with a more flexible work schedule are less sleep-deficient than those with less control over their time. The study, recently published in the journal Sleep Health , found that employees who were able to decide when and where they work enjoyed an improved quality and quantity of sleep. "Work can be a calling and inspirational, as well as a paycheck, but work should not be detrimental to health," one of the study's authors, Orfeu M. Buxton, said in a statement . "It is possible to mitigate some of the deleterious effects of work by reducing work-family conflict and improving sleep." Some previous research has supported these findings. A 2007 meta-analysis of 46 studies found that working remotely improved productivity by both objective measures and supervisor evaluations. Remote work was also found to reduce stress and increase job satisfaction, but on the negative side, was correlated with a lower quality of relationships with co-workers. A 2014 University of Calgary study also found that when it comes to work-from-home productivity, personality matters. Workers who were honest, conscientious and satisfied with their jobs were productive at home, while (unsurprisingly), workers who had a tendency to procrastinate were less productive at home.
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ST. LOUIS (AP) Martin Brodeur is retiring to take a front office job with the St. Louis Blues. The New Jersey Devils have a spot waiting for one of the greatest goaltenders in NHL history whenever he is ready to come back home. "Absolutely. He is aware of that and has always been aware of that," Devils president and general manager Lou Lamoriello said Tuesday. "He could have come back even now if he wanted to." The 10-time All-Star and four-time Vezina Trophy winner finished his career with St. Louis after a standout, two-decade run with New Jersey. A news conference was set for Thursday morning before the Blues return from the All-Star break to play Nashville. "It's kind of sad to see a guy like him hang `em up," said Brian Elliott, the Blues' All-Star goalie. "I'm sure it's a tough decision, but I was grateful to be on the same team with him if only for a little bit." PHOTOS: Brodeur through the years The 42-year-old Brodeur wrapped up his 22-year career with St. Louis after signing as a free agent on Dec. 2. He was 3-3 with a 2.87 goals-against average and in his final victory became the fifth-oldest goalie to post a shutout in a 3-0 win over Colorado on Dec. 29. He last played on Jan. 2 in a loss at Anaheim and had not returned since being granted a one-week leave of absence on Jan. 14. Brodeur had dropped to third on the depth chart after Elliott returned from a knee injury, with 24-year-old Jake Allen sharing the position, but teammates are happy he'll still be around to help. "It's an extremely smart move," forward Alexander Steen said. "All the experience and all that stuff is so valuable to have in an organization. That stuff spreads." Lamoriello said he's been talking with the Brodeur the last several weeks, so the announcement was not a surprise. Lamoriello said it won't be long before the Devils retire his No. 30 and that there are no hard feelings Brodeur is sticking with St. Louis for now. "It's something that he feels he would like to try and see," Lamoriello said. "He might even find out whether he likes this business or not. Who knows? There is no issue whatsoever." Brodeur played his first 21 seasons with the Devils, who did not re-sign him after committing to Cory Schneider as the No. 1 goalie. Schneider said he was a little surprised about the announcement, calling it the end of an iconic career. "Those kinds of players, like Marty and Jaromir (Jagr), they only come along so often," Schneider said. "The things that Marty did, I don't know if we will ever see again or it probably won't be for a long, long time." The Montreal native was 691-397-176 with a 2.24 goals-against average, .912 save percentage and 125 shutouts in 1,266 career appearances. He holds regular-season NHL records for wins, games and minutes. "I don't think he has to worry about losing those anytime soon," Elliott said. "It's just awesome to be able to stand on the same ice as a guy like that, especially when you look at the record books probably 50 years from now and you can be like, `I played with that guy,' so it's cool." Brodeur also holds postseason records for starts (204) and shutouts (24), and is second in wins (113). He appeared in 70 or more games in 10 consecutive seasons from 1997-98 to 2007-08. He won three Stanley Cups with the Devils and was a two-time Olympic gold medalist with Team Canada in 2002 and 2010. Devils center Scott Gomez won two Stanley Cups with Brodeur and remembered a player so handy with the stick it prompted an NHL rule change. Jagr said having Brodeur in goal was like having an extra half defenseman who could start breakouts. "So many new goaltenders come in the league and it's kind of incredible for him to adjust and stay in that game for such a long time," Jagr said. "I don't think anybody can do that again, in any sport. Maybe (Peyton) Manning if he keeps playing, because quarterback is that type of position." ------ AP Sports Writer Tom Canavan contributed to this report.
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We care about staying safe during our travels, especially when we take our epic adventures solo. There's no reason for travel disasters when you can prevent them. That's why we have special interest in visiting the world's safest cities, as recently ranked in The Economist's Safe Cities Index. The Economist Intelligence Unit looked at 50 cities, selected for factors including their size and availability of data. The cities were ranked on more than 40 metrics that spanned four main categories: digital security, health security, infrastructure safety and personal safety. Wealthy Asian cities, like Tokyo and Singapore . The other top spots went to cities in Europe, Australia, Canada and the U.S. (go NYC!). And it doesn't hurt that while they're safe, these cities are also pretty incredible to visit. The Economist's 5 safest cities in the world are: 1. Tokyo, Japan 2. Singapore 3. Osaka, Japan 4. Stockholm, Sweden 5. Amsterdam, the Netherlands For the record, the safest city in America that the index considered was New York , which came in 10th place. San Francisco followed in 12th place, Chicago ranked 16th, Los Angeles was 17th, and Washington, D.C. was 19th. (No other U.S. cities were included in the rankings.) Oh and if you're curious, the cities that came in at the bottom of the list were: 46. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia 47. Johannesburg, South Africa 48. Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam 49. Tehran, Iran 50. Jakarta, Indonesia These cities ranked low in all four of the report's categories of safety: Ho Chi Minh City, for example, finished last in "infrastructure safety" (the quality of roads, number of disaster-related deaths, etc.), and Tehran was second to last in "health security" (the cities' number of hospital beds and average life expectancies). The report notes that wealth and economic development is closely linked to city safety but certainly does not guarantee it. Researchers also wrote that, "Being statistically safe is not the same as feeling safe." While there are many factors indeed that make a city "safe" or "unsafe," it never hurts to consider the facts before a trip -- and we certainly plan to do so. Cheers to safe travels, everyone!
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Let's face it. In-person workplace communication is fading with the growth of chat programs and remote work environments. That means more and more of our efforts to influence our co-workers and bosses is done virtually. Here's a simple, quick way to do it a little bit better that was spotlighted in a recent University of North Carolina qualitative study (paywall) on how people influence others in online work environments. The authors of the study interviewed 23 members of virtual teams about previous attempts to influence other members of their virtual teams. One technique? A well-crafted email consisting solely of a subject line. (Such emails are sometimes known as " zen mail .") And, they found, the word "urgent" helped. "Zen Mail with the word Urgent and the entire message in the subject line provides a quick jolt of pressure to get a target to realize the importance of a particular task," the authors wrote. An example: Urgent: Final project approval needed before 6pm That's the whole email, but it's all that's needed. The key, of course, is the time-dependent quality of the "urgent," which implies something must be dealt with forthwith. A MailChimp study from 2013 of 24 billion delivered emails found that including the word "urgent" in subject lines clearly boosted email open rates . It might be jarring, but that's precisely why it works. The aggressive email subject line is an example of a "pressure" tactic, defined as using demands, threats, frequent checking, or charged language to get someone to do what you want which remote workers said they found effective. Trying this with a stranger or overusing it is likely to irritate people. It can also damage your credibility with colleagues and superiors. In short: Don't say something is urgent unless it truly is. Still, when push comes to shove, it works.
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Alex Rodriguez will have at least one powerful ally at his side if the Yankees refuse to pay marketing bonuses tied to the disgraced slugger's climb up the all-time home run record. The Players Association sued by Rodriguez after arbitrator Fredric Horowitz upheld his season-long suspension in January 2014 will help Rodriguez fight any attempts by the Yankees to void the bonuses, a source close to the union told the Daily News. "The Yankees would definitely face a challenge," the source said. As the Daily News first reported Saturday, Yankee officials have refused to meet with their steroid-stained superstar as he attempts to mend his relationships with Major League Baseball and prepares to re-enter the sport after his historic doping suspension. Instead, the club is preparing to battle Rodriguez over the bonuses that are separate from the remaining $61 million on his player contract. Rodriguez, who has 654 career home runs, needs just six more to tie Willie Mays' 660 and become eligible for a $6 million bonus. The agreement calls for him to receive another $6 million if he ties Babe Ruth (714), another $6 million if he ties Hank Aaron (755) and yet another $6 million if he surpasses Barry Bonds (762) to become baseball's all-time home run king. The Yankees, however, believe the deal is invalid, according to sources, because Rodriguez violated MLB's drug policy and used scorched-earth tactics in his unsuccessful effort to battle his suspension. Relations between Rodriguez, MLB and the Yankees became so heated in late 2013 and early 2014 that baseball executives and team officials hired extra security for protection, going so far as to have their homes and offices swept for bugging devices and employing bodyguards to accompany them, according to sources. The Yankees, however, will still have to tangle with the union if they try to void the home run deal with Rodriguez. The Players Association will jump into the fray on Rodriguez's behalf because it is concerned about the sanctity of contracts its members sign with MLB teams and because it doesn't want to establish a precedent that might be used against other players in the future. The union is clearly not motivated by a personal fondness for Rodriguez: The Yankee star angered many of his fellow players when he sued the union and MLB in January 2013, just days after Horowitz upheld his suspension. A-Rod's lawsuit claimed the union did not provide an adequate defense during his unsuccessful appeal. The players were especially upset that Rodriguez's lawsuit took a shot at former MLBPA executive director Michael Weiner, who died from a brain tumor a few months before the suit was filed. Rodriguez and his high-powered legal team were angry that Weiner had recommended that A-Rod attempt to cut a deal for a lesser penalty with MLB officials, an option that surely would have proved more successful for Rodriguez than the path he chose. Rodriguez dropped the lawsuit against the union in February 2014 about a week after he told federal drug agents that he had indeed paid Biogenesis founder Anthony Bosch $12,000 a month for performance-enhancing drugs and agreed to cooperate with the feds investigating Bosch's doping ring. Rodriguez and the Yankees gained approval for the marketing deal tied to his home run milestones in 2007, after A-Rod famously opted out of his Yankee player contract during the World Series between the Colorado Rockies and the Red Sox, upstaging the Fall Classic. The Yankees ultimately signed A-Rod to the $272 million, 10-year deal he currently works under. The deal was considered unique for the Yankees and was tied to Rodriguez making public relations and promotional appearances as he pursued the milestones. These kinds of marketing bonuses are not allowed in the standard player contract, according to the game's Basic Agreement, which is why there was a separate contract. Daily News legal analyst Tom Harvey points out that while the union is contractually obligated to defend its player the Yankees might actually have a good case to void the marketing deal. "Mainly because of his inconsistent and contradictory statements about steroid use it would be very difficult for Rodriguez to take the stand, whether in arbitration or in a courtroom, and be put under oath," Harvey said. "Once he goes on the stand, you can ask him all kinds of questions, like if he ever testified under oath to a grand jury,a nd what he said. It would be a mess." The Yankees have already made it clear that Rodriguez will not be their starting third baseman and that his only option for making the team is as a designated hitter.
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Bill Clinton has an interesting suggestion for what to call him if his wife becomes president: "Adam." In an interview with Rachael Ray airing Thursday, the cook-turned-talk show host asked the former president about what his title would be if Hillary Clinton were to win a 2016 White House bid. "Let's say, if a woman became president, we could, I could be called 'Adam.' I don't know," Clinton said, according to comments released in advance of the show's airing. Clinton also wondered aloud about what would happen if a gay couple occupied the executive mansion: "You know, if the president is a man, you call the president's spouse 'the first lady,' so we'll have to cross this bridge if a gay couple [is ever in the White House]." "We're joking about this," said Clinton, "but it's a serious decision. Serious decision for Hillary, serious decision for the country, and the world." The ex-commander in chief said later, "I'm happy to joke about it, but, look, I love my wife. Whatever she wants to do, I'm for. I think it'd be good for the country because she's the ablest person I've ever worked with." He added, "If she decided not to do it, I'd give her the bucket list, and we'd go check 'em off."
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Kim Kardashian West is concerned about your mobile phone's data usage, in this Super Bowl ad for T-Mobile.
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You've heard the drumbeat so many times that you read right over the words: "Use good form, squeeze the muscle at the point of peak contraction, use a full range of motion." Yeah, you already do all those things ... or do you? Arguably, at least 90% of the people I see at the gym make one crucial error on biceps curling movements even though they think they're working their arms the best way possible. And what they don't know they're doing can be counterproductive to their goals of trying to build big biceps . Here's why. During many curling exercises, you start with your elbows by your sides, contracting your biceps to raise the weight. But if you're going all the way up to the point where the bar is beneath your chin or at shoulder height, your front delts have assisted in the move, pulling your elbows forward. Limit Your Cheating "People tend to bring their elbows forward for two simple reasons," says Ernesto Osorio, CSCS, a personal trainer with One2One Fitness in Houston. "The first is trying to achieve a greater peak contraction of the biceps. The second reason is that of pride and ego - you can typically use more weight when you're not isolating the target muscle, a nice way of saying you're cheating. And while it's okay to occasionally use cheating techniques to spark growth, doing so on every rep can hamper your progress. "Bringing your elbows forward can increase the workload, but this brings in the front delts and increases tension on the biceps tendon," he adds. "Ultimately, this could lead to impingement and cause undue wear and tear." And Osorio points out that when you need to use your shoulders to assist in curling heavier weight, you tend to lean backward, which could cause low-back discomfort or pain. When you allow your elbows to travel too far forward, the weight is directly over the elbows, meaning the bi's don't have to work as hard against gravity. You may think it looks good, but the overall effect on just the biceps is less than if your elbows were firmly planted by your sides. And for those looking for an incredible burn and pump, try this strict form for an entire set. You'll be surprised how full your biceps get when you don't let your shoulders become too heavily involved. Osorio suggests that if you're one of the 90% of those who want bigger guns but don't pin your elbows at your sides as you curl, start by backing off on the weight you use. "Remember, the biceps is only a small muscle group with two heads, so the key is to work smart and efficient with various angles," he says. Then, on occasion, allow your shoulders to assist in moving more weight than you could otherwise when using superstrict form. And while it's often easy to overlook training advice that seems redundant, always turning a single-joint move, such as a biceps curl into a multijoint exercise could be doing your physique more harm than good.
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Brian Stelter looks at the strict hierarchy behind the popular festival in the quaint mountain town of Park City, UT.
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Did you know that Harvard University is now one of the largest grape-growers in Southern California's wine country? Neither did we. But according to Reuters , the Harvard University endowment fund has allocated $60 million to purchase about 10,000 acres of land in the Paso Robles wine region since 2012, making it one of the top 20 investors in the region. Brodiaea, Inc., wholly owned by the Harvard Management Fund, has also secured the purchase of water well-drilling permits, just days before a law was to go into effect that would ban new pumping, due to the effects of the severe drought California has been experiencing over the past year. "It remains to be seen what commitment they have to the business of agriculture," Susan Harvey of environmental advocacy group North County Watch told Reuters. "Is Harvard going to keep pumping ground water, or cut back on returns to protect water quality and quantity?" Since Brodiaea, Inc. began buying land in wine country, the company has acquired rights to drill 16 water wells of between 700 and 900 feet deep, two or three times deeper than the average residential well. This could be potentially dangerous for residents, because, according to North County Watch, the enormous water-draw could affect residential wells up to a mile away. The Daily Meal is waiting for comment from Harvard University, but the Harvard Management Company declined to comment to Reuters.
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8 Ways To Lose 10 Pounds Without Exercise Trying to lose 10 pounds? Oodles of new research has uncovered simple ways to trim 100 calories or more from your diet without skimping on flavor. While it doesn't sound like much, shaving off 100 calories a day could help you trim 10 or more pounds a year even if you never set foot in the gym. Add these smart strategies to your routine. Dim the lights A recent study from Cornell University says the secret to eating less and feeling more satisfied with what you do eat could be as simple as some mood lighting. People who ate a meal under soft, warm lighting consumed 175 fewer calories, and finished 18% less of the food on their plates, than those who dined in brightly lit places. Those in the darker rooms also rated food as more enjoyable than the other group. Scientists think that's because the harsh fluorescent lights commonly found in fast-food restaurants may create a psychological need to rush through meals and eat more. Consider this your chance to actually use those candlesticks you got for your wedding ages ago. Be a straight shooter They might look stylish, but swanky, curved drinking glasses on your table could lead to extra weight. A British study found that people consumed 60% more alcohol, sugary sodas, and juices if the glass they drank from was curvy, rather than a straight tumbler. The researchers speculate that people drink faster from the curvy glasses because it's harder to tell when you're at the halfway point, meaning you're more likely to reach for another drink sooner and end up consuming more. Turn in earlier Got a bad case of the head bobs? Several studies say you could wind up hungrier than if you were bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. One study from the Mayo Clinic shows getting less than 6 ½ hours of sleep a night can lead to consuming as many as 500 excess calories in a day. Being sleep deprived can increase how hungry you feel and lead to downing more calories than you'd eat if you weren't exhausted, says Manfred Hallschmid, PhD, department of medical psychology and behavioural neurobiology, University of Tübingen and lead researcher of a separate study on sleep and calorie consumption. "Sleep deprivation can raise levels of appetite hormones like ghrelin," he says. Surging levels of ghrerlin, the hormone that revs up your appetite, can lead to eating hundreds of extra calories than when you're well-rested, according to Dr. Hallschmid. Don't say, 'I can't' Whether you're trying to sidestep a fast-food drive-thru or the office doughnuts, don't tell yourself what you can't eat. Instead, tell yourself you "don't" eat it. In a recent study, when researchers divided a group of people into "can't eats" and "don't eats," 64% of those in the "don't" group passed up a candy bar in favor of a healthier granola bar but only 30% of the "can't" group chose the healthier snack. "Can't" sounds more like punishment than being healthy, creating a sense of self-deprivation that can tank your motivation. On the other hand, reminding yourself you "don't" eat certain foods feels more empowering. Think thin The way you think about food and your body can determine your success at sticking to a healthy diet. Over a 10-year span, 59% of women who started out with an average body mass index of 20 but thought they were overweight, wound up packing on weight and watching their BMI swell to more than 25. That weight gain likely happened because of a self-fulfilling prophecy, says Susan Albers, psychologist at The Cleveland Clinic and the author of Eating Mindfully and 50 Ways to Soothe Yourself Without Food . "Your mindset is incredibly important in giving up or getting on track with your weight," she says. "So if you think you are not overweight, regardless of your actual weight, you will act in ways that lead you to what you already believe." Stop staring at sugar To help you keep sugar cravings in check, a recent study says you should look the other way when you see pictures of high-fat, high-calorie, or sugary foods. That's because brain scans have shown that ogling pictures of high-calorie treats stimulates parts of the brain that control hunger and the reward center, says Kathleen Page, MD, assistant professor of medicine at USC and the study's lead author. Bottom line: maybe your Pinterest board of cupcakes isn't the best idea. Wet your whistle You're more likely to crave veggies than greasy French fries, chips, or other high-fat foods if you pair a meal with water instead of caloric beverages. Researchers at the University of Oregon say that food-drink pairings can influence the type of food choices we make and the amount of calories we eat. In the study, adults who paired a meal with water were more likely to eat their vegetables and make other healthy food choices than if they sipped on soda. Look forward to eating Fantasizing about lunch? Go with that. Hallschmid says anticipating a meal can actually lower your body's levels of ghrelin. In a study he conducted, he found that thinking about a meal beforehand helps reign in ghrelin levels, helping people consume fewer calories during a meal. "Looking forward to eating could have a positive effect on food intake control because it leads to feeling full sooner, and sustaining that feeling of full so you don't seek out high-calorie snacks," says he says.
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Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker on Tuesday proposed a plan that would help fund a new arena for the National Basketball Association's Milwaukee Bucks by tapping into expected growth in players' income tax payments. The Republican governor said his first-of-its-kind plan, dubbed "Pay Their Way," would spur economic growth while ensuring taxpayers would not be left picking up the tab. "This solution allows for the state to make an investment in economic development in Milwaukee, while protecting Wisconsin taxpayers from risk," Walker said in a statement. The plan would create a nine-member sports and entertainment district to pay off $220 million of new state appropriation bonds using growth in income taxes paid by members of the Bucks and visiting NBA teams due to salary increases and new television contracts. Current tax collections from those sources would not be used for bond payments. The bond proceeds would be contingent on the team's ability to secure the remaining $300 million for the arena. The Bucks have pledged about $150 million for the project, while the team's prior owner, Herb Kohl, has offered $100 million, according to a team spokesman, who said the total cost of the arena has not been set. Bucks President Peter Feigin released a statement welcoming the governor's support for "a new state-of-the-art venue and entertainment destination." "We look forward to working closely with Governor Walker, the state legislature, local officials and the entire community to make this vision a reality." The Bucks would likely leave Wisconsin in 2017 without a new arena, according to Walker's office. The team's departure would cost the state nearly $10 million in annual income tax collections and leave it on the hook for as much as $100 million in maintenance and debt service costs for the current arena, Bradley Center, without an anchor tenant. The Bucks were sold for $550 million to hedge fund managers Wesley Edens and Marc Lasry last May. If they are sold again, Walker's plan would require sale proceeds to be first earmarked for repayment of the bonds. (Reporting by Karen Pierog in Chicago; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)
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Here's one more incentive to practice safe driving techniques with a religious fervor. Filing a single claim of $2,000 or more will cause an average motorist's car insurance premiums to skyrocket by 41 percent, according to a recent study conducted for the website InsuranceQuotes.com . And that's just the national average. The study found that residents of California are subject to the stiffest penalties for, well, taking advantage of coverage for which one already pays dearly, with a single claim triggering a budget-busting 86 percent average rate boost. Those living in Maryland tend to suffer the mildest financial hardship after filing a car insurance claim, with a typical jolt of 22 percent. According to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), the average car insurance premium in the U.S. is $815; do the math and you'll find that means making a claim would cost the typical policyholder an additional $335 more per year in premiums. This is all based on the actuarial premise that someone filing an insurance claim is more likely to get into another accident than a policyholder who's never opened the umbrella of coverage, so to speak. So what about an unlucky motorist who, in fact, follows up with a second car-insurance claim? He or she hits the proverbial ball out of the old park with a doubleheader of a premium upsurge at a national average 93 percent. "Many consumers underestimate the consequences of making claims because they can affect your rate for years," says Laura Adams, a senior analyst at insuranceQuotes.com. "If you get a premium hike for making a small claim, that could hurt your finances over the long run." Bodily injury and property damage tend to be the costliest claims in terms of premium enhancement, according to InsuranceQuotes.com data, at an average 45 percent and 41 percent boost, respectively, while simple claims for comprehensive (non-collision) damage triggering comparatively minor bumps at just two percent. Here are the states where those filing a single car insurance claim can expect to see the highest rate increases (based on a $2,000 claim against one's bodily injury coverage): California 86 percent Massachusetts 83 percent New Jersey 69 percent North Carolina 58 percent Minnesota 52 percent And here are the five states where drivers can subject to the lowest pocketbook penalties under the same circumstances: Maryland 22 percent Michigan 25 percent Montana 27 percent Oklahoma 27 percent Mississippi 28 percent Click here for the full study with average increases noted for all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Worse, such rate increases are hardly a one-time deal. Experts say consumers can expect such premium hikes to stay in effect for between three to five years depending on the severity of the underlying incident after which they should drop to their previous levels, assuming of course one has not filed another claim in the meantime. As we've long pointed out, the prudent path to follow whenever insurance premiums rise for any reason is to shop around to find a better rate elsewhere. Different companies have varying underwriting standards, with some being more forgiving than others in this regard. And, of course, make sure you're receiving all of a given carrier's available discounts to which you may be entitled. Of course, a given driver's auto insurance premiums are largely based on a combination of factors, including age, gender, geographical location, miles driven per year and driving record. We can only shudder to think of the budget-busting car insurance bill a family might face in a given year after filing one or two claims, adding a male teen driver to the family policy, receiving at least one moving violation and moving from a sleepy town in Maryland to a crowded corner of Los Angeles, California. Anyone for public transportation? The Fine Print: The above study was conducted for InsuranceQuotes.com by Quadrant Information Services, and was based on data culled from six large carriers in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Averages are based on a 45-year-old married female driver driving a sedan from the 2012 model year. It's assumed this person is employed, with a four-year college degree, an excellent credit record and currently has car insurance with policy limits of $100,000 for injury liability for one person, $300,000 for all injuries and a $500 deductible on collision and comprehensive coverage. What's more, she has never previously filed a claim until this one, which amounts to $2,000. Follow us on Forbes.com, Facebook , Twitter and Pinterest . Read More: 10 Cars With The Highest Insurance Rates
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Oil prices rebounded Tuesday from six-year lows as the dollar weakened after disappointing US economic data . The US benchmark, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) for March delivery, rose $1.08 (2.4 percent) to close at $45.16 a barrel. Brent North Sea crude for March settled at $49.60 a barrel in London, up $1.44 from Monday's closing level. "The market has found a bottom in the mid-40 range," said Kyle Cooper of IAF Advisors. Crude futures sank Monday to their lowest closing levels since early 2009. Crude has shed nearly 60 percent of its value in an almost uninterrupted slide since June due to a supply glut, largely boosted by robust US shale-oil production and weaker global economic growth. The greenback has been strengthening for months, making dollar-priced oil relatively more expensive, adding to the pressure on the oil market. A slight easing in the dollar Tuesday against major rival currencies such as the euro, yen and pound underpinned the buying, Cooper said. "I didn't see anything bullish today" for WTI, he said. "Equities are down, durable goods (are) not that good." New orders for long-lasting US industrial goods unexpectedly fell in December, by a steep 3.4 percent, signaling some persistent weakness in the manufacturing sector. Saudi Aramco, the world's largest oil company in terms of crude production and exports, acknowledged that prices have fallen too far but it was up to the market, not OPEC producers, to shore them up. "It's too low for everybody," said Khalid al-Falih, the president of the state-owned energy giant, told a conference in Riyadh. "I think even consumers start to suffer in the long term." Falih also said US shale-oil production is important for the world's long-term energy future and Saudi Aramco has earmarked an additional $7 billion for its own shale projects. The kingdom is the leading exporter and top producer in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, which provides about a third of global oil supplies. In November, OPEC resisted calls to reduce output in the face of falling prices, keeping its output ceiling at 30 million barrels per day in a decision that exacerbated the global price slump.
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CINCINNATI A West Virginia woman is accused of deliberately making her 9-year-old son sick by contaminating his IV at a Cincinnati hospital. Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters says 35-year-old Candida Fluty, of Kermit, West Virginia, was indicted Tuesday in Cincinnati on charges of felonious assault and child endangering. Deters says Fluty could face up to eight years in prison if convicted of all charges. A message left for Fluty's attorney has not been returned. Deters says the boy has a congenital condition affecting the bowels that has required numerous surgeries. He was in a Cincinnati hospital this month when Deters says fecal matter was put in the IV, causing his fever to spike. Deters says the boy is in the custody of West Virginia Children's Services but staying with an aunt.
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Aside from actually signing yourself up for the race, the very first step in preparing for a marathon is deciding on a training plan to follow. Well actually, before you even pay a fee to claim your bib, you should first be sure that you're physically ready to start training for a marathon, says Jason Fitzgerald, a 2:39 marathoner and the founder of Strength Running . "Your weekly mileage should be at about 20 and hopefully your long run is in the double digits about 16 weeks before the race," he said. At this point your body will be ready to take on the many miles you'll need to cover to prepare yourself for a 26.2-mile race, and based on this "pre-training" you'll be better able to pick a plan that will best fit your needs and abilities. Fitzgerald says you should first look for a plan that starts at a mileage level similar to what you're currently running. However, he strongly suggests that most runners should eliminate the guesswork of training for a marathon by seeking out a customized training plan. "Invest in a custom training plan from an accredited coach who can tailor it exactly to your individual fitness level, goals, injury history, schedule, and background," he said. He warned against the many free "stock" marathon training plans available online. "They over-simplify marathon training, don't include injury prevention measures or strength training, and often aren't written by certified running coaches," Fitzgerald said. Instead, he strongly recommends working with a coach that you trust so you can get a training plan that will prioritize your specific interests and goals. "Buying a personalized training plan is an enormous advantage over a stock plan for any runner who has a specific time goal or has struggled with injuries in the past," Fitzgerald said. "The coach writing your plan will have you answer an extensive questionnaire, tailoring the program to your specific needs, strengths, and weaknesses." Some other benefits of a customized plan that he mentioned include: elimination of the need to worry about whether you're doing the "right thing," knowing with confidence that every workout was designed specifically for you, and race results that will be significantly better than what you'd get with a standard training plan. "Working with a coach is taking your training to the next level," Fitzgerald explained. "In addition to getting a training program fully personalized for your needs, you'll get access to a coach who can help you with race strategy, injury rehab and prevention, accountability, and who's available to answer any questions you might have throughout the training cycle." He noted that with the growing popularity of online coaching services, working with professionals to train for a marathon has become much more affordable for recreational runners who want to see what they're really capable of achieving on race day. --- Jason Fitzgerald is a 2:39 marathoner, USA Track & Field certified coach, and his company Strength Running is one of the largest online coaching sites for runners . His work has been featured in Runner's World, Competitor Magazine, Health, Outside, and many more.
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PHOENIX New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft sidestepped most questions about Deflategate at Tuesday's Super Bowl XLIX media day after offering a staunch defense of his team, coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady a day earlier. However Kraft did direct a sugar-coated jibe at remarks made Sunday by Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman, who said the owner's ties to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell would likely prevent the Patriots from being punished. Kraft's response? "Well, I think Richard Sherman is a very smart marketing whiz," he said. But the Deflategate cloud lingers. "I'm going to speak about our football team and the game Sunday," Kraft said. Of course, he was asked about addressing the media Monday after the Patriots' arrival in Arizona and giving his embattled franchise his full support amid the continuing controversy over whether the Patriots used illegally deflated balls during the AFC Championship Game. "My instincts said to me that was the right thing to do. We have special people in Tom and Bill," said Kraft, who declined to go into specifics of the matter or rehash his defense. "Now it's time to talk about football." When the Seahawks arrived over the weekend, Sherman added fuel to the fire when asked if he expected the league to discipline the Patriots. "Probably not. Not as long as Robert Kraft and Roger Goodell are still taking pictures at their respective homes," said Sherman. "I think he was just at Kraft's house last week for the AFC championship. You talk about conflict of interest. But as long as that happens it won't affect them at all." Kraft explained that the league used to pay for a "big party" at the AFC Championship Game. "We've been privileged to own the team for 21 years, and this was our 10th championship game," said Kraft. "And when the league stopped doing the parties ... we started doing them. I've had a party at home for our lead sponsors to thank them. "It's a way to try to grow revenues for the NFL and our team. So I think Mr. Sherman understood that he's the biggest beneficiary because they (players) get over 50% of the revenues. "So he didn't go to Harvard, (but) Stanford must be pretty good because he figured it out." *** Follow Gary Mihoces on Twitter @ByGaryMihoces
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I've always known that I grew up sheltered. I was raised in the South, in a church-going family (Baptist, naturally), with loving parents and protective siblings and friends whose idea of peer pressure was to make sure I called my mom before I stayed out too late. It was Mayfield, of Leave it to Beaver fame. It was Mayberry. I liked it there. I wanted to raise my kids there. Mayberry is the perfect town. There's nothing to lead a young child astray. There are no scary things there. No crimes, no criminals. There are no drugs in Mayberry. I always thought that the after-school specials that showed kids lost in a downward spiral of drugs and bad behavior were overly dramatic. Also, those kids were dumb, and I? I was not dumb. Apparently, though, I was arrogant. And self-centered enough not to notice those things happening around me. I remember the first time I saw marijuana. My best friend had a small bag of it, and she asked me to put in my backpack when we went into her house so that her parents wouldn't find it. I refused. There was no wildly dramatic scene after that. She wasn't mad at me for refusing. I didn't change her mind about having it; I'm not even sure if I tried. I don't remember. It wasn't a life-changing moment for me. There was no peer pressure to try it, no big speech telling her what drugs would do to her life. I don't believe I even thought of it again for several years. And after that? Well, my encounters with illicit substances were pretty much limited to underage drinking and smoking. I would, occasionally, find myself at the receiving end of an offer to smoke a joint. But by and large, I managed to avoid that scene. I even held off on the underage drinking until just before turning 21. It seems laughable now that I'd make it that far and then give in, but I figured it wasn't that big of a deal. I tried cigarettes and didn't hate them, didn't love them. Once in a while, I'd have one socially. It made me feel like part of the crowd. Those experiences made me glad that this place, this real-life Mayberry, was where I would raise my children. I was relieved that my kids would be raised in a world where the school D.A.R.E. officer doesn't have much to do. Where after-school specials are relegated to the world of make believe. Where drugs happen to someone else, but never to me. I'm shocked at my own naïveté. Now that I'm adult with more worldly experience, I've begun to look back and recognize that there were people, people who I knew personally, who struggled with drug addiction. There are people who I knew in high school who have lost siblings to it. Who have died themselves from overdoses. How did I not know this, at the time? How did I live so deeply inside the heart of Mayberry that I didn't even see what was going on around me? Looking back, I realize that I never not even once came across hard drugs in person. My knowledge of those things came from my criminal justice classes and late-night reruns of Law & Order. I grieve for my friends who have lost so much to drugs. At the same time, I'm torn between a feeling of disgust at my younger self for her ignorance, and a thankfulness that I was so blessed. What kind of person does that make me? I don't know. Sheltered, obviously. Blessed? Absolutely. Lucky, even? I think lucky most of all. Maybe my parents didn't avoid the topic of drug abuse, but we never sat down and talked about it, either. Now that I'm a mom myself, all of these things seem to be a very clear and present danger. I see the potential for bad influences and bad decisions and even worse outcomes around every corner. I'm no longer the ostrich with my head in the sand, and it scares me. Now I have to decide: do I discuss with my children the dangers of drugs and teach them how to "just say no"? Or do I hope that they'll grow up like I did, with only the protection of positive peer pressure and school drug abuse education and friends who think that being grounded for missing curfew is the worst thing that could ever happen? No, I don't think I'll do that. I don't think that I'll close my eyes and hope for the best. I can't risk it. I won't risk that someone else will get to my kids first, and lead them away from the shelter of my love. I'll still shelter them, absolutely. I just plan to open the blinds. Keep them safe while still showing them the world around them. Hope that I teach them the right ways to handle tough situations when they're ready to go out on their own. Pray for them. It's all I can do. It's all any parent can do.
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Despite its apparent outlandishness, Kurt Busch maintains he was telling the truth when he testified in a Delaware family court that his ex-girlfriend was an assassin who killed drug lords around the world. "My right hand was on the Bible and I swore under oath to tell the truth," Busch said Tuesday. Without delving into specifics, Busch repeatedly denied the accusations he assaulted ex-girlfriend Patricia Driscoll in his motor home last September at Dover International Speedway. Driscoll alleges Busch slammed her head against the wall three times before she escaped. Driscoll filed a complaint Nov. 5 and Dover police concluded their investigation at the end of December, handing the case off to the Delaware Attorney General's office for review. A decision is expected any day. "It's easy to sit here and feel refreshed about a season that's upcoming because of standing on the truth," Busch said. "We'll see what the decision is whenever they make a decision." In addition to the police complaint, Driscoll is also seeking a separate protective order against Busch, a case still ongoing. It was during the hearing when Busch testified Driscoll was a trained government assassin and again denied striking Driscoll, who he broke up with a week before, with Driscoll testifying that Busch was battling depression and alcoholism . Busch refuted both claims Tuesday, pointing to his 2014 accomplishments. In addition to winning the March Sprint Cup race at Martinsville Speedway, he also competed in the Indianapolis 500 for the first time, finishing sixth. "Obviously, it would be difficult to have all those symptoms and race as well at the top levels," Busch said. As the saga has played out in the courtroom as well as through the media, Busch said everyone at Stewart-Haas Racing has been supportive and believes in his innocence. "They know the truth, they know who I am," Busch said.
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Obama gave Modi a bit of an awkward compliment.
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One of the latest buzzwords in the fitness industry used ad nauseam by personal trainers is "functional" training. Yet, when I ask what they mean by functional, I either get blank stares or some egghead pointing to the battle ropes. If you are at a commercial gym and are not surrounded by people doing curls on a bosu ball or flailing around on the battle ropes, consider yourself lucky. If you think it's annoying when people curl in the squat rack, try having the squat rack taken by someone doing 45 lb. curls standing on a bosu ball… it's infuriating! Functional Training Defined So what is functional training? In different contexts it could have different definitions. If you are an athlete participating in a sport then functional training would be training that has a high rate of transfer to your sport. More commonly (since most gym goers are not training for a specific sport) it means exercises that involve training the body for activities performed in daily life. Unless you work on the docks tying up boats all day when was the last time you had a day where that battle rope training came in handy? Or how about the bosu ball? You stand on a lot of inflated balls every day at work? I'm guessing the answer is no. Why has it become so popular? Functional training has become popular because it is an important concept, and a recreational gym goer should be training with everyday activities in mind. It's just that the modalities commonly associated with functional training (bosu balls, battle ropes, etc.) are not functional. If you are around the fitness industry long enough you will see fads come and go. But the truly functional and effective exercises weather each one of these storms. What is True Functional Training? What are some activities that almost every human does multiple times a day? You sit down, you stand up, you pick stuff up, you walk, and you climb stairs. What exercises do you think would transfer best to these activities? I would argue that the two most functional exercises you can do are the barbell squat and deadlift. If you can squat more you will surely be able to sit down and stand up more efficiently. And if you increase your deadlift, that 40 lb bag. of flour from Costco will be much easier to grab off the floor. The grip strength gained from deadlifting will also allow you to make 2 trips to the trunk for groceries instead of 3. That sounds pretty functional to me. Another Tip for Functional Training Sometimes we need power, sometimes we need max strength, and sometimes we need muscular endurance to perform our everyday tasks. Trying to move a heavy boulder out of the back yard is going to require maximal strength, carrying your groceries up 4 flights of stairs to your apartment requires muscular endurance, and defending yourself in a beer room brawl at the local kick-and-stab requires some power behind those punches or body slams. To facilitate this need for different types of strength in our daily activities (on a side note, you probably shouldn't be fighting at bars daily) you need to work out in all rep ranges. Throwing different stimuli at your body will ensure that you are ready for anything that life throws at you. When choosing exercises for your own functional training program think logically about what is actually functional for you. Look at the biomechanics of the exercises you are doing and try to envision what daily activity it would transfer to. And keep the bosu balls out of the damn squat rack!
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American Express Co said it would launch operations in Cuba following President Barack Obama's decision this month to ease sanctions against the communist-ruled island. MasterCard Inc said last week it would allow its cards issued in the United States to be used in Cuba from March 1 as Washington eases restrictions on travel, trade and financial activities. Marina Norville, a spokeswoman for American Express, confirmed in an email that AmEx also planned to start business activities in Cuba but provided no further details. Visa Inc (V.N) has not revealed its plans for Cuba, and company executives were not available to comment on Tuesday. (Reporting by Amrutha Gayathri in Bengaluru; Editing by Ted Kerr)
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LONDON (AP) Branislav Ivanovic headed Chelsea into the League Cup final with a 1-0 victory over Liverpool on Tuesday, settling an enthralling semifinal in extra time. After a 1-1 draw in the first leg, Ivanovic rose to meet Willian's free kick in the 94th minute at Stamford Bridge to secure Chelsea's progress. The Premier League leaders were fortunate to complete the compelling game with 11 men after Diego Costa avoided punishment for stamping on Liverpool duo Emre Can and Martin Skrtel. By denying Brendan Rodgers a first final as Liverpool manager, Jose Mourinho can now prepare for the first of his second spell at Chelsea. Chelsea, which won the competition in 2005 and 2007 under Mourinho, will discover its opponent for the March 1 final on Wednesday. Tottenham leads Sheffield United 1-0.
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Sweet dreams.
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A man suspected of kidnapping and robbery in a two-state crime spree was captured on Tuesday afternoon in Kentucky, the FBI said. Robert "Robbie" Caldwell, 25, of Danville, Kentucky, was suspected of kidnapping a man outside his Kansas City home as he prepared to leave for work last Thursday, the FBI said. The FBI said Caldwell was apprehended in Lincoln County, Kentucky, on Tuesday after a vehicle and foot pursuit by the Kentucky State Police, Lincoln County Sheriff's Department and Stanford Police Department. The FBI said he could face state and federal charges. Police said Caldwell and an accomplice stole the man's van and forced him to make cash withdraws across Missouri before he escaped in St. Louis. The van was found crashed on a highway in Bardstown, Kentucky, with neither man inside, the FBI said on Friday. Caldwell is believed to have stolen another car shortly after the van crashed, the FBI said. The FBI has not said what they think became of the man who was with Caldwell and he has not been identified. (Reporting by Kevin Murphy in Kansas City, Missouri; Editing by Eric Beech)
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PARK CITY, Utah (AP) One of the most buzzed-about movies at this year's Sundance Film Festival is "Dope," a coming-of-age story about three outcasts in the inner city. Written and directed by Rick Famuyiwa and featuring a diverse cast of actors, the film spawned a bidding war before domestic and international distributions rights were snapped up late Monday. But when Famuyiwa and his producing partners, including Forest Whitaker and Pharrell Williams, initially shopped the film around to Hollywood studios, no one bit. "I don't know if there's a recognition on the part of those who make these decisions that we're living in a world that doesn't look like what's being reflected on screen," Famuyiwa said. Two years ago, a similar bidding battle broke out over another film that premiered at the festival, "Fruitvale Station," Ryan Coogler's dramatization of the killing of Oscar Grant by police in Oakland, California. A year before that, "Selma" director Ava DuVernay was named best director at Sundance for her debut feature, "Middle of Nowhere," about a woman whose husband is sentenced to eight years in prison. But while films by and about black people fare well at the independent festival, that success rarely translates to the Hollywood mainstream. "Whiplash" won the audience and jury awards at Sundance last year, and now it's up for a best-picture Oscar. "Fruitvale Station," however, won the same two prizes at Sundance, but didn't get any Oscar attention. Studios will have to start paying attention not only because of the backlash against the all-white Oscar nominations and snub of "Selma" director Ava DuVernay and star David Oyelowo, but because it's just good business, Famuyiwa and others said. "It could be why it's getting harder and harder to get people into the cinemas and multiplexes," Famuyiwa said, "because we're just seeing a world that doesn't reflect reality." Sacha Jenkins, whose documentary about hip-hop fashion, "Fresh Dressed," premiered at Sundance last week, suggests that Hollywood needs more executives of color, and they need to be granted the same room to fail and succeed as other studio honchos. "Like, just because I'm black or Latino or whatever, it doesn't mean I'm the go-to guy for all things black and Latino," he said. "Folks also need the opportunity to go beyond the box that you expect them to be in." The chief executives at the five biggest Hollywood studios are white men. Even with executives in place who are receptive to more diverse stories and storytellers, Hollywood studios still treat such stories as more the exception than rule, Famuyiwa said. "They're stuck in ... old ways of thinking that the country and many other industries and businesses have already recognized and moved beyond," Famuyiwa said. "I think there's a sense sometimes when studios make these films that they're doing favors or that it's sort of a charity case we're doing it because it's the right thing to do but it's just good business at this point." Diverse voices and stories are an inherent part of an independent festival, said Sundance founder Robert Redford. "We believe in diversity and freedom of expression is very much fundamental to us," he said. "You see films here that are going to upset other people, but that's OK. We will do everything in our power to keep (diversity) alive here." The Sundance Institute intentionally seeks voices outside the mainstream with unique stories to tell. And its own research confirms that as the stakes go up bigger budgets, bigger distributors diversity goes down. "The pipeline of young talent interested in telling stories is there, but somewhere along the way, they fall out of the business equation, of getting that work made," said Keri Putnam, executive director of the Sundance Institute. "So as money comes into the equation, diversity whether it's gender or racial and ethnic diversity seems to step out." Multiplex movie going is also an issue, said Shaun Kosta, who released his first film, "The Republic of Two," about a 20-something cohabitating couple facing the challenges of love, over the summer. As multiplexes replace independent theaters and movie going becomes more of an event, both exhibitors and ticket-buyers are less likely to take chances on unproven stories and storytellers. "It comes down to proximity and what's available," he said. That's where cinemas may be short-sighted. Famuyiwa cites some of today's popular TV shows: "Orange Is the New Black," ''Empire," ''How to Get Away With Murder" all of which feature diverse casts. "There's a hunger our there for different types of stories, and I think there's an audience that's waiting and primed to accept a vision of America that looks like what they see when they walk out of the door each day," Famuyiwa said. "We're a country of many different cultures, and that's always what has made this country stand out. "It almost feels like making diverse movies is the most American thing you can do." ___ AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr contributed to this report. ___ Follow AP Entertainment Writer Sandy Cohen at www.twitter.com/APSandy .
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AMMAN (Reuters) - Jordan said on Wednesday it had received no assurance that one of its pilots captured by Islamic State insurgents was safe and that it would go ahead with a proposed prisoner swap only if he was freed. The fate of air force pilot Muath al-Kasaesbeh was thought to be tied to that of Japanese hostage Kenji Goto, a veteran war reporter who is also being held by the insurgent group. A video was released on Tuesday purporting to show the Japanese national saying he had 24 hours to live unless Jordan released Sajida al-Rishawi, an Iraqi woman on death row for her role in a 2005 suicide bomb attack. Government spokesman Mohammad al-Momani said Jordan was ready to release al-Rishawi if Kasaesbeh was spared, but made clear that she was still being held until the pilot was freed. "It's not true she has been released. Her release is tied to freeing our pilot," Momani told Reuters. He made no mention of Goto. Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh said on his official Twitter account that a Jordanian request for proof that Kasaesbeh was safe and well had gone unanswered. The Jordanian comments have raised concerns in Japan that Goto might no longer be part of any deal between Amman and Islamic State. But CNN quoted Judeh as saying that "of course" the Japanese hostage's release would be part of any exchange. Kasaesbeh was captured after his jet crashed in northeastern Syria in December during a bombing mission against Islamic State, which has captured large tracts of Syria and Iraq. The voice on the video said Kasaesbeh had a shorter time to live than Goto. Japan confirmed the existence of the video at 11 p.m. (1400 GMT) on Tuesday. "Twenty-four hours have passed since we confirmed the image of Mr. Goto, but there hasn't been any information of any particular big movement," Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters. He said Japan would continue to do its best to secure his release, staying in contact with Jordan. Momani said Jordan's priority was to secure the release of the pilot, who hails from an important Jordanian tribe that forms the backbone of support for the Hashemite monarchy. Several hundred people, including Kasaesbeh's relatives, gathered in front of the office of Jordan's prime minister on Tuesday, urging authorities to meet Islamic State's demands. Al-Rishawi has been held in Jordan over her role in a suicide bombing that killed 60 people in the capital Amman. MOTHER'S PLEA A spokesman at Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's office said he had no immediate comment on the Jordanian statement. The hostage-taking presents Abe with his biggest diplomatic crisis since he took power in 2012, and there has been a flurry of unconfirmed reports in Japanese media that a swap deal involving Goto might be in the works. Goto's mother, speaking shortly after the presumed deadline had passed late on Wednesday, said: "My emotions are all over the place. "A time limit has been set, and that has made me nervous," Junko Ishido told reporters at her Tokyo home. She had earlier urged the Japanese government to do its utmost to save his life and reiterated that her son was not an enemy of Islam. Abe said Tuesday's video was "despicable". He called on Jordan to cooperate in working for Goto's quick release, but promised that Tokyo would not give in to terrorism. Goto went to Syria in late October. According to friends and business associates, he was attempting to secure the release of Haruna Yukawa, his friend and fellow Japanese citizen who was captured by Islamic State in August. In the first of three videos purportedly of Goto, released last week, a black-clad masked figure with a knife said Goto and Yukawa would be killed within 72 hours if Japan did not pay Islamic State $200 million. The captor resembled a figure from previous Islamic State videos whose threats have preceded beheadings. A video on Saturday appeared to show Goto with a picture of a decapitated Yukawa, saying his captors' demands had switched to the release of al-Rishawi. Tuesday's video featured an audio track over a still picture that appeared to show Goto holding a picture of a now bearded Kasaesbeh. Officials involved in the crisis say Tokyo knew for months that Islamic State militants were holding two Japanese men captive, but appeared ill-prepared when the group set a ransom deadline and purportedly killed one of them. (Additional reporting by Teppei Kasai, Elaine Lies, Takashi Umekawa, Kevin Krolicki, Nobuhiro Kubo, William Mallard and Kiyoshi Takenaka in Tokyo, Oliver Holmes in Beirut and Ali Abdelatty and Mostafa Hashem in Cairo; Writing by Mike Collett-White, Linda Sieg and Nick Tattersall; Editing by Mark Heinrich)
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Gareth Bale laughed off claims that he is a "ball hog" and insisted that he plays football the way he wants, regardless of what others say. The Real Madrid attacker has been criticized for opting to shoot instead of passing to teammates in apparently better positions at points this season and is said to be too greedy on the ball. However, the Wales international maintained that he is a team player and insisted that he creates goals as well as scores them. "People have their own opinions and that's how they make their living," he said on El Larguero. "I think that when I'm playing I set goals up, and I score them too. I play football my way. That's what I like." Bale was notably criticized on the field by Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo during a 2-1 loss to Valencia, but the world's most expensive player has defended his decision making in that moment. "Against Valencia, all I can remember is that I was going through on goal and I wanted to score... and if I had scored nobody would have talked about it again. But I didn't see him and it would have been a difficult pass. But it's part of football and that's that. "As you get close to the goal you want to score, but sometimes it doesn't come off. How you deal with it is how you show your character as a player." The 25-year-old has played 28 times for Madrid in all competitions so far this season and has scored 14 goals plus contributed seven further assists.
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SUVs are once again king. Christine Romans explains what drivers are buying, and why that doesn't necessarily mean an environmental catastrophe.
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Sleep well with these f'ed up factoids.
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The New York Red Bulls have bolstered their back line ahead of the 2015 season with the signing of three defenders. French defender Ronald Zubar, a veteran of Ligue 1 and the English Premier League with UEFA Champions League experience, is the most prominent of the trio. The 29-year-old began his career with Caen before joining top-flight Marseille. He then spent three and a half years with English side Wolverhampton Wanderers before moving back to France with Ajaccio, his last club before joining MLS. The Red Bulls also re-upped with 31-year-old Damien Perrinelle, a former French Ligue 2 player who joined the club in July and made six appearances in all competitions before being let go at the end of the season. Finally, New York agreed to terms with 22-year-old Andrew Jean-Baptiste, a Brooklyn, New York, native who spent last season with Chivas USA.
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The country's major airlines are resuming limited service to airports in the Northeast following a crippling snow storm. Jeff Pegues went to Southwest Airlines' command center to see how difficult of an orchestration it is to bring air travel back to normal.
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Jose Mourinho is unsure over the extent of the hamstring injury suffered by Cesc Fabregas in the League Cup triumph over Liverpool. The Spaniard was forced off early in the second half of the game, which the Blues won in extra time courtesy of Branislav Ivanovic's header, after colliding with John Terry. Fabregas slid in to try and clear the ball five minutes into the second half of Tuesday's clash at Stamford Bridge but ran into his captain, who had committed to the challenge from the opposite direction. Mourinho immediately took the decision to substitute Fabregas in favor of Ramires with Saturday's Premier League crunch clash against title rival Manchester City looming large on the horizon. When quizzed over Fabregas, as well Filipe Luis also taken off due to injury the Portuguese coach told reporters: "Filipe [Luis] was a calf and Fabregas was a hamstring. Fabregas told me he wasn't yet injured [immediately after the impact with Terry] but that he would be in a few moments." Fabregas has made 21 Premier League appearances for Chelsea this season, notching two goals and 15 assists.
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While no sign has a monopoly on money, some signs may be more driven to earn than others. In fact, a CareerBuilder.com survey found that Scorpio, Leo, Taurus and Cancer natives were most likely to earn $100,000 or more annually supporting what we already know about these members of the zodiac. For example, money is associated with the second and eighth astrological houses, which are ruled by Taurus and Scorpio, so it's no surprise that both of these signs top CareerBuilder's list. (For real-life examples, take a look at the deep pockets of Scorpio Bill Gates and Taurus Mark Zuckerberg.) Venus-ruled Taurus tends to covet the most beautiful, refined products money can buy. Settling for the mediocre is completely unacceptable for a Bull. They may feel the need to rack up greenbacks to afford a life of luxury, and they'll persevere in order to achieve the level of comfort, security and stability they desire. Bulls also have a knack for managing money, which doesn't hurt their earning potential. Though opposite Taurus on the zodiac wheel, Scorpio is equally invested in the good life. This sign wants to delve into whatever heightens an emotional experience, which may include material items, like a fast car, top-shelf champagne or extravagant vacations. And with Scorpio's innate investing abilities and trademark drive, they are on track to turn even their loftiest aspirations into reality. A typical Leo needs to be noticed and adored which could come with a hefty price tag. They may be inspired to make big bucks in order to fund their cutting-edge wardrobe, lavish dinners, generous gifts and other pursuits that help them maintain the spotlight. At the same time, Leo's natural leadership abilities might make their rise to the top of a Fortune 500 company and rapid wealth accumulation a little easier. A desire for domestic bliss and security often motivates Cancer to rake in the dough. Crabs live for the opportunity to tend their own garden, host Thanksgiving dinner and provide for a family. Home ownership usually marks the pinnacle of success and happiness for this sign, which is no cheap ordeal. But with this sign's characteristic work ethic and ambition, there's no mystery why they often achieve it (and then some). CareerBuilder also found that Aquarius and Capricorn were at the bottom of the list of earners, as the signs most likely to net $35,000 or less a year. Aquarians tend to follow their ideals, so they might gravitate toward public service or humanitarian positions with moderate salaries. Similarly, for Capricorn a job's prestige is as important as the pay, so they may find themselves in academia or at the helm of a nonprofit. Of course, this doesn't mean that Aquarius and Capricorn natives can't be successful. Billionaire Aquarians Oprah Winfrey and Michael Bloomberg certainly haven't been hindered in the earning department, and Capricorns LeBron James and Amazon's Jeff Bezos would probably object to being lumped at the bottom as well. It goes to show you that your sign doesn't have to limit your earning power, but it can give you some insight into the most fulfilling path for you. Image via The Wolf of Wall Street/Paramount Pictures/Photofest
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(Updates with shares trading in 11th paragraph.) (Bloomberg) -- By spinning off its stake in Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., Yahoo! Inc. will remove a key reason for investors to hold the stock -- increasing pressure on Chief Executive Officer Marissa Mayer to revive growth from other assets. While shareholders cheered Yahoo's tax-free plan to distribute its $40 billion holding in the Chinese e-commerce company as a separate public firm, the Sunnyvale, California- based Web portal issued a revenue forecast that fell short of estimates, underscoring the challenge Mayer faces in reviving sales, which have been stagnant for five years. The company's market value of $45.4 billion on Tuesday was less than the combined value of the stake in Alibaba and Yahoo's $8 billion holding in Yahoo Japan Corp. By exiting the Alibaba stake, Mayer will no longer have the cover provided by owning part of China's biggest online marketplace. While Mayer has made acquisitions, restructured the company and taken steps to boost the appeal of Yahoo's products, she'll now have to start delivering tangible results after more than two years as CEO. "Now the core business is in focus," said Sameet Sinha, an analyst at B. Riley & Co. "She was distracted with all this deal-making. So you did that, good job. Let's move on." Mayer will need to extract more revenue from new businesses, including mobile and video, while making sure that Yahoo benefits from demand for search services, Sinha and other analysts have said. For the fourth quarter, Yahoo reported sales, excluding revenue shared with partner websites, fell 1.8 percent to $1.18 billion, matching analysts' average estimate. Profit, excluding items such as stock-based compensation, was 30 cents a share, topping the projection for 29 cents, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. For the first quarter, Yahoo forecast sales of $1.02 billion to $1.06 billion, short of the $1.1 billion projection. Business Performance Mayer said Yahoo's main business of selling advertising to Web users is recovering, with display-ad sales on track to climb this year. The CEO has been investing in products, partnerships and ad services to expand Yahoo's reach and restore growth, including on mobile devices where users increasingly access digital content. Mobile revenue for the fourth quarter was $253.8 million, Yahoo said. Mobile is part of what Mayer called mavens, or newly emerging businesses at Yahoo that also include video and social. "The core of Yahoo's business is returning to health and stability," Mayer said on the call. Yahoo shares rose 3.4 percent to $49.66 at 9:36 a.m. Wednesday in New York. The stock rose 25 percent in 2014, while the Standard & Poor's 500 Index gained 11 percent. New Deals Display revenue, minus sales passed on to partners, declined 5 percent in the quarter to $464 million, hurt by sales at Yahoo's traditional desktop business. In an interview, Mayer said she's confident the display business can return to revenue growth. "We spent the last two and a half years building a foundation for growth," Mayer said. "There will be some steps forward and steps backwards. We will have some ups and downs, as any company in transition and transformation does." The search business showed better results with $464 million in revenue, little changed from a year earlier. The service's prospects improved in November after Yahoo struck a deal to replace Google Inc. as the default search engine on Firefox browsers in the U.S. Mayer also said she's open to new deals, including with Apple Inc. Yahoo's core search technology comes from Microsoft Corp. under an agreement that's up for review this year. Mayer said on the call the companies are engaging in discussions about a number of different avenues, without giving details. "You'll probably have another couple of quarters before people really start getting snarky again about where the core business is going," Sinha said. Spinoff Plan Mayer decided on the spinoff after Starboard Value LP and other investors pushed her to return cash to shareholders, find ways to cut taxes and avoid major acquisitions. The spinoff, which will include a "legacy, ancillary Yahoo business," will be completed in the fourth quarter, after the expiration of Yahoo's one-year lockup agreement on the Alibaba shares, Yahoo said in the statement. Yahoo didn't specify what the business -- which has $50 million in earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization -- will be and said the spinoff would be subject to regulatory approval. "For better or worse, the resolution of the Alibaba stake returns investor attention to operations," said Paul Sweeney, a Bloomberg Intelligence analyst. "This quarter's results show there is much more work for Marissa and her team to do." Yahoo will be a fraction of its size following the spinoff. With the company currently trading at a discount to the value of its Asian assets, investors aren't giving Yahoo credit for its about $7 billion of net cash and get to own the core U.S. business for free. The Internet advertising and search business that would be left after the disposal of its Asian assets should be valued at about $5 billion to $8 billion, according to analysts' estimates compiled by Bloomberg. For his part, Chief Financial Officer Ken Goldman said management doesn't mind the remaining business getting more attention from investors with the spinoff. "We actually welcome the focus on the core business," Goldman said in an interview. "We came to the company with the expressed purpose of returning it back to its iconic state." To contact the reporter on this story: Brian Womack in San Francisco at [email protected] To contact the editors responsible for this story: Pui-Wing Tam at [email protected] Reed Stevenson, Stephen West
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Super Bowl media day saw its fair share of candid moments and antics.
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A contingent of Marlins front-office executives traveled halfway around the world to sign a reserve outfielder on Tuesday. Then again, the player signed was Ichiro Suzuki, one of the most prolific hitters in professional baseball history. The Marlins made it official with the 41-year-old player, signing Suzuki to a one-year deal worth about $2 million. Suzuki 2,844 major-league hits not to mention another 1,278 he recorded during his pro career in Japan. But unless one of the Marlins' starting outfielders is lost due to injury, Suzuki will be relegated to a mostly bench, pinch-hitting role as his career begins to wind down. Despite Suzuki's fading stature on the field, the Marlins sent no fewer than five members of the front office to Japan for the signing: president David Samson, president of baseball operations Michael Hill, general manager Dan Jennings, vice president of communications P.J. Loyello, and former player Jeff Conine.
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There are few foods on the planet that offer absolutely zero nutritional value, and soda falls into this category. I'm always surprised at how many people ask me if diet soda is really that bad for you. If you're not convinced, it's time to get the facts and understand the real risks that come along with this unhealthy habit. It messes with your skin: Studies have shown that a regular soda habit has been linked to accelerated aging. If the long-term effects aren't enough to scare you, diet soda lowers your pH levels, which can cause acne and leave your skin looking dull and tired. It alters your mood: The aspartame found in diet soda has been linked to headaches, dizzy spells, and even mood swings. It's especially potent in people with a predisposition for anxiety or depression. It leads to weight gain: A University of Texas Health Science Center study found that the more diet sodas a person drank, the greater their risk of becoming overweight. Downing just two or more cans a day increased waistlines by 500 percent. It increases your risk of heart attack: One University of Miami study found that folks who drank diet soda every day were 44 percent more likely to suffer a heart attack than those who abstained from drinking soda. It ups your chances of developing diabetes: People with a daily soda habit (even just one or two per day) were more than 25 percent more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than individuals who had no more than one sugary drink per month. If you're ready to quit for good and reclaim your health, learn how to break your soda addiction. It may seem tough, but it is possible!
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Over the holidays, I drove up to a little town east of Sacramento in the Sierra Nevada foothills to visit some family and discovered the joys of driving a sporty SUV. I had a decent amount of gear with me for the extended stay, so I was hesitant at first to toss the Forester around the twisty foothill roads, lest my possessions go flying about the cabin. I still managed to have some fun, thanks to Subaru's Sport Sharp mode, which programs the CVT to behave like an eight-speed transmission. This made for a particularly spirited drive, as I wound my way through the twists and turns. Having eight "gears" to shift through (using the sleek steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters) gives the boxer engine a bit more punch, keeping the revs up for better use of the turbo's sweet spot at and above 3,000 rpm. Related link: Research the Subaru Forester After enjoying the "Sport" of this little SUV, I put its "Utility" to the test. Traveling from paved roads to dirt was where the Forester first proved its utilitarian nature. The 8.7 inches of ground clearance allowed me to drive over a few rocks, bumps, and humps in the road and through a few dips and dry creek beds. Although the Forester hardly batted an eye at this "soft-roading," I did notice a few creaks and groans coming from the rear of the vehicle. It's the most obvious sign of age in this Subaru so far. Through it all, though, the Subie's independent suspension kept the ride comfortable. I had already loaded a few bags and items into the back for my trip, but it barely made a dent in the overall 74.7 cubic feet of cargo space. Because I was helping family clear some small trees and brush from their property, there was an opportunity to take some beautiful manzanita home with me. At first glance, the 6-foot-tall "branch" with a spread of smaller branches that reached 4 feet looked like it was not going to fit without breaking a few pieces off. But I managed to fit the small tree into the Forester with the back seats folded down and the tree trunk sitting nicely on the armrest up front. This, of course, meant that the drive home was not nearly as fun through the twisties as it had been on the way up, but it was a small price to pay to take home a little piece of nature. For more on our long-term 2014 Subaru Forester 2.0XT: Arrival Update 1: First Service Visit, and an Interior Niggle Update 2: Installing a New Head Unit, Using CarPlay Update 3: Color Quirks
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ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) -- The Texas Rangers acquired right-hander Anthony Ranaudo from the Boston Red Sox for left-hander Robbie Ross. With the deal Tuesday night, the Rangers got the 6-foot-7 right-hander who didn't sign after being picked by them out of a New Jersey high school in the 11th round of the 2007 draft. "He is a guy we like, we've liked for a long time," Texas general manager Jon Daniels said on a call from the Dominican Republic. "When this trade came down, we liked the value." Ranaudo went to LSU and was taken by Boston as a supplemental first-round pick in the 2010 draft. He made his major league debut with the Red Sox last season, going 4-3 with a 4.81 ERA in seven starts. He was also 14-4 at Triple-A Pawtucket, where he was chosen the International League's most valuable pitcher. Ross was 13-8 with a 3.98 ERA in his 150 games the past three years with the Rangers, who drafted him in 2008. He began last season in the Rangers starting rotation but eventually went back to the bullpen. He was 3-6 with a 6.20 ERA in 27 games overall last year with 12 starts. The Rangers were looking to add left-handed depth in the bullpen before trading Ross. Daniels said he is confident they will be able to do that, though he is not sure if it will be before spring training begins. Ranaudo, described by Daniels as having a quality four-pitch mix and a strike-thrower, will go to spring training in competition to be the No. 5 starter for Texas. If not in the Rangers' rotation, Ranaudo most likely will go to Triple-A Round Rock.
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TEMPE -- Arizona State freshman guard Kodi Justice suffered a fractured navicular bone in his left foot Saturday and will miss the rest of the season. Justice was injured moments after he entered the game in the first half of an 89-70 loss at Stanford. While he returned later in the half, he did not play in the second half. An MRI disclosed the injury Monday. "I planted on my left foot and felt a pop," Justice said. "As soon as I felt the pop, I knew something was wrong. I tried to come back in and see how it was going, and I couldn't put any pressure on it." ASU also will again be without guard Roosevelt Scott and center Connor MacDougall for the Oregon State game Wednesday because of a violation of team rules, coach Herb Sendek said. Neither was on the road trip last week. Justice will have a screw placed in his foot during surgery Friday and was told to expect three-to-five months of recovery time. He was told he will be in a cast for six-to-eight weeks, during which he will be unable to put any weight on the foot. Rehab is expected to take another six-to-eight weeks, he said. Justice said he has broken both ankles before but neither needed surgery. After playing almost exclusively at point guard until last weekend, Justice spent a lot of time at off guard in tandem with freshman point Tra Holder, scoring a season-high 16 points while playing 23 minutes in a 79-44 victory over California on Thursday. Justice averaged 4.6 points and 1.6 assists in 18 games. He had 13 points, five rebounds and six assists against UNLV and 12 points against Marquette. "I've been really pleased with the continued improvement of both Tra and Kodi," Sendek said. Sophomore Chance Murray will be the backup point guard to Holder, Sendek said. Follow Jack Magruder on Twitter
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RICHMOND, Va. (AP) -- Freshman Terry Larrier scored 15 points and No. 14 VCU pulled away with a 16-2 run early in the second half to beat George Washington 72-48 on Tuesday night for its 12th consecutive victory. Larrier's point total was his highest since conference play began for the Rams (17-3, 7-0 Atlantic 10), and it came on a night when VCU scoring leader Treveon Graham managed just seven points on a still-tender left ankle and struggling Melvin Johnson continued to do so, scoring eight on 4 of 10 shooting. Kethan Savage scored 18 to lead George Washington (16-5, 6-2) and Joe McDonald had 11. The Colonials went behind for good when VCU scored 12 of the last 14 points of the first half to lead 29-21 at the intermission. After George Washington used a 6-2 burst to get within 31-27 early in the second half, the Rams turned up their defensive pressure and turned the contest into a runaway. The game was the Rams' first at home in 17 days, and once their pressure started getting to the Colonials, leading to runout baskets and a fast-growing lead, the outcome was quickly determined. The Colonials' inability to make shots from close range also was a huge factor. They made just one field goal in the final 10:50 of the first half, and were 2 for 21 until the game's final minutes. VCU, meantime, pulled ahead getting points from almost everybody. Mo Alie-Cox, who finished with 10 points and eight rebounds, scored their first basket after halftime, and after two free throws by Savage, Graham, Justin Tillman, Larrier, JeQuan Lewis, Briante Weber and Johnson also contributed as the run whipped the crowd into a welcome back frenzy. The game was a back-and-forth affair until late in the first half. Trailing 19-17, the Rams tied it on a layup by Lewis, sparking a 12-2 run to end the half. Six of the points came from Larrier, and the last four from Alie-Cox on an inside basket and two free throws. The Colonials managed just five points after Yuta Watanabe's layup with 10:51 left in the half. TIP-INS: George Washington: The Colonials made 12 3-pointers in their previous game, a 74-59 victory against Duquesne. It was the most 3s they have made in a game since November 2008. VCU: The latest RPI rating from the NCAA list VCU's non-conference schedule as the toughest in the nation and its ovberal schedule as the second-toughest, trailing only Kansas. UP NEXT: George Washington: plays at Rhode Island on Saturday. VCU: hosts city and A-10 rival Richmond in the first of two meetings Saturday. --- Follow Hank on twitter at: http://twitter.com/hankkurzjr
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Hair today, gone tomorrow. Justin Bieber And that makes three. Like his fellow bros James Franco and Adam Levine and, it can be said, Miley Cyrus the Biebs has bleached his dirty-blond mop platinum. There's nothing more to say about this except … boys playing with their hair is a trend we could get behind. Alexa Chung Hello, Alexa! Her grown-out waves might have been versatile milkmaid braids! pigtails! but this is the Chung we know and look up to. And we can't help but think this means she's in a good place romantically after all, she did say a lopped-off bob isn't normally what brings all the boys to the yard. Hailee Steinfeld "Short(er) hair don't care" indeed. The teen took her newly mid-length waves for a spin on the Homesman red carpet Tuesday, and we've got to say we're feeling the fresh layers. Cara Delevingne That Cara she'll try anything once, even dying her signature Delevingne blonde a warmer, autumnal shade. This new chestnut hue gets our approval, but we can't help wondering: It isn't for John Green's Paper Towns, is it? Lauren Conrad Now we know that first "haircut" was just to throw us off her scent. Hairstylist and Beauty Department cofounder Kristin Ess unveiled this flippy, fun bob Monday, with which we're fully on board. Lena Dunham Lena Dunham's peroxide pageboy was just beginning to grow on us when she posted a photo of herself with a fresh green dye job Wednesday evening. "Newly minted for the Canadian leg of the tour," she wrote on her Instagram. Just think of the fun Sophia Amoruso will have coming up with outfits to go with this. Kate Hudson Following in Jemima Kirke's footsteps, Kate Hudson decided la vie is better en rose and tinted her golden strands blush. Doesn't it look dreamy when it catches the light? Beyoncé As she prepared to leave Paris after getting up close and personal with the Mona Lisa like a "normal tourist," Bey took her never-before-seen coiffure out for a spin. Brunette and blunt, the Queen's new fringe ends a few inches north of her arches the better to show off her eyes, bien sûr. Shailene Woodley Our April cover girl takes an au naturale approach to many aspects of her life, but when it comes to her hair, she has no qualms about a little hydrogen peroxide. We've watched her gradually go lighter until Miu Miu's Spring 2015 show, when she debuted her fully highlighted coif. It's giving us distinct Miley Cyrus vibes Woodley is a fan, after all. Kristin Cavallari The Laguna Beach star introduced her new 'do to the world by way of an ominous hacked-off ponytail. Days later at the launch of her new jewelry line, she excitedly unveiled Chris McMillan's handiwork: an angled, feathery lob that's edgy and polished at the same time. Rosamund Pike When the Gone Girl actress debuted her take on an undercut, we were agog. Was this a quiet rebellion against her porcelain, Masterpiece Theatre persona? (She did play Jane Bennett, after all.) Suki Waterhouse Selena Gomez gave her best Suki Waterhouse impression, and Suki Waterhouse repaid the favor, kind of. Beyoncé Blue Ivy's arrival might have prompted the Queen to lop of her signature wavy locks, but not even the cutest of daughters could quell her love for long and wavy locks. Alexa Chung The TV presenter might have concluded boys like long hair better, but she hasn't quite made up her mind yet whether a fringe is in or out. After a bang-less summer, she's now back on the forehead-obscuring bandwagon with a pair of versatile, Jane Birkin-esque face-framers. Britney Spears Britney's bob totally gives off responsible-mom-and-lingerie-designer vibes. Drew Barrymore Drew Barrymore loves an ombré look, but even she feels the need to change things up. This brunette hue is perfect for the colder months. Elizabeth Olsen Elizabeth Olsen joins the brunette club and becomes the least-blonde Olsen! Elle Fanning Before, she looked like an angel; now, she resembles a bright-eyed French schoolgirl. We couldn't tell you which one's better. Jemima Kirke We imagine Jemima Kirke took inspiration from Jessa, her character on HBO's Girls, before taking the plunge on this dye job! (Psst! Learn how to do your own here.) Katy Perry Red is the next color on Katy Perry's trip through the rainbow. Kristen Stewart Kristen Stewart has taken on many different roles and hair colors, during the years, and we're digging this rusty red hue with her green eyes. Kylie Jenner Don't bill it as a simple renovation these extensions are evidence of a life change. Lauren Conrad Lauren Conrad opts for ultra-blonde extensions for her wedding. Lea Michele Consider your pop-star persona fully cultivated, Ms. Michele. Lena Dunham Lena Dunham takes on Marilyn Monroe as inspiration for this platinum dye job. Maggie Gyllenhaal Maggie Gyllenhaal follows Dunham's lead with an ultra-bright platinum look. Olivia Palermo No matter her hair color, Olivia Palermo's impeccable style remains just as envy-inducing. Rihanna Now that's more like it. We'll always picture the Barbadian chanteuse with a crop, so any change that takes her closer to our ideal is a necessary one in our book. Scarlett Johansson ScarJo is one of the latest celeb's to announce her pregnancy, and in true mom-fashion, opted for a shorter, more practical look. Selena Gomez Selena Gomez takes note of fashion's latest fascination with bangs, and adds a whispy style of her own. Taylor Swift This is what happens when you pal around with Karlie Kloss: You cut your curly, princess-length hair into a close cousin of her Garren bob. Zosia Mamet Not long after Girls friend Lena Dunham embraced the peroxide side, Shoshanna too drank the Koolaid.
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CENTENNIAL, Colo. More potential jurors in the Colorado theater shooting trial have been released for reasons ranging from language barriers or residency issues, or because they have a relative connected to the case. The Aurora Sentinel reports (http://bit.ly/15PjM98 ) that unlike in previous sessions, attorneys didn't announce a list at the end of the day Tuesday of potential jurors they agreed should be released. Earlier in the day, 70 potential jurors were released, bringing the total to 454. Judge Carlos Samour said the repetitive, daily process of choosing a jury is "starting to feel a little bit like Groundhog Day." About 9,000 possible jurors were initially summoned in the case. The jury will determine if James Holmes was sane during the 2012 attack that killed 12 people and injured 70.
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(Bloomberg) -- JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s foreign-exchange traders reaped a gain of as much as $300 million after the Swiss central bank roiled markets by abolishing its cap on the franc, according to two people with knowledge of the matter. The bank netted $250 million to $300 million on the day of the Swiss National Bank's surprise decision to scrap the franc ceiling of 1.20 against the euro, said the people, who asked not to be identified because they weren't authorized to speak publicly. A JPMorgan spokesman declined to comment. The SNB's surprise decision on Jan. 15 to remove the three- year-old cap sent the franc soaring as much as 41 percent against the euro that day. JPMorgan is one of the few to emerge from the turmoil with a profit. Citigroup Inc., Deutsche Bank AG and Barclays Plc suffered about $400 million in cumulative trading losses, people with knowledge of the matter have said. Morgan Stanley, owner of the world's largest brokerage, and Goldman Sachs Group Inc. have said the impact of the move was immaterial. Bank of America Corp. Chief Executive Officer Brian T. Moynihan told CNBC on Jan. 20 that while the bank had made money, the move hadn't had a big impact on the firm. JPMorgan told clients it would complete all orders at 1.02 francs per euro as the Swiss currency appreciated from 1.20 francs per euro to almost 0.85 on Jan. 15, the people said. The decision allowed traders at the New York-based bank to assess their position immediately and buy or sell the franc accordingly, the people said. JPMorgan, the world's biggest investment bank, generated $2.5 billion in fixed-income trading revenue in the final three months of 2014. That was a 23 percent drop from a year earlier, driven by the sale of a commodities unit and lower volume in credit and securitized products. The division had an average value-at-risk of $33 million in the quarter, compared with $39 million a year earlier. The gauge attempts to give an estimate of how much the bank could lose in the markets on a single day. --With assistance from Hugh Son in New York. To contact the reporter on this story: Julia Verlaine in London at [email protected] To contact the editors responsible for this story: Simone Meier at [email protected] Steve Dickson, Steven Crabill
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Hundreds of seabirds have died after coming into contact with some unknown substance.
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Ladies, let's talk about making your own shaving cream. Is it necessary? No. Shaving cream costs $2 a can. But how cute is this DIY? It's made with items you probably already have at home, and you'll love it because it smells divine and leaves your legs incredibly soft. Plus, the mason jar is the perfect touch of shabby chic.
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PHOENIX When Ziggy Ansah drove his helmet into the side of Jimmy Clausen's head in an NFL game in December, it looked like a semi-truck hitting a Mini Cooper. Anyone who saw the hit could feel the headache coming on. Yet not only did Clausen stay in for the rest of the drive, the last that day for the Chicago Bears, the team later said he passed all of the necessary testing. A few hours later, Clausen had developed concussion symptoms severe enough to send him to a hospital. The next day, in an unusually swift decision, the Bears ruled him out of the next game. "We have to accept that the idea of letting someone pass the concussion protocol on the sideline is flawed in itself," said Chris Nowinski, co-founder of the Sports Legacy Institute, the non-profit dedicated to advancing the treatment and prevention of concussions in athletes. "There will be some percentage of people who will pass the test, but will have symptoms later," Nowinski said. "It's inherent in concussions." There is another test that could help. But the NFL isn't using it. "I can't tell you why," said Steve Devick, co-creator of the King-Devick Test. "They know about us, that's for sure." The King-Devick Test measures saccadic, or rapid, eye movement. A person suspected of having a concussion is given three cards, each with several lines of numbers on them, and asked to read them, left to right. When there's been a concussion or some other brain injury, the time it takes to read the numbers will be slower than the person's baseline test. (The test also can be administered using an app, with the numbers presented on three different screens.) Unlike the NFL's Sideline Concussion Assessment, part of which requires the medical professional administering it to make a judgment on whether a player is showing signs of a head injury, the King-Devick test is completely objective. It takes just two minutes to complete, compared with five minutes or more for the NFL's current test. "You don't have to look at a guy and say, `Gee, I wonder if he has a concussion?'" Devick said. "You just have to have him read the numbers and, if he's slower, he's got a concussion." There has been little, if any, talk about concussions in the lead-up to the Super Bowl, especially after a season with attention focused on the NFL's handling of domestic violence cases and, for the last week, Deflategate. The NFL doesn't question the science behind the eye movement tests a few teams are using the King-Devick and one will likely be included in the protocol in coming years, said Dr. Richard Ellenbogen, co-chair of the NFL's Head, Neck and Spine Committee and chair of the Neurological Surgery department at the University of Washington. But there are other such tests, Ellenbogen said, and the NFL hasn't determined which is best for the entire league. "Yes, the King-Devick test is a good one, but there are many out there," Ellenbogen said. "It's like everything else: There's a fair amount of research, and people will argue that their eye movement test is better." The Mayo Clinic weighed in on Tuesday, throwing its support behind the King-Devick with a first-of-its-kind licensing agreement. "Mayo Clinic certainly wouldn't endorse, support or be associated with something they didn't thoroughly vet, and this was thoroughly vetted. The data speaks for itself," said Dr. David Dodick, a neurologist who heads Mayo's Concussion Program. "Is it perfect? No, nothing is perfect," Dodick said. "But is it a valuable tool that can be used pitchside, rinkside and on the sideline to report the suspicion of a concussion? Absolutely." Useful tool There is no longer any dispute that concussions and blows to the head can have devastating long-term effects or that football players are particularly vulnerable. Though the NFL's approach is vastly improved even from a few years ago, there is still no way to prevent concussions no equipment, no helmet, no medication. No foolproof diagnosis, either. With so much at stake, the King-Devick test seems too simple. Too easy. Devick and Alan King developed their test when they were in optometry school and wondered if there was a link between poor reading performance and rapid eye movement. That same principle makes it effective in identifying concussions, Dodick said. "Over half of the pathways in our brain are dedicated to vision and eye movement," Dodick said. "So it's very difficult to injure the brain anywhere without causing an abnormality in vision." "That underlying anatomy … is what makes this test, while simple, very elegant and very accurate." Eye movement is immediately impacted when a brain is damaged, meaning the King-Devick test can identify a concussion even when there are no obvious or immediate symptoms. Research also has shown it can identify "silent" brain injuries, those that are caused by repetitive hits a season's worth, for example rather than a single violent collision. Fatigue, exhaustion and physical exertion have no effect on the test results. "When you present the data and the simplicity of it and the (small) expense of it, one has to ask those questions: Why haven't I heard of this? And why isn't this being used on every sidelines?" Dodick said. Impact on rosters? Devick and Nowinski have their suspicions. If there was a test that could immediately identify players with suspected concussions, how many would have to come out of each game? This season alone, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger stayed in a playoff game after a vicious blow to the head. In October, the San Diego Chargers admitted safety Jahleel Addae was allowed to continue playing despite suffering an obvious concussion. "If you're going based on evidence, (King-Devick) should be part of the program," Nowinski said. "I'm wondering if tests like that could be too sensitive if you want to be able to put guys back in." Dodick wasn't as cynical, praising the NFL for the strides it's made in identifying and treating concussions. There are on average 27 medical professionals at each game, including independent neurologists on the sidelines and injury spotters in the press box. The return-to-play protocol is specific and science-based, and the NFL is spending millions on research on everything from tests to helmets. But the science is evolving so rapidly it takes time to vet something like the King-Devick test. In Dodick's opinion, that's now been done. "It has now emerged as a gold standard, I think, for sideline diagnosis for concussions," Dodick said. "So it's only a matter of time, I believe, once the word gets out, where there's going to have to be a very good reason for them not to use it."
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Though Richard Sherman expects to play against the Patriots in the Super Bowl , it sounds like he'll do so in quite a bit of pain. According to ESPN's Ed Werder , the Seahawks ' All-Pro corner is dealing with torn ligaments in his elbow. The injury occurred in the fourth quarter of Seattle's NFC Championship win over Green Bay. Sherman sprained his elbow while attempting to tackle James Starks as Kam Chancellor came in and hit Sherman's elbow by mistake. That's put his status for the Super Bowl up in the air, but it sounds as though he'll be able to play through the injury. Head coach Pete Carroll is also confident Sherman will be good to go vs. the Patriots in Super Bowl 49. "Richard practiced in all the practices, and he looks to be fine," Carroll said Monday , referring to last week's practices. "He still has an elbow to take care of, but he's practiced well." In 18 games this season including the playoffs, Sherman has grabbed six interceptions while receiving a 24.3 grade via Pro Football Focus . Assuming he plays, he still won't be 100%, and New England will likely test him early to get a feel of how well he feels in the Super Bowl.
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WASHINGTON (AP) -- It never hurts to try something different after a bunch of unsuccessful out-of-town trips. Xavier broke the routine with a game-day visit to House Speaker -- and school alum -- John Boehner at the U.S. Capitol, then showed up at the Verizon Center a half-dozen blocks away and beat Georgetown for the second time this season. Myles Davis scored 19 points in his third start of the season, and the Musketeers held the No. 21 Hoyas without a field goal for more than 11 minutes in the first half Tuesday night in a 66-53 victory that snapped a five-game road losing streak. "It took us too long to finally get one," Davis said. "But we finally got one against a great team." Xavier (14-7, 5-4 Big East) had been 4-0 at home and 0-4 on the road in conference play, but the Musketeers cut off passing lanes and effectively used double-teams to shut down Georgetown's motion offense and forced 17 turnovers. Aaron Bowen made a layup with 11:17 remaining in the first half, and the Hoyas didn't make another field goal until Isaac Copeland's mid-range buzzer-beater made the score 29-16 at halftime. Georgetown (14-6, 6-3) got as close as seven late in the second half, but then went cold again -- going more than three minutes without a field goal -- as Xavier closed with a 12-6 run to knock the Hoyas out of first place in the Big East. They trail Villanova and Providence (both 5-2) by percentage points. "We dug a hole for ourselves against a good team," Georgetown coach John Thompson III said. "The hole was just too deep to climb out of." Xavier coach Chris Mack said he was worried a bit about the visit to see Boehner (Class of '77) because it made for a long day. Boehner posed for photos with the players, with everyone making the crossed-arms, clinched-fists "X" sign. "I'm not big on politics," Davis said. "I just know the president and vice president, but it was great to know that we have a guy from Xavier in office." Added center Matt Stainbrook: "I think a lot of guys learned a lot of things, including what the D.C. stands for in Washington, D.C. ... I won't name any names, but a couple of guys did not know that." ------ DAVIS' SURGE Sophomore guard Davis started two games last season and re-entered the starting five last week against Providence. He scored 16 against the Friars and followed up with 25 against DePaul. "His confidence level is through the roof," Mack said. "He's hitting big shots. He lost his confidence a lot last year. ... He's playing like a leader, and he's only a sophomore. To me, he's one of the most improved players in our conference." HORRID HOYAS Georgetown went 4 for 16 from the field with 13 turnovers in the first half. Jabril Trawick finished with six turnovers for the Hoyas, who stumbled for the second time against Xavier immediately after entering the Top 25. Georgetown had just moved in at No. 25 when it lost to the Musketeers on New Year's Eve, a defeat that pushed the Hoyas out of the polls until this week. CHANNELLING MARSHAWN As Stainbrook sat down for the postgame news conference, he said in jest: "I'm just here so I don't get fined" -- essentially the same sentence uttered repeatedly by media-shy Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch earlier Tuesday at the Super Bowl media day. TIP-INS Xavier: The five-game road losing streak was the school's longest since an eight-game skid in 1987, according to STATS. Georgetown: The Hoyas made 13 of 24 free-throw attempts. ... Trawick started despite bruising his right thigh in Saturday's win at Marquette. ... L.J. Peak, who hurt his left ankle in that game, did not start Tuesday but entered five minutes into the game. Copeland got his first career start in Peak's place. UP NEXT Xavier visits Seton Hall on Saturday. Georgetown visits Creighton on Saturday.
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SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) Tim Clark was wrong about one thing. He's not the shortest hitter on the PGA Tour. Justin Leonard earned that distinction last season on the PGA Tour by finishing at No. 177 in measured drives at an average of 270.3 yards. Clark was three spots better at 272.2 yards. Either way, he quit worrying about driving distance a long time ago, realizing he can make up for it with other parts of his game. But it led to a question: How long is long? And when is it long enough? Russell Knox has the reputation of being on the short side, even though he feels he can get it out there far enough. Knox was at No. 120 in driving distance last year. He believes there are three categories of length. ''Guys that are a little short. Everyone else. And guys who bomb it,'' Knox said. ''And there's probably 10 guys who bomb it.'' There were 25 players who averaged 300 yards off the tee last year, though that group included Charles Howell III and Lucas Glover. They are power players, but probably not in the same ''bombers'' class as Bubba Watson, Dustin Johnson, Gary Woodland or Rory McIlroy. ''I played with Bubba a couple of years ago and I almost cried,'' Knox said. ''I was like, if this guy hits it straight, I might as well try to caddie for him. But the reality is, distance is maybe 10 percent of golf. If those guys hit it so much further than me, there's obviously part of my game that is better than theirs or I'd never beat them. I need to focus on those parts.'' Knox might be too stingy by saying there are only about 10 guys in the A-plus power group. He also thinks there are no more than 10 players who are seriously short. ''Most guys that are short have been out here a long time,'' he said. ''They're absolutely geniuses. They have great short games. They're great putters.'' Clark referred to players like Adam Scott who could be in the A-plus group if he wanted to except that Scott tries to play more under control. ''There's a lot more real bombers than we think,'' Clark said. ''If you're just looking at the stats, it doesn't give a true picture of how long these guys are. ... That's almost as big of a group as the medium guys.'' One ''medium guy'' might be Russell Henley, who was No. 61 in driving distance last year. Henley said there were five levels of power on the PGA Tour, and he put himself somewhere around the middle because the smashers - Watson, Johnson, Holmes - ''are probably two levels above me.'' Henley offered this definition of his driving distance: ''When you're short, it puts pressure on your drive because you've got to hit the fairway. I need to hit the fairway, but it's not the end of the world if I don't.'' Henley already has two of the 10 drives that have been measured at 400 yards or more this year, all of them at Kapalua. One of them was on the 17th hole, all the way to the bottom. He still made par. --- MOVING ON: Phil Mickelson is more interested in the next decade or two in the Ryder Cup, not what happened the last time in Gleneagles. Mickelson made his first public appearance last week since he spoke openly in the closing press conference at Gleneagles about the lack of a communication between U.S. captain Tom Watson and the team. Mickelson is part of a Ryder Cup task force geared toward creating a model. It already has met once, with another meeting expected next week. Would this open dialogue have occurred had Mickelson not spoken up after the loss to Europe in September? ''I just think there's a lot of great input. I'm excited about what we're doing moving forward,'' Mickelson said last week. ''How we got there, doesn't matter. We're there now and we're going to make it a really great experience for the next generation of players as they go through the next decade or two.'' Watson, too, is ready to move on. He played the Champions Tour opener last week in Hawaii and was excited to see two Ryder Cup players, Patrick Reed and Jimmy Walker, win the Hawaii events. ''I'm proud of Jimmy and Patrick, and the way they played at the Ryder Cup,'' Watson said. ''I'm proud of the way all the players played on the Ryder Cup team. They gave it their best shot. The other team just played better is the bottom line. It was a great event for the Europeans. It was not a great event for us, although we had our moments.'' When asked if it was time to move on, Watson replied, ''Sure. Because there's nothing we can do about it now.'' --- SPIETH DEAL: One new deal, one long-term renewal. Jordan Spieth has made quite an impression since the end of the last PGA Tour season, all very quietly. First was the deal with AT&T, significant because the Dallas-based telecommunications firm not only is one of the strongest corporate partners on the PGA Tour, but because it has not signed any golfer to a personal endorsement since it cut ties with Tiger Woods in 2009. The deal shows a lot of trust in the 21-year-old Spieth. And then last week, Under Armour announced a comprehensive, 10-year extension with Spieth. Spieth first signed with Under Armour in 2013 when he turned pro and is the first golfer to be outfitted head-to-toe in Under Armour gear. The company plans international marketing with Spieth, and he is involved in a golf shoe that is to debut in the spring. --- BASEBALL FEAT: Rob Manfred took over Sunday as commissioner of MLB, and during a guest appearance on the league's network he was asked his greatest athletic achievement. After taking a mulligan (he played two years of tennis at Le Moyne College), Manfred said he has made a hole-in-one - twice, on the same hole. Manfred said he used a 6-iron to ace the third hole at Sleepy Hollow. ''And the next year I was older, used a 5-iron,'' he said. --- DIVOTS: Juli Inkster has selected Wendy Ward to be one of her assistant captains at the Solheim Cup in Germany this year. ... Frank Nobilo is joining CBS Sports as a golf analyst. Peter Oosterhuis announced last week he was retiring. Nobilo will continue his work at Golf Channel. ... The USGA has selected James R. Hansen for its Herbert Warren Wind Book Award. Hansen wrote ''A Difficult Par: Robert Trent Jones Sr. and the Making of Modern Golf.'' --- STAT OF THE WEEK: Starting with the final round at Kapalua, the low scores in each of the last nine rounds on the PGA Tour have been 62, 62, 62, 62, 63, 63, 61, 63 and 63. --- FINAL WORD: ''I lost a few world ranking points, a trophy and some money. But I can handle all of those three things.'' - Martin Kaymer, on losing a 10-shot lead with 13 holes to play in Abu Dhabi.
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Catch all the action from Xavier's 66-53 win over Georgetown.
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More Muscle in Less Time In the first month of the New Year, you've probably got your hands full realizing lots of resolutions. And while one of them may be to get in better shape, that doesn't necessarily mean spending more time in the gym. If you're busy and stressed and need all the free time you can get, or you're just trying to establish the habit of working out and are tired of committing to a full gym schedule, this is the routine for you. It needs to be done only twice a week, and can be completed in well under an hour. As you'll soon find out, that's plenty of time to change your body. HOW IT WORKS If you asked us, "What's the least amount of work I can do in the gym to see results?" we'd hand you this program. It's just five exercises but trains the whole body. You have only two set and rep schemes to remember: six sets of four reps and three sets of eight. Both add up to 24 total reps a good volume goal for muscle and strength gains but with vastly different effects. The four-rep sets target strength, while the eight-rep sets maximize size gains. Each session, you'll switch them around so your body never has a chance to adapt. Your workouts may not take more than 45 minutes, but every one of them will count. DIRECTIONS Perform the workout twice a week, changing the sets and reps each session. The first time you do the routine, perform it as written. The next time, switch the sets and reps that is, exercises you did for six sets of four reps the first time will now be done with three sets of eight, and vice versa. Rest three days between sessions. Perform the exercises as straight sets. On the exercises you do for six sets of four, choose a load that allows you six reps on your first set but perform only four. GOBLET SQUAT Sets: 6; Reps: 4 Hold a dumbbell (or kettlebell) by one end under your chin with both hands. Stand with feet shoulder-width apart and toes turned out slightly. Take a deep breath and bend your hips back. Lower your body as far as you can without losing the arch in your lower back. PAIN FREE SQUATTING The goblet squat is the safest squat variant you can do, making it perfect for beginners. Because the weight is held in front of you, as opposed to behind your neck, it acts as a counterbalance, allowing you to sit back farther with your hips and lower into a deeper squat. This also activates your glutes and hamstrings better, and you can't lose your balance. DUMBBELL ROW Sets: 3; Reps: 8 (each side) Kneel on a bench with one knee and rest the hand on that side on the bench for support. Grasp a dumbbell with your free hand and pull it up and back to your pants pocket. Keep your shoulders level. DUMBBELL ROMANIAN DEADLIFT Sets: 6; Reps: 4 Hold weights in front of your legs and stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Take a deep breath and bend your hips back. Bend your knees as needed and continue lowering your torso until you feel you're about to lose the arch in your lower back. Squeeze your glutes to extend your hips and return to the starting position. DUMBBELL BENCH PRESS Sets: 3; Reps: 8 Lie back on a bench with a dumbbell in each hand at shoulder level. Press the weights over your chest. PLANK Sets: 3; Reps: Hold as long as possible Get into pushup position and rest your forearms on the floor. Brace your abs and hold your body in a straight line.
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Tiger Woods has not competed at the Waste Management Phoenix Open in 14 years but he is remembered most by the raucous crowds that gather here at the TPC Scottsdale for his electrifying debut four years earlier. In January 1997, Woods was just three months from clinching his first major title in record-breaking style at the Masters and he gave the fans at Scottsdale a hint of the magic to come with a stunning ace in the Phoenix Open third round. Ten strokes off the lead after 36 holes, Woods arrived at the infamous par-three 16th and watched as his playing partner, fellow American Omar Uresti, hit his tee shot from 152 yards to just three feet behind the cup. Unflinching, Woods responded in sensational fashion with a nine-iron, his ball landing on the green and bouncing twice before disappearing into the hole to trigger a deafening crescendo of noise from the massive galleries. Woods celebrated the feat with several whipping round-house punches and the crowd responded by showering the 16th tee with cups and beer cans. "Just smelling and hearing the beer hit behind me on the tee box ... to turn around and see all this beer flying was crazy," Woods told reporters at the TPC Scottsdale on Tuesday after playing nine holes in practice. "The more eerie part was when we were playing 17 and 18, everybody (the fans) didn't really care. They were walking in, because they had seen what they wanted to see and 16 was empty. "So we looked back on 16. You see all these beer cups everywhere on the tee box." Woods did not re-visit the 16th hole on Tuesday as he played only the front nine on Scottsdale's Stadium Course. "I'm going to see it tomorrow," said the former world number one, who this week is making his first PGA Tour start in five months due to ongoing back issues. "It's been different over the years. Back in '97, they didn't have the bleachers like they do now around the tee box. It was a hill and people were partying. "I don't know if they still serve the alcohol like they used to ... the guys who were playing behind me (in 1997), they had some pretty wet lies," he smiled. Woods, limited to just nine tournaments worldwide last year because of back problems, tied for fifth here in 2001 in his most recent Phoenix Open start. (Editing by Steve Keating)
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What's your hair type? It's a question that can determine a lot about your daily styling routine. Does your mane fall flat with just the hint of humidity? Are you spending hours twisting your kinks into curls? We've arranged this comprehensive guide from superstraight, fine strands to coarse, kinky locks. Plus we've added celebrity examples to each of the 12 categories so you can be totally sure. To discover your natural texture, wash your hair and examine your strands in the mirror without any styling products. Still can't decide which category you fall in? Your head could have a mix of two or three! Ahead, you'll find product recommendations and styling tips for your specific styling needs. It's like the every girl's guide to getting her best hair day. Ever. Hair Type 1A Baby-fine, straight hair is the epitome of the 1A category. These strands don't hold a curl well and can be difficult to style. Common complaints include oiliness and a limp look. Keep dry shampoo on hand for an afternoon reboot, and avoid thick conditioners that can weigh hair down, giving strands a greasy look. Celebrity examples: Dakota Fanning, Gwyneth Paltrow Product recommendations: Klorane Dry Shampoo ($20), Kérastase Carré Lissant Smoothing Sheets ($29) Hair Type 1B Straight hair isn't a one-size-fits-all affair. Type 1B locks tend to have fuller strands with a slight bend at the ends, but no real curl. To give this type volume and texture, use dry texturizing spray at the roots before styling with a flatiron. Celebrity examples: Lucy Liu, Kendall Jenner, Freida Pinto Product recommendations: Oribe Dry Texturizing Spray ($42), Herbal Essences Naked Volume Shampoo ($8) Hair Type 1C The 1C category is primarily straight with a few waves hiding in the underbrush. It's superthick and particularly prone to frizz. This hair type can hold curls very well. However, to keep from looking like a fuzz ball after stepping outside, use a smoothing serum and the cool-shot setting on your blow dryer. Celebrity examples: Rachel Bilson, Sienna Miller Product recommendations: Kiehl's Silk Groom Serum ($18), Babyliss Nano Titanium Flatiron ($119) Hair Type 2A The 2A hair type can be classified as classic bed head. There's the occasional bend in each strand. Most girls with this hair type straighten their strands to get a sleek style. But if you want to rock your natural texture, air-dry it and use a curling iron to bend any limp pieces. Celebrity examples: Amanda Seyfried, Kate Hudson Product recommendations: T3 Whirl Trio Interchangeable Barrel Styling Wand ($230), Bumble and Bumble Surf Spray ($27) Hair Type 2B Wannabe surfer girls get these relaxed waves using salt spray, but some girls are born with the textured look. These waves look best when finger-styled with mousse and a diffuser. The secret is to keep your hands off as much as possible. The less you touch the hair, the more waves you'll have in the end. Avoid the crunch by finishing your dry style with a few drops of hair oil. Celebrity examples: Kate Middleton, Joss Stone Product recommendations: John Frieda Frizz-Ease Take Charge Curl-Boosting Mousse ($6), Moroccanoil Treatment Light ($15) Hair Type 2C Call to mind that perfect wave that you can achieve with a waving iron like the Sarah Potempa Beachwaver curling iron. Picture thicker waves with sporadic curls throughout the head. Just like curlier hair types, these waves benefit from moisture and finger-styling. Schedule your deep-conditioning treatment at least once a week, and embrace all that is big, bouncy hair! Celebrity examples: Shakira, Lorde Product recommendations: Neutrogena Triple Moisture Mask ($7), Ouidad Moisture Lock Define & Shine Curly Styling Gel Cream ($24) Hair Type 3A This curl type is largest in diameter and can also have a mix of wavy pieces. To get the maximum curl definition, use the scrunch method to style. Apply product to wet hair. Then, use a t-shirt or microfiber towel to squeeze curls while pushing strands up toward the scalp. This texture is easy to straighten, but it's also susceptible to heat damage. Celebrity examples: Taylor Swift, AnnaLynne McCord Product recommendations: DevaCurl Microfiber Towel ($13), Hair Rules Curly Whip Styling ($32) Hair Type 3B Type 3B curls are stretched-out spirals that cascade down toward the shoulders instead of growing out away from the roots. Light gels mixed with leave-in conditioners can create smooth curls that bounce without the sticky residue. It's best to add stylers to this type while soaking wet, then let it air-dry. Celebrity examples: Halle Berry, Jurnee Smollett Product recommendations: Miss Jessie's Jelly Soft Curls Gel ($14), Briogeo Curl Charisma Leave-in Defining Creme ($18) Hair Type 3C The curls of the 3C category are the thickest and most prone to frizz. The clearly defined corkscrew coils can range in size from a pencil to a small marker. To avoid crunchy curls, consider washing strands with a cleansing conditioner. This will cut down on flyaways and maintain shine. Celebrity examples: Kelis, Thandie Newton Product recommendations: Carol's Daughter Hair Milk Co-Wash Cleansing Conditioner ($18), Cantu Coconut Curling Cream ($6) Hair Type 4A The 4A texture is denoted by a head full of miniature curls. The diameter of each small ringlet can range from that of a pen coil to a pencil. However, the hair can shrink down to less than half its length when dry. The wash-and-go method works well on this hair type. However, keeping a blow dryer with a diffuser on hand will help stretch curls to their maximum capacity. Celebrity examples: Syesha Mercado, Tracie Thoms Product recommendations: Deva Blow Dryer With Diffuser ($259), Kinky-Curly Curling Custard ($15)
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PITTSBURGH (AP) -- For a team seemingly so reliant on megastars Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, the Pittsburgh Penguins sure do seem to handle their business when forced to play without them. David Perron and Brandon Sutter scored power-play goals less than 4 minutes apart in the third period and the Penguins rallied for a 5-3 win over the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday night. Pittsburgh snapped a four-game losing streak and somehow improved to 9-0-1 in their last 10 games with both Malkin and Crosby -- who have a combined three MVPs between them -- out of the lineup. "Even though they weren't playing you want to make sure to prove to everyone that you can still play," Perron said. "We found a way to win without them." Kris Letang had a career-high five assists in his return to the lineup after missing a week with concussion-like symptoms. Nick Spaling, Steve Downie and Patric Hornqvist also scored for Pittsburgh. Thomas Greiss stopped 19 shots as Pittsburgh beat the Jets for the 14th straight time at home. This one, however, came with a slightly different look. Rather than the sometimes dazzling play of Crosby and Malkin, the Penguins rode the streaking Perron -- who has six goals in nine games since arriving in a trade from Edmonton on Jan. 2 -- and a gritty performance from a patchwork lineup. Perron tied the game at 3 at 4:23 of the third period by jabbing the puck in between the legs of Winnipeg goaltender Ondrej Pavelec and Sutter put the Penguins in front 7:52 into the third when his centering pass from behind the goal line somehow deflected off Pavelec and into the net. All five Pittsburgh scores came with players in close proximity to the goal mouth. "We got to that area better than we have," Penguins coach Mike Johnston said. "It's been an emphasis for us. We've got to get to the paint. We've got to get to the blue area." Adam Lowry, Jacob Trouba and Chris Thorburn scored for the Jets, who saw their five-game winning streak snapped when they couldn't protect a third-period lead. Pavelec made 25 saves but was sloppy in the third period. Lowry gave Winnipeg the lead 59 seconds into the third before Perron and Sutter delivered on Pittsburgh's pieced together power play. "We were able to get a couple leads throughout the course of the game, we just weren't able to hold them," Thorburn said. "So, it's unfortunate." The Penguins limped into the All-Star break with their longest losing streak of the season and were forced to start the second half without their franchise cornerstones. Crosby received an injection last Thursday to treat a lower-body injury suffered against Montreal earlier this month and missed the All-Star Game. While Crosby could return on Wednesday in Washington, Malkin is not skating at the moment and could miss a week or more. For a night anyway, Pittsburgh survived without them. Having the blossoming Perron in place certainly helped. Buried on the third line in Edmonton, Perron has become the kind of scoring threat Pittsburgh needed to take some of the pressure off Crosby. "Playing with Sid the last little while brought me the confidence," said Perron, who had just five goals in 38 games with Edmonton before the trade. "Just trying to carry the wave." Spaling gave the Penguins a 1-0 lead 7:09 into the game following a pretty sequence in which Letang hit Perron with a long stretch pass. Perron drew two defenders and Pavelec as he streaked down the right side. Perron's centering pass landed right on Spaling's blade and he flipped it into a wide-open net. Letang's assist was the 200th of his career. He added four more a week after taking a jarring hit from Philadelphia's Zac Rinaldo that left the former Norris Trophy-finalist with concussion-like symptoms. He missed a shootout loss to Chicago last week but responded with sublime play on a night the Penguins needed it. "I liked every decision he made," Johnston said. "He made it with speed and he made it quick. He didn't hang on to it." NOTES: The Penguins traded forward Marcel Goc to St. Louis for center Maxim Lapierre after the game. ... Crosby did not play on the same night the team gave away a bobblehead in his honor. ... Penguins D Rob Scuderi played in his 400th game with the team. ... The Jets play at Philadelphia on Thursday. ... Winnipeg fell to 13-5-4 against the Eastern Conference. ... The Jets did not have a power play. Pittsburgh went 2 for 3 with the man advantage.
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UNIONDALE, N.Y. (AP) -- Jaroslav Halak stopped 40 shots, falling 8.1 seconds short of his second consecutive shutout of the New York Rangers, and the Islanders beat their biggest rivals 4-1 on Tuesday night in their return from the NHL All-Star break. New York has won all three meetings this season with the Rangers, taking the first two at Madison Square Garden and outscoring them 13-4 overall. Halak beat them 3-0 on Jan. 13. Henrik Lundqvist was also sharp for the Rangers in making 34 saves, but spent the third period hearing derisive chants of his name and others proclaiming, ''You can't beat us!'' Mikhail Grabovski returned from injury and scored in the first period, Matt Martin doubled the lead in the second, and Ryan Strome and All-Star John Tavares had goals in the third. The Islanders didn't miss a beat in their first game without top-line forward Kyle Okposo, expected to be out six to eight weeks due to an upper-body injury. Tavares' 22nd goal came on a two-man power play. Carl Hagelin spoiled Halak's shutout bid in the closing seconds. The Metropolitan Division-leading Islanders won for the sixth time in seven games and again cooled off the Rangers. In their last 20 games, the Rangers have lost four times, but two were to Halak, an All-Star in his first season with the Islanders. Undeterred by a big snowstorm that hit the area Monday, fans of both teams packed the Nassau Coliseum in the first of three remaining regular-season games between the clubs before the Islanders relocate to Brooklyn. Fans chanted support in alternating fashion, giving the old arena a playoff-like feel. The Islanders took a 1-0 lead with 1:55 left in the first - a period they dominated 17-10 in shots. Only Lundqvist kept the Rangers from being blown out early. He had virtually no chance on Grabovski's seventh goal that came at the end of a Harlem Globetrotters-like sequence. After a series of quick passes in tic-tac-toe fashion, Josh Bailey sent a touch feed from the right circle to Grabovski in the slot for his second goal in 13 games. Grabovski sat out the previous five because of a lower-body injury before taking Okposo's spot on the top line with Tavares and Bailey. Lundqvist bailed out his sloppy teammates, who turned over the puck six times in the first period. He turned aside Michael Grabner early after a turnover by defenseman Kevin Klein, and then stopped Frans Nielsen on a breakaway after a faceoff in the Islanders end produced a long stretch pass by defenseman Nick Leddy. One drive by Martin that Lundqvist smothered had the goalie looking behind him to make sure the puck didn't slip through. Martin got his goal 4:11 into the second period, 1:12 after the Islanders' first power play expired. Martin sent a pass from behind the Rangers net up to Casey Cizikas for a shot Lundqvist stopped. Cal Clutterbuck nudged the rebound to Martin, who scored his seventh inside the right post. The Rangers did little with their first power play moments later, and again struggled with the Islanders' aggressive forecheck. The Rangers outshot the Islanders 18-11 in the second to forge a 28-all tie through 40 minutes, yet still couldn't solve Halak. NOTES: The Islanders placed Okposo and LW Eric Boulton (lower body) on the injured list. Okposo is retroactive to Jan. 19, and Boulton is retroactive to Jan. 17. ... Rangers RW Lee Stempniak and D John Moore were both healthy scratches, replaced by LW Tanner Glass and D Matt Hunwick.
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Oil fell more than 1 percent on Wednesday as the dollar strengthened in early Asian trade, while an industry report showing a larger-than-expected rise in U.S. crude inventories also dragged on prices. Crude futures settled up more than 2 percent on Tuesday when the dollar index posted its biggest fall since early October amid soft U.S. data that cast doubts about the underlying optimism on the outlook for the world's biggest economy. [USD/] "The key driver for oil prices in the last few days has been currency fluctuations ... we had seen some weakness in the U.S. dollar which help support prices overnight," Ric Spooner, chief analyst at CMC Markets in Sydney said. "Oil eased a little bit in the Asian time zone, possibly reflecting the fact that the dollar is a little bit stronger." Brent crude (LCOc1) hit a low of $48.79 a barrel and was down 68 cents at $48.92 by 0255 GMT. U.S. crude (CLc1) was at $45.41 a barrel, down 82 cents, after earlier hitting $45.33. Brent has traded in a $48-$50 range in the past week, pushed either way by currency changes amid a lack of fundamental news to drive prices. Investors are looking ahead to official U.S. inventory data due later on Wednesday. The American Petroleum Institute said late on Tuesday that U.S. crude inventories rose 12.7 million barrels last week, triple the volume expected. [API/S] [EIA/S] A persistent global supply glut has already dragged down oil prices by around 60 percent since June last year. "The overall expectation is that global supply is outstripping demand at the moment and so unless we see some really substantial changes to inventory numbers, oil prices are probably not going to move too much," Spooner said, adding that Brent is supported at $47.60 a barrel in the short term. (Editing by Himani Sarkar)
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MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) -- Tarik Phillip matched a career-high 12 points and West Virginia, relying on its high-pressure defense, shut down Kansas State for a 65-59 victory Tuesday night. In a game marred by fouls and poor play, the Mountaineers (17-3, 5-2 Big 12) forced the Wildcats (12-9, 5-3) into 25 turnovers while holding them to 36 percent shooting from the field. West Virginia's leading scorer, Juwan Staten, had just 11 points while dealing with foul trouble all night. Second-leading scorer Devin Williams had eight points and nine rebounds. The Wildcats played most of the way without Nino Williams, who had been averaging 21 points his last two games. The senior forward appeared to be dealing with a left knee injury, spending time on a stationary bike and then wrapping it in ice during the second half. Marcus Foster led the Wildcats with 15 points, but also committed six turnovers. Wesley Iwundu added 12 points, yet missed a crucial free throw in the closing minutes. In fact, the foul line proved to be nearly as good defensively as the Mountaineers. Kansas State was just 20 of 35 from the stripe, including a 2-for-7 effort from Jevon Thomas. Considering the teams are two of the scrappiest in the Big 12, it was hardly a surprise that the game was played at a slogging pace that prevented either from gaining any momentum. The teams combined for 27 turnovers in the first half alone, Kansas State getting whistled for a 5-second call on four occasions. They also combined for 25 fouls and shot 26 free throws. Those are ugly numbers for a game, let alone a half. By the time West Virginia turned the ball over with 20 seconds left, and Kansas State turned it right back just before the buzzer, the Mountaineers had forged a 26-24 halftime lead. West Virginia extended its lead to 49-41 midway through the second half, finally putting together a couple of solid offensive possessions. Phillip was the surprising catalyst, following up a three-point play with another bucket with 8:31 remaining to keep Kansas State at bay. As the Mountaineers got into foul trouble - Jonathan Holton and Jaysean Paige had each picked up their fourth by that point - the Wildcats tried to make one last run. Foster's first free throw with 2:04 left made it 55-50, but the All-Big 12 guard missed the second of them. Another missed opportunity by Kansas State in a night full of them. The Mountaineers were still leading 63-57 after Foster's 3-pointer with 24 seconds left, but Staten made the first of two free throws at the other end to put the game away. TIP-INS West Virginia: Won at Bramlage Coliseum for the first time in three tries under Bob Huggins, who coached the Wildcats in 2006-07. ... The Mountaineers are 10-1 away from Morgantown. Kansas State: Coach Bruce Weber was called for a technical foul for yelling at the officials late in the first half. ... The Wildcats had won six straight against ranked teams at home. UP NEXT West Virginia returns home to face Texas Tech on Saturday. Kansas State visits ninth-ranked Kansas on Saturday.
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Serena Williams advanced to her first Australian Open semifinal round in five years, but she won't be playing sister Venus Williams on Thursday in Melbourne. Serena beat Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia in straight sets, 6-2, 6-2 on Tuesday night (Wednesday in Australia) to reach the semifinals down under for the first time since winning the tournament in 2010. Williams on Wednesday night (Eastern time) will face 19-year-old American Madison Keys, who beat Venus Williams 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 on Tuesday, ending the 34-year-old Williams' improbable run deep into the tournament. Venus reached the quarterfinals, her best grand slam showing since falling in the semifinal round of the 2010 U.S. Open. This was just her second grand slam trip past the third round since the start of 2011. "Losses like this are good. Even though they're not fun," Venus Williams said after the loss . "I'll learn from it." Had Venus bested Keys, Thursday's semifinal match would have been the 26th head-to-head matchup between the Williams sisters, and the first since the 2008 U.S. Open quarterfinals, won by Serena in two sets. Serena Williams, a five-time winner of the Australian Open and 18-time grand slam champion, has never faced Keys. Williams is 62-9 all-time at the Australian Open, while Keys is 8-3. Both have dropped only two sets in five rounds so far in Melbourne.
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AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) -- LeBron James came leaping in to try to stop Jodie Meeks as the Detroit guard drove to the basket during the final seconds of the third quarter. After colliding with Meeks, James put his hands out to break his fall before sliding across the floor on his stomach. "I was scared, because I broke my wrist on a fall like that in high school," James said. "I was either going to land on my face or break the fall with my hands, but when I hit, both my arms went numb. I'm OK now -- it was just something like a stinger -- but I wasn't sure at first." BOX SCORE: CAVALIERS 103, PISTONS 95 James barely missed any game time after that anxious moment, and he finished with 32 points to help the Cleveland Cavaliers to their seventh straight victory Tuesday night, 103-95 over the Pistons. Kyrie Irving matched his season high with 38 points. The Cavs never trailed in the second half, but when James hit the deck and didn't immediately get up, that was plenty to be concerned about. "That is obviously a time of worry, which is the understatement of the year," Cleveland coach David Blatt said. "In a situation like that, you are just hoping he is OK." James quickly came back in the game, and his two-handed breakaway dunk early in the fourth put Cleveland up 80-68. Greg Monroe had 17 points and 12 rebounds for the Pistons, who pulled within eight and had the ball late in the fourth quarter, but Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was unable to connect from 3-point range. James drew a foul at the other end and made both free throws to make it 88-78 with 2:56 to play. Caldwell-Pope was fouled by James while shooting a 3-pointer with 2:00 remaining, and that trio of free throws made it 90-83. The Pistons got the ball back, but Andre Drummond missed a layup, and Irving connected from beyond the arc. The Cavs avenged a 23-point home loss to Detroit late last month. That game was part of a seven-game winning streak for the Pistons, but now Detroit is struggling to overcome the loss of Brandon Jennings, who ruptured his left Achilles tendon last weekend and will miss the rest of the season. IRVING'S BIG NIGHT Detroit led 19-17 after a first quarter in which the teams combined to shoot 1 for 16 from outside the paint. Cleveland shrugged off that rough start and reached 100 points for the eighth straight game. Irving was 6 of 10 from 3-point range. The rest of the Cavs went 3 of 24. "That's the luxury of playing with a great player like LeBron. When he's on the floor, you know there are going to be things opened up for the rest of you," Irving said. "Tonight, we had a lot of open shots, and we got enough of them to go down." UNDERMANNED D.J. Augustin, Detroit's starting point guard now in Jennings' absence, had 19 points and nine assists, but the Pistons have lost three in a row. That skid began with the game at Milwaukee when Jennings got hurt, but coach Stan Van Gundy says the team needs to move forward without him. "We've got good enough players to win," Van Gundy said. "We had good enough players in there tonight to win. We just needed to do a couple of things better, and we're not going to come in here after every loss now and talk about Brandon's effect on it -- at least I'm not." Cleveland outscored Detroit 50-48 in the paint. Drummond had 12 points and 17 rebounds but shot just 6 of 17. TIP-INS Cavaliers: Cleveland had won its last four games by double digits before Tuesday. ... The Cavs are without big man Anderson Varejao, who like Jennings ruptured his left Achilles tendon. Pistons: Detroit had 18 turnovers while Cleveland committed only nine. UP NEXT Cavaliers: Host Portland on Wednesday night. Pistons: Play at Philadelphia on Wednesday night.
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Journalists everywhere will weep with joy if this Bluetooth recording device comes to fruition (at least this one will). We're talking about Bluewire , a headset that records both sides of a smartphone or VoIP conversation over Bluetooth. That means if you're a reporter, lawyer or anyone else who may need to keep their calls on record, your days of blasting a conversation on speaker and hoping for the best are probably over. Calls save directly to Bluewire's 16GB of onboard memory. From there, you can access them on an accompanying iOS/Android app. If you need to clear space or make edits, you can sync files directly to a phone, computer or tablet. (All it takes is a tap of Bluewire on your device of choice for Android users with NFC capabilities.) If you don't like the feel of Bluewire's headset, it can pair with another earpiece that's more comfortable ( cue Xzibit meme ) or even your car's calling system. And, in keeping with its anti-wire theme, the device charges on a Qi wireless pad. Frankly, that's probably all you need Bluewire to do, but its creators added a few other features because why not? The most notable ones are walkie-talkie capabilities, a Bluegard motion trigger alarm and a built-in flashlight. The campaign for Bluewire is now live on Indiegogo and hopes to raise $40,000 by February 26th. Early-bird deals will nab you a Bluewire for $149-179, or on the more extreme end of the spectrum, you can go all-in and pledge $7,750 for a Distributor's pack of 50. Early backers can expect to receive their Bluewires sometime around July of this year. Until then, those of us who record calls will have to continue scouting around the office for quiet locations. Indiegogo
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STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) -- Phil Forte scored 16 points and Le'Bryan Nash added 13 to help Oklahoma State defeat No. 20 Baylor 64-53 on Tuesday night. Forte, a 5-foot-11 shooting guard, made 4 of 7 3-pointers and matched a career high with five rebounds for the Cowboys, who claimed their second win over a ranked opponent this season. Michael Cobbins had six points, a season-high 11 rebounds and matched a career high with five blocks. Anthony Hickey had eight points and a career-high 10 assists and freshman Tavarius Shine added a season-high 11 points for the Cowboys (14-6, 4-4 Big 12), who will host No. 24 Oklahoma on Saturday. Lester Medford scored 13 points, Taurean Prince added 12 and Rico Gathers added 11 points and 11 rebounds for Baylor (15-5, 3-4), which had won four of five. Baylor shot just 34.5 percent from the field and posted a season-low point total. Baylor went on an 11-0 run early to go up 13-6. Oklahoma State rallied, as threes by Forte and Hickey highlighted a 9-0 run that put the Cowboys up 23-17 and forced a Baylor timeout. The Bears went more than four minutes without scoring. The Cowboys held Baylor to 32 percent shooting in the first half and led 30-21 at the break. Jeff Newberry's pump fake, drive and two-handed jam put the Cowboys up 32-25 early in the second half. Another three by Forte pushed Oklahoma State's lead to 10. Baylor hung around, but Oklahoma State hung on. Hickey penetrated and found an open Forte for 3 with four minutes remaining to stretch the Cowboys' lead to 10. TIP-INS Baylor: Gathers had 25 points and 28 rebounds against Huston-Tillotson on Jan. 21. ... Baylor made just 3 of 6 free throws and had three assists in the first half. Oklahoma State: The Cowboys went 5-for-10 from 3-point range in the first half. ... Forte increased his career scoring total to 1,136 points. He passed both Mario Boggan and Chianti Roberts on the Oklahoma State career scoring list and now ranks 30th. UP NEXT Baylor: Hosts Texas on Saturday. Oklahoma State: Hosts Oklahoma on Saturday. --- Follow Cliff Brunt on Twitter: www.twitter.com/CliffBruntAP.
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FOX Sports 1 golf insider Robert Lusetich has the latest surrounding Robert Allenby's situation.
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Before there was Balmain, Givenchy, or Kanye West, even Kim Kardashian wasn't immune to the trends of the early 2000s. Read on to check out Kim's humble style beginnings . 2008: On the Hunt For a Big Mac 2010: Fluffy Fur 2008: Yellow and Lace 2006: Sweater Weather 2008: Bringing Out the Boho 2008: A Woman of Wonder 2008: New Year's Camouflage 2006: Put a Belt on It 2006: 50 Shades of Grey 2007: Sexy Sleek in Vegas 2008: Casual Street Style 2010: Halloween 2009: Feeling Feline 2006: Sleek and Shiny Maxi 2008: Off the Chain 2007: Mermaid-Inspired 2007: Going Graphic 2011: Ruffles on Ruffles 2006: Curve-Skimming Silk 2008: At the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show 2007: Starting the Crop-Top Trend 2009: Radiant Orchid 2008: Optical Illusion 2011: Thigh-High Courtside 2008: Dressed For Success 2007: These Boots Were Made For Something 2006: Babydoll Dress 2007: Naughty Workwear 2008: Party Time or Bed Time? 2006: Knot Your Average Outfit 2008: Flaunting Her Curves 2008: Green Gone Wild 2005: White Hot 2008: Sheer Babydoll 2008: Glitter and Glam 2006: The Start of Sleek 2008: Mellow Yellow 2008: Ready to Party 2008: It's All in the Jeans 2008: Hosting a Party 2008: Put a Vest on It 2008: Dressed-Up Tracksuit 2008: Lady in Red 2007: Ready to Party 2007: Ready For the Disco 2009: Balloon Pants 2007: A Night on the Town 2011: Who Wears the Pants? 2006: Red Hot and Skintight 2008: Lady of London 2008: A Ruffled Affair 2006: Oktoberfest 2008: Going Bowling 2008: Demure Dressing 2008: At the Championship Gaming Series 2007: Black and White 2006: Dressed-Up Denim 2008: At the VMAs Kickoff Party 2006: Ice Queen 2008: Into the Maze 2012: The Little Mermaid
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Asian stock markets followed Wall Street into the red on Wednesday, while the dollar was on edge following speculation the Federal Reserve could take a dovish turn in its post-meeting statement later in the session. Apple Inc provided some relief after the bell as record sales of its iPhone line helped it beat expectations, sending its stock up more than 5 percent, helping to lift U.S. stock futures by 0.3 percent. But earnings from other majors generally disappointed, with multinationals from DuPont (DD.N ) to Microsoft Corp complaining that a strong U.S. dollar was hurting profits. That left a soggy feel to Asian trade and Australia's main index eased 0.2 percent while the Nikkei dropped 0.1 percent. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was off a slim 0.1 percent. On Wall Street, the Dow ended with losses of 1.65 percent, while the S&P 500 fell 1.34 percent and the Nasdaq 1.89 percent. Nine of the 10 primary S&P 500 sectors fell, with tech off 3.3 percent in its biggest one-day drop since November 2011. Shares in Microsoft slid more than 10 percent, while Caterpillar shed 7 percent. The latest U.S. economic news was mixed with durable goods orders surprisingly soft, but notable strength was seen in housing and consumer sentiment. Soft business investment and corporate earnings stoked talk the Fed would have to acknowledge the more difficult environment in its policy statement at 1400 GMT. Further fueling such expectations, Singapore's central bank unexpectedly eased policy ahead of its scheduled review, joining a growing list of central banks that took steps to counter disinflation and slowing growth. So far, the U.S. central bank has stuck by plans to raise interest rates around the middle of 2015, but markets have relentlessly pushed out the timing to year-end and are plotting a much lower trajectory for future hikes. Fed funds (0#FF:) imply a rate of only 45 basis points by December, compared to the current effective funds rate of 12 basis points. "The market now thinks a rate hike around June is unlikely. So if the Fed does not change its tone, the market will take it as a bit more hawkish than expected," said Tomoaki Shishido, fixed income analyst at Nomura Securities. Just the risk of a dovish turn was enough to force speculators to cut back on crowded short positions in the euro, lifting the common currency to $1.1333 and away from Monday's 11-year low of $1.1098. The dollar dipped to 118.09 yen and retreated against a basket of major currencies to 94.089, off an 11-year high of 95.481 hit on Friday. In commodity markets, oil prices were pressured by news U.S. oil stockpiles surged by nearly 13 million barrels last week. Brent crude oil dipped to $49.02 a barrel while U.S. crude oil futures slipped to $45.50. (Editing by Shri Navaratnam and Eric Meijer)
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Apple How much does Apple love China? Let us count the ways. China accounted for more than $16.1 billion in sales over the holiday quarter or $1 out of every $5 Apple pocketed in revenue. Sales in China are growing faster than anywhere else on the globe, up 70 percent over the same time a year ago. The introduction of the new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, delayed until last October, was met with an enthusiastic response in the world's most populous country. Apple didn't say how many iPhone 6s it sold versus the larger 6 Plus, but it's very likely that the bigger version helped to attract more buyers in Asia, where Samsung has stoked people's appetites for larger screens. "I was in China right after the launch in October, and the excitement around the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus were absolutely phenomenal," Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook told investors Tuesday, during the company's December quarter earnings call , in which it reported its most profitable period ever. Apple's online revenue in China over the holiday totaled more than the sum of the previous five years, Cook said. And the technology giant is rapidly expanding its retail presence, with plans to double the number of stores to 40 by 2016. "It's an incredible market," Cook said. "I think people love Apple products, and we are going to do our best to serve the market." To be sure, Apple doesn't have a lock on the Chinese market. It faces competition from local manufacturers such as Lenovo and Xiaomi, whose newly introduced Mi Note reportedly sold out in three minutes.
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Brad Boyes discusses the Panthers' 5-4 defeat at the hands of the Detroit Red Wings.
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Despite the fact that Nicholas proposed to Carrie during the holiday season, the two decided to have a sunny destination wedding on the shores of Mexico - the exact opposite of what their wedding would have been like were they to celebrate in their native Michigan town. Everything about their big day at the Grand Velas Resort was elegant with a laid-back, coastal feel. The two said their vows right on the shore, close family and friends nearby to cheer them on. While the bride and groom looked stunning as they made their commitments, somebody else stole the show. Nicholas and Carrie's adorable daughter, Ava, waited in dad's arms as Mommy walked down the aisle and was alongside them as the two stood hand in hand and had their first kiss. To make the entire moment even more heartwarming, Ava was decked out in a little white dress that matched her mom's own couture wedding gown! The couple let their sprawling and luxurious venue speak for itself and kept the rest of their navy blue and gold wedding details simple and refined. Keep reading to see all the pretty details! Carrie's tasteful, pre-wedding boudoir photos are especially inspiring for any of you soon-to-be-brides out there who are unsure of the idea! Vendors Venue: Grand Velas Resort // Wedding Dress: JLM Couture
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Sure, many of them are adorable, but would you have predicted that they'd turn into sex symbols and megastars? Julia Roberts "Pretty Woman" would come later, but the charm was evident even then. 7 Famous People Who Hit Bottom and Turned It Around Brigitte Bardot This was before she blossomed into BB, the toast of Saint-Tropez and one of the biggest international sex symbols of the '50s and '60s. Easy Tips to Get Your Waistline Under Control Madonna The Queen of Reinvention described her younger self to Vanity Fair as "a lonely girl who was searching for something." Well, she found it. The Secret to How Angelina Jolie Turned Her Life Around Kate Moss Now 40, Moss transformed from this sweet girl into the face of grunge and heroin chic and the most iconic model of the past 25 years. 7 Famous People Who Hit Bottom and Turned It Around Mick Jagger Somehow he doesn't look like he was born in a crossfire hurricane. Easy Tips to Get Your Waistline Under Control Kate Winslet Can you picture her on the Titanic? The Secret to How Angelina Jolie Turned Her Life Around Audrey Hepburn With her striking mother, a Dutch baroness, in the 1930s. 7 Famous People Who Hit Bottom and Turned It Around Lauren Hutton "I was the girl that beheaded dolls," the tomboy from South Carolina told Town & Country last year. Easy Tips to Get Your Waistline Under Control Sarah Jessica Parker Back then, she acted in local theater, and by the age of 12 she landed the title role in the Broadway production of "Annie" two decades before "Sex and the City." The Secret to How Angelina Jolie Turned Her Life Around Raquel Welch Born in Chicago, Raquel studied classical dance as a little girl, but quit at 19 after a ballet instructor criticized her figure. What could that teacher have been thinking? 7 Famous People Who Hit Bottom and Turned It Around Angelina Jolie Girl, interrupted: At six, Angelina moved with her mother to the East Coast. Five years later, they returned to L.A., where she would follow in the footsteps of her actor parents. Easy Tips to Get Your Waistline Under Control Brad Pitt A healthy specimen, to be sure. Still, it's hard to believe he'd grow up to be crowned twice as People magazine's Sexiest Man Alive. The Secret to How Angelina Jolie Turned Her Life Around Jennifer Lopez Say hello to "Jenny from the block." 7 Famous People Who Hit Bottom and Turned It Around Julie Newmar The fun would come much later, when she turned into Catwoman on "Batman." Easy Tips to Get Your Waistline Under Control Penelope Cruz The first Spanish actress to win an Oscar recalls "playing with some friends and being aware that I was acting as I was playing with them" when she was growing up in Madrid. What better training? The Secret to How Angelina Jolie Turned Her Life Around John Travolta You should be dancing, yeah! 7 Famous People Who Hit Bottom and Turned It Around Grace Kelly Talk about healthy genes: Her father was an Olympic athlete and her mother taught phys ed at the University of Pennsylvania. Easy Tips to Get Your Waistline Under Control Beyoncé Naughty girl? She looks so nice! The Secret to How Angelina Jolie Turned Her Life Around Sandra Bullock Young Sandy sang opera in a children's choir when she was growing up in Nuremberg, Germany. 7 Famous People Who Hit Bottom and Turned It Around James Dean Looks more like a future banker than an incipient rebel without a cause. Easy Tips to Get Your Waistline Under Control Kate Hudson No doubt she wishes Goldie had tossed this one. The Secret to How Angelina Jolie Turned Her Life Around Diana Rigg "Can I be an Avenger when I grow up?" 7 Famous People Who Hit Bottom and Turned It Around Cindy Crawford Somehow not the same without that beauty mark. Easy Tips to Get Your Waistline Under Control George Clooney Mr. Handsome. The Secret to How Angelina Jolie Turned Her Life Around Catherine Deneuve What becomes a legend most? 7 Famous People Who Hit Bottom and Turned It Around More on Life Reimagined 7 Famous People Who Hit Bottom and Turned It Around Easy Tips to Get Your Waistline Under Control The Secret to How Angelina Jolie Turned Her Life Around
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PHILADELPHIA (AP) Wayne Simmonds scored in regulation and got the winning goal in a shootout to lift the Philadelphia Flyers to a 4-3 victory over the Arizona Coyotes on Tuesday night. After the Flyers missed on their first two shootout attempts, Simmonds beat Mike Smith for the winner. Connor Murphy, Martin Erat and Tobias Rieder scored for the Coyotes. R.J. Umberger and Michael Del Zotto also scored for the Flyers. Steve Mason was sensational in relief for the Flyers and had 22 saves over the final 2 1/2 periods to help them rally from a 2-0 deficit. The Flyers and Coyotes were tied 3-all through two periods in a matchup of two of the worst teams in the NHL. Each team took a spin giving up leads just like bad teams do. For the Coyotes, it was blowing a 2-0 lead after they chased Ray Emery. For the Flyers, it was allowing a tying goal with just 37 seconds left in the second period instead of heading into intermission with momentum. Emery was benched only 5:50 into the game after Murphy and Erat beat him for two fast goals. Murphy scored his third goal of the season on a shot from the slot that popped over Emery's shoulder. Erat knocked in a rebound for his seventh, and scored Arizona's second goal on only four shots. Emery took a drink from the water bottle and turned around to find Mason on the ice and ready in relief. Mason, their No. 1 starter, hadn't played since suffering a lower-body injury Jan. 10 against Boston. He returned to a rousing ovation - and was soon in position for a win. Simmonds cut it to 2-1 with his 17th late in the first. Umberger tied it 2-all on his ninth when he flipped the puck over Smith's shoulder in the second. ''I just wanted to get it on net and was able to find that top corner,'' Umberger said. Del Zotto gave the Flyers the lead for the first time when his fourth goal pinged - the sound could be heard high above the upper deck - off the crossbar and past a stunned Smith. The Flyers' lead lasted all of 23 seconds. Rieder evened the score 3-3 when he slipped one past Mason with just 37.1 seconds left in the period. NOTES: Murphy's father, Gord, is an assistant with the Flyers. ... Flyers F Petr Straka, 6-foot, 195 pounds, was recalled from the AHL and made his NHL debut. He had 20 goals for 44 points in 99 career games with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
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Walking through the doors of recruitment firm Spencer Ogden's Singapore office, the space at first glance looks more like a games room than a place for work. An AstroTurf carpet blankets the floor, dining booths line one side of the office and various forms of entertainment including a ping pong table, foosball table, bicycle and scooter are sighted around the premises. It may seem counterintuitive, but these activities are aimed at keeping employees engaged and productive in the demanding industry. Most days are spent making back-to-back phone calls pitching to clients and trying to getting potential candidates on board. Tom Reid, Singapore country manager at Spencer Ogden says while the activities can be a distraction, they are positive. "Recruitment is a tough job but in this sort of environment, you don't get bored and clock watch.You work, and when you need a break, you can get one really easily without leaving the office," Reid told CNBC. "Most of these activities can be done while working. Everyone here's on a Bluetooth headset so they can be engaging with clients or candidates while riding a bike or scooter, or walking around the office," he said. Cool office trend Innovative office spaces are a growing trend, as companies look to set themselves apart, says Larissa Murphy, Southeast Asia director at design house HBO+EMTB, which specializes in workspace architecture. Firms in the technology sector, such as Google and Microsoft (MSFT) , as well as in creative industries such as advertising and media are leading the way with "cool" workspaces, she said. But how much does a quirky workplace design actually impact employee productivity? "Creating an interesting, inspiring environment of course will make people more productive," said Murphy. But more than a quirky workplace, studies have shown what helps productivity most is when you give employees a say in the design of their workspace for example, something as small as the color of cushions, or the placement of interior plants and artwork, said Murphy. Spencer Ogden, meanwhile, says their investment into creating a fun workspace has paid off both in terms of productivity and retention. "I strongly believe that creating a positive working environment brings benefits: I have seen it increase staff productivity by 30 percent," said David Spencer-Percival, CEO and co-founder of Spencer Ogden. Productivity in the recruitment industry is measured by a few metrics including the number of clients brought in, the number of CVs sent to companies, the number of CVs converted into interviews and the number of placements made. Spencer-Percival reached the 30 percent figure by comparing his firm's productivity metrics with Huntress Group another staffing agency he co-founded that does not have highly-customized offices. Meanwhile, the office boasts a retention rate of 93 percent well above the industry average of around 75 percent. The Spencer Ogden model Spencer Ogden's model works well for their business given the office's younger demographics and the nature of the job, which allows employees to be mobile while working, said Murphy. However, this model will not work for all industries, she said. "For creative industries, their offices are expected to be whacky. But industries such as financial services or law come with a different set of expectations," she said. "If you go into a law firm that looks like a playground, you may walk away questioning their quality of service." Office demographics also play an important role in determining an appropriate workplace design. "If there's a large portion of the workforce that's not in their 20s or 30s, it's important to not to alienate them because those are the people with the knowledge," she said. Instead of "fun" elements such as ping pong or foosball tables, the focus can go elsewhere, she said. "There's a big move to what is called 'activity-based working', where you provide an array of work settings for employees depending on what they are trying to achieve. For example, creating separate areas employees can go to if they want to concentrate, brainstorm or do presentations."
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The reasons why people divorce can be as complex and varied as what makes people fall in love in the first place. However, the act of calling it quits may have something to do with a person's sun sign you and your spouse could be astrologically predisposed to certain habits associated with failed relationships. "Every sign has its own problem spots that can lead to partnering trouble, whether physically, emotionally or intellectually," says astrologer John Townley, author of Composite Charts: The Astrology of Relationships. "But it's not the individual signs that tell the tale; it's the dynamic interplay of both individuals' total planetary picture." (And of course, factors outside of astrology can also place a strain on your marriage). With this in mind, consider these seven common catalysts for divorce and the sun signs most likely to fall trap to them. Physical Unfaithfulness Praise-adoring Aries and Leo might be led astray if "someone is stroking their ego or another body part," says astrologer Elizabeth Ball, romantic compatibility specialist and founder of astrology company It's in the Stars. Meanwhile Gemini and Sagittarius might turn to a lover for the thrill. If sensual Scorpio doesn't get enough sex, it's possible that they will drift from their marriage to get more, Townley adds. Emotional Cheating When Libras, Cancers and Pisces venture outside of their relationships, it's probably in the name of love and connection, which they value over sex, says Ball. If Water signs (Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces) in particular don't get enough emotional attention at home, they may be tempted to find it elsewhere, Townley adds. "You've got to keep their tanks full, or someone else will fill them," he says. Lacking Commitment Signs thought to be unpredictable as partners and as people, for that matter don't always make model spouses. This can be especially true among signs that have trouble finishing what they start. Geminis can be inconsistent and don't seem to care enough, which can trigger insecurity in their partners, according to Townley. Both Gemini and Sagittarius are prone to being marriage shy or, conversely, could end up marrying more than once. Aries, too, are believed to have a hard time sitting still and following through, which can make them fickle and restless in relationships. Contrasting Confrontation Styles Fixed signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius) are usually the most argumentative, as they all can be incredibly stubborn and unwilling to admit when they are wrong, Ball says. While Fixed signs are often reluctant to budge in a fight, Mutable signs (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces) go with the wind and will take any side that's convenient or works for them in the moment, Townley adds. ("Both can be terminally annoying," he says.) On the flip side, some signs have a reputation for being averse to arguing. Specifically, Capricorns, Libras and Pisces may be unwilling to assert themselves or let on when something is wrong. Over time, their reluctance to speak up could drive them to divorce if unresolved relationship issues fester, according to Ball. Impulsivity Whether marrying too soon or too young, some signs are more likely than others to make rash decisions. Aries and Sagittarius especially gravitate toward Las Vegas-style weddings, say Townley and Ball. However, Libras (as well as Cancers and Taurus) like having a partner, but they may need "a marriage or two to realize that they don't have to marry for that," Townley says. Libras particularly don't want to be alone, which might lead them to rush into marrying their first love, Ball adds. Unrealistic Expectations With the possible exception of grounded Taurus, every sign in the zodiac can set the bar too high when it comes to their marriage expectations. (Perhaps this explains the sky-high divorce rate.) In general, Fire signs (Aries, Leo, Sagittarius) and Air signs (Gemini, Libra, Aquarius) can be the most unrealistic about marriage and may not fully understand the level of commitment required to make a relationship work, Ball says. In addition, she adds, Virgos and Capricorns are prone to having ridiculously lofty standards for how their partners should behave. Yet Water signs come with their own issues, too: Cancers tend to expect marriage to be a repeat of their childhood, and therefore project parental images on a partner, Townley says. Dream-dwelling Pisces are also likely to find that their relationship aspirations don't match reality, and Scorpios sometimes expect the initial passion in a romance to last forever. Image via Altrendo Images/Thinkstock
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The blizzard of 2015 was less crippling than originally predicted in NYC. Alina Machado asks - Did officials make the right call to institute a travel ban?
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Consider the environment within the average in-sink garbage disposal: It's cool, dark, and moist, and there's a near constant influx of food that gets shredded and scattered about. No wonder it gets smelly from time to time ! To clean a garbage disposal and eliminate the odor-causing bacteria, follow these instructions. MATERIALS AND TOOLS - Flashlight' - Needle-nose pliers or tongs - Ice cubes - Rock salt - Vinegar- Baking soda - Old toothbrush - Liquid dishwashing soap - Lemon or orange peels STEP 1 There are two cardinal rules when it comes to cleaning a garbage disposal. The first is always to disconnect the power to the appliance before working on it. The easiest way to cut its power is simply by unplugging it. Normally, it's plugged in to the wall under the sink. If you can't locate the outlet, go to the electrical panel in your house and cut electricity to the circuit on which the garbage disposal is powered. To confirm that the power is off, try turning on the garbage disposal.Next, point a flashlight down the drain to identify objects that may be lodged in, or wound around, the impellers that macerate the solids sent through the disposal. Look for such things as bottle caps, aluminum can pull-tabs, or vegetable fibers. If you find any, remove these items with needle-nose pliers or tongs. Yes, the second rule of cleaning a garbage disposal is never to stick your hand into the chamber STEP 2 Drop about a dozen ice cubes into the garbage disposal, followed by a half-cup of rock salt. Restore power to the disposal, so that you can turn on the mechanism while running water down the drain. Keep it on for about a minute, until all the built-up grime and gunk has fallen away from the disposal blades. Check the drain with a flashlight again. If the blades are clean, go and shut the power back off. STEP 3 Pour a cup of vinegar and a half-cup of baking soda into the disposal. Let the combination fizz for about 15 minutes. In the process, the acidity of the solution kills bacteria, including salmonella and E. coli. Stick with the natural cleaners here; no toxic chemical should be used. Just as bacteria can come flying out of the disposal, compromising the sanitation of your kitchen sink, so too could a chemical. STEP 4 While the vinegar and baking soda are busy fizzing inside the disposal, combine the two again this time outside the appliance, on the counter to create a thick paste. Put some of that paste on an old toothbrush, and use it to scrub down the top and bottom surfaces of the rubber flaps along the neck of the disposal. Those flaps are likely to be as bacteria-ridden as any other component. So while you're at it, think about giving a good scrubbing to the rubber parts on your sink stopper, too, if there are any. STEP 5 Now's the time to engineer one final flush of the garbage disposal. First, plug the drain opening. Second, run the water in the sink until its basin is about three-quarters full. Add a teaspoon of dish soap , then finally remove the drain plug, letting the water drain out all while the disposal runs. Additional Notes You can add a fresh aroma to the sink and disposal by sending citrus peels through the disposal. And in the future, with regular cleaning of the garbage disposal, you can make sure odors stay away. Mark your calendar with a reminder to clean the garbage disposal every two weeks or so. For regular cleaning, any method works, be it ice and rock salt or vinegar and baking soda. Each takes only a few minutes, and if you stay on top things, you can avoid the more laborious and time-consuming process detailed above.
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Bovada has released odds on the color of Bill Belichick's hoodie during the Super Bowl. Not listed among the choices? A black Sith robe.
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Madison Keys overcame a leg injury to secure a 6-3 4-6 6-4 victory over Venus Williams at the Australian Open on Wednesday to reach her first grand slam semi-final. The 19-year-old took the first set in 29 minutes but suffered an injury to her left thigh in the second, which affected her movement and allowed her American compatriot to seize a 4-1 lead following a double break. Keys took a medical timeout after that game and returned with strapping around her leg and somehow broke Williams twice to get it back on serve, but was then broken again and Williams served out the set 6-4. In the decider, Williams earned a double break and was serving to take a 5-3 lead but Keys broke for the second time to level it at 4-4. The emerging American talent then broke again in the final game to clinch the match and set up a semi-final against either Venus' sister Serena or last year's beaten finalist, Dominika Cibulkova.
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There are few foods on the planet that offer absolutely zero nutritional value, and soda falls into this category. I'm always surprised at how many people ask me if diet soda is really that bad for you. If you're not convinced, it's time to get the facts and understand the real risks that come along with this unhealthy habit. It messes with your skin : Studies have shown that a regular soda habit has been linked to accelerated aging. If the long-term effects aren't enough to scare you, diet soda lowers your pH levels, which can cause acne and leave your skin looking dull and tired. It alters your mood : The aspartame found in diet soda has been linked to headaches, dizzy spells, and even mood swings. It's especially potent in people with a predisposition for anxiety or depression. It leads to weight gain : A University of Texas Health Science Center study found that the more diet sodas a person drank, the greater their risk of becoming overweight. Downing just two or more cans a day increased waistlines by 500 percent. It increases your risk of heart attack : One University of Miami study found that folks who drank diet soda every day were 44 percent more likely to suffer a heart attack than those who abstained from drinking soda. It ups your chances of developing diabetes : People with a daily soda habit (even just one or two per day) were more than 25 percent more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than individuals who had no more than one sugary drink per month. If you're ready to quit for good and reclaim your health, learn how to break your soda addiction. It may seem tough, but it is possible!
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Recently, a friend wrote me a message asking me what it was like when I had miscarried last year. She was frightened and in pain and needed to reach out to someone who could give her reassurance and guidance. Although her request robbed me of breath and made my heart break all over again, it really made me think about how little information is available for Latina moms and how little this topic is discussed openly in our community. However, in 2014, the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) released a report revealing that women are now more than nine times as likely to give birth to their first child when they are 35 years old or older. In fact, first births among young women have actually declined. These changing societal attitudes are directly impacting family planning. Examples of this change among Latinas include celebrities such as Salma Hayek, Roselyn Sánchez, Jennifer Lopez, and Penélope Cruz who have all had children in their late 30s or early 40s. This is a departure from the "start young" mentality with which many of us grew up. But as more and more Latinas are waiting to have children until they are financially secure or have met specific career goals, the chance of miscarriage rises dramatically. Obstetricians consider a pregnancy in a woman 35 years old or older to be a geriatric pregnancy. This simply means that the mother is at greater risk for pregnancy-related complications such as diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and pre-eclampsia. And sadly, older moms are more likely to experience a miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy. A miscarriage may be caused by any number of things, including chromosomal abnormalities and insufficient production of progesterone. If you're pregnant and over the age of 35, here are some symptoms you should watch out for contact your obstetrician immediately if you experience them: Vaginal spotting or bleeding Though many obstetricians say that spotting is common in early pregnancy, the reality is that bleeding of any kind can be a warning sign and most obstetricians will note this in the mother's records and keep this knowledge in the back of their mind as the pregnancy progresses. Pain Cramping and chronic or sharp pain is not a good sign. If accompanied by bleeding, there is a strong chance you are miscarrying or there is a problem with the pregnancy. If you experience either of these symptoms, you should call your doctor right away and schedule an appointment so that he or she can run some tests. Other symptoms may include normal energy levels (most pregnancies make you really tired) and lack of morning sickness but these can exist with a perfectly healthy pregnancy, too. Most likely your doctor will schedule an ultrasound and do a blood test to check your hCG levels. Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is a hormone produced by the syncytiotrophoblast, a portion of the placenta, following implantation. In a healthy pregnancy, hCG levels double every few days, so they are a clear indicator of an impending miscarriage. If you find yourself in the most difficult and heart-breaking situation of miscarrying, discuss your options with your doctor. If you are in your first trimester, some doctors may recommend you wait and let your body pass the tissue on its own, while others may feel you need a dilation and curettage (D&C) procedure. If you decide to wait and let your body complete the miscarriage on its own, there are a few things you can try to ease the pain and speed up the process. Just like labor, a miscarriage can take many forms. Your body will essentially be in labor to remove the tissue in your uterus, so cramping may be rhythmic and feel like labor, or you may experience strong back pain. Drink lots of water to help flush your system. Dehydration can make the cramping more severe. You can also try walking through the cramps to speed up the process, but if you experience excessive bleeding at any point, such as soaking through a pad in an hour, you should call your doctor right away. And if you feel dizzy or lightheaded with heavy bleeding, you should call 911 immediately as your body may be going into shock. Do not try to drive yourself anywhere. When you pass the tissue, it will most likely look like a large blood clot depending on how far along you are. After it is passed, your pain level should drop significantly, with minor cramping and period-like symptoms for a week or two. Your doctor should monitor you throughout the process and schedule a follow-up appointment to check and make sure that you have passed everything so there are no additional complications with your reproductive system. And finally, don't be afraid to reach out to your significant other or close family or friend for support. Regardless of whether or not you planned the pregnancy, the loss of a child is a deeply emotional time and it is important to confide in someone to help you find comfort and closure. This article is not meant to take the place of professional medical advice. See a doctor immediately if you suspect an impending miscarriage or if you have any questions regarding your pregnancy.
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Serena Williams broke her run of slow starts at the Australian Open on Wednesday to hammer Dominika Cibulkova 6-2 6-2 and set up an all-American semi-final against teenager Madison Keys. An injury-hampered Keys dug deep to beat Williams' older sister Venus in three sets earlier in the day, but Serena was in no mood for a contest as she broke the Slovakian 11th seed twice in each set and gave her nothing on serve. Williams closed out the match when last year's finalist Cibulkova clubbed a return past the baseline and the American grinned broadly as she smiled and waved at the Rod Laver Arena crowd on a sunny, breezy day. Top seed Williams will head into the semi-final fresh after her one-hour five-minute rout as she bids to win her first title at Melbourne Park since 2010. (Reporting by Ian Ransom; Editing by John O'Brien)
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New England Patriots owner calls on the NFL to apologize
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Tim Cook's array of new products boosted Apple Inc.'s sales growth last quarter to the highest level in three years, with momentum set to continue as the company rolls out its first smartwatch. Apple on Tuesday posted a 30 percent jump in fiscal first- quarter revenue to $74.6 billion, as net income rose 38 percent to a record $18 billion. The results were fueled by sales of larger-screened iPhones and refreshed Mac computers that Apple had unveiled in September, part of a barrage of new products from Chief Executive Officer Cook as he sought to revitalize the company's revenue. The growth was Apple's most robust since the fiscal second quarter of 2012, when revenue soared 59 percent, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The Cupertino, California-based company forecast the strong performance would continue, projecting revenue would rise by at least 14 percent in the March quarter. Cook also said Apple would ship the Apple Watch - - its first new gadget category since debuting the iPad in 2010 -- starting in April. The results, combined with Apple Watch's rollout date, underscored how Cook still has levers left to pull for growth. Even with Apple producing more than $182 billion in annual revenue and at a market capitalization of more than $635 billion, it still has the ability to expand faster than other technology companies, many of which have seen their growth rates decline to the low single digits. "Given what we see ahead for Apple in 2015 and beyond, we are even more excited about the company's early-stage ramp in this transformational cycle," Brian White, an analyst with Cantor Fitzgerald, said in note to investors. Apple shares increased as much as 6.7 percent in extended trading, after closing at $109.13 in New York. Investor enthusiasm for Apple's new products helped push shares to a high in November, briefly boosting the company's market capitalization to more than $700 billion. Hurdles Remain Apple still faces challenges to growth, including the strengthening U.S. dollar. Chief Financial Officer Luca Maestri cautioned Tuesday that the company's forecasted revenue growth would've been five points higher if currency stayed constant. In addition, iPad sales declined for the fourth consecutive quarter as some consumers gravitate to bigger-screened smartphones instead of tablets. Gene Munster, an analyst at Piper Jaffray Cos., said Apple also faces a tough comparison in the second half of the year to a strong 2014 performance. Still, he added that with more new devices set to become available, Apple will "definitely keep cooking for the next couple of quarters." IPhone Sales The fiscal first quarter was boosted by the bigger-screen iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, with sales rising 46 percent to 74.5 million units, topping analysts' average estimate of 64.9 million. That exceeded the full-year iPhone sales of 72.3 million that Apple made in all of fiscal 2011, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. "We had the highest number of customers new to iPhone last quarter than in any prior launch," Cook said on a conference call with analysts. The iPhones helped boost margins to 39.9 percent. That topped Apple's forecast in October of 37.5 percent to 38.5 percent and exceeded the average prediction of analysts for 38.5 percent. China Boost Sales were particularly robust in China, where revenue rose 70 percent as the company works to expand in the country. Cook has said Apple will open 25 new stores in the country within two years. In the Americas, sales rose 23 percent, while revenue from Europe increased 20 percent, Apple said. With China celebrating Chinese New Year in February, the holiday may provide another boost to Apple. "We have a lot of momentum in China," Maestri said in an interview. "Chinese New Year is a very important part of the cycle in China, and so we hope to take advantage of that." The strength of the U.S. dollar challenged Apple in places such as Russia, where the company briefly halted online sales during the quarter. "Our results would've been even stronger absent fierce foreign-exchange volatility," Cook said on the call. IPad, Mac IPad unit sales fell 18 percent to 21.4 million units in the quarter, while Mac sales rose 14 percent to 5.5 million units. Apple is looking to fuel iPad sales by teaming up with International Business Machines Corp. to create programs for iPads and iPhones, including 12 apps this quarter. Apple is also preparing for a larger-screened iPad this year, Bloomberg News has reported. Apple said its new digital payment service, Apple Pay, also showed promise after its rollout in October. Apple Pay already accounts for more than $2 out of $3 of purchases using contactless mobile-phone payments across the three major credit- card networks, the company said. Now Apple Watch, which Apple has said will cost $349 for a basic version, is on deck. The device must be paired with an iPhone to work and has a rectangular, touch-screen face. A dial on the side will be used for navigating between functions, and it includes sensors to detect a pulse rate and has other health- tracking features for monitoring things like calories burned. "The creativity and software innovation going on around Apple Watch is incredibly exciting and we can't wait for our customers to experience them when Apple Watch becomes available," Cook said on the call. To contact the reporter on this story: Tim Higgins in San Francisco at [email protected] To contact the editors responsible for this story: Pui-Wing Tam at [email protected] Jillian Ward
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) Cam Atkinson and Fedor Tyutin each had a goal and an assist, and Curtis McElhinney made 25 saves to lead the Columbus Blue Jackets to a 4-3 win over the Washington Capitals on Tuesday night. Mark Letestu and Ryan Johansen also scored, and Nick Foligno, captain of one of the teams in Sunday's NHL All-Star game played on the Blue Jackets' home ice, had two assists. Johansen was the All-Star MVP. McElhinney, starting in place of top goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, who will miss four to six weeks with a groin injury, made several big saves down the stretch. Evgeny Kuznetsov had a goal and an assist, and Andre Burakovsky and Troy Brouwer also scored for the Capitals, who have lost four in a row (0-3-1). Braden Holtby made 26 saves and Matt Niskanen had two assists. With the Blue Jackets up 3-2 heading into the third period, Atkinson ended up with a loose puck in the high slot and wristed a hard shot past Holtby high on the stick side for his ninth at the 5:20 mark. As they had done the last three times the Blue Jackets scored, the Capitals countered with a goal of their own. Marcus Johansson's shot from the left wing was blocked by McElhinney, but Kuznetsov was there in the slot, going down to one knee to fire in the rebound. It was his fifth of the season and came with 7:51 remaining in regulation. Only 2 minutes later, Atkinson stole a pass and ripped a hard shot that hit the post. Holtby made two terrific saves - one against Johansen point blank in the crease and the other on James Wisniewski on a late power play - to keep Washington within a goal. Letestu got his fifth goal from between the hashmarks after a feed from Corey Tropp at 3:45 of the second after a scoreless first period. Johansen made it 2-0 with a wicked one-timer off a no-look, cross-ice pass from Kevin Connauton. It was Johansen's 18th of the season. But Washington responded 33 seconds later when Burakovsky tipped Niskanen's shot from the blue line to cut the lead in half. In the final minute of the period, Tyutin pushed the lead back to two with a hard slap shot just inside the offensive zone after his defensive partner, Dalton Prout, got a stick on the puck to keep the play alive before it crossed the blue line. Just 36 seconds later, however, Brouwer redirected another shot by Niskanen to cut the lead to 3-2 heading into the third. Alex Ovechkin squeezed off four shots in the opening period, although it seemed like more. He was continually wide open on a late power play, missing wide with a somewhat open net and also having a shot blocked and another getting through to McElhinney, who made the save. NOTES: Ovechkin spent six days in a row in Columbus, sticking around after Sunday's All-Star game to meet the rest of the Capitals when they arrived on Monday. ... Like a lot of snowbirds, the Blue Jackets are heading to Florida. They'll play the Panthers and Lightning on Thursday and Saturday before returning home. ... Washington's Nicklas Backstrom got his 400th career assist on Burakovsky's goal. He hurt his hand in the third and went to the dressing room, but returned after missing a couple of shifts. ... The Capitals host Pittsburgh on Wednesday night. ... Johansen has points in his last nine home games. His two assists gave him 250 points in his NHL career. --- Follow Rusty Miller on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/RustyMillerAP
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The slow death of Adobe Flash has been hastened YouTube, which used the platform as the standard way to play its videos, has dumped Flash in favor of HTML5 for its default web player . The site will now use HTML5 video as standard in Chrome, Internet Explorer 11, Safari 8, and in beta versions of Firefox. YouTube engineer Richard Leider said the time had come to ditch the aging Flash in favor of HTML5 as the latter, used in smart TVs and other streaming devices, had benefits that "extend beyond web browsers." YouTube has spent years experimenting with HTML5, and engineer John Harding wrote about its benefits in 2010 . Harding said that although HTML5 let YouTube bring videos to devices that don't support Flash Player, such as the iPhone, it did not sufficiently meet the site's needs at the time. Almost five years later, the proliferation and advance of HTML5 means that YouTube can now use it for its default player in most modern browsers. HTML5 is now YouTube's default on Chrome, IE 11, Safari 8, and Firefox betas Leider called out HTML5's adoption of Adaptive Bitrate (ABR) as key in its switch. YouTube says ABR, which lets the site change resolution for viewers based on network quality, has reduced buffering by more than 50 percent globally, and by as much as 80 percent on heavily-congested networks. The technology also lets people live stream their play sessions on Xbox One and PlayStation 4, and use streaming devices such as Chromecast. Also important was HTML5's support of the VP9 codec, which gives higher quality video at a bandwidth reduction of 35 percent, and new APIs that let YouTube show fullscreen videos with standard HTML UI. YouTube's move highlights the shrinking relevance of Adobe Flash on the modern internet. Adobe itself has spent the last few years severing many of its ties with the product the company's Flash 2012 Flash roadmap narrowed its focus to gaming and "premium" video , and in 2011, the company killed Flash Player for mobile, saying at the time that HTML5 was the "best solution for creating and deploying content in the browser across mobile platforms." In 2015, YouTube has realized that Flash is not the best solution for web video, full stop.
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Serena Williams broke her run of slow starts at the Australian Open on Wednesday to hammer Dominika Cibulkova 6-2 6-2 and set up an all-American semi-final against teenager Madison Keys. An injury-hampered Keys dug deep to beat Williams' older sister Venus in three sets earlier in the day, but Serena was in no mood for a contest as she broke the Slovakian 11th seed twice in each set and gave her nothing on serve. Williams closed out the match when last year's finalist Cibulkova clubbed a return past the baseline and the American grinned broadly as she smiled and waved at the Rod Laver Arena crowd on a sunny, breezy day. Top seed Williams will head into the semi-final fresh after her one-hour five-minute rout as she bids to win her first title at Melbourne Park since 2010. (Reporting by Ian Ransom; Editing by John O'Brien)
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Snack makers like Oreo aren't the only ones bringing red velvet to grocery store shelves; Hostess recently released red velvet cupcakes ($3). Crossing our fingers it would taste just as decadent as the original cream-filled chocolate cupcakes, we snagged a box. The intensely red cupcakes emitted a slightly acrid smell, and the red frosting squiggle bled into the white icing. Despite the initial setbacks, tasters plowed in. Most found the cupcakes to resemble the regular Hostess Cupcakes both in flavor and texture. Others said it lacked flavor and was basically a dense ball of sugar. Ratings ranged across the board, but ultimately, we think you're better off opting for the original.
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foodanddrink
The 10 best states for taxes 2015 Most people don't pick their state based on tax rates. But as tax season approaches, it's a good time to think about just how much you're shelling out due to where you live.Truth is, there is a lot of variety in state tax structures and figuring out which state has the lowest taxes overall is no easy task. We've turned for help to the Tax Foundation, which each year calculates an overall state ranking based on all kinds of taxes residents and businesses pay. Individual income taxes get the highest weighting in overall rankings in the Tax Foundation's 2015 State Business Tax Climate Index. Not surprisingly, states with no income tax are ranked in the Tax Foundation's top five. These include Florida, Alaska, Wyoming, Nevada and South Dakota. Texas, Washington, New Hampshire and Tennessee don't tax income on wages, but tax some other kinds of income, so only some of them land in the top 10. Most of the states high on this year's list forego at least one major tax, such as sales tax or corporate taxes. These rankings factor in business taxes since the Tax Foundation believes they affect economic growth and overall prosperity in a state. Skipping a major tax isn't necessarily a key to a top ranking, though. Thanks to their low rates, Indiana and Utah still make the top 10 even though they have all major types of taxes. There are some shifts in rankings each year as states alter their tax structures. In 2015, North Carolina was the most improved because it implemented tax reforms that included dropping its top income tax rate from 7.75 percent to 5.8 percent. It moved from No. 44 on the list to No. 16 the biggest jump in the history of the index. Nebraska and West Virginia also improved. No. 10: Texas State income tax: none State sales tax: 6.25 percent Per capita property tax: $1,555 Texas makes it into the top 10 because it lacks a state income tax. It doesn't get a perfect score for income tax, however, because it levies gross receipts taxes on LLCs and S corporations, which are generally taxed at the individual level. It doesn't rank in the top half of states for its corporate, sales or property taxes. No. 9: Utah State income tax: 5 percent State sales tax: 5.95 percent Per capita property tax: $912 Utah levies all major tax types, but has low rates for property and sales taxes. It also earns points from the Tax Foundation for having a low corporate and individual income tax rates of 5 percent. No. 8: Indiana State income tax: 3.4 percent State sales tax: 7 percent Per capita property tax: $971 Indiana makes it into the top 10, but still levies all major taxes. Its per capita property tax and income tax are both low compared to other states. Its 7 percent sales tax is scheduled to be reduced to 4.9 percent by 2021 and its income tax will fall to 3.23 percent by 2017, both of which will improve its score in the years to come. No. 7: New Hampshire State income tax: 5 percent (interest and dividends only) State sales tax: none Per capita property tax: $2,518 What New Hampshire lacks in sales tax it makes up for in corporate taxes. The Tax Foundation ranks it 48th of all states on that measure alone. Its low income tax rate only dividends and interest are taxed on individuals keeps it high in the overall state rankings. No. 6: Montana State income tax: 6.9 percent State sales tax: none Per capita property tax: $1,347 Montana residents benefit from no sales tax. But the top state income tax bracket of 6.9 percent and top corporate rate of 6.75 percent rank toward the middle of the 50 states, at 20th and 18th respectively. Plus, the state imposes taxes on gas and cigarettes. No. 5: Florida State income tax: none State sales tax: 6 percent Per capita property tax: $1,369 Florida doesn't levy an income tax, and its sales tax ranks 12th lowest in the country. Plus, it ranks in the top third of states for corporate taxes. Its alternative minimum tax on companies doesn't help it ranking, though. No. 4: Alaska State income tax: none State sales tax: none Per capita property tax: $2,077 With no income or state sales tax, Alaska seems like it would rank No. 1. But the Tax Foundation dings the state for its heavy corporate tax burden, which includes a 9.4 percent top corporate income tax rate. Plus, some local governments charge sales tax. No. 3: Nevada State income tax: none State sales tax: 6.85 percent Per capita property tax: $1,109 Like Nos. 1 and 2 on the list, Nevada has no corporate or individual income tax. Its high sales tax nudges down its ranking, as does its complex formula for charging businesses unemployment insurance taxes. No. 2: South Dakota State income tax: none State sales tax: 4 percent Per capita property tax: $1,196 South Dakota loses out on the top spot because the Tax Foundation finds some aspects of its tax structure negative to businesses and economic growth. Still, it has no individual or corporate income taxes, which is pretty tough for other states to beat. No. 1: Wyoming State income tax: none State sales tax: 4 percent Per capita property tax: $2,173 While property taxes are pretty steep in Wyoming, the state takes the top spot because it doesn't have individual income or corporate taxes. Its 4 percent sales tax is also on the low side. For overall business climate, it has ranked No. 1 since 2012.
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