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After this winter's flurry of activity, the Braves are in a bit of an unfamiliar position, having a re-stocked pool of Minor League talent, but without much reason for optimism on the big league side of things for the next couple of seasons, at least. John Hart and John Coppolella have decided to ship off much of the team's talent, such as Jason Heyward , Justin Upton and Evan Gattis , in the hope of acquiring younger, cost-controlled talent for the future. It may seem, then, that Mike Minor is incongruous with the current composition of the team. Minor struggled through early-season shoulder soreness and ineffectiveness after his return to the rotation. The lefty joined the big league rotation at the start of May after recovering from shoulder trouble related to an off-season urinary tract surgery and couldn't replicate the success that he found during the second half of 2012 and 2013, in which he was one of the most effective left-handed starters in baseball. Minor dealt with mechanical problems related to his release point and posture (detailed here ) and limped to a 4.77 ERA (4.39 FIP), along with a dip in strikeouts and a bit of an increase in walks. During a season wrought with disappointment, Minor's performance was one of the most discouraging developments of the season. Let's fast forward to today: the Braves have traded away the lion's share of their offensive talent and have gotten worse defensively in the process. They may have a vastly improved farm system, but in the meantime, no one is bullish about their chances in 2015. In fact, Fangraphs' projections go so far as to suggest that the Braves will be one of the worst teams in baseball. I'm not sure that I agree with the notion that the Braves are set to be the second-worst team in the Majors in 2015, but regardless: it would be a shock to see them contend this season. Nor would I bet on the Braves being competitive in 2016, as much of the talent acquired in trades is more than a year away from contributing in the Majors, and the common wisdom is that the front office will be gearing up to field a competitive team in 2017 for the opening of SunTrust Park. So, with that in mind, let's look at how Mike Minor fits into this context. Minor turned 27 last month, and has three arbitration years left until he it set to become a free agent after the 2017 season. It's notable that Minor was a Super Two player, meaning that his first year of arbitration eligibility was actually 2014, and that he'll have four arbitration years in total instead of the customary three. This means that Minor's salaries are likely to rise above the typical player's under team control, and that he could be making a pretty penny by 2016 and 2017, provided that he stays healthy and pitches well. I'm almost sure that the Braves won't be competitive in either of the next two seasons, and even if the Braves are competitive in their first season in Cobb County, Minor won't be cheap by 2017. Minor and the Braves are currently in the midst of an arbitration dispute. After settling with the Braves on a $3.8 million salary last season, Minor and the Braves are currently $500,000 apart in salary negotiations, with Minor filing for $5.6 million in 2015, and the team offering $5.1 million. As of now, the two parties are set to head to an arbitration hearing next month. The Braves haven't actually gone to one of these hearings since they beat John Rocker in 2001, preferring to settle outside of the hearing (like they did with Jason Heyward last year) and not leave a bitter taste in their player's mouth. Arbitration hearings are ugly processes--you can imagine the problems that arise when a team is forced to argue about why one of their players doesn't deserved the amount of money that they requested in front of an arbitrator. It wouldn't surprise me to see the Braves settle with Minor, either on a one-year deal or a buyout of further arbitration years, before the hearing date, but regardless of what happens, he'll be under team control for another three seasons. Minor will play those seasons between the ages of 27 and 29, which are some of the prime years for starters, if you consider a typical aging curve . It appears to me that the Braves have two options: keep Minor for the long haul, or opt to trade him. If they keep him, 2015 and 2016 could essentially function as wasted years, and they'll be banking on Minor's final, likely expensive, year to coexist with the team's return to contention. It's a bit of a gamble, and the team could opt to trade him later down the road if they begin to realize that he won't be able to help a contending team in Atlanta, albeit for a diminished return considering the value of lost years of contractual control. They can either do this or begin to consider trading Minor. Trading him this offseason, in my opinion, would make very little sense. He's coming off of a poor season, in which he also dealt with shoulder problems, and while he still has some value on the market, the Braves would probably be selling low if they were to pull the trigger on a deal now. Ideally, Minor would return to be at least somewhat similar to the previous, effective version of himself, which would entice more teams to look to deal for his services. I'm not going to get into the specifics of how Minor's arbitration dispute could play out. Frankly, I think that guessing is a fruitless exercise, and while the previous front office was notably averse to avoiding hearings, we don't know what Hart's preference is. I also don't think it's likely that they'll come to an agreement to buy out arbitration years, as there's some uncertainty about Minor's production and value going forward. No matter what happens (unless the Braves decide to offer Minor a 4+ year extension, which I highly doubt), he'll be under team control for another three seasons. With all of this being said, I think the most sensible option for Atlanta would be to allow Minor to attempt to rebuild his value in 2015 and then ship him off in exchange for young talent, preferably offensive talent, either at the trade deadline or next off-season. Minor will still have 2+ years remaining of team control if they opt to do this, which would certainly be attractive to teams provided that he's able to pitch well this season. I think that the primary reason for Minor's rough season last year was his shoulder injury, which threw him off of a normal routine in preparation for the season and also could have bothered him after his return. He did, if you'll recall, miss his final start of 2014 with shoulder inflammation. Minor is currently undergoing a more typical offseason , and isn't experiencing any of the ailments or scheduling changes that threw him off in 2014. I'm willing to bet that a healthy Minor, after a normal offseason routine, will produce numbers more similar to the 2013 iteration of himself than last season's. Hopefully, he'll be able to correct the arm slot and posture ailments that threw him off of his game. It seems like a long time ago, but Minor produced a 3.21 ERA (3.37 FIP) in 200+ innings that year, and arguably the team's top starter. A left-handed starter who's under team control through 2017 and could settle in as a #2 or #3 starter in most rotations would be, needless to say, an attractive trade option for many teams. It would certainly fetch more than dealing Minor at this point in time would. While it wouldn't be easy to deal a pitcher of Minor's caliber in this situation, if I were John Hart, I'd be able to come to terms with it knowing that he'd be dealing from a position of relative surplus in future seasons (Wood, Teherán, Miller, and then prospects such as Foltynewicz, Banuelos, Sims, Jenkins, et. al.) and that the Braves might not even be in much of a position to compete during his remaining team control. This is all speculative in nature, but knowing what teams tend to give up for mid-rotation starters with more than a year of control left, I'd be okay with making the right deal. In short, the Braves shouldn't be looking to deal Mike Minor before this season begins, but if he's able to rebound in 2015, he could fetch a significant haul, and I think the current composition of the organization would make him a prime candidate to be traded. John Hart's modus operandi throughout his tenure this far has been to re-stock the organization's pool of young, cheap talent, and moving Minor over the course of the next year could serve to further this goal. | 1 | 4,300 | sports |
Two teams in the NHL had their winning streaks reach six games on Tuesday. Let's see how the Ducks and the Red Wings picked up their sixth straight. | 1 | 4,301 | sports |
Wayne is both delighted and wistful as he drives a one-of-a-kind 1966 Ferrari one last time. | 8 | 4,302 | video |
The Waste Management Phoenix Open is taking place in the same area as SB XLIX and is known as one of the rowdiest tournaments in golf. Jessica Marksbury lets us know about the atmosphere there. | 1 | 4,303 | sports |
If you're interested in regional stereotypes and cultural caricatures, Mike Huckabee's got you covered. In Huckabee's world, the land of the "Bubbas," women are apparently not supposed to use the kind of foul language afforded to men. Here he is on the Iowa radio program " Mickelson in the Morning ," talking about how just plain shocked he was at the kind of verbiage he encountered in New York, presumably in meetings for his Fox News show. Huckabee, who says he doesn't curse in his everyday life, said it was "absolutely a culture shock": In a business meeting that you might have in the South, or in the Midwest, there in Iowa, you would not have people who would just throw the f-bomb and use gratuitous profanity in a professional setting. In New York, not only do the men do it, but the women do it. And you're just looking around saying 'My gosh, this is worse than locker-room talk.' This would be considered totally inappropriate to say these things in front of a woman and for a woman to say them in a professional setting. ... As we would say in the South: 'That's just trashy.' These are the kinds of episodes Huckabee recounts in his book "God, Guns, Grits and Gravy" -- a book that plays on the idea of Huck takes Manhattan. An even better example of what Huckabee is up to is captured in "The City Mouse and the Country Mouse," one of the best "Sesame Street" skits ever produced. (Country mouse lives in a haystack and eats acorns. City mouse lives in apartment and doesn't recognize the sound of birds chirping.) Huckabee is playing into a cultural worldview where Larry the Cable Guy is the dominant comedian, country is the soundtrack, and being scrutinized by The New York Times (or The Washington Post) is a badge of honor. He says he wants to affirm people in flyover country (he lives in Florida) who need to know they aren't alone. But while Huckabee had the culture warrior thing to himself in 2008, he's got competition this year. What was clear in Iowa this weekend is that space is now filled up with people like Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Ben Carson, among others. Unlike Huckabee, though, they aren't bashing Beyonce and foul-mouthed ladies. | 5 | 4,304 | news |
@harrelson69 wants to know if the Islanders are the best team in the NHL. | 1 | 4,305 | sports |
@greens_in_reg wants to know who will win the NBA Dunk Contest and who you would like to see replaced. | 1 | 4,306 | sports |
For decades, Los Angeles County jail inmates divided their sentences by five, 10 or 20 to calculate the time they would actually spend behind bars. Because of overcrowding, they left after completing as little as 5% of their sentences. Now, as Proposition 47 begins to reshape the California criminal justice system, they are serving much more of their time. The new law, passed by voters Nov. 4, reduced drug possession and other minor crimes from felonies to misdemeanors. The county jail population plummeted and sheriff's officials began increasing the time served for the remaining inmates to 90% or more. Most of the affected inmates will end up serving only half of that, due to automatic credits prescribed by state law, but the change is still profound. Because of Proposition 47, others who would have landed in jail are not being arrested as street cops take a pass because of the low stakes. At the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, bookings are down by 23% and narcotics-related arrests are down 30%. Other California counties are also seeing significant decreases in their jail populations as a result of the new law. In Los Angeles County, the altered landscape has led to renewed questions about how big the new Men's Central Jail should be, as well as concerns about whether those now being issued misdemeanor citations are missing out on drug treatment that could turn their lives around. Under the new law, the cost savings from smaller county jail populations, which the state legislative analyst estimated could be hundreds of millions of dollars, will be channeled into substance abuse and mental health programs, victim services and reducing school dropouts and truancy. But some, including law enforcement officials, worry that people who need help will not enter the system. Already, fewer are opting for mandatory drug treatment programs because they face little to no jail time as an alternative. "What concerns me is that some of those offenders were getting treatment," said Gardena Police Chief Ed Medrano, the Los Angeles County representative for the California Police Chiefs Assn., which lobbied against Proposition 47. "If they're getting arrested less, that doesn't mean their drug addiction problems have gone away." Early release has been a near-constant feature in Los Angeles since 1988, when a federal judge allowed sentenced inmates to be let out early as a temporary solution to overcrowding. Many inmates were freed after serving only 10% of their time. A 2006 Times investigation found that nearly 16,000 were rearrested for new offenses while they could have been finishing out their sentences. Sixteen were charged with murder. In 2011, the county began accepting inmates from state prison after a new law shifted the burden to local jails. Roughly 6,000 inmates were added to the county jail rosters, with some serving lengthy state terms. To relieve the pressure on the jails and avoid overcrowding, sheriff's officials turned again to the early release of the remaining inmates sentenced to jail. Over the years, the county has tried solutions including electronic monitoring, work programs and firefighting camps. But nothing had a dramatic impact until Proposition 47 passed with nearly 60% of the vote. More than 400 county jail inmates have been released in the last three months because their crimes - which include theft and writing bad checks as well as drug possession - have been downgraded to misdemeanors under Proposition 47. That, combined with the reduced number of arrests, helped bring the jail population down to a low of about 15,000 from 18,600. Since early release has been scaled back, the inmate count has rebounded to about 17,400. Inmates with county sentences for burglary, theft, DUI and the like are now serving 90% of their terms, whereas men had been serving 20% and women serving 10%. Those convicted of more serious offenses such as child molestation or assault with a deadly weapon are now serving 100% of their terms, compared with 40% previously. About 3,000 inmates are serving the longer county sentences; most of those serving state sentences are not affected. The smaller jail population has allowed sheriff's officials to complete overdue repairs and has freed up more space for educational programs, Cmdr. Jody Sharp said. Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey praised the news that serious offenders in Los Angeles County are now serving most of their terms, calling it "a positive and welcome effect" that could help her office strike better plea deals. "Every defendant asks the following question: 'When can I get out?' " Lacey said. "If the 'when can I get out' is far in the future, it could impact if they plead guilty early or if they demand a trial." Lacey emphasized that keeping a close eye on crime and recidivism rates will be key to understanding the full impact of the new law. In Orange County, the inmate count has dropped nearly 22% since Proposition 47 took effect after the election, allowing sheriff's officials to close a section of the James A. Musick jail. Previously, there were no extra beds for new arrivals on the long weekends when court was not in session. "Now, we've got the luxury of not waiting on pins and needles - now we have some space," said Lt. Jeff Hallock, a department spokesman. San Diego County's inmate population has dropped nearly 16% to 4,874, said Cmdr. John Ingrassia, along with a 16% decrease in the number of inmates booked into the jails between October and December. Although Proposition 47 is a major factor, Ingrassia said seasonal crime fluctuations also contributed to the change and Hallock pointed to the county's expansion of alternative sentencing programs. In Riverside County, the jails were running at capacity before Proposition 47, and they still are, said Chief Deputy Scot Collins. Supervisors at the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department would like to see their arrest figures return to previous levels. They have instructed deputies to treat drug offenders the same as before - particularly because drugs are the driving force behind many other crimes. "These offenses are still against the law, and we expect deputies to take the appropriate action when they encounter these offenses." Assistant Sheriff Michael Rothans said. The changes in jail population are likely to reignite a debate on the county Board of Supervisors over the size of a replacement for the Men's Central Jail. The supervisors voted in May to move forward with a $2-billion plan that includes tearing down the dilapidated downtown jail and replacing it with a new two-tower, 4,860-bed facility geared largely toward inmates with mental health issues. Given the population drop, Peter Eliasberg, legal director of the ACLU of Southern California, said he supports an overhaul of the jail system but believes that fewer beds are needed. "We could have a temple to empty jail beds in L.A. if the county doesn't change course," he said. Supervisors Hilda Solis and Sheila Kuehl, who joined the board after November's election, have expressed reservations about the size of the jail, as has Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas. On Tuesday, Kuehl said she was less concerned with how long inmates serve than whether they get the mental health and substance abuse treatment they might need. "Early release never bothered me," she said, "because nobody had shown me that serving a full sentence would make people more fit to reenter society." [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] | 5 | 4,307 | news |
Toast to your ticker: Having a drink a day is linked to a lower risk of heart failure, finds a new study published in the European Heart Journal. After tracking the booze habits and health of nearly 15,000 people over 25 years, researchers found that men who had seven drinks per week were 20 percent less likely to experience heart failure than those who don't drink. While the findings are significant, they don't necessarily prove that alcohol protects your heart, says study author Scott Solomon, M.D., a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. It could just be that casual drinkers lead healthier lifestyles, he says. But there is other evidence that small amounts of alcohol can be good for your ticker. For one thing, it increases HDL cholesterol, Dr. Solomon says. Past research has shown that it can also reduce blood problems that lead to clogged arteries. (For more on the benefits of boozing, read How Beer Helps You Live Longer .) So does this mean you have doctor's orders to get liquored up? Not exactly. If you don't drink, you shouldn't feel compelled to start just because of one study, Dr. Solomon says. And it's also not license to overindulge. "When alcohol consumption goes above moderate, to 3 drinks per day or more, the risk for death increases," he says. But if you already have a beer every day, that's a lifestyle choice you can feel good about, Dr. Solomon says. We'll raise a glass to that. (Want to indulge responsibly and without pissing off the bartender? Read the 10 Essential Rules of Bar Etiquette .) | 7 | 4,308 | health |
Move over, chai latte, and say hello to bone broth this new kid in town is getting quite the following. Originally very popular with the paleo crowd , it's now making is way into retail shops like Brodo in New York City. Instead of going in and ordering a cup of Joe, you order a cup of broth. I grew up on homemade chicken soup , and my mother also occasionally used beef bones with marrow to make a broth. Little did I know my family was trendsetters. Today, bone broth, also known as stock, is being touted as the next new superfood, claiming to help with everything from digestive issues to strengthening of our bones. To get the most nutritional benefits, it supposedly must be made the traditional way not store-bought. That means boiling animal bones (fish, poultry or beef) with water, vegetable scraps, herbs and spices. You should also soak the bones in vinegar prior to cooking it's believed that the vinegar helps leech all those valuable minerals from the bones into the water and cook it longer than a simple soup (up to 48 hours). So is this all hype or do the claims have merit? Let's take a look at broth's supposed benefits: 1. "It helps with digestive issues." People claim that by drinking bone broth, their chronic diarrhea, constipation and even some food intolerances were cured. The belief is that the gelatin found in bones is responsible for this. I could not find any conclusive research to support it. 2. "It reduces joint pain and inflammation." Chondroitin sulfate and glucosamine are supposedly responsible for these claims. There is definite science supporting that these nutrients can help decrease inflammation. But I wasn't able to find exactly how much of these nutrients is in the broth. 3. "You'll look younger." Collagen, found in connective tissue in animals, is known to be vital for skin elasticity, which declines as part of the aging process. Therefore, one might think that if your beverage contains some collagen, our elasticity will improve. How I wish it were that simple. 4. "Broth improves sleep." There was one study that revealed that glycine, an amino acid, might indirectly contribute to improving the occasional sleepiness and fatigue induced by sleep restriction. But actually getting a better night's sleep? The jury is out. 5. "It i mproves memory." What came first: the chicken or the egg? Is your memory better because you are less tired? I still think the jury is out on this claim as well. 6. "It improves the immune system." The claim is that bone broth contains a high amount of minerals, such as calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, silicon, sulfur chondroitin, glucosamine and a variety of trace minerals. But again, I'm not sure how much of each nutrient broth contains. 7. "It p romotes stronger bones." Just because you drink something from bone doesn't necessarily mean your bones are stronger. From what I could find, one cup of bone broth contains 20 to 30 milligrams of calcium. When you know that the daily recommended value for men and women ages 19 to 50 is 1,000 milligrams per day, 30 grams doesn't seem like that much at all. There were even more claims online the list never ended. Dawn Jackson Blatner, a registered dietitian and author of " The Flexitarian Diet ," told The Huffington Post, "It's not a miracle cure like some outlets talk about, but still a good-for-you food." I agree. Hey, if you want to grab a cup of bone broth, I can't really find a reason why it would be a bad idea. It's low in calories, low in fat and does have some nutritional value it's definitely a better choice than most sugary hot beverages. Just don't be fooled into thinking it's the end-all, at least not until there is more science to back it up. Copyright 2015 U.S. News & World Report | 7 | 4,309 | health |
The Pittsburgh Penguins took down the Winnipeg Jets 5-3 on Tuesday as Kris Letang assisted all five goals in the Penguins win. Pittsburgh ended the Jets' five-game winning streak. | 1 | 4,310 | sports |
Yoga is good medicine! Along with keeping your hamstrings flexible and your spine supple, yoga can provide relief when your uncomfortable, distended belly needs a little debloating. Travis Eliot, creator of the Ultimate Yogi DVD series, designed this quick sequence to target your middle with strategic twists to aid digestion. Bonus: these poses are great for toning the abs, too. Grab your mat, press play, and get ready to get your om on. | 7 | 4,311 | health |
India's government made a push on Wednesday to bolster its strained finances, offering to sell a stake in miner Coal India and more mobile phone airwaves as it aimed to deliver on a promise to trim its fiscal deficit. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is racing to honor a commitment to narrow the deficit to a seven-year low of 4.1 percent of gross domestic product in the year ending in March. A revenue shortfall has driven up the deficit to 99 percent of the full-year target in the first eight months of the year, casting doubts on that pledge. Modi's eight-month-old administration said it would sell a stake of up to 10 percent in Coal India, of which the government currently owns close to 90 percent. The stake to be sold, worth about $3.9 billion at current market prices, will be unloaded through an auction on Friday, it added. Separately, the government will sell 2,100 MHz mobile phone airwaves at 37.05 billion rupees per MHz, Telecoms Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad told reporters after a cabinet meeting. The sale is expected to fetch about an extra $3 billion from a telecoms spectrum band auction scheduled for early March. New Delhi is aiming to raise $13 billion from the auction, a quarter of which is expected to flow into the exchequer by March 31. Modi's deficit promise relies heavily on the asset sale program. He has budgeted to raise $10 billion selling small stakes in state-run firms. But to date he has managed to raise a little more than $300 million. The Coal India disposal would cover more than a third of the asset sales target. The government is also banking on the sale of a 5 percent stake in energy explorer Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC.NS), worth $2.5 billion. The sale is scheduled before the end of the financial year, the oil minister said on Wednesday. Friday's sale will include at least 315.8 million shares in Coal India, with an option to sell 315.8 million more, the statement said. A floor price for the auction will be set on Thursday. Last week the government invited bids from banks to manage a sale of 10 percent stake in miner NMDC (NMDC.NS). It is also planning to sell 5 percent in Power Finance Corp (PFC)(PWFC.NS), Dredging Corp of India (DRDG.NS) and Bharat Heavy Electricals (BHEL.NS), among others. (Editing by David Holmes) | 3 | 4,312 | finance |
Jan. 28 -- By spinning off its stake in Alibaba, Yahoo will remove a key reason for investors to hold the stock -- increasing pressure on CEO Marissa Mayer to revive growth from other assets. Bloomberg's Tom Giles also reports on Apple's earnings on reports "In The Loop." | 3 | 4,313 | finance |
If you've got health insurance, you may want to watch this video before you file your taxes. | 3 | 4,314 | finance |
MELBOURNE, Australia Who's your pick: One of the greatest of all time or a teenager competing in her first-ever Grand Slam semifinal? Regardless of who wins, an American will be in the final at this event for the first time in five years when Serena Williams and 19-year-old Madison Keys meet for the first time. How will it play out? And who's in that other semi? We preview Day 11 in Melbourne, which also includes Andy Murray's much-anticipated semifinal. (2) Maria Sharapova (RUS) vs. (10) Ekaterina Makarova (RUS), 1:30 p.m. local/9:30 p.m. ET ESPN2 Sharapova starts the day on Rod Laver Arena against a countrywoman of her own, fellow Russian Makarova. Makarova is only into her second-ever Grand Slam semifinal, but it's a second in a row, the 26-year-old having made the final four at the US Open in September. The world No. 2 Sharapova has never lost in five meetings with Makarova, who has won just one out of 11 sets they've played. "I'm facing an opponent that wasn't necessarily a favorite coming into this stage," said Sharapova, who's won five majors in her career. "That's always a tricky situation because she's going to come into the match free and almost happy to be in (the semifinals), and that's dangerous. Sharapova has reason to be wary: she's just 9-9 in 18 major semifinals. (1) Serena Williams (USA) vs. Madison Keys (USA), to follow first semi ESPN2 Only three players have beaten both the Williams sisters during a major, something Keys will attempt to finish on Thursday when she meets Serena for the first time. The teenager is playing in just her 11th major and will try and go toe-to-toe with Williams in the power department, as she did in upset wins over No. 4 seed Petra Kvitova and Venus previously. A bad hip was bothering Keys on Wednesday, while Williams told reporters she is trying to get over a nasty cold. The survivor will make a trip to the Australian Open final. (6) Andy Murray (GBR) vs. Tomas Berdych (CZE), 7:30 p.m. local/3:30 a.m. ET Thursday ESPN2 The lone men's semifinal on Thursday provides for plenty of drama, as Murray and Berdych meet for the 11th time. It's the first in which they've battled with Berdych under the tutelage of new coach Dani Vallverdu, Murray's former coach and a close friend of the Briton. Berdych leads their head-to-head 6-4 and will be brimming with confidence following his straight-set upset of Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals. Much has been made of what Vallverdu has brought to Berdych's game, and in particular what game plan he'll craft when the Czech plays Murray. But Murray wasn't taking any of the British press' bait: "My goal isn't to beat Dani," he told reporters. "My goal is to beat Berdych." Regardless, it'll be Berdych's big hitting against the consistency and guile of Murray, who is trying to reach his fourth Australian Open final. | 1 | 4,315 | sports |
There it is again: Stinging back pain. It's a reminder of the couch you lifted without bending your knees, or the chubby baby you pick up so often. You might swallow a few Aleves and try to stretch, or you may even set up a massage appointment to get some temporary relief. But it keeps coming back. This week, I tested a new wearable that is actually a sneaky tech solution to chronic lower back pain. Valedo is made up of two wireless sensors that stick on your lower back and chest using special included stickers. You wear them while playing a corresponding game on your iPhone or iPad, and your physical movements send a game character through an obstacle course, grabbing jewels as it goes. The sneaky part? These "gaming" moves are actually exercises that are meant to strengthen your back muscles, which can reduce back pain. Here's perhaps the more painful part: Valedo costs $359 . Keep in mind that this is an FDA-listed device, which gives it more credibility than some other gadgets. Hocoma, the nearly 20-year-old Swiss company behind Valedo, makes robotic training devices to rehabilitate patients affected by motor disorders like strokes or multiple sclerosis. In 2010, it launched a professional version of Valedo for physical therapists and rehab centers. The version I tested, which consumers can buy, came out in November. But for how long are you supposed to play games before these exercises pay off? A Hocoma spokesman says some people see improvements in flexibility and deep back muscles after using Valedo for 15 to 20 minutes, four to five times a week over two weeks. I've been using Valedo for the past week, and over that time I've noticed the muscles in my lower back feeling a bit stronger. I have occasional lower back pain, but it hasn't been flaring up lately, so I can't say specifically whether or not Valedo solved my back pain for me. As I used Valedo, I forgot I was exercising. It felt a lot like being tricked into eating healthier food as a kid. It reminded me of a time when my Mom swapped ground turkey for ground beef in her famous taco salad and I was none the wiser, gobbling up extra helpings. We all know we should eat healthy food just like we know we should do special exercises or physical therapy for injuries or chronic pain. But it's a lot easier to sit around watching "Downton Abbey." After downloading the free Valedo iOS app (Android is coming later this year), I stuck two sensors on myself one on my lower back and another in the upper center area of my chest. Helpful diagrams in the app walked me through this, as well as a series of tests that measured my range of motion. Then I used Bluetooth to connect the Valedo sensors with my iPhone. The sensors hold a battery charge of two weeks if you use them at the company's recommendation of 20 minutes a day. To charge them again, an included USB cord plugs into a computer and simultaneously juices up both sensors in 90 minutes. The sensors themselves are lightweight and easy to wear at just .63 of an ounce each. These small, white ovals blink to signal they are connected to your device using Bluetooth. But sticking these things on and pulling them off (fair warning to people with hairy backs) is a little irritating. One day after finishing my games, I forgot I had them on under my clothes until my toddler noticed a strange bump in my shirt and yanked the front sensor off, which stung a bit. The Valedo games can be used while holding an iPhone or iPad. In most cases, I chose to prop my phone up on a shelf in front of me. If you wanted a bigger screen, you could use a mirroring service like AirPlay on your Mac or TV. As I started the Valedo game, a robot representing me flew through the air and leaned left, right or forward to catch jewels for points. My progress unlocked different moves, like the forward flexion and the twist. And finishing games unlocked access to more districts in the game's central village, including the Hip District, Torso District and Floor District, where floor exercises become part of the game. The early levels were easy. But the difficulty increased as I kept playing. If my robot flashed red, this told me my movements were slightly wrong, so I would adjust my posture to fix them. If the robot had smoke coming out of it, then I knew I was really doing the wrong moves and made more extreme corrections. The sensors were surprisingly sensitive, picking up even small twists or bends as I went. A representation of my body showed up in the lower-right corner, so I could see how my body posture looked. Though my robot's methods of transportation changed as I went along like jumping from pedestal to pedestal rather than flying the Valedo games were relatively similar: The robot collected jewels as it went along. I think a little variety in these games would go a long way, like movements that drove a race car, for example. Of course, Valedo isn't the only sensor solution that might nudge you toward "games" as exercise. Microsoft's Xbox One with Kinect does this with Xbox Fitness. The Kinect camera sees you and tracks your moves with impressive precision, as I discovered during testing . But this setup costs you $500 for the equipment, and more for the Xbox Fitness workouts, which range from $9 to $60 each. Other gadgets like the $99 Lumo Lift and its predecessor, the Lumo Back, include sensors you wear to maintain good posture. They vibrate to nudge you when you slouch, and track your daily data in an app. I tested Lumo Back , and found its band sensor effective, however uncomfortable. The newer Lumo Lift is much smaller. But the Valedo exercise games are a more concentrated series of exercises that build up back strength. I liked them enough to want to keep doing them, though I admit that I didn't test them for an extended time period. And as pricey as Valedo is, the cost of repeat visits to a physical therapist or massage therapist can also add up really quickly. My back pain isn't bad enough to merit the expense of Valedo, but yours might be well worth this investment. | 5 | 4,316 | news |
The African Union plans to launch an Ebola fund and disease control centre, officials said Wednesday, as aid agency Oxfam warned leaders needed to keep their promises to boost healthcare systems on the continent. Oxfam called for a "massive post-Ebola Marshall Plan", referring to the United States aid package to rebuild Europe after World War II. "This disaster might have been avoided if African governments had made free public health care and spent more on their health systems, under the commitment they made 14 years ago in the Abuja Declaration," Oxfam said in a statement. "It's clear that Africa's existing architecture for early disease detection, response and control is wholly inadequate," the aid agency added. AU Commissioner for Social Affairs Mustapha Sidiki Kaloko on Wednesday said an African Centre for Disease Control and Prevention would be set up by mid-2015. "It is a reality, it is going to happen," Kaloko said, with the first phase concentrating on setting up "an early warning system" for the detection of epidemics. "We should be ready the next time. We shouldn't be caught unprepared." However, its exact location remains undecided. "We will start with a coordination centre within the AU and then set up up to eight regional centres," Kaloko added. The AU Ebola Solidarity fund will be launched on Friday during a summit meeting for leaders of the 54-member bloc, which has already sent hundreds of health workers as part of its mission to tackle the outbreak in west Africa. In November, the AU, African Development Bank and regional business leaders set up a crisis fund to help areas hit by the Ebola outbreak, with some $28 million pledged. "It is time for Africa to mobilise its own resources in support of its development and take charge of its own destiny," AU chief Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma said Wednesday. The worst outbreak of the virus in history has seen nearly 9,000 deaths in a year -- almost all in the three west African countries of Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone -- and sparked a major health scare worldwide. | 7 | 4,317 | health |
Yahoo is surging on the news it is spinning off its Alibaba stake. But the Chinese e-commerce giant looks great on its own. It is expected to post strong sales and earnings growth. | 3 | 4,318 | finance |
With revamped luxury resorts and new, non-stop flights, these destinations are the best places to enjoy sun and sand this year. Barbados Two new, non-stop Delta flights, from JFK and Hartsfield-Jackson International in Atlanta, allow easier access to this island paradise. The hard part is choosing among Barbados 's 60 beaches all of them public. Whether you opt for the calm waters of the west coast, aka the Platinum Coast, or the surfable waves of the east coast, it's hard to go wrong. And when weary of the rays, there's plenty else to do, from wreck and reef diving to touring rum plantations to spelunking through Harrison's Cave. Insider Tip: Sandals just unveiled its revamped property in St. Lawrence, with 11 gourmet restaurants, the longest lagoon pool in Barbados, an expanded spa, and complete refurbishment of its 280 rooms. Plan Your Trip: Visit Fodor's Barbados Travel Guide Punta del Este If Buenos Aires is the Paris of South America, then Punta del Este is its Nice. A quick flight from Buenos Aires or Montevideo gets you to Uruguay's glamorous beach scene in less than an hour. Come ready to see-and-be-seen, with celeb-spottings aplenty between dips in the Atlantic during the day and club-hopping at night. The Grand Hotel , which just opened on Brava Beach, is Punta del Este's first five-star hotel in over 15 years. The 120-room property includes a spa, Roman baths, heated indoor and outdoor swimming pools, and a theater. Insider Tip: Looking to shake up the party scene? Though the nightlife in Punta del Este is more than vibrant, the fishing town of La Barra, about seven miles away, rivals PdE's energy. If you're looking for a more sedate stay, Jose Ignacio, about 22 miles north, is a lovely, low-key option. Plan Your Trip: Visit Fodor's Punta del Este Travel Guide Lizard Island This secluded island holds appeal to sun-seekers who not only crave an abundance of white, sandy beaches, but who enjoy diving and privacy. And after a restoration due to damage from Cyclone Ita last year, the only resort on Lizard Island has its soft reopening on March 1 and full reopening on April 1. The Great Barrier Reef resort is the perfect spot for those who want to completely unplug: there's no mobile phone coverage at the 40-suite stay, so guests can picnic on a private beach, frolic in plunge pools, or swing lazily on verandah hammocks completely undisturbed by "the real world." Its Great Barrier Reef location offers world-class diving, with sea turtles, dolphins, manta rays, and humpback whales swimming the waters along with exotic reef fish. There's even a coral reef research station operated by the Australian Museum on the westernmost point of the island. Insider Tip: Lizard Island is accessible only by private plane with two flights daily from Cairns Airport in northern Queensland. The flight is approximately 60 minutes. Plan Your Trip: Visit Fodor's Great Barrier Reef Travel Guide Bermuda In July, the 10th annual Beachfest on Horseshoe Bay promises to be Bermuda 's biggest beach party yet. Celebrating the island's Emancipation Day (1834), with music, food, limbo dancing, and sports on the sand, attendees let their inner bohemians out by covering themselves in paint and powder. For those living on the East Coast, crashing the party couldn't be easier, as flights from NYC and Boston are less than two hours. There are plenty of other reasons to visit Bermuda all year round, however. There's the unique pink-sand beaches, for starters, and a growing food scene, spurred by new openings such as the harborside 1609 Bar & Restaurant at the Fairmont Hamilton Princess and the upcoming restaurant from Top Chef Master Marcus Samuelsson, Samuelsson at HP, opening in May. The Fairmont Hamilton Princess recently underwent a $90 million renovation, in fact, and is the shiniest stay on the island right now. By spring, they will unveil the brand-new Princess Beach Club on site. Insider Tip: Beachfest 2015 will be held on July 30 and admission is free. The weekend also marks the island's annual cricket Cup Match, with a match between Somerset and St. George's, two of the best local teams. Plan Your Trip: Visit Fodor's Bermuda Travel Guide Mozambique Luxury travel company andBeyond is adding the Bazaruto Archipelago to its collection of camps, with 10 casitas and two cabanas surrounded by tropical forest and edged by soft, white sandy beaches of Benguerra Island in Mozambique . With andBeyond's lodge refurbishment, the accommodations will feature plunge pools, gazebos, and spacious open air showers. The coral reefs offshore provide a haven for the Indian Ocean's abundant marine life, while the beaches and towering sand dunes on the island also make for some of the world's most scenic horseback riding. Insider Tip: Take a side trip for local ecology: Tourism is one of the core ways that the philanthropic Carr Foundation is hoping to bring back Mozambique's once war-torn Gorongosa game reserve. Every visit helps in the ongoing restoration effort and replenishment of the animal populations. Plan Your Trip: Visit Fodor's Mozambique Travel Guide Boracay This tiny island getaway, about 200 miles south of Manila, is a little more than four miles long and about a mile wide. But despite its small size, Boracay is undergoing big development, with the continuing growth of the Boracay Newcoast , a community of hotels, shopping, and residences, and the winter opening of the Aqua Boracay by yoo, a five-star resort set on Bulabog Beach, one of the world's best kite surfing beaches. In addition to water sports, the resort is rooted in luxury wellness, with a yoga studio, a day spa, and a pool spa. Insider Tip: Getaways to Boracay will become easier by winter, when the island's brand-new airport opens, welcoming flights from Manila, Hong Kong, and Singapore. Plan Your Trip: Visit Fodor's Philippines Travel Guide Hawaii Big news out of Oahu : Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts is pouring $500 million into transforming the JW Marriott Ihilani into the Four Seasons Resort Oahu at Ko Olina. Slated for a September 2015 opening, not only will the property be Four Seasons' first on Oahu, it will include the brand's first residential property in Hawaii. The Courtyard by Marriott is also coming to Oahu, on its North Shore, this year. On the west side of Oahu, the ground will be broken for the 1.4 million square-foot retail development, Ka Makana Ali'i, with over 100 shopping, dining, and entertainment outlets, plus Hawaii's first Hampton Inn & Suites. Elsewhere around the islands, travel to the Big Island is gaining in popularity for its stand-out snorkeling and hiking trails through the lava fields of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Ever sunned on a rare, green sand beach? The Big Island is welcoming a few new nonstop flights this year, too: Alaska Airlines announced new flights between San Diego and Hawaii starting in March, and Delta will start service from Minneapolis/St. Paul. Maui, too, is becoming more of a hot destination, thanks to the recently completed multi-million dollar renovation of the Westin Ka'anapali Ocean Resort . Insider Tip: Four Seasons fans take note: the Four Seasons Lanai at Manele Bay will close for five months this year to undergo a $75 million renovation, while the Four Seasons Resort Lanai, The Lodge at Koele will also close to the public while it houses construction workers working on various island projects. Plan Your Trip: Visit Fodor's Hawaii Travel Guide San Juan Billionaire John Paulson says Puerto Rico is not only poised to come out of its economic slump, but that it is now poised to become the "Singapore of the Caribbean," which means it will boom as a center of commerce, and a safe bet for investors in the tropics. He should know, as he has pledged to invest $1 billion in the island over the next few years. One particular pet project: the Condado Vanderbilt Hotel in San Juan, which recently debuted after 10 years and a $200 million renovation. (Paulson put in the funds to get the project to the finish line.) The new hotel is actually one of San Juan's oldest luxury properties, having originally opened in 1919. In addition to the swank new stay, San Juan's culinary scene is exploding, with food from chefs such as Jose Enrique Montes, José Santaella, Mario Pagan, Wilo Benet, and the Vanderbilt's own Juan José Cuevas as tourist attractions in their own right. There's also a burgeoning art scene in the Santurce section of the city, centered around Loiza Street. Another sign of the island's comeback: San Juan also welcomed a record number of cruise passengers in 2014. Insider Tip: The Condado Vanderbilt is also home to Puerto Rico's first Hammam (Turkish Bath) in its brand new, 10,000 square-foot spa. Plan Your Trip: Visit Fodor's San Juan Travel Guide Haiti It's been five years since a devastating earthquake destroyed this island nation, taking 200,000 lives in its wake. And while restoration efforts are still going on, tourism is finally coming back to Haiti . G Adventures is leading the charge of new tour operators visiting the island, while the Marriott Port-au-Prince , Haiti's first internationally branded, four-star hotel, opens this year. These new additions make the island's beaches, wildlife, ruins, and the Unesco World Heritage site of the Citadelle Laferrière, the largest fortress of the Americas, even more welcoming. Insider Tip: There is still a lot of recovery work to be done in Haiti. Interested in lending a hand? Organizations such as Habitat for Humanity and United Nations Volunteers are still leading trips for disaster relief. Plan Your Trip: Visit Fodor's Caribbean Travel Guide Miami Miami celebrates its centennial this year, with a year full of special events . A few new high-profile properties are ready and willing to accommodate those partaking in the year-long party, including the recently-opened Thompson Miami Beach and Ian Schrager's beachfront boutique Edition , which opened in November complete with a restaurant by Jean-Georges Vongerichten, a bowling alley, an ice rink, an outdoor movie theater, and a nightclub. The year will close with the debut of the Faena Hotel Miami Beach , part of the new urban development by Alan Faena (the gent who brought Faena Universe to Buenos Aires's Puerto Madero). In addition to the five-star resort hotel, which will be designed by film director Baz Luhrmann and his wife, costume designer Catherine Martin, the six-block complex will include an arts center designed by Rem Koolhaas and luxury condos fashioned by Norman Foster. Insider Tip: Miami isn't the only one celebrating 100 years; pasta brand Ronzoni also sees in its centennial in 2015. Their 100th birthday bash will open the SOBE Wine and Food Festival this year, with hosts Debi Mazar and Gabriele Corcos of the Cooking Channel's Extra Virgin. Grab tickets to the hottest party of the year here . Also new in 2015 for the SOBE fest: more seating at the Whole Foods Market Grand Tasting, live music, complimentary park-and-ride, a tribute dinner honoring renowned Spanish chef Juan Mari Arzak, and many more first-time events. Plan Your Trip: Visit Fodor's Miami Travel Guide Tobago New Caribbean Airline routes from NYC to Trinidad make a trip to the twin island even easier than before. Just a quick connection drops visitors to Tobago , known as the more attractive twin for beaches. And Carnival isn't the only festival that the island is known for: The 2015 Tobago Jazz Experience in April will welcome powerhouses such as Jennifer Hudson and Kool & the Gang. A little trivia about Tobago: did you know that it provided the setting for the Disney castaway film Swiss Family Robinson, released in 1960? The movie was the highest-grossing of that year. Insider Tip: Check out the Tobago Travel Guide app, new from the Tobago Hotel & Tourism Association, where users can find "Deals of the Week," along with a guide to the island's best beaches, hotels, restaurants, and activities. Plan Your Trip: Travel Fodor's Trinidad and Tobago Travel Guide Bali If there were a contest for most hotel openings on an island in 2015, surely Bali would win, as it will unveil at least five major resorts. The long-awaited Mandapa, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, will open by summer, with 60 luxury villas. Also coming by summer: the Alila , on the last sandy frontier of Seminyak, while exclusive Jumeirah Bali will be opening 80 suites and 25 private villas In the Jimbaran district. The Chedi Club , with 34 pool villas, will also join the resort scene in Jimbaran by summer. And that's just a handful of what to expect. Several more big names are coming to the island next year, including Andaz, Mandarin Oriental, and Waldorf Astoria. Insider Tip: Travelers can now sail into Bali in style, too: Crystal Cruises is adding the Indonesian island as a port in 2015. Plan Your Trip: Visit Fodor's Bali Travel Guide Lanzarote The easternmost of the Spanish Canary Islands has long been associated with an art-based history. Lanzarote was the birthplace of César Manrique, an artist and architect whose work from a white-washed windmill to colorful mosaic murals decorates the island. Travelers to Lanzarote can visit the artist's unique home at the Fundación César Manrique , where the design is based on the lava bubbles of the local volcanoes. Manrique's spirit makes the island the perfect setting for the Museo Atlantico, Europe's first underwater museum by British sculptor Jason deCaires Taylor. Opening this year, just off the white sandy beach of Playa Blanca, the cement sculptures will be designed to attract marine life, becoming a reef of sorts. Insider Tip: One of Manrique's most interesting creations is a restaurant, El Diablo, at the top of the active volcano, Mount Timanfaya. There Manrique designed the kitchen's barbecue to be heated from the heat of the lava bubbling below the surface. Plan Your Trip: Visit Fodor's Canary Islands Travel Guide Curacao One doesn't need an excuse to steal away to this ABC island, just off the coast of Venezuela. But JetBlue just added to the pile of reasons by becoming the only airline to offer non-stop service to Curaçao from New York City. And if that wasn't enough of an inspiration, there's the fact that the island is basically storm-free, as it sits below the Caribbean's hurricane belt. In addition to its 38 lovely beaches, Curaçao is also a go-to spot for divers, as the waters teem with barracuda, sea horses, and brilliant corals. And next month, the island will draw the fashion set, by hosting the first International Swim Fashion Week , so bring the good bathing trunks. Insider Tip: Those who want to wade in the fashion of swimwear should consider staying at the Santa Barbara Beach & Golf Resort, which will be hosting the event from February 19-22. Plan Your Trip: Visit Fodor's Curacao Travel Guide Todos Santos This once-sleepy beach town in Baja California has become livelier of late, thanks to its thriving artist community, an annual music festival led by REM's Peter Buck, and a soon-to-be completed "mindful living" community, complete with a beachfront boutique hotel. Tres Santos , a community within Todos Santos , will also include an organic community garden, gourmet farm-to-table restaurant, and a research center for Colorado State University, with an agriculture and water research focus. The CSU Todos Santos Center is set to open in March, while the first residences will debut by September. Insider Tip: Todos Santos's beaches are a favorite for the surfing set. The historic 11-suite Hotel California , located in the center of town, is a longtime favorite for both the artsy and surfer set. Plan Your Trip: Visit Fodor's Los Cabos Travel Guide | 2 | 4,319 | travel |
Alexis Tsipras says he wants "viable, mutually beneficial solution" to what he called nation's humanitarian disaster. Greece's new leftist prime minister has said that his government's top priorities are negotiating with creditors to resolve the country's debt problems and that it would no longer blindly submit to the EU. Alexis Tsipras said on Wednesday that he wanted a "viable, mutually beneficial solution" to what he called a humanitarian disaster his country has suffered as a result of the austerity imposed by its creditors. Tsipras, who leads the Syriza party, told the cabinet meeting that he would renegotiate the country's bailout terms and restore the dignity and prestige of the Greek people. He said Greece would not meet a bailout requirement to produce "unfeasible and destructive" surpluses and that the country was ready for a four-year fiscal plan that would balance the budget. The 40-year-old insisted Greece's new leaders were no longer willing to bow to the "politics of submission", in a clear swipe at Brussels and the International Monetary Fund. "Our people are suffering and demand respect ... We must bleed to defend their dignity," Tsipras said. The new government's radical anti-austerity agenda has alarmed financial markets, reviving fears that Greece could crash out of the eurozone. Greece's partners in the eurozone have loaned it a total of nearly 200bn euros ($227bn) at various stages, via the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF) and bilateral loans. Germany urges 'fairness' German Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel urged the new government in Greece to show "fairness" to fellow citizens in Germany and Europe who have helped bail out the crisis-ridden country. Athens "should show some fairness to the people in Germany and the eurozone who have demonstrated solidarity" towards Greece, Gabriel told reporters. "Our aim must be to keep Greece in the eurozone," Gabriel said."But there must be fairness towards our own population," he said. "Greece cannot simply pick and choose what it does and does not want to do and expect its neighbours to step into the breach," Gabriel insisted. Meanwhile, the country's new Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis said he wants to see a pan-European deal to encourage growth. The new government wants "a pan-European 'New Deal' that will lead Europe to a reboot", Varoufakis told reporters as he took over the post. | 5 | 4,320 | news |
In the New Year, many of us go after this health and wellness thing in earnest. But since it's a new -- or at least not continuous -- pursuit for so many of us, it can be hard to know how to integrate our new regimes into our well-mannered lives. Enter Mind Your Manners , our just-in-January series on all things health and etiquette. There are certain questions and comments that, however innocuous, almost always come off as offensive. The age-old example: Asking someone if they are pregnant. First of all, it's none of your business. Second, you might be giving someone a complex rather than a compliment. Steven Petrow , manners columnist for The Washington Post and USA Today , puts this question firmly in the "do not pass go, do not collect $200," category. "If she's never told you she's pregnant, how could you possible know for sure?," he says. "You can't and that's why it's always wise to wait until she confides in you. I can't tell you how many times I've had well-meaning people write me for advice after they asked a friend if she was pregnant only to be told: "No, I'm not!" What else is nobody's business? We've rounded up a few questions that make up just the tip of the rudeness iceberg. "Can I touch your belly?" There is a distinct group of people living among us who think it's perfectly normal to just reach out and touch a pregnant belly, for instance. If you find yourself looking up at your screen right now and going "What do you mean that's weird?," then let this be your definite answer: Stop it. "I've heard this frequently from friends and letter writers. Where are people's boundaries? How is it that complete strangers feel it's okay to touch your belly?" Petrow says. "Let me say clearly: It's not. Even if you mean well. If you're the one who's pregnant and you see someone about to reach out, my advice is, first, to say firmly: "Please don't." If that doesn't stop them, cross your arms over your belly and take a step back. Body language can be more powerful than words." "Were your twins 'natural'?" Parents, in general, are catnip for the boundary-less. And anyone who diverges from a rude person's idea of what a "traditional family" is will be subjected to awkward, occasionally offensive interrogations. Petrow rattles off just a few. "I think every gay parent-to-be gets asked these kinds of questions: Who's the 'real' mother? How did you do it? Whose egg? How much did you pay the surrogate? The best answer to all of these questions, whether gay or straight, is very simple: "When I'm ready to answer, you'll be the first to know." Don't call folks out for their unbridled curiosity but definitely shut them down." "I couldn't help but notice -- have you gained weight?" You might have noticed a theme here: The rudest questions generally involve commentary about one's body. Weight gain is another topic that just shouldn't be approached, ever. "Unless it's a spouse, child or other close relative, I'd stop you in your tracks and say, "Don't." It's just not your business --and don't you think that person knows they've gained some weight?" Petrow says. If you're somehow still on the fence, Petrow asks to try to think the conversation through. "I can imagine a conversation going like this: "I'm worried about you -- you've gotten fat." The friend replies: "Who asked you your opinion?" Believe me, they don't need you to bring it up." Still utterly convinced that you really, really need to ask about a loved one's body? "For those in your inner circle, here's how you do it: Very, very, very carefully. Start with, "How are you feeling?" Again opening a door but not asking the impertinent question," Petrow says. "Maybe they'll ask you for help in the form of advice or a referral. Be ready to help with that. But more likely they won't. At least then. Maybe the next time." "You look SO much better now! How much weight did you lose?" If your friend or family member has lost weight or transformed their appearance in some way, a compliment might feel like a neg, often implying that they looked bad before. Petrow advises keeping your comments upbeat and positive, yet still a little more on the cautious side. "I always like to say: "Did you get a new hair stylist? You look terrific." That's innocuous enough for anyone to take the compliment and enough of an open door for that person to disclose her weight loss, plastic surgery, or new found lease on life." When it comes to other people's bodies, though, remember this: Gif via Gurl.com | 4 | 4,321 | lifestyle |
Sorry, Cardinals fans. We are just a few days from the big game at University of Phoenix Stadium. The 49th Super Bowl is this Sunday and everyone will be watching a viewing audience approaching 200 million is expected. Who will win? Well, if we are to believe the Prediction Machine, the Seattle Seahawks will be defending champs. The machine simulated the game 50,000 times and the Seahawks were winners 57 percent of the time, winning by an average of 24-20. If you are looking at the spread (the game was run at New England -1.5), then Seattle beat the spread over 60 percent of the time. Here are the results: Picks New England Patriots Win% 42.7% Seattle Seahawks Win% 57.3% Straight Up Pick Seattle Seahawks Current Spread SEA +1.5 Against the Spread Pick Seattle Seahawks +1.5 (60.4%) Total 48.5 O/U Pick Under (57.3%) Team Stats (avg. from 50,000 games): New England Patriots Seattle Seahawks Points 20.3 23.5 Total Yards 302.4 350.7 Passing Yards 221.7 182.4 Yards-Per-Pass 5.7 6.1 Passing TDs 1.4 1.3 Sacked 2.1 2.4 Sacked Yards Lost 13.4 15.1 Rushing Yards 80.7 168.3 Rushes 23.6 32.6 Yards-Per-Rush 3.4 5.2 Rushing TDs 0.8 1.2 Penalties 6.1 5.0 Penalty Yards 48.1 45.4 Turnovers 1.1 1.1 FGA 1.7 2.3 FGM 1.6 2.0 Player Stats (avg. from 50,000 games): New England Patriots Passing Player Comp Att Yards TDs INTs FPs Tom Brady 24.3 38.7 235.1 1.4 0.9 16.3 Seattle Seahawks Passing Player Comp Att Yards TDs INTs FPs Russell Wilson 18.2 30.1 197.5 1.3 0.8 21.2 New England Patriots Rushing Player Rushes Yards Avg. Rush TDs FPs LeGarrette Blount 16.4 58.7 3.6 0.6 9.8 Shane Vereen 3.5 12.7 3.6 0.1 4.9 Julian Edelman 0.8 4.0 5.0 0.0 7.8 Tom Brady 2.2 3.1 1.4 0.0 16.3 Jonas Gray 0.6 2.2 3.7 0.0 0.2 Seattle Seahawks Rushing Player Rushes Yards Avg. Rush TDs FPs Marshawn Lynch 21.2 100.7 4.8 0.8 18.9 Russell Wilson 6.5 47.1 7.2 0.4 21.2 Robert Turbin 4.9 20.5 4.2 0.0 2.4 New England Patriots Receiving Player Receptions Yards Avg. Rec TDs FPs Rob Gronkowski 5.8 70.7 12.2 0.6 10.7 Julian Edelman 6.7 61.6 9.2 0.2 7.8 Brandon LaFell 4.2 48.5 11.5 0.3 6.7 Shane Vereen 3.3 24.7 7.5 0.1 4.9 Danny Amendola 2.1 14.0 6.7 0.1 2.0 Tim Wright 1.0 8.5 8.5 0.1 1.5 James Develin 0.6 3.8 6.3 0.0 0.4 LeGarrette Blount 0.6 3.2 5.3 0.0 9.8 Seattle Seahawks Receiving Player Receptions Yards Avg. Rec TDs FPs Doug Baldwin 4.9 54.8 11.2 0.3 7.3 Jermaine Kearse 4.0 48.8 12.2 0.3 6.7 Luke Willson 3.6 43.4 12.1 0.3 6.1 Ricardo Lockette 1.6 23.1 14.4 0.1 2.9 Marshawn Lynch 2.9 22.1 7.6 0.3 18.9 Robert Turbin 0.5 3.5 7.0 0.0 2.4 Will Tukuafu 0.5 1.8 3.6 0.0 0.2 How do you think the game will go?Which team are you rooting for and why? | 1 | 4,322 | sports |
Lance Armstrong sat down for a heart to heart chat with the BBC. He discussed his doping and whether or not he would do it again in the same situation. Spoiler alert: he would. Keri Lumm (@thekerilumm) reports on all the details. | 8 | 4,323 | video |
My parents have always been upfront with me about their wishes for when they die. I can remember talking about cremation, living wills, and Do Not Resuscitate orders way back in middle school. But when a PR pitch came across my inbox, announcing that in a recent survey only 16 percent of baby boomers had considered their "digital legacy" and only 3 percent had taken steps to prepare their family, I realized: I had no idea what my own boomer parents wanted done with their online footprints. Curious, I called them up and had a remarkably cheerful chat about what to do with their social media remnants. First we established what accounts each had: My mother is on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram ("though I never use it"), and LinkedIn, while my dad is on Facebook, Instagram ("for sharing pictures from our trip to Mexico"), and LinkedIn. Both were quick to report that they found LinkedIn useless evidence, I think, that they're savvy social media users. Next up, what did they want done with their profiles? We focused on Facebook, the one service they both used consistently. It's a question that had already come up for my mother. A family friend, "late in his life, had someone set up an account for him and it was active for a couple of years. When he died, nobody took it down, so I'll still get notified of his birthday. That account is still just floating out there." For her, it's "disturbing" to get that reminder once a year. Not an ideal situation. So, what, then, did they want done with their Facebook profiles? "I don't understand what the choices are," said my dad. "You could just take the thing down, right?" "If you're dead, you can't," my mother interjected. "They need your password." "True," he replied. "And I'd have to remember my password." We decided that passwords would be collected into something like the password-aggregating service LastPass or given to the executor of their will. But what would I do with those passwords? I quickly walked them through the idea of "memorializing" them on Facebook notifying the service that they had passed, so things like birthday reminders wouldn't pop up, but still allowing their profile to remain visible. Would they want something like that done for them, instead of full deletion? My father seemed into the idea. "It's a bit like a scrapbook or a family album, in a way. It's an interesting way to let people get a more personal view than an obituary what this person was interested in, if they had a sense of humor, or whatever was important to them. The memorial thing sounds like a good deal, honestly." My mother, on the other hand, was a bit more leery. "I would maybe like a limited-time memorial, and then have it be gone." "How about the great-grandkids?" asked my dad. "Twenty, 30, 40 years from now, who never knew us." "I'm not sure that they would want to read my Facebook," she replied. "For me there are better ways for the great-grandkids to know us and know what was important to us. I think six months of a memorial and then delete it." She continued: "Just like we've given you and your sister a pretty clear sense about what we wanted when we die, this is something where we need make our wishes known. I had not even thought about this. I would guess most people of our generation haven't social media came along so late in our lives. I think a lot more about where to scatter my ashes." My dad chimed in: "Talking about it now makes it a lot easier, so you don't have to debate with your sister about what to do with the Facebook. Like with the DNR, this is just another aspect." I was satisfied that I had a rough idea of what their wishes were a memorial page for my dad, a temporary one for my mother, and deleting all their other social media profiles. As the call wound down, my mom waxed philosophical about the effect of thinking of social media as your "digital legacy." "One of the things I dislike about Facebook is people have the tendency to 'curate' their lives," she said. "If you know that this is going to be the legacy you leave, you'd have even more of a tendency to do that. It just creates a lot of fake-y stuff, I think, if you're always thinking about that. It's a double-edged sword, I guess." It was a fair point. My own preference, I told them, was that after my own death, all my social media accounts would be quickly and immediately deleted. "Good call," said my dad. This article was originally published at http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/01/what-my-parents-want-done-with-their-facebook-profiles-after-they-die/384886/ | 5 | 4,324 | news |
Many families are finding themselves in need of a serious "Winter-vention". 2014 has started as an odd year for family travel. Spring Break and the Easter school holiday fell late on the calendar this year. For this reason, many parents decided not to plan any spring vacations. Instead many families simply looked forward to a really fun-filled summer getaway. The problem is this has been a rough and record breaking winter for many across the country. Parents have had to endure blizzards, bitter cold and endless snow days. Many families have needed to cancel or postpone their June summer vacation plans because of all the weather cancellations this winter. The glimpse of a robin atop a huge snow pile doesn't seem to hold the usual promise that warmer temperatures are close at hand. Cabin fever is affecting many this spring and the demand for last minute family vacations is high. So if you're looking to escape with your kids on a last minute family getaway this spring, where should you go? Here are a few tips to help make the hunt a bit easier... 1. Family Cruises -- Last minute airfares to Caribbean and Mexico beach destinations are running high. If you desperately need a little sand between your toes, consider a family cruise, especially if you are able to drive to port. The cruise lines are offering great deals this spring on family friendly cruises and you will save thousands if you road trip to port instead of flying. 2. Disney Resorts -- Walt Disney World Resorts in Florida are offering up to 30 percent off on select resorts from March 14 - April 12 and April 20 - June 15, 2014. Upgrade to a room and ticket package and get one more ticket day FREE! (Minimum 4-day Magic Your Way ticket required.). With Disney's new Magic bands, families can pre-select up to 3 fast passes on their favorite attractions in advance which significantly cuts down on wait times. 3. Winter Advantage -- Use mother nature to your advantage. All the snow and cold temps have allowed many ski resorts the opportunity to extend their seasons offering some great rates and affordable opportunities for families. 4. City Breaks -- If you simply need a change of scenery for a few days, consider a city break and sightseeing tour. Your family can theme a city break according to your specific interests from a zoo safari in San Diego to a country music visit to Nashville or even a spa and shopping weekend in Miami. 5. European Holidays -- Spring is low season in Europe. Flights and hotels are more affordable. It's a great time to visit with the kids because major attractions will have far less local crowds. | 2 | 4,325 | travel |
Greek yogurt gets all the love when it comes to excellent protein sources for weight loss, but it's not the only food that can offer you sustained energy, satiate your hunger, and help curb your sugar cravings. Don't leave out the unsung hero of the protein world - cottage cheese! Here are some ways this simple food can help you drop pounds. Related : Can Sweet Potatoes Help You Lose Weight? Breakfast: High-Protein Addition You know how after you eat a bagel for breakfast it's tough to shake that sluggish feeling all morning? Protein has the opposite effect. It offers you energy for hours, so you feel bright-eyed and ready to tackle the day. Eggs and yogurt are popular choices, but for something a little different, whip up a smoothie and, you guessed it - add low-fat cottage cheese to the blender. For just 82 calories, four ounces will add a whopping 14.1 grams of protein to your glass. The blender purees the cottage cheese into a smooth consistency, so you won't even know it's in there. Not into smoothies? Enjoy cottage cheese spread onto a slice of whole-wheat toast. Related : Why You Should Be Eating Oatmeal If You Want to Lose Weight Snack: Low-Calorie Swap If you're a huge fan of veggies and dip, skip the high-calorie dips made with sour cream. Swap it for cottage cheese and save over 150 calories , 20 grams of fat, and 45 mg of cholesterol, yet gain over 10 grams of protein. Here's what to do: take a four-ounce serving of one-percent cottage cheese and mix it with a tablespoon of fresh lemon juice, one teaspoon of chopped fresh dill, and one finely chopped clove of garlic, and top with salt and pepper. If you prefer a creamier consistency, add two tablespoons of skim milk and puree it with a hand blender. Related: Experts Share the Perfect Snack For Maximum Weight Loss Dessert: Creamy, Sweet, and Low in Calories Obsessed with hitting the freezer for spoonfuls of ice cream? The high-fat and high-calorie bites won't help your waistline, and the sugar overload will just have you craving more. Whip up this dessert alternative - creamy fruit popsicles - that's much lower in calories but still satisfies your sweet tooth. Here's how: put one cup of low-fat cottage cheese in a blender and add one banana, six strawberries, half a cup of crushed pineapple or peaches, and one teaspoon of vanilla. After mixing to a smooth consistency, divide it into four popsicle molds (or kid-size cups lined with foil), insert popsicle sticks, and freeze. After four hours or so, you'll enjoy your guilt-free, low-calorie treat without affecting the numbers on the scale. | 7 | 4,326 | health |
Yesterday's weather forecast for my Twitter feed called for a 50 percent chance of moaning New Yorkers. It's my own fault, my chosen profession requires that I follow the media elite, many of whom reside in Gotham. Still, I could have probably whittled those annoyances back to about 20 percent of my feed if only Twitter allowed for some temporary keyword filtering on topics like "snow," "Juno," and "blizzard." New York is disappearing into the blizzard http://t.co/vgvumIElxx David Pierce (@piercedavid) January 26, 2015 If I follow you on Twitter it's because I'm genuinely interested in what you person or #brand have to say. I don't follow accounts out of professional or even friendly courtesy, and certainly not as an empty follow-back gesture. I don't want to hear your play-by-play analysis of the Packers game That said, many of the people I follow can go temporarily insane during sporting events or when divisions in local or national politics become too much for them to bear. I like American football and even the US president. However, that doesn't mean I want to hear your play-by-play analysis of the Packers game or the State of the Union Address, especially when I don't agree with you in ways that exceed 140 characters. Then there's that person who shall remain nameless who loses his shit for an hour anytime a new Oreo flavor is announced. Right now Twitter's mute function only applies to accounts. It's also binary so it's either on or it's off for anyone using the company's web client or native apps. Usually I forget to turn it off leaving accounts that I follow (and even depend upon for my job) muted for far longer than I wanted, often weeks or months at a time. Ideally, Twitter would allow us to temporarily mute accounts, hashtags, or keywords and automatically disable the filter after a time of our choosing. The filter would also sync across the myriad clients we use as we travel between the office and home. If I don't want to see something on my PC at work, I sure as hell don't want to see it on my Nexus 6 during my commute or my iPad as I lay down for bed. Third-party apps have stepped in to add features that Twitter either won't or can't implement Twitter's more powerful TweetDeck client extends muting to keywords, but it only runs on Macs, PCs, or Chromebooks. If I block something in TweetDeck, it's still visible in other clients annoying since I, like most of humanity, usually interact with Twitter from iOS or Android apps. Third-party apps have stepped in to add features that Twitter either won't or can't implement. Maybe it's because Twitter is afraid advertisers will get muted or maybe it's simply too complicated, but either way one solution is to try to switch your entire Twitter life to third-party apps. Unfortunately, it's looking less and less like that will be a viable long-term option. Tweetbot, for example, can already mute hashtags, keywords, clients, or accounts for a day, a week, a month, or forever, and it will sync your filter across devices via iCloud Sync. Unfortunately, it'll also cost you $28 to have it installed on your iPhone ($4.99), iPad ($2.99), and Mac ($19.99), and more over time as Tapbot charges for software updates. That might be worth it for some, but it won't work across Google or Microsoft ecosystems. It's also getting harder to justify that price given Twitter's reluctance to evolve its public Application Programming Interface (API) in a timely manner causing even the all-powerful Tweetbot to come up short against a few of Twitter's newer features. And given Twitter's hostility towards third-party developers (and Tweetbot's mysterious disappearance and subsequent reappearance in the Mac App Store this week) you'd be making a fairly sizable bet on the little guys winning the fight. Mute is the software equivalent of those rubbery stress balls you squeeze while counting to ten. Gmail's mute is great for squelching banal birthday wishes and staff welcome emails, and it's the primary feature that keeps me coming back to Google's native clients. On Twitter, the feature is handy for removing Tweets from your timeline without having to block or unfollow the account. Muted Twitter and email accounts have no idea they've been silenced thus maintaining the appearance of social harmony. Oh man Wilson blowing it. nilay patel (@reckless) January 18, 2015 Imagine the power you'd wield over your stress if you could quickly and easily filter spoilers from your favorite shows, threats and other forms of abuse , or indecipherable commentary on sportsball. The upcoming Super Bowl is a particularly noisy Twitter event that not everyone enjoys. Not a surprise: there are roughly 232 million monthly active users on Twitter, yet only about 110 million potential truck buyers (who may or may not use Twitter) will watch the Super Bowl. That leaves a lot of people who don't care what happens between the Seattle Microsofts and New England Ball Deflators, or whatever their names are. Mute is the software equivalent of those rubbery stress balls Ideally I could set the time for each mute. I'd click "Mute for…" and then punch in the amount of time it'll take for normal programming to return. Otherwise, I'd settle for some presets for the most common violations: 1 Hour: The length of a #GoT episode. 2 Hours: The length of a soccer match plus added time for whinging. 3 Hours: The length of NFL football or MLB baseball games. 1 Day: The length of a typical political squabble. 1 Week: The time it takes for a news cycle to lose interest in a politician's dick pic or internet-breaking set of buttocks. I'd happily pay for such advanced filtering that worked across Google, Apple, and Microsoft ecosystems, but I don't believe any third-party app developers would risk the work given the uncertainties they face from an openly antagonistic Twitter. Fortunately, Twitter has found renewed development vigor under Kevin Weil's product leadership, giving it the kind of momentum we haven't seen in years. Okay, I won't have a better mute before Super Bowl 49, but there's hope for 50. | 5 | 4,327 | news |
These heart-healthy recipes are good for your ticker, and they taste great, too! Roasted Salmon, Green Beans, and Tomatoes Salmon's gorgeous color and delicate texture make it an indulgent, naturally-elegant dish you can feel good about eating. This Mediterranean-inspired dish adds just enough olive oil for the health benefits without excessive calories. Recipe: Roasted Salmon, Green Beans, and Tomatoes Browse: More recipes for healthy eating Fusilli with Broccoli Pesto The broccoli in this pasta sauce is a tasty and nutritious swap for the usual pesto herbs. Vegetarians and meat lovers will both enjoy this surprisingly flavorful dish! Recipe: Fusilli with Broccoli Pesto Seared Tilapia with Pineapple and Cucumber Relish Recipe Add a little lean brightness to dinner with this piquant dish, featuring a gingery-lime relish thats sure to become part of your weekly rotation. Recipe: Seared Tilapia with Pineapple and Cucumber Relish Recipe Browse: Healthy lunch ideas Spring Root Veggies Salad Bagged, mixed salad greens are one of our test-kitchen staff's favorite shortcut ingredients. Prepare the dressing right in the jar, seal it, and pop it into the fridge it will keep for up to 3 days. Toss with the salad right before serving. Recipe: Spring Root Veggies Salad Sugar Snap Pea and Radish Salad This light and refreshing salad is sure to be a crowd pleaser, and is perfect for serving at any springtime gathering. Recipe: Sugar Snap Pea and Radish Salad Browse: Low-carb recipes Refried Bean Tostadas with Pico De Gallo This is a vegetarian take on a delicious Mexican favorite that you can easily enjoy any night of the week. Recipe: Refried Bean Tostadas with Pico De Gallo Hearty Bean Burrito Bowl This deconstructed burrito leaves out the carb-heavy tortilla and subs in brown rice for the usual white; it's a healthier version of the classic Mexican dish. Recipe: Hearty Bean Burrito Bowl Related: 13 absolutely free ways to improve your cooking Chickpea and Red Pepper Soup with Quinoa Quinoa cooks fast, has a delicious nutty flavor and is an excellent vegetarian source of protein. Recipe: Chickpea and Red Pepper Soup with Quinoa Sweet and Tangy Glazed Salmon with Orange-Almond Rice The sweet tang of citrus and the bite of hot pepper jelly are what make this salmon dish so uniquely flavorful. Recipe: Sweet and Tangy Glazed Salmon with Orange-Almond Rice Browse: More salmon recipes Black Bean and Avocado Salsa Avocados are mild and creamy, making them perfect for adding to all sorts of dishes. They're also high in those healthy, monounsaturated fats that, among other things, seem to lower bad (LDL) cholesterol and boost the good (HDL) cholesterol in the blood. Avocados are also a good source of both insoluble and soluble fiber, as well as vitamin K, vitamin E, lutein (which helps protect the eyes), potassium (which helps to regulate blood pressure), and certain B vitamins. Recipe: Black Bean and Avocado Salsa Sweet Pea-Ricotta Spread This bright, light dip goes well with everything from cut veggies to chips of several varieties. Lay out a spread so your guests can mix and match. Recipe: Sweet Pea-Ricotta Spread Also try: Artichoke spread Quinoa with Roasted Red Pepper, Green Beans, and Red Onion Protein-packed quinoa is a great pick for the starring grain in this vegetarian dish. Recipe: Quinoa with Roasted Red Pepper, Green Beans, and Red Onion Avocados with Lemony Crab Salad Avocados are creamy, delicious, and nutritious. It's easy to enjoy this luscious natural treat on its own, but this scrumptious recipe calls for stuffing avocados with lemony crab salad. Recipe: Avocados with Lemony Crab Salad Browse: Popular avocado recipes Avocado Salad with Lime and Cumin Vinaigrette This cool, creamy, and slightly spicy avocado salad is a creative and healthy side, perfect to accompany smoky grilled eats. Recipe: Avocado Salad with Lime and Cumin Vinaigrette Horseradish Salmon Cakes These patties are fabulous alone, but also make for a terrific sandwich when placed on soft rolls or in pita bread. Whichever way you serve them, include the cucumber-watercress saladits a creamy and verdant blend that cant be beat. Recipe: Horseradish Salmon Cakes Watch: Fish cooking fundamentals (6 videos) Balsamic Chicken with Apple, Lentil, and Spinach Salad This dish is full of flavor (and heart-healthy fiber) thanks to the balanced combination of tart balsamic chicken and a lightly sweet and crunchy salad made with celery, green apple and lemon juice. Recipe: Balsamic Chicken with Apple, Lentil and Spinach Salad | 0 | 4,328 | foodanddrink |
HTC has already revealed that it will be making a major product announcement on March 1st at the Mobile World Congress trade show. Many expect the company to announce the M9, a successor to last year's One M8 . But a new image posted by Evan Blass to his Twitter account points to two phones being announced at the company's press event. The image shows two new, never-before-seen HTC smartphones that have similar design traits to other recent phones from the company. They appear to have metal chassis, center-mounted front cameras, and HTC's signature front-facing BoomSound speakers in a similar configuration to last year's mid-range Desire Eye . The only visible difference between the two phones is what appears to be a fingerprint scanner below the HTC logo on one of them. Other leaks have referred to this particular model as the "Hima Ultra" (the other phone's codename being just "Hima"). It is said the Ultra model will have HTC's DuoCamera feature and a fingerprint scanner and may just be destined for the Chinese market . Other specs that have been reported include a 5-inch, 1920 x 1080 display, UltraPixel front-facing camera, 20-megapixel rear camera, and a Snapdragon 810 processor. The two phones in the image differ from earlier leaks , which pointed to the new phone having a very similar design to last year's model. HTC has used dummy test phones to camouflage new hardware in the past, and it may be that the earlier leaks were indeed dummy phones designed to keep HTC's new designs secret. Old habits die hard... pic.twitter.com/eQ81vxQl2S Evan Blass (@evleaks) January 28, 2015 It's still over a month before HTC's big press event, so there's plenty of time for more leaks to come out or information to be debunked or confirmed. In any case, we'll be there in Barcelona to see what HTC officially announces and if there are any secrets left for the company to surprise us with. | 5 | 4,329 | news |
Even if you cook every single day of your life -- and even if you've gone to culinary school or work in the food industry -- there are certain basic rules that allude even the most avid cook every once in a while. You might end up Googling the temperature of a medium-rare steak, or how many minutes you're supposed to boil a hard-boiled egg because sometimes it's just impossible to remember everything. We're here to help. We've listed 11 things that even the most experienced cooks have trouble remembering, and laid them out in simple instruction for you to reference whenever you need. 1. How long to hard boil and soft boil an egg. 2. How many teaspoons are in a tablespoon . 3. Rubber spatulas vs. metal spatulas . 4. How to do a crumb coat for a crumble-free, perfectly frosted cake. 5. Which ones are "dry white wines." 6. Searing steak without it getting too hot in your house. 7. What part of the chicken is the breast . 8. The ratio of coffee scoops to cups of water in a French press. 9. Eliminating that fish smell . 10. Setting a table. 11. The temperature to cook meat at rare, medium rare, medium or well done. The USDA recommends that in order for "beef, pork, veal and lamb" to be cooked safely, it must have a minimal temperature of 145°F and a resting time of three minutes. However, "Meathead," who runs the website AmazingRibs.com , which is an extensive guide to the "Science of BBQ & Grilling," wrote a blog for the Huffington Post in 2011 in which he notes that meat cooked at 145°F would render a steak "medium well, mostly tan/gray with a tinge of pink," and if you let it rest for three minutes, then the steak will be "mighty close to well-done" and "a terrible waste of good beef." He advises to cook a steak at "about 130 to 135°F" for a perfect medium rare. Below is his altered guide for meat temperatures, but we're obligated to say that you should heed the USDA's advice for safety's sake. | 0 | 4,330 | foodanddrink |
Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo has been handed a two-game suspension following his red card in the 2-1 win over Cordoba at the weekend. The prolific attacker lost his temper in the closing stages of the game after failing to make an impact, kicking out and raising a hand to strike Cordoba defender Edimar in the face, leaving referee Alejandro Hernandez no other choice but to dismiss him. Ronaldo was quick to apologize after the incident, while Edimar called for La Liga's disciplinary committee to show leniency, and the Portugal captain has escaped a lengthy ban. The 29-year-old will miss the Primera Division games against Real Sociedad and Sevilla as a result of his suspension. Ronaldo has been in sublime form for Madrid in 2014-15, netting 36 goals in 31 appearances in all competitions. The former Manchester United star's absence means Ancelotti could turn to promising youngster Jese Rodriguez, who recently made his comeback after a lengthy spell on the sidelines due to injury. | 1 | 4,331 | sports |
Microsoft's latest Windows 10 preview offers up a good look at what the company is planning for the future of laptops and PCs. While Windows 8 was never received well by consumers or businesses, Windows 10 aims to make things a lot more familiar. We saw the new Start Menu when Microsoft released its first Windows 10 preview back in October, but things are changing rapidly. There's more built-in apps, user interface changes, and a whole new touch mode designed for 2-in-1 laptops and tablets. Windows 10 is still a work in progress, but Microsoft is soliciting feedback and changing parts of its operating system before it ships later this year. While the company demonstrated a number of new features and apps during its Windows 10 event last week, not everything is in preview straight away. A number of new apps will debut in the coming months, and Microsoft plans to more rapidly roll out new builds of Windows 10 to testers. Until then, let's take a look at what's new in the second major Windows 10 preview. A new Start Menu for a new Windows The look and feel of Windows 10 might be the key to its success or failure. With Windows 8, Microsoft swayed too far to adapting its operating system for tablets. It resulted in software that has largely confused the masses, but Microsoft is clearly fixing those mistakes in early preview versions of Windows 10. It's still very much a work in progress, but the most noticeable addition is the return of the Start Menu. In the latest Windows 10 preview it's clear to see what direction Microsoft is taking. Windows 10's Start Menu mixes legacy desktop applications with the new modern Windows 8 apps by surfacing Live Tiles. You can turn them off if they're or annoying, or keep them around if you want to quickly glance at the weather, news, or various other information. While previous previews allowed you to resize the Start Menu freely, Microsoft has added a fullscreen option now which lets you expand the menu to make it look similar to the Start Screen found in Windows 8. The big difference is the presence of the taskbar at all times, which is a welcome improvement to enhance navigation between apps. There are some subtle changes elsewhere that help with app switching. In the past Microsoft has used a flip 3D feature to present a visual view of all applications currently running on a system, and the company is bringing it back, kind of. Swiping in from the left on a large tablet or a 2-in-1 will activate the new apps view, and it's easy to use a mouse and keyboard or touch to select the app you want. In Windows 8 you had to navigate into the corners and activate a side menu with a mouse, and it was a rather irritating experience the more you used it. Those navigation changes extend to the Charms menu in the latest Windows 10 preview. It is gone and has been replaced by a notification center if you swipe from the right. Mousing into the corners on the right does nothing, but you can access the notification center (or Action Center as Microsoft calls it) from the system tray in the lower-right. It's a bizarre change right now and lacks convenient access to settings like Wi-Fi or display brightness for laptops and tablets. Microsoft is balancing that with quick toggles for settings, but it feels like this particular area of Windows 10 needs some big improvements and is a very early form of what will eventually ship. Either way, the removal of the awkward Charms menu is an improvement, providing its replacement is tweaked heavily to keep some of the convenience of accessing settings and features like broadcasting via Miracast or DLNA. Microsoft is making some big changes here Design changes hint at the future of Windows 10 Microsoft's design tweaks in Windows 10 and its built-in apps signal the direction of how this operating system will eventually ship. There's lots of changes in the latest Windows 10 preview, and it appears that even Microsoft isn't sure on exactly how Windows 10 will look in its final form. Some built-in apps have a handburger menu, while the new beta version of the Windows Store has a mysterious back button for navigation. Microsoft is clearly testing the feedback on both, but it's likely that the handburger menu method will win out to help app developers easily port their apps from Android and iOS and adapt them for larger displays and form factors. There's even some transparency coming to Windows 10. While Windows Vista first introduced Microsoft's Aero glass interface with see-through windows and a transparent taskbar, Windows 10 appears to be returning to parts of that interface. Microsoft's official press images for Windows 10 include screenshots of a transparent Windows 10 Start Menu, and Xbox chief Phil Spencer briefly showed the changes in a future build of the OS on stage at a press event last week. The transparent menu isn't available in this current build unless someone discovers a way to enable it but we're expecting to see it debut in later previews. Similarly, there's also a new login screen that you can enable from the registry, round profile pictures, and even an improved calendar and clock for the taskbar that's also available from a registry tweak. Icons have also been tweaked and look a lot more modern, and perhaps a little too colorful at times. Microsoft is also finally combining the control panel and separate settings app into a single app that looks a lot easier to use. The control panel still exists, but Microsoft is clearly pushing people to use the settings app as a replacement. Apps, apps, and more apps Apps are the all-important feature of any modern operating system, and the latest preview of Windows 10 doesn't disappoint. While Microsoft is developing a new universal Outlook mail app for phone, tablets, and PCs running Windows 10, that app isn't ready for preview just yet. Instead, there's a new Maps application and a touch-friendly version of OneNote. The OneNote addition gives us the first look at how touch versions of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint will work. It's all very similar to the iPad version of Office, with a collapsable ribbon and formatting controls that work well with a mouse and keyboard or touch. This looks like a good example of how to build the perfect Windows 10 app. It's fast, responsive, and resizes well to be a fullscreen app or one that's windowed, which is something other apps lack right now during the preview. Getting developers to rework existing Windows 8 apps for Windows 10 might be a challenge. Some apps I tried were clearly designed to run fullscreen and not in a windowed mode, and one even asked me to "unsnap" the app before it would work. Given the lack of developer enthusiasm for Windows 8, this could leave some apps not optimized for Windows 10. However, the fact you can resize apps freely now may convince developers to adopt Microsoft's new modern apps as an alternative to the aging legacy desktop apps. Microsoft is also previewing its new Xbox app as part of this new Windows 10 build. While SmartGlass exists to interact with Xbox Live and Xbox consoles, this new Xbox app feels a lot more geared toward gamers. In future preview versions and the final app, you'll be able to stream Xbox One games from a console to a Windows 10 laptop, tablet, or PC and control them using an Xbox One controller connected via a micro USB cable. That's a pretty powerful feature on its own, but Microsoft is also adding in game DVR capabilities to capture clips from PC games and the ability to chat over Xbox Live. I've found the app is particularly useful if you're trying to matchmake in games like Destiny , as it's quick to search for gamertags and message players. There's even an option to invite someone to a party, although that's not fully functional yet. This Xbox app feels like the star of the Windows 10 show, and it's a must for Xbox One fans. Interestingly, Microsoft is replacing calc.exe (the traditional Windows calculator) with a modern calculator. This cements Microsoft's vision of universal apps replacement for desktop-only apps, but it also hints that the company may do this to other system utilities. Perhaps a modern version of MS Paint is on the cards, or even a fresh update to Solitaire. Notepad could also do with some modern love, but it still exists in its usual form right now. Cortana also makes an appearance in this preview version of Windows 10. The digital assistant sits on the taskbar as part of a search box, but dynamically changes into the Cortana icon based on the number of apps that are open on a system (to make way for more taskbar space). As you'd expect, Cortana works almost identically to its Windows Phone variant. You can ask the same questions or set reminders, and there's even a "Hey Cortana" option to trigger the assistant and search at any time. I was skeptical of having Cortana on PC, but I've found myself using the "Hey Cortana" option a few times to search when I'm not seated directly in front of my laptop and want some quick information like the weather or news. Tablets and Continuum We've looked at how Windows 10 runs on 8-inch tablets, and it's very similar to how it works on a desktop PC, but there's a key "touch mode" in this latest preview that activates some interesting changes. For 2-in-1 laptops and tablets with removable keyboards, Microsoft is calling this feature "Continuum." It's all based on the idea that you can disconnect a keyboard or flip over your laptop screen to turn it into a tablet, and the user interface adapts to be a lot more touch-friendly. There's a notification that triggers when you disconnect the keyboard on a Surface Pro 3 asking you to enter touch mode. You can dismiss it or click it to enable the mode, and all apps are immediately maximized (for traditional apps) or fullscreen (for modern apps). The usual snapping from Windows 8 is still here, and you can organize apps alongside each other. I like some aspects of this mode, but, like some other parts of Windows 10, it's still a work in progress. Exiting out of the mode makes apps windowed, and you often lose the position of your desktop apps. On my laptop I often use apps maximized, but occasionally I'll float some around and bunch them up. To lose that carefully constructed arrangement is annoying, and Microsoft will have to find a compromise that works better. Either way, it's a good approach, and there's even a new fullscreen toggle on the top part of modern apps that makes the taskbar disappear and makes an app truly fullscreen. The implementation feels a little early, but it's encouraging to see Microsoft adopt fullscreen controls that are easy to understand and activate. The future Future preview versions of Windows 10 should demonstrate an even clearer path towards the final version of Microsoft's new operating system. An improved Xbox app is on the way, alongside preview versions of Office apps and Microsoft's upcoming Spartan browser. All these additions should give us a better look at how Windows 10 will work once it ships later this year. Microsoft is clearly incorporating feedback at every opportunity, and we suspect there will still be some significant design tweaks and changes that make Windows 10 feel a lot more complete. Microsoft appears to have finally got things right here, and Windows 10 makes a lot more sense to those who are used to the days of Windows XP and Windows 7. It's more familiar and modern, with a focus on improving the ways people actually use Windows today. We'll keep a close eye on Microsoft's progress to shipping Windows 10 later this year, so stay tuned to The Verge for continued Windows 10 coverage in the coming months. | 5 | 4,332 | news |
The secret to sculpting a firm, toned and strong body is constantly varying your workouts so your muscles and mind won't get bored. And now is the ideal time to refresh a tired fitness routine, kick-start a new training program and explore new workouts classes. To help you ease into your new fitness groove, we've rounded up everything you need so you don't feel like the only new kid in class. The Inspiration: Jessica Biel can thank CrossFit for her kick-ass curves, Jessica Alba does CrossFit WODs with her trainer (it's one of the many tough workouts she does) and Mallory Hagan, Miss America 2013 is also a fan. Another big-name who loves CrossFit: Bob Harper . The Tips: Learn the lingo. CrossFitters have their own language, but you'll catch on quickly. "WOD" stands for workout of the day and classes are held at a "box" (not a gym or studio). A popular workout format is "AMRAP" (as many rounds as possible), which means you're given a certain set of movements, reps and time limit, and you aim to complete as many circuits as you can. Take time to nail the basics. Most boxes require first-time CrossFitters to go through a fundamentals program. These classes take extra time to go through proper form of common CrossFit exercises, but don't worry, you'll still get a good workout. Once you graduate you move on to the daily, open WODs. Go hard. Most WODs are under 20 minutes, but intense expect to feel sore. You'll be pushed to your limits, but your limits are different than those of the person next to you. The workouts are constantly changing and pull exercises from a variety of different fitness programs including strength training, endurance, plyometrics, Olympic weightlifting and gymnastics. There are a few WODs, called benchmark WODs, that stay consistent. These challenging workouts are great for checking in with your progress (i.e. did you improve your time, use a heavier weight?). Simply put you get better, but they don't get easier. The Moves: Three CrossFit Total-Body Workouts All-Over CrossFit Toners Your At-Home CrossFit WOD Master The Pull-Up 10 Weird Workout Tools Explained (And The Go-To Exercises To Try) The Gear: Wear: The WODs are programmed with an "expect anything" mentality, so you want to have full range of motion in your shoulders and hips if you feel restricted, wear something else. You'll want sneakers that can handle both sprinting and lifting, and are durable enough for the wear-and-tear caused from climbing ropes. Reebok has partnered with CrossFit to develop a line of WOD-ready apparel. Use: Pull-ups, rope climbs, ring dips and barbell lifts all do a number on your hands. A pair of workout gloves will help protect your palms without sacrificing grip strength. Try: The basic jumping rope makes regular appearances throughout WODs, but don't expect to do just a basic jump with it. The goal is double-unders, which means having the rope pass under your feet twice in a single jump. (It takes time to master.) Boxes will have jump ropes at the facility, but regulars like to bring their own. Credits: Reebok CrossFit Nano 4.0 (Reebok, $119.99); Reebok CrossFit Grenade Tee (Reebok, $28); Cardio Addict Legging (Reebok, $80); Strappy Bra Y (Reebok, pineapple design in-store, $35); Purple workout gloves (G-Loves, $45). | 7 | 4,333 | health |
Gamergate is breaking Wikipedia. Since August, Wikipedia's article about the controversy has been divisive on a scale normally reserved for unjust wars and global warming. Gamergate supporters have been "boycotting" the site for months because of perceived bias, and co-founder Jimmy Wales has had limited luck in communicating with them. But over the past week, it's been getting heat from the other side of the aisle. The Guardian and others reported that five editors opposed to Gamergate had been banned from editing any page on "gender or sexuality, broadly construed." The site's Arbitration Committee decision meant that "not only do the GamerGaters get to rewrite their own page (and Zoe Quinn's, Brianna Wu's, Anita Sarkeesian's, etc.); feminists are to be purged en bloc from the encyclopedia," wrote influential hypertext figure and former Wikipedia editor Mark Bernstein. The committee's proposed final decision was already online , but today, Wikipedia posted a statement and explanation. "Several press stories have mistakenly claimed that Wikipedia has targeted and banned feminist or female editors. This is inaccurate," wrote author Philippe Beaudette. Although the Arbitration Committee may recommend that some editors be prevented from further contribution to this particular topic, they have not banned anyone from Wikipedia. The sanctions they are considering are broad, and affect many people. As of now, the Arbitration Committee is considering issuing some type of warning or sanction to around 150 people, from a range of perspectives, based on their participation and conduct. This is not about a small group of people being targeted unfairly. It is about a very large group of people using Wikipedia as a battleground. The Arbitration Committee itself has also published an explanation of its decision , which is still pending a final vote. It lists 11 total topic bans for editors "on various sides of the dispute," an endorsement of 40 community sanctions, and 100 warnings, along with a broad ban on censured editors working on gender-related articles. "Not everything has to be a battle." While Wikipedia says that the decision is broader than news coverage implies, and that editors were censured for violating its civility standard, this doesn't necessarily address critics' core concerns. The Guardian doesn't claim that editors were banned from Wikipedia, and the difference between "banning" and "recommending prevention" on discussing certain topics could be a distinction without a difference. But it does make clear that Wikipedia is tired of the vitriolic debate. The decision "is not a statement on who is right or wrong regarding the Gamergate controversy article," says Beaudette. "It is not a referendum on whether Wikipedia supports or rejects feminists. The Committee's mandate is to uphold a civil, constructive atmosphere that furthers Wikipedia's mission." Bernstein, in a followup post , called Wikipedia's decision "majestic indifference," saying that it ignores the real problems of harassment. There is "no thought for volunteers who have been mercilessly harassed and hounded by braying, taunting gangs," he writes. "And not a single word of care for victims against whom Wikipedia has been and is being weaponized." Wales, for his part, has responded to critics on Twitter. "It's one thing to fight to keep articles clean," he says. "It's another to violate policies in the process." And as for the larger debate? "Not everything has to be a battle." (The picture above is a gamergate ant , whose page predates this controversy. It is much more pleasant reading, and I highly recommend it.) | 5 | 4,334 | news |
Back in 2012, feminist critic Anita Sarkeesian posted a massive wall of furious, dismissive, or actively threatening YouTube comments that people had left on her proposal for a video series about female characters in games. At the time, this harassment wasn't exactly unprecedented, but it seemed bizarre and singular how could a fairly mild video about narrative tropes draw such pure hatred? Three years later, it's become practically routine, and Sarkeesian has posted a week's worth of equally angry and depressingly similar Twitter messages . Obviously, this is a biased statement. A more objective reporter would concede that the entire campaign against Anita Sarkeesian could be an elaborate charade, a brilliant gambit involving hundreds of paid-off vloggers, thousands of fake Twitter accounts, and collaboration at the very top levels of the FBI and various state police forces. She could even be faking the wave of people who descend on our writers every time they mention Anita Sarkeesian! But maybe, hidden behind the exhortations to "kill yourself," the explicit rape threats, and the occasional smug assertion that the whole thing is a false flag campaign, there are actual human beings. As it turns out, some of the most direct threats come from throwaway accounts, or ones that have been suspended. But some of them are extant, long-running feeds from people who... well, it's hard to say that they have regular lives, or passions, because their timelines are mostly just racist or homophobic jokes and insults. But if you trawl deep enough, little pieces of normality peek out. And it makes everything all the more frustrating. (Warning: unsurprisingly graphic language ahead.) Here's a pretty mild one: DiceTrojan has a very important mission: preserving the noble institution of internet death threats. But he also enjoyed a winter vacation, just like the rest of us. Adensma shows up here a lot, whether he's praising games with "girl characters half naked" or expressing extremely graphic sexual assault fantasies. But he's experienced his own share of oppression at the hands of girl gamers. Now we're back to the intentionally non-actionable death wishes, courtesy of Johnatan Irons: "I personally dont [sic] have any thing against her (im just a troll)," he explains . We imagine his girlfriend understands, unless she's also just a figment of his trolling. It's hard to find anything but hatred in these timelines, some of which span years and thousands of tweets. But sometimes you find out they had the same reaction to Gravity as you did. For once, they unabashedly, unmaliciously liked something. Maybe we've walked by some of these people on the street? Maybe we sat a few tables over at a restaurant, while they were typing something like this? How much of it is just an act? How much does it actually matter? How much empathy should we feel when we read something that genuinely seems like a cry for help, when the entire premise of modern-day trolling is that the internet is just a giant game of make-believe, and you're a fool to do more than point and laugh? None of this is encouraging, especially when you know that just mentioning it puts you in the crosshairs, too. It doesn't prove that there's some hidden decency to reach or some way to impose offline consequences (I haven't looked up anything about these people's real identities, and I don't plan to.) It doesn't prove anything about what kind of person does this, because someone's web presence doesn't necessarily indicate much about their everyday lives. All it proves is that this isn't some barrage of throwaway insults in a vacuum. Given enough time, whether it's created out of deep resentment or teenage thoughtlessness or deliberate, sociopathic calculation, even the most one-dimensional troll mask can start to come alive. | 5 | 4,335 | news |
In 2015, the AFC North was the only division in either conference to have three playoff teams emerge. The Cincinnati Bengals, Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens all made the postseason, with the Cleveland Browns finishing a competitive fourth at 7-9. Don't expect more than the division winner to make it back in 2015. The AFC North benefited from an incredibly easy schedule. Outside of inner-division play, the North had the luxury of facing the AFC South and NFC South, the two worst divisions in football. If you aren't sure about how bad they are, the Carolina Panthers won the division crown with a 7-8-1 record in the NFC South, while the AFC South featured a Houston Texans team that finished second with a quarterbacking trio of Ryan Fitzpatrick, Ryan Mallett and Case Keenum. In 2015, the AFC North will draw the AFC and NFC Western divisions. It will be a tougher challenge, drawing the Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, San Diego Chargers, Seattle Seahawks, Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers. Even the St. Louis Rams are a respectable team, while the Oakland Raiders have new leadership in head coach Jack Del Rio. Pittsburgh will also draw a first-place schedule, giving it the additional pleasure of facing the Indianapolis Colts at home and the New England Patriots at home. Outside of Cleveland, Oakland and St. Louis, the Steelers will not face a team which had a losing record in 2014. By comparison, Pittsburgh played eight teams under .500 this season. The Bengals have a home schedule including their divisional opponents along with the Chiefs, Chargers, Rams, Seahawks and Texans. Even with solid showings, it might be tough to be much better than 5-3. Factor in road dates with the Steelers, Ravens, 49ers, Broncos, Rams, Cardinals and Bills, and it isn't hard to envision an 8-8 season. The same can be said for Baltimore, which shares the same home and road opponents as Cincinnati, sans the differences caused by the second and third-place schedules (the Ravens get the Miami Dolphins away and the Jacksonville Jaguars at home, while the Bengals get the Bills at home and the Texans away). It will also be hard for the Steelers and Ravens to improve. Both teams are aging and against the salary cap. According to Over the Cap , Pittsburgh is actually above the threshold while Baltimore has $4.1 million available. Cleveland has the most cap space in the division at $49.4 million, but does not have a quality quarterback. Cincinnati is in the best overall position with a solid roster and $34.3 million of space. The problem for the Bengals is a mediocre quarterback/coach combination in Andy Dalton and Marvin Lewis, along with notoriously cheap ownership. The AFC North had plenty of success this season. Don't expect it to continue. | 1 | 4,336 | sports |
Costing very little per serving, these quick dinners aren't just tasty; they're also wallet-friendly. Gingery Asian Noodle Salad with Turkey and Cucumbers This Asian salad offers variety of flavors and texture, make this quick and healthy meal today! Recipe: Gingery Asian Noodle Salad with Turkey and Cucumbers Browse: Popular dinner ideas Moroccan Couscous Stew This quick vegan stew is packed full of spicy North African flavors. It's perfect for winter nights, rainy days, and every comfort food occasion in between. Recipe: Moroccan Couscous Stew Super-Speedy Chicken Tacos Using store-bought rotisserie chicken and canned beans makes these tasty tacos super simple and quick to prepare. Recipe: Super-Speedy Chicken Tacos Browse: Taco recipes for everyone Parsley Pasta with Sautéed Artichokes This hearty, almost-vegetarian dish packs big flavor thanks to succulent sautéed artichokes, fresh lemon, and a bright parsley and white wine sauce. Recipe: Parsley Pasta with Sautéed Artichokes Chickpea and Red Pepper Soup with Quinoa Quinoa cooks fast, has a delicious nutty flavor and is an excellent vegetarian source of protein. Recipe: Chickpea and Red Pepper Soup with Quinoa Browse: Popular quinoa recipes Pasta with Garlicky Swiss Chard and Corn Here's a simple, easy-to-make pasta that will have guests thinking you're a culinary wiz. Recipe: Pasta with Garlicky Swiss Chard and Corn Chopped Salad with Couscous Fritters These patties flavored with mint, parsley, and orange zest are paired with a chopped salad for a satisfying vegetarian meal. Recipe: Chopped Salad with Couscous Fritters Browse: Awesome salads Pasta with Spinach & Roasted Red Pepper Pesto Marinated red peppers add bite and vibrancy to this pesto, making it as colorful as it is flavorful. Its also high in fiber, clocking in at a healthy 9 grams per serving. Recipe: Pasta with Spinach & Roasted Red Pepper Pesto Balsamic Chicken with Apple, Lentil and Spinach Salad This dish is full of flavor (and heart-healthy fiber) thanks to the balanced combination of tart balsamic chicken and a lightly sweet and crunchy salad made with celery, green apple and lemon juice. Recipe: Balsamic Chicken with Apple, Lentil and Spinach Salad Browse: Chicken recipes Farro Salad with Grapes and Chickpeas Chewy, nutty farro makes a great base for fall grain salad studded with protein-filled chickpeas and sweet grapes. Recipe provided by Joe Yonan, author of Serve Yourself. Recipe: Farro Salad with Grapes and Chickpeas Spinach Salad with Tuna and Avocado and Ginger-Spiced Carrot Soup with Green Onions With one and a half pounds of pureed carrots and two cups of peas, this creamy-smooth vegetable soup is supercharged with vitamin A, a vision-enhancing nutrient. Subbing ginger-steeped green tea for chicken stock slashes the sodium, and may help protect against memory loss. Recipe: Ginger-Spiced Carrot Soup Easy as Tortilla Pie We've slimmed down this Tex-Mex favorite by using reduced-fat shredded cheese and by packing the filling with low-cal corn and black beans. Recipe: Easy as Tortilla Pie | 0 | 4,337 | foodanddrink |
The U.S. dollar strengthened on Wednesday in a broad advance that included gains against the euro and the Swiss franc, taking in stride the Federal Reserve's repeated message it remains "patient" in deciding when to raise interest rates. Market expectations the Fed would stay the course toward increasing rates underpins the dollar's rally versus its European and Asian counterparts where policy is being loosened in a bid to spur economic growth. Economists are expecting a U.S. rate increase sometime in mid-2015 while prices in the futures market point toward the later months of the year. The Fed said the U.S. economy is on track for continued expansion, but did acknowledge inflation had dropped further below its longer-run objective. "I don't think there is a big catalyst here for the dollar. Overall, markets have run with the long dollar position and I don't think this is likely to throw dollar bulls off course," said Vassili Serebriakov, currency strategist at BNP Paribas in New York. "We don't get any additional information in terms of forecast or press conference and the language was not a surprise. So far the reaction has been muted and reflects the lack of surprises," he said. The U.S. dollar index (.DXY) edged up to session highs after the Fed's statement, gaining 0.56 percent on the day to 94.551, below Friday's 11-year high. The euro slumped to session lows, off 0.82 percent to $1.12865 on the EBS trading platform (EUR=EBS). The euro fell 0.36 percent to 1.0234 Swiss francs (EURCHF=EBS) while the greenback traded up 0.49 percent to 0.9070 franc (CHF=EBS). A secondary drag on the euro was tough talk from Greece's new anti-austerity government over its 240 billion euro bailout plan. "I think the dollar is still the cleanest shirt in the hamper but the Greece situation is not going away. Until that is resolved, and ultimately I do think they stay in the euro zone, it will create a better situation for the dollar," said John Canally, investment strategist and economist at LPL Financial in Boston. Eurasia Group, while maintaining a Greek exit from the euro zone is unlikely, nevertheless increased chances to 15 percent from 5 percent on Wednesday. The dollar's one blemish was a loss of 0.26 percent to 117.54 yen (JPY=EBS). New Zealand's dollar fell to a near four-year low of $0.7328 (NZD=D2) versus the U.S. dollar after the country's central bank said it expects to keep rates on hold for some time with the next move either up or down depending on economic data. (Additional reporting by Ian Chua in Sydney; Editing by James Dalgleish) | 3 | 4,338 | finance |
After an outcry from animal rescue activists, GoDaddy.com, a privately held internet domain registrar and web hosting company, decided Tuesday night to pull its planned Super Bowl commercial which features puppies and NASCAR driver Danica Patrick. The company sponsors Patrick's No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet in the Sprint Cup Series. The ad, which debuted Tuesday on the "Today" show, is entitled "Lost Dog" and shows a puppy that falls out of a truck and then eventually finds its way back home. Upon arrival the puppy discovers its owner used GoDaddy to set up a Web site to sell the dog to a new owner. Patrick drives the van which carries the puppy to its new owner. The company released the following statement on Tuesday night: "This morning we previewed GoDaddy's Super Bowl spot on a popular talk show, and shortly after a controversy started to swirl about 'Buddy,' our puppy, being sold online. The responses were emotional and direct. Many people urged us not to run the ad. "We've made a tremendous amount of progress over the past two years, advancing the GoDaddy brand as a company that cares a great deal about small business and is in their corner to help them succeed. People increasingly know who we are, what we do and who we do it for. At the end of the day, our purpose at GoDaddy is to help small businesses around the world build a successful online presence. We hoped our ad would increase awareness of that cause. However, we underestimated the emotional response. And we heard that loud and clear. "The net result? We are pulling the ad from the Super Bowl. You'll still see us in the Big Game this year, and we hope it makes you laugh. Finally, rest assured, Buddy came to us from a reputable and loving breeder in California. He's now part of the GoDaddy family as our Chief Companion Officer and he lives permanently with one of our longtime employees." The original ad has since been removed from YouTube. A petition started on Change.org asking GoDaddy to pull the ad received over 42,000 signatures before the company made its decision Tuesday night. | 1 | 4,339 | sports |
Google's ambitious research lab, Google X, is teaming up with the pharmaceutical company Biogen Idec to study the progression of multiple sclerosis and why it differs between patients. According to Bloomberg , the partnership is expected to last multiple years and will have Google analyzing data from people with the disease, which currently has no cure. The progression of MS can vary dramatically between patients, with some only experiencing temporary numbness and others experiencing paralysis. Google's interest lies in determining what leads to one progression over the other. Biogen Idec makes drugs that treat MS, and it's hoping to use the research to develop new treatments or determine which patients should receive which drugs. Google X has been doing more and more with health care Though Google hasn't traditionally been involved with the health care world, Google X began taking steps in that direction last year. About a year ago, it unveiled work on a "smart" contact lens that can measure glucose levels to help people with diabetes, which Bloomberg reports has since been licensed out to the health care company Novartis. Over the summer, the lab began trying to collect enough medical data to determine what the perfectly healthy human looks like. Then in September, Google bought the company behind an electronic utensil that intelligently compensates for Parkinson's tremors and folded its team into Google X. Google X tells Bloomberg that it has no intention of becoming a pharmaceutical company, but there is interest in the lab becoming an important research partner to companies that are going after tough goals and want to do so with new approaches. Of course, that's still only part of what Google X does: the lab is also where Google's self-driving cars are built and where its internet hotspot balloons are being made. It's not evident how or if Google will ever hone its focus, but it's clear that Google X's medical ambitions are growing fast. | 5 | 4,340 | news |
In early 2011, Montreal resident Sandra Bagaria began an online relationship with Amina Arraf, a pretty, American-born Syrian woman who was passionate, outspoken, and gay in a country where homosexual activity is illegal. As the revolution intensified in Syria and neighboring countries, so did their relationship, and Amina's blog A Gay Girl In Damascus gained international attention. But then Amina goes missing and Sandra and the rest of the world begin to learn the truth of her identity. The Amina Profile , a documentary by Canadian filmmaker Sophie Deraspe premiering at this year's Sundance Film Festival, follows that investigation. Deraspe's film uses the sheer bizarreness of the story as a means to talk about sensationalism, stereotypes, and the shortcomings of both old and new media in the midst of an unprecedented revolution. Sophie, tell me a little bit about how you came to know Sandra and began to uncover this story. Sophie: I knew Sandra before [I began the documentary], so I was aware that she had met this amazing Syrian American woman. We weren't close friends, so I wasn't aware of the level of intimacy. But I knew her, so I was aware of the online dating, and Amina starting the blog, and then the abduction and the investigation into who was behind Amina. But I have to say, I think if I had not been a friend [I wouldn't have known] because I remember having heard on the news only a few glimpses. And that's what we were hearing from people, that they kind of heard about Amina, but they don't know the story, to the extent that we present in the film. It rings a bell to many people, but not much more than that. "It just felt right to be attracted to Amina." Sandra, when you began talking with Amina, how much did her involvement with the Syrian revolution impact your emotional investment in the relationship? Sandra: Well, most of my friends [nicknamed] me "Marjane," the illustrator of Persepolis . It's a graphic novel about a young girl who was raised in Tehran, and she's always outspoken and always wants to have a revolution. And for me, meeting someone who fit that profile was very exciting. She was standing up for her beliefs, and she was really fearless. And that was like, "Oh my god, this is crazy beautiful," you know? It adds a sexy value to the profile of the person. I am a very curious person, and I was always interested in the Middle East, [partly because of] my family's roots there. It just felt right to be attracted to Amina. An image from a Facebook campaign that formed after Amina's supposed abduction. But throughout the relationship, even as it got very intimate, you never were able to use video to communicate? Sandra: No. Skype was blocked in Syria, and in some parts more than others. So for me, it totally made sense that we couldn't Skype. That probably seems very convenient, in retrospect. Sandra: Well at that moment, it was a war zone, and you have to understand also that [the Syrian government was] blocking the internet. Sometimes the internet was down, sometimes the internet was up you never knew what was going on. I had done some research on the web and saw that Skype was blocked in Syria, and so was the internet, because they only wanted the regime to have internet access. So it was convenient, but it also made sense at the time. Sophie: Sandra gave me all her archives with Amina. She did not want to go through it all again. But I read it all, and you know, now she may seem pretty naïve, since she conducted this six-month-long relationship without having actually heard a voice or seen an image on video. But it all made sense when the uprising started and the country was under this dictatorship. And Sandra tried a lot of times to reach Amina in different ways, but Amina was very clever in always adding a new chapter in her adventure, her story. So let's say Sandra finally got a phone number to phone Amina. Amina says "Okay, you can call me tonight, I'll be home." She calls, but there's someone [she doesn't know] speaking Arabic on the other end. She hangs up, writes "hey I tried to call you, but I don't know who it was," and Amina just says "I had to escape Damascus, the secret police came for me, and now I'm hiding in a village." Things like that. Sandra Bagaria in The Amina Profile. How many times did that happen? Sandra: With the phone number? Only once. Sophie: Only once. But then, as you know, The Guardian published an interview with Amina with a pseudonymous journalist in Damascus. And [one would assume,] reading this interview, that this pseudonymous journalist had met with Amina. Sandra: In all honesty, I had doubts. But when a big international publication like The Guardian said that they had met Amina and conducted an interview, my doubts were washed away. I was like, okay, someone met her Sophie: Someone can vouch for her. Sandra: It seemed like a stamp of approval. It speaks to our knee-jerk trust in old media organizations, even in a new media world. We see a headline in The Guardian , or The New York Times , and we never think to question it. Sophie: Exactly. And it wasn't only Sandra who trusted The Guardian , but so many journalists from around the world who didn't fact check the story. Sandra: So for me it was like, okay, I had doubts, but maybe I shouldn't have doubts. Sophie: And you begin to feel bad when you have doubts about a person who is going through so much. Sandra: And you don't exactly know the dynamic, because you're not under siege, you're not at war. So the Guardian post made it easy for me to keep on believing. "YOU BEGIN TO FEEL BAD ABOUT DOUBTING A PERSON WHO IS GOING THROUGH SO MUCH." The Arab Spring is often referred to as the first revolutionary movement aided by social media. That's usually seen as a positive thing young people using modern technology to incite social change but this story also shows some of the drawbacks of so much unvetted information being out there for public consumption. Sophie: Well, we were first misled by traditional media, even if Amina was operating with social media for her personal relationship as well as her blog. We're not demonizing social media. It's there, it's useful for a lot of people, and in the film we show how important it was for Syrian activists, and also how necessary it is for them to hide their identity. It has always been the case, even before social media, that some sources have to stay anonymous. But there always is a way of proving that the source is credible. With social media it should be the same. But it takes time, and the thing is that today we want the news out very, very quickly. Not only in social media, but in traditional media as well they don't want to be behind. I guess they feel they are already behind social media, so they're trying to keep the pace. After the break, Sophie, Sandra and I discuss the conclusion of The Amina Profile. It's a spoiler for the film, but it was also in news in 2011. Either way, you have been warned. I do want to talk about Tom McMasters , the American graduate student who is ultimately revealed to be behind Amina's online persona. To me, there was something fascinating about a white straight male using the identity of a gay Syrian woman to feel heard, or important, in the midst of this revolution. Sophie: It's fascinating because it has many levels. He wanted a voice, to be listened to because he had opinions about Syria, about the Middle East. And he had extraordinary timing in starting a blog just a few weeks before the first uprisings in Syria. But then there's this intimate relationship he conducted [with Sandra] as a lesbian. So it's not only a way to find a voice, it's more complex than that. Social media has allowed a lot of people who feel that they don't have mainstream sexuality or a mainstream opinion, to find other people like them, and that is great. But in this case, there's a lot we can [potentially] extrapolate. I don't know if he's uncomfortable in his male body; or if he is, and he's just exploiting female sexuality. Or if he is somehow uncomfortable as an American male. I don't know. What was your impression, Sandra, when you finally confronted him? Sandra: Well, you know, there was apprehension. You see in the documentary I was crying, I was super upset, and crying for him, in a way. Because I had given him so much of myself already, I [had been] totally transparent. But I have to say that the apprehension, the anxiety of meeting someone you don't know because it's not really the same person as soon as the door opened and I actually met him, I relaxed. I was just like, okay, now is my time to have this interview on my own terms. I was controlling the situation, which felt very good because [at that point] I had totally lost control of the situation. [Sophie and I] were there on a mission, but we didn't know what was going to happen. So for me it was very important that I had the pleasure, in a way, of being the one who was asking questions, being the one who was facing him . At the end, there was real closure. In the documentary, we left the door open for any perception, any judgement that the public could have. Because I have my own, and Sophie has her own, but it was important for us to just leave it up to the audience to [choose to] understand or not understand what he did. But for me, I got what I was looking for. And I'm going to move on. There have obviously been multiple high-profile incidents like this in the past couple years Manti Te'o, the popularity of MTV's Catfish. Why do you think this story in particular needs to be told what can we learn from it? Sophie: Well, [in The Amina Profile, ] not only one person was fooled. Many people were many educated people, many people who know about the world and the media. So there's a synchronicity that is pretty amazing and raises issues in our contemporary world about online identity and media coverage. And how Syrians do need a voice and maybe don't get the representation from the media that they are supposed to get. So it starts at a very intimate level and it goes to a very broad, sociopolitical level. It's kind of amazing to have that all in one story. "Amina is a mirror of our own perception and fantasies." Sandra: It's a very different story from Catfish , because it's showing us our weaknesses for cliché. The media, myself, and other people were fooled because it was such a perfect formula. We were like, "Oh, this seems beautiful, let's [follow this story]." It's really about how we in Western countries perceive the Middle East, and stereotypes that we all have that we should totally revise. Sophie: The film is constructed and conducted in a way so that the viewer would experience the fantasy that we shared, the fantasy that started between Sandra and Amina, but then that was spread and shared [across the internet.] This fantasy of a woman a cute, outspoken lesbian, in a country where women are supposed to be covered and submissive. Amina is a mirror of our own perception and fantasies, and how exotic and unknown the Middle East still is for many of us. | 5 | 4,341 | news |
1. You're using wire hangers when you should be using felt. Wire hangers aren't supportive enough for heavier fabrics and will warp the shape of your clothes over time. Invest in felt hangers instead, which don't leave little points in the shoulders of your shirts like wire hangers do, have enough grip to hang thin, silky fabrics, and are thinner than plastic so you can fit more in your closet. 2. You're hanging your sweaters like you would a normal shirt. Gravity will stretch out the neck and shoulders of heavier sweaters this way. If you don't have any drawer space, fold your sweaters and lay them on a hanger like below. 3. You're folding your leather pants or skirts instead of hanging them. This will create creases and wrinkles, which will be very difficult to get rid of because you should never iron or steam leather. To prevent the creases from forming, hang your pants with a clip hanger. Use business cards to protect the fabric from the grooves of the clips so they don't leave marks. 4. You're storing your clothes in the dry-clean plastic bags. As soon as you get your dry-cleaning back, take your clothes out of the bags. Fabric needs to breathe, and the plastic can trap odors and humidity. If your clothes wrinkle inside your closet, it's because you have the hangers shoved too close together. To prevent crease and wrinkles, leave an inch in between each hanger. 5. You're dry-cleaning your clothes too often. Overzealous dry-cleaning can weaken the fabrics (and make you broke). If the tag says "dry-clean only," take it to the cleaners. If it says "dry-clean" (like most polyester, cashmere, and nylon fabrics), you're usually safe hand washing it at home and laying it flat to dry. 6. You machine-dry your bras and other delicates. The heat from the dryer will ruin the elastic. Lay your bras flat to dry or drape them over a hanger by the sturdy middle piece between the cups not by the elastic straps or band, which will stretch out your bras. If you need your delicates to dry faster, give them a few spins in a salad spinner to get rid of the excess water before hanging them to dry. 7. You carelessly stuff your bras in a drawer . Bending the cups out of shape will ruin the bra form. Instead, stack them inside of each other like you see at a lingerie store. 8. You're wringing the water out of your swimsuits by twisting them. This will ruin the elasticity in the suit and make it lose its shape. Instead, lay the suit flat between towels, and press and roll the water out. Then lay it flat to finish drying. 9. You machine-wash and dry your swimsuits. This will cause the dye to fade and the fabric to pill. Unless you absolutely need to use a washer and dryer (in which case only do it once at the end of swimsuit season) hand-wash your suits in tap water or with a little detergent, and lay them flat to dry. 10. You throw your sweaty workout clothes straight into the laundry hamper. This causes smelly mildew. Before tossing them in your dirty clothes pile, hang them until they're dry. 11. You're ironing delicate fabrics. Irons are way too harsh for most fabrics (like silk or fabrics with embellishments) and can leave marks if you're not careful. Invest in a handheld steamer or try hanging the item in a super steamy bathroom for a few minutes. 12. You're storing your shoes in big buckets. The best way to maintain the shape of your shoes and keep them clean is to store them upright, one of each pair in the front row and its match right behind it. This way you can see everything at once and don't have to struggle to see what's hidden in the back. 13. You crowd your jewelry on hooks. Unless you have the time to untangle your knotted jewelry, always keep the pieces separated. Muffin tins and ice cube trays make great inexpensive organizers. 14. You forget to fasten buttons, hooks, and zippers, or to turn your jeans inside out before tossing your clothes in the laundry. Loose hooks will snag other clothing in the wash and cause pieces to stretch out. Clothes that are heavily dyed, like jeans, should be turned inside out to prevent the dye from fading. 15. You're washing your dark denim jeans instead of freezing them. If you're really worried about the dye fading or your jeans losing their shape, freeze your jeans overnight instead. The freezer will kill most of the odor-causing bacteria while keeping the dye intact. 16. You hang your bags when you're not using them. This will stretch out the shoulder straps and make your bags droopy. Instead, rest them on a shelf so they can maintain their structure. 17. You forget to stuff and wrap your bags before storing them in your closet. Fill your bags with old T-shirts so they don't lose their shape, and wrap them in their dust bags to protect the leather and keep your bags looking brand new. | 4 | 4,342 | lifestyle |
Lawyer Amal Clooney went before Europe's top human rights court Wednesday to argue against a man convicted of denying the 1915 Armenian genocide. Clooney is representing Armenia as part of an appeal before the Strasbourg-based European Court of Human Rights, which ruled in favor of the man, Dogu Perincek, in December 2013. Perincek believes his right to free speech was violated when Swiss courts convicted him of racism for denying the genocide in 2005. He described the genocide as "an international lie." Clooney said the "most important error" of the court's 2013 ruling in favor of Perincek was that "it cast doubt on the reality of the Armenian genocide." Historians estimate up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed by Ottoman Turks around the time of World War I, an event widely viewed by genocide scholars as the first genocide of the 20th century. Turkey, however, denies the deaths constituted genocide, saying the toll has been inflated and that those killed were victims of civil war and unrest. The court said its decision would be made at a later date. Amal Clooney, who married actor George Clooney last year, has also argued on behalf of Greece for the return of the so-far unsuccessful campaign to reclaim the Parthenon Sculptures from Britain. | 5 | 4,343 | news |
CHICAGO (AP) Ernie Banks fans got their first chance to pay their respects to the most famous and beloved Chicago Cub who ever played after the statue of the Hall of Famer was placed in a downtown plaza Wednesday. One after another, fans stopped in Daley Plaza to take photos of the statue that normally stands at Wrigley Field. The city and the Cubs took the unprecedented step of taking the statue out of storage - where it was being held while the ballpark is renovated - and putting it on public display away from its usual home. The 83-year-old Banks died Friday of a heart attack. A visitation will be held this coming Friday, followed by a memorial service Saturday. By 7:30 a.m., the plaza was growing crowded with fans admiring the statue of Banks, frozen in the batting stance that kids in Chicago in the 1950s and 1960s grew up imitating. They told stories about their own connections to Banks, whether it was watching him play or meeting him. ''My family and my brothers were always watching him on TV and there was nobody like Ernie Banks,'' said McKenzie Holmes, 51, his postal worker uniform topped off with a Cubs hat. ''My brother just passed and I was thinking he's up there playing catch with Ernie now.'' Trudi Burns took pictures for her son. Though he's 23 and has only seen Banks in action on clips of games played long before he was born, Burns said he insisted that she take a photo. ''It's his birthday this month and he said, `Mom, I don't want anything else. I just want a picture of Ernie,''' she said, adding that the day Banks died her son named his new puppy Banks. Jim Kosik, 54, told of how Banks signed a ball for him in the 60s - a ball he has since lost. He, too, took pictures, for himself and his family. ''I will send a photo to relatives who left Chicago so they can share the moment,'' he said. The statue will remain at the plaza through Saturday. | 1 | 4,344 | sports |
A cat found lifeless after being struck by a car is buried but then comes back to life and crawls out of his grave, looking for food. Jen Markham (@jenmarkham) has the story. | 8 | 4,345 | video |
Danny Meyer is already a wealthy man. The founder of Union Square Hospitality Group has owned more than a dozen acclaimed restaurants, including the iconic Union Square Café, and his foodie empire includes books, consulting, events and other services. But the man who made a fortune from his richly comforting oxtail risottos and chestnut-bread puddings may make an even bigger fortune from burgers and fries. According to regulatory filings, Meyer owns 7,440,822 shares of Class B stock of Shake Shack, the burger chain he founded in 2004 that's spreading like wildfire and is expected to go public this week. The filing states that the IPO would value Shake Shack at around $674.5 million, at a share price of $17 to $19 a share. At those valuations, Meyer's shares which represent 21 percent of the company would be worth $127 million to $141 million. And the stock is likely to pop much higher once it opens. Shake Shack declined to comment on the IPO or Meyer's wealth. Yet Meyer's potential windfall, setting aside his existing wealth, instantly makes him one of the richest restaurateurs in the country. Meyer has said little about wealth or money as his motivator. As he told The New York Times in 2011, "My favorite thing is watching people enjoy our food. I get sort of an insane amount of pleasure out of that." That pleasure may be even sweeter, however, after the IPO. Some of the other investors in line to make millions from the Shake Shack IPO include Green Equity Investors, which holds 26 percent of the common stock, valued at more than $170 million, and Jeff Flug, president of Union Hospitality, who holds 4.9 percent of the company that could be worth more than $30 million. | 3 | 4,346 | finance |
Dang it, Budweiser, you did it again. Every year you get us with your combination of animals and emotion, and this year is no different. In fact, this might be the most "awwww!" inspiring of them all. | 1 | 4,347 | sports |
New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady says he is still living a dream as he prepares for his sixth Super Bowl on Sunday. | 8 | 4,348 | video |
The NFL, which holds its Super Bowl on Sunday, is enjoying a significant surge in global interest with Russia and China leading the way, according to a study by a leading sports marketing research company. The report by Germany-based Repucom found interest in the league rising in several key markets with Russia having the highest percentage of the population focused on the league. The report says 13.3 percent of Russians are fans of the NFL, with a growth of 5.3 percent in the past year leading to a total of 10.38 million fans. The growth of the NFL in China in the past year is the biggest in terms of population size. Since 2013 interest in the NFL among the Chinese population has jumped from 1.7 to 7.9 percent -- meaning an extra 31 million people have an interest in the sport there. The upward trend is also evident in South America with Brazil seeing a rise of 3.3 million in NFL fans. The NFL's biggest international focus -- and one of its key successes -- has been in the United Kingdom where three regular season games were held in the past year. Repucom found interest had grown from 8.1 percent in 2012 to 12.3 percent, adding an extra 1.86 million NFL fans. The UK is second only to Russia in terms of percentage of the population now following the game in some way. GROWING TREND "This growing trend should be a welcome sight for the NFL," said Glenn Lovett, president of global strategy at Repucom. "More engaged fans bring additional revenue and growth opportunities across their business. They provide the league with a better offering to commercial partners in the U.S. and overseas whilst increasing stability for the game," he added. The NFL's video distribution has become more sophisticated in recent years where as well as deals with television broadcasters, the league also offers 'Game Pass', a subscription online service offering various packages for live games. In the U.K. the NFL has a broadcast deal with subscription network Sky Sports and also free-to-air Channel Four, who also produce their own weekly highlights show. David Tossell, Director of Public Affairs for NFL International, Europe, said the research showed similar trends to the league's own in-house studies. He said the NFL's focus internationally had been on "exposing people to the sport, building the support and growing the fan base. "The Game Pass product means that even in markets without a television deal we are able to promote and expose the sport around the world," he told Reuters. (Reporting by Simon Evans; Editing by Ken Ferris) | 1 | 4,349 | sports |
Scientists behind the project hope the tech will help "curb unnecessary cravings." Is Virtual Reality the future of food? One company certainly hopes so. According to Wired , Project Nourished headed up by creator Jinsoo An believes they have found a way to trick taste buds. The "gastronomic virtual reality experience" uses head-mounted displays, food science, motion sensors, and 3D printers to transform "Jello-like wedges" of agar and pectin into dishes like a "sumptuous slice of apple pie." The company hopes that one day diners will be able to don a virtual reality headset and "be transported to a place" where the agar and pectin mixture will simulate the taste of a gourmet meal. Simulating food is a tricky challenge, however: To prevent users from expecting foods to taste and feel "a certain way," An made sure to make the faux foods "look considerably different from the actual foods." He explains that the VR simulator won't make the foods taste exactly as they are expected to. Another challenge is that of texture. Currently, An and his team are working to recreate the mouthfeel of items like steak and sushi "using natural, low-calorie ingredients." As for the smells associated with food? An's system deploys an aromatic diffuser that turns "scented oils into pleasing aromas." An's goal is to ultimately "provide a savory simulation without spiking blood sugar." The company's website notes that Project Nourished hopes to help those with conditions like diabetes, allergies, and cancer to enjoy the foods they had to give up for their health. Project Nourished wants to help hungry dieters "curb unnecessary cravings," too. So rejoice, soon you might be able to eat pie and bread on that low-carb diet after all. | 0 | 4,350 | foodanddrink |
By Steve DelVecchio A father and son who allegedly attacked a basketball coach after a Trinity (Ky.) High School game were arrested on Tuesday and charged with assault. According to WDRB in Louisville, Demetrius Franklin, 48, and his son, Daelyn Franklin, 18, have been accused of approaching Doss High School coach Tony Williams in a hallway at Trinity and hitting him several times with closed fists . Williams told authorities he was "knocked sideways and out of the door of the building" and suffered injuries to his head, face, neck and lower back. Daelyn plays for Williams at Doss, and he and his father were apparently upset over Daelyn's lack of playing time. Williams told police that he smelled alcohol on the elder Franklin's breath. Both men are scheduled to appear in front of a judge. | 1 | 4,351 | sports |
SANTA CLARITA, Calif. (AP) A Los Angeles-area man was charged Tuesday with sexually assaulting, torturing and killing his nearly 3-week-old daughter. Matthew Brendan Warner, 30, of Santa Clarita, was charged with molesting and killing his 19-day-old daughter, Ellorah, who was found Saturday morning in the cab of a pickup truck about a half-mile from the condominium that Warner shared with his girlfriend, the infant's mother, officials said. The parents had reported the child missing Friday night, but the next morning, Warner led investigators to the truck, which was parked at an apartment building, City News Service reported. The exact cause of the child's death had not been determined. Warner, who remained jailed, was charged with murder, assault on a child causing death, sexual assault of a child, torture and oral copulation or sexual penetration of a child. He remained jailed and could face life in prison if convicted. His arraignment is scheduled for Feb. 18. A call to his public defender, Victor Gerson, was not immediately returned. Warner's mother, Victoria Law-Thompson, told the station that her son had a history of drug addiction but she did not believe he would have intentionally harmed his daughter. "No, no, it's not even conceivable," she said. "Not him. I wouldn't call it murder if it's an accident. I don't know what happened." His girlfriend was not arrested. Her mother, Nan Allison, told KABC-TV that her daughter was "inconsolable." Warner had told her that their baby was missing, she said. "The idea that a 3-week-old child should have to worry about defending herself against her 30-year-old father is abhorrent to me," Allison said. She told the Los Angeles Times on Saturday that her daughter left the baby with Warner on Friday to go to her job as a day-care provider. The criminal complaint listed "revenge" as a motive for the alleged attack, KABC-TV reported. Warner was on probation after a 2012 conviction for joyriding his fourth such conviction since 2003, authorities said. | 5 | 4,352 | news |
If you're the sort of Harry Potter fan who can't help but read the series again and again, Oyster has a treat in store. The all-you-can-read subscription service has teamed up with Pottermore to carry all of the Harry Potter books, including the Hogwarts Library collection. There's even a little treat the first time you start reading -- rather than pick from one of the humdrum standard themes, you choose your favorite Hogwarts house (Slytherin, obviously). You probably don't want to sign up for Oyster's $10 a month service just for the sake of reliving Harry's school years, but it's potentially cheaper than purchasing the series on top of a slew of other books. Oyster | 5 | 4,353 | news |
The LFP's Competition Committee has ruled that Cristiano Ronaldo will serve a two-match ban for his dismissal against Cordoba on Saturday. The forward and his club Real Madrid have had a very lucky escape. It means that Ronaldo will only miss upcoming Liga games at the Santiago Bernabeu against Real Sociedad and Sevilla. Crucially for Real Madrid and for Ronaldo, he will be back for the showdown against Atletico Madrid on Feb. 7. The matchday official, Alejandro Hernandez, did not include any act of violent conduct by Ronaldo in his match report. Instead he listed a kick on Edimar while the ball was out of reach as the reason for the Ballon d'Or champion's straight dismissal. Hernandez did not report the punch that Ronaldo appeared to aim at the face of Edimar, nor was there reference to the earlier incident in which Ronaldo swung at - and missed - Jose Angel Crespo. Neither did the referee mention the set-to Ronaldo caused through his behavior, nor his arrogant brushing down of his Club World Cup winners' badge as he sauntered off, which could be called an act of incitement. Ronaldo was frustrated against the Andalusians at the weekend and could not make a significant impact on the game. He lashed out for his fourth career red card in La Liga and fifth altogether in Spanish football. Ronaldo is better than every player in the league. Maybe he believes they are all beneath him but the rules exist for him as for anybody else. Players are jostled around the box before corner kicks all the time. Feet are left in to let the opposition know that a game will not be easy. Most players have developed a skin thick enough to keep their emotions in check. Not him, not Ronaldo. His reaction to being touched suggests "How dare you." He is not a dirty player but his disciplinary record suggests he is a temperamental one. Nine red cards is not an insignificant figure. Roy Keane, in his Manchester United career, only earned two more. He cannot go on like that. He has to accept the attention that comes with being the best. There is a common theme to the red cards Ronaldo has received throughout his career for Real Madrid. They are mostly reactions to what he perceives to be undue attention from opponents. He sees himself very much as a superstar and, if he could play with his entourage of bodyguards, he would. During his first season at Real, he lashed out at Jose Ortiz of Almeria in the corner of the pitch when he felt his opponent's pressing crossed the line into harassment. Malaga's Patrick Mtiliga was Ronaldo's next victim when he smashed an elbow into his face as he attempted to shake him off and gain space. Ronaldo insisted it was an accident but it nonetheless left the Dane with a broken nose. Ronaldo's frustrations got the better of him during extra-time of the 2013 Copa del Rey final. He lashed out at Atletico Madrid's Gabi as Real was heading for defeat, volleying his opponent across the face. After being denied a penalty at Athletic Bilbao last season, Ronaldo swung a hand into the face of Carlos Gurpegui and, while the Basque's reaction was exaggerated, the flashpoint no doubt merited a straight red card. And if you think the Ronaldo punishment is on the harsh side, check out Rodrigo de Paul's red card while playing for Valencia against Sevilla earlier on this season. He hit Aleix Vidal with an elbow, was rightly dismissed, and was banned for four games for what was deemed by the LFP as "aggression." Ronaldo's act was no less aggressive yet he has very much come away lightly. It might not be enough to deter Ronaldo from his petulant behaviour in the future. He has, effectively, been given a two-match rest while his teammates should have no trouble in dismissing both Sociedad and Sevilla on home soil. Then he will be back, fresh and ready for the Derbi Madrileno as well as the Champions League. The LFP has missed a chance to send a message to not only Ronaldo but the world - the message that no team or no player is ungovernable and that bad behavior on this scale will be punished. As it stands, this will add nothing but greater weight to the accusations that Real Madrid gain favorable outcomes from the Spanish authorities. This was an opportunity to make a stand and tell Ronaldo that he must obey the rules. He will have learned no lesson. | 1 | 4,354 | sports |
Whether you're a devoted triathlete with a dozen races under your belt or just a casual jock with maybe-someday dreams about doing an endurance competition, TriHabitat is going to knock your compression running socks off. Dubbed the " Disneyland for triathletes ," this endurance sports dream world is slated to open in Wilmington, North Carolina in 2016. But even if you live nowhere near the central Atlantic coast and even if you'd never sign up for an athletic competition in a million years this still sounds like a destination worth visiting. This self-contained fitness playground will be more than 1,100 acres (!), and because it'll be engineered from the ground up, they've pretty much thought of everything . There's going to be a 25-acre custom-designed lake with lane ropes for open water swimming, a wider 14-mile bike loop, a 6.5-mile running loop closed to motor vehicles and an on-site lodge with hotel rooms. And to accommodate spectators (not an easy task during triathlons), the team plans on creating sidewalks and viewing stadiums so you can always spot your pal mid-race. "TriHabitat is about eliminating barriers, distractions and outside forces (like cars on the street) to allow people to gain confidence in their skills and progress into better athletes," COO Bouker Pool says in a press release. The plan is to host year-round training camps and clinics in addition to hosting races and events. And if endurance sports aren't really your thing, they'll also have lots of recreational activities, like paddleboard and jet ski rentals. Perhaps the most revolutionary thing of all? Once ground is broken, they're expecting to turn it around 12-14 months. Talk about a marathon. | 7 | 4,355 | health |
1. Kit up. It's motivating to have a fabulous sports bra that gives you good support and a pair of sneakers you love and will use regularly. Get steep discounts at PlanetGear.com (up to 70 percent off) and TheClymb.com (up to 75 percent off) on apparel, shoes, and equipment. 2. Score a discount. Ask if your company has any negotiated corporate rates at fitness centers or if your health-care provider offers gym deals. You could receive up to 60 percent off on membership fees, and some companies reimburse employees in full. 3. Get cash back. Some insurers will pay you for working out: Check to see if your plan offers a reimbursement. UnitedHealthcare will pay you $20 per month annually. Your employer might also offer a health-and-fitness allowance, which could get you up to a few hundred dollars. 4. Shop around. Compare gym options: Most offer a free day (or even a free week) of trial membership. Proximity is one of the biggest stick-with-it secrets: Make sure your gym is close enough that you'll actually use it. 5. Negotiate. Gyms are often more flexible on membership toward the end of the month. Come armed with numbers that show you've done your homework: "The gym down the street charges $20 less per month." Ask that they waive the initiation fee and throw in personal-training sessions. 6. Get a deal on classes. ClassPass (available in 13 U.S. cities and expanding to more this year) lets you attend unlimited classes at tons of studios for $99 per month. 7. Stock a home gym. Here's all you need for an awesome workout at home: a kettlebell (around $20), 5-pound weights ($6 each), an exercise ball ($20), and a jump rope ($10). 8. Save on a trainer. CosmoBody, Cosmo's own fitness channel, offers unlimited access to workout videos. You can get a free 10-day membership at CosmoBody.com . | 7 | 4,356 | health |
Sony is betting its music streaming future on Spotify. Today the company quietly announced that it will be shutting down its unsuccessful Music Unlimited service on March 29th, 2015. In its place, Sony plans to launch a new service called PlayStation Music that uses none other than Spotify as its backbone. The app will debut on PlayStation 4, PS3, plus Xperia smartphones and tablets this spring. If web and desktop PC apps are also in the plans, those will be coming later. PlayStation Music will be available in 41 markets to start including the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Brazil. Music Unlimited has only made it to 19 countries so far during its underwhelming run. A sensible and encouraging move from Sony "PlayStation Network users will enjoy the convenience of linking your accounts to Spotify, making it easy to sign-up with your existing ID and subscribe to Spotify's Premium service," Sony said. You'll be able to listen to Spotify tracks in the background while playing games, and Sony is promising that PlayStation Music will offer over 30 million songs and 1.5 billion playlists. Again, most of that is Spotify doing the heavy lifting; Sony's finally conceding that other companies are better at making great software for TVs, too and placing its bets on perhaps the most successful of music apps. Existing Spotify playlists from your friends and also curated collections will be available on PlayStation just as they are now from your smartphone. Sony says that "other great features that will be available exclusively through Spotify on PlayStation Music" will be revealed as the release approaches. If you've got a Music Unlimited subscription through February 28th, Sony will automatically extend that so you can keep listening until the shutdown in March. Nabbing Spotify is a significant win for Sony, as the service still hasn't made its way to Microsoft's Xbox One console. (Microsoft also operates its own premium streaming service in Xbox Music.) We've reached out to Sony, Spotify, and Microsoft for more details on whether Spotify will be a PlayStation exclusive. | 5 | 4,357 | news |
Raging favourite Novak Djokovic will play defending champion Stan Wawrinka in a blockbuster semi-final at the Australian Open after dominant wins on Wednesday. The Serbian world number one bossed Canada's eighth seed Milos Raonic in straight sets to storm into his fifth Australian semi. Swiss fourth seed Wawrinka frittered away five match points but was still an easy winner against Japanese superstar Kei Nishikori, taking the match 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (8/6) in just over two hours. Djokovic was in irrepressible form in dominating power-serving Raonic 7-6 (7/5), 6-4, 6-2 in a similar time in the night match on Rod Laver Arena. The winner will face either Britain's Andy Murray or Czech Tomas Berdych in Sunday's final. Wawrinka upset Djokovic in last year's quarter-finals on the way to winning the Australian Open for his first major title, but the world number one looks in formidable form. He was ruthless against Raonic, hitting 33 winners and just 17 unforced errors, with three service breaks and winning 89 percent of his first serves. It will be his 25th Grand Slam semi-final on Friday. Raonic, one of the biggest servers in men's tennis, could not force a single break point on Djokovic's serve, with the Serb now dropping only one service game in the tournament. "Tonight there was not much I could complain about," Djokovic said. "From the first game till the last I played the way I wanted. I created a lot of break point opportunities. "The key of tonight's match was to get as many balls back in play. I executed very, very well. It's easier said than done, but I feel very good about my game in this moment. "I served very well and overall it was a great match against one of the up and coming rising stars." Despite the jitters when serving for the match in the tiebreaker Wawrinka was in commanding form against Nishikori. The Japanese star had mastered the Swiss over five sets in the quarter-finals at last year's US Open, but it was a different outcome this time. Wawrinka dominated with his serve and backhand to reach his third Grand Slam semi-final and earn a chance of playing in back-to-back finals in Melbourne. He broke Nishikori's service three times and lost serve only once, while winning 86 percent of his first-serve points. Wawrinka looked set to romp away with the tiebreaker in the final set, holding five match points at 6-1 only to tighten up and almost throw it away. "I know I now have a Grand Slam trophy at home. I also won the Davis Cup. I have confidence from that," said the Swiss. "I know I can make it. I trust my game. I trust myself on the court even when we start to play in a semi-final or final at a Grand Slam." Britain's Andy Murray and Czech Tomas Berdych play in the other semi-final on Thursday. | 1 | 4,358 | sports |
ESPN is the most powerful company in sports. But in 2015 the landscape has shifted; people don't just watch sports on TV as much | 8 | 4,359 | video |
On the opening night of this year's Sundance Film Festival, two films, as usual, had their premières, gaining maximum exposure to reporters and critics. The first was "What Happened, Miss Simone?," a documentary about the singer and civil-rights icon Nina Simone . It was funded by Netflix , based at least in part on data the company collects about its users: information about what we watch, when we watch, how highly we rate what we've seen, and even when we hit rewind. The second film that premièred was a comedy named "The Bronze," featuring the television star Melissa Raunch ("The Big Bang Theory") as a vulgar gymnast; the film's high point is a vivid gymnastic sex scene involving what might fairly be called a new take on the pommel dismount. "The Bronze" was privately funded by a few wealthy individuals and was the personal selection of Sundance's director, John Cooper or, at least, that's what he said at its screening. While not a formal competition in any sense, the night seemed to be a clear victory for algorithms over instincts. "Miss Simone" gained a standing ovation at its screening and has earned critical respect. "The Bronze," while garnering some laughs, currently sits at ten per cent on Rotten Tomatoes, where critics have called it "a grueling experience to sit through" and "a mean-spirited and largely witless satire." Studios and television networks have long made decisions about what to produce based on the intuitions of a limited number of executives. Television studios have Nielson ratings, and movie studios have box-office sales, to help guide them. But those are relatively simple metrics, and notoriously unreliable; as the screenwriter William Goldman famously said, "nobody, nobody not now, not ever knows the least goddamn thing about what is or isn't going to work at the box office." As with the arrival of sabermetrics in baseball or the rise of pollsters in politics, the potential for the quants to change the industry to really figure out what people want to watch is clear. Netflix and its chief content officer, Ted Sarandos, have been the most outspoken proponents of data-driven programming, which they say was behind the company's biggest successes, such as "House of Cards" and "Orange is the New Black." Soon after the début of " House of Cards, " David Carr, writing in the Times, pronounced that "Big bets are now being informed by Big Data." In 2013, Kevin Spacey, the star of the show, said that Netflix had come to him and said , "We believe in you. We've run our data and it tells us that our audience would watch this series. We don't need you to do a pilot. How many do you wanna do?" Over the years, however, I've started to wonder whether Netflix's big decisions are truly as data driven as they are purported to be. The company does have more audience data than nearly anyone else (with the possible exception of YouTube), so it has a reason to emphasize its comparative advantage. But, when I was reporting a story, a couple of years ago, about Netflix's embrace of fandom over mass culture, I began to sense that their biggest bets always seemed ultimately driven by faith in a particular cult creator, like David Fincher ("House of Cards"), Jenji Leslie Kohan (" Orange is the New Black" ), Ricky Gervais ("Derek"), John Fusco ("Marco Polo"), or Mitchell Hurwitz ("Arrested Development"). And, while Netflix does not release its viewership numbers, some of the company's programming, like "Marco Polo," hasn't seemed to generate the same audience excitement as, say, "House of Cards." In short, I do think that there is a sophisticated algorithm at work here but I think his name is Ted Sarandos. I presented Sarandos with this theory at a Sundance panel called "How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Trust the Algorithm," moderated by Jason Hirschhorn, formerly of MySpace. Sarandos, very agreeably, wobbled a bit. "It is important to know which data to ignore," he conceded, before saying, at the end, "In practice, its probably a seventy-thirty mix." But which is the seventy and which is the thirty? "Seventy is the data, and thirty is judgment," he told me later. Then he paused, and said, "But the thirty needs to be on top, if that makes sense." Of course, there is a big difference between using data in combination with intuition and relying entirely on an algorithm the decision-making equivalent of Siri finding gas stations near you. I don't think anyone Netflix, Mitt Romney makes big decisions that way. As Chris Kelly, the C.E.O. of Fandor, an indie-film Internet channel told me, "It just isn't true that you can rely on data completely." Even Google, the champion of algorithms, employs substantial human adjustments to make its search engines perform just right. (It cares so much about this that Google claims First Amendment protection for its tweaks.) I do not doubt that companies rely more on data every day, but the best human curators still maintain their supremacy. Perhaps what we are seeing here is better explained by the rise of different kind of talent. It is a form of curation (at which Sarandos excels) whose aim is guessing not simply what will attract viewers but what will attract fans people who will get excited enough to spread the word. Data may help, but what may matter more is a sense of what appeals to the hearts of obsessive people, and who can deliver that. And what that suggests is that competition will remain possible for companies that aren't Amazon or Netflix, without massive piles of data on hand. It might be enough to know just which cults to bet on. | 5 | 4,360 | news |
Buying art at Sotheby's (BID.N) will soon become more expensive as the top international auction house announced it is increasing its buyer's premium, the rates it charges a successful bidder. Beginning on Sunday, anyone who purchases a work of art will pay 25 percent to the auction house on the first $200,000 of the hammer price, compared with the earlier threshold of $100,000. Above $200,000 and up to and including $3 million the rate will be 20 percent, a rise from the earlier range of $100,000 to $2 million. For the remainder of the hammer price above $3 million the charge will be 12 percent, compared with $2 million under the previous rate structure that has been in place since 2013. Bill Ruprecht, the chairman and president of Sotheby's, said the changes were needed to boost the New York-based auction house financially. "This will improve Sotheby's revenue, strengthen the company's profit margins, fund innovation, help us continue to make interesting and exciting investments in the business, and support our growing online and traditional engagement with clients around the world," Ruprecht said in a statement. He announced last year he would be leaving the company. Sotheby's main competitor, Christie's, owned by French luxury-goods magnate Francois Pinault, last raised its rates two years ago. A spokeswoman said it had no plans to follow the example of Sotheby's, a publicly traded company. Privately owned British auction house Bonhams said it also has no plans to change its premiums. | 3 | 4,361 | finance |
CINCINNATI - UConn and Cincinnati played one of their typical games, physical and defense-driven, at the XL Center on Jan. 10. Larry Davis, the Bearcats' interim coach, expects more of the same when the teams get together again Thursday night at Fifth Third Arena. "It's going to be a rock fight," Davis told reporters at Cincinnati's practice. "They're really good defensively, hopefully we'll be really good defensively, and it will come down to making some shots and winning the rebounding battle." Cincinnati (14-5, 5-2 in the American Conference) is one of the teams UConn (11-7, 4-2) is going to have to leapfrog as it tries to rebuild its season after a difficult non-conference experience. Davis, who is coaching this season as Mick Cronin recovers from a vascular condition, broke down what makes scoring difficult against the Huskies. The Huskies won the first meeting, 62-56, as Ryan Boatright scored 18 points in a come-from-behind win. "It's what we call loading the box," he said. "As soon as the ball goes to one side, they have five players midline and over. It makes it hard to get the ball inside, they're always there to surround you. They force you to take jump shots, is what they do. Guys can strip it from you. They're not going to let you get all the way to the rim. If you watch their games, very few people get all the way to the rim on them consistently. "They're a lot like SMU. There are teams in our league that play the way they do. In my estimation, last year, early in the year, UConn was a steal-the-ball-from-you kind of team. They tried to pressureyou, steal every pass, and when they got really good late in the season, Kevin Ollie made a change about midseason. They really started being a help-side, load-the-box, don't-let-you-get-to-the-rim, make-you-shoot-jump-shotsteam. And it took them all the way to the national championship." One thing has changed since these teams met three weeks ago: the Huskies have become a perimeter shooting team to be reckoned with. They have shot better than 50 percent (29-for-57) on three-pointers over the last three games since Omar Calhoun has moved into the starting lineup. Rodney Purvis, now coming off the bench, provides an offensive spark in that role. "Their perimeter is a real concern," Davis said. "[Center Amida] Brimah can score, if it's one-on-one down there, but their primary focus is to get those guards driving to the rim, get those guards open threes and we've got to contain those three guards on the perimeter, first and foremost." The Bearcats lost to Memphis on Jan. 15, but now have won three in a row and are 11-1 at home. Cincinnati is 28th in the NCAA's latest RPI rankings. UConn, 78th, can move up with a road win. The Huskies, who will practice at Storrs on Wednesday afternoon, are expected in Cincinnati in the early evening. We'll have more interviews when they arrive. | 1 | 4,362 | sports |
Everton manager Roberto Martinez has revealed that goalkeeper Tim Howard is ahead of schedule in his recovery from a calf injury. The United States international has been sidelined since being replaced at halftime in the Premier League clash with Stoke City on Boxing Day. Howard is set to return next month and Martinez on Wednesday stated that the former Manchester United keeper could be back sooner than he anticipated. He told the club's official website: "Tim is progressing really well, better than any medical advice would think. "We are still working within those six to eight weeks since the injury happened but he is progressing extremely well and probably a little bit ahead of what we predicted. We are now going to carry on treating him based on how he feels each day." Martinez believes a trip to Qatar has proved to be beneficial for a number of players who have been in the treatment room, with James McCarthy and Sylvain Distin possibly returning for Saturday's trip to Crystal Palace. The Spaniard said: "It was a chance to regenerate the bodies. We saw Darron Gibson adapting well with the group, as did Sylvain Distin. Sylvain has benefited a lot by being able to work in the warm weather, so we expect that he will be available to make the squad for Saturday. "James McCarthy, in the same way, put in a lot of good work and in the next 48 hours we will know whether he will available to make the Crystal Palace game. I would be positive in saying James will be back in the squad very soon. Leon Osman and Steven Pienaar have a little bit of a longer term of rehabilitation. They have been progressing well and working hard individually. We will see how quickly they can recover but it is a bit of a longer period for them." | 1 | 4,363 | sports |
The grass isn't always greener on the other side. After years of fueling the growth of luxury labels, there are signs that the global high-end consumer is starting to cool placing a renewed emphasis on the importance of the United States and its affluent shoppers. According to a recent report by KeyBanc analyst Edward Yruma, weakness in the global economy, a strong U.S. dollar and ongoing geopolitical issues are contributing to a slowdown among consumers who live overseas. But it isn't just international companies that are vulnerable to the shift. As a result of these trends, analysts have recently lowered their ratings on U.S.-based retailers Tiffany (TIF) and Ralph Lauren (RL) which pull in a high percentage of their sales abroad and lowered earnings expectations for Coach (COH) . "Within the international luxury [category], we highlight China, Russia, Japan and Europe as particularly important markets," Yruma said. "Given the recent macro headwinds in these markets, which are largely expected to continue into 2015, we think the global high-end consumer could be challenged." At Coach, for example, Morgan Stanley analyst Kimberly Greenberger wrote in a note to investors that deteriorating international trends are expected to weigh on the company's fiscal second-quarter earnings results compounding its struggles to regain popularity among U.S. shoppers. She predicted that similar to Tiffany which disappointed investors earlier this month when it said holiday sales decreased 1 percent year over year Coach's earnings report, to be released Thursday, will indicate that a stronger dollar pressured its sales. Greenberger noted that the yen depreciated 12 percent year over year during the accessories company's second quarter; since Japan accounts for about 11 percent of Coach's sales, it implies a 1 percent hit on the company's sales. "Additionally, while marginal compared to Tiffany's higher dependency upon foreign tourist spending, we believe the stronger U.S. dollar certainly won't help Coach's U.S. retail locations, which may partially rely on Asian tourist spending," she said. And after growing between 20 and 80 percent every quarter for the past five years, Greenberger noted that China only grew 10 percent in the fiscal first quarter a deceleration she expects to continue in the second quarter. The Chinese government's crackdown on the "gift giving" of luxury items has caused some high-end brands to lose 40 to 50 percent of their business there, said Alison Paul, vice chairman and U.S. retail and distribution leader at Deloitte. Another name expected to take a hit from its international exposure is Ralph Lauren. Earlier this month, Janney Capital Markets analyst Eric Tracy downgraded his rating on the luxury label to "neutral" from "buy," citing in part "intensifying global headwinds" that could hurt the label's sales. He noted that 34 percent of its revenue comes from international markets. "I think the softness in China, the struggles in Brazil and so on, the luxury brands are not going to be able to rely on the growth there that they have in the last few years," said Paul. Despite the changing landscape and a slowdown in sales, The Boston Consulting Group said in a new report that the luxury goods and services category will continue to grow at around 7 percent a year, "handily outpacing [gross domestic product] in many economies around the world." According to the firm's calculations, consumers spent more than $1.8 trillion on luxury items in 2012, which includes the approximately $390 billion spent on traditional luxury goods such as apparel, cosmetics and jewelry. As part of its report, BCG measured the current luxury status and growth potential of the world's 550 richest cities as defined by GDP per capita, to project the potential demand for luxury goods in each location in 2017. More than 40 percent of the top 50 cities were in the U.S.; that compares to only 12 percent for China (including Hong Kong and Taiwan) and 10 percent for Western Europe. "A lot of [luxury brands] are turning back to Western Europe and North America and I think that's probably appropriate," Paul said. She added that the resurgence of the aspirational shopper someone who will splurge on luxury goods, but doesn't have the income to buy pricey items as frequently as they may like should give U.S. luxury sales a boost. Still, that's not to say retailers can totally ignore emerging markets or Europe or Asia, for that matter. Some companies are even seeing resilience in these regions, thanks to a business model that touches a sweet spot for consumers. Farfetch, for example, is a website that handles the Web operations of 300 independent luxury boutiques around the globe. Andrew Robb, the company's chief operating officer, said that Hong Kong and China is one of its fastest-growing markets. "When e-commerce is growing at three or four times the overall market rate, if you're focused on e-commerce, you're getting the market growth anyway," he said. | 3 | 4,364 | finance |
Forbes released the average salary for each of the major sports leagues and found that the NFL has the lowest average, with the MLB nearly doubling the NFL. | 1 | 4,365 | sports |
Girls who drink sugary soda more often are more likely to start their menstrual cycles at a younger age, according to a new study (pdf) out of Harvard Medical School. Researchers analyzed data from 5,583 girls in the Growing up Today Study (GUTS), surveying American children from 1996 to 2001, beginning when they were between the ages of 9 to 14. The study, published in the journal Human Reproduction, found that girls were 24% more likely to start menarche (their first menstrual cycle) in the next month if they drank at least 1.5 servings of sugar-sweetened drinks a day than if they drank no more than two servings per week. This correlation was true for the carbonated drinks with added sugars, but not for drinks with natural sugars like fruit juice, says Karin Michels, a co-author and associate professor at Harvard Medical School. This study did not examine the underlying reasons for this, but according to Michels, it's probably because the natural sugar in fruit juice has less of an effect on insulin levels and changes to hormonal metabolism the sugar often added to carbonated drinks. Sugary sodas also put kids at risk for obesity, which is another cause of early menstruation, Michels tells Quartz. The researchers accounted for obesity in this study, and found that sugary drinks cause early menstruation regardless of weight, she said. The problems associated with earlier menstruation abound. A recent Newsweek story details the potentially negative psychological and emotional effects, and this study and the Telegraph point to other research showing that for each year a women experiences menstruation, there is an increase to the risk of breast cancer. | 5 | 4,366 | news |
ATHENS, Ga. (AP) Basketball is usually an afterthought at Georgia, something to pass the time between football season and spring practice. That might be changing. The Bulldogs have won five straight Southeastern Conference games, matching their longest streak in the league in the last 14 years, and are making a strong bid for their first NCAA tournament berth since 2011. Georgia (14-5, 5-2 SEC) has made its run despite a rash of injuries that forced coach Mark Fox to juggle his playing rotation from game to game in a bid to find the right mix. It's still a work in progress, but the Bulldogs have managed to go 2 1/2 weeks since their last loss, a double-overtime heartbreaker at LSU. ''I don't think we've played anywhere near where we can,'' Fox said after the latest victory, a 70-62 triumph over Vanderbilt on Tuesday night. ''I've got to come up with a little more of a stable rotation. Obviously, the matchups are different in every game, so it's been hard for us to get consistent offensively. But I think we can get better, I really do.'' The Bulldogs lost valuable swingman Kenny Paul Geno to a broken wrist three weeks ago, and it's not known when he'll be able to return. Sophomore guard Juwan Parker is also out with a left Achilles injury. Even with the setbacks, Georgia has managed to win its last five contests by an average of less than 7 points, its only double-digit victory a 73-61 triumph that ended Florida's 24-game SEC winning streak. ''Lately, we have been finding ways,'' senior forward Nemanja Djurisic said. ''It's always good to win when you don't play as well.'' Especially at Georgia, which has endured struggles on the court since a scandal cost Jim Harrick his job in 2003. His successor, Dennis Felton, was fired midway through his sixth season, having produced only a single one-and-done NCAA tournament appearance (and that coming after the Bulldogs finished last in the SEC during the 2008 regular season, but pulled off a miraculous run through the tornado-impacted conference tournament). Fox guided Georgia to the NCAAs his second year on the job, but again the Bulldogs were quickly ousted. They haven't been back since, even with a 12-6 mark in the SEC a year ago, their hopes dashed by the lack of any notable wins outside the conference. That shouldn't be an issue this year. Georgia has home wins over Colorado and Seton Hall, as well as an impressive road victory at Kansas State. In addition, they gave a respectable showing against No. 3 Gonzaga before losing 88-76. The Bulldogs are No. 25 in the projected RPI ratings, ahead of five teams - including No. 8 Notre Dame - that made the latest Associated Press poll. ''This team is a little better than some of our teams in the past,'' junior guard Kenny Gaines said. ''We've had some good games, but we couldn't close `em out. It comes down to being mentally tough at the end of the game.'' Georgia travels to South Carolina on Saturday, looking to make it six SEC wins in a row for the first time since 2001. After that, it's a trip to Lexington to face top-ranked Kentucky. Much like the nearby Atlanta Hawks, the surprise of the NBA season, Georgia doesn't rely on one or two star players. The five starters are averaging between 10.7 and 13.5 points a game. All have led the team in scoring at least twice this season. ''That's the great thing about this group,'' Fox said. ''It really is a team. They enjoy being a team.'' --- Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963 | 1 | 4,367 | sports |
Brands spend a lot of time desperately grasping for our attention , but sometimes they leave us with burning questions without even trying. "How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Roll Tootsie Pop?" "Are there really 1,000 chips in every bag?" Now, an answer is finally being posited for one of the biggest unsolved mysteries: could the Kool-Aid Man actually break through a brick wall? Jake Roper, a contributor to the YouTube channel VSauce, says that, oh yeah he can. Roper estimates that if the Kool-Aid Man were brought up to the scale represented in the iconic ads, he would measure about 6 feet tall, have a dry weight of almost 6,000 pounds (11,000 pounds when filled with Kool-Aid), and his glass frame would measure 3.6 inches thick. Glass, he argues, can withstand pressure 469 times that of our atmosphere. Since that's well past the strength needed to obliterate brick and mortar, the massive red mascot would only need to move at an "average running pace" to break through. Once the wall-crushing analysis is done, Roper does take one huge liberty in assuming that the beverage that fills the Kool-Aid Man serves as his blood. Considering he contains no visible cardiovascular system, it's hard to imagine why the Kool-Aid Man would even need blood, and that's without even considering that he's a 6-foot-tall sentient pitcher made of glass that defies all conventions of what we call life. Also, I really don't want to think of it as drinking the Kool-Aid Man's blood. That part aside, I will now spend the rest of my week daydreaming about the realism of the behaviors of other cartoonish brand representatives: Are marshmallows light enough that a leprechaun could glide through the air on them? Could elves actually perform a massive baking operation in a tree without burning the whole thing down? How far could a toy bunny really go on one Energizer battery ? | 5 | 4,368 | news |
World Player of the Year Cristiano Ronaldo has been banned for two matches after being sent-off for lashing out at Cordoba defender Edimar during Real Madrid's 2-1 win on Saturday. The Portuguese will miss home games against Real Sociedad and Sevilla in the next week, but crucially will be free to feature against La Liga champions Atletico Madrid on February 7. Madrid currently lead Barcelona by a point at the top of La Liga, but also have a game in hand. Ronaldo has had an eventful month after picking up his third Ballon d'Or in Zurich and splitting from long term supermodel girlfriend Irina Shayk. On the field his form has dipped and his frustration boiled over when he was dismissed for the ninth time in his career for kicking the Brazilian whilst the scores were still level at 1-1 with seven minutes to go before Gareth Bale grabbed a late winner from the penalty spot. The former Manchester United man had also got away with a slap on Jose Crespo moments before the red card. He then infuriated the Cordoba support by pointing to the badge on Real's shirt which recognises their recent win in the Club World Cup as he left the field. The 29-year-old subsequently apologised for his actions via his official Twitter account. "I apologise to everyone and especially to Edimar for my rash act," he wrote on Saturday. However, referee Alejandro Jose Hernandez didn't classify Ronaldo's act as violent conduct allowing him to escape with just a two-game ban. Barcelona striker Neymar caused furore when he insisted Ronaldo should be punished earlier in the week. Yet, the Brazilian also defended his Madrid rival by claiming the best players are often provoked into reacting, citing French legend Zinedine Zidane's infamous headbutt on Marco Materazzi in the 2006 World Cup final. "It is easy to talk about for those that aren't involved. All players are exposed to these things and sometimes you can put up with it and other times not. "We can't act like that, but I think he will be punished. It is also difficult because sometimes there is provocation and it can happen like what happened to Zidane." Last season Ronaldo was handed a three-game ban for taking his protests too far after being sent-off for clashing with Athletic Bilbao's Carlos Gurpegi and Ander Iturraspe. | 1 | 4,369 | sports |
If I had to pick what the two most difficult aspects about infertility are, I would tell you that: A) it's one of the most emotionally challenging things to ever go through, and B) it's fucking expensive. Like, really expensive. And when you take emotions and add money into it, you can start to see how someone could quickly spiral into enormous amount of debt. Because there's always that chance. Maybe next time it will work. We have a whole new treatment plan, so let's try it one more time. When we first started trying way early on, a lot of people told us we were young, that we still had time. We were told to relax, that it will happen in God's time. I'd grit my teeth and put on a smile trying, trying to remember that they were just trying to be supportive. Now, in the last few years of treatments, those comments don't come anymore. I don't know whether to be happy that they've stopped, or depressed that now I am no longer considered "young," and that all the relaxing in the world has not yet gotten me pregnant. Now, the comments of, "Have you ever thought about adoption?" are coming up more and more. I get it, so far, it hasn't been very successful. But hearing that makes me wonder, are people trying to tell me to give it up? To move on? A few weeks ago I received a comment on a post I wrote explaining the numbing fear I have about not being able to have a child. I was told that I was selfish for continuing treatments when there are so many children out there, and my money could have been better spent on adoption. My thoughts on those comments were: My dear, you are entirely missing the point of that whole article. Infertility is emotionally draining. And it's expensive. Am I selfish for spending thousands of dollars on treatments for a child I am not sure I will ever bring into this world? Which brings me back to the beginning of this post. Infertility is emotionally draining. And it's expensive. Am I selfish for spending thousands of dollars on treatments for a child I am not sure I will ever bring into this world? I don't know. What I do know is, like everything else in infertility, no one really knows what they would do in a situation until they are in it. There are those who get a diagnosis of infertility and go on to adopt lots of children. And that's wonderful. Sometimes I wish I could do that. But right now, I can't. Because I am fighting for these last one or two cycles for a child I can carry inside me. Christ, I already know I won't have my own biological children. But my husband can. I want to see my husband's features in our child. I want to experience pregnancy, morning sickness, feeling the kicks, the screeching pain of childbirth. And I am not going to apologize for that. Is adoption completely out of the cards for us? Never say never, right? I'm almost 30. Who knows if down the road, when we replenish our bank account, if we won't attempt the adoption process in a few years? But right now, we are not going down that road. We are continuing to pursue donor eggs, and have the faith that it could work with our new treatment plan. Because that's all I have. I just wish that some people would understand that this is an incredibly hard enough process to go through without reading the shocking comments belittling the last two and a half years of fear, sadness, anger and disappointment. The choices I have made with my husband have been far from easy. But they have been my choices and when I am finished with all this, I hope I can live the rest of my life without wondering what could have been. Just as in the transition to donor eggs, there is a transition process to adoption. It involves grieving, and a whole new "stage" if you will, of infertility. Because the wonderful women I know who have decided to pursue adoption all say one thing: It didn't cure their infertility. It doesn't diminish the pain of not experiencing a pregnancy. It's not as simple as "just adopting" and more importantly, it doesn't make the emotional or financial aspects any easier to bear. It's an incredibly personal decision to make, and it's not the road for everyone. I wish more people would understand that. | 4 | 4,370 | lifestyle |
2Chainz wants to run for mayor of his hometown of College Park, Georgia. | 8 | 4,371 | video |
Facebook is far and away the largest social network in the world and increasingly dominates the time we spend in mobile apps. It's running neck and neck with YouTube when it comes to data consumption on our smartphones and tablets. All the time people spend in the company's Newsfeed is growing into a huge advertising business for Facebook, especially now that it's got more lucrative formats like video auto-playing. Its fourth quarter earnings grew 45 percent over last year, to $3.85 billion, with a profit of $701 million. For the full year, the company generated $12.46 billion in revenue, a 58 percent increase over 2013. Facebook's mobile revenue is huge even without Instagram or Whatsapp Mobile now generates 69 percent of Facebook's revenue, up from 53 percent for the same period last year. That's good news for the company, and it's even better when you consider that it also has over 300 million users on Instagram, to whom it's just starting to advertise, and more than 600 million on WhatsApp, which it's not yet seeking to monetize at all. The company reported a daily active user base of 819 million users, with 1.39 billion check-ins in a one-month period. For Mobile, those numbers are slightly lower. Facebook quarterly results | Create infographics Like all US companies, Facebook earnings were strongly impacted by volatility in the global currency markets. As the value of the US dollar has risen dramatically, international earnings have taken a hit. Facebook says its revenue would have been roughly 4 percent higher excluding changes in foreign exchange rates. That's the same percentage cited yesterday by Apple. One major change that bucked the across-the-board financial increases was a major drop in the company's gross margins. Founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg had cautioned investors that Facebook planned to spend heavily on hiring, acquisitions, and R&D. While its revenue and profit rose, its operating margin fell 15 percent compared to the same period in 2013. Research and development spending rose 10 percent just since last quarter. Hey, virtual reality movie studios don't come cheap. | 3 | 4,372 | finance |
On Wednesday, Uber delivered puppies on-demand. For $30, office workers in 10 cities across the US could use the company's app to order 15 minutes of cuddle time with the adoptable dogs. The company, which is usually geared toward taxi and limousine service world domination, brought the pups to offices in partnership with the Animal Planet television channel. The deliveries were part of a promotion for the station's upcoming Puppy Bowl XI special. The show airs annually as an alternative to the NFL's Super Bowl, which kicks off in Glendale, Arizona, this Sunday. Puppy Bowl cameras follow the tiny canines as they play in a field-themed pen packed with football toys. @Uber_Phx puppies are in route #uberpuppybowl @AnimalPlanet pic.twitter.com/Ld1ujc3AlR meltmedia (@meltmedia) January 28, 2015 Puppies were delivered between 11am and 3pm in Phoenix, Baltimore, Cleveland, Dallas, Washington, Denver, Indianapolis, Los Angeles and Seattle. The dogs delivered were from local animal shelters. Notably, some were dressed for the occasion in tutus and jerseys. In the past, Uber has delivered kittens, Halloween costumers, food and flu shots. | 5 | 4,373 | news |
In the press conference after his Chelsea beat Liverpool 1-0 in the English League Cup semi-final, thus booking their place in the Wembley showpiece final | 8 | 4,374 | video |
Larry Stogner had been with the station 40 years. | 8 | 4,375 | video |
In 2002, fishermen off the Oregon coast pulled up their traps to find them full of dead crabs. Baby octopuses were climbing up their lines, seemingly struggling to get out of the deep. "In 30 years of crabbing, I'd never seen anything like it before," a fisherman told the Los Angeles Times . "It's spooky, this dead-zone thing." The crabs had suffocated, caught by a sudden influx of low-oxygen water. The dead zone has reappeared every year since, expanding to cover an area the size of Rhode Island in 2006. Researchers have long suspected dead zones like Oregon's are linked to climate change . Something in the system of ocean currents and wind patterns had shifted, creating a deadly new normal, and it had happened suddenly. This map of the California Current shows the extent of the low-oxygen seafloor. Yellow indicates intermediate hypoxia, while red zones are areas of severe oxygen loss. UC Davis A study out today in PLOS One gives an idea of just how widespread and how sudden these shifts can be. Researchers reconstructed the state of seawater as the ice sheets melted roughly 10,000-17,000 years ago, a period of climate change with parallels to our own, by using ocean sediment taken from locations between Chile and the Gulf of Alaska. The scientists found evidence of extreme oxygen loss all along the Pacific coast. More alarming, they found that it happened fast in some cases, in less than 100 years. "We were definitely struck by the rate, by how fast these changes happen," says Sarah Moffitt, a researcher at the UC Davis Bodega Marine Laboratory and lead author of the paper. Low-oxygen zones occur naturally in certain parts of the ocean, often some of the most productive for fisheries, as a side effect of nutrient-rich water coming to the surface. In Oregon, for instance, summer winds push warm, oxygen-rich surface water offshore, and cold, fertile, but oxygen-starved water cycles up from the deep to take its place. It's a process called upwelling, and like rotating compost, it brings a wealth of nutrients to the surface; those nutrients feed phytoplankton, which in turn feed fish and crabs. When the phytoplankton die, they sink and decay, creating areas of low oxygen farther down in the water column. But in recent years, these low-oxygen zones have been getting bigger, more intense, and creeping closer to shore. "It's a natural feature of upwelling zones," Moffitt says. "But this investigation showed that it's extremely responsive to abrupt climate change. The capacity for these zones to expand vertically and geographically is very extreme." Expansion of a dead zone in the Pacific Northwest. PISCO/OSU The relationship between climate change and dead zones is complex. When seawater gets warmer, it holds less dissolved oxygen. Layers of ocean water also become more stratified, and it gets harder for oxygen-rich surface layers to mix with deeper water. Warming at the poles affects the formation of deepwater currents that move water around the Pacific. Changing wind patterns on land affect how often upwelling occurs. Though the exact mechanism driving dead zone expansion is unclear, studies show that it's happening and will likely increase. One model predicts a 50 percent increase in low-oxygen water by the end of the century. As the zones spread, they reduce the number of habitats for many of the sea creatures we eat. "These systems have the capacity to be very unstable when you poke the climate system with a sharp stick." The disconcerting thing about Moffitt's study is that it shows how quickly these changes can happen. Most policy discussions about climate change are conducted in terms of estimates and averages 3 feet of sea level rise , 170 percent increase in ocean acidity but what we're dealing with are complex interlocking systems with tipping points and feedback loops we barely understand. "It's not just about temperature," says Moffitt. "It's about disrupting fundamental earth processes that we as humans have understood to be very stable. They're not stable. These systems have the capacity to be very unstable when you poke climate system with a sharp stick." | 5 | 4,376 | news |
Matthew Phillips made our lives a little better by uploading this awesome video of his two huskies dog sledding through Pittsburgh. Gillian Pensavalle (@GillianWithaG) has the story. Check out more of Matthew's videos here: https://www.youtube.com/user/GnEeErKd | 8 | 4,377 | video |
The New York Red Bulls signed U.S. international midfielder Sacha Kljestan through their top spot in the allocation order, the club announced Wednesday. The move is follows on from a trade Tuesday which saw New York acquire Felipe Martins and the top spot in the allocation order from the Montreal Impact, in exchange for Ambroise Oyongo and Eric Alexander. "This was an extremely complicated transaction that we worked on over the last few weeks," New York sporting director Ali Curtis said in a release. "There were multiple variables that needed to be managed during the process. Ultimately, we were able to reach a point where we could bring Sacha aboard. I am elated to have Sacha join the club." United States International @SachaKljestan joins the club. http://t.co/5az4yxxjzH #RBNY #WelcomeSacha pic.twitter.com/gzJE7NsDOe New York Red Bulls (@NewYorkRedBulls) January 28, 2015 Kljestan, 29, joins from Belgian side Anderlecht, which he joined in 2010. He made 90 league appearances for Anderlecht, helping the team win three straight league titles and four domestic cups during his time in Belgium. The midfielder began his career with now-defunct MLS side Chivas USA, where he earned MLS Best XI and All-Star honors in 2008. Internationally, Kljestan has 46 caps for the United States. He was part of the qualification campaign for the 2010 and 2014 World Cups, but did not make the final roster for either tournament. | 1 | 4,378 | sports |
Facebook on Wednesday reported that its quarterly profit jumped 33.8 percent from last year to $696 million as ad revenue and membership grew at the leading social network. The California-based Internet titan said that revenue in the final quarter of last year hit $3.85 billion as the number of active monthly users increased 13 percent to 1.39 billion. "We got a lot done in 2014," said Facebook co-founder and chief executive Mark Zuckerberg. "Our community continues to grow and we're making progress towards connecting the world." A strong showing in ads served up on smartphones or tablet computers helped Facebook earnings beat analyst forecasts. Shares sank slightly more than a percent to $75.40 in after-market trades that followed release of the figures. Facebook saw its first quarter of taking in more than $3 billion overall from ads, with about two-thirds of that coming from mobile advertising revenue which soared 69 percent from the same period a year earlier. An average of 745 million Facebook members daily used mobile devices to visit the social network in December of last year, the company reported. Facebook said that its properties Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp recently topped 300 million, 500 million, and 700 million monthly active users respectively. The net profit including dividends paid to preferred shareholders was $701 million in the fourth quarter. For the full year, Facebook's profit nearly doubled to $2.9 billion and revenue jumped 58 percent to $12.8 billion. Investors may be concerned by an 87 percent jump in costs and expenses to $2.72 billion at Facebook that shrank the social networks profit margin to 29 percent from 44 percent in the same period a year earlier. - Advertising and mobile - Facebook's growth has helped it become a major player in online advertising. According to the research firm eMarketer, Facebook accounted for a 7.75 percent share of all global digital ad revenues last year, an increase from 5.75 percent in 2013. That compares with 31 percent for Google. In mobile, Facebook's share was 18.4 percent in 2014, the research firm said. Zuckerberg in prior earnings calls has laid out a long-term vision for Facebook that includes pouring resources into technology such as virtual reality and ways for Internet service to reach more people in developing countries. Facebook said Monday it is testing a lightweight version of its mobile app for mobile phones with poor-quality Internet connections in emerging markets. A spokesman told AFP that the "Facebook Lite" Android app is designed "for people on 2G (second-generation) connections or in areas of limited Internet accessibility." Most of Facebook's growth is coming from emerging markets, but many people lack the phones or computers needed for the full-featured app. | 3 | 4,379 | finance |
Singapore Exchange Ltd's chief executive said on Waednesday he is looking to emulate the much-heralded Stock Connect link between Hong Kong and Shanghai by formally linking together Southeast Asian bourses. With a plan already in the works to form a stock trading link with Taiwan later this year, Magnus Bocker told Reuters that establishing direct connections between exchanges has replaced mergers and acquisitions as the industry's main growth strategy, particularly in Asia. He wants a fledgling link between stock broking houses in Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand, known as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Trading Link, to evolve into a formal connection between the region's exchanges. "I'm optimistic that out of that ASEAN Trading Link, with what's going on in linking up markets, that hopefully within a couple of years we can link ASEAN closer together between the exchanges, the clearing houses," he said. The November launch of the landmark Stock Connect trading platform between Hong Kong and Shanghai has, despite some technical problems, been hailed as a major step forward in the opening up of China's capital markets. The launch has spurred other exchanges including Taiwan and Shenzhen to look at such connections, hoping to make cross-border share trading easier and improve market liquidity. Developing such a link in Southeast Asia will be tough though. ASEAN is notorious for its slow progress on joint initiatives, and the current trading link between broking houses that was established in 2012 has so far seen low volumes. "We are not there yet but with the other links coming, I think it will enable us to do it in an ASEAN context," Bocker said. IN NEED OF A BOOST Joining Stock Connect or forming a strong separate ASEAN trading link would provide an impetus to Singapore's beleaguered securities market. While Singapore is the number one venue in Asia for foreign exchange and has seen strong growth in derivatives trading, the average value of shares traded on its exchange each day is now less than that of Thailand's and trails far behind Hong Kong and Tokyo. The bourse has launched a series of initiatives over the past year to boost liquidity such as providing incentives for brokers to act as market makers and cutting the minimum number of shares that need to be purchased in a trade from 1000 units to 100. Bocker says while it is still early days, initial signs are that those moves are now starting to boost volumes, which were hit by a penny stock scandal in late 2013. "The first three weeks of this year are coming up much stronger than the same three weeks a year ago," he said. Speculation mounted late last year that Bocker, 53, may not have his contract renewed when it expires this June, after two technical glitches in less than a month caused stock trading to be halted. He says his contract renewal is a matter for SGX's board. "I am enjoying what I am doing. There is no doubt about it." Investors say while Bocker is taking the right steps, until it can attract bigger companies to list on its market, it is likely to remain in the shadow of Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (0388.HK). "It doesn't have the big brother hinterland that Hong Kong has. So that's a structural issue for them," said David Smith, head of corporate governance at Aberdeen Asset Management Asia, which owns shares in SGX. Unlike Hong Kong, Singapore has seen few large IPOs in the past two years while there has also been a spate of delistings among its bigger companies. Last week, conglomerate Keppel Corp (KPLM.SI) offered to take private its property unit in a $2.7 billion deal. Bocker says while the exchange struggles compared with Hong Kong to attract large Chinese state-owned companies on to its market, they still have a strong pipeline of companies from India and other Asian markets looking to list. "The rumor of our death is a little bit exaggerated, I would say," he said. (Editing by Edwina Gibbs) | 3 | 4,380 | finance |
Women whose bodies contained high levels of certain chemicals found in plastics and cosmetics experienced menopause two to four years earlier than women with lower amounts in their systems, US researchers said Wednesday. While the study in the journal PLOS ONE did not prove that the chemical exposures caused earlier menopause, study authors said the associations they uncovered merit further research. "Chemicals linked to earlier menopause may lead to an early decline in ovarian function, and our results suggest we as a society should be concerned," said senior author Amber Cooper, an assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the Washington University School of Medicine. The findings were based on a nationally representative sample of 1,442 menopausal women, whose average age was 61. None of the women were taking estrogen-replacement therapies, nor had they undergone surgery to remove their ovaries. Researchers examined the women's blood and urine for signs of 111 chemicals that are suspected of interfering with the natural production and distribution of hormones in the body, the study said. They found 15 chemicals that were significantly associated with earlier menopause and declines in ovarian function. They included nine polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), three pesticides, two phthalates --- which are typically found in plastics, common household items, pharmaceuticals, lotions, perfumes, makeup, nail polish, liquid soap and hair spray -- and a toxic chemical known as a furan "that warrant closer evaluation," the study said. Ovarian function is important because without it, women are infertile and may be at risk for earlier development of heart disease, osteoporosis and other health problems. "Many of these chemical exposures are beyond our control because they are in the soil, water and air," Cooper said. "But we can educate ourselves about our day-to-day chemical exposures and become more aware of the plastics and other household products we use." She recommended people use glass or paper containers when microwaving food, and minimize their exposure to harmful chemicals in the cosmetics and personal care products they choose. The study was funded by the US National Institutes of Health. | 7 | 4,381 | health |
Kitten burritos, aka purritos, just might be the cutest thing on the Internet Endless Purritos The best purritos to ever purrito. Content Purrito This cat is snug as a bug in a rug, and happy to be there. Purrito in the Process "I did this to myself, and I regret nothing." Double Purrito Twice as many purrs for the same price. Such a good deal. Mini Purrito The smaller size doesn't stop it from being off-the-charts adorable. Paper Purrito Reusable materials are the best for making purritos in an environmentally friendly way. Purrito of the Wild "I am kitty, hear me roar." Newborn Purrito "This is my very first purrito, and it's making me sleepy." Purrito of Regret "It has to be said: This position is not a favorite of mine. Can you stop doing this to me?" The Purrito and the Pea The more padding, the better. | 4 | 4,382 | lifestyle |
It's recently come to our attention that a lot of phone and tablet users are using their gadgets completely wrong - without even realizing it! In this episode of The Sync Up, we're sharing life-changing solutions to everyday tech mistakes. Mistake #1: Taking a selfie with "selfie arm." Say goodbye to human limbs taking up half your photo! Open the camera app, set up your phone, plug in your Apple EarPods headphones (the kind that come with the iPhone and iPod Touch when you get it), and prop up your phone somewhere. Press the volume "up" button on the headphones to trigger the shutter, like a remote! Mistake #2: Leaving WiFi and Bluetooth on. Leaving wireless technology accelerates battery drain, so leave WiFi and Bluetooth off when you can. Swipe up from the bottom of your phone's screen to view Control Center, your shortcut to WiFi and Bluetooth settings. Another pro tip is to turn on Airplane Mode if you want your iPhone to charge faster. Mistake #3: Recording video upright. To record video, turn your phone sideways. That's right, in landscape not portrait orientation. That way, when you upload a video to YouTube, you won't waste so much screen on those two black side bars. Mistake #4: Typing on your iPad lying down using the normal keyboard. Holding your iPad over your head is not only difficult - it's dangerous! When you're typing without a desk or stand, get a secure grip by splitting the iPad keyboard. Place two fingers on the middle of the keyboard, then spread your fingers apart! Now you have a special keyboard where you can type with just your thumbs. Head over this way for more epic tech tips! | 8 | 4,383 | video |
Tony Stewart talks about the upcoming NASCAR season. | 1 | 4,384 | sports |
Arnold Schwarzenegger is to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. The 67-year-old actor and former body-builder, who has appeared at many Monday Night 'RAW' events and was presented with a WWE Championship belt on one of the first episodes of WWE 'SmackDown' in 1999, will be honored for his contributions to wresting at the annual ceremony during WrestleMania 31 on 28 March in San Jose, California, according to gossip website TMZ.com. WWE Executive Vice President of Talent, Live Events and Creative, Paul 'Triple H' Levesque said in a statement: "We are honored to induct Arnold Schwarzenegger into the WWE Hall of Fame. His larger-than-life on- and off-screen presence translated perfectly into the world of WWE, resulting in many memorable moments." The 'Terminator' star will join the likes of Mike Tyson, Pete Rose and Donald Trump in the Hall of Fame's celebrity wing. It is thought that Arnold will be inducted by his close friend and legendary wrestler Bruno Sammartino, who the actor inducted into the Hall of Fame Madison Square Garden in New York City in 2013. 'Macho Man' Randy Savage, who died in 2011, will also be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame during WrestleMania 31 in Santa Clara, California next month. | 6 | 4,385 | entertainment |
Max-Alain Gradel was the hero once again for the Ivory Coast on Wednesday as his thumping strike secured a 1-0 win against Cameroon and took the Elephants into the Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals. Gradel, whose late equaliser earned the Ivory Coast a 1-1 draw with Mali at the weekend, struck 35 minutes into the deciding Group D game in Malabo as Herve Renard's men went through in first place to a last-eight tie against Algeria on Sunday. For Cameroon, meanwhile, a poor performance saw them eliminated and piled more pressure on coach Volker Finke. With all four sides in the section coming into the final round of matches with identical records, the spectre of a drawing of lots to decide who went through to the last eight hung in the steamy night air of Equatorial Guinea's capital. But in the end such a lottery will only concern Guinea and Mali, whose 1-1 draw in Mongomo ensured they will need a lucky dip to see who advances along with the Ivorians. With so much at stake for both sides, it was no great surprise that the early stages of the match at the Estadio de Malabo were somewhat cagey. The Ivorians, who brought Gradel into their starting line-up after his starring role from the bench against Mali, were first to threaten though when Wilfried Bony diverted a Serge Aurier cross towards goal and Cameroon 'keeper Fabrice Ondoa turned it behind. Ondoa then made another decisive intervention to keep out an Aurier header from Gradel's free-kick, before Elephants coach Herve Renard was forced into a change, with Ousmane Viera replacing the injured Eric Bailly in defence. Nevertheless, they remained the more likely side in attack and they were rewarded with the opening goal 10 minutes before the break thanks to the livewire Gradel. The Saint-Etienne winger collected a pass from Siaka Tiene on the left and advanced towards the edge of the box before unleashing a thunderous strike that flew past Ondoa into the net. Finke had resisted the media clamour to hand a start up front to Clinton Njie, although he did introduce Franck Etoundi into his attack in place of Vincent Aboubakar. However, it was Edgar Salli who passed up two glorious opportunities to equalise before the interval, first being denied by Sylvain Gbohouo and then contriving to blast over the bar after breaking into the penalty area. In his defence, Salli had taken a knock shortly before and did not reappear for the second half, his place being taken by Aboubakar. Yet as the clock ticked down, still it was the Ivorians who looked the more threatening side. They nearly doubled their lead just after the hour when Nicolas Nkoulou failed to deal with a long ball downfield and was outmuscled by Bony, whose shot was blocked by Ondoa. By this point Cameroon were playing with four forwards but their desperation to get a goal back did not translate into much in terms of chances, save for an Aboubakar free-kick that was boxed clear by Gbohouo, as they bowed out. | 1 | 4,386 | sports |
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) -- In a match of player-of-the-year candidates, Jerian Grant made more clutch plays for eighth-ranked Notre Dame than Jahlil Okafor did for fourth-ranked Duke. Grant finished with 23 points and 12 assists and in the final 67 seconds hit a jumper just as the shot clock expired, fired a pass to a wide-open Steve Vasturia for a 3 from the corner just as the shot clock expired then blocked a layup attempt as the Irish rallied from 10-points down to win 77-73. "He loves the moment," Notre Dame coach Mike Brey said. "He's such a bright lights, big-stage guy. He is really clutch." Grant sparked the winning rally when he lost control of the ball at the free-throw line as the shot clock was running down, grabbed it at the last second and hit the basket to give the Irish a 73-70 lead. "It's a heck of a bucket," said Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, who won his 1,000th game on Sunday. "A fortunate bucket, but a heck of a bucket." Grant added six rebounds, three steals and two blocked shots. On the pass to set up the 3-pointer, Grant looked as though he was holding for the last shot when he suddenly passed to Vasturia in the corner. It was the only basket Vasturia made all night. "The best thing about him is, he's going to attack, but he's not going to attack with tunnel vision just to get to the basket," Pat Connaughton said. "Everyone on this team knows that he's going to make the right play, the winning play, and he did that." A year ago the struggling Irish stunned No. 7 Duke 79-77 by holding standout freshman Jabari Parker to a season-low seven points. The Irish couldn't do the same against Okafor, who, like Parker, is from Chicago, just 90 miles west of South Bend. Okafor was a point shy of a double-double at halftime and finished with 22 points and 17 rebounds. But he was 2-of-7 from the free throw line, including 1-of-5 in the final 4:30. "Jah had a heck of a game," Krzyzewski said. "If he hit those free throws then we'd be talking about Jah having the amazing game, not Grant. But Jah had a great game." The win keeps Notre Dame (20-2, 8-1 Atlantic Coast Conference), which finished in 13th place in its first season in the league last year, in second-place halfway through the conference season. Duke (17-3, 4-3) is off to its worst start in league play since opening the 1995-96 3-4 after losing their first four league games. The Blue Devils didn't come up with enough big plays against the Irish, finishing with 13 offensive rebounds but had just nine second-chance points. "We'll look at this as some missed opportunities," Krzyzewski said. "There were six to eight finishes right by the bucket where the ball wouldn't go in." Zach Auguste added 14 points and six rebounds for the Irish, Pat Connaughton added 13 points and 12 rebounds and Demetrius Jackson had 10 points. Quinn Cook had 15 points for Duke, Tyus Jones 14 and Justin Winslow 13. GREAT MENTOR Brey, an assistant at Duke for eight seasons, beat Krzyzewski for the second straight time. He's the only former assistant to beat Krzyzewski. Overall, Krzyzewski is 19-2 against former assistants. "I don't really look at it like that," Brey said. "It's about our team now." TIP-INS Duke: The Blue Devils failed in their attempt to win three games against top 10 opponents on the road for the first time in program history. They beat then-No. 2 Wisconsin 80-70 on Dec. 3 and then-No. 6 Louisville 63-52 on Jan. 17. ... Okafor scored in double figures for the 20th straight game. ... Notre Dame: The Irish improved to 6-1 at home against top 10 teams at home since 2010, with the only loss coming against then-No. 3 Virginia earlier this month. ... The Irish are 14-7 overall under coach Mike Brey against top 10 teams at home. ... Notre Dame is 6-1 this season in games decided by five points or fewer. ... It was Notre Dame's 600th home victory since the Joyce Center opened since the building opened during the 1968-69 season. The Irish are 600-157 at home in that span. UP NEXT Duke: at No. 2 Virginia on Saturday. Notre Dame: at Pittsburgh on Saturday. | 1 | 4,387 | sports |
'Plans are useless but planning is indispensable' One of the most fundamental forces that separate investors from success is that they don't plan ahead. Ironically, it's not the plan itself that does the trick. No, it's the act of planning, the attitude behind the commitment to plan. The person who avoids planning is likely to avoid other inconvenient (and yet crucial) steps in the investing process. As General Dwight Eisenhower once said: "In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless but planning is indispensable." Americans spend countless hours (and often dollars) planning weddings. So why can't they be bothered to plan their financial futures? Among an infinite number of possible reasons, click ahead for eight common ones. One: They put it off Procrastination might be the No. 1 reason people don't plan. We all know there are some things we "should" do, and we know of course that we will do them when the time is right. Of course, the stars never line up perfectly for something we really don't want to do in the first place. When it comes to planning, procrastination is certainly ironic: Every day that we delay is one day we'll never benefit from whatever plan we will eventually make. Two: They don't know where to start Often it makes the most sense to start at the beginning you know, that legendary "first step" that's the most difficult one in the 1,000-mile journey. But when it comes to financial planning (and actually any kind of planning), sometimes the best place to start is at the end. This means thinking about what you want to accomplish. A vivid mental picture of the success you desire can be a great motivator. Three: Seeming futility They think the task (or the goal) is hopeless, and they don't want to face up to what they believe is grim reality. All of us have to confront some form of this issue. Weight? Diet? Relationship challenge? Toxic boss? Yes, we've all been there. "Hopeless" is never a fact; instead, it's an internal mental conversation, a way that you interpret the facts. Here's another bit of irony: If you aren't willing to face up to what you may regard as "the grim reality" of your situation, you'll never discover the "real" reality of it. And your imagined reality may become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Four: The joys of instant gratification They are distracted by a zillion other things that promise instant gratification instead of an uncertain payoff at some uncertain future date. In today's world, it's pretty hard to argue with this. Are you looking forward to trying to convince your spouse that spending the next hour planning your retirement and making a budget is a more compelling than an hour of surfing the web, watching TV or chatting with friends? No, I didn't think so. Instant gratification is always nice. But it's a well-documented fact that the people who are most successful in life are those who can defer their rewards to pursue a larger payoff in the future. It's your choice, and I hope you'll make it. Five: Overwhelmed They see the entire task as overwhelming, so they don't break the problem into parts that are easier to manage. If weddings and vacations had to be entirely planned in one sitting, most people would stay single and stay at home. One solution to this should be obvious: Start somewhere. If you're thinking of a vacation, first figure out either where you're going or when you're going, then start filling in the details. Another obvious solution: Get some help. Hire a wedding planner (if you have the budget) or a travel agent or a financial planner. These people know how to get you going and how to keep you on track. Six: They think it's too late If you look at life this way, you could easily convince yourself that it's always too late. There is always something you could have done one hour ago, or yesterday, or last year, that might have made your life better right now. "Too late" is sometimes actually true. That thing you said that you wish you could take back. That thing you didn't say when you had the opportunity. That airplane flight that took off even though you weren't there yet (The nerve!). The irony is that, if you have any future, then right now will soon become that "one hour ago;" today will soon become that "yesterday," this year will soon become that "last year." This very moment might be exactly the time to do whatever is up for you. Seven: Refusal to cut back They are pretty sure a realistic plan will require them to cut back on a lifestyle they are enjoying, a lifestyle they think they deserve. If this actually turns out to be the case and you can't know this until you do the work then this one loops back to my point above regarding instant gratification. Eight: On a wing and a prayer They think they don't need a plan; they're sure they can successfully wing it as they go along. For many people, this may be the biggest reason they don't plan. And in another bit of irony, many people actually do get by pretty well without a plan. But if you want to put the odds in your favor, winging it just won't do. Winging it is no way to run a professional football team, no way to fly a plane, no way to run a successful business. And in my opinion, it's no way to run your life. You have the last word on how to run your life. The last word in this column goes to time management guru Alan Lakein: "Planning is bringing the future into the present so you can do something about it now." Richard Buck contributed to this article. Paul Merriman is the founder of Merriman Wealth Management, a Seattle-based investment advisory firm, and is the author of numerous books on investing. In his retirement, Paul writes a weekly column at MarketWatch and continues his weekly podcast, Sound Investing. | 3 | 4,388 | finance |
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) -- If the New Jersey Devils are going to make a run at the playoffs, they are going to have to win games in which they don't play well. That is just what they did against the reeling Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday night. Jacob Josefson and Patrik Elias scored in the shootout, Cory Schneider made 29 saves through overtime, and the Devils rallied late to beat Toronto 2-1, extending the Maple Leafs' losing streak to a season-high seven games. "Any win is a good win for us at this point," Elias said. "It wasn't an easy game coming of the (All-Star) break. We just didn't have it going. Schneids kept us in there for the first two, and we found a way to tie it up after they scored." That's the kind of play the Devils are going to need to make up a 13-point deficit in the Eastern Conference wild-card race. They are 5-2-1 in their last eight games, and this win came with an unexpected seeing-eye goal from defenseman Adam Larsson with 2:50 left in regulation off a nice pass by Martin Havlat. "I didn't see it," said Maple Leafs goalie Jonathan Bernier, who made 22 saves. "It was a good shot. Those are the ones you have to (stop)." Larsson smiled sheepishly when asked if he was shooting for the corner of the net on his second goal of the season and fifth of his career. "I was just trying to get the shot past the first layer of players," he said. The goal wiped out the advantage Toronto had built minutes earlier on James van Riemsdyk's breakaway tally. The shootout win was the Devils' third in nine this season. Bernier made a pad save on Scott Gomez on the Devils' first shootout attempt, but Josefson and Elias beat him with backhanders on the next two tries. Mike Santorelli missed the net on Toronto's first attempt, and Schneider stopped Tyler Bozak on the second. "We had plenty of chances," Toronto interim coach Peter Horachek said. "We didn't capitalize on our opportunities." Until the unlikely goal by Larsson, it appeared that van Riemsdyk's goal with 8:11 left in regulation would be the winner. It capped a breakout play on which former Devils forward David Clarkson sent a pass between his legs to Bozak, who made a nifty pass to spring van Riemsdyk in alone on Schneider. "It's been a tough stretch for us, there's no hiding that," van Riemsdyk said. Bernier had kept Toronto ahead with a glove stop on a breakaway by Mike Cammalleri with roughly five minutes to play. The only real action in the first two periods came during power plays. Toronto had the best chances with the extra man but Schneider made two outstanding stops on van Riemsdyk. The first was a skate save against the goal post after the forward backhanded a shot between his legs in the opening period. The second was a glove save from point-blank range late in the second period after Bozak made a no-look pass. Schneider was at his best in the second period, stopping a breakaway by Santorelli midway through the period. He then got lucky about a minute later when Leo Komarov banged a shot off the post from the left circle. "This is a game earlier in the year we would not have won," Devils president and general manager Lou Lamoriello, who is guiding the team along with assistant coach Adam Oates and Scott Stevens since the firing of Pete DeBoer. Bernier faced only 13 shots in the first two periods. His best save was a pad stop on Havlat's shot from just inside the right circle during a power play. NOTES: The Devils began a five-game homestand. ... D Andy Greene played in his 195th consecutive game, one shy of tying Stevens for the second longest streak by a Devils defenseman. ... Maple Leafs captain and defenseman Dion Phaneuf is out due to an upper-body injury. His status will be updated weekly. ... Peter Holland returned to the Toronto lineup after missing 10 games with an upper-body injury. ... Devils forwards Jaromir Jagr and Tuomo Ruutu were back in the lineup after illnesses forced them to miss the three games before the All-Star break. | 1 | 4,389 | sports |
Throwing punches during a game is never OK. But what makes the act even worse is when a player throws punches at his own teammate. Two players were ejected from a recent NBA Developmental League game between the Iowa Energy and the Rio Grande Valley Vipers after getting into a violent brawl during a timeout. | 1 | 4,390 | sports |
Shutterstock Apple, which years ago ceded the top spot in the global smartphone market to rival Samsung, appears to have pulled into a dead heat. The South Korean electronics giant won't say how many smartphones it sold in its December quarter only that it shipped some 95 million total phone handsets, and that the mix of high-end phones fell in the "high 70 percent" range. That means Samsung's smartphone sales over the holidays fell somewhere between 71 and 75 million putting it roughly on par with Apple, which sold a record 74.5 million iPhones over the same period. Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook touted the success of the latest generation of big-screen iPhones to win converts from the Android platform that powers devices made by Samsung and others. "The current iPhone line up experienced the highest Android switcher rate in any of the last three launches in the three previous years," Cook told investors Tuesday . "And we didn't look back to the other years. So I don't know about those." Meanwhile, Samsung, which eclipsed Apple as the leading smartphone maker in 2011, was alone among alone the top five smartphone makers to lose share this fall, according to researcher IDC. The competition is taking its toll. Samsung appears to have lost high-end phone customers to Apple, which jumped on the big-screen bandwagon with its iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus and achieved record sales. It also been struggling to compete on the low-cost phones with manufacturers such Xiaomi and Lenovo. The company acknowledged intensifying price and product competition during its call with analysts, but offered optimism, noting demand for smartphones will continue to grow next year. "We are preparing innovative and differentiated products with new features," JinYoung Park, Samsung's vice president of the mobile communications business told investors. | 3 | 4,391 | finance |
The NFL has asked Columbia University's physics department for help to judge whether the temperature outside affected pressure in the footballs in the Pats-Colts game. | 1 | 4,392 | sports |
The 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup season had just about everything for Team Penske drivers Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano: Victories, controversy and more victories. One thing was lacking: A championship. "We had some great wins, some tough racing, both cars right down to the end there as far as the Chase," Penske founder and chairman Roger Penske said Wednesday at the NASCAR media tour at the Charlotte Convention Center. "Obviously we didn't get what we wanted." Keselowski (six) and Logano (five) combined for 11 victories and both qualified for the Chase. Logano was among the four drivers in contention for the title at the season's last race in Homestead, Fla., finishing 16th as Kevin Harvick won the championship. "We've got a lot of energy now because we're coming off a great year," said Logano, driver of the No. 22 Ford. "We've got a lot of momentum. It was the best year of my career with (five) victories and there's no reason why we can't do it again this year." Last season was Logano's second Chase. He hopes the experience he has gleaned from those runs at the title will put him over the hump this season. "I don't know if we'll do anything differently from last year," said Logano. "We proved that we belonged, racing for the championship last year. That doesn't change the amount of pressure we put on each other to win the championship. We're looking at the positives that came from that whole experience." Some of what Logano's team will need to take from 2014 is more attention to detail on pit road, where errors by his crew at Homestead played a part in the finish. "Was it in the most important race of the season? Yes," said Logano. "Did it cost us the championship? I don't know. Maybe there were things that cost us in that race. But I wouldn't trade the experience for anything." Keselowski said the relationship he has forged with Logano has made the Penske team stronger. Although Keselowski, the 2012 Sprint Cup champion, won a series-high six times last year, it wasn't enough to put him in the final four at Homestead. Keselowski also said he thinks the Chase format first used in 2014 - one that stresses victories - has made for a different kind of racing. "What last year taught me is there's a new era coming in this sport with this Chase," he said. "It's already arrived. You have to be very aggressive to win championships under this format. There's no playing defense any more." Keselowski's 2014 also was marked by reminders of his hard-charging style. At the Texas race Nov. 2, Keselowski wrecked Jeff Gordon late, Keselowski said, for the win. That prompted a postrace fight between Keselowski and Gordon. "You know you're doing something right in this sport when you're racing the racing establishment (Gordon) and you make them upset," said Keselowski. "You're racing and getting in a fight for the win, not for 20th (place). When that (happens), you're probably doing the right thing." Keselowski was told Gordon recently had said he would not be a person Gordon would invite to his house for dinner. "I didn't know we were doing this for dinner invitations," said Keselowski. "I'll have to ask Roger about that." | 1 | 4,393 | sports |
To understand the backlash President Obama received after proposing to remove the tax exemption for college savings accounts, it's essential to recognize how closely it struck at the political heart of his own party. Contrary to popular stereotypes, Democrats depend nearly as much on upper-class voters as Republicans do. Democrats represent seven of the 10 wealthiest congressional districts in the country, and Obama also won those districts twice. In 2008, Obama was the first Democratic presidential candidate in decades to win the vote of upper-middle-class Americans (those making a family income of $100,000 or more). Bill Clinton carried just 34 percent of those voters in his successful 1992 campaign; Obama improved on that total by 15 points in 2008. It's no coincidence, then, that the Democratic leaders who reportedly lobbied Obama to drop the proposal represent two of the most affluent districts in the country. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi's San Francisco seat is the 37th wealthiest in the country, while Budget Committee ranking Democrat Chris Van Hollen's suburban Washington district is in the top 10. Their districts are filled with constituents both middle- and upper-class who have utilized the 529 college accounts to save for their children's tuition. These days, sending a student to a top-tier private university can cost more than $200,000 for four years. Unless you're one of the top 1 percent, that's an economic burden that even the well-off can't afford without help. "$200,000 in family income is comfortable. But if you're two accountants, or two college professors, the bottom line is if you have to play close to the sticker price for college, that's a tremendous amount of money unless you're so rich nothing is expensive," said Matt Bennett, cofounder of the centrist Democratic think tank Third Way. "And these are the very people at the heart of the Democratic coalition highly-educated, fairly well off but not super wealthy." The decision, and the initial White House response criticizing the tax-free vehicles as tools for the rich, offers a useful peek in the political thinking of the Obama White House. Several Democratic operatives interviewed said that since few of the proposals stood to pass through a Republican Congress, there wasn't the same degree of scrutiny paid to the political impact of all of the budgetary details. But it also underscores how the White House was wading into dangerous territory by proposing to raise middle-class taxes to pay for preferred government programs. There are only so many ways to generate revenue without hitting political resistance from a key constituency. As Democrats learned in the 1980s, taxing affluent voters to pay for the benefits of lower-class voters is rarely a smart political strategy. Michael Dukakis won a paltry 32 percent of the vote among upper-class voters in the 1988 presidential election, which prompted a messy intra-party battle for years. It took Bill Clinton's brand of centrism to broaden the party's appeal to the suburban voters who had abandoned Democrats en masse. When Pelosi and Van Hollen are the politicians crying foul, it raises the specter of a president badly disconnected from his party's best interests. The proposal to tax college savings accounts wasn't close to becoming law, and it would hardly have the same impact as the administration's signature domestic reforms on health care and banking. But it was so resonant because it threatened to hit the pocketbooks of many voters that the party has been winning over. "It's fairly rare for well-off voters to have an issue that affects them directly. Usually they have an issue they care about for altruistic reasons, or a pet cause. But this was about their bottom line," said one senior Democratic strategist. "Most State of the Union proposals are giveaways, not takeaways. They're usually very vague and easy to rally support behind. Out of the speech, most people heard that they are going to lose money this year as a result of this proposal." Optimistic Democrats, including the president, are betting that the changing demographics of the electorate will render the party's past history irrelevant. In their view, the growing Democratic base of young, diverse, lower-income voters care less about taxes and more about the party's progressive push on social issues like gay marriage and immigration. That's what made this tuition episode so instructive. Voters, as always, still care about their own bottom line. And if Democrats can't afford to pay for their priorities without risking a significant backlash, it threatens to spur another rethinking about the party's direction after Obama leaves office. | 5 | 4,394 | news |
Melbourne has long been considered the Australian city with European charm, and its vibrant food and wine scene is constantly evolving. Restaurants, specialist coffee shops, cafés, bars, and festivals are run and attended by adventurous entrepreneurs, chefs, and artisans who are driven by quality, authenticity, integrity, innovation, tradition, and passion. Melbourne's food scene is unique not only in the sheer size and diversity, but also in the spaces in which it dwells in laneways and basements, on rooftops, in historic buildings and iconic settings, and countless quirky spaces in between creating truly extraordinarily experiences. One of the most notable hipster-chic restaurants in Melbourne is Attica, set in the unassuming suburbs of Melbourne where head chef Ben Shewry delivers tantalizing combinations of unique and eclectic ingredients, some of which are foraged by Shewry himself in the morning near his home on the Bellarine peninsula. Also check out Gin Palace; it dates back to the late 1800s, down a dark Melbourne alley, where there once was an infamous hospitality venue frequented by all kinds of characters at night that eventually adopted the title Gin Palace. Gin Palace was closed for a period of time then reopened by an entrepreneur in 1997, and is still best known for its outstanding martinis. The depth of Melbourne's cultural heritage contributes significantly to the richness and authenticity of food and wine experiences in the city, which include Asian, African, and European culinary precincts and produce as well as fresh food markets and an incredible breadth of culturally diverse, high-end dining experiences. Melbourne is a city obsessed with coffee, and there are many specialty roasters and multi-roaster cafés popping up throughout the city. More and more, Melbourne is becoming home to the "it" food scene; in fact, it was announced that Heston Blumenthal's three-Michelin-starred restaurant, The Fat Duck, will temporarily relocate to Crown Resort in Melbourne for six months in 2015. | 2 | 4,395 | travel |
They're over her. Sarah Palin's odd, rambling speech last weekend before an audience of committed conservative activists in Des Moines has many influential voices on the right saying that the time has come to acknowledge that the romance has gone cold and the marriage is dead. This is despite the fact that the 2008 GOP vice-presidential nominee told reporters upon her arrival at the event that she is "seriously interested" in running for president in 2016. Her address was a 34 1 / 2 -minute roller coaster ride of cliches, non sequiturs and warmed-over grievances. One line that stood out: "GOP leaders, by the way, you know, 'The Man,' can only ride ya when your back is bent. So strengthen it. Then The Man can't ride ya." The critiques have been devastating and those are the ones from her friends. "Quite petty," wrote Byron York in the Washington Examiner. "A long and incoherent speech," in the view of Craig Robinson of the Iowa Republican blog. "The foreordained culmination of a slow and unseemly descent into farce," added Charles C.W. Cooke of the National Review. Cooke's assessment was a far cry from what National Review editor Rich Lowry had to say about Palin's performance in the vice presidential debate, shortly after her dazzling national debut on the stage of the Republican National Convention in 2008: "It was so sparkling it was almost mesmerizing. It sent little starbursts through the screen and ricocheting around the living rooms of America." Weekly Standard editor William Kristol was an early booster of Palin, all the way back to 2007, when she was a new governor little known outside of Alaska. Less than a year ago, he said on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" that Palin "might be kind of formidable in a Republican primary." "Did I say it that recently?" Kristol said Wednesday when reminded of that comment in an interview. "The name Sarah Palin hasn't come up in the past three to six months. . . . Maybe the speech Saturday was just a confirmation of her no longer being a major player, at least in these circles." Still others expressed concern that the GOP is damaging its own prospects by treating Palin as though she is doing more than promoting herself and her various ventures. "Yes, Palin is still a draw. Yes, conservatives still empathize with her over the beating she took from the media in 2008," York wrote. "But if there is indeed nothing behind her 'seriously interested' talk and it appears there is not should she be included in events leading up to the 2016 caucuses?" There is also a tone of soul-searching and even repentance in some of the commentary, as pundits on the right reconsider their own role in stoking the Palin phenomenon. "In hindsight I regret contributing to the premature deification of Sarah Palin," columnist Matt Lewis wrote Wednesday in the Daily Beast . He added that "maybe her early critics saw some fundamental character flaw some harbinger of things to come that escaped me." Among those critics had been Washington Post op-ed columnist Kathleen Parker, who also weighed in after Palin's speech contending that the Republicans had themselves to blame. "In the end, the story of Palin's rise and fall is a tragedy," Parker wrote . "And the author wasn't the media as accused but the Grand Old Party itself. Like worshipers of false gods throughout human history, Republicans handpicked the fair maiden Sarah and placed her on the altar of political expedience." Last weekend was far from the first Palin appearance that has raised eyebrows among her onetime fans. At the Conservative Political Action Conference in 2013, she said of her husband, Todd: "He's got the rifle. I got the rack." "What does feel new is that she has finally gotten around to roundly losing conservative opinion leaders," Lewis wrote. Many seemed mystified by Palin's unglued performance Saturday. "Did the Teleprompter go down, did you have trouble with the copy, was there any moment in the speech where you had any difficulty because people had been so critical?" Fox News Channel host Sean Hannity asked her when she appeared on his program Tuesday night. Palin shrugged it off. "I'm used to Teleprompters not working," she added, and noted that had happened during her 2008 convention speech. She blamed the criticism on the "herd mentality" of the media. As for her presidential ambitions, Palin said she was merely answering a question lodged by a "pesty reporter while I was promoting my Sportsman Channel show." But she again said that she is "interested" in the possibility of a run. Kristol noted that many conservative figures have maintained their credibility with the right even after their careers in elected office were over, including Dick Cheney and Newt Gingrich. In the National Review, Cooke wrote that Palin had picked another path. "Having been mercilessly and unjustly pilloried by the media throughout the 2008 campaign, Sarah Palin had a clear choice in its aftermath: She could sober up and prove the buggers wrong, or she could collapse into ignominious pasquinade," he wrote. "Sadly, she chose the latter. The rest of us should choose to move on." | 5 | 4,396 | news |
PHILADELPHIA - In the Wells Fargo Center press box Tuesday night, an old defense pair looked down at the ice while talking to each other. Perhaps they were chatting during that intermission about the Flyers and the Arizona Coyotes. Another possibility: they were plotting a return. Braydon Coburn is still a couple weeks away from returning from his left foot injury. Shockingly, Kimmo Timonen might not be far behind. The 39-year-old Finn has been trying to return from blood clots found in his lungs and right calf in August. For the first time, general manager Ron Hextall seemed pretty optimistic that Timonen might return instead of being forced into retirement. "There's a process with a number of things," Hextall said, "getting the doctors together, trainers, Kimmo and the league. There's a lot of different avenues that we have to explore, dot all the i's and cross all the t's." Timonen has been taking Xarelto, a daily blood thinner, since the clots were found. He can't play while on blood thinners and has a few days left on his current prescription. Clots in his lungs have since disappeared, but the one in his calf was still there as of a couple weeks ago. If the Flyers are at the i-dotting and t-crossing stages with Timonen and are consulting with the league, it's pretty clear the team isn't expecting him to retire soon. Timonen, who turns 40 in March, has been pushing to play in what would be his last season so that he can retire on his own terms and not due to an injury. "It's going a little bit slower than I had hoped and maybe even envisioned," Hextall said, "but I think he's still on the medication for a few more days. There's a little bit of time." If Timonen were to begin a comeback, they'd have to make a move to accommodate him. The Flyers have eight defensemen on their roster and, according to NHLnumbers.com, they have $1.474 million in salary cap space. Timonen has a $2 million base salary and a $1.5 million salary bonus that can be pushed to next season. If the Flyers cleared roughly $600,000, they could accommodate a player who has traditionally been a huge part of their defense. "He's the piece that we've been missing," NHL points leader Jake Voracek said recently. PHOTOS: NHL player power rankings "He's a defenseman that's played over 1,000 games. He's an experienced guy, played five Olympics. He knows what it takes to find a way to win the games. Obviously that's the leadership, it's everything at this moment. If he's going to play it's going to be great for us and great for him. Hopefully it's going to be soon, but if it's not, it sucks." Magic number With 33 games to go in the regular season, the Flyers are 10 points out of a wildcard spot in the playoffs. Voracek fathomed Tuesday morning that the Flyers need 25 wins to guarantee themselves a berth. If that doesn't seem likely enough, the Flyers have only 20 in their first 49 games. Coach Craig Berube says he doesn't have a number in mind of what the Flyers need to do to avoid missing the playoffs two out of the last three seasons. "You guys probably think I'm full of it, but I'm not," Berube said. "I really haven't looked past Winnipeg." Does…gee I don't know, 25 games or so sound right? "It's probably a good number, for sure," Berube admitted. "Yup." Injury report In addition to Coburn being a couple weeks away, Nick Grossmann still needs more time to recover from his injured right shoulder. He was practicing with usual defense partner Mark Streit Wednesday, but only because Nick Schultz had a maintenance day. "We're taking it a day at a time," Grossmann said. "I haven't put a timeline on it. I don't want to disappoint myself or anyone, so I'm not gonna put a date on it right now." Rookie center Scott Laughton is closer to returning from what is believed to be a concussion. He skated Wednesday morning, before his teammates practiced, and in Hextall's words "took a real turn (Tuesday). Things are looking up." Shayne Gostisbehere, who tore the ACL in his left knee in November, has been progressing. He skated again Wednesday morning. "Things are moving along, probably as projected," Hextall said. "I would guess sometime later next month he'll be playing." Dave Isaac writes for the (Cherry Hill, N.J.) Courier-Post | 1 | 4,397 | sports |
With Martin Brodeur retiring, Jaromir Jagr will be the only player still playing that was selected in the 1990 NHL Draft. How much has the game changed since the pair came into the NHL? | 1 | 4,398 | sports |
Notre Dame's Jerian Grant scored 23 points and had a career-high 12 assists in the Irish's huge win over Duke Wednesday night. Grant drilled long-distance 3-pointers, hit clutch shots, dished timely assists and even had a huge block in the win. Check out his top 4 plays of the night right here! | 1 | 4,399 | sports |
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