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Japan's deputy foreign minister has said negotiations with the Islamic State group threatening to execute a Jordanian pilot and a Japanese journalist have become "deadlocked," local media reported Saturday. Yasuhide Nakayama, who is leading Tokyo's emergency response team in Amman, told reporters in the Jordanian capital late Friday that there had been no progress in trying to secure the release of Japanese journalist Kenji Goto and airman Maaz al-Kassasbeh. "It has become deadlocked," he said, according to Japan's public broadcaster NHK. "Staying vigilant, we will continue analysing and examining information as the government is making concerted efforts together." In Tokyo, deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroshige Seko, a key aide to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, said Saturday morning that the government was still waiting for new information on the hostage crisis. IS had vowed to kill Kassasbeh by sunset on Thursday unless Amman hands over an Iraqi female jihadist in return for Goto. Jordan has demanded evidence that the pilot, who crashed in Syria on December 24, is still alive before freeing would-be suicide bomber Sajida al-Rishawi, who is on death row. Jordan has offered to free Rishawi, who was convicted for her part in triple-hotel bombings in Amman in 2005 that killed 60 people, if IS releases the pilot. The Jordanian government has been under heavy pressure at home and from Japan -- a major aid donor -- to save Kassasbeh as well as Goto. While IS threatened Kassasbeh's life, it was not clear from its latest message if the jihadist group was ready to free him as part of an exchange. IS had set the Thursday sunset deadline for Rishawi to be released at the Turkish border in return for Goto but there was no news of a swap. Japan, which plays no military part in the fight against IS, was thrust onto the front line last week when a video appeared in which Goto and Haruna Yukawa, a self-described contractor, were seen kneeling in the desert. A masked, knife-wielding militant said Tokyo had 72 hours to pay a $200 million (175 million-euro) ransom if it wanted to spare their lives. When that deadline expired, new pictures appeared to show Yukawa had been beheaded, and a voice identifying itself as Goto demanded the release of Rishawi. | 5 | 5,200 | news |
We've begun hearing more and more about Starbucks Reserve coffees recently. But what is Starbucks Reserve, exactly? As is often the case when "reserve" is tacked on after a brand name, Starbucks Reserve was made to be the top of the line. "Of the thousands [of coffees] we encounter, only a precious few are deemed exceptional enough to become Starbucks Reserve coffees," the company states on their website . "These intriguing offerings are only available for limited times at select stores." 29 Reserve coffees are currently available, according to the site, with exotic names including Burundi Ngozi , Sumatra Blue Batak , and Zambia Peaberry Terranova Estate . Clearly an effort to attempt to compete with more upscale single-origin roasters like Blue Bottle, these "exotic, rare, and exquisite" coffees also carry a higher price tag. Starbucks has also opened their first Starbucks Reserve Roastery and Tasting Room in Seattle, a "one-of-a-kind coffee shrine" where you can purchase fresh-roasted Reserve coffee, unique accessories, as well as bags of coffee beans; those coffee beans can also be purchased online . | 0 | 5,201 | foodanddrink |
From the beginning, Marion "Suge" Knight's life as a rap impresario was closely intertwined with the gangster ways extolled by his artists in their music. His first notable brush with the law came in 1993, when as a leader of Death Row Records he was charged with using a gun to attack two aspiring rappers. Over the next 20 years, he spent stints in jail and was injured several times by gunfire, making tabloid headlines while his career diminished. He now faces the most serious charges of his life, arrested on suspicion of killing a 55-year-old man after getting into an argument during the filming of a commercial for an upcoming movie about the early days of rap in Compton, where he grew up. On Friday, detectives from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department released new details about the events leading up to the death of Terry Carter, hailed by some as a father figure for troubled young men. Ice Cube and Dr. Dre were among the big-name rappers who had converged on the area to film a commercial for "Straight Outta Compton," a biopic about N.W.A., a seminal group from the early days of the genre. On the set Thursday, sheriff's deputies asked Knight, 49, to leave after he began arguing with another man, Cle "Bone" Sloan, Lt. John Corina said. Later, at Tam's Burgers at Central and East Rosecrans avenues, Knight was in his red Ford F-150 Raptor when he and Sloan tangled again, Corina said. While Knight was still seated in his truck, he and Sloan argued and exchanged punches. Knight reversed his truck, knocking Sloan to the ground, Corina said. Knight drove forward, appearing to aim the vehicle at Sloan and Carter, who was standing next to Sloan, authorities said. Carter, who detectives say was not involved in the argument, died at the scene. Sloan, 51, who appeared in "Training Day" with Denzel Washington and is also a filmmaker and activist against gang violence, was said to be stable and was expected to survive. After striking the men, Knight drove off without notifying authorities, Corina said. According to the California Department of Motor Vehicles, Knight had a hold on his driver's license and was not allowed to renew it because of an outstanding issue. In the past, his license had been suspended for failure to appear in court. Knight's attorney, James E. Blatt, described Carter as a good friend of Knight who was trying to break up the fight. Blatt contradicted the detectives' narrative, saying that Knight went to Tam's Burgers at Carter's invitation. There, according to Blatt, Knight was attacked by four men, including Sloan, and was trying to escape, fearing for his life, when he ran over Carter and Sloan. "I'll say this-when someone is attacking you in the vehicle, grabbing at the steering wheel, you don't have the best control of your vehicle," Blatt said. Knight was heartbroken when he learned Carter had died, Blatt said. The two had known each other since the 1980s and were in business together for a time. Early Friday, Knight turned himself in for questioning at the West Hollywood sheriff's station. Within hours, he was booked on suspicion of murder and remained in the Men's Central Jail while Blatt tried to obtain $2 million in bail. Filming the "Straight Outta Compton" commercial was a celebratory occasion for a city that was once known for gang violence but has recently seen new business investment as well as a decrease in homicides. The music that propelled Knight and others into stardom also cast Compton in a negative light, and the city spent years trying to distance itself from the music and the rappers who made it famous. But recently, city officials have been embracing local talent. On Wednesday night, Kendrick Lamar joined former N.W.A. members Ice Cube and Dre - all Compton natives - to film the commercial at Tam's Burgers, said Janna Zurita, a Compton councilwoman. Zurita brought local children to the set to meet Dre, Compton's first billionaire. The next day, filming continued at a local barbershop with the addition of another native son, the rapper known as The Game. The crew headed to Compton City Hall and continued shooting outside until breaking for lunch, said Zurita, who left after the morning session. "It was such a joyous event," Zurita said. "Dre was in the neighborhood. The community was out. How could something so good turn so sour?" With three superstars in one place, security was tighter than during the filming of the movie itself, Zurita said. Last summer, there was a drive-by shooting during the filming. "The acts of one man do not derail the movement we are doing here in Compton," Compton Mayor Aja Brown said. "Thank you to Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, Universal Studios, and the Grammys for telling the story of what Compton was and is becoming." On Friday, the lunchtime rush proceeded as usual at Tam's Burgers. Some whispered about the fatal hit-and-run. Before the incident, Mikal Henderson, 62, said the publicity surrounding the film had him feeling good about his adopted hometown. But now he fears this tragedy will remind outsiders of Compton's troubled days. "They are not going to know anything about the jobs being created and the other construction projects," Henderson said as he sat outside Tam's. "When people think of Compton, they get imagery of way back. They don't see the positive stuff going on right now." The founder and owner of Heavyweight Records, Carter helped young men make a transition out of gang life, even giving them advice on how to invest their money in legitimate businesses, a longtime friend said Friday. "As young black men, we don't have many people that help us," Darcell Carraway said. "This is a big loss." Sloan, a former member of the Athens Park Bloods, directed the 2005 HBO documentary "Bastards of the Party" about gang life in Los Angeles. Jermaine Shelton, his manager, said he is "doing fine" and was recovering at the hospital. Knight co-founded Death Row Records, the first rap label to consistently dominate the pop scene, with Dre in 1991. Death Row's artists included Snoop Dogg, Tupac and Dre himself - men presenting themselves as involved in the gangland battles they wrote about. But while other celebrated gangster rappers have moved beyond the genre's thug life image as they grew successful, Knight continued to find trouble. In 1996, he was at the wheel of a BMW in Las Vegas when passenger and popular rapper Tupac Shakur was shot by gunmen in another vehicle. Shakur died a week later, and the case has not been solved. In 1997, Knight was sentenced to nine years in prison for violating the terms of his probation from an earlier assault case. He was released from prison in 2001 but was sent back to jail two years later for violating parole when he hit a parking lot attendant. In 2006, Knight filed for bankruptcy. He put his Malibu mansion up for sale the next year. In 2008, he was arrested in Las Vegas on suspicion of drug possession and aggravated assault. That year, he was named by the city of Compton in an injunction seeking to prevent members of the Mob Piru gang from congregating on their turf. The next year, he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor battery. Last August, Knight and two others were shot inside a packed West Hollywood nightclub at a pre-awards party hosted by singer Chris Brown. Nina Bhadreshwar, who worked for Death Row Records from 1994 to 1996 and has written a trilogy of books about the label's early days, said Knight was unable to leave his upbringing behind, becoming isolated and quick to react violently under stress. "It's just a shame that he carried on ... playing into the role that people have made for him," Bhadreshwar said. "He's playing the role in a script that people have written for him, when he's the one who wrote it first." [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Times staff writers Veronica Rocha, Gerrick Kennedy, Mikael Wood, Lorraine Ali and Ryan Parker contributed to this report. | 5 | 5,202 | news |
When you start the day with a carb-heavy breakfast, the morning can sometimes drag, causing you to reach for that second cup of coffee. Try cutting down on carbs, and reach for one of these high-protein breakfast recipes instead. Whether you're on a gluten-free, Paleo, or vegetarian diet, there's a breakfast idea here to help you start your day energized and satisfied. Related10 Healthy Breakfasts With (at Least!) 15 Grams of Protein Skip the Carbs and Cut Calories at Breakfast With These High-Protein Meals When you start the day with a carb-heavy breakfast, the morning can sometimes drag, causing you to reach for that second cup of coffee. Try cutting down on carbs, and reach for one of these high-protein breakfast recipes instead. Whether you're on a gluten-free, Paleo, or vegetarian diet, there's a breakfast idea here to help you start your day energized and satisfied. Related 10 Healthy Breakfasts With (at Least!) 15 Grams of Protein Egg White Frittata Classic Mediterranean ingredients like peppers, onion, and spinach bring texture, flavor, and nutrition to actress Lea Michele's frittata recipe , while egg whites and feta provide over 20 grams of protein. This low-calorie frittata is quick enough to come together on a weekday morning but elegant enough to serve to friends at a special weekend brunch. Low-Carb Hotcakes Even if you're cutting back on carbs, you can enjoy a stack of hotcakes! These wheat-free pancakes use almond meal and flaxseed instead. They're high in fiber and protein with nearly no sugar whatsoever. Yogurt-Filled Cantaloupe Greek yogurt is one of the best ways to enjoy plenty of protein without any eggs or meat. Instead of topping off your morning bowl of yogurt with sugary granola, serve it up in a fresh cantaloupe bowl that kicks out carbs. Be sure to add your favorite fresh berries to the mix for extra color and flavor. Turkey Sausage Muffins At 150 calories and 12 grams of protein, these gluten-free turkey sausage muffins are smarter than any fast-food egg option you'll find before work. This is another recipe that's easy to bake ahead of time and grab when you head out the door. Baked Eggs in Ham Cups Pop in a batch of these protein-heavy eggs in ham shells when you wake up, and enjoy a hot, hearty, and quick breakfast before you leave for work. They're tasty during the workweek but special enough to serve at a healthy weekend brunch where you'd like a low-carb option available. Baked Egg in Avocado For a one-two punch of omega-3s in your breakfast, try baked eggs in avocado . The low-sugar, high-protein, and fiber-filled breakfast will kick off your day on a healthy high note. Cottage Cheese With Fruit For a quick, high-protein breakfast that hits the spot, opt for a bowl of cottage cheese with an assortment of your favorite fresh fruit and berries. For just 81 calories, four ounces of cottage cheese offers a whopping 14 grams of protein! Paleo Breakfast Bowl Rich in omega-3 fatty acids and protein, this low-carb, 335-calorie breakfast bowl takes less than 10 minutes to prepare and feels like you've treated yourself to a beautiful brunch at a neighborhood hot spot. It will fill you up, fuel your morning, and keep you satisfied. Quinoa Egg Bake With Thyme and Garlic Bake up this quinoa egg casserole on Sunday night, and cut a slice the following morning for a gluten-free breakfast. In addition to plenty of protein and fiber, you'll up your iron and calcium intake while enjoying this recipe. Tomato Frittata Scrambled egg, a sprinkle of diced bacon, and a drop of ghee (clarified butter) all bake right into a tiny tomato "ramekin" for a savory Paleo breakfast treat with just the right hint of sweetness. With more than 10 grams of protein, this tomato frittata is the perfect way to fuel your body after a tough morning workout. Prosciutto and Melon For a high-protein, low-carb breakfast when you're in a bind for time, the sweet and savory combination of honeydew wrapped in prosciutto can't be beat. Keeping these two staples on hand in your fridge will make it so you can always enjoy a breakfast that supports your low-carb plan. Italian Baked Egg and Vegetables This baked egg dish is Jessica Simpson 's go-to Weight Watchers breakfast. If you're worried about roasting vegetables in the morning, simply roast a big batch of vegetables on Sunday night so you can easily add them to this dish all week long. Southwestern Tofu Scramble With flavors like cumin, coriander, onion, pepper, and cilantro mingling together, you get a surprise in every bite of this Southwestern tofu scramble . And unlike eggs, you can prepare this low-carb breakfast ahead of time and keep it in your fridge for days. Hard-Boiled Eggs With Avocado Anyone on a low-carb plan who's always on the go needs this naturally gluten-free recipe in their life! Hard-boiled eggs and diced avocado is a throw-together breakfast that will fill you up with protein and fiber, keeping you surprisingly full and satisfied until lunchtime rolls around. Mexican Breakfast Casserole Gluten-free, protein-rich, and under 400 calories, this Mexican breakfast casserole is the perfect slow-cooked low-carb recipe to cook up on Sunday afternoon, slice up, and enjoy all week long. I cannot reiterate how delicious and filling this recipe is - I already have requests to make it for my next big brunch. Asparagus and Smoked Salmon Bundles Asparagus and salmon combine their superfood powers to create one delicious and nutritious breakfast that offers more than 10 grams of protein per serving. An added bonus: these quick and easy bundles are easy to make in advance. Roasted Veggies With Easy Fried Egg This roasted veggie and egg recipe is delicious any time of day and is a great way to make use of whatever's leftover in your crisper. | 7 | 5,203 | health |
Democrats may be flailing in the minority on Capitol Hill, but newly empowered Republicans have fared far worse in the opening act of the 114th Congress. While nothing new, GOP divisions have been especially pronounced this January. On Day 1 of "America's new Congress," House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) had to beat back a rebellion from 25 conservatives seeking to oust him from the top job. House Republicans passed a critical Homeland Security Department funding bill, only to hear some Senate counterparts warn it was too conservative to clear the upper chamber. And uprisings from both moderates and conservatives have embarrassed GOP leaders, forcing them to pull both an abortion bill and border-security bill from the floor in two consecutive weeks. Democrats have their own divisions. Many liberals are unhappy with President Obama's push for new trade deals and "fast-track" authority, and Senate Democrats voted in favor of Iran sanctions opposed by the administration this week in committee. But by and large, congressional Democrats and the White House have done a better job than Republicans at papering over their differences even as they've sought to exploit the GOP's. In the House, gleeful Democratic leaders have been doing everything they can to exploit the fissures in Boehner's conference. The subject line of a memo this week from Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) declared: "House Republicans' Disastrous January: A Month of Distraction, Obstruction & Internal Dysfunction." And while Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) shepherded the Keystone XL pipeline through the upper chamber this week, Senate Democrats first forced votes on a number of amendments that sought to divide Republicans who will have to defend more seats in 2016. Meanwhile, Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) and other Democrats decided to give the White House more time to engage in nuclear talks with Iran. While the sanctions bill moved forward in committee, Menendez and his allies said they would not support a floor vote until March. The GOP setbacks haven't been lost on Boehner, who conceded: "Yeah, there have been a couple stumbles all in our effort to show the American people that we're here to listen to their priorities." The Speaker said those stumbles were a result of Republicans trying to get off to a fast start with their new majority. They chose a series of bills that previously had no trouble clearing the lower chamber, and simply didn't anticipate that political winds had shifted in their own ranks. At the same time, it's clear that Republicans are realizing the pitfalls of governing just as the party seeks to prove it knows how to get things done. Gains in the House last fall also mean that Boehner and his team must try to balance the interests of a more politically and geographically diverse caucus one comprised of both blue-state Republicans like Reps. Lee Zeldin (N.Y.) and Bruce Poliquin (Maine), and hardcore Tea Party conservatives like Reps. Jody Hice (Ga.) and Gary Palmer (Ala.). In the Senate, electoral math is also playing a role. Last cycle, red-state Democrats were racing to distance themselves from Obama as the party tried to defend more than 20 Senate seats. In 2016, that dynamic will be flipped, with Republicans defending the bulk of the 34 seats up for grabs. Of course, Democrats are wrestling with their own intraparty divisions. In the final Senate vote to build Keystone, nine Democrats bucked their party leaders and joined Republicans in supporting the oil sands project. The White House this week quickly scrapped its State of the Union proposal to hike taxes on 529 college savings plans after congressional Republicans cried foul and two key House Democratic allies Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) and Rep. Chris Van Hollen (Md.) lobbied the president to drop the idea. Seeking to foment more Democratic discord, Republicans will push legislation to expand the tax-free investment accounts in the coming weeks. Tensions over trade were on open display in Philadelphia, where senior Democrats at their House retreat including Reps. Sandy Levin (Mich.) and Jan Schakowsky (Ill.) sharply criticized the White House for what they say is a failure to inform Congress about key details of the emerging deals. Still, Schakowsky was quick to downplay those divisions, saying the real disarray is on the GOP side. In recent weeks, Democrats have been buoyed by Obama's approval ratings, which have been steadily climbing due to the improving economy. "There's a really determined spirit and focus a feeling that we really do have a clear and coherent message …" Schakowsky said. "The president's numbers are going up, and there's a good deal of a sense of confidence, of boldness, proud that the president has been so bold, and I think that feeds into a sense of confidence and being on offense on the part of the Democrats." House Republicans are still trying to find their footing. A rare revolt from moderate Republicans forced leadership to yank a bill last week that would have banned almost all abortions after 20 weeks. A band of GOP women objected to the legislation because it required rape victims to report the crime to police if they wanted to be exempted. This week, it was conservatives' turn to gum up the process. House leaders blamed the massive snowstorm for putting Homeland Security Chairman Mike McCaul's GOP border-security bill on ice, but conservative lawmakers led by Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) had spent days trying to scuttle the bill, claiming it wouldn't secure the border or stop Obama's executive actions on immigration. Next week, Republicans will continue searching for a way out of the DHS funding standoff; the agency will run out of money on Feb. 27 unless Congress acts. House Republicans this month passed a funding bill that takes bold steps to block Obama's executive action halting deportations and providing work permits for millions of immigrants living in the country illegally. But a number of Republicans defected, wary that the provisions particularly one to eliminate Obama's 2012 deferred action program benefiting younger immigrants went too far to penalize kids. "These children came to our country through no fault of their own," Rep. Charlie Dent (R-Pa.) said after opposing the measure. Senate Democrats are now demanding a "clean" DHS bill, vowing that they'll band together and filibuster the tougher, House-passed legislation. The endgame at this point is uncertain. Boehner this week offered yet another approach to stopping Obama's immigration actions: the courts. But that idea, too, has its GOP critics. "I think we ought to be firing on all cylinders and try every bullet in the gun, but I don't think this one is successful in killing the amnesty, and certainly not in time," said Rep. Tim Huelskamp (R-Kansas). "How long is this one gonna take?," he asked. "I'm not an attorney but I'm tired of attorneys telling me they know how long this will take and they know how [the courts are] gonna rule. They always seem to be wrong in the last four years." | 5 | 5,204 | news |
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) Serena Williams won her 19th Grand Slam title, continued her unbeaten run in six Australian Open finals and extended her decade-long domination of Maria Sharapova with a 6-3, 7-6 (5) victory despite a hacking cough on Saturday night. After celebrating prematurely on her third match point, letting her racket go before hearing a let call to what she thought was an ace, Williams had to quickly re-gather her composure. "I thought, `Wow this is it, I did it, only to hear let. I was like, `OK Serena!'" she said. "I was very disappointed, because Maria was playing so well. I thought she's going to try to hit a winner now. She's goes for broke on match point." Top-ranked Williams took a deep breath and fired another ace -- her 15th of the set and 18th of the match -- and this time the celebration was real. She jumped around like a little child, bouncing up and down, before shaking hands with Sharapova at the net. "Growing up I wasn't the richest but I had a rich family in spirit and support and you know standing here with 19 championships is something I never thought would happen," Williams said. "I went on the courts with just a ball, and a racket and a hope, that's all I had. "I'm so honored to be here tonight and to hold this 19th trophy (at) my favorite stadium," Williams said. The 33-year-old Williams became the oldest winner of the Australian women's title in the Open era and moved into outright second place on the list of major winners in the Open era, behind only Steffi Graf's 22. Still affected by a recent cold, Williams controlled the first set around a rain delay in the sixth game, when play was stopped for 13 minutes for the roof to be closed. Williams came back on court momentarily near the end of the break, but returned to the locker room. "I had a really bad cough, I ended up throwing up, actually. I think that helped me when I got it out," Williams said. "I've just got a really bad cold, a really bad cough. Usually when that happens you stay in bed, you don't play matches every day." She came back from the break and fired an ace to start a run of six straight points. She was broken while serving for the set but broke Sharapova for a third time to clinch it. Williams won the first six points of the second set, too, and seemed on course for another lopsided victory before Sharapova started hitting out. The five-time major winner had 18 of her 21 winners in the second set, cutting down her unforced errors and fending off four break points. No. 2-ranked Sharapova saved two match points, including one in the 10th game when she bravely hit a forehand winner down the line -- applauded by Williams -- and she calmly held serve twice to stay in the match. Sharapova forced a tiebreaker and then took the first point off Williams when she leaped into a service return down the line. But Williams rallied again and relied on her serve to keep the points short, missing a second match point when Sharapova hit a winning service return. Williams didn't relent, though, and secured the title that lifted her above the career records of Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova, who had 18 Grand Slam singles titles. Williams had one of her most consistent matches in the tournament. As well as the aces, she won 37 of the 44 points when she got her first serve into play, was only broken once and hit 38 winners. She was aggressive from the start, pumping her fist and screaming "C'mon" after big points. But she had to tone it down after going slightly too far in the seventh game of the second set when the chair umpire ruled a hindrance when she celebrated too early on a service winner and was docked a point. When she eventually held that game with an ace, she held out her fist and didn't utter a sound. "I know the rules now. I'm not one to argue unless I'm sure that I'm right ... If anything I need to relax more," Williams said. "At that point, I was so uptight." Williams now has won 16 in a row and is 17-2 in career matches against Sharapova, who hasn't won a head-to-head meeting since 2004. Two of Williams' six Australian titles have come with straight-set wins in the final against Sharapova, the first in 2007. While the American has a 100 percent record at Melbourne Park, Sharapova dropped to 1-3 in Australian Open finals -- her only victory coming in 2008. "I haven't beaten her in a long time but I love every time I step on the court with her," said Sharapova, who had to save two match points in the second round. "I've had some of the best memories of my career on this court and also some of my toughest losses, but that's the life of a tennis player." | 1 | 5,205 | sports |
SYDNEY (AP) Australia won its first Asian Cup title by beating South Korea 2-1 after extra time Saturday in the final at Sydney's Olympic Stadium. Substitute James Troisi tapped home the winner after Kim Jin-hyeon could only parry striker Tomi Juric's low cross just before the midway point of extra time to give Australia its maiden continental title after it joined the Asian confederation in 2006. Earlier, a superb long-range strike by Massimo Luongo just before halftime had put Australia ahead before South Korea's standout player Son Heung-min equalized deep into second-half injury time. South Korea, which had not conceded a goal until the final, has now lost its past four finals and has not won the tournament since 1960. | 1 | 5,206 | sports |
Every year, the people who don't actually care about football watch the Super Bowl just for the commercials. Even if you aren't a fan of America's favorite sport, the commercials can be pretty enjoyable. Here are 6 of our favorite commercials that have already been released: | 1 | 5,207 | sports |
Rendered Fat Shutterstock Many meats release fat when they're cooked. That fat is solid at room temperature and will return to its solid state post-cooking. Save bacon, chicken, or duck fat, for example, in a clean glass jar and use it instead of butter when you're cooking. Animal Bones Shutterstock If you've purchased a whole chicken or a bone-in roast, make the most of it. After you've cooked the meat, place the cleaned bones into a pot with water, vegetables, and seasonings to make a flavorful stock. Herb Stems Shutterstock Many recipes call for fresh chopped herb leaves. Scraps of herbs (like parsley or cilantro) that don't have woody stems can be added to soups, stocks, or braises for extra flavor. Simply tie the stems together with a clean piece of kitchen string, add them to simmering liquids, and remove them before serving the dish. Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese Rind Shutterstock Even if you can't grate any more cheese from the rind, you've still got a lot of flavor at your disposal. Toss the rinds of hard cheese like Parmigiano-Reggiano into sauces and soups; just be sure to remove the rind before serving. Cereal Crumbs Shutterstock An easy replacement for breadcrumbs, the crumbs of non-sugary cereal left in the bag make a great crust for fried chicken, fish, or other meats. Kristie Collado is The Daily Meal's Cook Editor. Follow her on Twitter @KColladoCook . | 0 | 5,208 | foodanddrink |
WASHINGTON A quick quiz: Monday is a) Groundhog Day b) Budget Day c) A day for repeating the same old arguments over spending and taxes, only louder. d) All of the above. If you picked "d," you're in the proper spirit for federal Budget Day, which appropriately falls on Groundhog Day this year. It's safe to predict we're in for way more than six more weeks of Republicans and Democrats fighting over how to spend our money. Here are five things to know before President Barack Obama's 2016 budget fully emerges Monday: ___ IT'S JUST AN OPENING BID Despite all the hoopla surrounding it, a president's budget is merely a suggestion. That's especially true this year, with Obama delivering his multi-trillion-dollar wish list to a Senate and House run by the opposition. The Constitution gives Congress power to decide how to spend taxpayers' money. After lawmakers get the president's budget, they'll set about coming up with their own, very different, spending plan. There's a hitch, though their legislation needs Obama's signature to become law. If the president and Congress can't compromise on spending, that's how we end up with a partial government shutdown. Republican leaders and Obama say they don't want that to happen this year. Still, the usual big disputes loom: Obama wants more spending and higher taxes on the wealthy. Most Republicans want to spend less except on the military and resist tax increases. Plus, this year Republicans are promising to use spending bills to attack Obama's signature health care law and to roll back his order giving some immigrants relief from deportation. ___ OBAMA WILL BID HIGH The president will call for increasing spending on agency operating budgets by 7 percent next year, blowing through limits set in an earlier bipartisan deal. Previewing the detailed document to be released Monday, the White House said it would call for spending about $74 billion more next year than the painful automatic cuts Obama signed into law in that 2011 deal commonly known as the "sequester." Those harsh automatic cuts were originally set in motion as a threat that would force bipartisan agreement to replace them with something more sensible, but it didn't work. Obama would roughly divide the extra money he seeks between the military and domestic programs, such as college aid, medical research and child care. The White House, without giving details yet, says Obama would offset his spending increases by cutting inefficient programs and closing tax loopholes. In that way, he could continue the recent trend of shrinking the nation's annual budget deficits. Republicans say that's no good. They prefer to tackle the deficit by holding domestic spending in check, or trimming even more. ___ A BIG QUESTION: HOW MUCH DOES THE MILITARY GET? The military brass has been pleading for relief from their automatic spending limits. Many lawmakers in both parties, eyeing terror attacks and trouble spots around the globe, are anxious to help. Obama's proposal to raise the defense budget by $38 billon would allow for more ships and fighter jets. By bundling the military increase with more domestic spending, Obama will pressure Republicans eager to boost the military budget to give in to some of his priorities. Will Republicans insist on holding the line on spending, even if it means the Pentagon has to go without, too? And how far are Democratic lawmakers and Obama willing to go in using national defense as a bargaining chip? ___ DETAILS MATTER If Congress is sure to reject and redo Obama's budget proposal, you might wonder: Why does he bother? For one thing, the law says he has to submit a budget to Congress by the first Monday in February, although Obama has sometimes missed that deadline. Plus, the federal budget is a big deal. It's expected to be in the vicinity of $4 trillion that's trillion with a "t'' for the fiscal year beginning in October. It goes much deeper than political rhetoric about ending big government or boosting the middle class. The budget carries thousands and thousands of decisions about concrete things the government does like paying park rangers, Border Patrol agents and workers who answer IRS help lines. Spending money for air traffic control, medical research and food inspection. Weeding out ineffective programs and launching new ones that, hopefully, work better. The exercise has gone awry over the last few years, leading to showdowns and a 2013 shutdown and failure to complete the normal budget process in a gridlocked Congress. But the budget minutia that federal agencies sweat over and congressional committees are charged with overseeing is what keeps the U.S. government running. ___ MOST OF THE BUDGET IS ON AUTOPILOT Running federal agencies isn't even the half of it. The biggest share of the budget goes to what's called "mandatory spending" ongoing payments that don't need annual approval by Congress. Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid are the biggies. Others include unemployment checks, food stamps and pensions for veterans and government retirees. To take on the nation's long-term debt problem, lawmakers and the president would have to deal with these growing costs. So far, attempts to reach this sort of "grand bargain" have failed, repeatedly. ____ Associated Press writers Josh Lederman and Andrew Taylor contributed to this report. ___ Follow Connie Cass on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ConnieCass | 5 | 5,209 | news |
A new analysis of data from both space and ground-based telescopes has suggested that gravitational waves from the birth of the universe still remain elusive as there is no conclusive evidence of their existence. The latest findings deny earlier reports of a possible detection of the primordial phenomena. According to the new study based on data from European Space Agency 's (ESA) Planck satellite and the ground-based BICEP2 and Keck Array experiments, the possible signal from the early universe detected by BICEP2/Keck last year was caused not by ancient gravitational waves, but by obscuring dust in the Milky Way galaxy. The signal was spotted in the cosmic microwave background (CMB), which is the remnant of ancient radiation from the Big Bang that occurred about 13.8 billion years ago. "The joint analysis shows that much of the signal detected by BICEP2/Keck is coming from dust in the Milky Way, but we cannot rule out a gravitational wave signal at a low level, Charles Lawrence, the U.S. project scientist for Planck at NASA, said in a statement . According to scientists, the discovery of gravitational waves will reveal secrets about the universe's origin, while also explaining the mechanisms behind the instant expansion of the universe, called the "inflation," which occurred immediately after the Big Bang, Discovery News reported . The color scale in this image from the Planck mission represents the emission from dust, a minor but crucial component that pervades our Milky Way galaxy. The texture indicates the orientation of the galactic magnetic field. ESA/Planck Collaboration In March 2014, astronomers presented intriguing data from the BICEP2/Keck experiments, finding evidence for a "curly" pattern of polarized light called B-modes. Scientists said that these patterns "would have been imprinted on the CMB light as the gravitational waves slightly squeezed and stretched the fabric of space." The ESA's Planck satellite was surveying the sky and was mapping the CMB and dust content of our galaxy until it went silent in 2013. Therefore, when the BICEP2 researchers announced their findings last year, a precise Planck dust map was not available. However, with the Planck survey data now accessible, the scientists have determined that the BICEP2 signal of gravitational waves was actually interference caused by galactic dust. "When we first detected this signal in our data, we relied on models for galactic dust emission that were available at the time," John Kovac, principal investigator of BICEP2 at Harvard University said in a statement. "These seemed to indicate that the region of the sky chosen for our observations was relatively devoid of dust." The researchers also said that the new analysis in question does not refute the existence of gravitational waves, but confirms that BICEP2/Keck has not yet detected them. "The gravitational wave signal could still be there, and the search is definitely on," Brendan Crill, a member of both the BICEP2 and Planck teams, said. | 5 | 5,210 | news |
In June, Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner announced their plans to divorce after 10 years of marriage, and despite all the rumors, the news still came as a shock. They weren't the first famous couple to blindside us with their breakup - Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise's divorce came out of nowhere, and we couldn't have been the only ones who thought Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey would last forever, right? Scroll through to see all the celebrity duos that made us gasp when they didn't make it, and then check out the famous pairs that have been together the longest. Melanie Griffith and Antonio Banderas Despite both having been previously married, Melanie and Antonio managed to make their marriage last 18 years before it was revealed in June 2014 that Melanie was divorcing Antonio . Jennie Garth and Peter Facinelli This low-key couple revealed they were ending their 11-year marriage in 2012. Jennie later said that Peter's decision to divorce was like "getting the rug pulled" from under her. Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt They were Hollywood's golden couple and despite whispers that Brad was getting close to his costar Angelina Jolie, we thought that nothing could rock their relationship of seven years. In 2005, after more than four years of marriage, Jen filed for divorce just days after she and Brad were photographed looking sweet on a Caribbean vacation. Heidi Klum and Seal It was a huge surprise when Heidi and Seal's separation made headlines in 2012; after all, they had been renewing their vows yearly since their 2005 wedding. It didn't help that they frequently showed red carpet PDA and often gushed about each other in interviews. Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony In July 2011, J Lo and Marc released a statement saying, "We have decided to end our marriage. This was a very difficult decision. We have come to an amicable conclusion on all matters." The news came as a shock to many, especially those who had watched them give a sexy performance together on American Idol just months earlier. Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise Talk about the shock of the year! Katie and Tom's divorce announcement came out of left field in June 2012, when Tom's rep shared that "Kate has filed for divorce." The couple were married for more than five years and have daughter Suri together. Charlize Theron and Stuart Townsend Charlize and Stuart, who were considered one of the most solid duos in Hollywood, kept their nine year relationship under the radar - so much so that even their 2010 split was a secret. Amy Poehler and Will Arnett We thought this funny couple would last forever, but there was nothing to laugh about when they announced their split in September 2012. They were together for nine years and have two children. Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey How could you not feel like you knew Jessica and Nick personally after watching Newlyweds ? The closeness made their 2005 split news all the more shocking, despite months of denials that their marriage was on the rocks. Keri Russell and Shane Deary Keri and Shane revealed their split in early December 2013. The couple, who were married for almost seven years, had been separated since the Summer and are parents to a son, River, and daughter, Willa. They kept their relationship out of the spotlight, making their split all the more surprising. Maria Shriver and Arnold Schwarzenegger This high-profile couple had four children and 25 years of marriage under their belt when news of their split was released in 2011. If that wasn't shocking enough, news of Arnold's love child and affair with the family's housekeeper followed. Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins They had been together for 23 years when they announced their separation in 2009. Despite the fact that they never married, it came as a total shock since their seemingly solid relationship had spanned more than two decades. Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe Reese and Ryan were young and in love, and when they broke up in 2006 after seven years of marriage and two children, many fans were devastated. Ashley Judd and Dario Franchitti Ashley announced her divorce from her race car driver husband in January 2013. The couple was married for 12 years, and given their out-of-the-spotlight status, we didn't see it coming. Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin Gwyneth and Chris were married for more than 10 years and had 2 children together when they announced that they were "consciously uncoupling." Though Gwyneth had some cryptic quotes on marriage through the years, we thought they would make it work. Courteney Cox and David Arquette Courteney and David had been together since forever - 1999, that is and even though things seemed a little shaky, there was still hope that they were rock solid. In 2010 the duo shared a statement about their separation, and in 2012 their divorce was finalized. Vanessa Paradis and Johnny Depp They may have never made it official with a wedding, but we were sure Johnny and Vanessa would be together forever. Fourteen years after they first started dating, the duo called it quits in June 2012. Idina Menzel and Taye Diggs In December 2013, Taye Diggs and Idina Menzel announced that they were separating after 10 years of marriage. The couple met while starring in the Broadway production of Rent in the mid-1990s and have a son, Walker. Miranda Kerr and Orlando Bloom This was a couple we thought would weather all storms! In October 2013 they shared that they had separated after three years of marriage. They couldn't have been more adorable with their son, Flynn, and it doesn't look like those sweet photos ops will have to end. When a reporter asked Orlando if he was still friends with his ex, he said, "We're not friends - we're family." Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher Even with cheating rumors surrounding their marriage, we had high hopes that Demi and Ashton would make it work, especially given all the gushing they did about each other. But that was clearly not the case when, in November 2011, Demi filed for divorce, saying, "As a woman, a mother and a wife, there are certain values and vows that I hold sacred, and it is in this spirit that I have chosen to move forward with my life." Patrick and Jillian Dempsey Fifteen years of marriage was enough to make us think Patrick and Jillian were in it for the long haul, but in January 2015, they revealed that wasn't the case, since Jillian filed for divorce and sought joint custody of their three children. Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner Rumors of trouble between these two swirled for weeks before their official split announcement in June 2015. The news came just after their 10-year wedding anniversary, and despite all the reports, many fans didn't believe it could be true until Ben and Jen revealed their plans to divorce. | 6 | 5,211 | entertainment |
Stacy Krantiz's photographic series From the Study on Post-Pubescent Manhood is an intense, visceral and unglamorized engagement with a raw and elementary, almost primeval, world of adolescence where young testosterone, adrenaline, and substance-fueled males partake in the recreational rituals of coming of age, while living life on the edge. Kranitz was initially drawn to her subject matter through her desire to explore "a hypothesis connecting violence and catharsis." Yet, beneath the surface, the work allows Kranitz to channel issues related to domestic violence evidenced in her own childhood and reconcile the passing of her youth with her perception of the associated physical and psychological risks and fears. "Those formative years you build relationships with things. I have that with violence and I'm looking for the redemptive qualities where violence can surpass its darkest aspects" Kranitz told TIME. At Skatopia rural Ohio's sprawling, 88-acre skatepark, known for its nihilistic environment and annual music festivals Kranitz found, "the place she had been looking for, [with] young kids who were attempting to do violent activities for some sort of emotional release." In rural Ohio, where things are pretty spread out, Skatopia provides a focus for community; a refuge and shelter for the disaffected youth who congregate there. "It's organized as a place where people can come anytime they want 24/7. It attracts people who are close to the edge, whether its drug addition or running from the law." The complex also provides full-time residence for some. Although skateboarding is central to Skatopia's culture, Kranitz "not wishing to get lost in the language of skate photography" avoided it as a focus of her work. Instead, she chose to explore a more extreme iteration of the universal notion of coming of age, that addresses, "reconciliation with limitations and extremes," she said. "You can't draw those lines in your future life without testing the boundaries and there exists this place, built for that purpose, where these kids can have that experience and behave as they choose in a fairly lawless land." Kranitz's images of a dysfunctional brotherhood of unruly, unkempt (and often bare-chested) young men reflect the immersive perspective of a photographer who takes a participatory role (rather than a voyeuristic approach) in documenting her subjects, which has now spilled over to Kranitz's personal life. She says it's been difficult to discern the work from the friendships,which extend to a boyfriend she met while working on the project. "There's isn't a public verses private relationship with the people I've met there." Kranitz has been working on the project since 2009, and she can't escape the story. "It's very hard, once you start to build those relationships, to exit something," she said. "This year will be the 20th anniversary of Skatopia, I think it's important to go this year and continue the work." Now that she has outgrown the cathartic nature of the place, Kranitz has turned to filmmaking to cover new ground. Her full-length feature film not only offsets the intensity and chaos of her still photographs, but simultaneously acknowledges her role in the image-making process. The intimate film portrayal of young man named Jerimy who Kranitz met while working on the larger body of work slows things down and shows her subject wrestling with the anxieties of coming of age and the desire for independence, within the limitations of relative poverty. At times awkward and embarrassing it reveals a complex relationship between filmmaker and subject, that sees Kranitz walking a fine line between intimacy and exploitation. It's an approach that she explains "not as documentation but rather as an exploration of the ethical boundaries of representation and the subversion of the photographer's 'role.' I willingly cross those boundaries to insert myself into the experience." Kranitz continues to take risks and test her own boundaries, exploring and finding methodologies to build new ways of working in a postmodern documentary environment. She's unafraid and learns from her failures and pushing to the next thing. "I hit a certain point when my work really changed and became not just about the subject of my investigations but about my relationship to making documentary work and pushing at some of the constructs of building these alter realities that are built in reality. I'm trying to reveal, in different ways, where my hand is in the process." From the Study on Post-Pubescent Manhood is on show at Little Big Man Gallery in Los Angeles until March 14. | 2 | 5,212 | travel |
Want to know who was the oldest person ever? Ever sipped on the oldest manufactured wine in the world? How about the oldest car? Click through to find answers to these questions and much more. Oldest living creature Triops cancriformis, also known as tadpole shrimps, have existed for the last 200 million years, according to the Guinness Book of World Records . Oldest analog comupter The Antikythera mechanism, discovered as part of an ancient shipwreck in 1901, has been dated to 250 B.C. Experts believe it was once used to make astronomical predictions and calculations. Oldest share certificate Accidentally discovered in 2010 by a university student, the certificate was issued by the Dutch East India Company's chamber of Enkhuizen (Netherlands) in September 1606. Oldest ocean The Pacific Ocean is believed to be around 200 million years old. Oldest orbiting satellite Vanguard 1, the first solar-powered satellite, was launched in March 1958. Although the ground crew lost contact with the satellite in 1964, it still continues to orbit the earth. Oldest whisky According to the Guinness Book of World Records , Glenavon Special Liqueur Whisky was first bottled between 1851 and 1858. However, its exact age is still not known. Oldest university The University of Karueein in Fez, Morocco, was founded in 859 A.D. It is still operational. Oldest player to score in NFL Super Bowl Indianapolis Colts placekicker Matt Stover was 42 years 11 days old when he struck a 38-yard field goal against the New Orleans Saints in Super Bowl XLIV. Oldest clock This faceless clock at Salisbury Cathedral in Wiltshire, UK, dates back to 1386. Oldest existing daily newspaper Austrian government's official gazette Wiener Zeitung was first published in 1703, and is still one of the popular newspapers in Europe. Oldest tattoos The 5,300-year-old mummified body of an "iceman", aka Otzi, had 57 tattoos when it was found in 1991. Oldest amusement park in operation Bakken opened in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1583 and is still a popular destination. Oldest surviving tennis tournament Wimbledon was first held in 1877 and remains the most prestigious Grand Slams. Oldest person to have ever lived Jeanne Louise Calment, born February 21, 1875, lived to the age of 122 years 164 days. She died on August 4, 1997. Oldest musical band The six-member Peace Old Jazz band average age more than 80 can still be seen performing in Shanghai, China. Oldest surviving terrestrial globe The Erdapfel, or ' Earth Apple', was created in 1492 by Martin Behaim, a German cosmographer and explorer. It doesn't include North or South America as these continents were yet to be discovered at the time. Oldest appointed prime minister Morarji Ranchhodji Desai was appointed as prime minister at the age of 81 in March 1977. Oldest pitcher to record a shutout Jamie Moyer was 47 years 170 days when he threw a shutout for Philadelphia Phillies against Atlanta Braves in May 2010. Oldest astronaut (Male) American astronaut John Glenn Jr. was 77 years 103 days old when he flew into space as a payload specialist on the space shuttle Discovery in 1998. Oldest designer label Charles Frederick Worth was the first designer to introduce his own label in 1845. He was also the first designer to showcase his garments by dressing models. Oldest person to climb Everest (Male) Japan's Yuichiro Miura reached the summit on May 23, 2013, at the age of 80 years 223 days. Oldest operating scotch whisky distillery Strathisla Distillery in Banffshire, Scotland, was founded in 1786 under the name of Milltown Distillery. It got its present name in the 1870s. Oldest car Manufactured in 1884, the La Marquise is the oldest functioning car. The four-seater vehicle, which runs on a steam-powered engine, was manufactured by De Dion, Bouton et Trépardoux in France. Oldest baseball field diamond Labatt Park in Ontario, Canada, was established in 1877, and still hosts baseball games. Oldest rookie to start NFL season on active roster Ben Graham was 31 years old when he started 2005 NFL season for the New York Jets. Oldest association football trophy Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly called the Scottish Cup, was first awarded in 1874. Oldest person to climb Seven Summits (including Carstensz) In February 2010, Japan's Takao Arayama scaled Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa, rounding up successful climbs on all the Seven Summits. He was 74 years 138 days old at the time. Oldest active professional theatre actor Radu Beligan's career has spanned seven decades. The Romanian was born in 1918. Oldest continuously surviving intelligence organisation The British Secret Intelligence Service, also known as MI6 (Military Intelligence 6), has been operating since October 1909. Oldest player to play in FIFA World Cup Colombian goalkeeper Faryd Mondragón participated in the 2014 World Cup at the age of 43 years 3 days. Oldest goalscorer in FIFA World Cup Cameroon striker Albert Roger Milla was 42 years 39 days old when he scored against Russia in 1994. Oldest golf course Documents show that golfers have been driving down the Old Course at St Andrews Links in Fife, Scotland, since 1552. Oldest manufactured wine Commandaria, a sweet dessert wine from Cyprus, is believed to date back to 2000 B.C. Oldest royal Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester, lived to the age of 102 years 308 days. She died 29 October 2004. Oldest lake Lake Baikal in Siberia, Russia, was formed due to a tectonic rift in the earth's crust 20 to 25 million years back. The lake still widens approximately 2 cm (0.7 in) per year. Oldest Oscar winner as Best Actress Jessica Tandy was 80 years 295 days when she won the award for Driving Miss Daisy in 1990. Oldest referee at FIFA World Cup finals United Kingdom's George Reader was 53 years 236 days old when he officiated the final of 1950 World Cup. Oldest artist to reach No.1 on US Dance Club Chart In 2011, Yoko Ono, then 78, topped the US Dance Club Chart with her song 'Move On Fast'. Oldest working post office The post office in Sanquhar, Dumfriesshire, UK, was established in 1712 and is still operational. Oldest actress in a leading role in a film Lillian Gish was 93 years old when she played the leading role in 1987 movie The Whales of August . Oldest aviation race The Gordon Bennett Cup was first held in Paris in 1906. The race is still one of the most prestigious balloon races in the world. Oldest shipwreck The Uluburun Shipwreck dates back to 14th century B.C. Oldest cricket test match player Wilfred Rhodes played for England at the age of 52 years 165 days. The match was held against West Indies at Kingston, Jamaica, on April 12 1930. Oldest international football ground The Racecourse Ground in Wales hosted the first international match Scotland vs Wales on March 5, 1877. It is still in use. Oldest person to captain a European Cup / Champions League-winning team Paolo Maldini led AC Milan to a 2-1 win against Liverpool in Athens, Greece, on May 23, 2007. Maldini was 38 years 331 days old at the time. | 5 | 5,213 | news |
The most popular international destination for American globetrotters in 2014 was London, followed by Paris and Toronto. That's according to the latest figures from the Hotel Price Index from online booking site Hotels.com. The top five destinations remain unchanged from 2013 in rank as well, with Rome and Vancouver rounding out the list. Meanwhile, Cancun and the Riviera Maya were particularly popular in 2014 among US holidaymakers, moving up four spots from 2013 to become the sixth most popular international destination. The report also showed that while London is a predictable and perennial favorite, Americans are also becoming increasingly enamored with Edinburgh, having moved up six places on the list. On the flipside, New York is the most popular destination for international visitors particularly for French, German, Spanish and British tourists. Orlando was the most popular destination among visitors from Brazil and Colombia. Here are the top 10 most popular international destinations for US tourists: 1. London 2. Paris 3. Toronto 4. Rome 5. Vancouver 6. Cancun/Riviera Maya 7. Montreal 8. Hong Kong 9. Tokyo 10. Barcelona | 2 | 5,214 | travel |
Here's a look at a few things we loved this week: Above: The designers at Vipp (you know their trash bins and and dustpans) are venturing into the prefab home business. The creative communities of Charleston, Denver, Nashville, Portland, Savannah in a monthly series of photoessays. "Try using neutral stone as a neutral pattern" and more tips for pairing floor and wall tiles. Above: 10 artists, 10 workspaces. Photograph by Jordi Huismann. $12 million will buy you Mathew Perry's ocean-front Malibu house. Tips on entertaining for the Super Bowl. Above: Elevated papier mâché bowls by Danish designer Judy Adrichem. The books to read in a lifetime. Bedding for the cat lover. Above: Conference rooms have never been cooler. Simpler and easier than a storage unit. On our wish list: A ball-shaped brass and maple pen holder. Instagram and Pinterest Picks of the Week Above: Our favorite Instagram discovery of 2015 (so far) is a Portuguese architect living in Macau (@nunoassis). Above: Toronto graphic designer Melody Hansen's Objects pinboard is a minimalist's dream. Read more from this week in our House Envy issue and check out Gardenista's Garden Envy issue. More Stories from Remodelista The Master of Plaster: Stephen Antonson's Sculptural Lighting Required Reading: Faculty Department We Make Tables. That's What We Do. | 4 | 5,215 | lifestyle |
Out of all the fruits in existence, which ones do you think contain the most sugar? Strawberries? Guava? Watermelon? Believe it or not, those fruits actually contain the least amount of sugar, according to Calorie Count , along with papaya, grapefruit, and cantaloupe. But some fruits contain a lot more sugar than others; strawberries, on average, contain 4.1 grams of sugar per three-ounce serving, and the sweetest fruit contains a whopping 13.8 grams. Read on to learn which six fruits contain the most calories. #6 Bananas A three-ounce serving of bananas contains 10.1 grams of sugar, with 76 calories, making it among the most calorie-dense fruits. #5 Cherries A three-ounce serving of this fruit contains 10.9 grams of sugar, as well as 54 calories. #4 Pomegranates Three ounces of pomegranate contains 11.6 grams of sugar, with 70 calories, also making it quite calorie-sense. #3 Mangos That juicy mango contains 12.7 grams of sugar in a three-ounce serving, with 60 calories #2 Grapes Ties for first place in the sugar department, grapes contain 13.8 grams of sugar per three-ounce serving, with 57 calories. #1 Figs Bite into a fresh fig and you'll agree that there are few things that match its great sweetness. It also happens to be tied with grapes for the sweetest fruit award; its 62 calories contain more than grapes as well. | 7 | 5,216 | health |
German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Saturday rejected the prospect of debt relief for Athens, adding to tensions between the radical new Greek government and its international creditors. "There has already been voluntary debt forgiveness by private creditors, banks have already slashed billions from Greece's debt," Merkel said in an interview with the Hamburger Abendblatt newspaper published Saturday. "I do not envisage fresh debt cancellation," she said. The new Greek government has already begun to roll back years of austerity measures demanded by the EU and the International Monetary Fund in return for a 240 billion euro ($269 billion) bailout granted to avoid a financial meltdown in 2010, and says it will negotiate to halve the debt. At the start of 2012, Greece restructured its debt in a deal involving private creditors who took "haircuts" or wrote down parts of their holdings. This cut Greece's total debt burden by around 100 billion euros. But the country is today still lumbered with a debt pile of more than 315 billion euros, upwards of 175 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), a record for the European Union. "Europe will continue to show its solidarity with Greece, as with other countries hard hit by the crisis if these countries carry out reforms and cost-saving measures," Merkel said. Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras will visit Italy and France on Tuesday and Wednesday, but has no immediate plans to visit Germany, Europe's biggest economy and effective paymaster. | 3 | 5,217 | finance |
Their father is one of the most famous faces in the NFL, but that still isn't enough to get all of Tom Brady's kids interested in football. The New England Patriots quarterback was asked about his children's interest in sports during Media Day for Super Bowl 49. His response, was quite shocking considering Brady has played 15 incredible seasons in the NFL and is going to his sixth Super Bowl. | 8 | 5,218 | video |
PHOENIX - The years haven't made Charles Haley any less imposing. He still has the type of commanding presence that once intimidated offensive tackles. He's been on somewhat of a goodwill tour the last few years while knocking on the door of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Here's hoping his wait ends Saturday. Haley, the only player with five Super Bowl rings, said he'll be fine either way. He's cleared bigger hurdles than this when you consider his struggles with mental illness. "The thing I love about when I played is I got a chance to play for some of the greatest coaches and with some of the greatest players," Haley told 103.3 ESPN's "The Afternoon Show" on Friday. "The Hall of Fame is an individual award. Team awards meant the most to me." Haley has grown to appreciate some of the men he clashed with early in his career. On Friday, he talked about how his defensive coordinator with the 49ers, George Seifert, taught him what every defender on the field was supposed to do. Haley said he took the same approach when he joined the Cowboys in Aug. 1992. Former Cowboys Pro Bowl tight end Jay Novacek surprised Haley on radio row Friday. "A lot of players, and I was one of them, need the right players and the right system," said Novacek. "Any team in the NFL, Charles would've been an impact player just like he was with us. If that is true, he deserves to be in the Hall of Fame." The momentum for Haley continues to build. Let's hope it shows up in the voting room Saturday. MORE FROM FOX SPORTS SOUTHWEST: - Highest paid coaches in college football - Ranking NFL quarterback salaries - Oldest player on every NBA team - Famous Dallas Cowboys fans | 1 | 5,219 | sports |
In Syria ISIS fighters say they have withdrawn from the town of Kobani because of coalition airstrikes. Their admission appears in a video posted online. | 5 | 5,220 | news |
SAN ANTONIO (AP) At 38, Tim Duncan admits a few more days' rest might be better for him rather than playing in the All-Star Game. But there is no way he would pass up the chance to razz a former teammate. The San Antonio Spurs forward will make the 15th All-Star appearance of his 18-year career after being selected as a reserve for the Western Conference. The Feb. 15 game is at Madison Square Garden in New York, which was the site of Duncan's inaugural All-Star appearance in 1998. ''It's an honor to be there, I'm happy to go,'' Duncan said. ''Would I have loved a couple of days off? Maybe, but it is what it is. It will be fun. My kids will love the experience and they will enjoy it.'' Perhaps not as much as Duncan, though. Duncan is stoic on the floor and in dealing with the media, but he is extremely mischievous behind the scenes. He loves playing practical jokes on teammates and teasing them, comparing his wicked sense of humor to that of Will Hunting in ''Good Will Hunting.'' Get ready for that, Steve Kerr. Kerr is coaching the West after leading Golden State to the league's best record in his first season with the Warriors. Kerr and Duncan were teammates in San Antonio for four seasons, winning NBA championships in 1999 and 2003. ''That's the best part,'' Duncan said, smiling. ''I'm just going to give him all kinds of (ribbing) the entire time, just make his life hell the entire game, in every huddle, in every play. I'm going to work him the whole time.'' If dealing with Duncan's shenanigans isn't enough for Kerr, there is also the ominous threat of displeasing his mentor, San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich. Popovich was asked if he requested Kerr limit Duncan's minutes. ''If he plays him at all, I'm never speaking to him again,'' Popovich said with a chuckle. The caution is understandable. The Spurs have struggled to find the consistency they showed last June in steamrolling the Miami Heat in five games to win their fifth NBA title. They have been plagued by injuries to key players including Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Kawhi Leonard. The one player to escape injury thus far is also its oldest. ''I've been blessed, I've been healthy,'' Duncan said. ''The last couple of years I've made it through an entire season healthy. My role has changed over the years. I'm just trying to be a positive on the floor that's all I want to be and be consistent at what I have to do for the team as possible.'' Duncan is averaging 14.7 points and 10.1 rebounds and has 22 double-doubles in 42 games. He is also averaging 30.3 minutes, third most on the team. ''He's having a good year,'' Popovich said. ''We've been a little up and down, but he's been really steady. He's carried us to this point with his consistency, which is what's really impressive. I'm really thankful to the coaches for seeing that and putting him on (the All-Star team).'' After Thursday's games, San Antonio was just 2 1/2 games behind the Portland Trail Blazers for third place in the West. The Spurs have won three straight and eight of 11 and have three straight home games before their annual nearly monthlong rodeo road trip. ''It's a good stretch, a really good stretch,'' Duncan said. ''Kind of needed right now. We've had kind of grind this first half of the season. I know a lot of the guys are looking forward to it, but we're not there yet and we're not looking forward to that just yet. We've got these games to finish out before the break and we'll do just that.'' | 1 | 5,221 | sports |
They were trailblazers and record-setters. The sixth class inducted Friday night into the NASCAR Hall of Fame was a diversified one in backgrounds but a common one in occupation - they were some of the sport's most respected and talented drivers. Their respective personalities and work ethic also helped attract fans to what was once a niche sport based in the Southeast. Making up the class of 2015 are Fred Lorenzen, Wendell Scott, Rex White, Joe Weatherly and Bill Elliott. In introducing inductee Fred Lorenzen, three-time Cup champion Tony Stewart quipped, "He was a teen idol with movie star good looks, so clearly we have a lot in common." Lorenzen, 80, who is confined to a wheelchair and suffering from dementia, didn't speak at the ceremony but clearly seemed to enjoy himself, clutching the box containing his Hall of Fame ring. "Thank you, Dad, for giving it all up to be the best hero two kids could ever ask for," said Lorenzen's son, Chris. "Congratulations on this final and most honorable victory." Scott is the first - and still only - African-American driver to win a race in what is now the Cup series, winning in Jacksonville, Fla., in 1964. "His is a story of perseverance and determination in the face of unimaginable obstacles," said four-time champion Jeff Gordon in introducing Scott. "He fought through any and all hardships, and tonight he reaches NASCAR's pinnacle." Scott died in 1990, and sons Wendell Jr. and Franklin helped induct him into the Hall. "We must carry his legacy to even greater heights with the same selflessness, honor, integrity, humility and perseverance that were his trademark," Franklin Scott said. "Let me conclude with a quote from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He said, 'The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of control and convenience but where he stands in times of challenge and controversy.' "Wendell L. Scott Sr., stood the test of time." White, now 85 and living in an Atlanta suburb, provided a comic moment when he appeared to be so excited, he began his speech before actually receiving his induction into the hall. He also appeared to fall as he stepped from the stage but was unhurt. Reigning Cup champion Kevin Harvick, who introduced White, finally took to the podium and ensured White received his ring. "Though his stature may have been small, the talent and championship shadow he cast loomed large, and the shoes that needed filling for any future driver of the No. 4, they're massive," said Harvick, who drives the No. 4. "I hope to carry on that legacy and one day end up where he is." Weatherly, who died in a racing accident at Riverside, Calif., in 1964, was introduced by 2012 Cup champion Brad Keselowski and inducted by Hall of Famer Bud Moore, one of Weatherly's former car owners. "He loved a good laugh, and he loved a good time," said Weatherly's niece, Joy Barbee. Weatherly, known for his practical jokes, won two Cup series championships and 25 races before his untimely death. Elliott, who won the 1988 Cup championship and amassed 44 wins, was named the sport's most popular driver an unprecedented 16 times. "It's a dream come true for me. It's been a great ride," Elliott said. "You get up here and forget about a lot of people who were instrumental to getting me to this point. I know a lot of people gave a lot of sacrifice for me to be here tonight." At the induction dinner before the ceremony, retired Observer motorsports writer Tom Higgins was presented the 2015 Squier-Hall Award for NASCAR Media Excellence. Higgins was the first beat writer to cover every race on the Cup series schedule. He retired in 1997. Higgins was greeted with a standing ovation when he arrived at the media work room following the acceptance of his award. "First of all I want to say, a standing ovation coming from you all is beyond special," Higgins said. "I still consider you my peers. I think of how some of the races are tough to cover and how you must be sweating a deadline." Also Friday, the Landmark Award for outstanding contributions to NASCAR was presented posthumously to Anne Bledsoe France, who with her husband, Bill France Sr., helped turn a family business into a popular national sport. | 1 | 5,222 | sports |
Stunned golf fans at the Phoenix Open were left to ponder how the mighty have fallen after Tiger Woods plunged to new depths with the worst score of his professional career in Friday's second round. Looking more like a struggling amateur than the greatest player of his generation, and arguably of all time, Woods was out-of-sorts in every phase of his game as he laboured to a mind-boggling 11-over-par 82 at the TPC Scottsdale. His chipping, in particular, was poor and many pundits are now pointing to Woods, a 14-times major champion once renowned for his magical skills around the green, as being a sufferer of the 'yips' when it comes to that component. Dottie Pepper, who won 17 times on the LPGA Tour, including two majors, tweeted on Friday: "Never fun seeing, let alone reporting on, 2 dreaded topics in golf: shanks & yips. Sadly, #Tiger has the latter. Nerves not mechanics." Arron Oberholser, a PGA Tour player who also works as an analyst and commentator for Golf Channel, said: "I think the greatest player that I've ever seen has the yips. "Whether that's because of a release pattern or whether it's not enough reps, it's flat out the disease. He's got the yips." Woods had also struggled with his chipping in his previous tournament, last month's Hero World Challenge in Orlando where he tied for last place, and at Scottsdale he hit chips fat and thin while occasionally resorting to a putter instead. Before any rush to judgement is made, however, it is worth emphasising that Woods was competing at Scottsdale in only his second event in five months, having endured back problems for much of last year after undergoing surgery. REQUIRED COMFORT LEVEL He is also still adapting to the fifth swing change of his career, this time with new consultant Chris Como, and history will recall that Woods took a long time to reach the comfort level he wanted for each of his previous four overhauls. "He's really revamping his golf swing and just seems like he needs some more repetitions," American world number nine Jordan Spieth said after playing the first two rounds at the TPC Scottsdale with Woods. "From the looks of it, he looks very healthy, looks like nothing was bothering him, so he should be able to get out there and get a lot of practice in. I would look for him to make a strong comeback this year." Others were not so optimistic on Friday after Woods, for the first time in his career as a professional, missed the cut in consecutive PGA Tour events, his previous one having occurred at the PGA Championship in August. "I think he needs to get rid of Chris Como," Oberholser said on Golf Channel. "He needs to get rid of all of these biomechanic guys. You don't go to a biomechanic guy when you're the best guy who's ever played the game practically." Woods, limited to just nine tournaments worldwide last year due to his back issues, has often struggled to take his game from the practice range to the golf course, and fellow PGA Tour player Colt Knost believes this is once again the case. "I watched tiger hit balls for 30mins yesterday on the range and he absolutely striped it! Something is going on in that head of his," Knost tweeted on Friday. After missing the cut at the TPC Scottsdale, Woods conceded that his chipping problems stemmed partially from a mental block. "To an extent, yes it is, but I need to physically get the club in a better spot," said the 39-year-old Woods. "My attack angle was much steeper with (previous instructor) Sean (Foley). "Now I'm very shallow, so that in turn affects the chipping. I'm not bottoming out in the same spot." Time and again during his remarkable playing career, Woods has successfully overcome assorted challenges -- many of them injury-related. If yips are in fact his latest challenge, it would be foolish for anyone to write him off any time soon. (Editing by Patrick Johnston) | 1 | 5,223 | sports |
What Your Zodiac Sign Says About Your Drink Preference What's Your Cocktail Sign? Maybe you feel that your horoscope should dictate what your diet is like , or you use it to help you make choices according to your zodiac preferences . Perhaps you've even used it to help you ensure the best possible outcome, like basing your wedding date choice around it. Or maybe you simply like to read the horoscope section of your favorite website or paper for fun. Whatever your astrological habits may be, it is time to consider another option: your happy hour decisions. Your zodiac traits could be indicative of your personal flavor profile, helping you to savor and enjoy each drink you choose. More: 7 Cocktails That Won't Wreck Your Diet Capricorn "You are salt of the earth and expect your drinks to follow suit. Strong, simple combinations that have stood the time of time interest you more than inventive, busy concoctions. The venerable Gibson suits you to a "t," for tradition. Gin and dry vermouth carry out a 'work hard; drink hard' mentality; the accompanying maraschino cherry lends sweet reward for your labors." Kathy Biehl Get today's horoscope > Aquarius "A playful nonconformist who likes a little verbal sparring from time to time, the Waterbearer needs a go-to cocktail that suits your ever-changing whims. One you can make a few jokes over is a plus. Like an Old Fashioned or a Last Word . No kidding." Stacey Wolf James Get today's horoscope > Pisces "Sweet, gentle and fruity is your preference. You want a drink to transport you out of the everyday into fantasy and transcendence. The vintage Trader Vic's recipe for the Beachcomber speaks to the mermaid/man within you. White rum and Cointreau supply the dreaminess, maraschino liqueur and simple syrup the sweetness, and lime juice tethers one foot in this reality." Kathy Biehl Get today's horoscope > Aries "Bold, impetuous, and self-starting, you meet life head-on and want a drink that returns the favor. The Bloody Mary does the trick. An assertive blend of vodka-laden tomato and lemon juice grabs your attention, while its peppery kick keeps your interest engaged." Kathy Biehl "You like festive flavorful cocktails with bright colors and a kitschy stir stick (pink naked mermaid, perhaps); a drink that sit on the table and tells the world you're in the mood for a party. A Cosmo or a pomegranate Margarita ." Stacey Wolf James Aries horoscope > Taurus "You prefer simple, straightforward, unfussy, and reliable sensory experiences. When one meets your standards, no matter what the price point, you return to it again and again. The Martini perfectly quenches your taste for the classic: shaken, with gin (stirred, with vodka if you're the daring sort), a touch of dry vermouth, and olives." Kathy Biehl Taurus horoscope > Gemini "Culture-savvy twins only like classic cocktails if they have an edgy twist or a hip new vibe. You severely dislike doing or drinking anything that's been done before. Try the very sexy and mysterious Caipirinha . Tell everyone it's the national drink of Brazil, you'll be so in the know." Stacey Wolf James Today's horoscope for the Gemini > Cancer "Crabs love classic cocktails straight up. Something that gives you a warm, comfy feeling with each sip. Those faddy here-today-gone-tomorrow drinks are such a turn off. A Moscow Mule or the very classic rum and Coke ." Stacey Wolf James Cancer horoscope for today > Leo "Your palate goes for drama, flair, and tangible confirmation that you did time as royalty in a past life. A Champagne cocktail is your ticket to glamour. The venerable French 75 delivers with style. Barely sweetened lemon juice renders gin an elegant base for the bubbly in action, which signals sophistication, status and comfort with shining in the spotlight." Kathy Biehl Virgo "You thrive on clean, fresh, earthy tastes, all the better if they support a healthy regimen. The Gin Rickey is a balanced combo of virtue and nuanced naughtiness. Bracing fresh lime juice (no sugar, please!) supplies the former, gin the latter, and club soda adds the crispness you prize." Kathy Biehl Get your Virgo horoscope > Libra "Nothing harsh or strident for you, please. You appreciate sweet, gentle, floral harmony on the tongue as much as you do in art, music and conversation. As subtle as your wit, the Orange Blossom relies on orange juice and powdered sugar so artfully the presence of gin may go undetected until the second or third glass." Kathy Biehl Scorpio "Intensity is your forte. While you prize unadulterated liquors (taking, for example, your single-malt Scotch neat), you have the inclination and courage for a cocktail that would challenge others, if it promises depth of experience. The Stinger rewards with its unusual blend of Cognac and white crème de menthe, which imparts a mouthfeel you find luscious, even extravagant." Kathy Biehl "You Scorpions like to dance to your own drum, buck the trend, and go strictly by flavor. Not one to shy away from spicy flavor, you like your drink to taste like a real drink. A Negroni is just your style." Stacey Wolf James Scorpio's daily horoscope Sagittarius "You take to the bar your love adventure, history and exploring the unknown or foreign. If a pirate cocktail existed, it would be your signature drink. A close second: the Rob Roy , named for a Scottish outlaw. Its blend of scotch, vermouths (sweet and dry), and bitters has the complexity to stimulate your palate as well as your imagination." Kathy Biehl Read more about horoscopes > | 0 | 5,224 | foodanddrink |
Jim Cramer is gearing up for another event-packed week. But the reality is, the U.S. just can't save the world. We can't make the Chinese spend more money or force Europe to make real structural changes any more than we can direct the Japanese in finding a new way to grow besides dumping cars on us. Next week brings a few important themes to the table that the "Mad Money" host says call for preparation. First, there will be more earnings reported by strong American companies that can weather the foreign currency storm. Second, investors will be looking for protection in stocks with high yields, now that the 10-year Treasury (US10Y) is barely yielding enough to buy a pack of gum. Third, Cramer is beginning to wonder if investors should be on the lookout for a bottom in oil. The $45 level has managed to hold thus far, despite a dramatic amount of selling. However oil spiked again on Friday, to $48. "So we'll listen to all of the oil companies in order to determine whether drilling's been cut back so aggressively that it will cause either a V- or a U-shape bottom sometime in the next few months," said Cramer. For those investors looking for a speculative stock that Cramer thinks is worth buying; look no further than Boot Barn (BOOT) . This retailer went public in October at $16 and closed at $20.18 on Friday. This western wear retailer has 166 stores spanning 26 states and barely faces any competition. But what Cramer loves most about this company is the obvious growth opportunities. Management believes it can ultimately expand to 400 stores. And while Boot Barn is due to report next Wednesday, Cramer believes that this stock is a long-term prospect. He does not recommend trading it into the quarter. "I think this fresh-faced company has many years of strong growth ahead of it, which is why it's worth buying at these levels," said the "Mad Money" host. Another company that Cramer thinks is worth investing in is Google. What the heck is going on with Google (GOOGL) ? Contrary to popular headlines, Cramer thinks this stock is actually a steal. Many investors were left perplexed as the company reported a big miss in the headlines on Thursday night. The stock initially plummeted in the after-hours and then exploded on Friday. "I think the stock remains a steal at these levels, although, of course, I'd always like it even more if it gets slammed the next time we have a marketwide selloff like we did today," said Cramer. If Google can grow so fast that it penetrates the computers of most Americans, could big brother also penetrate your workplace? Cramer went off the tape on Friday to talk to Arrowsight. This is a privately held company that provides remote video auditing systems to enable third-party auditing of worker production levels. The company currently works with several meat production facilities, fast food companies and hospitals, to ensure that regulations are maintained and improve safety. Cramer sat down with Adam Aronson, founder and CEO of Arrowsight, to find out where this company could be headed. "Rolling the clock back 12 years, when I started this company, for the life of me I couldn't understand why corporate America wasn't using video cameras the way that sporting teams have been using them for decades. So we just said, 'Let's start a whole company around this,'" Aronson said. After the juicy burger chain Shake Shack (SHAK) initially priced at $21 and spiked up at the open to a monstrous $47 a share on Friday Cramer felt excitement on the burger news, with a side of frustration. "As much faith as I have in Danny and his amazing team, I do not have the same amount of faith in the initial public offering process," said Cramer. The "Mad Money" host has unfortunately seen over and over again that there is a complete inability to properly price merchandise of a popular service or device. In Cramer's perspective, no matter how awesome a company might be, the first few opening days may not be the best time to buy the stock. Cramer's advice let the flippers weed out of the stock, so it can stabilize. As long as you understand what is happening, it can be held and should be done so for the long term. In the Lightning Round, Cramer gave his take on a few caller favorite stocks: FireEye (FEYE) : "I like FireEye, I like the whole segment. I love that Palo Alto (PANW) , but it got away from us. FireEye seems like it's a sweet spot." Rockwell Medical Inc (RMTI) : "Everyone keeps hyping the stock, but it's not moving. Don't buy, don't buy." | 3 | 5,225 | finance |
ET's Nischelle Turner was at the White House with First Lady Michelle Obama as she honored the National School Counselor of the Year. | 8 | 5,226 | video |
Backstreet's back! The Backstreet Boys chat about their raw documentary, adjusting after their huge success spike ended, and if band life is as fun now as it was in the '90s with Wonderwall Editor Jessica Herndon. | 6 | 5,227 | entertainment |
Once upon a time, you were a well-rested person with disposable income and the opposite of "comfort shoes." Then, you got pregnant and were robbed of things like hot dogs, sushi, and alcohol. Some of those things get handed back to you, along with the world's most perfect baby and a deflated mid section. But as your kid gets older, you lose things you didn't know you had; things you used to take for granted and I'm not talking date nights, long showers, and pre-kid boobs because if having kids has taught me anything it's that lowering your expectations is key. I'm talking about the little things, things you never knew you'd miss because no one told you that you might never do them again… 1. Eat dessert without sharing: Sometimes you want to use up four Weight Watcher points on an ice cream bar at 2pm and eat the whole damn thing. 2. Go somewhere with no purpose: Close your eyes and imagine saying, "Wanna go to the mall?" "Wanna drive over to that area and pick a place to eat?" Now, it's basically a secret service itinerary and a bunch of questions whose answers draw complaints. 3. Have something anything nice: "We can't having anything nice" is SO cliché, but SO true. Stainless steel fridges meant for a clean, modern look are covered in fingerprints and scratches from Hot Wheels. Once in a while you get ballsy and put out a "sacrificial lamp" but it gets broken and you resign yourself to rooms with soft, stained couches, doors with dents and décor full of padded corners, race car beds and baby gates. 4. Watch an infomercial: Not an infomercial that you are watching because you're up in the middle of the night with a nursing or sick kid. An infomercial for something you don't even want, not just something that you are pretending you don't want, like say Hip Hop Abs. 5. Change your mind: People change their minds, kids change their minds all the time, but good luck changing your mind in front of a kid. What follows can be described as annoying at best and most likely a trial. 6. Finish a sentence you don't have to repeat: Sometimes, when I'm trying to talk it's so loud I can't even hear my own voice. You too? Shocking! The ideal yet impossible scenario is: Think something, say it, and get an actual response. 7. "Just" do anything: Just get in the car, you know just go to it, open it, get in, sit down, shut up, whatever. Then just sit down for a minute or just make ONE phone call maybe just grab something to eat or just run to the store. 8. Talk to an adult: Sure you talk to adults now, but they consist of the kid's doctors, teachers, friend's Mom, people they've run into/over. What about running into a friend and shootin' the shizz and, as an added bonus, hearing what they have to say without interrupting said adult to say, "Mommy is talking to Leslie" or "Take your mouth off of that." 9. Have a sick day: A real life sick day, not just a day off work or a nap. The kind where you stay in your pjs, don't do one thing for someone other than yourself, whine, sleep, catch Plinko on Price is Right, find a show you didn't know existed, sick day. 10. Flip through a magazine: This will never happen though because magazines won't exist by the time you would be able to do this. I suppose you can get a negative self-image from many mediums now but doing it in a magazine seems the most satisfying. You may want to keep this as the beginning of your bucket list. I'm sure it will grow as your memory is used more for things you'd like to remember and less for who likes the green one and who likes the blue one. | 4 | 5,228 | lifestyle |
Peter Schrager comments on Bill Belichick's relaxed attitude and Richard Sherman's baby drama. | 1 | 5,229 | sports |
Pittsburgh defenseman Simon Despres scored the game-winning goal in overtime to lift the Penguins to a 2-1 victory. Chris Kunitz scored late in the third period to send the game to an extra session. | 1 | 5,230 | sports |
Vancouver Canucks winger Radim Vrbata says the secret of being a quality linemate for the Sedin twins is knowing when to stay out of their way. "Sometimes they like to do their own stuff," Vrbata said. "You don't want to get involved because on their cycles they like to be left alone. They can take on three guys themselves and you just need to get open somewhere else." That strategy has served Vrbata well enough that he is well on his way to registering his best season since 2011-12 when he scored 35 goals. He has 19 goals in 44 games, earning him an All-Star trip when Henrik and Daniel Sedin didn't make it. Vrbata, 33, is the top goal scorer of last season's free agent class, and he is in the conversation with the Nashville Predators' Mike Ribeiro and the Winnipeg Jets' Mathieu Perreault for the unofficial title of best forward free agent signing of 2014. Needing more offense, the Canucks gave Vrbata $10 million over two seasons. The big question was how well he would play outside of Arizona. His free agent signing with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2008 didn't work out and he was traded the following season back to the Coyotes, where he thrived again. Any concern has turned out to be misplaced because he is ahead of last season's pace in both goals and points. "This season is going even better than I thought," Vrbata said. "When I was in Phoenix, Marty Hanzal and I played against (the Sedins) a lot. When you have to defend them, it's not much fun. It's a lot more fun to be on the other side of things." The search for a proper winger for the Sedins has always been a work in progress. Alex Burrows has been successful there at times, but Vrbata's scoring knack has seemed a better fit. He says the Sedins' chemistry exceeds any connection he has witnessed in the hockey world. "Some of the plays they make have to be sixth sense," Vrbata said. He points out that linemates often develop good chemistry after a couple of seasons together, but the Sedins have been together their whole life. "For a half season, I've seen them in certain situations on the ice where you would think a play would be impossible to make and they make it happen," Vrbata said. "It has to be something bigger than regular chemistry." Vrbata isn't sure exactly why he has worked as the Sedins' linemate, while others have failed. "Chemistry is a weird thing," he said. "It's just there or not. ... I just try to get lost and get open somewhere and if you do that, they will get the puck to you and you will have a scoring chance. During his career, Vrbata said he had always heard the Sedins were almost too good to be true as teammates. "They are great guys, even better than I thought or what I heard. They are humble people," he said. "When you go with a new team, you never know how it will go, but they have been helpful from day one." Once Vrbata had signed, the Sedins reached out to him to welcome him to the team. "Maybe it doesn't seem like a big thing, but when you are with a new team, it's nice that they picked me up for the first couple of practices and took me around the city," he said. "Introducing you to staff. Little things, but it makes a huge difference." When named to the All-Star Game for the first time in his career, Vrbata said he was the beneficiary of the Sedins' wizardy. "They could have easily been (named) instead of me," he said. "I don't think it was my game. They deserve a lot of credit." | 1 | 5,231 | sports |
Val Kilmer reportedly underwent emergency surgery on a throat tumor this week. The 55-year-old actor, who has 23-year-old daughter Mercedes and 19-year-old son Jack with ex-wife Joanne Whalley, is said to be recovering from the procedure in Los Angeles after being rushed to hospital on Monday night (01.26.15) when he began bleeding from his throat. A law enforcement source claims paramedics received a 911 call from someone at the 'Top Gun' star's home in Malibu and brought him straight to UCLA Medical Centre in Santa Monica, where doctors performed the surgery. The insider told gossip website TMZ.com that the actor's family members have been upset because they think Val ignored the problem for some time and allowed his condition to become more serious. The star previously told a judge he was unable to speak because his tongue was swollen when he appeared in a small claims court in relation to a dispute with his former landlord in October. The 'Heat' star appeared to be in good health when he attended an LA Lakers basketball game with Jack on January 16, but was photographed with a scarf around his neck. | 6 | 5,232 | entertainment |
CHAPEL HILL - It began three weeks ago with familiar late-game heroics from Marcus Paige against Louisville and continued on Monday night with what was among North Carolina's finest offensive performances of the season against Syracuse. Between those games, the Tar Heels have won pretty, at times, and they've won ugly, too. One thing has remained constant: they've won, and keep winning, and their six-game winning streak has given the impression that this UNC team is starting to click, if it isn't already. "We really are starting to figure out what we need to do," Brice Johnson, the Tar Heels' junior forward, said Friday, a day before UNC's game at Louisville on Saturday. "And I wish we didn't have as many injuries as we do. But we have to live with that right now. "So we have to just keep doing what we've been doing and when those guys get back, I mean, they'll just be able to fit right into what we've been doing so far." Injuries aside - Joel Berry, the freshman guard, won't play again on Saturday, coach Roy Williams said, and he's likely to be out on Monday against Virginia - the past few weeks have represented the high point of the season for the Tar Heels. Their winning streak comes full circle with a game against Louisville, the team UNC defeated Jan. 10 at the start of the streak. Back then, a sense of trepidation surrounded the Tar Heels. They were coming off a difficult defeat against Notre Dame and weren't too far removed from a six-game stretch in November and December when UNC lost three of six games. It wasn't too uncommon then, weeks ago, for coach Roy Williams to question his team's toughness. Or for outsiders to question it, too. That 72-71 victory against Louisville, a victory earned when Paige made the game-winning shot in the final seconds, silenced some of those questions, and now they seem to be but a memory. "It's been different from one game to the next," Williams said when asked what he's liked most about what his team has accomplished during the past six games. In some games he has appreciated his team's care for possessions. In a victory against Florida State on Jan. 24, for instance, UNC committed a season-low five turnovers. In other games, the Tar Heels' shot-making has stood out. Three out of UNC's four best shooting performances - in victories against Syracuse, Wake Forest and N.C. State - have come during this streak. "If I had to think of one thing," Williams said, "I'd say probably just the competitiveness, the toughness that we kept playing regardless of when things are going good, things are going bad." The winning streak has included its share of difficult moments. Theo Pinson, who had been emerging as a valuable player off the bench, suffered a broken foot on Jan. 21 in the victory at Wake Forest. In that same game Nate Britt, a reserve guard, took a blow to the lip that left him needing 15 stitches. The Tar Heels in recent days and weeks have been short-handed in practice, especially in the backcourt. In addition to Pinson and Berry, both of whom remain out with injuries, guards Luke Davis and Stilman White are recovering from their own foot injuries. Paige, meanwhile, continues to play through plantar fasciitis, a painful foot condition. "I think the kids have understood that our numbers are thinner," Williams said. "I mean, we couldn't hardly practice yesterday. We just didn't have enough people." Still, the lack of depth hasn't seemed to hurt the Tar Heels - at least not on game days. Britt came off the bench against Syracuse and played his best college game, finishing with a career-high 17 points. Johnson, meanwhile, has scored at least 17 points in each of UNC's past three games. In the past two of those, he has finished with double figures in rebounding, too, which gives him five double-doubles for the season. Williams has spent more than half the season waiting for one of his post players to emerge and become a consistent difference-maker - a "big-time" player, Williams has said - game in and game out. Johnson is becoming that player, it seems. And the toughness that Williams spoke about back in November and December after difficult losses? The Tar Heels appear to have found that, as well. "We're just coming together as a team, I'd say, in all aspects," Johnson said. "We've really grown together." Carter: 919-829-8944; Twitter: @ andrewcarter | 1 | 5,233 | sports |
PHOENIX -- Even after more than a decade together as coach and quarterback, Tom Brady still manages to surprise and amaze New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. This season, their 11th together in some capacity with the Patriots, Brady has impressed with his commitment to improving his mobility, one of the only true weaknesses in the quarterback's game in his 15-year career. McDaniels marveled this week at how Brady would work on running drills during dead moments in practice this season, choosing to do scramble drills with resistance bands looped around his waist rather than watch a special team drill or take a rest. "It's tremendous to be able to come to work and have our offense watch this guy work so hard to do everything he can to have success at this level after 15 years of doing it at a high level. It's unbelievable," McDaniels said. "He worked harder this year than I've seen him work I think any other year I've been around him." It was almost like a spouse finding a new reason to fall in love again years into a marriage. And for McDaniels and Brady, theirs is a complex, long-term relationship, one that both men categorize as a friendship as much as a coach-player set-up after growing up in the Patriots' organization together. McDaniels, who joined the Patriots as a personnel assistant in 2001, became Brady's position coach in 2004, and called plays for the Patriots from 2006-2008, before leaving to become the head coach of the Denver Broncos in 2009. McDaniels' first foray into head coaching was a failure he was fired 28 games into his tenure in Denver as was his only other non-New England coordinator job, in St. Louis in 2011. But the chance to return to the Patriots in 2012 to reunite with Brady and head coach Bill Belichick enabled McDaniels to revitalize his own career and also work with Brady to revamp New England's offense and turn it into one of the most innovative offenses in the NFL. "I trust him implicitly with everything that he designs, schemes up," Brady said. "He's put together a great plan for this week so we as players have to really take it and figure out how to execute as best as we possibly can." In the three years since returning to New England, McDaniels and Brady have evolved. Their offense in 2012 operated at warp speed and featured two star tight ends a major change from their last year together, in 2007 and in 2013, the Patriots survived without a star skill position player. The current version of the Patriots' offense has been diverse and creative to the point that opposing coaches like the Baltimore Ravens' John Harbaugh have questioned if New England might be playing loose with the rules. In their AFC divisional playoff win against Baltimore, the Patriots played at times with only four offensive linemen a rare formation that required the team to rule a skill position player like a running back or tight end as an ineligible player. Then in their AFC Championship Game win against the Indianapolis Colts a game now tainted by the specter of the investigation into underinflated footballs the Patriots ran that formation again. In those two playoff wins, the Patriots had a wide receiver (Julian Edelman) throw a touchdown, and an offensive tackle (Nate Solder) catch one. "Very innovative. Josh does a great job of allowing his players to have freedom within the offense," Patriots receiver Danny Amendola, who also played for McDaniels with the Rams, told USA TODAY Sports. "As long as we're on the same page with Tom, and we have the same idea in mind, we have the freedom within the offense to make plays." Indeed, the ability for McDaniels to design new plays comes from his chemistry with and confidence in Brady. "You have to have a quarterback that can see what's wrong with the defense," McDaniels said. "I think one of Tom's greatest strengths is he's always been able to see where they are light, or where there may be some confusion and then try to exploit that. You have to have a guy like him to be able to do it." *** Follow Lindsay H. Jones on Twitter @bylindsayhjones | 1 | 5,234 | sports |
Uber says that if you catch a ride with one of its drivers, your personal and financial data are safe. The ride-hailing company on Friday released the results of what it described as a thorough outside examination of its privacy and personal data policies. While popular with users and investors, the company has faced criticism that its drivers are not properly screened for safety and that its employees have inappropriately accessed customer data. In a blog post, Uber said that while the new review's findings were positive, it can make improvements. The law firm that did the review made several recommendations, which Uber said it would adopt. They include employee training and greater restrictions on who can access customer data | 3 | 5,235 | finance |
The skinny on the Shack Shake Shack, whose newly minted shares began trading Friday, lifted its ambitions as IPO-market demand heated up last week. The New York burger chain priced shares in the initial public offering at $21, well above an updated range of $17 to $19, which itself was $3 higher than the prior range. By the end of trading Friday at had more than doubled, closing at $46. (Shares were falling back a bit today.) Expansion is on the menu for the eatery. Welcomed with long lines during its humble beginnings some 11 years ago in New York's Madison Square Park, the company still has just one restaurant West of the Mississippi, in Las Vegas. (It does have 13 overseas locations, according to its website, in such cities as London, Moscow, Istanbul and Dubai.) For those outside Shake Shack strongholds in the New York, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., areas Shake Shack also operates in Chicago here are six facts you may not know about this increasingly popular IPO. First stand The company's founder, famed New York City restaurateur Danny Meyer, said quite a few alternative names were on the table in the early days. "We entertained a bunch of names for the kiosk (most of them pretty bad like Custard's First Stand, Dog Run and Madison Mixer) and ultimately settled on Shake Shack," Meyer wrote in a letter to prospective stockholders. There is, however, an ice-cream shop that goes by the name of Custard's First Stand. Hot dogs to burgers Shake Shack, now known for its gourmet Angus-beef patties, started as a small hot-dog stand in Madison Square Park. Not in it for the money When Shake Shack first formed as an idea, it wasn't necessarily even a business venture, Meyer said in his letter. "We first conceived of our hot dog cart, not as the basis for a business, but rather as a small experiment to see if something as simple as selling delicious hot dogs could have the power to express what matters most: caring for our team members, guests, community, suppliers, and investors." The company has said it believes the culture of its team is crucial to its success, defining its ideal employee as one who is "warm, friendly, motivated, caring, self-aware and intellectually curious." It gives the technical skills needed to thrive as an employee a 49% weighting and ascribes a 51% figure to "emotional skills." Location, location, location The once-literal shack, now operating at 63 locations in nine countries, owes its success to the location, environment and culture in which it is planted its roots, it said, adding in its prospectus that it plans to keep things that way. Shake Shack tries to locate its restaurants in areas with high foot traffic and substantial commercial density and where communities tend to gather. In the risk factors section of the prospectus, the company notes that it might not be able to successfully expand if it fails to find sustainable, appealing new locations, which "may cause our operating results to fluctuate and be unpredictable or adversely affect our profits." Burgers are No. 1 Americans may seem to have only gotten more devoted to pizza, in all its regional varieties and formats, but the burger actually reigns supreme in the U.S., Shake Shack says, citing Technomic data. The burger market is U.S.'s largest dining-out category, ringing up more than $72 billion in sales in 2013, according to the consulting firm. Pizza comes in second place, but, reports the Shake Shack prospectus, the burger business is about twice its size. America's "quintessential culinary experience" has an estimated global market size of more than $135 billion, according to the Shake Shack prospectus. Dogs welcome Shake Shack views man's best friend as a full member of a customer's family so it offers a menu specifically for canines. The "Woof" section has ShackBurger dog biscuits with peanut-butter sauce and vanilla custard. The company even sells dog biscuits to go. | 3 | 5,236 | finance |
The Breaking Bad prequel series, Better Call Saul, is being called the most anticipated TV spinoff ever and with good reason. | 8 | 5,237 | video |
What should the New England Patriots do to win their fourth Lombardi Trophy and first in a decade? Here are five keys to victory: 1. Corner the receivers: Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner are capable, physical cornerbacks descriptions that hardly do justice to Revis, the best lockdown cover man of his generation. The 6-4, 221-pound Browner, a former Seahawk who was suspended for last year's Super Bowl, is carrying extra motivation. The duo is perfectly capable of covering Seattle WRs Doug Baldwin and Jermaine Kearse one-on-one as well as combatting their signature downfield blocking. Assuming Revis and Browner hold their own if not dominate the other nine defenders will be free to contain RB Marshawn Lynch and perhaps devote a spy to QB Russell Wilson. 2. Stay unpredictable: A frontal assault isn't bound to meet with much success against the Seattle defense, which has allowed the fewest points in the NFL for three years running. Patriots coach Bill Belichick and QB Tom Brady have dipped into their bag of tricks during this postseason double-passes, unbalanced lines and tackle-eligible plays all helped put points on the board. (And don't forget former Patriots LB Mike Vrabel caught TD passes while deployed as a tight end in Super Bowls XXXVIII and XXXIX.) Belichick's offense has chameleon qualities: against the Baltimore Ravens in the divisional round, the Pats threw 51 passes, yet Brady handed off 40 times in the AFC Championship Game. The Seahawks tend to stick to their scheme and dare opponents to beat them rather than make myriad adjustments. But keeping them off balance with well-timed chicanery might help the Pats crack the code. 3. Probe the Legion of Boom: When history eventually reflects on the Seattle secondary, it may be regarded as the best of all time. But all-pros Richard Sherman (elbow) and Earl Thomas (shoulder) won't be 100%, so testing Sherman on the edge or trying to force Thomas into the box to absorb a few licks from sledgehammer RB LeGarrette Blount might work in New England's favor. And as good as Sherman (6-3, 195) and fellow CB Byron Maxwell (6-1, 207) are, they could struggle with the quickness of smaller wideouts like Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola. 4. Protect Brady: The Patriots quarterback has proven one of the deadliest pocket passers the NFL has ever seen. Brady was only sacked 21 times in 2014, the fewest he'd endured in five years. But the New England O-line is about to face its sternest test after faltering against the Ravens, who sacked Brady twice and laid nine hits on him, many of the ugly variety. The Seahawks don't post huge sack totals (37 in 2014) but excel at creating pressure and don't lean on blitzes to do it very similar to the formula the New York Giants used to disrupt Brady and derail the Pats in Super Bowls XLII and XLVI. 5. Find happy returns: During the regular season, only five of Seattle's opponents managed to surpass 300 yards of offense (a figure New England only failed to exceed five times). Still, it will surely help if the Patriots can amass some "hidden" yards. Edelman was the AFC's top punt returner (12.0 yards per return) and took one back for an 84-yard score. Amendola is nearly as capable on kickoffs. The Seahawks' 11.5 yards per allowed on punts was third-worst figure in the league. The Patriots also returned two blocked field goals for TDs in 2014. *** Follow Nate Davis on Twitter @ByNateDavis | 1 | 5,238 | sports |
PHOENIX (AP) Here are some scary thoughts for the rest of the NFL: A win Sunday will stamp the Seahawks as one of the best teams of the Super Bowl era. And, given Seattle's makeup and philosophy, the future for the franchise might be brighter than for any other club. Rarely has a team with so many key young players been so formidable. The last such group might have been the Jimmy Johnson Cowboys of the early 1990s, when Dallas had the Triplets: future Hall of Famers Emmitt Smith, Troy Aikman and Michael Irvin. Seattle has its own trio of All-Pros, but on defense: cornerback Richard Sherman, safety Earl Thomas and middle linebacker Bobby Wagner. All are 26 or younger. They're complemented by young talent all over the lineup, from Kam Chancellor (26) in the secondary to linebacker K.J. Wright (25) to offensive leaders quarterback Russell Wilson (26), receivers Doug Baldwin (26) and Jermaine Kearse (25 next week), tight end Luke Willson (25) and a bunch of twenty-somethings on the line. All of them already have experienced the ultimate success on the field, and if they can beat New England for a second straight championship, the D word frequently will be thrown around. ''For us to win the Super Bowl back-to-back years, we definitely could be a team that's talked about as a dynasty,'' Wright says. ''I'm glad that the core players of this team are still together. The more we continue to stay around here, the more championships we'll win.'' Very possibly. But it's not just the talent coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider have collected, and how quickly Seattle locked up key personnel with contracts; only Wilson and Wagner need to be re-signed among the elite players. It's the culture the Seahawks have developed. Unlike the Patriots, who emulate the approach of their reveal-nothing coach and front office, the Seahawks are free-wheeling. It some ways, they resemble a college team, which makes perfect sense: Before turning around the Seahawks, Carroll won two national titles at Southern Cal. While the methods of Bill Belichick clearly work in New England - no franchise has been more successful overall in the last 15 years - the Patriots last won a championship a decade ago. Although Tom Brady says he hopes to quarterback the team well into his 40s (he's 37), the current roster doesn't strike fear for the future the way Seattle's might. That's true even if the Patriots win Sunday in a dead-even game: The betting line is pick-em. ''There are a number of kind of tenets you know, but developing a really competitive roster, keeping it young, always trying to upgrade,'' Carroll says of the program he's installed in Seattle since arriving in 2010. ''That mentality is really pervading. It shows up everywhere. The style of play that we want, that we agreed to, about being a physical team and running the football and playing defense on teams. And with that thought, those are all just kind of the tenets that we've built it on and we've tried to remain uncommonly consistent in that commitment. I think that's at the core of everything.'' The Nolls and Landrys and, yes, Belichicks might scoff at the openness. But in the Gen X NFL, letting players ''be themselves,'' as Sherman says, could be the way to go. In a copycat league, if the Seahawks come through Sunday, who's to say Seattle's approach won't be emulated? Lots of the Seahawks think so, even hope so. With championships in the bank and money to spend under the salary cap, the Pacific Northwest becomes an even more attractive landing spot. And that will be true even if - as expected - some of Carroll's assistants leave for promotions elsewhere this offseason. ''I know that the guys that are here really want to be here, and want to have the style of coaching,'' says center Max Unger, a six-year veteran. ''I think that it really just focuses on what you do well and highlighting that within your position. It's just a positive mindset.'' And then there's the ultimate attraction: winning rings. ''Man, that's why I stayed because of being able to play in these types of games and just a chance to play on this team,'' says defensive end Michael Bennett, who left Tampa after four seasons, won a championship last year on a one-season deal, and then re-signed with the Seahawks. ''I mean, this team is full of energy, full of superstars, full of everybody who wants to be successful. ''I mean, money can't put a price on winning. I know a lot of guys who have made a lot of money and they are still upset that they can't be in this spotlight. Pro Bowls are one thing, MVP is one thing, but Super Bowl is a whole other atmosphere. When you win a Super Bowl, you get so much notoriety and you get the chance to really be on a great team. Money just can't put a price on that.'' --- AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL | 1 | 5,239 | sports |
The Magic better hope Jacque Vaughn is the problem. If he's not then the organization has much deeper issues that cannot be solved by the simple firing of a coach. And, sadly, Jacque Vaughn, a nice guy and a good man, should be fired and probably will be fired if for no other reason than Magic CEO Alex Martins and General Manager Rob Hennigan need a designated scapegoat for why their team is so gawd-awful. Blaming the coach and firing him is the quickest, easiest way to appease fans who have split into two troubling factions acutely angry and alarmingly apathetic. And they have every right to be both. The Magic are in Year 3 of the post-Dwightmare rebuild and, right now, they aren't playing any better than they were in Year 1. The Magic have lost seven in a row, 13 of 15 and given up at least 100 points in 11 straight games. We haven't seen defense this bad since 1896 when Zanzibar surrendered to Britain in a war that lasted 36 minutes. At this point, Vaughn needs to devise his own version of "Deflategate" and instruct the equipment manager to deflate the basketballs so opponents can't dribble through the Magic's pitiful defense and score on uncontested dunks. The low point came Thursday night when the Magic trailed by 29 at one point during a home game against the short-handed Milwaukee Bucks. Ugly choruses of boos reverberated throughout Amway Center, no doubt embarrassing Martins and team management. Not exactly the type of atmosphere or performance Martins had hoped for considering he was sitting with team owner Rich DeVos and team chairman Dan DeVos both of whom made the trip down from their home in Michigan to sit through the debacle. Also in the arena Thursday night for the embarrassing performance were bigwigs from the Orlando Economic Development Council, not to mention the many fans who bought a $79 four-game holiday ticket package before Christmas. The game against the Bucks was the last of those four home games all of which the Magic lost. One father I know even apologized for purchasing the ticket package and stuffing it in his kid's stocking. "Sorry, son, that was the worst Christmas gift I've ever given you." Unless there is some sort of miracle transformation before the All-Star break, this is why Vaughn must go: because Magic tickets have become the worst Christmas gift since I got my ex-wife a treadmill. So why wait? Why not do the humane thing and pull the plug on Vaughn now? University of Florida Athletic Director Jeremy Foley has a very astute philosophy when it comes to firing coaches: "What must be done eventually should be done immediately." What do the Magic have to lose at this point? Vaughn has already lost the confidence of the fans, and you wonder if he's lost the confidence of players and his superiors as well. A high-ranking member of the Magic told the Orlando Sentinel on Thursday night after the loss to Milwaukee that management is "not happy at all" with the current state of the club, adding, "We will not settle for this." So why not release Vaughn, make top assistant James Borrego the interim coach and see if the shake-up serves as a player wake up? If it doesn't, so what? The worst thing that can happen is the team continues to lose and ends up getting another high draft pick And let's be honest, shall we? Vaughn was fired on the day he was hired the date just hadn't been filled in yet. He was dealt a bad hand from the beginning because his job essentially was to become the anti-Al Davis and "Just lose, baby!" It's no secret the organizational edict for Vaughn's first two years was to tank as many games as possible so the Magic could get higher draft picks. He did his job well, recording a 20-62 record in Year 1 and 23-59 last year. The problem is the Magic are now 15-34 and still appear to be tanking except it's no longer an organizational edict. Hennigan said this was the year the Magic should start showing progress and playing in "more meaningful games." The only meaningful games the Magic are playing in at this point is to see how many Pingpong balls they'll get in the lottery. Magic ownership and management supposedly feel the team isn't performing up to its talent level. They better hope so. It's one thing if Vaughn isn't getting the most out of the talent on hand; it's quite another if 15-34 is the talent on hand. Jacque Vaughn's job is in jeopardy because we all believe the coach is the problem. If it turns out the coach isn't the problem then Rob Hennigan will be next on the firing line. | 1 | 5,240 | sports |
Get ready to break out the selfie stick and put on your best duckface , because McDonald's has announced that come Feb. 2, it will begin accepting selfies as a form of payment. Yes, you read that correctly, starting the day after the Super Bowl you can start paying for your Big Mac or McFlurry with a photo snapped by your forward-facing camera. The new form of payment is part of the fast food giant's new campaign, "Pay with Lovin'," which is just begging to be ridiculed with double entendres. "From selfies, hugs, to high fives we have a bunch of fun ways to express your Lovin'," a McDonald's spokesperson told ABC News . The home of Ronald McDonald plans to announce the new campaign, which will run until Valentine's Day, with an ad spot that will air during this Sunday's Super Bowl. YouTube: McDonald's: Super Bowl XLIX Pay With Lovin' But don't start offering up photos of yourself to the cashier yet. The promotion is only valid for customers that order during pre-planned times. If you're lucky enough to swing by the restaurant during one of those times a McDonald's employee will instruct you on exactly how to pay with "lovin'." H/T Business Insider | Photo via jeepersmedia /Flickr (CC BY 2.0) | 0 | 5,241 | foodanddrink |
What must the Seattle Seahawks do to become the first team to successfully defend its Super Bowl title in 10 years? Here are five keys to victory: 1. Start better, maybe with larger dose of Marshawn Lynch: Seattle hasn't exactly exploded out of the blocks lately. The Seahawks have been shut out in the first half in two of their last three games and have just one first-quarter TD in their past six outings. Part of Lynch's beauty is his ability break defenses he grinds down in the second half. But it might be imperative to get the Pro Bowl runner going sooner because the Seahawks don't want to be in catch-up mode against the Patriots. Lynch has averaged just 25.1 first-half rushing yards during Seattle's eight-game winning streak and only 54.8 yards in four career playoff games away from CenturyLink Field. 2. Contain Gronk: TE Rob Gronkowski, who's averaged nearly 85 receiving yards over New England's past 12 wins, is obviously the most dangerous weapon at the disposal of QB Tom Brady. However the Seahawks have one of the rare defenses equipped to limit Gronk. Pro Bowl SS Kam Chancellor, who's a better athlete than Gronkowski but nearly as big as the 6-6, 265-pounder, is expected to frequently match up with the all-pro. However underrated Seattle LBs Bobby Wagner and K.J. Wright also excel in coverage and should be able to win their share of battles against the Patriots star. 3. Limit mistakes: Seattle committed 14 turnovers during the regular season, not quite as good as New England's league-low 13 giveaways (the Patriots' plus-12 turnover differential also led the AFC). But the Seahawks coughed up the ball a season-worst five teams in the NFC Championship Game, four of them Russell Wilson INTs, though not all his fault. Wilson is usually one of the league's most efficient quarterbacks and will have to player closer to that norm. The Patriots are far more likely to capitalize on mistakes, something the Green Bay Packers failed to do two weeks ago. 4. Win in the trenches: Though the Seahawks defensive line is unheralded, it remains deep and versatile and was a primary reason Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos fell flat in Super Bowl XLVIII. The key player is Michael Bennett, who applies pressure, stuffs the run and can line up anywhere along the front. New England's interior O-line is an area that could be exposed by Seattle, especially if C Bryan Stork is not able to come back from a knee injury suffered three weeks ago. 5. Weaponize special teams: Jon Ryan is an exceptional punter whose athleticism is a bonus, something he showed by throwing a TD pass off a fake field goal against Green Bay. Don't be surprised if he tries to steal a first down with his legs, either. K Steven Hauschka has converted 89% of his field-goal tries since 2012, though he was 0-for-3 when the Seahawks played in Arizona on Dec. 21. But his onside kick was a key to beating the Pack. The trade of Percy Harvin and injury to rookie Paul Richardson have limited the impact of the return game. *** Follow Nate Davis on Twitter @ByNateDavis | 1 | 5,242 | sports |
Since the controversy over the deflated balls used by the New England Patriots erupted, the scandal has given comedians plenty of material. | 8 | 5,243 | video |
Missouri athletic director Mike Alden, who has been publicly guarded throughout his 17-year tenure at the helm of the Tigers' athletic department, struggled to fight back tears several times Friday as he discussed his impending retirement. During a news conference at the Reynolds Alumni Center one day after he announced plans to step down, Alden got choked up when he mentioned his executive assistant, Sandy Matthew, and again later when discussing his childhood - a departure from his usual public persona. Alden, 56, whose retirement takes effect Aug. 31, will transition to a teaching position in MU's College of Education. He'll be an instructor in the Positive Coaching Program, for which he's been a guest lecturer, and also teach some classes on higher education leadership. Missouri chancellor R. Bowen Loftin said the move was Alden's decision to make. Alden insisted that stepping down was his choice and it wasn't related to his health, anything with his family or finances or anything else. He said he had been contemplating retirement with his wife, Rockie, for a few years, but "zeroed in on it a little more back in late spring, maybe early summer." "This is a perfect time," Alden said. "We love the University of Missouri. We love the state of Missouri. Our family has been so blessed by this institution ... (but) if you truly want to be selfless, if you truly want to be a servant leader, if you truly want to let other people be the drum major, and you really believe that in your core, then you want to take that baton and you want to hand it to someone else." Loftin said he "didn't really try to talk" Alden out of retirement. "I respect Mike's decision," Loftin said. "It's his decision to make. ... he made it very clear this was a firm, deliberate decision he and Rockie had come to together. I couldn't dissuade him from that. I respected that decision, but my heart sank a bit, because we're doing so well." Alden oversaw the most prosperous chapter in Missouri athletics history - an era defined by unparalleled revenue growth, four conference football title game appearances and a successful transition from the Big 12 to the Southeastern Conference, but also marked by a handful of high-profile controversies. While never mentioning any specifically, Alden acknowledged on Friday several missteps during his tenure. "Have we made some mistakes along the way? Absolutely, we have," he said. "Have we stumbled along the way? Absolutely, we have. And have we had challenges? There's no doubt about that. "But I believe, and I think we believe, that each and every one of those challenges, each and every one of those stumbles, each and every one of those mistakes that we learned from that. Our program learned from that, and we grew from that." Alden was criticized for his handling of several sexual assault allegations against Missouri athletes. When former tailback Derrick Washington was investigated by MU Police for allegedly raping a female student in her dorm room in October 2008, the university didn't launch an independent investigation as required by federal law. Alden said in August, after an ESPN report, that he knew of the allegation at the time but was unaware of Title IX-mandated reporting procedures for sexual assaults. Washington was not charged in that case and was not disciplined by the athletic department. Washington wasn't dismissed from the team until September 2010, after he was charged with felony sexual assault in a different case in which he was ultimately convicted and sentenced to prison. Basketball player Mike Dixon Jr., who started the 2012-13 season under indefinite suspension for an undisclosed violation of team rules, left the team on Nov. 30, 2012, after two allegations of sexual assault against him were made public. Dixon was not charged in either case. Perhaps most troubling was Missouri's inaction when swimmer Sasha Menu Courey alleged that she was raped by football players in 2010. She committed suicide in 2011. An investigation by the university prompted sweeping changes to the way MU handles sexual assault allegations. "There's always things you're going to go back and look at and recognize either you have mistakes or you could have done things better ..." Alden said. "But as you look at that, in these types of jobs, there are always going to be those types of issues or crisis type management. "You're regretful that things happen, but what you hope is that, if they happen, and you know inevitably something's going to happen, how you're able to approach that and learn from it and go forward. Those are the things that I really choose to focus on." Alden said he believes the timing was perfect to hand the baton off to a successor, who will be chosen by Loftin as part of a national search. "This is one of the best athletic departments in the country," Alden said, "one of the best athletic director jobs in America." Under Alden, Missouri ranks second in the 14-team SEC in the NCAA's Academic Progress Rate. He also said facilities growth, campus integration and fundraising have improved along with on-field competitiveness. Of course, the crown jewel of Alden's legacy might be the Tigers' move to the SEC, where the football team has won back-to-back Eastern Division championships. "It has been an amazing impact, not only on this athletic program, but frankly on this university and the state of Missouri," Alden said. When Alden arrived at Missouri, the school had a $13.7 million athletic budget, one of the lowest in the Big 12, but it has grown to more than $83 million, according to the figures obtained by The Star. More money is expected in 2015, when the SEC Network begins to add revenue to the department. Alden's tenure includes the building of Mizzou Arena and an ongoing overhaul of Memorial Stadium. MU also recently upgraded its golf, tennis and baseball facilities and has plans in the works for a new softball stadium. "He's leaving at the top of his game," Loftin said. "This university has never been in a better position in terms of athletics than it's in today." Alden didn't rule out the possibility of returning to athletics administration someday, but he said it wouldn't be as the SEC commissioner. Mike Slive announced in October that he would retire July 31. On balance, the good outweighed the bad during Alden's tenure, which included a messy divorce with men's basketball coach Norm Stewart in 1999 and the ill-fated tenure of Stewart's successor, Quin Snyder. Snyder's time at MU was marked by the Ricky Clemons fiasco, which ended with NCAA sanctions and included a slew of embarrassing jailhouse tapes that were made public in December 2003. Alden's handling of both Clemons and Snyder, especially Snyder's eventual resignation in February 2006, were heavily criticized. The Board of Curators met to discuss Alden's future on the morning Mike Anderson was introduced as Snyder's replacement. Anderson led MU to an Elite Eight in 2009, matching Snyder's trip in 2002, before leaving in 2011 for Arkansas. Alden hired Frank Haith as Anderson's replacement despite a developing booster scandal at the University of Miami. Haith eventually was suspended five games in 2013 for NCAA rules violations with the Hurricanes. When Haith left for Tulsa last spring, that brought Alden full circle, hiring Kim Anderson, a former player and assistant under Stewart who was dismissed from the MU coaching staff after Snyder arrived. "Not that everything was fun and roses all the time, but it's very unusual for an athletic director to stay at one place for that many years ... " MU football coach Gary Pinkel said. "He is so well-respected nationally, he is so well-respected in the SEC for his accomplishments and what a first-class man he is." Certainly, the football program is in better shape than when Alden arrived, a reflection of his willingness to stick with Pinkel through some lean early seasons. Pinkel had losing records in three of his first four years, then reached a school-record seven consecutive bowl games and won two Big 12 North and SEC East titles. "When I accepted the job, I said, 'I need somebody that, when things get tough, I need somebody to be able to stand next to me and give me an opportunity to build the program' and it happened," Pinkel said. "It happened a couple times in his first five years, so I'll be indebted to him forever. "Without that strength and that leadership, guess what, they'd still be flipping coaches here and the program wouldn't be near what it's like." To reach Tod Palmer, call 816-234-4389 or send email to [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter: @todpalmer. | 1 | 5,244 | sports |
It's long been told that chewing gum is great for your teeth, but is it? Could it be a replacement to flossing? | 8 | 5,245 | video |
TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) Strong safety Kam Chancellor was a new addition to the Seattle Seahawks injury report on Friday but is probable for Sunday's game against New England. Chancellor fell near the goal line on the second-to-last play of Friday's practice according to the pool report. He walked off the field without a limp, but left the practice facility with a wrap on his left knee. The rest of Seattle's injured players were all listed as probable for Sunday, including All-Pros Earl Thomas (shoulder) and Richard Sherman (elbow). Seattle's last full practice took place inside the bubble at Arizona State University because of rain. Seattle was forced inside for more than half of its practice on Thursday because of the weather. Attendees at the practice included former Seattle owner John Nordstrom, former Seahawks quarterback Jim Zorn and rapper Snoop Dogg, who brought his youth football team from Los Angeles. The Seahawks will have a walkthrough on Saturday morning followed by the team photo at the stadium. --- AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL | 1 | 5,246 | sports |
PHOENIX Richard Sherman's girlfriend is due any day now with the couple's first child. Of course, he's going to be with her when the baby is born. Or is he? If Ashley Moss has their baby Sunday, Sherman could be faced with a choice different than that of almost any other father-to-be. Different than other athletes have faced, even. "I've thought about the possibility of his coming during the game or coming before the game," Sherman said this week. "We have things in place in case that happens. We'll cross that bridge when we get there. "I would not like to miss the birth of my first kid," he added. "Hopefully, and God willing, we won't have to cross that bridge." It's easy to say Sherman should skip the Super Bowl, that family comes first. Every day, men drop whatever they're doing at work to be by the side of their spouses or partners when they give birth. No case, no deal, no project, nothing could be more important than being there for the birth of your child. The same goes for athletes. Golfer Hunter Mahan passed up a potential $1 million payday when he left the 2013 Canadian Open, a tournament he was leading, after his wife went into labor before the final round. Phil Mickelson was ready to drop out of the U.S. Open in 1999 the moment his pager went off never mind that he was in contention for his first major victory. "Whenever our players have a personal family issue that comes up, it's always about the family first," Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said Friday morning. But the Seahawks are Sherman's family, too. "It's so difficult for him," Mahan told USA TODAY Sports after the second round of the Waste Management Phoenix Open. "He's playing a team sport. And the Super Bowl is such a historic experience and the pinnacle of his sport. I'll say this it's up to him. There isn't a wrong or right decision it's a you decision." It's an important distinction that Mahan and Mickelson faced decisions that didn't impact anyone else well, except their wives and whoever had to juggle the logistics. But if Sherman skips the Super Bowl, he deprives the Seahawks of their best player. That's 52 teammates. Carroll and his 24-man coaching staff. General manager John Schneider. Owner Paul Allen. All those other folks who work for the team, too. Sherman's absence would probably gift-wrap another title for the New England Patriots, considering that most opponents look to see where the cornerback is and then throw anywhere but there. If Sherman doesn't play, the lethal Legion of Boom becomes more like the Legion of Small Firecrackers especially against a quarterback the likes of Tom Brady. Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco missed the birth of his second son for a regular-season game in 2013. Winnipeg Jets captain Andrew Ladd missed a game last season when his second child was born. But both of those games were in the regular season, when there is another game the next week or even the next day. The Super Bowl, on the other hand, is the pinnacle of an NFL player's career. Sure, Sherman has a ring. But that doesn't guarantee him other chances in the future and it certainly doesn't guarantee him another crack at history; win Sunday, and the Seahawks become only the eighth team to win consecutive titles. "This opportunity is rare in itself and unique in itself," Carroll said. That doesn't mean the Seahawks are exerting any pressure on Sherman and Moss far from it. Whenever Carroll has been asked, he's said the team will support whatever decision the couple makes. If Moss had her way, there wouldn't be a choice because Sherman wouldn't find out she was in labor until after the fact. But he was having none of that. "'You better call,'" Moss says Sherman told her. Whatever Moss and Sherman decide, should they have to decide anything, it's their choice and no one else's. No one can know the discussions they've had, the options Sherman will have turned over in his mind. Mahan says every case involves different circumstances. He said people sometimes come up to him and "say I'm a good guy." "But if there was a young guy on Tour, and he was struggling for money, and he felt like it was the best interest for him and his family to stay there and play on, I wouldn't blame him," he said. "And he shouldn't be crushed for that. It's a personal decision." The arrival of a baby is a big day, no question. But it's where Sherman is all the days after that will really matter. Contributing: Steve DiMeglio | 1 | 5,247 | sports |
Ohio will postpone all six executions scheduled for 2015 because it needs more time to prepare for a new execution procedure and to secure a new supply of execution drugs, the state's prison department said on Friday. Earlier this month, the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction halted use of the two-drug lethal injection combination of the sedative midazolam and painkiller hydromorphone after the protracted death of an inmate last year. The state prison system wants to add a drug, thiopental sodium, previously used for lethal injections from 1999 to 2011, and pentobarbital as the two drugs permitted for lethal injections in the future. Ohio and other states with the death penalty are seeking new execution drug formulations after some pharmaceutical companies stopped supplying products because they no longer wanted to be associated with capital punishment. Last January, Ohio was the first state to use the combination of midazolam and hydromorphone when it executed Dennis McGuire for the 1993 rape and murder of a pregnant woman. McGuire's execution took 25 minutes and witnesses said he gasped and seized for 15 of those minutes. A federal judge in May ordered a halt to Ohio executions to give attorneys for condemned inmates time to prepare challenges to the state's new plans for lethal injections. In December, Ohio passed a law that provided confidentiality to compounding pharmacies that prepare the lethal formulations. Four death row inmates have filed a federal lawsuit against the new law, saying it violates their right to due process. One of the plaintiffs, Ronald Phillips, was scheduled for execution on February 11 for the rape and murder of his girlfriend's 3-year old daughter. The Phillips execution has been moved to Jan. 21, 2016, according to the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation & Correction. A total of eleven death row inmates in Ohio are now scheduled for execution in 2016. The U.S. Supreme Court agreed on Wednesday to temporarily block the execution of three Oklahoma inmates who are challenging that state's lethal injection procedure. (Reporting by Kim Palmer, editing by Mary Wisniewski and Diane Craft) | 5 | 5,248 | news |
Anyone who travels a lot knows that eating in restaurants every night can get tiresome. At the same time, a trend in travel the last few years has been to not just skim the surface of a destination, to really immerse oneself in it and interact with locals. Those two strands converge in websites such as www.eatwith.com and the recently launched Feastly.com that give travelers to a city the opportunity to book a meal in someone's home. Feastly.com came into being as a result of a desire for a local meal while on vacation. Founder Noah Karesh, who has been cooking since the age of 7 and is responsible for the pop up the Blind Dog Café in Washington DC , was traveling in Guatemala and frustrated because he couldn't find real Guatemalan food. Asking an 11 year old avocado seller where to go to eat resulted in an invitation to his mother's kitchen and a sensational meal. Returning to D.C., he started the process of putting a group of hosts together which he vets with application forms and home tastings. Some cooks do it to supplement income, others just like to feed people and entertain. "We're not looking for the most elite chefs, for the Cordon Bleu graduates," he says. "There may be a woman who makes great meatballs…or it's a sous chef at a good restaurant who knows what he or she is doing. In many cases, it's a cook who has his or her network already. And the reviews are on the site. If someone less than great slips by, the community will catch it." Most listings are in U.S. cities such as Washington D.C., New York, Chicago and San Francisco; international cities are a little hit and miss: there is a host cook listed in Amsterdam but none in London or Paris where apparently the community hasn't launched yet. (For Paris, try VoulezvousDiner.com ) Specific dates are listed in the write-ups, along with a specific menu and description of the chef. In New York, there are numerous choices: Indian brunches, St. Croix home cooking, Hungarian menus, Basque, etc. One of the most interesting is an artist in the Financial District who cooks Persian favorites from family recipes including a tomato and cucumber Shirazi salad, beef and tomato stew and rosewater or cardamom ice cream ( $42 for a seat at the table.) Even locals curious to learn about that cuisine would have a reason to sign up for that. | 2 | 5,249 | travel |
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- Bill Elliott headlined the sixth class of inductees into NASCAR's Hall of Fame, a group that included three champions, the first African-American winner and a driver with movie star looks. "Awesome Bill From Dawsonville" was NASCAR's 1988 champion, a 44-race winner and the first driver to win the Winston Million bonus in 1985 for winning three NASCAR crown jewel races. A 16-time winner of NASCAR's most popular driver award, Elliott won two Daytona 500s and the Southern 500 three times. His induction came one day after his 19-year-old son, Chase, was named by Hendrick Motorsports as the driver who will replace four-time champion Jeff Gordon in the iconic No. 24. Introduced by Kasey Kahne, who replaced Elliott in the No. 9 in 2004, and Elliott was inducted by former car owner Ray Evernham. "Thinking about it and dreaming about it and listening to guys on the radio ... it's just incredible," Elliott said. "I dreamed of doing this." The sixth class was the first to be comprised of five drivers. First to be inducted Friday night was Fred Lorenzen, one of NASCAR's first superstars. Nicknamed "Golden Boy" and "Fearless Freddie," the Elmhurst, Illinois, native was one of NASCAR's first stars to hail from outside the sport's Southern roots. He was introduced by Indiana native and three-time NASCAR champion Tony Stewart, who made note of Lorenzen's famous look. "He was a teen idol with movie star looks, so clearly we have a lot in common," Stewart said. Lorenzen had 26 wins in just 158 starts in a part-time career that spanned 1956-1972. Now in a wheelchair, he sat on the stage as his son, Chris, gave his acceptance speech. "Dad had the gift of charisma, something money just can't buy," Chris Lorenzen said. "People drove from all over to see Dad, `Fast Freddie.' Dad treated strangers just as he treated his own family." He was followed by Wendell Scott, the first African-American driver to be elected to the Hall. Scott, who died in 1990, competed in NASCAR's top series from 1961-73. He won his only race, at Speedway Park in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1963, taking the checkered flag in the 100-mile feature. Scott started 495 Sprint Cup events and had a 147 top 10 finishes. Scott, the first African-American driver to race full-time in NASCAR's top series, won more than 100 races at local tracks before making the difficult step to NASCAR. He was introduced by Gordon, who announced last week this season will be his last. "His is a story of perseverance and determination in the face of unimaginable obstacles," Gordon said. "He fought through any and all hardships, and tonight he reaches NASCAR's pinnacle." Scott was represented by his sons, Wendell Scott Jr., and Franklin. "I would like to thank NASCAR for making this night possible, and their effort to improve diversity in NASCAR racing," Franklin Scott said. "Wendell Scott fulfilled his destiny, and now we can proudly say that he is the first African-American inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame. We must carry his legacy to even greater heights." Reigning Sprint Cup champion Kevin Harvick introduced the third inductee, Rex White. White, like Harvick, drove the No. 4. He raced from 1956-64, winning 28 times in 233 events including six races during his championship season in 1960. White, a short-track specialist, finished among the top-five in nearly half his starts. Only two of his wins came on tracks longer than a mile in length. White was to be inducted by former pit crew member James Hylton, but he began his speech before Hylton made it to the podium. He then scrambled the pages to his speech and told the audience "don't leave," as he tried to organize them. Hylton then tried to help him put the pages in order, and White looked at him and said "James, you were the one supposed to be doing this, anyway." Two-time champion Joe Weatherly was fourth to be inducted, and was introduced by 2012 champion Brad Keselowski. Weatherly, who died after a crash at Riverside in 1964, won 25 races and back-to-back championships in 1962 and 1963. It was the only two years Weatherly competed full-time at NASCAR's top level. He was accepted into the Hall by Joy Barbee, his youngest niece. | 1 | 5,250 | sports |
Michael Bayne has done everything you're supposed to do to avoid taking on too much debt for college. He lives off-campus to save money on housing. He's always working at least one job sometimes two. And he enrolled at an in-state public school, Arizona State University. But it's not nearly enough. The $2,500 in grants Bayne received this semester covered less than half of his tuition at ASU. A decade ago, the same amount of aid would have been enough to pay his entire bill. "My parents don't have money to help me, so to help pay for tuition, pay for books, pay for everything, I work a full-time job," he said. "And I still have $17,000 in student loans." It used to be that students such as Bayne could attend a public university and graduate with little to no debt. Then came the recession, when state governments slashed funding of higher education and families began paying higher tuition bills. Now, even as the economy recovers and taxpayer revenue is pouring back in, states have not restored their funding, and tuition keeps rising, leaving parents and students scrambling to cover costs. Total student debt now surpasses $1 trillion and is growing by the day. For the first time ever, according to a recent study , families are shouldering more of the cost of public university tuition than state governments. No state has cut its higher education funding more since the recession than Arizona, which slashed per-student spending by 48 percent since 2008, from $6,387 per student to $3,305 per student, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities , a think tank. All but two states in the country Alaska and North Dakota are spending less per student than they did before the downturn. In Virginia, funding has been cut by nearly 25 percent; in Maryland, by 12 percent; and in the District, 5.4 percent. Tuition at public universities, meanwhile, has risen. The cost of Arizona's four-year public colleges has increased more than 80 percent, to $10,065 from $5,572. By comparison, tuition in the District has climbed 71 percent since the recession, while it has gone up 32 percent in Virginia. Maryland schools raised tuition by only 3 percent during that time, but several imposed an additional mid-year increase of 2 percent for the spring semester that started this week. Annual published tuition at four-year public colleges has risen by $1,936, or 28 percent, since the 2007-08 school year, after adjusting for inflation. "The recession taught legislators that families will bear the cost of higher tuition, so that sent a signal to the state that it is possible to transfer the buck," said Sara Goldrick-Rab, a professor of education policy at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. "Now there is little incentive to reinvest." States across the country are wrestling with decisions over whether to raise taxes or cut programs to replenish funding for colleges. And it's not easy in some cases to find the money for higher education. Arizona is facing a $1.5 billion deficit. And local law prohibits policymakers from touching the budgets of many state programs, but not higher education. This month, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey announced $75 million in further cuts to higher education in his budget proposal. That represents about 10 percent of the funding that the state provides the universities. "Governor Ducey believes higher education is an investment, both for the state and for individuals, and he will continue working closely with the regents and the presidents to ensure Arizona universities remain successful," said Daniel Scarpinato, a spokesman for the governor's office. Less help for families Arizona once had one of the most affordable university systems in the country. Its three schools Arizona State University, the University of Arizona and Northern Arizona University received $1 billion a year from the state's general fund, which kept in-state tuition below the national average. Then came the housing bust, and state revenue plummeted. Arizona cut tens of millions of dollars to support its universities. Administrators eliminated more than 2,100 positions and 182 colleges, schools, programs or departments. The same story played out across the country. At the same time, full-time enrollment at state schools increased 10 percent, as students sought degrees to help them in a dismal job market. But many states were setting aside less money for grants and scholarships. Xavier Walker, a political science major, entered the University of Arizona with $15,000 in academic scholarships, $3,000 of which came from the school. But by his junior year, Walker, 20, still amassed $14,000 in student debt. The scholarship covered only a portion of tuition and not any living expenses. Walker holds down one job at the YMCA and another at Dillard's department store, scheduling all of his classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays. He routinely searches the school's scholarship database but has yet to find any aid that would let him cut back on work. Federal Pell grants for low-income students now cover just over a third of college costs. Cymone Ragland, 27, figured she could keep the cost of college down by attending Maricopa Community College before heading off to Northern Arizona University (NAU). The Pell grant she received was enough to cover tuition at Maricopa. Between her 35-hour-a-week job at Discover Card and her parents' help, Ragland had little trouble paying for books and other expenses. Things changed when she arrived at NAU, where her $1,000 Pell award barely put a dent in the $9,700 tuition. Ragland graduated in December with a bachelor's degree in business administration and $35,000 in student loans. "My dad was always against me taking loans, but I told him, 'It's different now than when you were in school.' I don't really have a choice. I just don't," Ragland said. "It became overwhelming knowing that I was getting further into debt, but I really wanted to finish." Schools look for alternatives Public universities have had some success in pressuring state legislatures to increase funding as the economy recovers. Arizona has restored $90 million for its universities in recent years. Tuition has leveled off. But there is no telling whether tuition hikes can be avoided in the face of another round of budget cuts. "As dollars were available over the past couple of years, our legislature has recommitted funding. However, since then the state budget position has darkened," said Eileen I. Klein, president of the Arizona board of regents. She said that before the recession, 65 percent of the universities' funding came from the state. Now it's down to 25 percent. "We don't know when or if the funding levels will return to pre-recessionary levels, so we've been thinking about how can we create new funding models that recognizes this era of diminished commitment from the state coffers," Klein said. With states withdrawing funding, universities have searched for alternative sources of money or tried to break away from the public system. The University of Virginia, for instance, began discussing the possibility of cutting ties with the state government in 2013 for more freedom to raise tuition and accept out-of-state students, who pay two or three times the tuition charged to locals. ASU President Michael Crow has struck a number of deals with foundations and companies. "We're operating on a new model, where we desire public investment, we move forward faster with more public investment, but we're moving forward nonetheless," Crow said. The broader Arizona strategy has been to enroll more out-of-state students. Critics say this hurts low-income residents because many schools offer merit-based aid to attract non-residents, rather than directing that money to the neediest students. In the meantime, students such as Bayne continue to fall behind. By his sophomore year at ASU, his grades started to slip while he worked a part-time job on campus and another one at a security firm. The balancing act ultimately led him to fall far enough behind that he had to stay at school a fifth year taking on more debt. "Trying to balance full-time work and a full-time course load, I just wasn't ready for it," Bayne said. | 5 | 5,251 | news |
DALLAS Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) accused Jeb Bush of hypocrisy after The Boston Globe reported the former Florida governor was a heavy marijuana smoker while at an elite prep school. Bush opposed a Florida medical marijuana ballot initiative last year even though he partook liberally of the herb while in high school. "You would think he'd have a little more understanding then," Paul told The Hill while en route to a political event in Texas. "He was even opposed to medical marijuana," Paul said of Bush, a potential rival in the 2016 Republican presidential primary. "This is a guy who now admits he smoked marijuana but he wants to put people in jail who do. "I think that's the real hypocrisy, is that people on our side, which include a lot of people, who made mistakes growing up, admit their mistakes but now still want to put people in jail for that," he said. "Had he been caught at Andover, he'd have never been governor, he'd probably never have a chance to run for the presidency," he added. Bush told The Globe in a recent interview about his four years at Phillips Academy in Andover, one of the nation's most prestigious prep schools, "I drank and I smoked marijuana when I was at Andover," explaining the behavior was "pretty common." The Globe cited a former classmate, Peter Tibbetts, who said he first smoked marijuana with Bush and also consumed cannabis, a concentration of the plant's resin, in Bush's dorm room. Tibbetts recalled Bush cranking up Steppenwolf's "Magic Carpet Ride" on the stereo while he and his classmates got stoned. Bush has previously acknowledged using marijuana, which he has called "stupid" and "wrong." He issued a statement in August urging voters to reject a proposal allowing the use of marijuana to treat debilitating diseases. He argued it would undermine the state's image as a "family-friendly destination for tourism and a desirable place to raise a family or retire." "Allowing large-scale marijuana operations to take root across Florida, under the guise of using it for medicinal purposes, runs counter to all these efforts," he claimed. Paul dinged Bush for now opposing the legalization of marijuana for medical use. The Kentucky senator has spoken extensively about the need to review the efficacy of the nation's war on drugs and reconsider harsh prison sentences and other penalties for non-violent offenders. "I think in politics the biggest thing, the thing that voters from any part of the spectrum hate worse than anything is hypocrisy. And hypocrisy is, 'Hey I did it and it's okay for me because I was rich and at an elite school but if you're poor and black or brown and live in a poor section of one of our big cities, we're going to put you in jail and throw away the key,'" Paul said. Paul has hinted at using marijuana in the past. He told a Louisville television station in December that he "wasn't a choir boy" when asked if he used the drug in college. "Let's just say I wasn't a choir boy when I was in college and that I can recognize that kids make mistakes, and I can say that I made mistakes when I was a kid," he said, according to an Associated Press report of the broadcast. Paul introduced an amendment in July that would shield states that enact medical marijuana laws from federal prosecution. It covered 33 states including California, Kentucky and New Hampshire. He has called decade-long jail sentences for possession or sale of marijuana "ridiculous." | 5 | 5,252 | news |
One deep-pocketed bidder will get a chance to own a piece of rock and roll history when the iconic Les Paul guitar known as "Black Beauty" goes up for auction in New York next month. The electric instrument, which is the original prototype for the Les Paul Custom guitars made the Gibson Guitar Company, will be sold by Guernsey's Auctions at the Arader Galleries on Feb. 19th. No pre-auction estimate, or reserve price, has been put on the instrument. But some music experts believe it could exceed the record auction price of $965,000 paid in 2013 for the guitar owned and played by Bob Dylan at his first electric performance at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965. "This instrument," said Guernsey's President Arlan Ettinger, "is referred to as the grail, the Holy Grail, because it was the first Les Paul guitar made by Mr. Les Paul that gave birth to the thousands and thousands of instruments that bear that name and that resemble this instrument." Paul, a pioneering musician and inventor, collaborated with guitar makers Gibson, who approached him in the early 1950s to build a true electric guitar. The solid body guitar was delivered to him in 1954 and continuously modified as Paul sought to perfect its sound until it was last used in 1976, when he gave it to his close friend Tom Doyle. The black guitar with gold hardware features fine inlays and bindings around the entire instrument. Ettinger said the instrument originally had different hardware and attachments and the pickguard did not look the same. "But through the next 20 years it evolved as he was experimenting to get new sounds and the maximum excitement of what he created," he said. Many people, Ettinger added, suggest the guitar's electric sound gave birth to rock and roll. The upgrades, modifications and changes on the "Black Beauty" set the standard for other Les Paul guitars, which are owned by musicians such as Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Neil Young and Jeff Beck. The February sale will be a litmus test in the auction market for vintage guitars. When a bidder bought Dylan's 1964 Fender Stratocaster for its record price it was nearly double its pre-sale estimate and surpassed the $959,500 paid in 2004 for Eric Clapton's Fender Stratocaster. Last year, however, an auction featuring 265 prized guitars from California collector Hank Risan produced disappointing results. (Writing by Patricia Reaney; Editing by Eric Kelsey and Dan Grebler) | 6 | 5,253 | entertainment |
Facebook Inc. announced this week that its user base has grown to 1.39 billion active monthly users, defined as people who use the social network at least once a month. That means with a global population of roughly seven billion people, about 20 percent check their Facebook accounts at least once a month. More than one-half of those users log in to the site every day, as Facebook said it currently has 890 million daily users. Among those daily users, 745 million, or 83.7 percent, check the site every day via their mobile devices. Compare Facebook's figures to the 1.3 billion people living today who do not have access to electricity , according to the International Energy Agency, and the 750 million who live without access to clean drinking water , per Water.org, and you have some rather impressive numbers. In contrast, Twitter Inc. has about one-fifth as many users as does Facebook. CEO and founder Mark Zuckerberg is dead serious about Facebook being a "mobile first" company: He once kicked an engineer out of his office for showing him site designs on a desktop, as Business Insider recounted. It makes sense when you consider that more than one-half billion Facebook users access it only through their phones -- 526 million -- or nearly four out of every 10 users. Facebook is huge, but some investors have long been concerned about teenagers leaving the site , as Mashable noted. However, Zuckerberg himself appears more concerned with emerging markets, and growing Facebook's user base by expanding in parts of the world without reliable Internet access. Facebook has a plan to use satellites, lasers and drones to connect the world's population to the Internet. The idea is similar to SpaceX CEO Elon Musk's plan to launch thousands of satellites into space to help get the rest of the world online: Google Inc. is ponying up hundreds of millions of dollars to help get it moving. To put Facebook's figures in their proper perspective, Google handles more than 1.2 trillion search queries per year , or an average of 171 searches for every person on Earth, according to Internet Live Stats. | 5 | 5,254 | news |
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. Rain wasn't the only thing that put a damper on the Phoenix Open on Friday. The rowdiest event on the PGA Tour goes into Super Bowl weekend without Tiger Woods, who had the worst score of his career and missed the cut by 12 shots. Also gone is Phil Mickelson, who had his worst round on the TPC Scottsdale in six years. Martin Laird carried on nicely without them. Once the rain stopped, Laird played his best golf and he doesn't think that was a coincidence. He ran off four birdies in a five-hole stretch until making his first bogey of the tournament on his final hole for a second straight 5-under 66. That gave him a two-shot lead over Daniel Berger (69), with Justin Thomas (68) another shot behind. Both 21-year-old rookies received sponsor's exemptions. A trio of Masters champions -- Bubba Watson (71), Zach Johnson (70) and Angel Cabrera (69) were in the group four shots behind. That's not who the crowd came to see. Woods was playing the Waste Management Phoenix Open for the first time in 14 years. "Welcome back!" the gallery shouted to him on Thursday. "Thanks for coming!" was the refrain on Friday as he walked off his final green with an 11-over 82. It was his highest score in 322 official tournaments in his career. "We all have days like this," Woods said after a day unlike any other he has had in his career. Mickelson had a 76, his highest score in this event since he opened with a 76 in 2009 and missed the cut. Neither are going to the Super Bowl. Mickelson flew home to San Diego, Woods to Florida, and both will meet up next week in Torrey Pines. It was the first time since The Greenbrier Classic in 2012 that they missed the cut in the same event. "Hopefully, we will be able to get it turned around for next week," Mickelson said. Laird would seem to thrive in such wet, chilly conditions based on his birth certificate alone. He was born in Scotland, though he played college golf at Colorado State and has been living in Arizona for the last 14 years. He didn't even play a European Tour event until he had his PGA Tour card. But living in Scottsdale, surely he has experience the occasional cold, steady rain like Friday. "The weather is so good here, when the weather is like this we don't play," Laird said. "I really don't remember a day where it's just been that kind of drizzle. It was a very Scottish day today. We get rain, but it's not sort of an all-day thing." Laird was at 10-under 132. Look a little further down the leaderboard, and the absence of golf's two biggest names -- Woods and Mickelson -- was another reminder that the sport is in the midst of a generational shift, assuming it hasn't already happened. Berger and Thomas are proudly part of the class of `11 -- that's high school, not college. They played often together as juniors and at college -- Berger at Florida State, Thomas at Alabama. Berger made it through Q-school after two years of college and easily earned his card through the Web.com Tour. Thomas did the same after leaving Alabama. Not too far back was Jordan Spieth, another 21-year-old who already is among the top 10 players in the world ranking and a Ryder Cup veteran. He scrambled his way to a 68 and was six shots behind. Spieth put on a clinic with his short game playing in the same group as Woods, and it makes Woods' shortcomings stand out even more. Woods either stubbed his chips or bladed them, the worst of it coming from behind the fourth green. He had 35 feet to the flag, tried to hit a baby flop shot and sent it 47 yards away, leading to a double bogey. Mickelson steadily dropped shots, tried to rally with a birdie on the 15th that put him one birdie away from making the cut, and then hit his tee shot in a bunker on the 17th that led to bogey. That bunker wasn't even in play for Mickelson on Thursday, but the weather was such that players were hitting two or three clubs more. Laird was part of the pack until his late run. He made a 20-foot birdie putt on the par-5 13th, hit wedge to a foot for birdie on the par-5 15th, and then made 7-foot birdie putts on the next two holes to give himself a little separation. Ryan Palmer (72) and Ryan Moore (67) were in the group at 136, while Geoff Ogilvy (69) was among those five shots behind. Fifteen players failed to finish the round before darkness. That included Arizona club pro Michael Hopper, who had no chance of making the cut. With two holes to play, he was at 12 over and needed to finish two pars to beat Woods. And that would be another personal-worst for Woods. He has never finished last in a PGA Tour event. | 1 | 5,255 | sports |
As we told you yesterday , Richard Sherman 's girlfriend Ashley Moss is pregnant and could give birth to the couple's first child any day now. And that put the Seahawks cornerback in a tough spot on Wednesday when he was asked whether or not he'd consider skipping Super Bowl XLIX if Moss were to go into labor before the big game. He didn't say what he'd do, but it did sound like he'd at least consider skipping the game if Moss were giving birth. "We'll cross that bridge when we get there," he told reporters . "We're not thinking about the possibility." Moss did an interview with KING 5 News yesterday, though, and revealed that Sherman will not skip the Super Bowl if she goes into labor. She said that she originally toyed with the idea of not telling him if she went into labor on Super Bowl Sunday. But after he told her, "You better call," they had a talk about it, and she told him that he shouldn't skip the game under any circumstance. "I told him [to] play the game," she said. "It'll be a good story to tell. His son and I will be sitting there, watching, cheering him on the whole game and, as soon as it's over, he can be there." Watch Moss' interview in the clip above. Why isn't there a Super Bowl prop bet associated with Sherman's unborn baby available yet? It has to be coming, right? [ via KING 5 News ] Send all complaints, compliments, and tips to [email protected] . | 1 | 5,256 | sports |
By Vincent Frank. Apparently the New England Patriots are not immune from presidential shots relating to Deflate-gate . Speaking at a Democratic Party retreat, President Obama took time to throw some shade the Patriots way. First, telling both the Patriots and Seattle Seahawks to "keep it clean," Obama then responded to a congressman's statement about bringing your own footballs with a patented Obama-like smile and laugh. The president had met with the Seattle Seahawks this past year after they won the Super Bowl, but refused to say he's rooting for one side or another. Though, we are pretty sure Obama would be singing a different tune if his Chicago Bears were playing. Then again, he has a better chance of being elected for a third term than Jay Cutler has of making a Super Bowl. Zing! Watch President Obama's comments here . | 1 | 5,257 | sports |
When you're about to take off into the sky you're most likely told to turn off your phones, but why? What's the actual reason? Let LifeNoggin take to sky in this week's episode of Mini Noggin! | 8 | 5,258 | video |
Radio legend Casey Kasem still can't rest in peace. His children held a press conference Friday to urge Los Angeles police to step up the pace of their elder abuse investigation into Kasem's widow. Kasem's offspring claim Jean Kasem, their stepmother of 30 years, abused their dad during his long decline and interfered with his medical treatment. "Elder abuse is no different from child abuse. Abuse is abuse," said daughter Kerri Kasem, 42, according to KABC in Los Angeles. The children claim Jean Kasem, 60, didn't embalm her 82-year-old husband's body when he died six months ago so that it would deteriorate faster hiding evidence of mistreatment. They also allege his death certificate was filled out in error, allowing the widow to ship his body to Norway away from investigators. An LAPD spokesman said cops are still investigating. Jean Kasem has denied she caused her husband harm. But his care in his final days was a source of bitter words and legal battles between her and Kerri Kasem, the appointed caretaker. | 5 | 5,259 | news |
Texas Governor Greg Abbott said on Friday he would officially declare Feb. 2 "Chris Kyle Day" in the state, in honor of the late Navy Seal sharpshooter portrayed in the film "American Sniper." The movie, starring Bradley Cooper as Kyle who was killed by a disgruntled U.S. veteran on a Texas gun range in 2013, has been a box office hit as well as a flashpoint of debate between liberals and conservatives. Abbott, a Republican, made the announcement during a speech at the Texans Veterans of Foreign Affairs Mid-Winter Convention in Austin, according to a statement from the governor's office. "In honor of a Texas son, a Navy SEAL and an American hero a man who defended his brothers and sisters in arms on and off the battlefield I am declaring February 2nd Chris Kyle Day in Texas," Abbott said during the speech, according to the statement. The film has been nominated for six Academy Awards, including best picture. It led a Reuters/IPSOS poll of roughly 2,400 Americans who were asked which film should win the top Oscar. At the same time, critics have said the film glorifies war and sanitizes Kyle, who called Muslims "savages" in his memoir. An Arab-American civil rights organization also asked director Clint Eastwood and actor Bradley Cooper to denounce hateful language directed at U.S. Arabs and Muslims after the release of the film. "It is our opinion that you could play a significant role in assisting us in alleviating the danger we are facing," said the letter penned by the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee. The ADC said it was working with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and police to assess the threats. Jack Horner, a spokesman for Warner Bros., the studio releasing the film, said in a statement that the company, a unit of Time Warner Co, "denounces any violent, anti-Muslim rhetoric, including that which has been attributed to viewers" of the film. (Reporting by Curtis Skinner in San Francisco; Editing by Jeremy Laurence) | 5 | 5,260 | news |
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) -- Patrick Sharp got the puck on the boards and abruptly whipped it in front to Patrick Kane, who scored before the Anaheim Ducks even knew where it went. Although the Chicago Blackhawks are still looking up at Anaheim in the Western Conference standings, they left a reminder of what will be facing the Ducks if these NHL powers end up face-to-face in the postseason. Kane had two goals and an assist, and Sharp assisted on every Chicago goal in a 4-1 victory Friday night. Captain Jonathan Toews and Duncan Keith also scored for the Blackhawks, who beat the NHL-leading Ducks for the third straight time at Honda Center. Corey Crawford made 21 saves as Chicago controlled the night, taking a three-goal lead in the second period. "They're the best team in the NHL this year, (but) we knew they were coming off a back-to-back games and three in four nights," said Kane, who clinched the fifth 25-goal season of his career. "We played a perfect road game. It was a fun game." The Blackhawks bounced back impressively after blowing a lead in the final minutes of a 4-3 loss at Los Angeles two nights earlier in the opener of their six-game road trip. After a blowout loss in San Jose on Thursday night ended their six-game winning streak, the Ducks have lost consecutive games in regulation for the second time all season, and the first since Nov. 28-29 -- another back-to-back set against the Blackhawks and the Sharks. And when the Ducks lose, they really lose: Anaheim has lost in regulation just nine times since Halloween, but eight of the nine were by at least three goals apiece. "We know that we've lost two, (but) let's not talk like we're Buffalo," Anaheim coach Bruce Boudreau said. "You can obviously tell how far you have to go to be the best. They turned it up, and we weren't able to handle it. So as a measuring stick, I hope this stays in our minds for a long time. They played so much faster than us, and smarter." Frederik Andersen stopped 29 shots for the Ducks. After Rickard Rakell broke up Crawford's shutout bid and briefly energized the home crowd with 9:54 to play, Kane scored his 25th goal on that brilliant pass off the boards from Sharp. Kane has scored at least 21 goals in every season of his eight-year NHL career. "Kaner has had the hot stick all season long," Sharp said. "I feel comfortable with him, and we've had a good stretch of games." While the Blackhawks celebrated a host of beautiful goals, defenseman Ben Lovejoy summed up the Ducks' ugly effort as "ditch-digging." "That Chicago team thrives off of quick-strike, fancy offense, and that's not how we're successful," Lovejoy said. "We have guys that are capable of making those plays sometimes, but we are a big physical team that wants to grind in the offensive zone, and we did not get to that tonight." Toews put Chicago ahead in the opening minutes, beating Andersen with an unobstructed shot on a setup from Kane. The goal was the first from Toews in Chicago's last 14 road games. Midway through the second period, Keith's shot found its way through traffic while Toews fell backward on top of Andersen, knocking down the Danish goalie. Boudreau angrily demanded a goaltender interference call, but didn't get it on an unreviewable play. Kane made it 3-0 a few minutes later with a nasty shot for his fourth goal in five games. Anaheim had a two-man advantage for 25 seconds during a lengthy stretch of power-play time in the third period, but got nothing until Rakell and Corey Perry skated in on Crawford for Rakell's fifth goal. NOTES: Andersen lost for just the fourth time in 21 games since Dec. 1. ... Before the game, Anaheim assigned Colby Robak to its AHL affiliate in Norfolk after the defenseman cleared waivers. Eric Brewer is expected to return next week from his 24-game absence with a broken foot. ... Keith became the fifth defenseman in Blackhawks history to score 400 points with his goal. | 1 | 5,261 | sports |
NEW YORK The Crossroads of the World has never been more popular. And that is becoming a problem. More people than ever are packing into Times Square from across the world, the country and the rest of New York City. Eager to dip into such a bounty of wallets, international retailers are jostling for space, paying rents that are second only to Fifth Avenue. Pulsing, color-splashed digital billboards have grown from the size of basketball courts to football-field proportions. Attendance at Broadway shows topped 13 million last year for the first time. With all this going for it, why are so many landlords, office tenants and theater owners worried about the future of Times Square? The same reason that retailers and advertisers lust after a Times Square location is the same reason that others now find it unbearable: the crowds. Some office workers and corporate clients complain bitterly of having to navigate thick and sometimes unyielding knots of tourists in various hot spots including a giant video billboard outside the "Good Morning America" studios and a digital wraparound sign at the Marriott Marquis Hotel just to get in and out of office buildings. A 30-minute lunch is nearly impossible because restaurants are jammed with visitors. Howard S. Fiddle, vice chairman at the real estate services company CBRE, said, "It's so successful as a tourist destination that people say it's too congested for New Yorkers to conduct business." Few landlords are willing to talk about the issue publicly for fear of turning their concerns into reality. But companies are dealing with the problem in small and large ways. A skyscraper at 1540 Broadway, for instance, offers an eighth-floor cafeteria and a gym so employees of several companies, such as Viacom and Pillsbury, do not have to step outside. The pitch from real estate brokers for renovated office space in the former headquarters of The New York Times Co., on 43rd Street, just outside the most congested parts of the neighborhood, is simple: You get all of the benefits of the transportation network without the negative of the crowds. Some executives insist on walking away from Times Square for meetings, lunch or a drink. "I generally lived my life east of the building," said Graydon Carter, the editor of Vanity Fair, who until recently worked at 42nd Street and Broadway. Indeed, a test of the area's desirability as an office district is underway at 4 Times Square, the 48-story tower erected in 1999, just as the area was shedding its dowdy, crime-ridden reputation. Condé Nast, the publisher of Vanity Fair, The New Yorker, GQ and others, had occupied half the building since it opened. The company moved downtown in November, and the other tenant, the law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, has signed a tentative agreement to move to a new office tower near Penn Station. There were a number of overarching reasons, such as economics, for the departure of Skadden Arps and Condé Nast. But conditions in Times Square lurked in the background. "There was some desire to get out of Times Square," said one lawyer at Skadden Arps, who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak for the firm. "Everyone agreed, it's awful there. People would go well out of their way to avoid Times Square." | 2 | 5,262 | travel |
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) -- T.J. McConnell jumped into passing lanes for steals and reached in to strip unsuspecting players of the ball. When he wasn't doing that, Arizona's gritty point guard was deflecting passes, hounding every dribble and, of course, diving on the floor for loose balls any chance he had. With a leader like that, it's no wonder the Wildcats turned their rematch with Oregon State into a rout. Sparked by McConnell's career-high steals, No. 6 Arizona ran its smothering defense to near perfection in a 57-34 win over Oregon State on Friday night. "You can make the argument that no player we've recruited in our seven or eight recruiting classes has had more of an impact on winning games than T.J.," Arizona coach Sean Miller said. "And he does it an all facets." Arizona (20-2, 8-1) has been in good defensive groove since losing to Oregon State earlier this month and held Oregon, the Pac-12's top-scoring team, to 56 points on Wednesday. The Wildcats were even better against the methodical Beavers. Arizona played its usual aggressive man-to-man and was better with help defense after struggling against the Beavers in the earlier meeting. McConnell was the catalyst, helping the Wildcats force Oregon State in 17 turnovers -- 12 of those on steals. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Brandon Ashley helped protect the rim, and the Wildcats got out to the Beavers' shooters, holding them to 28 percent from the floor. Arizona also shut down Beavers leading scorer Gary Payton II, holding him to six points on 3-of-13 shooting. Ashley finished with 12 points and Hollis-Jefferson had 11 for the Wildcats, who have won 34 straight home games. "Our defense was great tonight," said McConnell, who also had seven points and six assists. Oregon State (14-7, 5-4) handed Arizona its only conference loss earlier this month by attacking Arizona's defense. The Beavers were the ones on their heels in the rematch, unable to get anything to fall inside or out against the Wildcats' pressure. Oregon State went 3 for 15 from 3-point range and Payton, who averages 13.2 points, never seemed comfortable against Arizona's attacking defense. Olaf Schaftenaar led the Beavers with eight points. "They had a lot of possessions and they got a lot of deflections," Oregon State coach Wayne Tinkle said. "I think that caused a lot of frustration for some of our guys." The Beavers pulled off the upset of the Pac-12 season so far, knocking off Arizona 58-56 on Jan. 11 for their first win over a top-10 team in 15 years. Oregon State gave the Wildcats fits with its zone in that game, holding Arizona to 37 percent shooting, including 4 for 17 from 3-point range, and a season-low in points. But that game was in Corvallis. This one was at McKale Center, one of the toughest road venues in college basketball. The Wildcats also were coming off one of their best games of the season, a 90-56 rout over Oregon, and Oregon State just had one of its worst, a 73-55 loss at Arizona State. The patient Beavers managed to keep the game at their pace in the first half, working the shot clock down to keep it close. The Wildcats shifted the tide late in the half behind their defense, holding Oregon State scoreless over the final 7:45. The Beavers hit 6 of 20 shots in the first half, including 1 for 8 from 3-point range. The Beavers also had 11 turnovers, five of those on steals by McConnell. Arizona scored the final 11 points of the half to lead 24-13. The second half was even more defensively dominated. Arizona missed its first nine shots, while Oregon State opened 1 of 8. Pitts gave the Wildcats a quick lift, scoring on a three-point play and 3-pointer in transition, and Arizona stretched the lead to 34-21. The Beavers struggle against Arizona's pressure, finishing 8 of 29 in the second half to spoil any chance of a comeback. "Arizona is really aggressive, which pushed us into taking shots we're not comfortable with," Oregon State guard Malcolm Duvivier said. "We couldn't get the ball in the rim tonight even though we were getting people in positions to score. TIP INS Oregon State: The Beavers played without suspended forward Victor Robbins for the sixth straight game. ... Oregon has not swept Arizona since 1983. Arizona: The Wildcats played without backup point guard Parker Jackson-Cartwright due to a concussion sustained Wednesday against Oregon. ... Arizona has won 17 straight home conference games. UP NEXT Oregon State: hosts Washington State on Thursday. Arizona: plays at Arizona State on Feb. 7. | 1 | 5,263 | sports |
Odell Beckham Jr. had to catch 11 footballs one-handed in under a minute to set a Guinness World Record. Not only did Beckham break the record, he managed to do it in about 20 seconds. With Drew Brees throwing the football, Beckham caught the ball 33 times in one minute and he didn't drop it once. | 8 | 5,264 | video |
All-star forward Paul Millsap scored 21 points as the Atlanta Hawks won their 18th consecutive contest with a 105-99 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers. Millsap had plenty of help from his fellow all-stars Al Horford and Jeff Teague who finished with 17 and 13 points respectively. Teague scored six of his points in the final quarter. The Eastern Conference-leading Hawks haven't lost since December 26 in Milwaukee. And at 39-8, they have eclipsed last season's win total (38-44). Atlanta could post a perfect 17-0 month with a win Saturday against Philadelphia, which will end a seven-game home stretch. Kyle Korver scored 16 points and Kent Bazemore came off the bench to tally 12 points in 40 minutes as the Hawks won without injured forward DeMarre Carroll, who sat with a left Achilles strain. He was replaced in the lineup by Thabo Sefolosha, who played just 2:21 before he went out with a calf strain. LaMarcus Aldridge scored 37 points for Portland a day after he was named to the Western Conference all-star team. Wesley Matthews posted 16 points and Damian Lillard finished with 13 and 11 assists for the Blazers, who have lost seven of their last nine. Millsap, Horford and Teague were all named to the Eastern Conference all-star team on Thursday, the first time since 1980 that three Hawks made the game. Atlanta's Mike Budenholzer will coach the East team in the February 15 game at Madison Square Garden in New York. | 1 | 5,265 | sports |
Bruce Jenner Bruce Jenner is "transitioning into a woman". The 'Keeping Up With The Kardashians' star is said to be "happy" and "in a great space" after a source close to the family confirmed rumours he has decided to live as a female. The insider said: "Bruce is transitioning into a woman."He is finally happy and his family is accepting of what he's doing. He's in such a great space. That's why it's the perfect time to do something like this." The former Olympian, 65 - who sparked speculation he had started the transition after appearing with longer hair and wearing makeup over the past few months - is said to have recorded his own reality show documenting his progress, which will air when he is ready to share his journey. The source said: "It will air when he is ready to be open about his transition. "But he's acting more and more confident and seems very happy." Bruce is taking his time with the transition in order to give his family - which includes ex-wife Kris Jenner, daughters Kylie and Kendall Jenner and sons Brody and Brandon Jenner - time to adjust to the change. The insider told PEOPLE: "He's being very smart about and also respectful about his transition. Instead of completely shocking everyone, his changes have been subtle, and his family has had the chance to slowly get used to his new looks and life." The source added that "not everyone is 100 percent on board" with his decision to live as a woman, but it is clear, "everybody loves him." Meanwhile, Bruce's stepdaughter Kim Kardashian West recently confessed that the reality TV star was "the happiest [she's] ever seen him". The daughter of Kris Jenner - who has sisters Khloe and Kourtney - said: "I think Bruce is very happy, the happiest I've ever seen him... He's our dad so we support him no matter what, and I think when the time is right, he'll talk about whatever he wants to talk about. I guess I'll kind of let everyone be curious and I feel like that's his journey to talk about." The 34-year-old beauty added she is sure Bruce will speak out about his "journey" when the "time is right". She said: "I think everyone goes through things in life, and I think that story and what Bruce is going through, I think he'll share whenever the time is right. I feel like that's his journey to talk about." | 6 | 5,266 | entertainment |
Top seed Serena Williams clinched her 19th grand slam title with a 6-3 7-6(5) victory over Maria Sharapova in the final of the Australian Open on Saturday. It was Williams' sixth title at Melbourne Park and it moved her into a tie with fellow American Helen Wills Moody in third on the all-time list after she joined Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert on 18 at last year's U.S. Open. Only Australia's Margaret Court (24) and Germany's Steffi Graf (22), who holds the record for the Open era, have more grand slam singles titles than the 33-year-old American. Williams had not lost to Sharapova since the 2004 WTA Finals, a run of 15 successive victories and was not about to let the Russian end that streak on Saturday. After Williams snatched a break in the first game, rain forced the players off court in the sixth for 12 minutes as officials closed the roof with the American serving at 3-2 and the score locked at 30-30. Williams, who has been battling a cold and cough the entire tournament, chose to head inside during the break while Sharapova waited courtside. She returned to Rod Laver Arena hacking like a seal and appeared to be gasping for breath, but then reeled off the next six points to establish a 5-2 lead. While Sharapova managed to break in the next game she was unable to consolidate and Williams broke to love to seal the first set in 47 minutes. Williams did not concede a point on serve until her third game of the second set while Sharapova struggled and was fighting to stay in the match. Even when she had break opportunities in the fifth and seventh games the American simply reached back and smashed down a succession of massive serves. Williams held a match point in the 10th game only for the Russian, who saved two match points in the second round against qualifier Alexandra Panova, to blast a forehand down the line. The American held two further match points in the tiebreak and thought she had sealed the title when she belted an ace only for umpire Alison Lang to call a let. Williams stood there looking bemused but composed herself to repeat the shot, smacking her 18th ace to win the match. (Reporting by Greg Stutchbury; Editing by Amlan Chakraborty) | 1 | 5,267 | sports |
Katy Perry was quite the firecracker at her Super Bowl Press Conference. Rocking a two-piece ensemble that paid homage to America's favorite sport, the pop star spoke with the media to discuss her upcoming halftime performance at Super Bowl XLIX. | 8 | 5,268 | video |
North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un said Pyongyang would not sit idly by "with rabid dogs barking" about toppling its socialist system, in apparent reaction to comments by US President Barack Obama that the regime was doomed, state media reported Saturday. Kim made the remarks while overseeing a joint naval and air force drill simulating an attack on a US carrier strike group off South Korea, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. It did not give details of the venue and date of the war games, which were believed to have taken place on Friday. "He solemnly declared that we have no willingness to sit any longer with the rabid dogs openly barking that they will bring down by the method of bringing about 'changes' the socialist system, the cradle which our people consider dearer than their own lives", KCNA said. Kim said North Korea was ready to counter "any war including a war by conventional armed forces and a nuclear war". In an interview on YouTube from the White House on January 22, Obama spoke of the eventual collapse of the North Korean regime, calling it "the most isolated, the most sanctioned, the most cut-off nation on Earth". "We will keep on ratcheting the pressure, but part of what's happening is ... the Internet over time is going to be penetrating this country," Obama said. "Over time you will see a regime like this collapse," he said, adding the US was looking for ways to accelerate the flow of information into the country". A North Korean foreign ministry spokesman lashed out at his remarks on Sunday, portraying them as "nothing but a poor grumble of a loser", adding that attempts to topple the regime would only strengthen unity among its people. The North has often used bombastic and sometimes racist rhetoric to slam Obama and other US leaders. In December its top military body chaired by Kim compared Obama to a "monkey" over his support for the screening of a Hollywood comedy hated by Pyongyang. "The Interview" -- about a fictional plot to assassinate Kim -- was released online and in theatres despite devastating cyberattacks on its producer Sony Pictures. Washington blames Pyongyang for the attacks, a charge the North has angrily denied. | 5 | 5,269 | news |
A Spanish hospital has successfully used stem cells culled from healthy donors to treat seven heart attack victims, in what officials said was a world first. Madrid's Gregorio Maranon hospital plans to treat 55 patients in all with the technique in a clinical trial, the regional Madrid government which runs the hospital said in a statement. "Seven patients have already been operated on and they have progressed very well despite having suffered serious damage to their heart tissue," it added. It is the first time that allogeneic cells -- stem cells that come from another person -- have been used to repair damage to a heart caused by a heart attack, the statement added. A heart attack happens when the organ is starved of oxygen, such as when a clot blocks the flow of blood to the heart. As the heart heals, the dead muscle is replaced with scar tissue, but because this does not beat like healthy heart muscle the ability to pump blood around the body is reduced. While patients with mild heart failure can live a relatively normal life with the help of drugs, those with severe heart failure can suffer prolonged pain and distress because everyday tasks such as doing the shopping or taking a shower leave them exhausted. Doctors around the world are looking at ways of "regenerating" the heart to replace the scar tissue with beating muscle. Stem cells figure prominently in their plans although they have up until now involved the patient's own stem cells. While it takes 4-8 weeks to process a patients' own stem cells to be used in therapy, donor cells can be processed and stored and are available for immediate use, the hospital's head of cardiology, Francisco Ferandez-Avila said in the statement. "Besides this very important advantage, this technique allows for the selection of donors whose cells show the greatest potential to repair" heart tissue, he added. "Before being processed, the allogeneic cells are exhaustively studied and only those that functioned best are selected," he added. The cells are injected into the heart through a coronary artery. The clinical trial is partially financed by the European Union. The hospital is coordinating the study which has involved the cooperation of about 20 European bodies. | 7 | 5,270 | health |
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. Three previous trips were enough for Tiger Woods to leave quite an impression at the Phoenix Open. The hole-in-one on the most raucous hole in golf. Fans moving a half-ton boulder. A kid tossing an orange onto the green when he was putting. The most recent memory might have topped them all. He shot 82. Five hours Friday that were a blend of sadness and shock produced his highest score ever. "We all have days like this," Woods said after a day he had never experienced in nearly two decades as a pro. He flubbed one chip about 5 feet. He tried to hit a flop shot 35 feet from the pin and hit it 47 yards into a bunker. He hit one bunker shot woefully short. Another sailed over the green and nearly into the water. He made two double bogeys and a triple bogey. He had no answers for a game that never looked to be in more disarray. Did he feel lost? Woods quickly reverted to a familiar explanation that he was caught between swings the steep version from Sean Foley and a more shallow swing under Chris Como, with whom he just began working two months ago. He missed the cut by 12 shots with his highest 36-hole score at 155. He missed back-to-back cuts on the PGA Tour for the first time in his career, though it should be noted that those two tournaments were six months apart. Nothing summed up his week like the message from the fans. "Welcome back!" they yelled at him Thursday. It was his first time in the Phoenix Open in 14 years. "Thanks for coming!" they shouted him to Friday after Woods trudged off the ninth green. The only record-keeping left for Woods Saturday morning was whether he would finish last for the first time in his career. He was at 13-over 155 when play was suspended by darkness. Of the 15 players still to finish, one of them was at 12-over par with two holes to play. That was Michael Hopper, a club pro in Arizona. Not everything goes according to script when the Super Bowl is in town. The plan was for a record crowd in the Phoenix Open for Saturday, the biggest and loudest day of the most rowdy event on the PGA Tour. Woods was back at the TPC Scottsdale for the first time since 2001. He planned to go to the Super Bowl when the tournament ended on Sunday. Except that Woods won't be around for the weekend, and it wasn't even close. And if that wasn't bad enough, Phil Mickelson won't be around either. He shot a 76 on Friday and missed the cut by two shots. The two biggest names in golf decided to go home Woods to Florida, Mickelson to San Diego. Both are playing at Torrey Pines next week. "Hopefully, we will be able to get it turned around for next week," Mickelson said. For star power, the Waste Management Phoenix Open is lacking. For golf fans, it might be a chance to see the future of golf. Martin Laird ran off four birdies in a five-hole stretch when the rain finally subsided, and not even his first bogey of the tournament on his last hole of the second round could dampen his spirits. He had another 5-under 66 and was at 10-under 132, two shots ahead of Daniel Berger. More intriguing was the peach fuzz behind him. Berger is 21, the son of an Olympic tennis coach, a rookie on the PGA Tour who received a sponsor's exemption. A big hitter most kids are, these days he birdied his last two holes for a 69. Another shot back is Justin Thomas. He is 21, the son of a club pro in Kentucky, a rookie who also got an exemption. Only a week ago, Thomas was in position to win the Humana Challenge until he drove an iron into a fairway bunker, hit the next shot in the water and made double bogey on the 16th hole. Skip past a trio of Masters champions Bubba Watson, Zach Johnson and Angel Cabrera and former U.S. Open champion Geoff Ogilvy to find yet another 21-year-old. This one has some star power. Jordan Spieth already is in his third year, has three wins worldwide and is No. 9 in the world ranking. Berger, Thomas and Spieth are proudly past of the class of 2011 that's high school, not college. "Our graduating class, 2011, has probably eight or nine tour players that will come out of it," Spieth said. "There's what? Three or four on the PGA Tour, another couple of the Web.com already? And we should still be in school. It's cool to see peers we grew up with for a while all making the transition pretty easily." | 1 | 5,271 | sports |
Many of tech's largest firms reported fourth-quarter earnings this week, including Apple, Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Yahoo, and Facebook. For the most part, results were as expected nothing exceptionally high or embarrassingly low. That is, except Apple, which beat analysts' sales estimates by a wide margin, thanks to one product alone: the new iPhone. Apple shipped almost 75 million iPhones in the Christmas quarter. That was several million more than expected and beat its previous record set the year before by more than 20 million. The company's overall sales nearly reached $75 billion for the quarter, up 30% over last year. The iPhone, with $51 billion in sales, represented nearly 70% of Apple's overall business the highest percentage ever, up from 56% the prior quarter. A big part of the iPhone's success can likely be attributed to one decision: To finally offer it in larger sizes, matching the phones that Android rivals, such as Samsung and Motorola, have made for years. On Apple's earnings call, CEO Tim Cook said the company saw a record number of new iPhone customers and more people switching from Android than for any of the previous three iPhone versions. Of course, now that Apple's met the demand for larger phones, it risks disappointing investors next time. Surely, nothing else can deliver such a big jump in sales? But perhaps the shift to larger smartphones will serve a secondary purpose. Paul Kedrosky, the financial commentator, theorized this week that Apple has created a "portability deficit" i.e., big phones are cumbersome. This, Kedrosky posits, will prove helpful as Apple starts selling its new iPhone accessory, the Apple Watch, this April. | 3 | 5,272 | finance |
New York Giants headlines for Saturday, 1/31. Good morning, New York Giants fans. Here is a question to ponder while you wipe the sleep from eyes this morning. Would Eli Manning really retire rather than play an organization other than the New York Giants? That's what his dad, Archie Manning, thinks would happen if that scenario ever comes to pass. "Peyton's enjoyed his three years with the Broncos but he always envisioned himself playing for one team. So I'm glad when he did have to change, he made a good choice," Archie said Thursday on Radio Row after flipping pizzas with Joe Montana. "But Eli, I think if the Giants traded Eli, he would retire. He loves his team. He loves the New York Giants." Valentine's View: Not everybody gets the Michael Strahan or John Elway fairy tale ending. I can't believe Eli would retire rather than continue to play if he still felt capable, and if he was still being paid handsomely. Odell Beckham's world record for one-handed catches didn't last long. Former Giant great Leonard Marshall, dealing with CTE-related issues, is going on the road to teach players, coaches and organizations how to avoid and treat head injuries in sports. | 1 | 5,273 | sports |
Social media apps on a smartphone. Jason Howie / Flickr Skift Take: It serves Google more to provide the services and alerts that travelers and want need through its own platform than ignore their existence and have users split time between those apps and its own. Samantha Shankman Google integrated five new third-party travel apps in its latest app update. Google app users will now receive reminders to book from Airbnb, fare alerts from Kayak and Skyscanner, a prompt to download offline maps before departure from TripAdvisor, and inquiries to book from Lyft when arriving at an airport. A recent Google study found that the average smartphone user has 36 apps installed but a quarter of them are never used. Google offers competitive services for several of these apps, but a company spokesperson says the goal is to give people useful and relevant information from Google products or whichever apps they use and love. The initial set of partners were selected to represent a diverse set of use cases, user bases, and geography, suggesting other travel apps will be integrated in the future, according to the spokesperson. | 2 | 5,274 | travel |
Iraqi Kurdish forces and police retook an oil field in Kirkuk province Saturday that was seized by the Islamic State group overnight, and freed 24 workers who had been taken captive, officers said. "Peshmerga forces and police cleared the Khubbaz (oil) field a little while ago and were able to enter it after surrounding it for hours," police Brigadier General Sarhad Qader said of the fighting, adding that they also retook eight villages. IS had moved into the oil field Friday night and seized 24 workers, who were freed after they withdrew, peshmerga Major General Westa Rasul said. A police colonel said their liberation was delayed because of fears that the bunker where they were held had been rigged with explosives. During the fighting on Saturday, a sniper killed peshmerga Major General Hussein Mansur, Colonel Kawa Gharib said. A peshmerga major was also killed and four more fighters wounded when an explosives-rigged house blew up. Mansur was the second senior Kurdish officer to die in two days, after Brigadier General Shirko Rauf was killed Friday during a major IS attack in Kirkuk province. The US-led anti-IS coalition carried out 10 air strikes in Kirkuk province from Friday to Saturday, hitting IS units and vehicles and buildings used by the jihadists. The bulk of Iraq's oil output comes from fields in the south, but the government is counting on production of 300,000 barrels per day from fields in Kirkuk in its 2015 budget, so any major loss of output would be damaging. Last June, IS overran southwestern areas of Kirkuk during a lightning offensive that saw it capture much of Iraq's Sunni Arab heartland north and west of Baghdad. That offensive presented both an opportunity for territorial expansion and an existential threat to the three-province autonomous Kurdish region. Several Iraqi divisions collapsed in the early days of the offensive, clearing the way for the Kurds to take control of a swathe of disputed territory they have long wanted to incorporate into their region over Baghdad's objections. But after driving south towards Baghdad, IS turned its attention to the Kurds, pushing them back towards their regional capital Arbil in a move that helped spark US strikes against the jihadists. Bolstered by the air strikes as well as international advisers and trainers, Kurdish forces have clawed back significant ground from IS. The conflict is redrawing some of the de facto internal boundaries of Iraq in favour of broader Kurdish control in the north. | 5 | 5,275 | news |
HTC hasn't always had success upgrading One users to the latest version of Android within its promised 90-day window, and history is unfortunately repeating itself with Android 5.0 Lollipop on the way. The phone maker is now warning that "some carrier versions" of the One M8 and M7 won't get Lollipop by the expected February 1st deadline. Reportedly, Google's rush to fix Lollipop (which emerged, shall we say, less than polished) gave HTC little time to both finish its own update and put it through the usual provider testing routine. You might not see the update all that soon, either. In the US, it still hasn't reached the certification stage with the big four carriers (AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon). At least some UK users report seeing the new software, but there's no handy chart to detail progress. As you might guess, the only surefire way to get Lollipop right now is to own a One M8 developer edition, Google Play Edition or unlocked model -- otherwise, you might have to make-do with last year's software for a while longer. | 3 | 5,276 | finance |
Facebook's not convinced you always mean it when you hit "like." On a continual quest to make news feeds more relevant to users, Facebook has tapped hundreds of people in the US to vet shared stories in a special version of the social network, hoping to extract insights to complement its news feed algorithm, according to Medium's Steven Levy. One of the early findings is that people often impulsively hit "like" on stories posted by close friends and relatives not necessarily because they agree with the content, but because they want to further a connection with the poster. Subsequently, Facebook is considering lowering the ranking of those stories in the news feed but not to the point where friends can't see them. It's hard to understand user intent when there's only one button to express an opinion (users, of course, also have the option to leave replies on posts). Hitting the "like" button might be considered inappropriate when a person posts a news story about a tragedy. That's why one Facebook engineer built a "sympathize" button during one of the company's hackathons. The button, which was first reported in 2013 and never implemented on the social network, was designed to replace "like" when a post expressed negative emotions. The topic of new buttons came up more recently as well. In December, CEO Mark Zuckerberg revealed the company is thinking of adding a "dislike" button. However, he said such a button would be called something else to avoid shaming or expressing hatred toward posters. It's unclear if such a button will ever see the light of day. But if relevance is important to the social network, Facebook will need to devise new ways for users to better convey their emotions. | 5 | 5,277 | news |
Building a quantum computer can sometimes yield unexpected benefits like providing the right environment to demonstrate that Albert Einstein's theory of special relativity is, in fact, correct. Using atoms in certain quantum states , researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, were able to show that space does not appear squeezed in one direction compared to another, as it would if relativity were not correct. Rather, space looks the same from any direction, as relativity predicts. The experiment used partially entangled atoms that were a byproduct of an attempt to build quantum computers. Special relativity is a cornerstone of modern physics, and was formulated by Einstein in 1905. The theory states two things: the laws of physics are the same everywhere, and the speed of light is a constant, provided that you're not accelerating when you're measuring such phenomena. It can be used to explain the behavior of objects in space and time. (It's companion, the general relativity includes the effects of gravity and acceleration). [ Twisted Physics: 7 Mind-Blowing Findings ] Since relativity says the speed of light in a vacuum is constant, space should look the same in every direction, no matter what. For instance, if you move at half the speed of light toward or away from a flashlight, you will see the beam always move at about 186,000 miles per second, no more or less. The concept of time dilation , in which time slows down the faster you go (for example, if you are in a speeding spaceship), is a direct consequence of this phenomenon it's something that has to happen in order for the speed of light to look the same to everyone in the universe. Early experiments measuring the speed of light used perpendicular light beams to generate interference patterns alternating bands of light and dark. Most famous is the Michelson-Morely experiment in 1887, which bounced two light beams between mirrors and showed the speed of light was constant there was no change in the interference pattern no matter how the apparatus was oriented, which showed there is no "ether" for light waves to pass through, and thus no preferred direction in space. Light speed in a vacuum has one value and one only. The new study, researchers led by Hartmut Häffner, an assistant professor of physics at UC Berkeley, used atoms. The scientists put two calcium atoms in a vacuum chamber and applied an alternating voltage, which trapped the atoms in place. Each of the atoms had two electrons, whose energies could be measured. The electrons moved perpendicularly to each other. One in an up-and-down motion, tracing out a volume that looked like a bowling pin around the nucleus, while the other revolved around the nucleus in a toruslike region. In the experiment, the team measured the kinetic energy of the electrons 10 times every second, for a day. If the theory of relativity is correct, then the difference between the electrons' energies should be a constant. [ Images: The World's Most Beautiful Equations ] This may seem like a strange way to test a well-established theory, but Häffner said experiments like this have been done with other particles. Electrons, however, give more precise results, he said. The findings are also important for other areas of physics, including the Standard Model, the reigning theory of particle physics , which describes how particles behave and why the universe appears the way that it does. "The Standard Model depends heavily on special relativity to be correct," Häffner said. The study also demonstrates how different areas of science are connected, since the experiment started with quantum computing . To make a quantum computer, you need to trap atoms and put them in a special quantum state called superposition. This means that you haven't measured what state the atoms are in, so they can be in two states at once. According to quantum mechanics, until an atom's state is measured, it has no definite value. This is what gives quantum computers their power to solve complex problems much faster than traditional computers can. It was quantum computing that inspired Häffner to use atoms in such a dual state to test the theory of relativity, he said. Researchers can use this type of experiment to probe other mysteries in physics and cosmology, the researchers said. For instance, "we can use it to look for dark matter," Häffner said. If there is a lot of dark matter surrounding Earth, the relative energies of the electrons would change, because the presence of the dark matter's mass would alter the surrounding space, he said. Follow Live Science on Twitter @livescience . We're also on Facebook & Google+ . Original article on Live Science . The Funniest Theories in Physics 8 Ways You Can See Einstein's Theory of Relativity in Real Life Mad Geniuses: 10 Odd Tales About Famous Scientists | 5 | 5,278 | news |
After an investigation into his capture by the Taliban, Bowe Bergdahl has yet to be charged. However, the controversy surrounding his capture continues. | 8 | 5,279 | video |
NEW YORK Weeks removed from an open revolt from his own police force that had officers turning their backs on him, Mayor Bill de Blasio now declares he has moved past the rift, striking a tenuous truce with a strategy to stay above the fray and public opinion that eventually soured on the cops' behavior. While he acknowledged much work remains to repair the hard feelings over the chokehold death of Eric Garner, de Blasio told The Associated Press he has regained the footing to move on to other matters, including an agenda he plans to outline in next week's State of the City address. "It was a perfect storm. It was based on two tragedies. The death of Eric Garner and the murder of these two officers. People felt pain all around," de Blasio said in an interview Friday. "I do believe things are much better. I believe the dialogue is moving forward." It was the biggest crisis of the Democrat's year-old administration. Rank-and-file police had already been distrustful of him over his plans to reform such enforcement tactics as stop and frisk, and for his ties to the Rev. Al Sharpton, a fierce police critic. Those seeds grew early in December when the streets filled with protesters angry over a Staten Island grand jury's decision not to indict a police officer for the chokehold death of Garner. Then on Dec. 20, two police officers were ambushed by a gunman who said he wanted to "put wings on pigs." The head of the city's largest police union declared de Blasio had "blood on his hands." On the very night of the slayings, police who gathered at the hospital where the slain officers were taken turned their backs on the mayor, a searing rebuke caught by television cameras. De Blasio's planning on how to handle the crisis began the next day when shaken members of his inner circle devised a playbook. Unveiled for the first time to the AP, that plan involved three parts: Stay on the moral high ground and maintain focus on the grieving families of the slain officers. Empower carefully chosen surrogates to speak on the administration's behalf, including Cardinal Timothy Dolan and Police Commissioner William Bratton, who allied himself closely with de Blasio but remained in good standing with the police unions. Avoid engaging in verbal warfare with the unions, hoping that the passage of time would dissipate the rank-and-file's anger. For a while, it all failed miserably. Some police officers who had turned their backs on de Blasio at the hospital repeated that act at both funerals. The mayor was also heckled at a police graduation ceremony, and appeared tired and angry at his first news conference with reporters after the shooting. Patrolmen's Benevolent Association head Patrick Lynch criticized the mayor for revealing that he told his son, who is biracial, to be wary of encounters with police. And union leaders blamed the mayor for supporting the Garner protesters, which they believed created an anti-police atmosphere that led to the killings. While most of the protests were peaceful, some demonstrators called police murderers and compared the NYPD to Nazis and the Ku Klux Klan. At the peak of the crisis, Edward Mullins, head of the sergeants union, demanded that de Blasio apologize. The mayor refused. A meeting between de Blasio and the union heads yielded nothing. And arrests citywide plummeted as the police officers went into a work slowdown. But then the momentum shifted. A Quinnipiac poll showed that de Blasio's approval rating held steady during the crisis, numbers that were mirrored in City Hall's own internal polling. And another poll showed that two-thirds of New Yorkers did not approve of the police unions' behavior. Cracks in their front began to show. Lynch was confronted with an insurrection and could face a tough re-election fight. Mullins had a private meeting with the mayor mid-month and emerged saying de Blasio was "a gentleman." "I think the public cared that City Hall stepped back from the debate and respected the families. Some others didn't,'" de Blasio said, calling the back-turning by some officers "an overstep really inappropriate." Neither Lynch nor Mullins would comment for this story. Money may also have played a subtle role in brokering peace. Most of the police unions are working on expired contracts and while the PBA is in arbitration, both the detectives and sergeants unions are close to a deal. Also, the City Council announced $7.3 million to purchase new NYPD bulletproof vests, and de Blasio has dedicated additional funding to defend police officers from litigation. Asked if he had any regrets during the crisis, de Blasio said it was in not moving quickly enough to repudiate the harsh rhetoric of protesters. "I didn't understand how vile some of the language was," he said. "I wish I had understood better because there's no question in my mind it was unacceptable behavior even if Constitutionally protected." But while anger has cooled, tensions remain and the crisis could flare again. "De Blaiso did a good job. He remained steadfast in what he believed," said Joseph Mercurio, a longtime political consultant. "But these police union leaders have long been at odds with mayors. I imagine it will happen again." | 5 | 5,280 | news |
A top European Central Bank official said Saturday the institution cannot keep lending money to Greece unless the heavily indebted nation extends its bailout programme before a February deadline. The remarks from Bank of Finland Governor Erkki Liikanen -- who sits on the ECB's governing council -- come one month before the bailout programme agreed upon by Greece with Europe and the International Monetary Fund is set to expire. "Greece's programme extension will expire at the end of February so some kind of solution must be found, otherwise we can't continue lending," Liikanen told Finnish public broadcaster Yle. Syriza -- the radical-left coalition that won Greek elections last week -- has pledged to renegotiate the terms of the country's bailout. "Significant debt restructuring has been carried out with private investors. The ECB cannot fund a state directly, which is what it would mean in this case," Liikanen said. Following Syriza's victory Finnish Prime Minister Alexander Stubb said he opposed debt relief but would consider extending Greece's loan repayment period. "We're sticking to what we've agreed on... but we can extend the loan period," Stubb told reports in Helsinki. Finland took a tougher stance than other eurozone states in 2011 when the second Greek bailout package was agreed, demanding collateral for its portion of a programme worth 159 billion euros ($179 billion). | 3 | 5,281 | finance |
We've all heard of Bigfoot also known as Sasquatch the humanoid bipedal creature that's said to wander the forests of the Pacific Northwest. And depending in your interest in local legends and cryptozoology (the study of hidden animals), you may have heard of some of the other mythical creatures that are occasionally said to haunt certain regions of the country, like the carnivorous Jersey Devil that lives in New Jersey's Pine Barrens, or the chupacabra, a beast that's mentioned in the lore of the Southwest. But have you ever heard of the Pukwudgie, a "small bipedal humanoid" that comes from Native American folklore and can reportedly transform into a walking porcupine, or the car-mauling Lizard Man of Scape Ore Swamp in South Carolina? The United States is full of tales of cryptids, or hidden creatures and the Philadelphia-based print shop Hog Island Press created a map compiling these local legends, which they've allowed us to republish here. Pretty cool, right? There are a few common types of these creatures, especially bipedal humanoids and lake monsters that seem to be inspired by Loch Ness's Nessie, like Maryland's Chessie or Lake Tahoe's Tessie. As Frank Jacobs of Big Think points out , cryptozoological creatures have actually been found to be real in the past, like Central Africa's giraffe-like okapi and Indonesia's Komodo dragon (that link also has a great run down of stories behind the creatures on this map). So will that happen with any of these creatures, like Kentucky's Pope Lick Monster or the Beast of Busco? One can only hope. | 5 | 5,282 | news |
Maria Sharapova vowed Saturday to keep grinding away to break her jinx against Serena Williams, after she was beaten to the Australian Open title by a player who has won all 16 of their last encounters. Despite being number two in the world, the Russian just cannot beat her bitter rival, with her winless streak going back a decade. Williams' powerful serve made the difference on Saturday, with the 33-year-old blasting 18 aces to win her 19th Grand Slam 6-3, 7-6 (7/5) and consolidate her place among the game's legends. Coming into the tournament the Russian also had the chance to topple Williams as world number one, but the opportunity also slipped from her grasp. However, Sharapova said she was a fighter and would work hard to keep putting herself in the position to beat the intensely focused American. "Yes, I haven't won against her many times, but if I'm getting to the stage of competing against someone like Serena, I'm doing something well," she said. "I'm setting up a chance to try to beat her and it hasn't happened. I'm not just going to go home without giving it another chance. "That's just not who I am and not who I was raised to be. I'm a competitor. "If I'm getting to the finals of Grand Slams and setting myself up to play a match against Serena, I mean, maybe you're telling me I'm wrong, but I'm happy to be in that position. "I love the competition. I love playing against the best, and at the moment she is." - Tough to be the loser - The first Australian final in a decade to feature the tournament's top two seeds was a one-sided affair in the opening set, although Sharapova rallied to make a contest of it in the second, displaying her renowned fighting qualities. She held off a championship point at 5-4 in the second and another at 6-5 when it went to a tie-break before Williams won on her third attempt with an ace. Sharapova admitted Williams' huge serve -- some of them fired down at 200 kph (166 mph) was key to her victory. "That's one of her biggest strengths, her serve. Maybe it's something that has saved her in many matches, situations where you cannot get the racquet on the ball," she said. "You have to let that go. And if you're able to get in the point somehow, make it a little bit easy for yourself -- I didn't feel that I had many of those chances to get in the point. "When the games on her serve were 30-All, 40-30 or 15-30 a few times, she came up with really great serves." Despite being outgunned, the 27-year-old, known for her steely composure on court, admitted it was tough to go home the loser without adding to her five Grand Slam titles. "It's always tough getting to a final stage of an event where it's down to two players and you end up become the one that's going home with the smaller trophy, there's no doubt about it," she said "No matter how you played, well or not, whatever the scoreline is, it's always tough. But it will be alright." Sharapova, who at least improved on her 6-1, 6-2 capitulation to Williams in the 2007 final at Melbourne Park, said the venue was still special for her. "I've had some of my best memories on this court and also some of my toughest losses as well, but that's the life of a tennis player," she said. | 1 | 5,283 | sports |
Firefighters in Brooklyn tackled a three-alarm fire at a storage facility in Williamsburg on Saturday. | 8 | 5,284 | video |
NEW YORK A CrossFit gym located in the first-floor of a New York City condo building must close after upstairs neighbors sued over excessive exercise-induced noise. The New York Post reports (http://bit.ly/1LvhoEG ) Saturday a Manhattan judge ruled Brick NYC must shut down because residents have a right to "relative peace" in their apartments. The 2013 lawsuit claims the sound of free weights and barbells crashing to the ground starts as early as 6 a.m. and continues throughout the day. CrossFit offers classes of a military-style mix of weight-lifting, core conditioning and cardio exercises. Brick NYC has appealed the ruling. The Post says a two-bedroom apartment in the building recently sold for $3.4 million. One third-floor resident tells the newspaper her family is often woken up by sounds and vibrations from the gym. ___ Information from: New York Post, http://www.nypost.com | 5 | 5,285 | news |
Karim Benzema starred in the absence of the suspended Cristiano Ronaldo by scoring twice in Real Madrid's 4-1 win over Real Sociedad on Saturday. Ronaldo received a two-match ban after lashing out at Cordoba's Edimar in Real's last league outing, but the league leader marched on without the Portugal forward at Santiago Bernabeu. Sociedad, which beat Carlo Ancelotti's side 4-2 at the Anoeta in September, was out to record its first away win over Real since 2004 and enjoyed a fine start, as Aritz Elustondo headed the club in front in the first minute. James Rodriguez equalized just two minutes later, but Sociedad carried a serious attacking threat until Carlos Vela's injury 17 minutes in. The home side began to take control after the Mexico striker's substitution and Sergio Ramos put Madrid ahead eight minutes before the break with his 41st Liga goal, with Benzema adding a third early in the second half. Real saw several chances go begging in the second half, but Benzema completed the scoring in spectacular fashion with 14 minutes to go as the club moved four points clear of Barcelona, which faces Villarreal on Sunday. The visiting side made a breathtaking start at the Bernabeu and broke the deadlock in the first minute, as Elustondo rose highest to meet Ruben Pardo's corner with an unstoppable header. Moyes' men had barely finished celebrating when the home side equalized just two minutes later, though. Rodriguez darted in front of Yuri in anticipation of a cross and placed a fine header into the top-left corner when Marcelo's delivery eventually arrived. Sociedad went close to retaking the lead a few moments later, as former Real midfielder Sergio Canales poked agonizingly wide after latching on to Esteban Granero's wayward effort. But the away side's chances of securing a surprise win suffered a blow with Vela's forced withdrawal due to injury in the 17th minute and Real took control from then on. Sociedad was forced to withstand waves of attacks and the team's resistance eventually broke in the 37th minute, Ramos lashing home from close range after Jeronimo Rulli denied Benzema. It should have been 3-1 three minutes later, but Gareth Bale saw his effort deflected wide of an open goal after taking the chance off Rodriguez. Bale made amends for that mistake six minutes into the second half, however, as the Wales forward raced down the left and cut a well-placed pass back for Benzema, who steered home a simple finish. The visiting side's attacking threat had long since diminished and Ancelotti's side looked certain to add a fourth in the 56th minute, but the terrific Marcelo could not beat Rulli after collecting Benzema's clever pass. Benzema rounded off a fine individual display in the 76th minute, combining well with Isco before curling a sensational strike into the top-right corner from 20 yards, doubling his tally as ruthless Real claimed a comfortable win. | 1 | 5,286 | sports |
Thick, feathery lashes are really the ultimate in pretty, sexy glamour. Senior Beauty Editor Maura Lynch offers tips and techniques to get the look by applying false lashes. | 4 | 5,287 | lifestyle |
Here's one more thing for liberals and conservatives to argue about: who lives longer. In a new study published in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health , researchers state that liberals live longer than conservatives, basing their results on individual death records, which is a "more valid measure" than self-reporting on health and community death rates. "We were surprised [about the results]," Roman Pabayo, a community health researcher at the University of Nevada, Reno, and an author of the study, told USA Today . That's because past research has actually found that conservatives, on an individual level, are happier than their liberal counterparts. And overall wellbeing and happiness is generally linked to healthier, longer lives. Of course, it's complicated. One recent study found that conservatives are personally happier than liberals, but people who live in liberal countries are happier on average than those who live in less liberal countries. "Liberal governments tend to do more to shield citizens against certain hardships, such as unemployment and poverty, which can make people feel happier overall," said Adam Okulicz-Kozaryn, lead author of the happiness study, in a press release . "On the other hand, conservatives rate their wellbeing higher than liberals because conservatives more readily support and rationalize the status quo, thus, believing that socioeconomic hardships are a result of individual shortcomings." So what's making liberals live longer if they're not necessarily happier on a personal level? No one really has the answers. It could have something to do with lifestyle, habits, or "how you look at life, [and] how you react to adversity," Pabayo told USA Today . "We need to figure out what's really going on." Other researchers who weren't part of the study argue that the mortality differences are quite small, and the data is inconsistent with other research. They also state that Republicans and conservatives are more likely to be religious and involved in social networks like church communities as well as less likely to smoke all of which has been tied to healthier, longer lives. Thus, the new study's results are seemingly contradictory with past research. The study examined over 32,000 adults who identified themselves as either Democrats, Republicans, independents, or other. They were also asked to choose between defining themselves as liberal, moderate, or conservative. The authors of the study tracked who died over the course of 15 years. They found that conservatives and moderates were six percent more likely to die during the follow-up than liberals who matched them in age, sex, and even socioeconomic status. Interestingly, however, the authors found that when comparing between party lines, there was no difference in death rates between Democrats and Republicans. An accurate study of who lives longer and what causes it would be quite difficult to carry through. So until then, the contest of life span will have to remain a contentious topic. Political Satirist Daniel Kurtzman, however, believes the study is true. "Did they really need a study?" he told USA Today. "Conservatives like guns, tobacco, fossil fuels, deep-friend endangered caribou," while liberals "like yoga, weed, clean air, free-range kale… and giving everyone free health care." Source: Pabayo R, Kawachi I, Muennig P. Political party affiliation, political ideology and mortality. Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health . 2015. | 7 | 5,288 | health |
When Apple became the most profitable company in history last week, analysts could hardly contain their excitement. "Stunning", "outstanding", "a monster" were some of the analysts' reactions to numbers showing the Silicon Valley firm had made $18bn (£12bn) in just three months by selling 34,000 iPhones an hour around the clock from October to December. It now has $178bn cash in the bank. But after all the commotion, the questions began. For a company that has come back from the brink of bankruptcy less than 20 years ago, how long can the good news continue? Here are the six big questions facing the world's biggest corporate success. Financially, is this the peak? Apple was 90 days away from bankruptcy when Steve Jobs rejoined it in 1997 as he later revealed but Apple now tends to downplay its financial success ahead of quarterly profit announcements in order to surprise investors and analysts. This quarter's profits were on another scale, though. Sales in the three months to the end of December were up 30% to $74.6bn. Those profits of $18bn were up 37%. It was the fastest quarterly growth since March 2012, but then Apple was half the size it is now. As Apple's chief financial officer, Luca Maestri, said: "For a company of our size that is not a small feat." Katy Huberty, an analyst at Morgan Stanley, said it was a "quarter for the record books" and increased her share price target from $126 to $133, indicating she believes there is more growth to come. The shares, which jumped 5% in after-hours trading following Apple's results, closed at $117 on Friday. The big challenge now, says Geoff Blaber, vice-president of research for CCS Insight, is to find the next growth opportunity. "Western Europe and north America are becoming saturated: to have room for growth Apple has to rely on taking growth from [Google's] Android operating system based devices," he says. "The big, big, focus is on China and to a lesser extent India." Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expect Apple's revenue in the year to September to grow 22%, but growth to slow to 4% in the following year. Are there many more people left who want an iPhone? Apple sold a record 74.5m mobiles in the quarter, 46% more than in the same period a year earlier. "Demand for iPhone has been staggering, shattering our high expectations," chief executive Tim Cook said. "This volume is hard to comprehend." The phones accounted for two-thirds of Apple's revenue, and were worth more than Microsoft and Google's latest quarterly sales combined. "Seems like the whole world wants an iPhone," Steven Milunovich, an analyst at UBS, wrote in a note to investors, pointing out that consumers had demanded even more phones but Apple couldn't produce them fast enough until recently. However, Toni Sacconaghi, an analyst at Bernstein Research, cautions that Apple's growth may be too reliant on the seven-year-old product line. "A bet on Apple is increasingly a bet on the iPhone," Sacconaghi says. "The good news is, iPhones are great. The bad news is, right now that's driving over 100% of the revenue growth of the company." How important is China? Very: iPhone sales are exploding in the country. Apple overtook local producer Xiaomi to become China's biggest smartphone seller in the last quarter. Chinese sales, which had been weak for Apple until it released the latest bigger-screen phones, came in at $16.1bn, up 70% on last year when it also did not have a deal giving it access to China Mobile's estimated 760 million subscribers. Revenues in China are quickly catching up with the amount it collects in the whole of Europe, where sales were $17.2bn, up 20%. "I was there [in China] right after the launch in October, and the excitement around the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus [was] absolutely phenomenal," Cook said during his call with analysts. "You can tell that we're a big believer in China." Apple plans to double the number of its stores in greater China to 40 by mid-2016. "It's an incredible market," he said. "People love Apple products. And we are going to do our best to serve the market." Only a year earlier, in October 2013, Apple was the No.6 smartphone maker in China, trailing Xiaomi, Huawei, Lenovo, Samsung and Yulong, according to research firm Canalys. "This is an amazing result, given that the average selling price of Apple's handsets is nearly double those of its nearest competitors," Canalys says. "While Chinese smartphone vendors are quickly gaining ground internationally, Apple has turned the tables on them in their home market." Can it afford for the Apple Watch to fail? It has been five years since Apple launched its latest truly new product the iPad in 2010. To live up to its name for innovation, and diversify revenues away from reliance on the iPhone, Apple needs the Apple Watch to be an unqualified success. Cook announced that the watch would go on sale in April, giving the company a boost in its third quarter when it will not benefit from Christmas or the Chinese new year, which will have helped the previous two quarters. "We're making great progress in the development of it," he said. Apple describes the new product often referred to as the iWatch, although it has not been officially named as the "most personal device ever" and it is thought it will be able to monitor its wearer's health as well as connect to an iPhone to provide several other functions. Cook said app developers had already impressed him with "some incredible innovation". Carolina Milanesi at Kantar Worldpanel ComTech says the watch will help Apple extend its sales into a much wider market. "They have been very smart in pushing it as jewellery and design rather than how technologically smart it is," she says. "They are concentrating more on impressing the design and fashion world than the tech bloggers. "I think this will be a much more irrational buy than with an iPad. With an iPad you wanted an iPad: this is going to be more of a fashion statement." She said the launch would benefit from the fashion and marketing skills of Angela Ahrendts, the former Burberry boss Apple hired last year on a $73m pay package as its head of retail. Apple poached a string of big names from fashion and design to join its watch team, including Patrick Pruniaux, former vice-president of sales at Tag Heuer and former Yves Saint Laurent boss Paul Deneve, who is now Apple's "vice president of special projects". Has Tim Cook emerged from the shadow of Steve Jobs? Few chief executives were as intimately connected to their companies as Jobs was with Apple, and Cook faced a tough battle to win over investors who feared he lacked the co-founder's vision and showmanship. Activist investors David Einhorn and Carl Icahn have tried to interfere with Cook's management, but he has stood his ground. He's also shown his steely side by axing Scott Forstall, the former head of its iOS mobile operating system, over the failed launch of the Apple Maps app, as well as replacing the head of the company's stores, John Browett the former Dixons boss after less than a year in the job. Jobs and Cook are "such different personalities", says Milanesi, who has followed Apple for more than a decade. "The reception under Cook has been very positive: he is very impressive in operations and managing the product chain." Milanesi says Cook has also done a lot to make Apple feel like a more approachable brand. "With Jobs it was aspirational but somewhat untouchable and distant," she says. "It seems much more open and accessible under Tim, and that's important as they want to extend the product range to a wide section of consumers. "His big test will be the Apple Watch, as it's the first product to be launched under his leadership." Will Apple's huge cash pile become a liability? Apple is making much more money than it can spend, to the extent that it has built up a $178bn cash pile. It added $23bn to the coffers in the last quarter and nearly all of it is banked overseas. Taking it back to the US to return it to shareholders would incur a big tax bill. To appease investors Apple has been buying back shares, but by borrowing against the cash rather than using the capital. It bought back $45bn of shares last year but hasn't made much of a dent in the cash. It has $35bn of debt. Blaber says Apple needs to maintain a large surplus to give it "the muscle and flexibility to invest in new categories". But its latest and biggest acquisition Dr Dre's headphones and streaming business Beats Electronics cost it $3bn. The size of Apple's cash holding has attracted the attention of politicians. Cook has told Congress the company will eventually bring it back onshore, but only when there is a "dramatic simplification of the corporate tax code" including a "reasonable tax on foreign earnings that allows the free flow of capital back to the US". | 3 | 5,289 | finance |
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) After more than a decade of losses to Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova is getting good at being gracious in defeat. The Australian Open final Saturday demonstrated just how far the gap is between No. 1 and No. 2 following Sharapova's 16th loss in a row to Williams - 6-3, 7-6 (5) at Rod Laver Arena. Five-time Grand Slam winner Sharapova said Williams' serves were so fast, it was hard to even make contact with the ball. Hence the American's 18 aces - one of them at 203 kph (126 mph). ''I've got to congratulate Serena on creating history, on playing some of her best tennis,'' Sharapova said at the trophy ceremony, where she held back tears before stepping up to the microphone. ''I haven't beaten her in a really long time. But I love every time I step on court against her, because she's been the best. And as a tennis player you want to play against the best.'' It was Williams' 19th Grand Slam title, moving her ahead of Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova and three behind Steffi Graf's Open-era leading total of 22. Sharapova has now lost every match against Williams since the WTA finals in 2004 - she's won only two of 19 matches. ''I've had some of the best memories of my career on this court and also some of the toughest losses, but that's the life of a tennis player,'' said Sharapova, who won the Australian Open in 2008 but has lost two finals and three semifinals - including one of each to Williams. Sharapova was gracious to Williams both at the trophy ceremony and in her post-match news conference. She didn't dwell on how much the loss hurt or how badly she wanted to end the losing streak but focused on how much she loves competition and competing against the best. ''If I'm getting to the stage of competing against someone like Serena, I'm doing something well,'' Sharapova said. ''I'm happy to be in that position. I love the competition. I love playing against the best, and at the moment she is.'' Williams has been the best for quite some time. Her latest stint at No. 1 has lasted for 101 consecutive weeks. Unlike the men's side, where four players have dominated for a decade - Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray - the women's side has one recurring champion and others occasionally making inroads. ''It's frustrating to be the one going home with the small trophy. But I do love the battle. I love high-quality tennis. I love being part of it. It's a lot better than watching it on TV,'' said Sharapova. ''I'm proud to be part of an era where she's in.'' | 1 | 5,290 | sports |
A Canadian couple are going to extreme lengths as they prepare to watch Sunday's Super Bowl by placing a pizza delivery order from their favorite restaurant -- more than 1,400 miles away. Lee and Carol Brown, who recently moved to Regina, Saskatchewan from Windsor, Ontario, told Canadian media they placed the order after failing to find a local pizza parlor to their liking. So as the Browns hunker down for Sunday's Super Bowl they'll be tucking into an extra-large pie courtesy of Windsor's Arcata Pizza, weighing in at CAN$140 (US$110). Most of the cost is absorbed by the delivery fee charged by UPS. The pie was made fresh by Arcata before being frozen immediately; the Browns will cook it before Sunday's game. "The sauce is good, the dough is good, the toppings are fresh, Arcata was the best pizza in town for us," Carol Brown was quoted as saying. "We talk about it all the time. We don't really eat pizza here. We've tried it here, it's just not the same. "We miss pizza from Windsor. I thought, 'I'd love to get one shipped. I'd just like to have that pie.'" Arcata pizza owner Bob Abumeeiz admitted he thought the couple were joking when their long-distance order was placed. "A week ago I got the phone call and I thought it was crazy and it was someone playing a joke on me, but then I realized it was for real," he said. The extra large pizza features cheese, pineapple and ham. | 0 | 5,291 | foodanddrink |
Bill Maher is throwing some shade on President Obama's credentials as a supposed champion of freedom of the press. The host of HBO's "Real Time" sat down Friday to discuss media coverage of secret government work with documentary filmmaker Laura Poitras, one of the journalists centrally involved in bringing revelations from former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden to light. "I don't understand why he is perhaps the worst president we've had on clamping down on the press," Maher said. "He's used the Espionage Act more than any other president, right?" Maher added. Other members of the media have blasted the Obama administration's treatment of journalists. This week former CBS News reporter Sharyl Attkisson told a Senate panel that Obama officials treat investigative journalists and their sources like "enemies of the state." "The job of getting at the truth has never been more difficult," she said during the confirmation hearing for Loretta Lynch, the attorney general nominee. Under Attorney General Eric Holder, the Department of Justice secretly seized phone records from The Associated Press and also moved to prosecute a New York Times reporter, James Risen. A former Central Intelligence Agency officer was convicted of espionage this week for giving Risen sensitive data on a secret CIA program. Maher referenced a comment from 2013 when Obama said he would not describe Snowden as a "patriot." "Then he [Obama] went on to say, hey, a lot of this stuff that he was talking about I was gonna do," Maher said as members of the audience chuckled. "But it seems like it really wasn't going to happen without" Snowden coming forward, Maher added. Watch the HBO segment here . This story was updated at 2:29 p.m. | 5 | 5,292 | news |
Tiger Woods, who shot his worst round ever as a pro Friday, has dropped out of the top 50 in the world golf ranking for the first time in three years. Woods, his game sliding from bad to worse, shot an 11-over 82 and failed to make the cut at the Phoenix Open. He made six bogeys, two double bogeys and a triple bogey. At 13-over 155, Woods missed a second straight cut (2014 PGA Championship) for the second time in his career. He has now missed three cuts in eight starts, dating to the start of the 2013-14 PGA Tour season. In 79 starts from 2008-2013, he missed six cuts. If Woods doesn't turn his game around, he will be ineligible for a World Golf Championship for only the second time. Woods, who was No. 1 in the world last May, missed most of last year recovering from back surgery. He came to the Phoenix Open ranked No. 47. Woods is scheduled to play Torrey Pines next week and the Honda Classic two weeks later. He must be in the top 50 after the Honda Classic to be eligible for the WGC event at Doral. Woods, who turned 39 on Dec. 30, is three victories short of Sam Snead's record of 82 PGA Tour victories and four shy of Jack Nicklaus' mark of 18 major titles. Woods has not won a Grand Slam event since the 2008 U.S. Open. | 1 | 5,293 | sports |
Live life to the fullest by soaking up some of the most awesome travel experiences that will leave you changed forever. Front Page Image Source: Instagram user everestcalm, Instagram user erongekong Swim in Devil's Pool in Africa Peek over the edge of the naturally formed pool to see Victoria Falls, the world's largest waterfalls, up close and personal.Source: Flickr user joepyrek More on MSN Travel: The truth about travel blogging 7 alternative uses for a selfie stick Lovers of Light 2015 international photography competition Let Go of a Floating Lantern in Thailand Step in the Middle of the Pura Lempuyang in Indonesia It looks like a door to the heavens.Source: Instagram user 0_level See the Wildebeest Crossing the Mara River in Kenya Mara River is definitely worth a visit during the time of the wildebeest migration. Watch the large herd cross the Mara River while battling hungry crocodiles. Eat Sushi at Jiro in Tokyo Source: Instagram user jrepus Swim in the Blue Grotto in Capri See a Broadway Musical in New York Hold Hands With a Sweetheart to Cross the Tunnel of Love in Ukraine This beautiful tunnel looks like something out of a fairy tale. It's actually still used today - trains chug through it three times a day to deliver wood to a factory. It's believed that if couples who are truly in love hold hands and cross the tunnel, their wishes will come true. Sit on the Edge of Preikestolen in Norway Swim in the Largest Pool in the World It's located in the San Alfonso del Mar resort in Chile. The pool covers 20 acres and cost about $2 billion to construct.Source: San Alfonso del Mar Watch the Changing of the Guards in London Source: ZRyzner / Shutterstock.com Soak in the Hot Springs in Iceland This hot-springs resort in Iceland is aptly named the Blue Lagoon. Source: Robert Hoetink / Shutterstock.com Get Certified in Scuba Diving in Ko Tao, Thailand Source: Instagram user ienemienemuttem Eat in the Underwater Restaurant in the Maldives You can get this fine-dining experience at the Ithaa restaurant in the Maldives. Source: Instagram user christinewijaya Swim With the Pink Dolphins in the Amazon Watch the Cinderella Castle Fireworks Source: Instagram user nevergrowup132 Float in the Dead Sea in Israel Source: Flickr user israeltourism Run Through a Wisteria Flower Tunnel in Japan The wisteria flower tunnels in Kawachi Fuji Gardens look like something from a fairy tale. See the Fairy Pools in Scotland Source: Instagram user bumblebambi Visit Stonehenge Source: Flickr user LitasWorld Throw a Coin and Make a Wish in the Trevi Fountain in Italy Source: Flickr user J.Enric Tickle Whales in Mexico The whales swim up to your boat, waiting to be scratched and tickled. Source: Flickr user Ryan Harvey Add a Lock to the Love-Lock Bridge in Paris Source: Instagram user ___benn Hug a Sloth in Costa Rica Source: Instagram user noramaya Attend Carnival in Brazil Source: Celso Pupo / Shutterstock.com, Leanne Vorrias / Shutterstock.com Stay in an Overwater Bungalow in Bora Bora Float Down the Mekong River in Laos Source: Instagram user garrincha683 Go to the Top of the Eiffel Tower Go Fly-Fishing in Montana's Glacier National Park Source: Flickr user Rosemaree's Photos Helicopter Over a Volcano in Hawaii See the Northern Lights Source: Flickr user Beverly & Pack Enjoy the Katikies Hotel Cave Pool in Greece Source: Facebook user Katikies Hotels Santorini Dress Up as a Geisha and Walk the Streets of Kyoto, Japan Hike to the Bottom of the Grand Canyon Learn How to Make Pasta From Scratch in Tuscany Source: Instagram user morinaporina Enjoy Teatime in London Stand Under the Hollywood Sign Source: nito / Shutterstock.com Stay in a Glass Igloo in Finland Source: Kakslauttanen Artic Resort Attend the Kentucky Derby Source: Instagram user johnpeter33 Watch the Sunset in Santorini, Greece Admire the Pink Hues of Laguna Salada de Torrevieja in Spain Laguna Salada de Torrevieja is a natural phenomenon where the water looks pink due to a type of special algae. Play Blackjack in Vegas Cuddle a Baby Tiger in Thailand Source: Instagram user gabyquintero17 Run With the Bulls in Pamplona Source: Migel / Shutterstock.com Attend the Palio Horse Race in Siena, Italy Source: M. Rohana / Shutterstock.com Swim With Sharks in the Bahamas Source: Instagram user myreign Skydive in Dubai Source: Instagram user louischadwick_ Ride the Trans-Siberian Railway Source: Instagram user toframe Explore the Sahara Desert Source: Instagram user michellerutty Laze Around With Manatees in Florida Source: Instagram user martinmoorejr Stand on a Boulder Wedged Between Mountains in Norway Stand on Kjeragbolten, a boulder in the Kjerag mountain range located in Norway. The rock measures five cubic meters, and the drop to the bottom is 3,228 feet. Source: Flickr user Gabriele Balletti Go to the Opera in Sydney Source: androver / Shutterstock.com Sail Around the Galapagos and Observe the Wildlife Just like Darwin. Source: Shutterstock, Corbis Images Ride an Elephant in Chiang Mai Source: Instagram user aliciaacatherine Go Zorbing in New Zealand Source: Instagram user kitty_murdoch Drink Beer at Oktoberfest in Germany Source: Instagram user samuel__coelho Sunbathe (Topless, if You Dare!) on the French Riviera Frolic Among the Tulips in Holland Eat a Philly Cheesesteak in Philadelphia Source: Instagram user tonylukes_bh Stay at an Ashram in India Cruise Down the Amazon River Ski in the Swiss Alps Source: Instagram user tam_tara_tam Ride Through Tibet on a Yak Source: Hung Chung Chih / Shutterstock.com Ascend Machu Picchu in Peru Take a trip back in history to the time of the Incas in 1450 when you visit the ancient ruins of Machu Picchu. The structures were thought to serve as a royal retreat, ceremonial site, or military stronghold, according to National Geographic. Today, the ancient ruins provide a breathtaking contrast against the backdrop of the Peruvian Andes.Source: Flickr user szeke Learn the Hula in Hawaii MaxPhoto / Shutterstock.com Make a Call From a London Phone Booth Source: Flickr user derekskey Watch the Grand Prix in Monaco Ride a Vespa in Tuscany Source: Instagram user erongekong Get a Henna Tattoo in India Ride a Gondola in Venice Be sure to find a gondolier who will sing to you.Source: Flickr user yanivba Attend the Gay Pride Parade in San Francisco Source: Kobby Dagan / Shutterstock.com Swing on the Edge of the World in Ecuador Source: Flickr user Rinaldo W. Zip-Line in Costa Rica Source: Instagram user rych18 Slide Down the Atlantis Slide in the Bahamas This slide, part of the Atlantis Paradise Island resort in the Bahamas, will let you slide into a tube that goes through the shark tank. You'll be able to view sharks on your way out!Source: Alantis Paradise Island | 2 | 5,294 | travel |
Not everything you read about hair loss is true. Before you panic about a few lost strands, know the real facts. The truth about hair loss If you start seeing globs of hair in the shower drain, it's easy to get freaked out. After all, hair can be an important part of a woman's identity, and hair loss is typically seen as a man's problem. The truth is, women make up about 40% of the Americans suffering from unwanted shedding, and 50% of all women experience female pattern hair loss (yes, that exists) by age 50. So it's a big myth that hair loss is a man's problem. Read on for 10 more truths about your tresses. Women lose their hair the same way men do With male pattern baldness, hairlines form an M shape as the hair recedes, and many men go on to lose all the hair on the tops of their heads, says Mary Gail Mercurio, MD, associate professor of dermatology at the University of Rochester Medical Center in Rochester, New York. Women, however, typically do not have receding hairlines. "They get diffuse thinning right on top of their heads," says Dr. Mercurio. Clumps of hair coming out in the shower or while you're styling your hair shouldn't be cause for concern. Decreased density on top of your head or even a widening part are more common signs of hair loss in women. Female pattern hair loss is usually inherited from family members, but it's also sparked by hormone changes or everyday aging. High testosterone makes hair fall out Excess testosterone does not cause either sex to go baldbut testosterone does play a big role. The body converts testosterone into dihydrotestosterone (DHT), and this process causes damage to the hair follicle, explains Dr. Mercurio. So those who convert testosterone to DHT most efficiently lose more hair than those whose bodies are less efficient. In that case, your doctor might prescribe an anti-androgen medication to block the effect the hormones have on the hair follicle, says Melissa Piliang, MD, a dermatologist at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. Birth control pills cause hair loss "A number of androgen (male) hormones can interact with the hair follicle to make it thinner and finer," Dr. Piliang says. Some types of progesterone, a hormone commonly found in oral contraceptives, can act like androgens, Dr. Piliang says. Hair loss with the pill is more a problem, though, if you're using an older version of birth control. "The newer ones developed have fewer of those side effects and are really more anti-androgen," Dr. Piliang says. In fact, some doctors may prescribe birth control to help fight unwanted hair loss, Dr. Piliang says. Talk to your doctor to find the right version for you, especially if you have a family history of hair loss. All hair loss is permanent Some instances of shedding could just be temporary. Many women lose some hair after giving birth, for instance, as their hormones adjust back to their pre-pregnancy levels, Dr. Piliang says, but it regrows within several months. Many women also have diet issues that affect their hair. "Women more often than men have nutritional deficiencies in iron and zinc," Dr. Piliang says. Both are key nutrients for strong hair, so low levels could weaken your strands. You can fix that by increasing your intake of foods rich in those nutrients, like beans and oysters. You could also take supplements, but check with your doctor first to be safe. Best to avoid extreme eating plans too. Any restrictive diet can lead to hair shedding because you're losing out on essential nutrients, Dr. Piliang says. Watch the video: 6 Foods for Beautiful Skin and Hair Stress makes your hair fall out It's easy to blame thinning strands on stress, but for stress to cause hair loss, it has to be more extreme than what you experience when you're prepping for a big presentation at work or in an argument with your spouse. When your body experiences something traumatic, like a major surgery or illness, it can disrupt the cycle of hair, shifting it prematurely into the shedding phase, Dr. Mercurio says. It's a condition called telogen effluvium , which can also be caused by childbirth, according to the American Hair Loss Association. Shedding usually subsides once the stressful event has passed. While some experts believe emotional stress such as the death of a loved one can cause hair loss, nothing has been proven definitively, Dr. Mercurio says. Only older women lose their hair It's possible for some women, especially those with a family history of hair loss, to see thinning start in their 20s or even earlier. "Female hair loss can start in the teens and gradually progress with age," Dr. Mercurio says. Hormone problems are one thing that could affect hair at a young age. "Women can get an imbalance of the male hormones that trigger hair shedding," Dr. Piliang says. The condition is called polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and can also cause irregular periods, excess body and facial hair, and increased acne. Hormones aren't the only culprit for early hair loss. "The things that I look for in young women are nutritional deficiencies, eating disorders, or really high stress," Dr. Piliang says. Biotin can cure hair loss At the drugstore, you're sure to find supplements that claim to boost your hair and nails. Most of them contain biotin, which makes up the group of B complex vitamins. They play an essential part in maintaining healthy hair by helping with metabolism and converting food for energy production. While a biotin deficiency can trigger hair loss, a lack of it is pretty rare, according to the Mayo Clinic. "Biotin is only worth taking if you're having hair breakage problems," Dr. Mercurio says. Though it might help strengthen your hair, there's not strong evidence it can do much for hair loss caused by hormone problems or genetics. In that case, you'll likely need a stronger treatment from your doctor. Too much sun can make thinning hair worse Sure, being out in the sun without sunscreen on your scalp is sure to bring on a burn, but it won't cause hair loss. In fact, vitamin D, a key nutrient you get from the sun and food, can be crucial for your locks. "Vitamin D is very important for hair cycling," Dr. Piliang says. "It helps push hair from its resting phase to the growing phase." It might also play a role in hair loss. A study in Skin Pharmacology and Physiology found that women with female pattern hair loss had significantly lower vitamin D levels than those without the condition. The National Health Institutes recommends that adults get 600 IU of vitamin D daily. If you're not getting enough from the sun, try adding foods rich in vitamin D to your diet. Coloring your hair can make it fall out Dyeing your hair won't make you go bald, but bad styling practices can weaken your strands. "Any treatment done too much can make hair break more easily," Dr. Mercurio says. That includes bleaching or coloring hair, overusing hot irons and dryers, as well as using chemical straighteners. Putting any kind of tension on the hair, with tight braids or extensions for example, also damages the hair over time. "When hair is under extreme tension for long periods, it weakens and the growing part of the hair gets damaged," Dr. Piliang says. If you notice breakage, it's a good idea to start treating your hair more gently and use protectants each time you apply heat. | 7 | 5,295 | health |
OTTAWA The change expected to revamp the Arizona Coyotes has been slow to hatch, but management has made no secret that it will be executing decisions for the future's best interest. "We can't hide from our record, and our record says we're a lot closer to the top pick in the draft than to a playoff spot," General Manager Don Maloney said. It's impossible for everyone else in the organization not to recognize what's going on but in an unusual twist for a scene that trumpets unity and harmony, coaches are supposed to ignore that aspect of the business and keep plotting for success, despite the fact what transpires could come at odds with achieving that. And until the March 2 trade deadline passes, this dynamic will continue to play out for the Coyotes. "Our coaching staff comes every day, and we're going to prepare to win," coach Dave Tippett said. "Obviously, management and that part of the game takes care of itself. Coaches should coach. They got players in front of them. That's who they should focus on. We start concentrating on the draft in June, we're probably not doing our job. That's not something I put a lot of time in thinking about." With a roster that's evolving, churning that preparation into results can be challenging. The Coyotes keep auditioning youth to gauge readiness, and that means placing players in situations that would otherwise go to tested veterans during a playoff push. That doesn't necessarily require more teaching from Tippett, but he's certainly devoted more attention to making sure the message is being received. And that's likely to continue as Maloney has targeted a reset rather than a full-blown rebuild an approach discussed when Maloney met with new majority owner Andrew Barroway during All-Star weekend in Columbus. "Our mandate now is to … grow this thing from the ground up," Maloney said. When asked about center Antoine Vermette's future with the club, Maloney said, "Our agenda right now is to acquire young assets," and the same applies to the other pending unrestricted free agents such as defenseman Zbynek Michalek and winger Martin Erat. Defenseman Keith Yandle's name always draws interest but since he still has another season left on his contract, it's premature to anticipate a conclusion. "We don't have enough Keith Yandles," Maloney said. "Now that's not to say if a deal comes along in the next week or next month or trade deadline or the draft, but he's still a relatively young player that does something better than most in the league and we need more of those players not less." Restricted free agent Mikkel Boedker's deal ends after this season, but Maloney plans to start talks on a long-term contract in the coming weeks. Amid this uncertainty, it would be easy to lump the players somewhere in the middle of the two philosophies being promoted by management and the coaching staff. They're charged with producing an effort on a nightly basis geared to win, and yet it's only human nature to wonder what the resolution will be especially as a leading actor. But many tend to adopt the coaches' thinking. "Those things that happen in the front office or with management, we don't have control over it," Yandle said. "We never have and never will as players. It's one of those things we just gotta do our job on the ice." Even as they adhere to a professional decorum, there's an understanding of the process especially for a player such as Vermette, whose role as a two-way center is coveted. "It's one of those things I try to not think about," he said. "With that being said, I'm not naïve about the situation." And until it's resolved, he views his time with the Coyotes in the present tense not the past. "It's too early," he said. "I'd say it's great. It's been great, but it's still great. All those thoughts are hypothetical at this point. It's a little odd." Sarah McLellan writes for the Arizona Republic | 1 | 5,296 | sports |
John Carver marked his appointment as Newcastle United head coach with a win on Saturday as Remy Cabella, Sammy Ameobi and Yoan Gouffran goals earned a 3-0 victory at Hull City. Carver was confirmed as Newcastle boss until the end of the season in midweek - having taken the reins following Alan Pardew's departure earlier in January - and celebrated a victory at the fifth attempt to keep Hull in the Premier League's relegation zone. Cabella gave Newcastle the lead five minutes before the break when he capitalized on poor defending to open his account for the club with an impressive strike from distance. There was more drama to come on the stroke of halftime as Ahmed Elmohamady appeared to have levelled - only to have his goal chalked off by referee Phil Dowd due to a blatant use of his hand after consulting his assistants. Ameobi doubled the advantage for Newcastle five minutes into the second half when he let fly from distance to compound frustrations at the KC. Gouffran's solo run and deflected strike 12 minutes from time ensured the points belonged to Carver and Newcastle, leaving Hull with work to do and Steve Bruce looking to the potential arrivals of Aaron Lennon and Dame N'Doye to brighten moods. In a lively opening, both sides went close but it was the home team which edged the early stages with Gaston Ramirez in particular causing problems for Newcastle, Fabricio Coloccini clearing a Curtis Davies header off the line from one of the Uruguayan's deliveries. Carelessness in possession and fouls from both sides soon became a common theme only for Cabella to give Newcastle the lead with the game's first moment of real quality. Sloppy play from Andrew Robertson handed the Frenchman possession, with Cabella shimmying left and firing past Allan McGregor. Elmohamady did his best to level the scores but saw his cheeky effort ruled out, picking up a booking for his troubles. Loose play in possession again cost Hull shortly after the break as Ameobi made the most of a careless pass to stride forward and take McGregor by surprise - finding the far corner with a stunning strike from 30 yards. Coloccini almost gave Hull a way back into the game with a bizarre hooked clearance that nearly ended up in his own net but Vurnon Anita was able to head clear. It sparked a rare period of Hull dominance but - despite Bruce being able to recall Nikica Jelavic and Abel Hernandez from injuries - a lack of creativity going forward proved the home side's downfall, with both strikers missing from close range before Newcastle killed the game off. Gouffran exposed Hull's back line once more to burst into a dangerous area and round off the scoring with a somewhat fortuitous strike that looped in off the luckless Elmohamady. | 1 | 5,297 | sports |
Tossed in a lemon-garlic dressing, this delicious roasted cauliflower is healthy and naturally high in vitamin C. | 0 | 5,298 | foodanddrink |
For a team whose mettle is perennially questioned Tottenham Hotspur continue to supply the answers. In the week they dismissed the threat of a lower-division upset to reach the Capital One Cup final, Mauricio Pochettino's side ended West Bromwich Albion's unbeaten start under Tony Pulis to pull to within two points of the Champions League places in the Premier League. Spurs scorched to victory at The Hawthorns after Christian Eriksen struck again and Harry Kane scored twice to reach the 20-goal mark. In the contest between the two young England contenders Kane rather than Saido Berahino continued to look the likelier bet to be called up for the double-header with Lithuania and Italy. Spurs came from 3-0 down to gain a point at The Hawthorns last season but they did not have to work very hard to gain a two-goal buffer here. Pulis has been rebuilding West Brom on a "brutal" regime of hard work but the fashion in which they capitulated in the opening quarter of an hour looked they had decided to have a day off. Spurs could have been tired by Wednesday's exertions in surviving their semi-final second leg at Sheffield United or they could have been exhilarated. The answer was provided inside 15 minutes as Eriksen and Kane, their two outstanding players this season, scored. With a copy of his goal at Bramall Lane in midweek, Eriksen curled a free-kick into the top corner after Claudio Yacob had fouled Moussa Dembélé. Then Kane, receiving Dembélé's pass out wide, stepped inside Andre Wisdom with ease before smacking in his 19th goal of an increasingly impressive campaign. West Brom, seeking to extend a five-game unbeaten sequence since Alan Irvine's departure, rallied and James Morrison, teed up by Victor Anichebe, conjured a seemingly perfect chip from the edge of the penalty area towards the top corner only for Hugo Lloris to tip his shot over in brilliant style. Then the French goalkeeper produced a similarly excellent save, this time diving low to his right, to keep out a close-range effort from Yacob after Berahino had pulled back Chris Brunt's pass at the culmination of a rehearsed free-kick routine. When Craig Dawson headed Morrison's free-kick against the crossbar, West Brom must have thought their chances of a memorable comeback could be doomed. When Kevin Friend adjudged that Joleon Lescott, already less than enamoured to be selected at left-back, had deliberately handballed as he slid to block Kyle Walker's cross on the overlap, then the home side knew this was not going to be their day. Kane dispatched the penalty with his customary confidence. West Brom went for broke, introducing Brown Ideye into a three-pronged attack, but Lloris was a match for anything the home side could produce, the goalkeeper diving low to produce another top-drawer save from Berahino's shot on the turn, with Danny Rose clearing as Ideye attempted to turn in the rebound. Craig Gardner struck an effort against the post but Spurs always had enough to spare. More on this story: Premier League in pics: United avenge Leicester loss on big day for strikers Liverpool 2-0 West Ham: Sturridge makes goal-scoring return Crystal Palace 0-1 Everton: Lukaku strikes early match winner | 1 | 5,299 | sports |
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