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As West Africa's devastating Ebola outbreak begins to dwindle, scientists are looking beyond the endgame at the kind of next-generation vaccines needed for a vital stockpile to hit another epidemic hard and fast. Determined not to lose scientific momentum that could make the world's first effective Ebola interventions a reality, researchers say the shots, as well as being proven to work, must be cheap, easy to handle in Africa and able to hit multiple virus strains. That may mean shifting focus from the stripped-down, fast-tracked vaccine development ideas that have dominated the past six months, but it mustn't mean the field gets bogged down in complexities. "We need a stockpile because there will be other outbreaks," said Seth Berkley, chief executive of the GAVI global immunization alliance, which helps bulk-buy vaccines for poor countries. The experimental vaccines now moving into large clinical trials in West Africa target the current Ebola Zaire virus strain, but the next outbreak may be different. "We need to work with the pharmaceutical industry to create second-generation vaccines that would cover not just Ebola Zaire but also Ebola Sudan and perhaps Marburg, perhaps Lassa. The idea is to have vaccines that will work across different places," Berkley said. Right now, scientists are grappling with several tricky issues -- partly due to success in cutting new infections in the vast Ebola outbreak. With relatively few new cases, big trials in Liberia and Sierra Leone to test the first generation single-dose one strain vaccines may not have the statistical power needed to show whether the shots work. And already, early data from safety trials in humans suggest a single-dose vaccination with the most advanced vaccine, from GlaxoSmithKline, may not provoke an immune response strong enough to protect people exposed to the virus. "We now know you get around 10 times fewer antibodies in humans (than in monkeys) and probably five times fewer T-cells," said Adrian Hill of Oxford's Jenner Institute, referring to two key elements of the immune system. This strongly suggests that a two-dose regime, or a so-called "prime-boost" approach, is the one likely to prove effective, Hill said. SIZEABLE CHALLENGE These and other issues add up to a sizeable to do list for scientists focusing on vaccines for future stockpiles. Producing multi-strain, or multivalent, vaccines that could protect against different types of Ebola and other hemorrhagic fevers will be more time consuming than making today's monovalent shots, but it is by no means impossible. In fact, several of the candidate Ebola vaccines being fast-tracked through testing started out as multivalents before being stripped back to deal with the current outbreak. Another challenge is ensuring vaccines have a long shelf-life and can be easily transported in the tropics. At the moment, test shots are kept at -70 or -80 degrees Celsius, although Johnson & Johnson says its Ebola vaccine can be stored at normal fridge temperature for many weeks. Producing adequate volumes, however, looks manageable. Hopefully, the next time Ebola emerges from Africa's forests it will be spotted earlier and immunization will be needed for perhaps tens of thousands of people -- nothing like the tens of millions who would need vaccines in a worldwide flu pandemic. Finally companies still need a regulatory green light, which gets tricky if large-scale trials fail to produce clear proof that the shots are both safe and effective in people. Researchers and drugmakers say, however, that regulators have made clear stockpile Ebola vaccines could be approved on efficacy data from tests in monkeys or other non-human primates plus proof of safety and immune response in humans, reflecting contingency plans for vaccines designed for bioterror attacks. Pursuing tomorrow's vaccines is not to say one of today's monovalent shots from GSK, Merck or J&J might not yet have a role in ring-fencing lingering pockets of infection in the current epidemic, and perhaps finally stamping it out. "I'm pretty optimistic there's still a role for vaccination in ending this outbreak," said Hill. "And I'm certainly optimistic that we'll learn for the next outbreak which of these vaccine approaches is the most likely to work, and be ready to tackle it early on." (Editing by Anna Willard) | 7 | 5,500 | health |
WASHINGTON President Barack Obama is making an opening bid on overhauling corporate taxes and linking it to boosting infrastructure spending, a move that could clear a rare path toward common ground in a deeply divided capital. Mr. Obama wants U.S. companies to pay a 14% tax on the approximately $2 trillion of overseas earnings they have accumulated, a White House official said Sunday. They would face a 19% minimum tax on future foreign profits. Companies could reinvest those funds in the U.S. without paying additional tax. In making the pitch in his 2016 budget plan due Monday, the president is elevating two issues that previously gained traction with lawmakers of both parties: changing the tax code on overseas profits and raising spending on highways and transit systems. Doug Holtz-Eakin, a conservative economist and former adviser to GOP presidential candidates, said the proposal appears to be a starting point for broader negotiations with lawmakers. "The good news seems to be that the administration has agreed that lockout [of overseas profits] is an important phenomenon," said Mr. Holtz-Eakin, president of the American Action Forum, a conservative think tank. He said he is concerned about the proposed tax-rate structure. "But let's face it, it is an opening bid, not a result," he added. Gene Sperling, a former top economic adviser to Mr. Obama, said criticism over where to set the rates should be taken in stride. "When people are putting out numbers, you're opening up a process for negotiation," he said. Sarah Rosen Wartell, a Clinton administration policy official who is president of the Urban Institute, a Washington think tank, said that "both parties for the next two years have an incentive to show they can get things done, and the calendar creates a number of dates for that." She added that the budget proposal reflects "the hope that those moments, not just for consensus but for compromise, could happen this year." But some Republicans voiced skepticism about the proposal. "Changes to our tax code just to fund more spending by our already bloated government is not the way to boost our economy and encourage job creation," Rep. Pat Tiberi (R., Ohio) said in a statement Sunday. Mr. Obama's corporate tax proposal, contained in his budget plan for the fiscal year starting Oct. 1, would pay for part of a six-year, $478 billion infrastructure upgrade. Big companies, while generally supportive of a tax-code revamp, are likely to view the proposed rates as too high. GOP reaction suggested that Republicans may see Mr. Obama's latest proposal as an effort to widen the corporate-tax base without doing enough to bring down rates. Still, unlike other budget proposals already put forward by the president, such as free community college, infrastructure is one of the few corners of the federal budget, along with military spending, where Republicans have signaled agreement with Mr. Obama and some other Democrats. "I can't think of a better place to invest right now than in infrastructure. It's a desperate need we have," said Rep. Marlin Stutzman (R., Ind.), a member of the House Budget Committee. But with billions of dollars at stake, businesses are likely to resist bigger tax bills. General Electric Co. reported $110 billion in undistributed overseas earnings in 2013, while the figure for Apple Inc. was $54.4 billion. Ronald DeFeo, chairman and chief executive of Terex Corp., said Mr. Obama's plan to finance infrastructure partly by taxing U.S. companies' foreign earnings sounds like "good politics and poor public policy.'' The maker of construction equipment derived more than 60% of its 2014 sales outside the U.S., Mr. DeFeo said. "Give us a globally competitive tax system. This [proposal] is not that," he said. The National Association of Manufacturers, in a statement, said that "while the NAM recognizes the need to fund our infrastructure, piecemeal changes to the tax code that increase taxes for U.S. global companies is not the way to do it." The release of Mr. Obama's budget blueprint will lay out several markers for the coming debate over how much money the government should spend in the final years of his presidency, and what it should spend it on. Tensions over who gets credit for the improving economy and how to improve the fortunes of low- and middle-income Americans who haven't experienced much of a recovery animate that debate. Mr. Obama has sought to refocus the discussion on how to close a widening income gap. Republicans have pinned the middle-class wage stagnation on Mr. Obama's policies. The White House says the U.S. economic expansion, and comparatively sluggish recovery in Europe, have validated its resistance to further spending cuts, which came as Mr. Obama pushed through overhauls of health insurance and financial regulation. "The other side was telling us this would be a disaster. And it would kill jobs and raise the deficit," Mr. Obama said last week. "And none of that happened." Republicans say the spending cuts of the past three years have demonstrated that it is possible to rein in deficits without hurting growth. They say the more than $320 billion in tax increases Mr. Obama proposed last month for over the coming 10 years would sap job creation. "We have seen under Obamanomics the single largest fiscal stimulus…in the history of the republic, and we have ended up with the weakest recovery," said Rep. Jeb Hensarling, (R., Texas), chairman of the House Financial Services Committee. An immediate question is whether the budget proposal will lead to an agreement like one lawmakers reached two years ago to avoid deeper spending reductions that are set to take effect in October. Mr. Obama last week said he would propose to increase spending 7% above levels set in a 2011 budget agreement that required across-the-board cuts to defense and domestic spending known as the sequester. While some Republicans have voiced support for raising the defense caps, Democrats insist they be evenly split with increases on the nondefense side. "The president and Democrats are likely to throw down the gauntlet that relief to the defense sequester must be linked to increasing domestic investment levels," said Mr. Sperling. Meanwhile, with its one-time tax on accumulated earnings by multinationals, the White House would shore up and expand the depleted Highway Trust Fund's surface transportation programs, the White House official said Sunday. The plan represents a significant expansion of Mr. Obama's previous four-year, $300 billion infrastructure proposal. He also seeks more revenue from U.S. multinationals to pay for it about $238 billion, compared with about $150 billion last year. Companies often pay little or no U.S. tax on foreign profits because the U.S. allows them to defer that tax until the money is brought home. They can further offset U.S. taxes with credits for foreign taxes paid. Some Republicans have expressed interest in overhauling taxation of foreign profits to fund infrastructure, but balked at levying the tax on accumulated profits regardless of whether the company chooses to bring the money to the U.S. "We're in a global market and if profits are being made in Asia and [a company] wants to reinvest there, that should be a company's prerogative to do so," Mr. Stutzman said. Mr. Obama's new proposals largely add detail to plans he has outlined in past years. But while some Republicans have been open to using a tax overhaul to fund infrastructure, the 14% rate Mr. Obama proposes on existing foreign earnings is significantly higher than many Republicans have envisioned. Mr. Sperling said criticism over where to set the rates should be taken in stride. "When people are putting out numbers, you're opening up a process for negotiation," he said. Both parties have to clear other budget hurdles first. Funding for the Department of Homeland Security runs out later this month. Lawmakers must also vote to raise the federal debt limit, which has been extended through mid-March. The Congressional Budget Office last week said the Treasury Department could take certain steps to avoid hitting the debt ceiling until September or October. Under Mr. Obama's proposal, the deficit would rise from $474 billion in the coming fiscal year to $687 billion in 2025, according to people who had been briefed on the budget. The White House forecasts that stronger growth would keep the deficit roughly flat as a share of gross domestic product, these people said. Write to Carol E. Lee at [email protected] and John D. McKinnon at [email protected] | 5 | 5,501 | news |
We're always in for a good packing hack , whether it's the lazy way to stockpile shampoo or the brilliant carry-on bag that feels like you're carrying nothing at all. One of the biggest packing headaches we face is, well, the stuff for our face (and hair, and nails...). Toiletries and bathroom essentials can take up tons of space in your suitcase, not to mention get you in trouble with TSA if they're too big in your carry-on. But with these mind-blowing packing hacks, we have a feeling that won't be happening much longer. Fill straws with skincare products Store a DIY manicure in a glasses case Use a clip to protect your razor blade Pack your soap and wash cloth together by making this simple case Dry toothpaste into dots that you can just pop in your mouth and go! Never buy a travel-sized tooth paste bottle again -- just refill! Or fill an old eyedropper with toothpaste Use leftover contact cases to store liquid makeup like foundation Make your own towel/toiletry carrying case. Then simply hang it wherever you go. ...or better yet, use a lanyard string. Put a cotton ball or pad in your powdered makeup to keep it from breaking Decorate empty medicine bottles to use as a cotton swab container Prevent your shampoo and conditioner from spilling by using plastic wrap Or if you don't have plastic wrap use masking tape Use an empty Tic Tac case to store hair pins | 2 | 5,502 | travel |
WASHINGTON The $4 trillion budget that President Barack Obama sends Congress on Monday proposes higher taxes on wealthier Americans and corporations, and an ambitious $478 billion public works program for highway, bridge and transit upgrades. The grab-bag of proposals, many recycled from past Obama budgets, already is generating fierce objections from Republicans, who control both chambers of Congress for the first time in his presidency. They will move ahead on their own, mindful they eventually must strike a deal with Obama, whose signature is needed for the budget to become law. The spending blueprint for the 2016 budget year that begins Oct. 1 emphasizes the same themes as Obama's State of the Union address last month, when he challenged Congress to work with him on narrowing the income gap between the very wealthy and everyone else. Obama, in an NBC interview before the Super Bowl, disputed a suggestion that he and the Republican-led Congress are so far apart that his budget proposals have no chance of winning approval. "I think Republicans believe that we should be building our infrastructure," Obama said. "The question is how do we pay for it? That's a negotiation we should have." The president said he was putting forward good proposals but was willing to listen to ideas presented by Republicans as well. "My job is not to trim my sails and not tell the American people what we should be doing, pretending somehow we don't need better roads, that we don't need more affordable college," Obama said. In documents obtained by The Associated Press, Obama lays out the country's first $4 trillion budget $3.999 trillion before rounding with proposed spending supported by $3.5 trillion in revenues. The projected budget deficit would be $474 billion, slightly higher than the $467 billion forecast by the Congressional Budget Office for 2016. For the budget year that ended Sept. 30, the actual deficit was $483 billion. That was a marked improvement from the $1 trillion-plus deficits during Obama's first years in office, when the country was struggling to emerge from a deep recession. The CBO sees the deficits rising for the rest of the decade, once again topping $1 trillion by 2025 as spending surges in the government's big benefit programs with the retirement of millions of baby boomers. Obama's budget projects a $687 billion deficit in 2025, though its forecast of economic growth would keep deficits at a manageable percentage of the gross domestic product. Obama's budget does not make major changes in politically popular programs such as Social Security and Medicare. Republicans are promising action in their budget plans. Obama's six-year $478 billion public works program would provide upgrades for the nation's highways, bridges and transit systems, in an effort to tap into bipartisan support for spending on badly needed repairs. Half of that money would come from a one-time mandatory tax on profits that U.S. companies have amassed overseas, according to White House officials who spoke on condition of anonymity before the budget was released. The tax on accumulated foreign profits would be set at 14 percent and due immediately. Under current law, those profits only face federal taxes if they are returned, or repatriated, to the U.S. where they face a top rate of 35 percent. Many companies avoid U.S. taxes on those earnings by simply leaving them overseas. The administration wants to overhaul corporate taxes by ending certain tax breaks and lowering rates, a challenging task that Obama and Republican leaders insist they are ready to tackle. Higher taxes on the wealthy and on fees paid by the largest financial institutions would help raise $320 billion for low- and middle-income tax credits. Obama also is calling for a $60 billion program for free community college for qualified students and an $80 billion child care initiative. "What I think the president is trying to do here is to, again, exploit envy economics," said Rep. Paul Ryan, the new chairman of the tax-writing Ways and Means Committee. "This top-down redistribution doesn't work." But Ryan, R-Wis., also told NBC's "Meet the Press" that he was willing "to work with this administration to see if we can find common ground on certain aspects of tax reform." The administration's budget last year proposed a smaller four-year bridge and highway fund, relying on taxing accumulated foreign earnings, but without specifying a formula. This time, the budget will call for the one-time 14 percent mandatory tax on the up to $2 trillion in estimated U.S. corporate earnings that have accumulated overseas. That would generate about $238 billion, by White House calculations. The remaining $240 billion would come from the federal Highway Trust Fund, which is financed with a gasoline tax. The current 35 percent top tax rate for corporations in the United States, the highest among major economies, serves as a disincentive for U.S. companies to re-invest their foreign earning back in the United States. Under Obama's plan, the top corporate tax rate for company profits earned in the U.S. would drop to 28 percent. While past foreign profits would be taxed immediately at the 14 percent rate, going forward new foreign profits would be taxed immediately at 19 percent, with companies getting a credit for foreign taxes paid. Obama's budget will propose easing painful, automatic cuts to the Pentagon and domestic agencies with a 7 percent increase in annual appropriations. For 2016, he wants a $38 billion increase for the Pentagon; many Republicans support that. But his demand for a nearly equal amount for domestic programs sets up a showdown that may not be resolved until late in the year. Another centerpiece of the president's tax proposal is an increase in the capital gains rate on couples making more than $500,000 per year. The rate would climb from 23.8 percent to 28 percent. Obama wants to require estates to pay capital gains taxes on securities at the time they are inherited. He also is trying to impose a 0.07 percent fee on the roughly 100 U.S. financial companies with assets of more than $50 billion. Obama would take the $320 billion that those tax increases would generate over 10 years and funnel them into middle-class tax breaks. His ideas: a credit of up to $500 for two-income families, a boost in the child care tax credit to up to $3,000 per child under age 5, and overhauling breaks that help pay for college. ___ Associated Press writer Andrew Taylor contributed to this report. | 5 | 5,503 | news |
North Carolina woman describes what happened | 5 | 5,504 | news |
You can lateral a three-foot Silvery Wild Alaskan King salmon, but you can't heave it with a proper spiral. That's one of the things I learned yesterday while hanging out at the Pike Place Fish Market, Seattle's fish-flinging institution. The boisterous stall, situated in the nation's oldest continually operating farmers' market (established in 1907), is where fishmongers in wet aprons lob salmon, halibut and steelheads around with an elan worthy of Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson. As if in anticipation of today's Super Bowl, the peddlers spent the afternoon huddling, hollering at each other and chucking slippery fish, which sometimes sailed 15 feet from ice-room to counter. The mongers' throwing prowess was developed over the decades as the easiest way to move the big fish around. "Caution! Low Flying Fish!" says a sign on the wall. A fat Chinook eyes me from a display case. I eye the Chinook back. As we exchange gazes, a mackerel as wide as Marshawn Lynch's thighs hurtles overhead. A counterman catches the creature between head and tail fin as neatly as Richard Sherman picking off a pass. He slaps it onto a wrapping sheet. Gogo Lidz Six years ago the mongers performed their theatrics for the American Veterinary Medical Association's annual convention in Seattle. The fish were later served for lunch. The outraged president of PETA accused the mongers of celebrating cruelty to marine animals. "What if it was kittens?" she asked. "Would they throw dead kittens like that? I think not!" The two mongers I interview Taho Kaktutani and Scott Smith think throwing fish is no more disrespectful than eating them. Taho grew up in land-locked Indiana. A 10-year veteran of the Fish Market, he's been living in Seattle since 1999. Scott hails from Santa Barbara and settled in Bellingham 12 years ago. He fell out of love with the Oakland Raiders around 2008, when the Silver and Black started sleeping with the fishes. "A clean divorce," he says. "I've been a diehard Seahawks fan ever since." As we speak, fish fly every which way and the mongers chorus stuff like "KING CRAB IN THE AIR! KING CRAB IN THE AIR!" and "SEA…HAWKS!… SEA…HAWKS! If the Super Bowl were held in a fish bowl, what species would play quarterback? Taho: King Salmon sleek, agile and on a mission. Scott: King Salmon are by far the sexiest fish. And of all the players in the NFL, who would you pick to call signals? Scott: I have to say Russell Wilson, our leader, would be my King Salmon. What sea creatures would fill out the rest of the team? Taho: Defensive linemen would be Dungeness crabs stocky, low to the ground. Scott: Monk fish, he's all crazy lookin' and scares people. I'd say he's like Marshawn Lynch. Beast Mode! All these Sockeyes look real strong that'd be the defense for me. And then Richard Sherman might be the octopus. And the Patriot's coach, Bill Belichick? Scott: He's pretty frumpy and looks pissed off all the time. So he'd be a Lingcod. Gogo Lidz What football plays would be better if run with fish? Scott: Maybe a quick screen, a quick side screen. Because you can whip that fish real quick. If it's a short distance like under 10 yards you can whip a fish real, real quick, maybe even faster than a football. Once you learn the techniques of catching these things, it's really not that hard. What techniques? Scott: First, it's got to be a good throw. If you're working with a good throw, then the fish is flying at a 45-degree angle. If it's at 45 degrees, you can practically close your eyes and catch it. Just get underneath and squeeze. It's weird over time I've been able to kind of see the fish in slow motion when it's flying at me. So I can predict how to catch it by the angle I see it coming: If it's coming in at 45, I just put my hands out. If its nose-diving, I have to bend down and get underneath. Kind of like The Matrix . Do you ever fumble your fish? Scott: Yes. Maybe once a day. We have these stunt fish we throw when it gets crowded. They're real fish, but they're kind of beat up. What's harder to grip, wet salmon skin or wet pigskin? Taho: A wet football, for sure. Gogo Lidz Have you ever re-created the Legion of Boom with fish? Scott: Ha! We actually did last week. We set the play, hiked it, threw it and then we had an interception run and celebrated. ESPN came down to film it. Could a Seattle seahawk take down a Miami dolphin? Taho: On the field, yes. Not on the Discovery Channel. What would happen if a salmon were deflated? Taho: It would definitely be easier to throw. | 5 | 5,505 | news |
Serbia's world number one Novak Djokovic won a fifth Australian Open title Sunday, beating Britain's Andy Murray in four sets in the final. Djokovic won 7-6 (7/5), 6-7 (4/7), 6-3, 6-0 in 3hr 39min for his eighth Grand Slam title to stretch his formidable record on the Melbourne hardcourts to winning five from five finals in eight years. Only Australian Roy Emerson has won more Australian Opens with six in the 1960s. The Serb has now beaten Murray in three of his four Australian final losses following earlier wins in 2011 and 2013, although the Scot mastered him in his two major triumphs at the 2012 US Open and 2013 Wimbledon. AFP | 1 | 5,506 | sports |
Andy Murray blamed Novak Djokovic's physical problems in their Australian Open final on Sunday for throwing him off his game but that could hardly explain the meltdown that saw the Scot lose 12 of the last 13 games. After leveling at one-set apiece, Murray led 2-0 in the third but collapsed to lose the match 7-6(5) 6-7(4) 6-3 6-0 under the lights of Rod Laver Arena, his fourth defeat in Australian Open finals and third to Djokovic. The Serb tumbled to the court a couple of times early in the third set and was almost limping between points, but after saving a break point at 3-3, the top seed stormed to his fifth Melbourne Park title without any sign of physical distress. "The third set was frustrating because I got a bit distracted when he, like, fell on the ground after a couple of shots," twice grand slam champion Murray told reporters. "It appeared that he was cramping, and then I let that distract me a little bit. "That's what I'm most disappointed about, not so much the fourth set because I think, especially at the end of it, he was just going for everything, and it was going in. But the third set was more frustrating for me." Murray was asked whether there was a deliberate element to Djokovic's struggles. "I would hope that that wouldn't be the case. But, yeah, if it was cramp, how he recovered from it, that's a tough thing to recover from and play as well as he did at the end," Murray said. "So, yeah, I'm frustrated at myself for letting that bother me at the beginning of the third set, because I was playing well, I had good momentum, and then just dropped off for like 10 minutes and it got away from me." Djokovic said he did not suffer cramping or any serious injury and described his problems as a "physical crisis" that lasted 15 or 20 minutes due to the taxing nature of the contest. "I was just weak," he said. "You know, just the length of the rallies. Even though I went through this moment, I believed that I was going to get that necessary strength." Support lost Though initially roared on by the Rod Laver Arena crowd as he fought his way back into the match, Murray lost the support of the terraces during his capitulation when he hammered his racquet into the hard court. Having chastised himself throughout the opening sets with his typical fiery monologues, his final surrender was quiet as he appeared to go through the motions like a lamb heading to the slaughter. It wasn't long before the criticism started. "He needs a good, hard look in the mirror and to get his head together," Australian former Wimbledon champion Pat Cash told the BBC. "He has not put up a great fight. He hasn't. Don't put a rose tint on this." The meltdown will inevitably raise comparisons with his 2011 final loss to his friend and fellow 27-year-old Djokovic, when he was trounced 6-4 6-2 6-3 in a listless display. Murray's run to the final was his first in a grand slam since his Wimbledon title in 2013, but the manner of his exit may haunt him through to the next major at Roland Garros. "Success is being happy. It's not about winning every single tournament you play, because that isn't possible," he said. "Like I said, I'm happy with everything that I put into the event. "So I can't be disappointed with that because I gave my best effort ... I just wish I could have done a little bit better in the third set tonight." | 1 | 5,507 | sports |
One Direction might have one of the largest fanbases ever, but we here at HuffPost Style crush on the boyband for one specific reason: Harry Styles' glorious hair. From the early days of his somewhat-cropped curls to his bad-boy lob (yep, that's a thing), Styles' locks just get longer by the year, and we LOVE it. So, in honor of the heartthrob's 21st birthday, we've compiled a visual timeline of sorts, that shows the evolution of Styles' mane. Happy birthday, Harry and have a drink, on us! GIF courtesy of Tiara Chiaramonte If you love stylish dudes like we do, check out HuffPost Style's Pinterest! Follow HuffPost Style's board Dapper Dudes on Pinterest. | 6 | 5,508 | entertainment |
When you're on vacation, some hotels will make you feel like royalty and others will treat you like it. These 21 opulent hotel suites are guaranteed to do just that. Most are accompanied by a lofty price tag, but when they include personal butlers, pillow service, and once-in-a-lifetime views, you should make sure they get onto your bucket list. The two-bedroom Plateau Villa, Laucala Island Resort, Fiji Nightly rate: From about $7,900 Imagine waking up, stepping out onto the yoga deck, and enjoying coffee or tea while looking out over Laucala Island's coconut plantations. It's not a bad way to live. More than 1,800 square feet of living space, plus an outdoor garden, bathing area, and dining pavilions allows guests to live in luxury the entirety of their stay. The Hilltop Estate is even more over-the-top , but available to stay by invite or application only and will run you about $40,000 a night. The Bridge Suite at Atlantis Paradise Island, Bahamas Nightly rate: About $25,000 Suspended between Atlantis' Royal Towers 16 stories off the ground, the Bridge Suite is the most opulent accommodation at the Bahamas' premiere luxury resort destination. Take in the views of Paradise Island from the 12-foot, floor-to-ceiling windows, and indulge in the suite's unique amenities,like the piano in the living room, twin entertainment centers, a 24-karat gold chandelier, and a dedicated wait staff of seven. Finch Hatton's Suite at Giraffe Manor, Kenya Nightly rate: From $1,130 Built in 1932 and modeled on a Scottish hunting lodge, Kenya's Giraffe Manor offers luxury bedrooms with antique furnishings, striking art decor, and just-outside-the-window access to a giraffe sanctuary. Other safari animals wander the 140-acre property, too if you're so inclined, stop by the David Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage and sponsor a baby elephant before returning home. The Presidential Suite, Hotel Principe Di Savoia, Milan Nightly rate: From about $12,700 The three-bedroom suite doesn't just have a to-die-for bathroom it has a to-die-for, Pompeian-styled spa, complete with a swimming pool, whirlpool, jacuzzi, sauna, and Turkish bath. While you stay, you can entertain guests in the formal dining room, make a drink at the bar, and cozy up by the real working fireplace. Provocateur Suite at the Hard Rock Hotel, Las Vegas Nightly rate : From $3,500 Designed to evoke a sexy, fetish-oriented environment, the Provocateur Suite sets the stage for guests to play out their most intimate fantasies. Claret red and shiny black decorative accents complement the custom-made furniture and dominatrix accessories throughout the suite making this Sin City destination a thrill for even the most hardcore "50 Shades of Gray" fans. The Towers, The Waldorf Astoria, New York Nightly rate: From $499 The Waldorf Astoria considers the suites at the Towers to be their "hotel atop a hotel." More exclusive than its downstairs neighbors, it features a private entrance off East 50th Street and delicate, Victorian-style suites. Guests have their own dedicated concierge and daily breakfast in the Astoria Lounge. During your stay, make sure you take advantage of the Waldorf Astoria Spa between the twice-daily maid service by the time you return your bed will have been turned down for pleasant dreams. Villa La Cupola Suite, Westin Excelsior, Rome Nightly rate: $30,000 For a mere $30,000 per night, stay in this two-story suite overlooking Rome's Via Veneto. The domed living room has a fresco inspired by Rome's Renaissance-era art, as well as a private kitchen, wine cellar, private elevator, and fitness room. Guests can also request a personal chauffeur, shopper, private tours of Rome's historical locations, and helicopter transfers. Stone Canyon Suite at Hotel Bel-Air, California Nightly rate: $725 - $1,700 Located just off Sunset Boulevard, the Hotel Bel-Air has a fleet of Mercedes cars that will shuttle you in comfort and luxury, anywhere within a three-mile radius of the hotel. But you may never want to leave the room, given the in-room iPad's room service ordering capability, spa tub with built in TV, heated limestone floors, and private garden patio. The Royal Suite, The Toren, Amsterdam Nightly rate: From $480 The split-level Royal Suite has a dark and sultry ambience, decked out in warm colors and fabrics. The lower level of the suite is where you can access the bathroom, an en suite bathing den with a whirlpool bath, high quality toiletries, robe, and slippers. The suite is also equipped with a Nespresso pod coffee maker, one of the best on the market. Suite del Virrey at the Hotel Casa San Agustin, Colombia Nightly rate: From $500 Named The World's Hottest New Hotel in 2013 by TripAdvisor, the Hotel Casa San Agustin's Suite del Virrey is evidence that the title is well-earned. The Suite del Virrey is two rooms, each with its own balcony and high, wooden beam-inlaid ceilings. Don't forget the private jacuzzi which sits, yes, out on the balcony. There on business? Just ask the concierge for an iPad. Deluxesvit at Ice Hotel, Sweden Nightly rate : About $1,153 In a small village 200 kilometers above the Arctic Circle, guests at the famous Ice Hotel sleep comfortably in -5 degree temperatures. Each room is unique, furnished with a large bed and seating area made of ice and snow, and decorated with hand-carved art installations by artists selected from around the world. The Deluxesvit also boasts an ensuite sauna and toilet. The Royal Suite, Hôtel Plaza Athénée, Paris Nightly rate: About $26,000 Another Dorchester Collection hotel, the Hôtel Plaza Athénée is center stage in the City of Lights on Avenue Montaigne. Its Royal Suite is on the fifth floor, and offers quite a lot for being the largest and most expensive, suite in Paris: four bathrooms, antique French regency furniture, two security lobbies with a fingerprint scanner and, of course, location, location, location. Royal Suite, The Burj al-Arab, Dubai Nightly rate: $23,000 The largest suite in what is considered to be the most luxurious hotel in the world , the Royal Suite at the Burj al-Arab is completely over the top in every way. It includes two bedrooms, a private dining room and cinema, and private escalator to whisk you to the 780-square-meter paradise in complete seclusion. The Imperial Suite, Park Hyatt Vendôme, France Nightly rate: $20,000 At $20,000 a night, the Imperial Suite at the Park Hyatt Vendôme in Paris may just be the most romantic place in the world's most romantic city. The 230-square-meter suite features a massive living room and dining area, three bedrooms, three bathrooms and a private spa. Plus, it's impeccably decorated with contemporary art. Jewel Suite, New York Palace, New York Nightly rate: Starting at $25,000 The Jewel Suite, located in the newly renovated Towers section of the Palace, is a 5,000-square-foot triplex designed by jeweler Martin Katz. Ultra-glamorous amenities include private Maybach car service, complimentary champagne, and Michel Richard white chocolate diamond truffles in the grand parlor. And no need to go souvenir shopping Jewel Suite guests will consult with Katz and receive a diamond ring designed by him. Manta Resort Room at Manta Resort, Tanzania Nightly rate : $900 $1,500 The world's second underwater hotel room sits 13 feet beneath the surface of the Indian Ocean, off the coast of Tanzania. Designed by Swedish artist Mikael Genberg, the three-tiered suite includes a roof deck, a landing deck at sea level with a lounge and bathroom, and bedroom windows that afford a nearly 360-degree view of a nearby coral reef and dozens of species of fish. The Luxury Tent, The Rock Petra, Jordan Nightly rate: From $65 The Rock Petra offers the ultimate in desert glamping. Luxury tents accommodate up to four people with plush, comfortable beds and jeweled Bedouin-style decor. The camp is circled by a gorge of beautiful, ancient rock formations that date back to 7,000 B.C. Steep yourself in the Bedouin way of life with authentic and hearty communal dinners, and music and dancing around the campfire. The Royal Penthouse Suite, Hotel President Wilson, Geneva Nightly rate: About $69,000 If you've got CHF60,000 to spare or just over US$69,000 The Royal Penthouse Suite at the Hotel President Wilson in Geneva, Switzerland, will make a lovely place to stay. The private terrace sits up against bulletproof glass windows, and the bedrooms and living areas put state-of-the-art Bang & Olufsen technology front and center. The 12-bed, 12-bath suite says it sleeps six, but we have a feeling you could squeeze a few more in there. Chairman Suite at Marina Bay Sands, Singapore Nightly rate : About $17,000 The Chairman Suite , which comes in your choice of black-and-granite or gold-and-earth colors, offers unobstructed views of the striking Singapore city skyline and lush Gardens by the Bay from three balconies. The massive suite includes a master bedroom with His and Her closets and bathrooms, an exercise room with steam and sauna, and a game room with pool table and bar. A dedicated team of butlers and pillow menu it's exactly what you think it is will make you feel right at home. Hardwood Suite, Palms Casino, Las Vegas Nightly rate: $25,000 The Hardwood suite, named for its private, indoor basketball court, covers 10,000 square feet over two floors. It also has a professional locker room and "NBA-sized" beds. The suite sleeps an entire basketball team, but has a capacity for 350 people in case of post-game after-parties. It's not limited to players, though; non-basketball celebs like Russell Simmons and Paris Hilton have also taken full advantage of the lavish bar, dance floor and lounge, and 24-hour butler service here. Maharajah's Pavilion, Raj Palace, India Nightly rate: $15,000 The Maharajah's Pavilion is a four-story monster of a suite, with a private entrance, library, bar and lounge, pool, and spa, not to mention a dining room and kitchen. If the Maharajah's Pavilion is booked when you're looking to stay, not to worry: The hotel has a second presidential suite, the Shahi Mahal , which offers equally extravagant amenities. | 2 | 5,509 | travel |
Don't toss out those overripe bananas! With a couple minutes of prep work, they can be transformed into frozen nuggets of gold, perfect for smoothies. Here's the best way to do it: Start with overripe, spotty bananas (they have much more flavor). Peel all of the bananas. Slice them into 1- to 2-inch chunks. (Smaller pieces are much easier on your blender; even a high-powered blender, like a Vitamix, will have trouble breaking down a whole banana.) Arrange them in a single layer on a parchment- (or wax-paper-) lined rimmed sheet pan. Don't just toss the unfrozen chunks into a freezer-safe bag; if you do this, they'll freeze into a brick of banana chunks that'll need to be chipped apart before using. Once frozen, transfer to freezer-safe bags. We like to separate them into individual bags that hold just enough banana chunks for a smoothie, so there's no guesswork (or measuring needed) when you're tired and looking to blitz your way to breakfast. For our go-to smoothie recipe , that means 1 1/2 bananas, but many other recipes use less. Armed with a freezer full of banana bags, you'll always be ready for rich, creamy smoothies, vegan banana "ice cream,"banana bread , or oatmeal (toss the chunks into a microwave and heat until thawed before using). | 0 | 5,510 | foodanddrink |
At least 19 soldiers and civilians were killed in clashes across eastern Ukraine as fierce fighting raged between government forces and pro-Russian rebels following the collapse of ceasefire talks. Ukraine's military said on Sunday that 13 soldiers had died and 20 were wounded over the past 24 hours, pushing the military death toll over the past two days to 28, according to the AFP news agency. Six civilians also died in fighting across the rebels' self-declared Donetsk People's Republic and in Kiev-controlled towns in Luhansk region, government officials and separatists said. The latest casualty reports came as Ukraine's two warring sides looked further than ever from agreeing a peace deal after the collapse of truce talks on Saturday at the Belarusian capital Minsk. Mediators and Ukrainian representatives accused the separatists of refusing an agreement despite growing international pressure to defuse a bloody upsurge in fighting that has left scores dead in recent days. The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), which is involved in the talks along with Russia, said that rebel negotiators in Minsk "were not even prepared to discuss implementation of a ceasefire and withdrawal of heavy weapons. "Instead the rebel representatives called for a total revision of an earlier Kremlin-backed peace plan signed in September that has formed the basis for all negotiations, the OSCE said in a statement. Redrawing demarcation lines The rebels said they now want to redraw the demarcation line between the two sides to include gains they have made since ripping up a shaky truce and pushing into Ukrainian territory. Kiev has rebuffed this demand and said the rebels' position has thrown any future peace talks into doubt. "Unfortunately the peace process is now under threat," Valeriy Chaly, the deputy head of Ukraine's presidential administration wrote on his Facebook page. The fiercest fighting on the ground is focused around the strategic town of Debaltseve, a railway hub between rebel bastions Donetsk and Luhansk, where rebels are trying to encircle government forces. Ukraine military spokesman Volodymyr Polyovyi said that "constant battles" were ongoing around the town but denied rebel claims that they have trapped some 8,000 government troops. Civilians who have fled describe increasingly dire conditions in the town - which once had a population of some 25,000 - with water and electricity cut and the remaining inhabitants living in underground shelters. Western governments and Ukraine have accused Russia of sending regular troops and arms to bolster the rebels and spearhead the latest offensive - claims Moscow has repeatedly denied. | 5 | 5,511 | news |
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -- An unrelenting Rory McIlroy secured his second Dubai Desert Classic title in six years with a 2-under 70 in the final round to win by three shots on Sunday. The Northern Irishman's 22-under 266 total matched the lowest in the history of the tournament, set by Stephen Gallacher in 2013 and Thomas Bjorn in 2001. The top-ranked McIlroy, whose win here in 2009 was his first as a professional, made just three birdies Sunday but kept mistakes off his card. His only bogey of the round came on the par-3 seventh hole at Emirates Golf Club's Majlis course. "I just wanted to keep my ball in play and not really make any mistakes and try and pick off some birdies when I could on the par 5s," McIlroy said. "I did what I needed to do. It wasn't the best round that I've played this year but I got the job done and that's the most important thing." Sweden's Alexander Noren, making a comeback from a wrist injury which restricted him to playing just two events in 2014, had eight birdies in his round of 65 to take second place at 19-under 269. "I never even thought of winning, Rory's playing so good," said Noren, who started the year ranked 654th. Defending champion Gallacher closed with a 69 to give the Scot third place at 16-under 272. There was a five-way tie for fourth on 15-under 273, involving Germany's Martin Kaymer (64), France's Gary Stal (68), Austria's Bernd Wiesberger (70), England's Andy Sullivan (70) and Denmark's Morten Orum Madsen (73). The $2.5 million tournament forms the closing leg of the three-stop Desert Swing of the European Tour. | 1 | 5,512 | sports |
MELBOURNE, Australia We got this much out of the Australian Open: Serena Williams and Novak Djokovic are still the best. At a tournament where both world No. 1s walked away as Grand Slam champions for the first time since this event in 2013, there was plenty more we discovered about the tennis world the last two weeks in Melbourne. Who's Madison Keys? What's "twirl-gate?" And is Australia a tennis powerhouse once again? Here, are those and a handful of other takeaways from the year's first Slam. Big four, top four: It was the tale of two paths for tennis' "big four" this fortnight, as Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic played their way into the final while Roger Federer (third round) and Rafael Nadal (quarterfinals) lost earlier. But on Monday those four men will once again be atop the rankings, going 1-2-3-4 for the first time since May of 2013, 88 weeks later. Djokovic will hold on to that top spot while Federer stays steady at No. 2, Nadal three and Murray jumping to No. 4 (from six). "Generation next" will have to keep knocking for a while longer as tennis' establishment holds its ground. Team America: Serena has flown the American tennis flag (with help from Venus) for much of the last decade, but was this the tournament where we saw the first bright light of a future star? Nineteen-year-old Madison Keys made her breakthrough run at a major by making the semifinals, the hard-hitting pupil of former world No. 1 Lindsay Davenport beating fourth seed Petra Kvitova before taking out Venus in the quarterfinals. She gave Serena a tough test in the semis, showing a kind of power game that could win majors down the road. Who else had a great Australian Open? Delaware's Madison Brengle did, who at 24 made her first-ever fourth round of a Slam. Wisconsin's Tim Smyczek did as well, the qualifier earning accolades for his effort and sportsmanship in a five-setter against Nadal. And so did Arizona's Bethanie Mattek-Sands, who won the women's doubles title with first-time partner Lucie Safarova. Downward spiral (or twirl?): Controversy followed Canada's Eugenie Bouchard Down Under for the second straight year, once again asked a question on court that many people… well, questioned. In 2014, Bouchard was asked what celebrity male she might have a crush on, a query that was deemed sexist by some. Following her second round win this fortnight, an Australian TV reporter asked her to twirl in her post-match interview. Controversy flared up, once again, as critics said a male player wouldn't be asked to twirl on court. Bouchard, asked about it two days later, shooed away the drama: "Personally I'm not offended," Bouchard told reporters. "No, I think it was an in-the-moment thing and it was funny. But, yeah, I mean, it's just funny how it's taken a life of its own." Nick's knack for drama: Is Nick Kyrgios Australia's next big tennis star? He might be its current one. The 19-year-old Australian came to life at Wimbledon last year with a shock win over Nadal to make the quarterfinals, and this fortnight was at it again, winning through to the last eight by coming from two sets to love and match points down in the fourth round. Thanasi Kokkinakis, just 18, also had a down-and-out five-set win, while Bernard Tomic (22) and Sam Groth (27) also made their mark on what was the best showing for the host nation in recent memory. Welcome, ladies: It was a big event for female coaches in tennis, suddenly making a stand in a sport where men have long served as advisors on both the men's and women's tours. Murray's public support of his coach Amelie Mauresmo was perhaps the most noteworthy of moments, the Briton telling the crowd and international TV audience after his semifinal win that his effort here had "shown that women can be very good coaches as well." Davenport's work with Keys was praised, as well, and Martina Navratilova is coaching for the first time ever, working with world No. 6 Agnieszka Radwanska. | 1 | 5,513 | sports |
The best cities for a cheap date On a budget this Valentine's Day? Deutsche Bank recently came out with a "Cheap Date Index," which measures the cost of date in 32 cities across the globe. The index includes the cost of transport, burgers at McDonald's, soft drinks, two movie tickets, and two beers. Click through to see the places where a date is the cheapest. 32. London, UK: US $121 31. Wellington, New Zealand: US $111 30. Edinburgh, UK: US $110 29. Berlin, Germany: US $105 28. Sydney, Australia: US $104 27. Paris, France: US $104 26. Tokyo, Japan: US $100 25. Frankfurt, Germany: US $98 24. Melbourne, Australia: US $97 23. Auckland, New Zealand: US $96 22. New York, USA: US$ 93 21. Toronto, Canada: US $91 20. San Francisco, USA: US $89 19. Boston, USA: US $87 18. Chicago, USA: US $80 17. Ottawa, Canada: US $71 16. Moscow, Russia: US $69 15. Sao Paulo, Brazil: US $62 14. Singapore, Singapore: US $62 13. Shanghai, China: US$ 61 12. Hong Kong, China: US $60 11. Rio, Brazil: US $59 10. Beijing, China: US $50 9. Johannesburg, South Africa: US $40 8. Cape Town, South Africa: US $37 7. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: US $36 6. Mexico City, Mexico: US$ 33 5. Jakarta, Indonesia: US $31 4. Bangalore, India: US$ 26 3. Manila, Philippines: US $26 2. New Delhi, India: US $25 1. Mumbai, India: US $24 | 4 | 5,514 | lifestyle |
Roy Hibbert hasn't been as big an offensive factor around the rim as in past years and part of that is be design as the Pacers work through a challenging season. Indiana coach Frank Vogel helped validate rim protection as a sound strategy for defensive success in the NBA and now it's impacting his offense. Prior to the Sacramento game, the topic of Roy Hibbert's shot location, succinctly analyzed by this FanPost from MillerTime31 , was broached. How did Vogel account for the change in Roy's shot location numbers over the past couple of years? Two things stood out. First, injuries this year have forced the Pacers to come up with different ways to get shots. If the defense is going to allow Hibbert to shot 17-footers, there often aren't better available options on most trips down the floor. The other issue is how NBA teams are defending the pick n' roll, denying the roll by keeping bigs in the paint which in turn, leaves Hibbert with the mid-range look. "I have encouraged his perimeter jump shot more this year than in the past," Vogel said. "He's a good shooter and the way this league plays pick n' roll defense, they keep their bigs in the paint, it is one way to take advantage and get him a few more looks." Vogel opined that 80 percent of the teams in the league keep their bigs in the paint when defending the pick n' roll. The Pacers don't have a dynamic roll threat to challenge that defense and no one is looking for Hibbert to get loose and fly over a defender at the rim. So Hibbert tries to find his spot to shoot and his coach is fine with it. On shots from that pick n' roll sweet zone between 15 and 19 feet, Hibbert is making about 43% of his takes. As you can see from his shot chart, his success is found when he shoots from the right elbow of top of the key. Against the Kings , Hibbert just played 24 minutes with 11 points and 7 rebounds. He only had one perimeter shot attempt, a baseline look which he made. Indeed, that is not a bad option for the big fella, but finding a way to get more looks near the rim through other play options remains a need for the Pacers. | 1 | 5,515 | sports |
Many Patriots fans who made the trip to Arizona for the Super Bowl are unhappy because the tickets they thought they had are gone. WBZ-TV's Kate Merrill reports. | 8 | 5,516 | video |
LONDON (AP) Describing himself as ''no angel,'' Chelsea striker Diego Costa has insisted he won't alter his aggressive and confrontational playing style in the wake of his three-match ban for stamping on an opponent's leg. The Spain international missed Chelsea's 1-1 Premier League draw with title rival Manchester City on Saturday after failing to overturn a charge of violent conduct for treading on the ankle of Liverpool's Emre Can during the League Cup semifinal on Tuesday. ''I've never injured another colleague, another player on purpose,'' the former Atletico Madrid striker is quoted by the Sunday Telegraph as saying. ''Yes, I've had loads of incidents, maybe even more in Spain. But that's the way I play. ''I'm not going to change the way I play because I got banned for a few games now.'' Costa is the Premier League's top scorer this season with 17 goals, but has picked up eight yellow cards for Chelsea already. ''I have a go at defenders and they have a go at me. We argue,'' Costa said. ''Whatever happens on the pitch stays on the pitch. After the game, I shake hands with the defender. Job done - I go home, he goes home. We're all mates. It's all good. That's how I see football.'' ''I always go on the limit,'' he added, ''but I think the people that think that I am violent player, it's because they interpret football a different way. They see it in a different way. Back in the old days, there used to be way more contact and a lot of things that were permitted.'' Costa will also miss league games against Aston Villa and Everton. Chelsea leads the Premier League by five points with 15 games left. | 1 | 5,517 | sports |
Novak Djokovic reasserted his rule over the hard-courts of Melbourne Park on Sunday, grinding down Andy Murray 7-6(5) 6-7(4) 6-3 6-0 to win his fifth Australian Open title. The pair waged a fierce baseline duel for the opening two sets, but Djokovic won 12 of the last 13 games to close out an emphatic win and become the first man in the professional era to secure five titles at Melbourne Park. Top seed Djokovic sealed the victory on the second match-point, rushing to the net with a searing approach shot that Murray could only dump into the net. The steely-eyed Serb roared in triumph and approached his player's box to share the win with his team before tearing off his shirt and throwing it into the crowd. The loss was Murray's fourth in a final at Melbourne Park and third to Djokovic after the 2011 and 2013 finals. In a slow-burning contest, the pair set the tone from the first point with a fierce rally featuring scrambling, net-rushes and a Murray lob before the Scot forced an error from the Serb. Murray failed to capitalise on three early break points and Djokovic made him pay, leaping to a 4-1 lead. But in the first of many momentum shifts, the Scot clawed back to 4-3 when Djokovic netted an ambitious backhand down the line. DJOKOVIC INJURY The Serb broke Murray again to 5-3, but at a cost, injuring his thumb when he slipped on the hard court and calling for the doctors to get some treatment at the change of ends at 5-4 when handing serve back. The Serb fumed at chair umpire Jake Garner over fans yelling out during points and grew more agitated as Murray held on to take the set into a tiebreak and compile a 4-2 lead after a string of attritional rallies. With the set begging to be put away, Murray flinched, however, serving a double-fault and then rushing to the net, sending a volley an inch past the baseline to give Djokovic a set point. Hammering a second serve return into the net, the Scot conceded it and a pumped-up Djokovic threw a steely-eyed glance at his player's box. Frustrated, Murray channelled his anger into his tennis, jumping out to a 2-0 lead but soon after was chastising himself again. He conceded 12 straight points to be broken again and fell back to 4-2. The match was interrupted a game later when two people jumped on the court in an embarrassing security lapse to protest against the Australian government's off-shore detention of asylum seekers. The players were forced to wait a few minutes as security restored order and the break gave Murray time to settle. MOMENTUM LOST It was disastrous for Djokovic, however, who lost the momentum and miscued a number of shots to lose serve. Murray raised his game, taking the match into another tiebreak and raising four set points with a series of baseline rockets. Djokovic saved two but could do nothing on the third when Murray fired a dipping shot at his shoe-laces. Murray then rolled into a 2-0 lead in the third set, but handed the break back and bashed the ball high into the night sky in disgust. The Scot then crumbled in the eighth game, giving Djokovic three break points and then double-faulting to fall behind 5-3. Djokovic coolly served out the set then went on a tear, breaking Murray twice to roar to a 3-0 lead. In the end, it was easy for the Djokovic who coasted to his eighth grand slam title with an imperious service game and soaked up the cheers of a packed Rod Laver Arena. (Editing by Ken Ferris and Amlan Chakraborty) | 1 | 5,518 | sports |
Ever since she broke onto the scene in 2008, Katy Perry has never shied away from showing off her best assets and flaunting her famous figure. For no particular reason at all, we've rounded up Katy's sexiest moments, both on and off the stage. See them all now - and rock on, Katy! Katy wore quite the low-cut dress to the 2016 Golden Globe Awards in January. Katy's cleavage was front and center on the cover of GQ in February 2014. During her Hollywood handprint ceremony in September 2015, Katy was all about the cleavage. Katy Perry sported a teeny green bikini in Mexico in December 2008. Billboard highlighted Katy's Super Bowl halftime show performance in a February 2015 feature, complete with a stunning cover. Katy channeled a sexy sailor at the VH1 Divas Salute the Troops concert in December 2010. The pop star smashed her Super Bowl halftime performance in February 2015. She flaunted her curves at the Kids' Choice Awards in LA in March 2013. Katy performed onstage during the November 2010 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show in NYC. She rocked out in a skintight dress in NYC's Times Square in June 2010. Katy turned heads on stage in Indianapolis, IN, at the DirecTV Super Saturday Night in February 2012. Katy graced the red carpet in a revealing blue minidress at the MuchMusic Awards in Toronto in June 2010. Katy performed on Hollywood Boulevard before the premiere of her film, Katy Perry: Part of Me , in June 2012. Katy went topless for the August 2010 issue of Esquire UK. Katy showed off her bikini body in Miami in July 2012. She slipped into a sexy black ensemble for the July 2011 issue of Esquire . She went black and white for an LA dinner honoring Rihanna in June 2008. She posed at the September 2009 MTV Music Awards at NYC's Radio City Music Hall. Katy donned a sexy Santa Claus costume during the Y100 Jingle Ball in December 2011 in Sunrise, FL. She stripped down to a black leopard and heels for Maxim's January 2011 issue . Katy Perry rocked light pink lingerie for Rolling Stone's August 2010 issue . Katy showed off her toned legs in Sunrise, FL, while performing for her California Dreams tour in June 2011. Katy bared her midriff in a Dolce & Gabbana getup while partying at Coachella in April 2013. Katy literally lit up during a performance in Raleigh, NC, in June 2014. Katy slipped into black lingerie for her cover story in the February 2014 issue of GQ . She wore a leopard leotard for Esquire's July 2011 issue . In December 2014, Katy's sexy stems were in the spotlight at the NRJ Music Awards in Cannes. Katy performed on Today in NYC back in August 2010. Katy got into her bikini to go to a water park outside LA in August 2012. Katy wore a leopard dress with a thigh-high slit for the MTV VMAs in Brooklyn in August 2013. She rocked a pink, polka-dot bikini in Miami in June 2011. She gave a glimpse of her abs at the Kids' Choice Awards in LA in March 2012. Katy Perry got patriotic for a children's inaugural concert at the Washington DC Convention Center in January 2013. She showed off her fit figure in Miami in July 2012. She put her assets on display at the February 2013 Grammys in LA. Katy wore a sheer, sparkly dress to the June 2010 MTV Movie Awards. Katy teamed up with Madonna for a suggestive spread in the Summer 2014 issue of V Magazine . Katy put her back into her "Prismatic World Tour" performance in Belfast in May 2014. Katy showed some skin on the cover of Marie Claire 's January 2014 issue. She stepped onto the red carpet at the September 2008 MTV Music Awards at Paramount Pictures Studio in LA. Katy writhed on stage in a schoolgirl skirt during her performance at the iHeartRadio Music Festival in Las Vegas in September 2013. Katy hit the beach in the Bahamas in July 2010 wearing a bikini with red ties. | 4 | 5,519 | lifestyle |
Teaching kids about money is complicated. We want our kids to be responsible savers, but not greedy hoarders. We want them to be generous and philanthropic, but not naïve and idealistic. We want them to be successful, but thanks to 2,000 plus years of meek-shall-inherit-the-earth messaging from a religious culture derived from the Israelites slave-uprising, we're afraid of also becoming the Pharaoh. In The Republic, Plato is already confused about how to understand the fact that financial success can be the product of unjust actions. In dialogues that read like early behavioral economics, Plato challenges democratic incentive structures, wondering whether the desire for wealth motivates individuals toward justice or injustice. "All men believe that injustice is far more profitable than justice," says Glaucon in one dialogue from The Republic . We all aim, he believes, to profit from bad behavior while appearing to be good. In the modern world, we still haven't figured it out. Especially when it comes to our kids, we struggle because our desires are inherently conflicted. We want to raise them in such a way that they become strong successful individuals that prioritize their own needs, and we also want them to give and share in a way that puts others first. Plato may have been one of the first to ask these questions, but we're still trying to answer them. Ron Lieber writes the "Your Money" column for the New York Times. His new book, The Opposite of Spoiled: Raising Kids Who Are Grounded, Generous, and Smart About Money, is new this week. An unconventional parenting book, The Opposite of Spoiled focuses on teaching us ways to instill good values around money. I reached out to Ron to ask him a few tough questions about kids and money. He helped me to understand 5 things successful parents know about kids and money. 1. Money is emotional, not rational. Jordan: One key theme of The Opposite of Spoiled has to do with talking to your kids about money. Most parents struggle with talking to their children about what they earn and what they can afford to spend. Many parents try to teach money lessons, but sharing anything about their personal finances remains taboo. It makes me think of Sigmund Freud: when he established the practice of psychoanalysis in the Victorian era, he recognized our discomfort and repression around sex. Nowadays, practicing analysts say that clients are comfortable with sex but don't know how to talk about money. Money is the new Sex. Just like with birds and the bees, many parents feel awkward, confused, and embarrassed about their own relationship to money. How do we, as parents, make sure we don't transmit that sense of shame to our children? Ron: First of all, therapists can't talk about money either. I went to a meeting of the big New York City society of psychoanalysts not long ago that was all about how to talk to clients about the bill. Many of these people cannot bring themselves to bring it up or demand what they're worth, even as they try to get their clients to talk about money while they're on the couch. When it comes to kids, I think the sex talk is actually easier. At least with sex, there a lot of basic biological facts. And most kids shouldn't be having sex and won't even think about trying to have intercourse until they're at least 11 or so. They're interacting with money, however, at least from the time they're interacting with the tooth fairy. Plus, money is so much more about feelings than facts: the difference between wants and needs; the question of who is rich and who is poor and whether that's fair; the decisions around just how much of your money to give away to people who have less than you. It's much harder, this money stuff. The best way to avoid transmitting shame is to avoid silence. Silence, to kids, is a sure sign that we are hiding something. Maybe we're ashamed of what we have, or maybe we're ashamed that we can't have what everyone else has; it depends on the parent. But the first step here has to be towards putting an end to dodging the questions or telling outright lies like "we can't afford it." Kids see right through that sort of thing. And when we shut them down, or shout about their inappropriateness, or tell them it's none of their business, we train them to turn away from us on other matters of great import. 2. Understand the differences between desire, value, investment, and quality. Jordan: Reading your book, I thought about all the "I want…" and "can I get?" conversations that I overhear between parents and children in the toy aisle at Target. Parents really seem to struggle saying no. The three common errors I notice are 1) Mom or Dad buys the kids whatever they want. 2) Mom or Dad only feels comfortable refusing with anger; they harshly demand that the kid stop asking, but don't really provide an explanation. Or, 3) Mom or Dad says "I can't afford it" despite the fact that the kid knows they just spent a fortune on a hot stone Swedish massage. On the surface, there seems to be a disconnect between what parents value and what kids value; to a nine year old, that giant LEGO Star Wars set is way more valuable than bodywork. Among adults, we think these things are subjective a matter of opinion and taste. But isn't it also our job, as parents, to transmit our sense of value and worth to the next generation? As you say in the book, "Every conversation about money is also about values." Ron: It's our job to transmit our sense of values and worth, but this is a process that takes time. The best way to deal with a case of the "I wants" (which is not a sign of a character flaw by the way kids want all sorts of things, no biggie) is to give them more control not less. That's not to say they get more money . Instead, give them a decent-sized allowance and then tell them it's up to them what to buy. But (and this is a big but) there will be no more other parental purchases of stuff in the "want" category until the holidays or a birthday. If you can afford it, give them just enough allowance so they can get 30% or so of what they want. That's enough not to be completely deprived, but not so much that they won't have to make plenty of tradeoffs. Then, when they buy stupid stuff, they'll learn soon enough what is worth spending money on and what is not. That said, we're still free to set rules about banned items naval piercings, toy guns, heels, Heelys forbid whatever you want. It's still your house, even if they think it's their money once they get it! 3. Spend thoughtfully. Spend mindfully. Jordan: Sometimes when I look at the way we behave as consumers, I'm shocked. How can it be that coming right out of the Christmas season retails' bread and butter Marie Kondo's The Life Changing Magic Of Tidying Up can spend weeks at the top of the bestseller charts? First, we go into credit card debt in order buy unnecessary stuff we can't really afford, then we throw out all the stuff we bought last year and call it "decluttering." This is binge and purge consumerism, the pathology of planned obsolescence. We choose the novelty of accumulate-and-declutter over the pragmatism of reuse-and-sustain. How can we even begin to teach our kids how to be mindful consumers "grounded, generous, and smart about money" when we have so many bad habits? Ron: It does start with us. That means looking at our credit or debit card statements (or spending a month or two tracking cash outflows) to see the list of what we do and what we spend. This list literally represents our values, since it is an actual transcription of what we value enough to spend money on. Does that list seem to be an accurate reflection of what you stand for? If not, it's time to spend on fewer things or different things. Once you have your own head on straight, you may well come to the same conclusion that an increasing number of happiness researchers have come to: Experiences bring greater joy than buying things. The best translation of this for kids goes something like this: We're a family that believes in doing stuff more than we believe in having stuff. Let's buy less and spend less and put more money away so we can afford one more vacation or a weekend away or 5 more museum visits or cool day trips this year. Also, one outtake from my book has to do with instituting family rituals around spending money. One family I wrote about makes a point of stopping every time they see a record store they've never been to so everyone can buy something. This makes all kinds of sense because of the messages it sends and the values it transmits: Artists are worth supporting; independent retailers won't exist if we keep buying online; there's always some new band or tune that can turn your brain inside out if you're curious enough to give it a try. It's a shared family adventure. My family does the same thing with ice cream parlors; we never miss a new one and talk often about our favorites. These are relatively cheap thrills that can create lasting memories and real traditions. 4. Recognize cultural prejudices and societal norms. Jordan: What about gender and class? Boys and girls don't learn the same lessons about spending and saving. Usually, when we think about gender and money, we think about the lessons parents teach their children. But I'm more concerned about the cultural messaging. When I look at video games and iOS or Android apps aimed at kids, for example, they split very clearly along lines that correspond with traditional gender stereotypes. You can see it in the icons: pink and blue. But what really concerns me is that the games aimed at boys always involve some sort of resource management: collecting coins and power-ups, considering carefully the best times to save and spend so as to achieve your ultimate objectives. The games aimed at girls are usually about manipulating aesthetics or collecting things. Things get even more disturbing when you analyze products aimed at different socio-economic classes. You'll find media that perpetuates a kind of meek-shall-inherit-the-earth mythology a story that having money and understanding it will turn you into Mr. Burns from The Simpsons, cold, heartless, and ugly. On a cultural level, how do we begin to shift these money narratives? Ron: I don't know gamer culture that well, but it doesn't surprise me to hear that. There's a lot of evidence that girls hear less about money, talk less about it with their parents and have lower expectations for their own salaries than boys. As the father of a daughter, this makes me furious. Every parent needs to remind themselves that something is conspiring against financial knowledge and high expectations in our girls. And we need to keep it in the back of our minds every time we talk to them. As for other media, I'm putting together a list of the best books (mostly fiction) for kids ages 3 to 18 that deal with themes of money and social class and compassion and understanding. There are dozens of great ones; I hope to have it on my website by the end of 2015. If your readers have titles to nominate, please ask them to contact me. 5. Life is full of painful ethical conflicts. Jordan: One of the things I struggle with the most, in terms of money and parenting, is figuring out how to teach my kids about global socio-economic realities. It is very important to me that they understand the ways that our consumption economy is built on the backs of less fortunate nations. I want them to understand how the developed world contributes and creates some of the struggles that plague the global south. I'm not sure how to mediate the tension between teaching them to participate and appreciate the positive parts of our culture while also teaching them to recognize the economic injustices we sometimes perpetrate in other parts of the world. Should I tell them about the conditions in which people assemble their electronics and mine the minerals for semi-conductors? It feels like there's an inherent contradiction between our economic actions and our cultural values that makes me sometimes just want to avoid the conversation all together. Any suggestions? Ron: The first thing that popped into my mind was to suggest that you show your kids this Radiohead video . It opened my eyes and my daughter's too. (Hat tip to my great and brilliant friend Christine Bader for that one; to earn her living, she helps grownups square their idealism with their corporate day jobs). The second thing I thought of was something that Zoe Weil explained to me when I interviewed her for my book: You want to try to make as many choices as you can that do the most good and the least harm. We don't always know for sure, but it's fascinating to try to figure it out even when there isn't enough data. It's a good exercise for kids, especially. Our daughter stopped eating animals when she began to consider the world this way. Her parents still eat meat, though not as much and much better quality. Ron Lieber's The Opposite Of Spoiled will be released on Tuesday, February 3rd. | 3 | 5,520 | finance |
I have unforgettable moments of Christmases from years back, when my wife and I would silently climb over the children sleeping around the tree to plant the presents without disturbing them. They had declared again that this year they would catch Santa. They never did. But I have lasting remembrance as well of the first time I ever saw New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady throw a football 60-some yards to wide receiver Randy Moss, who defied gravity, sailed upward and caught it with one hand. It doesn't register the same; the first brought our family together in a mysterious, internal way that has bound us now for three generations. But the second was a moment of exquisite, unforgettable bliss that I shared externally with maybe 80 million other Americans at the same time. Admittedly, I was never much of a football fan until I saw Brady throw the football. Then when I saw Moss catch it, something happened, like when St. Paul was knocked off the horse. The Super Bowl has come to represent the cycle of the seasons in America in its 49 years, as baseball did decades back, decades before Red Sox slugger Ted Williams moved on to Texas. And at least for the gnarly old provincial New Englanders I've worked with building stone walls here in the New Hampshire hills, that era was much about New York and Boston; Yankees and Red Sox and "the curse" that sat upon us since Babe Ruth moved to New York in 1920. But NFL football has since come to define us from Texas to Green Bay, from New York to San Francisco and Seattle and everywhere in between, bringing us to our fullness as a unique, new and fully formed people across the continent in the post-World War II period. We call now on winter's end with the Super Bowl. Spring will soon be here, and there will be other holidays. Generally speaking, here in America, there are three major celebrations of the soul and psyche Easter, Halloween (the eve of All Saints Day) and Christmas and three celebrations of our shared American condition the Fourth of July, Thanksgiving and Super Bowl Sunday. Together they form the circle of our year. But with one gap. Super Bowl Sunday is not a "real" holiday. It should be. Like Thanksgiving and the Fourth of July, the Super Bowl has become nominally the third great national secular holiday for Americans. Last year, up to 112 million are said to have watched it on television. More are expected to watch today. Where I live, there will be no traffic on the road for three hours as the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks come to awaken us again; to remind us again that we are a singular free people in a brand new creation. And as much as they try to market it to the old worlds in England and China, this day belongs exclusively to us here in the pure land of the free. It explains to us something deep and mythical. We are different because when we came to America, we left the world's pasts behind. Ours was a passage from old to new, a journey of liberation which uniquely identified us as Americans. It is why they play soccer there and we play football here. We came here burdened and alone, but we were free, free to start again, not from what we had inherited from time in other lands, but from what we would take here from what we would find and make here of ourselves again. We celebrate that liberation of who we are together on the day of the Super Bowl. We, who play and watch football, have only the future. Super Bowl Sunday is our American day, in the seasonal cycle that forms us together as a people singular in the world. President Obama should declare it a national holiday. Quigley is a prize-winning writer who has worked more than 35 years as a book and magazine editor, political commentator and reviewer. For 20 years he has been an amateur farmer, raising Tunis sheep and organic vegetables. He lives in New Hampshire with his wife and four children. Contact him at [email protected]. | 5 | 5,521 | news |
Al Jazeera journalist Peter Greste left Egypt for his native Australia on Sunday after serving 400 days in a Cairo prison on charges that included aiding a terrorist group, security officials said. There was no immediate word on the fate of his two Al Jazeera colleagues - Canadian-Egyptian Mohamed Fahmy and Egyptian national Baher Mohamed - who were also jailed in the case that provoked an international outcry. The three were sentenced to seven to 10 years on charges including spreading lies to help a "terrorist organization" - a reference to the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood. Greste's release came as Egypt is reeling from one of the bloodiest attacks in years. More than 30 security forces were killed on Thursday night in Sinai, and ensuing comments from President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi suggested he was in no mood for compromise. Many Egyptians see Qatar-based Al Jazeera as a force determined to destabilize the country, a view that has been encouraged in the local media, which has labeled the journalists "The Marriott Cell" because they worked from a hotel of the U.S.-based chain. Egyptian authorities accuse Al Jazeera of backing the Muslim Brotherhood, the movement which then army chief Sisi toppled in 2013. The case has contributed to tensions between Egypt and Qatar, though speculation had been rising that Saudi mediation had improved ties, raising he possibility that Sisi would deport or pardon the journalists. (Reporting by Omar Fahmy; Writing by Michael Georgy; Editing by Dominic Evans) | 5 | 5,522 | news |
In the wake of a rejection of austerity by Greek voters, Pres. Obama weighs in on whether it works. | 5 | 5,523 | news |
We give 120 Seconds of Glory to Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald after the former Pitt Panther brought home NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year on Saturday. | 8 | 5,524 | video |
When it comes to long distance friendships, it takes a special kind of commitment to make it work. This determines the friends we have for life, from those we treasure but let go. I have one very close friend Fera, who taught me the best lessons I know on how to maintain long distance friendships. Today we live hours apart, and yet I feel as close to her now, as I ever did living in the same city. 1. Send cards That first 'Hello' card meant so much to me. It was my first 'just because' post, and it made me realise that you don't need an occasion to get in touch! I love the feeling of a handwritten note, both in sending and receiving, and I try as best I can to find the time to so. Paperless Post is a brilliant way of sending that same feeling, via email. Recently I found out that a work friend of mine had got engaged, I was a few weeks behind the news (and she lives across the Atlantic) and so I speedily whipped together a beautiful Paperless Post card which rained with (virtual) confetti when she opened it. I know that sending a card via email may seem less emotional to some, but I urge you to give Paperless Post a try their designs are beautiful and you can personalize all elements. 2. Say hi. Even if it is just "Hi!" My sister only lives thirty minutes away from me, but our work/life commitments mean that sometimes it's a couple of weeks between each time we see each other. A few mornings a week we just text each other to say "Hi!". It's so nice to know that she is thinking of me, even if we can only sneak in that few seconds. Next time you think of a friend you haven't seen in a while, just send them a simple "Hello! Have a great day!" It'll make all the difference to them, and will likely spark an exchange of texts which will put a smile on both of your faces. 3. Remember special occasions I can probably count on my fingers the amount of Birthdays I know by heart. Family, Oli and my oldest friends whose Birthdays fall one day after the other. Now I set reminders in my phone, and check Facebook to see who's Birthday is coming up soon. A personal message, even if it is via Facebook is always appreciated. Occasions other than Birthdays are also important. If your friend mentions that they have a job interview coming up, jot it down with a reminder to send them a 'Good Luck!' the day before. Knowing that you have cheerleaders is always a confidence boost! Unfortunately as my friends and I have got older, many of us have experienced loss as well as joy. At these times, it is particularly poignant to get a note, text, or email from a friend offering support. With that in mind . . . 4. Call on each other in times of need. Have you ever got that feeling that you just 'know' a friend needs to talk? Sometimes I haven't spoken to a friend in months, but there's a voice in the back of my head saying "you better call!" This is likely because we're off sync with our contact, but still, I'm always spooked when the feeling is right! In the past I have been guilty of distancing myself from friends, at times when I need them most. If you are going through a tricky spot, the worst thing you can do is shun the people who are there to support you. With long distance friendships you can't always gage how a person is feeling day to day, which makes it all the more important to reach out if you do need support, a rant, or just a good cry! I am ALL about a problem shared, a problem halved, so ring, text, email . . . ! NB: Deciding on THE perfect dress for your big first date, is reason enough to make that call. 5. Visit each other. This is easier for some than others! But if you can, do visit . Even if you have to plan a year in advance! Take the opportunity of the long distance to make every visit to each other like a mini holiday. There's no need to do a lot when you do see each other (feeling pressured to host can be stressful) just know that you are there for each other , and most likely just want to chat. And chat some more. 6. Use technology to your every advantage. Duh, Skype! I was SO slow on adopting Skype, but just recently I've been using it all the time. Five minutes ago I was nattering with my Dad! Skype, FaceTime, SnapChat . . . all amazing for checking in, and actually seeing our loved ones. When you can't physically see someone for months, having a live conversation is the next best thing. I love that you can potter about your room, relaxed in your own environment. When I am going to Skype a friend, I like to make up a lovely cup of tea just before sitting down so it's like having a coffee date together! Come Summer, I may even rustle up a cocktail. 7. Send gifts. Fera (yes famous Fera!) gave Oli and I matching mugs as a moving in present last March. Every day when I make my morning coffee, it reminds me of her and her husband. Sending gifts which you know your friends will use often, is a great way to stay in each others' thoughts. | 4 | 5,525 | lifestyle |
She's fierce all day, every day. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments Jennifer Lopez films a cameo in an Alvaro music video in New York City on Aug. 24, 2015. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments Jennifer Lopez films a cameo in an Alvaro music video in New York City on Aug. 24, 2015. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments Jennifer Lopez attends herBirthday Celebration at 1OAK Southampton on July 25, 2015. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments Jennifer Lopez goes shopping with a friend in The Hamptons on July 6, 2015. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments J.Lo stuns on the red carpet at the American Theatre Wings 69th Annual Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on June 7, 2015. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments Jennifer Lopez poses on the red carpet in Morocco at the Mawazine Festival on May 28, 2015. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments Jennifer Lopez arrives for the 2015 Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas on May 17, 2015. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments Jennifer Lopez backstage at FOX's American Idol Season 14 Top 3 Revealed event in Hollywood, California, on May 6, 2015. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments Jennifer Lopez attends "China: Through the Looking Glass" Costume Institute Gala at Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City on May 4, 2015. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments J.Lo on the red carpet at the Billboard Latin Music Awards in Miami on April 30, 2015. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments J.Lo stuns at the 2015 Radio Disney Music Awards in L.A. on April 25, 2015. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments Jennifer Lopez backstage at American Idol in Hollywood on April 22, 2015. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments Jennifer Lopez attends the 2015 MTV Movie Awards at Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles on April 12, 2015. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments Jennifer Lopez attends a photo-call to promote her collection of clothes, shoes, bags, and accessories at Coppel Store at Forum Buenavista in Mexico City, Mexico, on March 23, 2015. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments Jennifer Lopez arrives at the Los Angeles premiere of HOME at Regency Village Theatre on March 22, 2015, in Westwood, California. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments Jennifer Lopez onstage at FOX's American Idol season 14, "Top 10 Revealed" on March 19, 2015, in Hollywood, California. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments Jennifer Lopez wears a chambray jump suit to Craig's restaurant in West Hollywood, California, on March 12, 2015. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments Jennifer Lopez onstage at FOX's American Idol season 14 "Top 12 Revealed" on March 11, 2015, in Hollywood, California. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments Jennifer Lopez attends Fox's American Idol season 14 Finalist Party at The District Restaurant in Los Angeles on March 11, 2015. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments Arriving for Jimmy Kimmel Live in L.A. on March 10, 2015. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments Jennifer Lopez attends AOL Build Speaker Series in New York on Jan. 21, 2015. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments Jennifer Lopez leaves Rockefeller Center after taping The Tonight Show on Jan. 19, 2015, in New York City. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments Jennifer Lopez celebrates the launch of BodyLab on Jan. 6, 2015, in Santa Monica, California. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments J.Lo speaks onstage during the 18th Annual Hollywood Film Awards at the Palladium on Nov. 14, 2014, in Hollywood, California. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments Jennifer arrives at 92Y on Nov. 6, 2014, in New York City. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments Jennifer on Nov. 5, 2014, in New York City. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments In Soho on Nov. 4, 2014, in New York City. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments J.Lo in New York City on November 4, 2014. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments Jennifer arrives at the 2014 LACMA Art + Film Gala Honoring Barbara Kruger and Quentin Tarantino on Nov. 1, 2014, in Los Angeles. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments Jennifer at the taping for American Idol on Oct. 29, 2014, in Los Angeles. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments Jennifer at the taping for American Idol on Oct. 28, 2014, in Los Angeles, California. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments Jennifer arrives at Variety's 2014 Power of Women event at the Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons Hotel on Oct. 10, 2014, in Beverly Hills, California. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments Jennifer Lopez at the American Idol photo call at New York Marriott Brooklyn Bridge on Sept. 17, 2014, in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments Jennifer Lopez arrives at Barclays Center for Fashion Rocks on Sept. 9, 2014, in New York City. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments Jennifer performs onstage at Fashion Rocks 2014 at Barclays Center on Sept. 9, 2014, in New York City. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments Jennifer Lopez in the Meat Packing District on Sept. 8, 2014, in New York City. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments Jennifer Lopez arrives at the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards at The Forum on Aug. 24, 2014, in Inglewood, California. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments Jennifer attends the Teen Choice Awards in Los Angeles on Aug. 10, 2014. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments Jennifer arrives at the LULAC/NUVOtv Unity Luncheon in New York City on July 10, 2014. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments J.Lo attends Paris Fashion Week on July 6, 2014. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments J.Lo is spotted leaving her hotel in Paris on July 5, 2014. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments J.Lo is seen walking in New York on July 2, 2014. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments J.Lo takes a walk in New York on June 30, 2014. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments At the iHeartRadio Ultimate Pool Party in Miami Beach, Florida on June 28, 2014. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments At the iHeartRadio Ultimate Pool Party in Miami Beach, Florida on June 28, 2014. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments J.Lo performs for fans on Good Morning America on June 20, 2014. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments J.Lo is spotted in New York City on June 20, 2014. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments J.Lo attends the SiriusXM Town Hall in New York on June 19, 2014. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments On BET's 106th & Park in New York on June 18, 2014. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments J.Lo attends her album release party in New York City on June 17, 2014. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments On Jimmy Fallon's The Tonight Show on June 16, 2014. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments J.Lo hosts a private fashion show for Kohl's associates in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin on June 13, 2014. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments At the World Cup 2014 opening ceremony performance in Sao Paulo, Brazil on June 12, 2014. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments J.Lo takes a walk in New York City on June 10, 2014. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments At a brunch promoting her new album AKA in New York on June 7, 2014. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments State Farm Neighborhood Sessions concert in the Bronx, NY on June 4, 2014. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments American Idol in Los Angeles on May 21 2014. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments American Idol in Los Angeles on May 20, 2014. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments Billboard Music Awards, Las Vegas on May 18, 2014. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments Billboard Music Awards, Las Vegas on May 18, 2014. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments Backstage at American Idol on May 14, 2014. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments Sirius XM Studios, New York on May 13, 2014 J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments On Madison Avenue in New York City on May 12, 2014. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments NuvoTV upfront, New York on May 12, 2014. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments Backstage at American Idol on May 8, 2014 J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments Backstage at American Idol on May 7, 2014. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments iHeart Radio Music Awards in Los Angeles on May 1, 2014 J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments At American Idol on May 1, 2014. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments Backstage at American Idol on April 30, 2014. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments on Jimmy Kimmel Live on April 28, 2014. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments In Los Angeles. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments Backstage at American Idol on April 24, 2014. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments Judge Jennifer Lopez on American Idol on April 23, 2014. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments Backstage at American Idol on April 17, 2014 J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments Greeting fans on Idol on April 16, 2014 J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments Jennifer Lopez attends the 25th Annual GLAAD Media Awards in Beverly Hills on April 14, 2014. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments J.Lo takes a selfie with her fans on American Idol on April 3, 2014. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments Jennifer Lopez performs at the Meydan Racecourse in Dubai, UAE on March 29, 2014. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments J.Lo on American Idol on March 20, 2014. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments Lopez performs "I Luh Yuh Papi" on American Idol on March 19, 2014. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments Before her performance on American Idol on March 19, 2014. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments Another American Idol taping on March 13, 2014. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments J.Lo is spotted in Los Angeles on March 12, 2014. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments Lopez greets fans during American Idol on March 6, 2014. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments Lopez attends the American Idol finalists party on Feb. 21, 2014 J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments J.Lo greets her fans on American Idol on Feb. 19, 2014. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments J.Lo in West Hollywood on Feb. 18, 2014. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments J.Lo on set for a video shoot in Fort Lauderdale on Feb. 11, 2014. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments J.Lo on set in Fort Lauderdale of the official World Cup 2014 song, "We Are One" on Feb. 11, 2014. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments On set in Fort Lauderdale for the World Cup song official video on Feb. 11, 2014. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments On American Idol on Jan. 14, 2014. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments Also on set for American Idol on Jan. 13, 2014. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments J.Lo heads to American Idol auditions on Dec. 18, 2013. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments J.Lo attends March of Dimes' Celebration of Babies Hollywood luncheon, where she received a parenting award on Dec. 5, 2013. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments Lopez on the set of her new movie, The Boy Next Door on Nov. 26, 2013. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments Lopez at the American Music Awards on Nov. 26, 2013. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments A dinner party in Los Angeles on Nov. 24, 2013. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments J.Lo at the HRC National Dinner in Washington, D.C. on Oct. 5, 2013. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments At the opening of her Viva Movil by Jennifer Lopez flagship store in New York on July 26, 2013. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments Another sexy bodysuit at a concert in Miami on July 18, 2013. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments J.Lo accepts an award at Premios Juventud on July 18, 2013. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments J.Lo wears one of her signature jumpsuit looks for her Premios Juventud performance on July 18, 2013. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments Another performance in London on July 14, 2013. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments She keeps it casual at British Summer Time Hyde Park on July 14, 2013. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments J.Lo is honored with a star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame on June 20, 2013. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments J.Lo at the Fourth Annual Amfar Inspiration Gala in New York on June 13, 2013. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments She wears a leather dress to the Chime For Change concert in London on June 1, 2013. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments J.Lo leaves her hotel in London wearing studded pink boots on May 30, 2013. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments J.Lo performs on Good Morning America on June 20, 2014. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments J.Lo is spotted in New York City. J.Lo's Most Perfect Fashion Moments At the Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas. | 4 | 5,526 | lifestyle |
(Updates with union comment in fourth paragraph, oil analyst comment in 10th.) (Bloomberg) -- The United Steelworkers union, which represents employees at more than 200 U.S. oil refineries, terminals, pipelines and chemical plants, began a strike at nine sites on Sunday, the biggest walkout called since 1980. The USW started the work stoppage after failing to reach agreement on a labor contract that expired Sunday, saying in a statement that it "had no choice." The union rejected five contract offers made by Royal Dutch Shell Plc on behalf of oil companies including Exxon Mobil Corp. and Chevron Corp. since negotiations began on Jan. 21. The steelworkers' union hasn't called a strike nationally since 1980, when a stoppage lasted three months. A full walkout of USW workers would threaten to disrupt as much as 64 percent of U.S. fuel production. Shell and union representatives began negotiations amid the biggest collapse in U.S. oil prices since 2008. "The problem is that oil companies are too greedy to make a positive change in the workplace," USW International Vice President Tom Conway said in the statement. "They continue to value production and profit over health and safety, workers and the community." Ray Fisher, a spokesman for The Hague, Netherlands-based Shell, said by e-mail on Saturday that the company remained "committed to resolving our differences with USW at the negotiating table and hope to resume negotiations as early as possible." Union Goals The USW asked employers for "substantial" pay increases, stronger rules to prevent fatigue and measures to keep union workers rather than contract employees on the job, Gary Beevers, the USW international vice president who manages the union's oil sector, said in an interview in Pittsburgh in October. The refineries called on to strike span the U.S., from Tesoro Corp.'s plants in Martinez, California; Carson, California; and Anacortes, Washington, to Marathon Petroleum Corp.'s Catlettsburg complex in Kentucky to three sites in Texas, according to the USW's statement. The sites in Texas are Shell's Deer Park complex, Marathon's Galveston Bay plant and LyondellBasell Industries NV's Houston facility, according to union. The walkout also includes Marathon's Houston Green cogeneration plant in Texas and Shell's Deer Park chemical plant. 10% of Capacity The refineries on strike can produce 1.82 million barrels of fuel a day, about 10 percent of total U.S. capacity, data compiled by Bloomberg show. "There will be a knee-jerk reaction in gasoline and diesel prices because we don't know how long this is going to be or how extended it might be," Carl Larry, Houston-based director of oil and gas at Frost & Sullivan, said by telephone Sunday. "It'll be bearish for crude, but we've already accounted for a lot of the fact that refineries are maintenance." The U.S. benchmark West Texas Intermediate oil rose $3.71 a barrel, or 8.3 percent, on the New York Mercantile Exchange to settle at $48.24 on Jan. 30. Gasoline for March delivery gained 8.75 cents a gallon to $1.4788, and the diesel contract for the same month was up 9.61 a gallon to $1.7008. More refineries are standing by to join the sites on strike, according to two people familiar with the plan who asked not to be identified because the information isn't public. The remaining USW-represented sites are operating under rolling, 24- hour contract extensions, the USW said. Indiana Refinery USW members at BP Plc's 405,000-barrel-a-day Whiting refinery in Indiana notified management of their plan to strike at 11:59 p.m. local time on Sunday, Scott Dean, a spokesman for the London-based company, said by e-mail Sunday. Notice allows workers to prepare for a walkout and doesn't necessarily mean a strike will occur, according to the union. Shell activated a contingency plan to continue operations at the Deer Park refinery, Fisher said on Saturday. Beevers said in October that he was expecting "the most difficult negotiations that I've seen" as workers fought for better pay and benefits. Local USW units established funds to help compensate workers during a strike for the first time in at least 20 years. Refiners' shares on the Standard & Poor's 500 have more than doubled since the beginning of 2012, when the steelworkers last negotiated an agreement. Marathon and Tesoro went on that year to take their places among the 10 best performers in the S&P 500 Index. Production Boom U.S. fuel producers have been cashing in on the biggest- ever domestic oil boom, driven largely by volumes extracted from shale formations using hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling. The surge in output has lowered U.S. oil prices by 55 percent since June 20 and contributed to a global supply glut that has also sent international prices tumbling. During the last bargaining year, United Steelworkers and Shell took about a month to reach a national agreement. The USW rejected at least four offers that year before agreeing to a contract that called for pay increases of 2.5 percent in the first year and 3 percent in the second and third years. The national agreement, which addresses wages, benefits and health and safety, serves as the pattern that companies use to negotiate local contracts. Individual USW units may still decide to strike if the terms they're offered locally don't mirror those in the national agreement. To contact the reporters on this story: Lynn Doan in San Francisco at [email protected]; Barbara Powell in Houston at [email protected]. To contact the editors responsible for this story: David Marino at [email protected]. Charles Carter, Kevin Miller | 5 | 5,527 | news |
Nico Rosberg vowed 'maximum attack' in a new title battle with Formula One world champion team mate Lewis Hamilton on Sunday as Mercedes unveiled their 2015 car before pre-season testing started in Jerez. "I know the feeling of winning and of fighting for a championship after last year, but I also know the feeling of not winning in the end and I don't want to repeat that," said the German. "It's an extra boost and it gives me so much motivation for the year ahead." Rosberg, son of Finland's 1982 champion Keke, won five races last year to Hamilton's 11 and finished runner-up in a dominant season for his team and one that saw the drivers' relationship tested to the limit. Mercedes are again expected to set the pace, even if the cars have not changed dramatically since last year's debut of the new V6 turbo hybrid power units and rivals hope to have closed the gap. "It will be massively tough to repeat what we achieved in 2014 but we all want to keep that momentum going and to dominate the sport for many years to come," said Rosberg. "We know the opposition will be right there, so we have to keep pushing flat out to have any chance of doing that. Nothing is for certain but, whatever happens, I know it will be another great battle with Lewis. "This year is the rematch for me and I'm massively motivated for it." Hamilton, now a double world champion after taking his first title with McLaren in 2008, agreed that there could be no complacency. The Briton said he was also fired up for the season which starts in Australia on March 15. "You hear about people who achieve a lot but then lose their focus and you wonder; at what point does it fade off? I'm grateful that the fire is still there in me," he said. "I think subconsciously the taste of success spurs me on. I like that feeling and I want to feel it again and again," added the 30-year-old. "I'm glad me and Nico had the battle we did last year. I love winning races but it just feels so much better when you have to fight for it. I just want to get back out there, race hard, be the best I can be and hopefully win some more." (Reporting by Alan Baldwin in London, editing by Amlan Chakraborty) | 1 | 5,528 | sports |
Jessica Azerrad of IKEA visited the KCAL9 studios Thursday with idea on how to create the perfect man cave ahead of Sunday's big game! | 4 | 5,529 | lifestyle |
Kevin Matras goes over a unique way to illustrate why buying more time on options is usually the better value. | 5 | 5,530 | news |
In the Rhaethian Alps along the borders of Switzerland and Italy, Milan-based architects act_romegialli transformed an unloved concrete garage into a vine-covered green garden pavilion. What makes it look so magical? Instead of trying to cover up the concrete bunker look, they celebrated the original architecture, using the existing garage as a giant trellis for greenery run amok. Photography by Marcello Mariana via act_romegialli . Above: The architects built a a galvanized metal frame around the garage and covered it with deciduous vines, including honeysuckle and mile-a-minute vine . Before Above: The original garage had a flat roof. After Above: The renovated garden hideaway has two rooms, including a kitchen. Above: The kitchen has a cook's range, sink and faucet, and firewood storage. Above: Two soldered pipes create a faucet that mixes hot and cold water. Above: Louvered windows allow air to circulate throughout the interior. Above: Green vines are encouraged to come inside to soften the hard industrial surfaces. Above: Metal framed full-height windows open the interior to the outdoors. For more about the project, see: Design Sleuth: A Very Green Box Paradise Found: A Green Pavilion Design Sleuth: Stylish Garage Storage | 4 | 5,531 | lifestyle |
Just throw the ingredients into your Crock-Pot, let it go to work, and come home to these ready-to-serve slow cooker appetizers, main dishes, and sides, including slow cooker chicken recipes, vegetarian slow cooker recipes, and pork roast slow cooker Cowboy Brisket Every country home needs something simmering in the kitchen, so fire up this versatile big-batch recipe. Recipe: Cowboy Brisket RELATED: 15 easy one-pot recipes for date night Herbed Chicken With Beets and Brussels Need something healthy and hands-off? Look no further than this easy-yet-impressive dinner that's sure to please your whole flock. Recipe: Herbed Chicken With Beets and Brussels Cheesy Buffalo Chicken Pasta Pasta lovers, beware: One bite of this creamy, indulgent dish and you'll never make pasta the same way again. Get the recipe at Crockpot Gourmet . Related: Popular chicken recipes French Onion Soup Caramelized onions and gobs of cheese are the stars of this slow cooker dinner. Get the recipe at Creme de la Crumb . Mozzarella-Stuffed Meatballs An ideal appetizer, these stuffed meatballs taste best when paired with marinara sauce. Get the recipe at Creme de la Crumb . Browse: Classic comfort foods Chicken Pie Soup Turn chicken pot pie into liquid form with this hearty recipe. Get the recipe at Baked by Rachel . Beef and Cheese Pasta Spinach + cheese + pasta + slow cooker = easiest dinner ever. Get the recipe at The Cooking Jar . Related: 4 ideas for leftovers Broccoli and Cheese Soup This flavorful soup filled with yellow onions and sharp cheddar cheese will make ever the dreariest of days much more bearable. Get the recipe at Cooking Classy . Chicken Burrito Bowl One bite of this cheesy bowl of goodness and this recipe will instantly turn into a family favorite. Get the recipe at No. 2 Pencil. Browse: Burrito recipes Slow Cooker Bread Never thought to try baking bread in your slow cooker? This easy recipe from The Kitchn will totally change your mind and might mean you never break out your bread maker again. Get the recipe at The Kitchn . Pulled Pork and Biscuits Savory pulled pork is sandwiched between homemade mini biscuits in this hearty dish. Recipe: Pulled Pork and Biscuits Browse: More popular slow cooker recipes Lentil Stew with Butternut Squash Rich in vitamins A and C, butternut squash adds a subtle sweetness to this slow-cooker lentil stew. Recipe: Lentil Stew with Butternut Squash | 0 | 5,532 | foodanddrink |
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) Andy Murray has leveled the Australian Open singles final at 1-1, winning the second set 7-6 (4) after Novak Djokovic won the first 7-6 (5). Djokovic saved a set point in the 10th game and Murray saved three break points in the 11th before it went to the tiebreaker. Sixth-seeded Murray dominated the breaker to lead 6-2, securing four set points before clinching it on Djokovic's serve. The second set was delayed for about five minutes after the seventh game when a court invader protesting Australia's refugee policies was removed by security after stepping on to the court. Other spectators in the stadium unfurled a political banner. Djokovic hasn't lost in four finals at Melbourne Park, while Murray has been runner-up three times, twice to Djokovic in 2011 and 2013. | 1 | 5,533 | sports |
No, the peace sign is not a bird foot. | 8 | 5,534 | video |
A group of nine ski mountaineers from the Zurich region was buried under an avalanche on Saturday, while touring to peak Vilan near the Austrian border. At the moment of the impact, the mountaineers were off-piste at an altitude of 2,200 meters. All of the skiers were wearing beacons indicating their position to the rescue forces. Three people were found dead in the snow, while two more died in a Swiss hospital. Another person is reported to be seriously injured. In addition, two men lost their lives in separate avalanches in Muerren and in Adelboden in Switzerland. A man was also killed in western Austria while skiing in the resort of Damuels. An injured women skiing with him was rescued from the snow. 'Considerable' danger in Switzerland and Germany There was a "considerable" avalanche risk in the area surrounding the alpine peak of Vilan, as well as large part of Switzerland, experts warned. This degree of risk corresponds to level three in the avalanche danger scale, with level five being the highest. At this risk level, avalanches can be easily triggered even by a single person skiing on a slope. Germany's Bavarian avalanche warning service has also announced that there is a "considerable" danger in the Bavarian Alps at the altitudes of over 1,600 meters, while the risk is deemed "moderate" beneath that level. On Friday, a 20-year-old man and a 58-year old woman lost their lives in two avalanches in Schwarzwald, Germany, in one of the most serious avalanche-related accident in the decades, authorities said. | 5 | 5,535 | news |
Billboards still read "Welcome to Arbil, 2014 Arab Tourism Capital," but most of the visitors Iraq's Kurdistan region welcomed last year were people made homeless by a jihadist offensive. It was supposed to be tourism's takeoff year but the Islamic State (IS) group's June onslaught dashed those hopes overnight when it plunged Iraq into chaos. "I cannot even talk about a decline in numbers, it's more like everything collapsed," said Hearsh Ahmad Karem, the manager of the Kurdistan Hotels and Restaurants Association. What was a growing $1 billion (885-million-euro) sector in 2013 came to a screeching halt when IS fighters took over large parts of Iraq north and west of Baghdad and moved within striking distance of Arbil. Plans for a new zoo, the renovation of Arbil's UNESCO-listed citadel and many similarly ambitious projects have been halted. "Instead of getting tourists, we got IDPs," said Karem, referring to the 900,000 internally displaced persons who fled conflict in Iraq and found refuge in Kurdistan. The autonomous three-province region has been spared most of the violence that tore Iraq apart but Kurdish peshmerga forces were mobilised en masse, transport was disrupted and the destination's image took a big hit. "After June 10, you can't say we were the 2014 tourism capital anymore. Tourism was annihilated," said Karem. Iraq hasn't been an obvious tourism destination in recent decades but Kurdistan has long been a holiday spot for Iraqi Arabs and was starting to draw adventure-seeking foreigners. While the rest of Iraq mired itself in sectarian politics and corruption, Kurdistan lured investors and built up a region with most of the trappings of a functioning state. - Hotels closing - Spectacular waterfalls and snow-capped mountains, archaeological sites and cultural tours, as well as a no-visa policy for most Westerners meant Kurdistan could attract a broad range of visitors. "Everything was ready, we spent a lot to welcome them," the tourism board's Nadir Rwsty said, adding that there were no reliable figures for visitor numbers last year. Close to three million tourists visited Arbil in 2013 and estimates predicted up to four million would come in 2014. The oil-producing region had hoped to make tourism the second pillar of its economy. Now cash is in short supply, with oil prices at a six-year low and soaring military spending. Karem said at least 72 hotels have closed down over the past six months. He said at least as many had empty rooms and only kept their restaurants running. The absence of tourists has affected thousands of people who worked in hotels, restaurants or as taxi drivers. Sitting in front of his souvenir shop at the foot of the citadel in Arbil, Burwa Mohamed Aziz said he would have to close if business did not pick up soon. "I could make up to three or four million dinars (more than $3,000) a month but now it took me four months to bring in one million," the 22-year-old said. "Consider that my monthly rent is 500,000." He held up a pair of white "klash", the traditional hand-knitted Kurdish moccasin made of cotton and cowhide that had become a hit with foreign tourists. "They used to snap these things up. The few Westerners I get now are Arbil residents and know how to bargain," Aziz said, shaking his head. - Travel agents worried - Baxtiar Sadiq Ahmed runs his own travel agency in central Arbil and specialises in high-end customised tours focusing on the region's multi-millennial history. "Everything was going well, business was really picking up... I was expecting up to eight groups in 2014. I only had time for two before the crisis," he said. His tours included sites beyond Kurdistan's official borders and were popular with young retirees from Europe eager to escape mass tourism and discover new cultures. "I had prepared tours looking at the Armenian presence in the region, Jewish heritage, Assyrian history or the Yazidi shrine town of Lalesh for example," he said. "There is so much to do, there are 700 archeological sites in Arbil governorate only." Although visiting Kurdistan remained safe throughout the crisis, Ahmed said travel agents and their insurance companies were worried. "Now I need to go to Europe to market my business properly and reassure them. I am ready to pay for them to come here and see for themselves," he said. | 2 | 5,536 | travel |
Some 20 mosques in Britain were opening their doors to the public Sunday in an unprecedented gesture of reassurance following last month's Islamist attacks in Paris. Visitors will be served tea and cakes by members of the mosque community who will answer questions about Islam, the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) umbrella group which is organising the initiative said in a statement. Participating mosques include Finsbury Park in north London, where Abu Hamza -- jailed in the US last month for the deadly kidnapping of Western tourists in Yemen plus terrorism offences -- was once imam. The Finsbury Park Mosque has since undergone a change of leadership and ethos and now stresses community relations and interfaith dialogue. But in the wake of the Paris attacks which killed 17 people, it has received a string of threatening letters and emails, its secretary-general, Mohammed Kozbar, told Sky News television recently. Prime Minister David Cameron's government sent a letter to Muslim leaders following the Paris attacks urging them to "explain and demonstrate how faith can be part of British identity" and suggesting there was "more work to do" in fighting extremism. This prompted an angry response from the MCB, which questioned whether the government was aligning itself with the far-right by suggesting that Muslims were "inherently apart from British society". Around five percent of people in England and Wales are Muslim, according to a 2011 census, and there are around 1,700 mosques across Britain. | 5 | 5,537 | news |
In this year alone, there are more than 400 vehicles available in the U.S., so to sift all of global automotive history down to 10 great cars to drive before you die was a momentous task. No doubt some of your favorites didn't make the list. We 10 Cars to Drive Before you Die Arguments are frequent in our office, and sometimes they even have to do with cars. On topics such as comparison-test winners, 10 Best, and the proper way to brew a pot of French roast, our wide range of opinions and preferences quickly outstrips our civility, and whittling down the list for this story came close to inciting a riot. In this year alone, there are more than 400 vehicles available in the U.S., so to sift all of global automotive history down to 10 great cars to drive before you die was a momentous task. No doubt some of your favorites didn't make the list. We sympathize. Some staff members still aren't speaking to one another. Ultimately, we settled on the cars below because they are the best representations of their respective eras in automotive development, the purest distillation of what we consider to be necessary automotive traits, and because these 10 would provide a person a broad and comprehensive overview of automotive history. Originally published at Car and Driver. Ford Model T Compared with many of the cars in this collection, the prospect of getting behind the wheel of a Model T Ford might seem a trifle tame, not to mention primitive. Just 20 hp, two forward speeds, three foot pedals (one for reverse), advance the spark, retard the spark, a top speed of about 40 mph. Novel, but hardly a thrill ride. However, the unique part of this experience is cultural. Driving a Model T gives the operator a portal into the dawn of the automobile age, when cars made the transition from toys for the few to an everyday necessity for the many. It can be argued that more people learned to drive in a Model T than in any other car ever and that no motor vehicle has had a bigger influence on history. At one time, shortly after World War I, half the cars on the planet were Model T Fords, a fact that makes the prospect of actually driving one a bit more plausible than driving some of the other cars arrayed here. When Model T production ended in May 1927 after a 19-year run, the tally stood at just over 15 million. A good many of those cars have survived; experts estimate at least 25,000 in decent running condition. There might even be one in your neighborhood. Duesenberg SJ It was big (finished cars commonly weighed over 2.5 tons). It was potent. It was brutish. It was just flat magnificent. The engineering was cutting edge for the day, and even in an age of grand classics, the Doozy's 6.9-liter straight-eight made its contemporaries Cadillac's V-16, the Packard Twin Six, the Marmon V-16, the Lincoln V-12 look a little tepid. In basic J configuration, introduced in 1928, the DOHC 32-valve eight was rated for 265 hp, phenomenal at the time. Supercharging was added in 1932, creating the SJ and bumping output to 320 hp. Of the 500 or so Duesenbergs built between 1928 and 1937, only 36 were SJs, which makes driving opportunities pretty rare, even though most of them survive. If the prospect somehow presents itself, this car's combination of power, speed, and opulence is as uniquely seductive today as it was some 80 years ago: the supercharger spooling up and down, the whine of straight-cut gears, double-clutching for downshifts, the rumble of the straight-eight, the heavy steering, the sense of enormous mass well managed. A contemporary writer characterized the SJ as an elegant roughneck. The accuracy of that description endures. Citroën DS Shortly after the Citroën DS's launch in 1955, French philosopher Roland Barthes wrote that it had obviously fallen from the sky. Pronounced déesse , which means goddess in French, it looked like nothing else on earth. Streamlined to the max, Citroën's proudest car boasted a hydropneumatic suspension, a fiberglass roof, and a one-spoke steering wheel, among many other technological highlights. In 1967, swiveling headlights were added recently extolled as a great innovation by other carmakers. Driving the DS for the first time, you will look like an absolute fool. Back when it was launched, just like today, you basically needed to learn driving it from scratch. The brakes bite at the hint of a touch, the steering is strongly self-centering, and the optional semiautomatic transmission needs to be treated with the utmost care. In today's environment, the DS would be utterly demolished by consumer advocates. But when you master the goddess, she reveals her beauty. The driving experience soothes and is superbly comfortable, and the DS despite its four-cylinder-only engine portfolio is a fast car, with late models topping 115 mph. For decades, the irreverent DS was a preferred mode of transportation by intellectuals and aesthetes, based on a quality seldom associated with luxury cars: intellectual superiority. Ferrari 250GT SWB There have been bad Ferraris through the years, but anything made in Maranello is still a special driving experience, and a Ferrari fitted with a V-12 engine is the most special of all. The first Ferrari had one, as did the firm's dominant line of Le Mans winners in the 1950s and 60s. The greatest of Ferraris V-12s is undoubtedly the Colombo-designed 3.0-liter engine that powered a string of coupes, convertibles, and sports-racing cars in the 1950s and early 60s. The best all-around car to use this engine is the beautiful Pininfarina-styled Gran Turismo berlinetta made between 1960 and 1962, otherwise known as the SWB (for short wheelbase). This engine sings and wails, its exhaust note accompanied by a tidal wave of induction roar and valvetrain noise. It goes as well as it sounds, with street versions making between 220 and 240 hp. The car is alive, from the engine to the steering to the shifter, with a seemingly telekinetic connection between a driver's hands and feet and the mechanical components. The interface between the gas pedal and the three double-barrel Webers has a directness and precision that an electronic throttle cant match. There's simply no more soulful car on the planet. Mini Cooper S There had been front-wheel-drive cars before Sir Alec Issigonis designed the Mini, but none of those cars designers had seized on the packaging advantages of the transverse engine layout to the extent that Issigonis did. The Mini is a miracle of maximizing interior space in a minimal package. A tad more than 10 feet long, riding on 10-inch-diameter wheels and tires, a Mini seats four people in reasonable comfort. A base Mini was entertaining to drive, if slow, but when hopped up by John Cooper, boss of the racing-car company that won the 1959 and 1960 Formula 1 championships, the Mini became a riot on wheels. The ultimate development of this cooperation, the 1275-cc Mini Cooper S, made 76 hp and could just about reach 100 mph. By todays standards, the performance is pedestrian. Yet the Mini Cooper is still one of the world's most enjoyable drives, thanks to a combination of screaming engine, short-throw gearshift, chuckable handling that defined the term lift-throttle oversteer, and teensy size. A Mini Cooper is the smallest car you might ever pilot, dainty enough that it feels as if you were putting it on like a shirt. Getting so much from so little is both really appealing and a uniquely rewarding driving experience. Plymouth Hemi Barracuda Our list cried out for a muscle car, but which one? The LS6 Chevelle SS 454 was obvious, but a little safe, too. We wanted something that more fully embodied the balls-out brashness of the first horsepower war. And so we present the 1970 Hemi Cuda, a steroidal demon-sled born in the era of flower power but fueled by a million "screw yous." The Barracuda started out as an option package for early-60s Valiants, but eventually evolved into a unique model. By the dawn of the 70s, it had come into its own as a rorty sports coupe available in ridiculous colors such as Vitamin C (thats orange), Lemon Twist (yellow), and Sassy Grass (green). The top engine available in the new-for-1970 Cuda was the Hemi, 426 cubic inches of fury and anger that existed solely to rain down great vengeance on air and gas in the interest of riotous self-gratification. Sitting inside a 'Cuda feels a bit like sitting in a washtub placed inside a storage container the interior is tight, the beltline is high, and there's a lot of sheetmetal around you. Twist the key, and the sound is glorious, sort of artillery-piece-meets-pissed-off-grizzly-bear, and the fuel and exhaust fumes are intoxicating enough to turn Al Gore into a believer. Then you stab the gas, the car rears up on its archaic suspension, and you're the star of your very own Rat Fink poster the chassis is that flexible, the power is that prodigious. A Hemi 'Cuda can't corner well, and it sure as hell can't stop, but, man, can it go, Go, GO! Porsche 911 Carrera RS Today's 911 is so easy to drive it'd almost be boring if it weren't so ungodly quick. We timed a 911 Turbo S at 2.6 seconds to 60 mph. That couldn't be farther from the 911's roots if the engine were in the nose. Thanks to the trailing-arm rear suspension, early 911s seemed to actively work to kill the driver. Anything less than perfectly steady throttle and steering inputs through a corner resulted in irreconcilable oversteer, and the faster you went, the harder the car tried to entomb you in wadded sheetmetal. The lightweight 1973 Carrera RS didn't cure the 911's problems, but it did make it so that the Porsche could kill you at even higher speeds. The first 911 with a ducktail rear spoiler also had an enlarged front unit that dramatically reduced the car's uncertain straight-line stability at high speeds. Wider back tires tucked inside fattened fenders helped the rear to stay planted, although they didn't so much cure the snap-oversteer problem as bump the threshold even farther beyond the point of no return. And it was faster displacement swelled to 2.7 liters, and the power to 207 horses. It was the fastest and most visceral of the early 911s, and it still wanted very much for its driver to die (you might want this to be the last car you check off this list). BMW E30 M3 We haven't lost our minds. All BMW M3s have been impressive cars, as fast as you will ever need and practical, too. Its just that the most engaging, most harmonious M3 remains the first one, built from 1986 to 1991 and sold in the U.S. from 1987 to 1990. The original M3 was actually designed for motorsports 5000 roadgoing examples had to be manufactured to qualify for Group A sedan racing and heavily modified from the stock E30, to the extent that BMW's wizards changed the suspension, brakes, transmission, and most of the body panels. Fitted variously with unique 2.3- and 2.5-liter four-bangers making 195 to 235 hp, the original E30 M3 offered solid performance, with a top speed of about 150 mph and 0-to-60-mph times in the high-six-second bracket. But its one of the great back-road cars, with a wonderfully neutral handling balance, a supple yet controlled ride, and steering seemingly hard-wired to your brain. An E30 M3 flows down the blacktop, involving its driver intimately in the process of covering ground as quickly as possible, more so than any M3 since. Lotus Elise Lotus founder Colin Chapman always preached the automotive virtues of low weight and high agility, and the Elise is a perfect modern example of that simple formula. Making its debut at the 1995 Frankfurt auto show, it took roughly nine years for the then second-generation Elise to make it to our shores. But the ever-lasting impression it leaves was well worth the wait. Built on an ultra-rigid aluminum tub, the sub-2000-pound Elise promotes an intimacy between driver and machine that is duplicated by no other road car currently in production. Combining its light weight and mid-mounted 189-hp, Toyota-sourced 1.8-liter four-cylinder allows the Elise to blast to 60 mph in well under five seconds, but straight-line speed isn't what makes the Elise so special. It's the way every single bump, pavement texture, and pebble on the road is felt through the chassis and the miniature, unassisted steering wheel (and the human-accordion feats required to tuck into the claustrophobic cabin). It's the smile on your face after you get out of one, seemingly plastered there for weeks. Its fantastic. Bugatti Veyron 16.4 It's the impossibility of the thing, the mystery of it. How can the most powerful production car in the world be so effortless to drive? How can the chaos of the Bugatti Veyron be reconciled with its calm? The Veyron was put here by VW chairman Ferdinand Piëch to do one thing: allow anyone in the world, perhaps even those without prior driving experience, to go 253 mph. Whether or not this is admirable or lunacy is still open to debate. What is not is the speed an almost immeasurable amount of it, rising and mounting with such swiftness that your eyes can barely adjust. In the Veyron, the scenery doesnt blur, it bends. Passed cars don't fade away in your rearview mirror, they cease to exist. Getting that kind of tidal force down to the pavement came at the expense of untold numbers of VW engineers' careers, men who just couldn't make the numbers work, who couldn't produce Piëch's promised 1001 hp. The tractive demands necessitated all-wheel drive, which necessitated stronger suspension pieces, which brought more weight you see where this is all going. It became a Jacobs ladder of crazy, packing some 400 pounds of fluids coursing through its 12 radiators and various tanks. It took a sort of magic to create. The result is a century of automotive learning condensed into a strange-looking, dumpling-shaped car that whirs and wheezes and clicks like a helicopter auguring in. And who wouldn't want to experience that? | 9 | 5,538 | autos |
The House is scheduled to vote in the coming week to permanently extend several tax breaks, including a key incentive for small business expensing, that expired at the end of 2014. But don't call it a strategy yet. Congressional aides and lobbyists say that GOP lawmakers as a whole don't yet have a handle on how to deal with the dozens of preferences, commonly known as extenders, that were at the center of a big fight just months ago. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) suggested in his memo laying out the February agenda that the votes to revive the incentive for writing off small business purchases and certain tax breaks for charitable contributions were more for political messaging than for sketching out a path forward legislatively. "To build a healthy, opportunity economy, our tax code must protect hardworking taxpayers," McCarthy wrote. "We don't need higher taxes. We need a more efficient, effective tax system." A spokesman for House Ways and Means Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) added that the approach after the February votes had yet to be determined. Republicans on the tax-writing panel huddled in Warrenton, Va., this week to discuss the committee agenda. Meanwhile, on the other side of the Capitol, "the Senate hasn't made any final decisions on how to approach extenders this year," an aide said Friday. Figuring out how to restore the more than 50 tax breaks which include incentives for business research and underwater homeowners has become a regular tradition on Capitol Hill. House Republicans employed a similar approach permanently extending some of the provisions in 2014, winning the votes of some Democrats while many others objected that the proposals would heap billions on to the deficit. The collection of tax breaks have a broad range of defenders on K Street and the business community, which frequently call on Congress to pass an extenders package. The Senate's top Democrat, Harry Reid (Nev.), and former House Ways and Means Chairman Dave Camp (R-Mich.) almost struck a deal after November's election to bring back for good roughly 10 of the preferences including charitable breaks and the quicker write-offs for small business and revive others for two years. But that emerging deal fell apart, illustrating Democratic divisions in the process, and the tax breaks that had expired at the end of 2013 were only restored until the end of 2014 or, just weeks after the measure cleared Congress. Ryan, Senate Finance Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and GOP leaders in both chambers will have to craft a plan on the tax breaks as they continue to chart a path for tax reform, and discuss President Obama's preference to revamp how U.S. businesses pay taxes. Lawmakers and lobbyists are skeptical that a tax reform deal will get struck in the coming months. But extending some of the temporary tax breaks for good would make the budget math easier for reform, because lawmakers would no longer have to find offsets elsewhere in the tax code to keep the incentives. That approach, though, would also make it harder for House Budget Chairman Tom Price (R-Ga.) and Senate Budget Chairman Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.), both of whom are also tax writers. The two chairmen would have to find more spending cuts elsewhere to bring their budgets to balance if they included incentives that the House has passed permanently. On the other hand, Ed Lorenzen of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget said the chairmen would face "criticisms about hypocrisy" and call into question "the credibility of the budget" if they don't incorporate legislation the House has already passed. | 5 | 5,539 | news |
Get Happy With This Invigorating Yoga Sequence While yoga is definitely known for calming the body and mind, certain poses are so vibrant and stimulating that they can have the opposite effect, offering you more energy than a cup of joe. The next time you're feeling blah, hop on your mat and complete this 12-pose total-body yoga sequence. I recommend warming up with five Sun Salutations beforehand, and feel free to modify poses if they seem too difficult. Source: Louisa Larson Photography Fierce Stand with your feet together. Bend your knees and lower your hips as you raise your arms overhead, coming into Fierce Pose. Focus on sitting back into your heels. Tuck your tailbone in and engage your abs, keeping your spine straight. Relax the shoulders as you gaze up toward the ceiling. Hold for five breaths. Warrior 1 Release your left leg behind you, bend your right knee and lower your hips, coming into Warrior 1. Keep your right thigh parallel to the floor and raise your arms into the air. Hold for five breaths, gazing at your palms. Modified Rotated Side Angle Keep your legs in the same Warrior 1 position and lower your left hand to the floor a few inches to the left of your right foot. Rotate your torso to the left and gaze at your lifted right hand. Stack your shoulders, one on top of the other. Keep your back heel grounded or lift it up, holding this modification of Rotated Side Angle for five deep breaths. Star Plant your left heel and lift your right leg into the air, balancing on your left palm and foot, holding Star Pose. Actively point through the ball of your right foot to help you stay balanced. If this is too difficult, bend your right knee and rest the sole of your foot on your left inner thigh. Enjoy this pose for five breaths. Extended Tabletop Slowly lower your right leg to the floor behind you, bending both knees, so your belly is pointing up toward the ceiling. Readjust your feet if you need to so they are parallel and slightly wider than hips-width distance apart. Press firmly into your feet to lift your hips high, engaging your glutes and hamstrings, and extend your arm over your face. Hold Extended Tabletop for five complete breaths, gazing at your extended hand or up toward the ceiling. Three-Legged Dog Turn your torso to the left 180 degrees, planting your right hand back into Down Dog position. Straighten your right leg into the air, coming into Three-Legged Dog. Try to keep both shoulders parallel with the floor, holding for five deep breaths. Knee-Up Plank Bend your right knee and swing it forward, squeezing it close to your chest while simultaneously coming into plank position with your shoulders above your wrists. Hold here for five breaths. Then begin doing a variation of mountain climbers for about 30 seconds without letting your toes touch the floor. This should warm up your muscles and get your heart rate up. Crow Hop both feet forward behind your hands. Come into a squat, placing your hands shoulder-width distance apart on the mat, feet together. Spread your fingers as wide as you can, creating a strong, stable base. Straighten your legs slightly, placing your knees as high up onto your triceps as possible. Slowly shift your weight into your palms and lift your feet off the floor. Stay here in Crow Pose for five breaths, gazing at the floor in front of you. Happy Baby Slowly roll onto your back. Bend both knees and hold on to the outside edges of your feet, stretching your lower back in Happy Baby. Gently use your upper body strength to equally press both knees toward the floor below your armpits. Try not to tense your shoulders or chest, but keep everything relaxed. Enjoy this stretch for five breaths. Wheel Bend your knees and plant your feet flat on the ground (heels as close as possible to your bum). Bend your elbows and place your palms flat on the ground above your shoulders, fingertips facing your feet. Inhale, press into your palms, and lift your head, shoulders, and hips off the mat, straightening your arms and legs. Try to walk your hands and feet a little closer together. Stay in Wheel Pose for five deep breaths and then slowly lower your body down. Repeat two more times. Hug your knees into your chest to release your lower back. Tipover Tuck While hugging your knees to your chest, rock up and down the spine from head to tailbone, gaining momentum and rocking all the way forward onto your feet in a low squat. Straighten your legs, folding forward, and interlace your hands behind you, holding Tipover Tuck for five deep breaths. Then release your hands, bend your knees, and rise up into Fierce Pose, repeating this sequence on the left side. | 7 | 5,540 | health |
The Kentucky Wildcats are more than halfway home. They are not perfect, at least not yet, but their record is perfectly spotless. They have played and won 21 games following Saturday's home dismissal of Alabama, which put them just over the crest of the hill. It will not feel like that, of course. They will not simply be able to take their foot from the brake and glide home with the wind rushing past. It will only get more difficult to finish as the first unbeaten NCAA champion in 39 years. MORE: Duke hands Virginia first loss | Louisville stuns UNC | Pitt upsets Notre Dame | PHOTOS: Season of Supremacy Is it reckless to think about this possibility now that Virginia's first loss of the season to Duke has left UK as this season's only undefeated team? For the Wildcats it certainly is. They have 10 regular season games to go, then a potential three SEC Tournament games and, ideally, six in the 2015 NCAA Tournament. But not only does an undefeated season seem not to concern them, it's possible it's not even a goal. "Being undefeated really means nothing," sophomore forward Marcus Lee said after learning that UK stands alone in that category among Division I teams. After it began to feel as if we'd never see anyone come close to matching what Indiana did in 1976, we're getting somewhat used to these runs at perfection. But this one has a much different feel. When Saint Joseph's brilliant 2004 team led by Jameer Nelson completed a 27-0 regular season, there was a sense of curiosity about what the Hawks might be in for deep in the NCAAs. As it turned out, they lost in their conference tournament and then the Elite Eight. Illinois in 2005 no doubt was a national title contender, but that guard-dominated squad wasn't the imposing sort that caused opponents to quiver. The Illini made it to the final day of the regular season before losing, then didn't fall again until the title game against North Carolina. Wichita State was one of the nation's best teams last season, but the Shockers' membership in the Missouri Valley Conference led to even more doubt about their credentials than St. Joe's faced. They made it all the way into the NCAA Tournament's first weekend before falling in a stunning shootout with … well, with many of the same Kentucky Wildcats who now are dominating the current season. There isn't much doubt about Kentucky's cred. There is only the doubt Kentucky creates with its periodic indifference or inefficiency. "The question is: How good can we be? And I don't know yet," coach John Calipari said. "I'm trying to get guys to go to that next level. I'm prodding and pushing and screaming and yelling go! because I really do want to see how good we can be." The Wildcats have demonstrated the breadth of their potential only occasionally, primarily when facing the most significant challenges: Kansas in the Champions Classic, North Carolina at home, UCLA when Calipari pleaded with them not to look past the Bruins toward the holiday break. And though UK was not fluid in its short road trip to Louisville, neither was it truly challenged by the Cardinals. In so many other games, such as Wednesday's road trip to Missouri, Kentucky does just enough. But it always does enough. It isn't dangerous for the Cats to play it this way, because it's impossible to imagine them looking past any NCAA Tournament game, but that's not the only factor here. "You're not going to be great every night out," Calipari said. "If you play 30 games in a season, 31, four or five of them are going to be really high-level. Four or five of them are going to be so bad you just hope the other team stinks, too. And the rest of them are all going to be in a range … that's the season. "So when you say about undefeated … We're playing every game to win, but if you do I told them last night, 'We lose today we're 20-1. So?' I said, 'You lose in March, your season's over.' " The Kentucky players are keenly aware of this. Asked if the Wildcats need a loss to push them to focus on improvement, sophomore guard Aaron Harrison told Kyle Tucker of the Courier-Journal in Louisville, "I don't think we need a loss, but it wouldn't be the end of the world." At some point, though, Calipari's point about this team reaching for its potential will need to be recognized or the Cats eventually will find themselves well within the reach of such teams as Wisconsin, Arizona, Gonzaga, Virginia and quite possibly Duke. They might not see any of them until the Final Four, which is more than two months away. That's a lot of time for UK to improve. But for the others, as well. Calipari coached a Massachusetts team in 1996 that went deep into February without a loss. His 2008 team at Memphis did, as well. "Both of those teams took a loss and by the end of the year were the best version of themselves," he said. "Whether that happens to this team or not, one way or another I would rather them win them all, but if they don't … just as long as we're getting better." That may or may not be a prerequisite to stand as the best of the 2014-15 college basketball season. But why take the chance? | 1 | 5,541 | sports |
It's always cool learning how stuff works . Case in point: cameras. More specifically, digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) pictograph boxes. The chaps over at YouTube channel The Slow Mo Guys have taken their trademark ultra-high-speed camerawork and, well, pointed it at a camera. The result? Seeing what a shutter looks like moving at 1/8000 of a second compared to 1/1000 of a second. Host Gavin Free achieves this, like the rest of the team's pretty rad videos, by shooting at 10,000 frames per-second with a Phantom Flex and then slowing it down for playback. The video below isn't the channel's most impressive clip, but it's perhaps the one with the most useful knowledge. After all, how often will you watch the result of chugging a gallon of milk as opposed to seeing just what happens when you snap a picture? Exactly. The Slow Mo Guys (YouTube) | 5 | 5,542 | news |
The Libertines are trying to make ''surprisingly upbeat'' music. The band - featuring Carl Barat, Pete Doherty, John Hassall and Gary Powell - have started working on new material which will be their first since their second eponymous album in 2004, with Carl admitting although they are hoping to create a positive sound. He explained: ''The Libertines have always been about anthems to doomed youth. ''I'm not entirely sure how happy the new songs will be lyrically, but the message is strong in the new songs. It's doomed youth overcoming hardships with optimism.'' However, the 36-year-old co-frontman confessed he is always unsure about the band's plans because they tend to go wrong, with the band's fate partly depending on whether Pete is able to stay off drugs following his month-long stint at a rehabilitation facility in Thailand. He said: ''You can't make plans with The Libertines, because they usually go wrong. ''I'm seeing Pete in Thailand again soon, but everything in the band has to be taken step-by-step. The new album has to be the right record, and we don't want to rush it.'' The 'Can't Stand Me Now' rocker is also feeling slightly stressed about the thought of a third album because they have signed a deal with record label Virgin EMI which he is scared they might not deliver on. Speaking about the record deal, he told February's issue of Loaded magazine: ''I'm not thinking about all that pressure. ''That's bonus depression, and I don't need that. It's there in the background and I get the occasional moment of terror, but I try to play it down.'' The 250th celebratory issue of Loaded - which features Kasabian on the cover - is available to buy in both print and digital formats now. This article was from BANG Music and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network. | 6 | 5,543 | entertainment |
CHICAGO A slow-moving winter storm blanketed a large swath of the Plains and Midwest in snow Sunday, forcing the cancellation of roughly 2,000 flights, making roads treacherous and forcing some people to rethink their plans to attend Super Bowl parties. Blizzard conditions developed in Chicago where more than a foot was expected by evening and other Midwest locales as the system slowly crept eastward into Pennsylvania and western New York state. Parts of New England still digging out from a storm early last week were readying for yet another round of snow to arrive Sunday and last through Monday. Here's the outlook: ___ THE STORM The snowstorm was expected to be the most far-reaching of the season to date, stretching from Nebraska to Maine, according to the National Weather Service. Forecasters also said the storm was moving unusually slowly, meaning accumulations of between 10 to 16 inches of snow are possible for parts of northern Illinois, Indiana and northwest Ohio. Similar amounts of snow are expected for the Northeast later Sunday and throughout Monday. "It's not wise to travel, unless you have an emergency," said David Beachler a National Weather Service meteorologist in the Chicago area. Craig Owens, an English professor at Drake University, was one of the many Midwest residents who spent the morning shoveling their driveways. "I'm not going to make it the gym anyway, so I've got to get a workout somehow," said Owens, whose home in Des Moines, Iowa, got about 10 inches of snow. ___ TRAVEL AND OUTAGES More than 1,950 flights were canceled in the Midwest, the vast majority of which were flights in or out of Chicago's two airports. Chicago's Department of Aviation said about 1,300 departing flights were canceled from O'Hare International Airport and 300 at Midway International Airport. At Detroit Metropolitan Airport, more than 350 departing flights were canceled, and more delayed. About 20 flights were canceled from Omaha's Eppley Airfield. The winds gusts up to 45 mph were expected in the Chicago area made road travel tricky too. Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner cautioned against any travel and put state agencies on alert. The Illinois Department of Transportation dispatched 350 trucks to clear and salt Chicago-area roadways ahead of Monday's morning rush hour. In eastern Nebraska, several sections of Interstate 80 were closed Sunday due to accidents in the icy conditions. The weather led to power outages Sunday, including roughly 18,000 ComEd customers in Illinois, most of them in suburban Chicago. The weather cut power to nearly 8,000 northern Indiana homes and businesses. In Nebraska, a truck driver and a 62-year-old woman were killed in separate traffic accidents on snowy roads. ___ SUPER BOWL PARTY SPOILER? The most intense period of snow in the Midwest was expected to hit Sunday evening, right around game time, meaning the roads could be treacherous for those heading to Super Bowl parties. Potential wind gusts of up to 40 mph were expected, so drivers could face terrible visibility and snarling snow drifts. Several of the Chicago area's top tourist attractions closed early Sunday because of the weather, including the Shedd Aquarium, Adler Planetarium and Brookfield Zoo. Officials with Comcast in Chicago said they had extra technicians on call to help resolve outages ahead of the game. The city's pizzerias, though, were expecting heavy demand for deliveries during the game. And bars hosting Super Bowl parties said they wouldn't let the weather spoil their plans. Kathi Kreger, manager at Brendan's Pub, a Patriots' bar on the city's North Side, said locals would still trudge through the snow for the festivities. "We're used to this," she said. In the southeastern Wisconsin city of New Berlin, meanwhile, sports bar Matty's Bar & Grill was preparing for a strong turnout, despite the weather. "Here in Wisconsin, with the snow, we're pretty used to it," general manager Mark Lombardo said. "Lots of folks have the big four-wheel trucks. The snow doesn't really slow them down." ___ NOT AGAIN! Parts of New England still recovering from a blizzard early last week that buried the region in snow braced for Monday. The weather service said that many parts of New England could get between 8 and 14 inches of snow and that parts of western Massachusetts and Connecticut could get as much as 16 inches. Southern Vermont was expected to get its first flakes around 3 a.m. Monday, and snow should start falling in Concord, New Hampshire, and Portland, Maine, a few hours later. Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy ordered a delayed opening for state offices for Monday's winter storm. Boston schools were scheduled to be closed Monday. Philadelphia International Airport officials said they were gearing up to deal with the winter storm expected overnight, including pre-treating runways with chemicals. A winter storm warning was in effect for New York City starting at 7 p.m. Sunday and was expected to remain in effect until Monday evening. Mayor Bill de Blasio said residents should be ready for a snowy and icy commute. ___ Associated Press writers Scott McFetridge in Des Moines, Iowa; Jeff Baenen in Minneapolis; Josh Funk in Omaha, Nebraska; Verena Dobnik in New York; and David N. Goodman in Detroit contributed to this report. ___ Follow Sophia Tareen on Twitter at https://twitter.com/sophiatareen . | 5 | 5,544 | news |
Jordan has vowed to do all it can to secure the release of a pilot captured by Islamic State, after a video was released appearing to show the beheading of a Japanese hostage. Jordan echoed Japan in strongly condemning the murder of Kenji Goto. The pilot, Lt Moaz al-Kasasbeh, was captured when his plane came down in December on a mission to support the US-led, anti-IS military coalition. Jordan says it is willing to exchange an Iraqi prisoner for his safe return. Government spokesman Mohammed al-Momeni told the official Petra news agency the administration was doing "everything it can to save the life and secure the release of its pilot". He said: "All state organisations have been mobilised to secure the proof of life that we require so that he can be freed and returned to his home." Mr Momeni also said that Jordan had "spared no effort, in coordination with the Japanese government" to save the life of Mr Goto. Relatives of Lt Kasasbeh urged the government to do more for him and provide more information. Yassin Rawashda, an uncle of the pilot, said: "We want the government to tell us the truth." The latest video made no mention of Lt Kasasbeh. His father, Safi, told Associated Press: "This is my son. I'm always concerned about him and any development makes me more concerned." Lt Kasasbeh's F-16 crashed in IS-held territory in Syria in December. The US-led coalition has been targeting IS with air strikes since September. The first IS demand, last week, had been for $200m (£130m) in return for two Japanese hostages - Mr Goto and Haruna Yukawa. After a 72-hour deadline passed, IS said it had beheaded Mr Yukawa. IS then demanded the release of Sajida al-Rishawi, on death row in Jordan for her role in hotel bombings in Amman in 2005 that killed 60. It gave a deadline of sunset on Thursday for a deal under which Mr Goto would be freed in return for Rishawi. However, Jordan demanded that Lt Kasasbeh also be released and called for proof he was still alive. The video showing the apparent beheading of Mr Goto brought the renewed offer from Jordan on Sunday of an exchange for Rishawi. Mr Goto, 47, a respected journalist known for his work covering the suffering of civilians in war zones, went to Syria in October, reportedly to try to secure Mr Yukawa's release. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Sunday he "would not give in to terrorism" and that he would expand his support to countries fighting IS. The latest video, which has all the hallmarks of previous IS propaganda videos, has not been authenticated, but Japanese officials believe it is genuine. In the video, Mr Goto is seen kneeling in an orange jumpsuit. A militant speaking with an English accent who is believed to have appeared in previous videos and is known as "Jihadi John", addresses Mr Abe, accusing him of a "reckless decision to take part in an unwinnable war". Mr Abe called the killing a "heinous act", adding that Japan would work with the international community to bring those responsible for Mr Goto's apparent murder to justice. Mr Goto's mother Junko Ishido said she was speechless at his death, saying he had gone to Syria out of "kindness and courage". Analysis: Kevin Connolly, BBC News, Amman, Jordan Very little has been heard of Lt Kasasbeh since he fell into the hands of the militants - his family continue to hope and pray for his safety and want their government to do more and to share more of whatever information it may have with them. They cling to the hope that the killing of Kenji Goto doesn't necessarily have direct immediate implications for the safety of the young pilot. The danger for the Jordanian government is that Islamic State may see Lt Kasasbeh as a hostage of particularly high value because of his role in the air campaign and may demand a very high political price for his freedom - if they can prove that he is still alive. Japan wakes up to bad news Profile: Islamic State Profile: Lt Moaz al-Kasasbeh | 5 | 5,545 | news |
Sassuolo ended its dismal run of form against Inter on Sunday with a 3-1 victory over Roberto Mancini's side in Serie A, as both teams finished with 10 men. In the previous three meetings between the two clubs, Milan had won all three and scored 15 goals without reply, but that all changed at the Stadio Citta del Tricolore with a comfortable home win piling the pressure on Mancini. Simone Zaza broke the deadlock with a powerful effort from 18 yards, with Nicola Sansone - who, along with Isaac Donkor, was later sent off - extending the home side's advantage before halftime. Xherdan Shaqiri led Inter's charge after the break, but was denied a first goal for the club when a low shot struck the foot of Andrea Consigli's post. The introduction of top scorer Mauro Icardi gave Inter late hope with an 83rd-minute goal, but - following a red for Sansone - Donkor was given his marching orders in conceding a penalty that Domenico Berardi converted. Victory moves Sassuolo above its opponent in the league, Eusebio Di Francesco's side climbing into eighth, while Inter falls to 12th. Inter handed a first start to Shaqiri since his move from Bayern Munich, with Lukas Podolski also starting, while fellow new arrival Marcelo Brozovic was named among the substitutes. The visiting side started well and twice went close to scoring inside the opening five minutes as Donkor and Nemanja Vidic were both denied from close range the latter seeing his header well saved by Consigli. After soaking up the early Inter pressure, Sassuolo opened the scoring with 17 minutes on the clock as a swift counterattack finished with Zaza firing the club into the lead. The striker collected a pass on the edge of the penalty area and, having held off Vidic, fired a stunning strike into the top corner, giving Samir Handanovic no chance. Inter struggled to mount a meaningful response to the setback and was punished on the half hour as Sassuolo doubled the advantage. Having seen his corner cleared, Sansone was given the ball back and, after cutting in from the left, unleashed a ferocious drive off the crossbar and past Handanovic. Sassuolo felt it should have had two penalties before the break as Donkor twice clashed with Sansone, but both were waved away by referee Paolo Valeri. With the words of Mancini no doubt ringing in the players' ears Inter made a better start to the second half, with Shaqiri going closest to halving the deficit with a curling effort from 20 yards. The visiting side was posing much more of an attacking threat as the game passed the hour mark and Shaqiri would have had his first Inter goal had the woodwork not intervened. As space opened up 20 yards from goal, the Switzerland international fired a low effort past Consigli, but the shot rebounded off the post to safety. Sassuolo was limited to counterattacks in the second half, but failed to threaten Handanovic's goal, while Dodo brought a good save out of Consigli. The Brazilian rose unmarked at the back post to meet Brozovic's cross, but the Sassuolo goalkeeper made a superb reflex save. However, Inter was given a way back into the match with seven minutes to play as Icardi latched on to a under-hit back pass to pull a goal back. Sansone's late dismissal for a challenge on Shaqiri slightly soured Sassuolo's day, but the club restored the two-goal advantage in stoppage time. Donkor received a second booking for a foul inside the area on Zaza, and Berardi ensured Sassuolo's third home win of the season from 12 yards. | 1 | 5,546 | sports |
Taryn Southern, star of Glamour's The Single Life, joins Katlyn Carlson in Venice Beach to ask guys about their online dating habits (including those little white lies). Find out what LA men have to say about profile pics and the perfect first date. | 4 | 5,547 | lifestyle |
World number one Rory McIlroy matched the lowest winning score in the history of the Dubai Desert Classic, winning the tournament for the second time in his career Sunday with a final-round two-under par 70. At the Majlis course of Emirates Golf Club, McIlroy's 70 was his worst round in the four days, but that was enough to win the Northern Irishman his 10th European Tour title, and a 16th tournament worldwide. It was his fourth win in his last seven starts on the European Tour. The other three finishes have been second place. McIlroy tallied 22-under par 266, matching the four-day efforts of Thomas Bjorn in beating Tiger Woods in 2001 and Stephen Gallacher in 2013. Starting the day four shots ahead, McIlroy finally won by three shots over Sweden's Alexander Noren (65), who is playing on a medical exemption after missing most of the 2014 season. The victory is expected to take McIlroy to 11.66 points on top of the world rankings, and would extend his lead over second-placed Henrik Stenson by almost four average points. Gallacher made a good defence of his title, eventually finishing third at 16-under par, while there was a five-way tie for fourth place at 273, including world number 12 Martin Kaymer of Germany and France's Gary Stal, the man who took full advantage of Kaymer's final round collapse in Abu Dhabi two weeks earlier. | 1 | 5,548 | sports |
Celtic cruised to a comfortable 2-0 win over Rangers as one of the world's most ferocious rivalries returned with a predictable result. Leigh Griffiths and Kris Commons' first-half strikes proved enough for Celtic to get the win over their great rivals, with Rangers offering plenty of energy but a complete lack of composure and quality. As Celtic were overwhelming favourites before the game, this was not an impressive performance from either side, with the only moment of real quality coming from Commons -- a man who looks set for the exit door at Celtic Park. Despite that, the atmosphere was typically raucous. Any suggestion that the uniquely lopsided nature of this Old Firm game would soon prove false as both sides defiantly ran through their unedited repertoire as soon as the stadium was half-full. So far, it looked like an Old Firm game. And at first, it did on the pitch too -- Rangers were not too badly outmatched in general play and indeed were getting forward more. On 13 minutes, however, Celtic took the lead against the run of play, with Leigh Griffith escaping Lee McCulloch and heading back across goal, squeezing the ball past a lacklustre Steve Simonsen. There was talk that the police had talked to both sets of players before the game asking them to keep celebrations sensible, so Griffiths will have endeared himself even less to the Scottish constabulary after immediately making a beeline for the Rangers end, causing an already hostile atmosphere to go into overdrive. Rangers reacted to the goal well (uncharacteristically), with their energetic pressing causing Celtic problems, but the old problem of being unable to find a killer ball severely dogged them, with Lewis MacLeod's absence continuing to devastate an already severely-limited side. Yet Rangers continued to press -- surprisingly, it was Celtic who were putting in most of the reducers, with Kenny McDowall probably not too pleased that his pre-match plea to keep yellow cards at a minimum was duly obliged. Yet Celtic looked far more dangerous when they did venture forward, and another error, Fraser Aird doing well to track back and win the ball before playing a suicidal pass, resulting in Commons lashing in a trademark long-range effort with Simonsen a spectator. Rangers had been equal to Celtic in general play up until then, but they were by now wide open and a humiliation looked a distinct possibility. Suddenly all cohesion was gone, A poor call from the referee saved a near-certain third when Griffiths was put clean through on goal but the move was pulled back for a foul. With Miller giving the sort of ineffective, isolated Hampden performance that seemed to define his Scotland career, McDowall decided to bring on some more firepower in the second half, replacing Aird with Jon Daly. The second half saw Rangers struggle, and the atmosphere soon turned darker as both teams exchanged frustrated, niggly fouls and the tempo of the game was lost, with the referee proving lenient to an absurd degree. Rangers seized a second wind on the hour mark though, with Daly's introduction allowing a more direct approach which saw them at least get the ball in the box, but despite Daly generally having the better of his markers in the air, it failed to produce a clear chance. When they did come, Celtic proved efficient at getting the ball away from the edge of the area and denying Nicky Law his usual space. The game will have been a disappointment to Rangers -- they were not outplayed to anywhere near the extent imagined before the game, but there were some shocking lapses in concentration and composure on show from even their most experienced players - they will have to look at this as a real missed opportunity to beat Celtic when all odds were against them. This time, though, they will hope the opportunity doesn't come again, as eyes turn to the chaos off the pitch at the club instead. For Ronny Deila, the outcome of such an emotional tie will leave only one left -- relief. | 1 | 5,549 | sports |
Sen. John McCain says he doesn't regret calling protestors "lowlife scum" at a hearing and they are "terrible people" for threatening a 91-year old man. | 5 | 5,550 | news |
LONDON (AP) -- Mesut Ozil scored a goal and created another in Arsenal's emphatic 5-0 victory over Aston Villa on Sunday as the London club earned its biggest Premier League win this season. Olivier Giroud put the home side ahead in the eighth minute after a sublime backheel pass from Ozil sent the striker through on goal. Ozil doubled Arsenal's lead in the 56th, slotting the ball into the low right corner in the midfielder's first league start since returning from injury. Theo Walcott added a third and his first league goal of the season after exchanging passes with Santi Cazorla before firing inside the far post. Cazorla converted a penalty after substitute Chuba Akpom was fouled by Villa goalkeeper Brad Guzan. Hector Bellerin scored a fifth in added time. | 1 | 5,551 | sports |
The people who have spent decades arranging flights between the United States and Cuba compare the history of their industry to a roller coaster. The half-dozen or so charter companies are subject to the politics of two countries, plus opposition that is at times explosive literally. Since President Obama announced the return of diplomatic relations with Cuba in December, and the easing of travel and trade restrictions in January, business at the charter companies has been on its way up. But those cashing in on the detente fear that once commercial airlines start regular service, charter profits will go into free fall. The charter company names are well known in Cuban-American circles Gulfstream, Marazul, ABC, Xael, Wilson, Cuba Travel Services and others. Most are based in Florida and fly from Miami or Tampa, though some hold headquarters in New Jersey and California. Multiple companies claim to have been the first in operation, and many of the founders have had hands in politics for decades. Air service agreements between the two countries date to 1953 . Before last month's changes, the U.S. limited air travel to Cuba to companies holding special licenses and operating non-regularly scheduled flight service. Starting in the late 1970s, when President Carter began easing travel restrictions, Cuban-Americans, exiles and other people established licensed companies to coordinate travel and charter flights. Over the years, as various administrations made it easier for Americans to visit Cuba under certain circumstances, those travel companies grew their operations to include arranging tours, booking hotels and leasing aircraft and crews from major airlines. In the early 2000s, however, after President Bush put new restrictions in place, the charter companies scrambled to fill airplane seats. "He hit us really hard," Tessie Aral of ABC Charters says about Bush. "We had to lay off half our staff." Michael Zuccato of Cuba Travel Services says the company downsized to smaller aircraft at the time, and John H. Cabanas of C&T Charters, which stopped flying in 2012, says those restrictions made him go bankrupt. Business began to improve in 2009, when President Obama eased restrictions on Cuban-Americans visiting family, and again two years later, when the president restored "people-to-people" travel categories. Officials such as Josefina Vidal, director of U.S. affairs at the Cuban foreign ministry, having been working towards a long-awaited detente between the two countries. Stringer/REUTERS Last month, the U.S. announced that while regular tourism to Cuba remains banned and travelers must fit into one of 12 categories, the government would no longer require case-by-case approval for travelers. Further, Americans visiting Cuba can now use credit cards there and spend larger amounts of money. In the two weeks since that announcement, people have flooded charter companies with requests. "We have just been inundated," says Bob Guild, vice president of Marazul, which has been around for three and a half decades and flies mostly between Miami and several Cuban cities. "I have gotten more than 1,500 requests for group travel in two weeks. That's just way above the norm for us." In fact, Guild says he's discouraging people from packing their bags just yet. "We're telling everyone who is now licensed to travel to Cuba to postpone their travel until at least April or maybe even May," he says, "because Cuba is already filled, as far as their hotels go." Zuccato, who runs Cuba Travel Services with his wife Lisa, says he participated in a travel show last week and, "I'm just now getting my voice back." He estimates that business has increased more than 100 percent since the 2011 changes. Responding to the rise in demand, Cuba Travel Services will begin flying weekly from New York City to Havana in March. It also flies from Miami and Tampa. Still, major airports are waiting to see the excitement translate into hard numbers. A spokesman for Miami International Airport says its number of chartered flights to Cuba scheduled for February is actually less than the number for last year. "For now we're just waiting as everybody else is," he says. A spokeswoman for Tampa International Airport wrote by email that it is still reviewing the January numbers, but that "charter operators have indicated that they are likely to add flights in coming weeks." The spokeswoman also wrote that traffic on the website GoToCuba.org has jumped since the government's announcements. Before those, she wrote, the site received some 50 visitors per day; now the daily average is more than 800. The Department of Transportation issued a notice on January 15 explaining its plans to renegotiate the 62-year-old air travel agreement currently in place. "The U.S. Government will engage with the Government of Cuba to assess our aviation relations and establish a bilateral basis for further expansion of air services," the notice states, adding: "Nothing in this Notice is intended to interfere with U.S.-Cuba charter services." But introducing regular flights could spell trouble for the mom-and-pop charters. Several major airlines have expressed interest in recent days, including American Airlines, Delta, United, JetBlue and Southwest. Many, if not all, of those carriers have flown to Cuba through the charter companies. Travel websites are also jumping on board. Kayak, a travel search engine, added Cuba hotels and flight information to its search results last week. "There was quite a bit of interest," Chief Marketing Officer Robert Birge told Newsweek before announcing that addition. Booking websites, however, must wait for the government negotiations to be concluded. A spokeswoman for the Priceline Group, which oversees Booking.com, Priceline.com and Kayak, says they're eager to facilitate travel to Cuba as soon as they can. A spokesman for Orbitz, a competitor, says the same. "We are in contact with our suppliers, airlines, hotels, cruise lines and others that are looking at getting into the Cuba market," says Chris Chiames, vice president of corporate affairs at Orbitz. "We anticipate being able to sell travel for Americans getting to Cuba by the end of this year. "It's been a place so close, but so far," Chiames adds. Once the U.S. and Cuba revise a decades-old air service agreement, regular commercial air travel can begin. Here, a woman arriving to Havana from Miami. Enrique De La Osa/REUTERS When major U.S. providers make it easier to book flights and hotels, what will become of the charter companies? "The most logical scenario," says Lillian Manzor, a University of Miami associate professor and expert on U.S.-to-Cuba travel policies, is that the influx of options will drive down ticket prices and the charters will struggle. However, Manzor says, cultural reasons may keep the major airlines from succeeding in that market. "Conducting business with Cuba is not simple. These [charter] travel agencies have a long experience and tradition of working with Cuba," she says. "They have an experiential know-how that they've already had to deal with for 20-odd years that the [major] American companies don't have." Zuccato also says major carriers may have trouble dealing with the nuances involved with Cuba travel. "These charter flights into Cuba have operated so efficiently over the past 20 years," he says. "They're able to take kind of a complicated process and make it really simple and easy for people…. We have the system down." Other charter executives, Aral of ABC and Guild of Marazul, concede that if necessary, they will focus on other aspects of their businesses, such as running programs and tours. History shows that the competition could get messy. Companies have gone after one another in court; most recently, last October, Island Travel and Tours filed suit against Cuba Travel Services for setting ticket prices too low and therefore violating antitrust laws. That case is ongoing and attorneys for Cuba Travel Services have called the claim "meritless." Politics have caused problems as well. It is suspected that Cuban exile extremists were responsible for bombing the Marazul offices twice in 1988 and once in 1996 , almost gutting the store and forcing the company to install bulletproof glass. Francisco Aruca, the founder of Marazul "the first American company to run charter flights to Cuba" died in 2013. When he was a young man in Cuba, according to biographies, authorities arrested him for counter-revolutionary activities and sentenced him to 30 years behind bars. He apparently escaped and fled the country, eventually settling in Miami. There, he became a popular radio show host. The name of another high-profile former charter company owner, John H. Cabanas of the now-closed C&T Charters, elicits colorful off-the-record responses from some, and praise as a "pioneer" from others. Cabanas, 72, says his ancestors came to Florida from Cuba in the 1850s. He says he's dined with Fidel Castro, and he calls Raul Castro, whom Cabanas says once lent him 20 pesos for a haircut, "a terrific guy." Cabanas grew up in a political family, and after an arson attack on their home around the time he was 19, they fled to Cuba. Cabanas returned to the U.S. in 1988. These days, he doesn't shy from talking about his political beliefs, and he has contributed more than $100,000 to both Democrats and Republicans over the past decade. Thanks to the renewed relations with Cuba, he says, now is a good time to be in the charter business. "It's a very romantic industry," Cabanas says, "and I think it's going to grow into an indefinite size." | 2 | 5,552 | travel |
Mauro Icardi was involved in an angry exchange with Inter fans after Sunday's 3-1 Serie A loss at Sassuolo. The Argentine was introduced as a second-half substitute at the Citta del Tricolore with the Nerazzurri trailing by two goals and dragged his side back into the game with his 83rd-minute strike. However, Domenico Berardi netted a penalty in the dying seconds to consign Inter to a second successive Serie A loss. Inter's players, including Icardi, went to thank the fans for their support after the full-time whistle, and threw their jerseys into the crowd in a show of appreciation. However, a number of shirts were thrown straight back at Roberto Mancini's men and Icardi was particularly incensed by the return of his, with the Argentine having to be held back by club captain Andrea Ranocchia as he ranted at the Nerazzurri faithful. Mancini, though, played down the seriousness of the incident after the game, while at the same time urging the fans to get behind their team. "The players want to win and see they have been unlucky, so naturally that affects their confidence," the 50-year-old coach told Sky Sport Italia. "It can also explain the tension at the end. I am very sorry for the boys and for the fans. "Every now and then you can create misunderstandings but I hope everything will be resolved soon because we need our supporters." | 1 | 5,553 | sports |
In 2013, Warren Buffet made an average of $37 million per day. To put that in perspective for you: Jennifer Lawrence made an estimated $34 million in all of 2013. Buffett currently has the number three spot on Forbes' World Billionaires List , with a net worth of $73 billion. Since "billions" can be hard to grasp, think about this: If Carlos Slim, honorary chairman of America Movil and number two on the billionaires list, combined his wealth with Buffett's, they could level out the hit Russia's economy took this past fall . If your mind isn't blown yet, try this tool from penny stock trading site Penny Stocks Lab . The site's fun calculator shows how long it takes Warren Buffet to earn your annual salary based on his earnings in 2013. We decided to try it out for someone earning $100,000 per year. Here's what it looked like: First, you enter your salary. If you want to get technical about it, you can enter your take-home, after-tax pay. We used an even $100,000 to keep things simple. The calculator then tells you how many minutes or seconds or hours if your salary is really high it took for Buffett to earn a whole year's worth of your income. As you can see, it takes him 3.9 minutes to earn $100,000. We also ran the numbers to see how long it would take Buffett to earn $75,000 (2.9 minutes), $150,000 (5.8 minutes), and $500,000 (19.5 minutes). In an hour, he earns $1.6 million. If your ego isn't crushed enough already, the site provides some additional stats about Buffett's earnings, including the fact that in the time you've spent using this calculator, Buffett has earned hundreds of thousands of dollars. It ends with a ridiculous list of items Buffett could have afforded to buy with the $13.5 billion he made in 2013. Oh, and that the money you spend on a pint of beer is equal to him dropping a cool $700,000. | 3 | 5,554 | finance |
Rajon Rondo left the court early in the Dallas Mavericks ' 108-93 win over the Orlando Magic Saturday after being kneed in the face by teammate Richard Jefferson . He will miss at least the next three games and is out indefinitely after he suffered an orbital fracture in his eye and a broken nose, according to the team. Less than two minutes into the game, Rondo fell to the court just as Richard Jefferson jolted forward. His knee collided with Rondo's face. Rondo stayed down and blood appeared to come from his nose. He did not return to action. The Mavericks announced during the first half he had sustained a head injury and would undergo further medical observation. The Mavericks are still finding their way with Rondo in the lineup. Dallas acquired the point guard from the Boston Celtics in a December trade. Rondo has averaged 9.7 points, 6.9 assists and 5.3 rebounds since arriving in Dallas. He is averaging 8.7 points, 8.7 assists and 6.3 rebounds this season. The Mavericks have gone 13-9 since Rondo joined the team. They are 32-17 overall, good enough for sixth place in the Western Conference. Monta Ellis picked up the slack in Rondo's absence, scoring 25 points and dishing out 13 assists in the win over the Magic. Devin Harris gave the Mavericks valuable minutes off the bench with 12 points and 5 assists in 30 minutes. Harris will be expected to handle more of a workload as Rondo recovers. | 1 | 5,555 | sports |
Between narrowing down the guest list, getting your house in party-ready shape, buying enough booze, and getting a killer playlist set up, planning a party takes a lot of work. Add to that a major grocery store schlep, and it's hard not to stress out; instead, keep things simple with one (or more) of these appetizers that clock in at five ingredients or fewer. Grilled Caprese Bruschetta Amp up the flavor of classic tomato bruschetta by grilling the bread and cherry tomatoes and adding creamy burrata to the mix. Number of ingredients (excluding salt and pepper): five; baguette, cherry tomatoes, burrata, basil, and extra-virgin olive oil Cheesy Phyllo Crackers Crackers might not seem like a simple recipe to tackle, but made with phyllo, they're both fast to prepare and fabulously flaky. Number of ingredients (excluding salt and pepper): four; phyllo dough, cheddar, paprika, and butter Caprese Skewers Partygoers won't be able to get enough of these eye-catching (and palate-pleasing) caprese skewers.Number of ingredients (excluding salt): four; cherry tomatoes, bocconcini, basil, and extra-virgin olive oil Prosciutto-Wrapped Figs The secret to prosciutto-wrapped figs' short ingredient list: each carefully selected component packs major flavor.Number of ingredients: five; figs, blue cheese, prosciutto, balsamic vinegar, and basil Bacon-Wrapped Buffalo Shrimp Give buffalo wings a briny twist by swapping shrimp for chicken.Number of ingredients: five; shrimp, bacon, Frank's RedHot, blue cheese or ranch dressing, and scallions Honey Mustard Deviled Eggs Go retro with spicy honey mustard deviled eggs.Number of ingredients (excluding salt): four; eggs, mayonnaise, honey mustard, and cayenne Individual Hummus and Crudités Shots Elevate hummus and veggies from after-work snack to party ready by presenting an assortment of crudités and hummus in small glasses.Number of ingredients: variable; hummus and an assortment of crudités (such as carrots, radishes, cucumbers, and bell peppers) Gravlax and Crème Fraiche Crisps You'll barely lift a finger prepping these no-cook gravlax and crème fraiche crisps.Number of ingredients: five; gravlax, nutty crackers (like Leslie Stowe Raincoast Crisps), crème fraiche, capers, and dill Kale and Buratta Bruschetta Go green with bruschetta topped with garlicky kale and creamy burrata. Number of ingredients (excluding salt and pepper): five; baguette, kale, garlic, extra-virgin olive oil, and burrata Prosciutto-Wrapped Feta-Stuffed Dates Briny feta, sweet dates, and lush prosciutto are a triumphant trio.Number of ingredients: three; feta, dried dates, and prosciutto Halibut Crudo With Lemon Oil There's not much to making this restaurant-worthy app besides sourcing high-quality, sushi-grade fish.Number of ingredients (excluding salt and pepper): four; halibut, lemons, extra-virgin olive oil, and chives Hummus and Sun-Dried Tomato Toasts For a vegan-friendly option, offer up toasts slathered with hummus and topped with sun-dried tomatoes and pea shoots.Number of ingredients (excluding salt): five; baguette, hummus, sun-dried tomatoes, pea shoots, and extra-virgin olive oil Roasted Figs With Goat Cheese Balance figs' sweetness with tangy goat cheese and a sweet-tart balsamic, butter, and honey drizzle.Number of ingredients (excluding salt): five; figs, goat cheese, butter, balsamic, and honey Greek Salad Bites Greek salad is party ready when threaded onto a skewer.Number of ingredients (excluding salt and pepper): five; cucumber, feta, olives, cherry tomatoes, and extra-virgin olive oil Bacon-Wrapped Dates It's hard to believe that these addictive, salty-smoky-sweet nibbles clock in at a mere two ingredients. Number of ingredients (excluding salt and pepper): two; bacon and dried dates Chicks in a Blanket Chicks in a blanket tick a lot of boxes: Cheeky name? Check! Bold flavor? Check! Retro throwback? Check! Fast and easy? Check! Number of ingredients: three; chicken apple sausages, crescent roll dough, and yellow mustard | 0 | 5,556 | foodanddrink |
Losing weight is a journey made up of a million healthy choices we make each day. So keep these 100 tips in mind to continue on that healthy path, little by little. Fitness Mix up your routine to avoid weight-loss plateaus. Muscle mass burns more calories, so include three 20-minute strength-training sessions each week. Go for kettlebell workouts - the average person burns 400 calories in 20 minutes . Add sprinting intervals to your workout to target belly fat. Add an extra five minutes to your cardio routine. Choose faster-paced styles of yoga such as Ashtanga or Vinyasa to burn more calories while also getting a good stretch. Don't just stand there! Do squats while brushing your teeth, calf raises while standing in line, or lunges while chatting on the phone.When nature calls, use a bathroom on a different floor to make you use the stairs. Keep weights in the living room so you can do some reps while watching TV. Do one of these 10-minute videos right now. At Home Follow the 80/20 rule , which means eating clean 80 percent of the time and indulging a little 20 percent of the time. Take time once a week to plan out and shop for meals and snacks so you're prepared whenever hunger strikes. Keep a food journal and email it every night to a friend or family member. The accountability will keep you honest. Put a big chalkboard up in the kitchen to jot down your weekly meal plan or one of these inspirational sayings . Once a week, snap a photo of yourself so you can see proof of your body changing. Weight-loss jars are also a great visual reminder of reaching your goal. When boredom, depression, or stress causes cravings, find a nonfood way to satisfy them such as going for a walk, calling a friend, taking a bath, reading a book, or doing some yoga. Make sure you get at least seven hours of sleep each night. Being tired makes for skipped workouts and extra snacking.Baggy clothes hide your body and encourage lounging around. So even when you're relaxing at home, wear fitted clothes to keep you on track. Keep cut-up fruits and veggies in the fridge to grab for snacks or easy meals. Don't keep junk food in your kitchen. If it's not there, you can't be tempted by it. Breakfast Aim for a 300- to 400-calorie meal.Add fiber-rich greens, avocado, and berries to your smoothie to satiate hunger for hours. You already know never to skip breakfast, but it's also important to eat within an hour of waking to boost your metabolism. Include at least 10 to 15 grams of protein, which suppresses ghrelin, a hormone that stimulates your appetite. Include eggs, which are proven to control hunger . Also include 10 grams of fiber to satiate hunger longer and prevent bloating from constipation. Going low carb is proven to encourage weight loss . Limit the carbs (especially refined carbs like muffins and bagels) and include a little fat. Measure out that bowl of cereal or oatmeal, including the fruit, nuts, maple syrup, milk, and yogurt you add to it. Have a set of measuring cups and spoons on hand instead of eyeballing. Bake a healthy breakfast ahead of time to ensure you don't grab a sugary scone on the run. Make pancakes even healthier by adding mashed baked sweet potato , some pureed spinach and blueberries , or cooked quinoa .Eat a grapefruit instead of drinking juice; the fiber will help you feel full longer, and grapefruit is proven to help with weight loss . Lunch Keep this meal between 400 and 600 calories.Buy fun containers, and pack lunch and snacks from home. Label each with time and calorie amounts to avoid eating everything all at once.Double dinner recipes so you can have the leftovers for lunch. Pack five salads on Sunday night so your healthy meal is already made. Add cooked whole grains to a salad to increase the fiber and protein and make the meal feel more satisfying. In the mood for a hot meal? Make a huge pot of veggie bean soup, divide into two-cup containers, and store in the freezer. Before bed, place a container in the fridge, then grab it before heading out the door in the morning. For sandwich-lovers, use spinach or swiss chard leaves instead of a wrap, skip the slice of cheese, and load up on the veggies. Sip calorie-free water, seltzer, or green tea with your meal instead of soda, sweetened iced tea, or juice.Instead of cream cheese or butter on bread or bagels, spread almond or peanut butter. The healthy fats satiate hunger and can decrease belly fat. Dinner Keep this meal between 400 and 600 calories. Serve yourself a smaller portion, so if you like going back for seconds, you'll just end up eating a normal-size portion.Use salad-size plates instead of dinner-size ones.At the beginning of the week, prepare a big container of salad to keep in the fridge. If the salad is already made, you're more likely to get greens with your dinner. Chew gum while cooking to keep from snacking.Salt causes bloating and butter is high in calories, so flavor pasta, soups, meat, and stews with fresh herbs, garlic, and onions instead. Celebrate Meatless Mondays by making a meal starring beans (another weight-loss aid). You'll love this sweet potato and black bean burrito .Spray on salad dressing instead of pouring. Cut veggies into larger-size chunks. The more chewing you have to do, the slower you'll eat, allowing your brain to recognize the "I'm full" sensation. Freeze pureed veggies to add extra fiber to sauces and soups.Halfway through your meal, stop and drink some water and decide if you're really hungry for the rest or if you're just eating it because it's on your plate. Snack Time Keep snacks to 150 calories or fewer.Aim to consume at least five grams of fiber to really satiate your hunger. Go for protein instead of sugar to keep energy levels going strong instead of crashing. Edamame in pods is the perfect snack since it takes some time to eat and a one-cup serving offers 12 grams of protein. Always bring snacks on the road to avoid having to hit convenience stores, fast-food chains, or airport food courts. Keep snack centers in the fridge and cupboard to avoid grazing and eating out of containers. Make 150-calorie nonperishable snack packs to keep in your purse, gym bag, and office drawer. Nuts are a great option since they keep you fuller longer and boost your metabolism. Choose wet snacks such as melon, peppers, cherry tomatoes, or celery. Their water content will fill you up and prevent bloating. Nosh on these post-workout snacks to avoid undoing all your hard work.For salty-sweet cravings, bake a batch of these roasted honey-cinnamon chickpeas . Munch on an apple. It is full of fiber and works as a natural appetite suppressant . Dessert Eat a little something sweet every day to satiate your cravings and to avoid inhaling an entire pint of ice cream later. When baking, swap out the butter for one of these . Use fruit to add natural sweetness instead of white sugar. Try this muffin recipe .Add veggies to baked goods. You'll never even taste the zucchini in these brownies or the sweet potato in these cookies . If you're constantly craving high-sugar, high-fat foods, it may mean you need to eat more protein .Add protein powder to sweet recipes (like these Rice Krispies treats ) to boost the nutrition. Sip one of these protein smoothies that are sweet enough for dessert. When making cookies, bake half the batch and scoop the rest into ice-cube trays. When your sweet tooth kicks in, pop out one and bake it to satisfy your craving without breaking the calorie bank. Make healthier versions of the treats you crave. These no-bake brownies are sure to satisfy your chocolate cravings. Make your own low-fat ice cream using frozen bananas and peanut butter or luscious cherries and chocolate . Food Swaps Use veggies like carrots or zucchini in place of spaghetti. Spread hummus, mustard, or pureed roasted red pepper on sandwiches instead of mayonnaise. Nosh on baked carrot chips instead of greasy potato chips. Use silken tofu in place of cream for some recipes such as this dairy-free chocolate mousse . Skip ordering pizza and make one of these crusts at home: gluten-free sweet potato crust , a quinoa basil crust that's also gluten free, or this low-carb cauliflower crust .Pour almond milk in your cereal instead of skim milk.Choose a whole-wheat wrap instead of two slices of wheat bread. Use sliced strawberries on your PB&J instead of jam.Swap out your hamburger patty for a veggie burger. Go open-faced to cut calories and carbs. At Work Share weight-loss goals with co-workers so they invite you for a postwork Zumba class instead of happy hour. Keep a reusable water bottle on your desk to sip often. Staying hydrated can satiate hunger and cravings, reduce bloating, and keep you more alert. Use your lunch break to work out and then eat later while working. Eat in front of a person rather than a screen. It cuts down on mindless eating and makes you more accountable for each bite. Brush your teeth right after each meal and snack to avoid noshing on your co-worker's bowl of M&M's. Set up reminders on your computer or phone every hour to encourage yourself to get up, walk around, and stretch. Wear comfy shoes so you can take meetings for a walk instead of sitting at a desk. Walk to a co-worker's desk to chat instead of instant messaging. Sit on a yoga ball instead of a chair to work your core. Keep healthier dessert options on hand so you have something to enjoy during office birthdays and other celebrations. When Eating Out Check out menus online before heading out so you have a few healthy options in mind. Choose menu items that are grilled, baked, blackened, steamed, or broiled instead of fried or breaded.Eat a little something before heading out, like a handful of almonds, so you don't arrive at the restaurant famished. Always start your meal with a salad. It'll fill you up, making you eat less of the actual meal, and it's way fewer calories than typical deep-fried or cheesy apps. Ask for all dressings, condiments, and sauces on the side. Opt for the baked potato instead of french fries, and yes, eat the skin! Ask for your entrée to be served on a bed of greens rather than a bed of pasta or mashed potatoes. For wine-lovers, order one glass instead of splitting a bottle.Before your entrée arrives, ask the waitperson to bring you a to-go container so you can package half to save for later. You don't have to skip dessert. Order one and split it with your dinner partner. | 7 | 5,557 | health |
It's not all red hot lava and clouds of smoke... It's not all lava and smoke… Volcanoes are so much more than red-hot lava and clouds of smoke, and we reckon even the keenest volcanologists will be impressed by the following locations. Heimaey, Vestmannaeyjar islands, Iceland In 1973, Iceland's Eldfell volcano erupted with such force that the entire population of the Vestmannaeyjar islands had to be evacuated to the mainland. In 2014, some of the houses that were buried under the clouds of ash were exposed for the first time, thanks to a project that involved clearing mountains of ash and carefully removing individual items from the house. The properties were abandoned so quickly that personal possessions and furnishings remained exactly where they were. At the heart of the site, which opened in May 2014, is the museum, which is positioned directly above one of the houses. A glass walkway allows visitors to peer down into the excavated cottage, which has been carefully restored to its former glory, complete with original furnishings. Nisyros volcano, Nisyros Island, Greece Parts of the James Bond flick Moonraker were filmed in this spectacular crater. There are five craters in total, and a path leads directly down into the largest one, which slightly unusually has the name Stefanos. You'll need sturdy footwear as the surface is incredibly hot in certain places, but you'll be rewarded with close-up views of colourful fumaroles thermal vents or openings in the Earth's crust emitting hot sulphurous gasses along with the sound of hissing steam and the stench of their vapours. Despite this, it's all perfectly safe the last eruption took place in 1888. Yellowstone National Park, US Yellowstone National Park is in fact one giant, volcanic caldera, so it's hardly surprising that it's jam-packed with spectacular geological features. However, although the majority of visitors head straight for the more famous sites such as the Old Faithful geyser or the Grand Prismatic Spring (pictured, right), lesser-known ones are equally impressive. They include the Minerva terraces (pictured, left), a series of mineral deposits leftover from the calcium-rich hot water being pushed to the surface by volcanic activity. La Grande Soufrière, Guadeloupe, Caribbean Most people think of Mount Etna or Krakatoa when they think of volcanoes, forgetting that there are also some in the Caribbean. La Grande Soufrière on Guadeloupe is the highest peak in the Lesser Antilles, and the location of the region's first recorded eruption, which took place in around 1660. It's possible to hike to the top of the volcano, and although the hike is a tough one, it's worth the effort the lush green landscape is dotted with thermal vents and the views from the top are breathtaking. Phlegraean Fields, (Campi Flegrei), Italy Thousands of years ago, the people living near this volcanic site believed it was actually a gateway to hell, hence the name Phlegraean comes from the word for "burning" in ancient Greek. This steaming expanse of volcanic rock and debris, which is located just a short distance from Naples, is actually an eight-mile-wide volcano caldera filled with pools of bubbling mud, sulphurous steam holes and other volcanic features, all of which can be explored via a network of pathways. Although in the past some scientists have expressed fears that an enormous eruption is imminent, the smaller incidents are met with relief by the local people, who view them as pressure valves, helping to reduce the risk of a more dangerous build-up of pressure. Cappadocia, Turkey Cappadocia's hundreds of sharp, pointed peaks are actually mineral deposits that formed six million years ago during a series of volcanic eruptions. Not that the eruptions put people off living there instead, over the years the local population has carved monasteries, houses and churches into the soft volcanic rock. The area has proved popular with film producers and 1989 the sci-fi flick Slipstream was filmed here. Another movie, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance , was filmed here in 2011, and the star of the film, Nicolas Cage, admitted that he'd fallen in love with the area. Chain of Craters road, Hawaii Even the toughest off-road vehicle won't help you navigate this road, because large parts have been covered with lava spewed from the nearby volcano Kilauea. The road was totally cut off in 1969 and again in 1986. Officials finally admitted defeat in the early 1990s when lava from the Puʻu ʻOʻō vent buried a seven-mile section. You can follow paths to check out the numerous craters, steam plumes and sections of lava flow that can be found throughout the area, but the authorities urge this only be done with extreme caution. A much more accessible attraction is the viewpoint that overlooks Kilauea and is just a short drive from the paved road that encircles the caldera. Cave of the Wind, Tenerife This underground complex is home to Europe's largest lava tube, and contains three levels of lava tube passageways. These extend for 10 miles and contain countless lava pits and other geological features. It's possible to explore the subterranean site (although we suggest those prone to claustrophobia steer clear), and above ground, the landscape is dotted with bizarre rock formations caused by lava that has bubbled to the Earth's surface. Cerro Negro, Nicaragua The Cerro Negro volcano in Nicaragua is Central America's youngest volcano and is regarded by many as the birthplace of a very unusual sport volcano boarding, a discipline visitors can try out with the help of countless local tour operators. It's one of the country's most active volcanoes, and the last eruption took place in 1999. A clearly marked, albeit boulder-strewn, trail snakes up the side, and those who complete the 60-minute trek to the top will be rewarded with 360-degree views of the Maribios volcanic mountain chain, the city of León and the Pacific Ocean. Boiling Lake, Dominica, Caribbean Dominica might well be surrounded by crystal-clear waters but this is one of the few places you wouldn't want to take a dip. This steaming, bubbling lake (it's filled with water, not mud) is located inside the Morne Trois Pitons national park, which is also a UNESCO world heritage site, and is actually a flooded fumarole. In 2007, the TV adventurer George Kourounis became the first (and probably only) person to cross the lake from above, using a series of ropes suspended over the boiling water. Kelimutu, Flores Island, Indonesia The most spectacular aspects of this volcano are the three lakes associated with it. The color of the water varies according to the weather conditions and volcanic activity, and the water in one of the smaller lakes regularly takes on a red hue. The area became a popular tourist attraction after it was spotted by a regional Dutch military commander in 1915. The trek to the top 1,690 metres above sea level starts from the small town of Moni, in Kelimutu national park, home to 19 endemic and endangered animals. | 2 | 5,558 | travel |
Some people may wonder why procrastination advice seems to never work for them and if there is a deeper issue at hand. Well, for 20 percent of the population who are chronic procrastinators, it is a serious problem that needs to be addressed, according to Joseph Ferrari, a psychology professor at DePaul University and a leading expert in the study of procrastination. For those 20 percent, telling them to just "do it" is like "telling a clinically depressed person to cheer up," says Ferrari, author of the book Still Procrastinating? . It's a serious problem if . . . So how do you know if you're a chronic procrastinator? "You find that you procrastinate at home, at school, at work, in relationships. You don't pay your bills on time . . . You miss sporting events, concerts because you never got the ticket," says Ferrari. "You're late for any social gathering, you'll miss doctor's appointments because you're never there on time, the refrigerator is empty because you never restock it in time, food goes bad because you never eat it on time. If you do all those kind of things, you probably are a chronic procrastinator." How people become chronic procrastinators: There are several factors that can lead one to becoming a chronic procrastinator. Here are a couple of them, according to the procrastination expert: Your dad : "It's typically cold, demanding stern fathers that cause boys and girls to be procrastinators," Ferrari says. Children with strict dads use procrastination as a way to cope because they can't rebel. You care too much about what others think of you : Some people procrastinate because they care too much about public perception. The pressure to seem perfect is particularly strong for these people. The chronic procrastinators prefer people to see them as procrastinators that don't get around to doing tasks rather than simply being incompetent. Society : We live in a world where society doesn't reward punctuality. Instead, we're penalized for being late, which doesn't give any of us incentive to complete tasks ahead of time. "We punish people if they file their taxes late. We give them a bill. If we pay off our credit card late, we charge them a late fee. But what if you pay your card on time and what if you've paid your mortgage off? There's no gift here." The cure for procrastination: For those who have deep-rooted issues with procrastination, it seems that cognitive behavioral therapy, a type of mental health counseling, is the most effective method. This kind of psychotherapy attempts to reroute inaccurate, harmful, or negative thoughts. Ferrari suggests a couple more ways that might help chronic procrastinators: Surround yourself with doers : It's healthy for a chronic procrastinator to surround herself with people who are likely to do things. It'll be a good influence on those with a tendency to delay tasks. Just start somewhere : Just take a small step at a time. For example, if you're supposed to write an essay, start with a few paragraphs, and if that's too much for you, resolve to write just one. If that's still overwhelming, stick to a couple of sentences or even a few words. Set up a reward system : "People like to do things they enjoy doing," says Ferrari. He recommends rewarding yourself with something you enjoy after you complete something that you've been dreading to do. For example, reward yourself with half an hour of Desperate Housewives after doing laundry. Public posting : Because procrastinators care so much about how others view them, they are more likely to do tasks when they publicly announce it. Take to Twitter, Facebook, or any other social media outlet and state the task you're going to do. Then when you've completed it, let everyone know that you've done what you set out to do. The "likes" and congratulatory tweets will feel very satisfying. So what if I am one? If you feel like you fit the profile of a chronic procrastinator, you may think that it's not a big deal to be one. Your life might be functioning fine, and you've made it through many of the setbacks caused by your procrastination. However, keep in mind that it may catch up with you one day, and it can get to a point where it disrupts your life and negatively impacts other people's opinion of your character. Further, it's not exactly comfortable living as a chronic procrastinator. In fact, Ferrari found that procrastinators have more regrets than nonprocrastinators for things that they didn't do. "Stop stressing yourself over it. Life is short - leave a legacy," says Ferrari. "There are too many places to see and too many things to do in life to just procrastinate and wait and living in a bubble of fear of getting it done." | 4 | 5,559 | lifestyle |
At one of Jon Levy's house parties you could find yourself, as we recently did, making fajitas with Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Regina Spektor and leading snake venom expert Zoltan Takacs before watching live presentations from Bill Nye the Science Guy and break-dancing pioneer Richard "Crazy Legs" Colón. Levy may not be a Wall Street billionaire or hotshot advertising executive, but over the past five years, he's built the Influencers, a network of over 400 interesting and impressive people that includes everyone from Nobel laureates to Olympic athletes. Twice a month, Levy holds private dinner parties and TED Talk-like "Salons" in the sprawling New York City apartment he inherited from his parents, who are successful artists now living in Israel. As an independent marketing consultant specializing in consumer behavior, a diverse, strong network is beneficial to his career. But beyond that, Levy has a genuine passion for connecting influential people from different fields and seeing what these relationships yield. We asked Levy to share some of the tactics he used to go from a low-profile New Yorker to the leader of a growing network of power players. Here are his top networking tips. 1. Appreciate that the most influential people operate on a different level. A Landmark Education seminar on personal success inspired Levy to start a network that became the Influencers. He says he left thinking about this quote: "The fundamental element that defines the quality of your life is the people you surround yourself with and the conversations you have with them." If you want to surround yourself with executives and successful entrepreneurs, you first need to understand and respect that the lives of high-demand people are fundamentally different from even most chronically busy people, Levy says. Their schedules are likely filled with travel plans and meetings, with scarce free time dedicated to family. "Everybody's coming to them for answers. Everybody's asking them the same questions millions of times. You can begin to think about, 'OK, what is something different that I could provide this person that would make it worth their time to speak with me or meet with me?'" Levy says. 2. Add value without expecting anything. On that note, you should be thinking of how you can add value to a potential connection without expecting anything in return, at least immediately. Levy is a proponent of Wharton professor and Influencers member Adam Grant's theory on "givers," those who seek out opportunities to help people they respect and appreciate. "If you're a giver, then you build quality relationships, and with those relationships you're exposed to opportunity over the long term," Grant told Business Insider last year. "You actually increase your own luck so far as you contribute things to other people. 3. Create memories. Rahzel, former member of The Roots and beatboxing legend, joined the Influencers about a year ago and says that he's amazed by Levy's memory. "Jon can pinpoint people and the places and exact time he met them," he says. Levy says he's boosted his memory with a simple trick. "For the most part our memory is visual, and it works based on novelty for something to really stick out," he says. "If there's somebody I meet that I really want to connect with, I try to create a moment that's memorable and that can serve as tradition." This can mean sharing a special toast or asking a question that will elicit a unique response. For example, Levy met a Tinder exec recently and asked her about the first thing most people ask her. She said men who use the dating app often nervously ask if Tinder employees can read guys' messages to other users. "Now I'll never forget her!" he says. 4. Make your introductions more interesting. Most people just aren't interesting in the way they communicate, Levy says. He thinks that Americans, especially, apply their efficient approach at work to how they meet people, talking in boring, direct ways about themselves. "When people ask me what I do, I try to be a little elusive just to create some interest. So I tell people I spend most of my life trying to convince people to cook me dinner. Which is true," he says, laughing. "A lot of my time is really spent around logistics, phone calls, and emails and all that. But the benefit of [my introduction] is that it sounds so different and then it's much easier to connect." You may be better off delaying the job-talk for as long as possible. Levy has his dinner guests spend the majority of the evening refraining from discussing any aspect of their occupation, and encourages Salon guests to do the same, so that they can get to know each other personally. New Yorker writer and author Maria Konnikova found this endearing when she attended one of Levy's dinners and Salons. "At the Salon, you're just enjoying the evening and figuring out which people you actually like, regardless of whether they can be helpful to you," she says. 5. Use the double opt-in system to introduce people to each other. In keeping with being a "giver," you should always be aware of which of your connections could be interested in meeting each other, and email is the easiest way to do so remotely. Levy is comfortable connecting his closest friends through an email addressed to both of them, but he'll use what Grant calls the "double opt-in" system for the busiest people in his network. If there's a chance that the busier connection simply doesn't have the time or desire to speak with the other person, a private email to both parties asking if they'd like to connect allows you to screen refusals without hurting anyone's feelings. And as Grant explains in an "Art of Charm" podcast, introduce people because you think they can add value to each other, not just because they happen to live in the same city. 6. Befriend gatekeepers. You'll find that many of the world's busiest people have assistants taking care of their emails, phone calls, and schedules. If that's the case, it's in your best interest to be on cordial terms with them if you're looking to connect with their boss. "If you can make friends with [the gatekeepers], you will be on their schedule," Levy says. He says that once he's met someone in person and gotten their personal contact information, he'll first try them directly the next time he wants to reach out. And if they don't respond, he'll try again with their assistant looped in. "There's no ego involved," he says. Don't feel slighted if you have to go through an assistant even after you've met someone. Whatever works for their schedule will work for you. 7. Make cold calls. To get in touch with influential people, you can't be afraid of reaching out without precedent. Levy recommends getting in touch with an executive sometime before 8 a.m. because it's likely that they're in their office but that their assistant isn't. If you're able to get access to their number, give them a call before their day becomes too hectic. There are databases like Who Represents that you can subscribe to that include the contact information of high-demand people and their gatekeepers. And if you don't want to use a database, you can try a free trick that Levy uses. Get just a single person's email address from the company your target works for to determine the format (e.g. my email is [email protected] so it makes sense that my colleague Drake Baer's email is [email protected]). This sneaky tactic is actually how Levy recently got in touch with a Sony senior vice president. Make sure, however, that if you're reaching out you've actually got something of genuine value to share, as mentioned above. 8. Write emails that will get replies. Sending an introductory email to someone is low-risk because the worst-case scenario is that your message gets tossed and your name forgotten. But you can significantly increase the chance that your email will get a reply if you follow these tips, Levy says: Don't be a salesman. "I don't try to convince them of anything in my message," Levy says. "It's not, 'Oh, I think it would be really good to do this because of X, Y, and Z.' [It's] 'This is what I do... I think what you're doing is fascinating, and I'd like to sit down with you and talk about what you're up to.'" Keep it as short as possible. You'll want to have the recipient take a look at your message and be able to give an adequate response, even if it takes them 30 seconds on their smartphone. When Levy emails a high-demand person like a celebrity, he keeps his email down to a single sentence that cuts out any trace of filler. If he emails an executive, who make decisions based on available information, he'll limit his message to three to five sentences and include some links they can click if they'd like to learn more about him and the Influencers. Offer a clear next step. If your recipient is interested in you, let them know how you'd like to take things forward by asking a question or extending an invite they can email reply to. Entice them with your subject lines. If you're being referred by someone in their inner circle, mention their name in the subject. Levy likes the subject line "Quick Question" because it signals to the reader that they can open the email and remain on a path to a cleaner inbox. 9. Follow up. Be sure to send a quick follow-up email either later in the day or the next day after meeting someone for coffee or lunch. It's proper etiquette that will keep you from looking like you're selfishly using the other person. 10. Organize your contacts. If you're looking to build a network on the scale of Levy's, you could benefit from some simple organization. Levy uses Google docs like a traditional phone book, but with contacts arranged by industry and ranked by the likelihood that they'll do business together. He keeps separate lists for those in his Influencers community, potential members he's reached out to, and those he's interested in eventually connecting with. 11. Create a diverse network of givers. Who should you be adding to your network in the first place? Generous people from a wide variety of industries, Levy says. Prioritize personality over perceived "usefulness." "It's adding diversity to your network that truly helps it. The reason is, every time you add an additional person that's in your industry, you're not expanding your network very much because you all probably know the same people," he says. For example, Levy became friends with the founder of Wizard World Comicon, Gareb Shamus, someone completely unrelated to Levy's industry. "Nobody would think that investing in that relationship makes any sense! He's a wonderful guy, and one of the most generous people I've had the pleasure to know," he says. 12. Stay away from drama. "I'm in full support of providing value and helping people who are struggling, but I fundamentally will not allow my network to be exposed to people who are negative and have the potential to bring them down. It's insidious, and it spreads through the network very quickly," Levy says. 13. Don't be afraid of making a fool of yourself. If you're serious about making a name for yourself, you'll need to be willing to embarrass yourself in front of powerful people. Speaking about himself, Levy says, "I think the only people who would probably embarrass themselves more over time are people who are far, far, far more successful. Like the [Richard] Bransons of the world." There are going to be times when you're not going to appear as funny or impressive as you'd like, but as with anything else, you should make note of how your social interactions failed and improve the next time. Levy actually plays with the way he tells stories and introduces himself either in person or over email to see how people react, and then adjusts accordingly. 14. Don't impose yourself on others. "One of the fundamental mistakes I made at the beginning was thinking that people enjoyed all the things I liked," Levy says. He would take an "older sibling" approach and try to get his introverted connections to behave like him, an extrovert. For example, if he tried to get a shy person to retell a story he enjoyed in front of a large crowd, he ended up putting that person into an incredibly uncomfortable situation. Whether you're introducing people or hosting them at an event, you should always be aware that it's not your job to get people to behave a certain way. 15. Understand that not everyone will like you, and that's OK. "At a certain point, I realized that there's a percentage of the population that no matter what you do or say, they're just not going to like you, and it's beyond your control," Levy says. "That doesn't mean you shouldn't work on yourself and develop yourself and learn to make people more comfortable, but at a certain point it's like, what are you trying to accomplish?" If it turns out that a coworker or even a childhood hero of yours doesn't like your personality even when you're at your best, then simply move on and spend time with someone else. 16. Have a topic prepared to start a conversation. Everyone's been in a situation where you're stuck with a stranger and neither of you has anything to say. So instead of talking about the weather or your commute, says Levy, "I always have a story of something I've been doing recently or a book that I've been reading." "Otherwise I hate the 'interview' setting, which is what happens when it's like, 'So what do you do? I do this. What do you do?' That's sharing facts, not insights. It's not connecting," he says. 17. Tell a story that is clear and compelling. When you tell a story, make sure it has a clear point and a punchline, whether it's a takeaway or a joke. You should strive to be memorable when you're meeting new people, and the best way to do so is through good storytelling. 18. End conversations gracefully. "I used to be absolutely awful, really awkward, at ending conversations," Levy says, laughing. "The last moments of a conversation will define how people remember you, so you want to get really good at a solid ending," instead of being rudely (or strangely) abrupt. Over the phone, wait for a lull in the conversation and then give an indication that you need to be excused for something else or are happy with how the conversation went. Tell them it was a pleasure speaking with them and that you'll make sure to follow up on certain points. In person, Levy says he always takes an extra beat to make eye contact with the person he's finished speaking with so that it doesn't seem as if he's running away. 19. Keep meetings brief. There's no need to let an introductory meeting with a new connection last longer than 45 minutes, Levy says. And if you're grabbing coffee or lunch, the ideal is probably a half hour. "It's better to leave the conversation having something to talk about and feeling like you need to connect again rather than feeling that the energy's died," Levy says. 20. Be open. People are ultimately unpredictable. You can't be uptight if you're looking to become a great networker. Do what you can to connect with people who are interesting, and don't waste time with those who don't mesh with your personality. "One of the fundamental issues that we face as people is we are acutely aware of the things we tell ourselves to be aware of and then are aware of virtually nothing else," Levy says. "So we tend to overvalue specific people or experiences. And when you realize the diversity of exceptional human beings out there and opportunities and business deals and everything, you're going to realize there are a lot more options than you're giving credit to." | 3 | 5,560 | finance |
Learn how to make sufganiyot--the pillowy, jammy, totally-worth-frying Hanukkah doughnut from Breads Bakery's Uri Scheft and Rinat Tzadok. | 0 | 5,561 | foodanddrink |
French Finance Minister Michel Sapin (pictured above right) told a joint news conference with visiting Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis (above left) on Sunday that France's Socialist government was prepared to help the new left-wing-led government in Athens to negotiate a new agreement with its trio of creditors, the European Central Bank, the European Commission, and the International Monetary Fund. "France is more than prepared to support Greece," Sapin said, before calling for a "new contract between Greece and its partners." Sapin also expressed understanding for the new Syriza-led government's concern about the level of debt Greece had taken on, as part of its 240-billion euro ($270 billion) bailout. "Yes, debt is an issue, among others," Sapin conceded to reporters. For his part, Varoufakis insisted that Greece did want to pay back what it owes its creditors, playing down previous talk from the new Greek prime minister in particular about seeking debt-forgiveness from the troika. Such talk had sparked serious concerns in many European countries, so much so that German Chancellor Angela Merkel ruled out the possibility in a interview published in the Saturday edition of the Hamburger Abendblatt newspaper. In Paris, on Sunday, Varoufakis reiterated that Athens wanted a deal with new terms, which would allow Greece's economy to grow. He also repeated a statement first reported on Friday in which he ruled out negotiating this deal with the troika as pointless, as they had imposed the strict terms of the current agreement. Going 'cold turkey' Varoufakis also ruled out accepting a new tranche of debt from the current bailout, arguing that Greece had become addicted to indebtedness and that it was time to go "cold turkey." "We were elected to put an end to the addiction," he said. Varoufakis said he was eager to get a new deal done "by the end of May." His meeting with Sapin was just the start of his part of a Greek charm offensive that he is spearheading along with new Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, aimed at easing the tension with other EU member states and the European Commission and ECB after the rhetoric heated up over the past few days. Varoufakis' next stop is London on Monday, before heading to Rome on Tuesday. Conspicuously absent from his current itinerary is Berlin, the capital of the EU's biggest economy, as well as Frankfurt, the seat of the ECB. "I'm really eager to go to Berlin... Madrid, Frankfurt," he stressed, noting that the diplomatic efforts were just starting. Tsipras calls Juncker Prime Minister Tsipras began his part of the charm offensive using the telephone on the weekend. Sources close to European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said on Sunday that Tsipras called Juncker on Saturday seeking direct talks. According to the DPA news agency, the discussion "ran smoothly" and ended with an agreement to hold talks on Wednesday - when Tsipras is also to meet with President Francois Hollande in Paris. pfd/bk (Reuters, dpa, AFP, AP) | 5 | 5,562 | news |
Persuasion it's a useful skill to have no matter what your work involves. Whether you're asking another department to buy into a new project, convincing your boss to hire you another intern, or getting your cube mate to cover for you when you're out sick, you're convincing others to give you something you want almost every day. But no need to think of yourself as a used car salesman (yet). According to communication expert Jean-luc Doumont , it's not about manipulating people. We influence people whether we like it or not (even what we don't say makes an impact), so we might as well use that influence purposefully. Here are a few tips from Doumont on how to do just that. 1. Pay Attention to Your Body Language You might think persuasion is all about charisma mixed with a few magic words, but it actually has everything to do with sincerity. People are much more likely to agree with you or help you if they believe you're sincere (and not out to get them). So, how do people figure out if you're sincere or not? Your body language , of course. As Doumont insightfully pointed out at a recent talk at MIT , all lie detectors are based in some way on extraneous movements or fidgeting. Think about it this way: If you say, "I'm so happy to see you," but there's a slight frown on your face and your arms are crossed, no one is going to believe you. It's easy to lie with words; it's a lot harder to lie with nonverbal cues. People intuitively read body language and give it more weight. That's bad news if you're just naturally restless. Luckily, it's actually not that hard to control your body language. In fact, your body does most of the work for you. Studies have shown that forcing yourself to smile actually makes you happy, and power poses will indeed make you feel more confident. Right before show time, just assume the position. Assuming you really mean what you're saying (after all, this is about sincerity, not conning), a match between your verbal and nonverbal message makes you much more convincing. 2. Get Others to Be Self-Consistent People naturally want to be consistent; it's just innate human stubbornness. This comes in handy when you need to rely on others in order to get your own work done. To use this strategically when you're collaborating with others (or even when you just really need someone to do something for you), find ways to get people to actually state (or restate) what they will do instead of telling them what to do. Doumont gives the example of setting a deadline for a project. Instead of mandating your own deadline, ask your colleague what he or she thinks the deadline should be. It's much more likely your colleague will uphold the deadline this way. The same is true for reminding people about deadlines. Don't actually send out a reminder. Ask your colleague to remind you what the deadline is. And, while this might feel like a dirty trick (and it debatably is one), it's also just an example of good communication skills. This way, you're guaranteed to be on the same page. 3. Think Like a Salesperson There's a lot to be learned about persuasion from salespeople, even if you don't feel comfortable using sales tricks to your advantage. It's still a good idea to be aware of them in case you see anyone trying to use them on you. Doumont points out three particularly common practices: using validation, highlighting scarcity, and aligning to values. Validation, otherwise known as peer pressure, isn't really even an argument. It's an appeal to people's desire to fit in and usually involves mentioning other people who have agreed to a particular request. Scarcity commonly comes in the form of limited time offers and creates a sense of urgency. Finally, an appeal to values is an argument that centers on why it's the right thing to do for the sake of other people, the environment, society, and so on. And don't think you can only use (or be a victim of) these tricks one at a time. Nope. You can use all of them (and more!) all at the same time. Say you want to convince your manager to buy new computers for your team. You can easily point out that another team recently got new computers, a two-day sale is going on, and it'll be good for team morale and retention. This means doing a little bit of homework before the big ask, but it'll definitely raise your chances for success. These tips and tricks are all good, but one of the biggest factors of whether you'll be persuasive comes down to whether or not the person you're trying to convince likes you. Flattery sometimes works, but more often than not simply being nice is enough to significantly up your chances for success. So, go out there and be confident, ask for what you want, and don't forget those sales tricks. But above all, just be nice. Photo of shaking hands courtesy of Shutterstock . | 4 | 5,563 | lifestyle |
How sweet it is Tom Brady of the New England Patriots celebrates after defeating the Seattle Seahawks during Super Bowl XLIX at University of Phoenix Stadium on Feb. 1. The Patriots defeated the Seahawks 28-24. Happy tangle New England Patriots defensive end Chandler Jones (95) celebrates after the NFL Super Bowl XLIX football game against the Seattle Seahawks on Feb. 1 in Glendale, Ariz. The Patriots won the game 28-24. Joyous leap New England Patriots wide receiver Danny Amendola celebrates their victory over the Seattle Seahawks 28-24 in Super Bowl XLIX at University of Phoenix Stadium. To the victors Game MVP Tom Brady, team owner Robert Kraft, and head coach Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots celebrate with the Vince Lombardi Trophy after defeating the Seattle Seahawks 28-24 to win Super Bowl XLIX at University of Phoenix Stadium on Feb. 1 in Glendale, Ariz. The toughest interview Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson speaks during a news conference after the NFL Super Bowl XLIX against the New England Patriots on Feb. 1. The Patriots won 28-24. Sealing the deal New England Patriots strong safety Malcolm Butler (21) intercepts a pass intended for Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Ricardo Lockette (83) late in the fourth quarter of NFL Super Bowl XLIX football game on Feb. 15 in Glendale, Ariz. Circus catch Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jermaine Kearse (15) prepares to make a catch on a tipped ball against New England Patriots strong safety Malcolm Butler (21) during the second half of NFL Super Bowl XLIX football game Feb. 1 in Glendale, Ariz. Going high for the score Danny Amendola #80 of the New England Patriots catches a four-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter against Earl Thomas #29 of the Seattle Seahawks during Super Bowl XLIX. Touchdown connection New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) celebrates his touchdown pass against the Seattle Seahawks to wide receiver Brandon LaFell during the NFL Super Bowl XLIX football game on Feb. 1. Straight ahead Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch (24) runs the ball against New England Patriots defensive tackle Sealver Siliga (96) during the second quarter in Super Bowl XLIX on Feb. 1. Baldwin for the touchdown Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Doug Baldwin (89) catches a touchdown pass during the second half of NFL Super Bowl XLIX football game against the New England Patriots on Feb. 1. Group hug Brandon LaFell #19 of the New England Patriots celebrates after a touchdown against the Seattle Seahawks in the second quarter during Super Bowl XLIX at University of Phoenix Stadium on Feb. 1. One that got away New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady reacts after throwing an interception during the second half of NFL Super Bowl XLIX football game against the Seattle Seahawks Feb. 1 in Glendale, Ariz. Change of momentum Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Chris Matthews (13) celebrates his touchdown catch during the first half of the Super Bowl XLIX football game against the New England Patriots Feb. 1 in Glendale, Ariz. Tight coverage Jermaine Kearse #15 of the Seattle Seahawks and Malcolm Butler #21 of the New England Patriots stretch to catch the ball in the third quarter during Super Bowl XLIX at University of Phoenix Stadium on Feb. 1 in Glendale, Ariz. Tying it before halftime Chris Matthews #13 of the Seattle Seahawks scores an 11-yard touchdown late in the second quarter against Logan Ryan #26 of the New England Patriots during Super Bowl XLIX at University of Phoenix Stadium on Feb. 1. It's Gronk for six New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski catches a 22-yard touchdown pass in front of Seattle Seahawks outside linebacker K.J. Wright (50) during the first half of NFL Super Bowl XLIX football game Feb. 1in Glendale, Ariz. No denying Lynch Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch (24) scores a touchdown against New England Patriots outside linebacker Jamie Collins (91) , defensive end Rob Ninkovich (50) and cornerback Darrelle Revis (24) in the second quarter in Super Bowl XLIX. Patriots strike first Brandon LaFell #19 of the New England Patriots scores a touchdown over Earl Thomas #29 of the Seattle Seahawks in the second quarter during Super Bowl XLIX at University of Phoenix Stadium on Feb. 1 in Glendale, Ariz. Brady in charge New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady calls signals during Super Bowl XLIX against the Seattle Seahawks Feb. 1, in Glendale, Ariz. Bringing one back Seattle Seahawks middle linebacker Bobby Wagner (54) gets past New England Patriots running back Brandon Bolden (38) after intercepting a pass during the second half of NFL Super Bowl XLIX football game Sunday, Feb.1. Picked off Seattle Seahawks cornerback Jeremy Lane (20) intercepts a pass as New England Patriots wide receiver Danny Amendola (80) cannot make the tackle in the first quarter in Super Bowl XLIX at University of Phoenix Stadium. Asserting his position Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll argues with line judge Mark Perlman during the first half of NFL Super Bowl XLIX on Feb. 1. Room to scamper New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman (11) runs past Seattle Seahawks cornerback Tharold Simon (27) during the first half of NFL Super Bowl XLIX football game on Feb. 1. Seattle Seagals Seattle Seahawks cheerleaders perform at Super Bowl XLIX football game between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots on Feb. 1. Russ on the run Quarterback Russell Wilson #3 of the Seattle Seahawks scrambles with the ball against the New England Patriots in the first quarter during Super Bowl XLIX on Feb. 1. Upended Seattle Seahawks cornerback Jeremy Lane (20) is knocked airborne by New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman (11) after a first quarter interception in Super Bowl XLIX. Lane was injured on the play. Sherman ready to roll Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman (25) warms up before the NFL Super Bowl XLIX football game against the New England Patriots Sunday, Feb. 1, 2015, in Glendale, Ariz. Tailgate tunes Gavin DeGraw performs at the Super Bowl XLIX Tailgate on Feb. 1 in Glendale, Ariz. Hawking souvenirs Jill Marek sells programs before the NFL Super Bowl XLIX football game between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots on Feb. 1 in Glendale, Ariz. Hulking Seahawks fan A Seattle Seahawks fan celebrates while awaiting the start of the NFL Super Bowl XLIX football game against the New England Patriots in Glendale, Ariz. on Feb. 1. Very Patriotic A New England Patriots fan celebrates while awaiting the start of the NFL Super Bowl XLIX football game against the Seattle Seahawks ion Feb. 1 in Glendale, Ariz. Hawkish for Seattle Seattle Seahawks fan Nicole Berdlund arrives at University of Phoenix Stadium before the NFL Super Bowl XLIX football game against the New England Patriots on Feb. 1 in Glendale, Ariz. Stretching out Quarterback Russell Wilson #3 of the Seattle Seahawks warms up prior to playing in Super Bowl XLIX at University of Phoenix Stadium on February 1, 2015 in Glendale, Arizona. Local reinforcements Arizona Cardinals cheerleaders have some fun before the NFL Super Bowl XLIX football game between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks on Feb. 15 in Glendale, Ariz. Hair-raising experience Seattle Seahawks fan Phil Andruss stands outside University of Phoenix Stadium before the NFL Super Bowl XLIX football game between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots on Feb. 1 in Glendale, Ariz. No pressure here New England Patriots fan Richa Kiran holds up a sign before the NFL Super Bowl XLIX football game between the Seattle Seahawks and the Patriots on Feb. 1 in Glendale, Ariz. Pregame face Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson arrives before the NFL Super Bowl XLIX football game against the New England Patriots on Feb. 1 in Glendale, Ariz. Tuned in Quarterback Tom Brady of the New England Patriots warms up prior to Super Bowl XLIX against the Seattle Seahawks at University of Phoenix Stadium on Feb, 1 in Glendale, The Beast has arrived Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch (R) arrives at the stadium ahead of the NFL Super Bowl XLIX football game against the New England Patriots in Glendale, Ariz. on Feb. 1. Head Patriot New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft arrives before the NFL Super Bowl XLIX football game against the Seattle Seahawks at University of Phoenix Stadium on Feb. 1 in Glendale, Ariz. Capturing the day A fan takes a picture outside University of Phoenix Stadium before the NFL Super Bowl XLIX football game between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots on Feb. 1. Re-Pete appearance Head coach Pete Carroll of the Seattle Seahawks stands on the field prior to Super Bowl XLIX at University of Phoenix Stadium on Feb. 1 in Glendale, Ariz. Announcing the big day A musician performs outside of University of Phoenix Stadium before the NFL Super Bowl XLIX football game between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots on Feb. 1 in Glendale, Ariz. | 1 | 5,564 | sports |
EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) Denzel Valentine had 25 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, and Michigan State held rival Michigan scoreless in overtime, outlasting the Wolverines 76-66 on Sunday. With two of their best players on crutches, the Wolverines (13-9, 6-4 Big Ten) pushed Michigan State throughout, but the Spartans (15-7, 6-3) shook off some poor early shooting and finally put Michigan away in the extra session. Branden Dawson had 19 points and 10 rebounds, and Bryn Forbes and Matt Costello scored 10 points each for Michigan State. Spike Albrecht and Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman scored 18 points each for Michigan, which was without injured guards Caris LeVert and Derrick Walton. Zak Irvin added 11 points for the Wolverines. Michigan State shot 29 percent in the first half and 71 percent in the second. Valentine was coming off a 2-for-13 showing in a win at Rutgers, but he was sharp throughout against Michigan. He did miss one big free throw - the front end of a one-and-one with 31 seconds left and Michigan State up two. Max Bielfeldt tied it at 66 on a tip-in with 20 seconds remaining, and Travis Trice missed a 3-pointer in the final seconds for the Spartans. Michigan missed all five of its field goal attempts in overtime, four of which came from 3-point range. Valentine started the extra session with a layup. Costello added the next four Michigan State points and later blocked a shot from beyond the arc by Irvin. LeVert is out for the season with a foot injury, and Walton has been dealing with a toe problem. The Wolverines have been getting by lately using some unusual lineup combinations, and that continued in the first half Sunday. With Michigan in early foul trouble, guard Andrew Dakich, who had played only 14 minutes all season, played 13 in the first half. But despite Michigan's injury problems, the crowd that came to the Breslin Center in the middle of a snowstorm was treated to quite a game - there were 21 lead changes and nine ties before the Spartans pulled away in overtime. Abdur-Rahkman, a freshman who was averaging 2.3 points per game, was in the starting lineup and scored seven in the first half, although he picked up two fouls and played only nine minutes before halftime. TIP-INS Michigan: Irvin was 5 of 14 from the field. He's shooting 34 percent in Big Ten play. Michigan State: Trice had nine assists, one more than the whole Michigan team. UP NEXT Michigan hosts Iowa on Thursday night. Michigan State hosts Illinois on Saturday. | 1 | 5,565 | sports |
PANAMA CITY (AP) -- Australia's Mathew Goggin won the Web.com Tour's season-opening Panama Claro Championship on Sunday, closing with a 3-under 67 in hot, windy conditions for a four-stroke victory. Also the 2011 winner, the 40-year-old Goggin finished at 11-under 269 at Panama Golf Club. He earned $112,500 for his fifth victory on the tour and first since 2011. "It just reminds you that you can still play a bit," Goggin said. "I played so poorly last year and you start wondering, at 40, what do I need to change or what do I need to do more of?" Goggin also was second in the event in 2013. He birdied Nos. 1, 7 and 17 in his bogey-free round. "There's no explanation for it," Goggin said. "You just get a bit of confidence. You get a course you like and these conditions really suit me, but you've still got to take advantage of those because there are going to be a lot of weeks where guys that carry it 320 off the tee get a massive advantage. So when you get an opportunity like this you have to take advantage of it." Harold Varner III was second after a 71. He was a stroke ahead of Goggin at the turn, but dropped back with bogeys on Nos. 10, 12, 14 and 16 in the 90-degree heat with the wind gusting to 20 mph. "When I got on 10 tee I knew what was at stake," Varner said. "You've just got to accept it. It is what it is. It's just like any person that goes to war, they don't complain. They go to work." Dicky Pride and Shane Bertsch tied for third at 6 under. Pride shot 65, and Bertsch had a 70. China's Li Hao-tong, the third-round leader, had a 76 to finish 11th at 3 under. The 19-year-old Li was making his first tour start after earning a card as PGA Tour China's money leader. "I struggled today," Li said. "I hit some bad shots. I didn't play very well. I was not able to control my distance very well. I don't know. If I missed the fairway, I made bogey. On the back nine, I had a lot of chances, but just missed everything. Still, a good week. I feel very comfortable." | 1 | 5,566 | sports |
Here are the commercials that aired during Super Bowl XLIX: T-Mobile | 1 | 5,567 | sports |
The flavour you get from ready-ground spices is nothing compared to that of freshly-ground spices. Learn how to grind spices at home in this video from Great British Chefs. | 0 | 5,568 | foodanddrink |
Cheese Balls and Other Retro Foods That are Primed for a Comeback Cheese Balls and Other Retro Foods That are Primed for a Comeback In this era of nostalgia and comfort food, these dishes are just waiting to return to Americans' hearts and minds. Baked Alaska Who doesn't like a good old flaming dessert? Once a hallmark of fancy restaurants offering tableside service, this dish was relegated to cruise ships before seeming to vanish entirely. The classic version a scoop of ice cream on a bed of cake, covered in brûléed meringue and occasionally flambéed tableside is still on the menu at Delmonico's in New York, but it's recently popped up on menus across the country as chefs and diners rediscover it. When pastry chefs go looking for something classic, they return to baked Alaska. Try Chef Michelle Bernstein's Baked Alaska > Cheese Balls Cheese plates at parties are all well and good, especially in this era where some of the world's best cheeses can be found at your local supermarket. But cheese balls those giant hunks of spreadable cheese, usually a combination of cream cheese and Cheddar are also a fun and incredibly versatile addition to any cheese plate. More and more party hosts are turning on to cheese balls, and they've even joined the bacon and sriracha revolution . Get your cheese ball fix right here > Cherries Jubilee Flambéed desserts in general are ready for a big comeback, and cherries jubilee, made with cherries flamed with kirschwasser and served with a scoop of ice cream, is one of the best. This dish is rarely on dessert menus of late (most restaurants enjoy serving desserts of their own invention), but we predict it will be back soon. Try making cherries jubilee at home > Chopped Steak Chopped steak is an old-fashioned dish if there ever was one, similar to a hamburger patty but usually slightly more oblong and usually mixed with onions and other seasonings and topped with gravy. This is still a dish that you're not likely to see on many (or any) menus outside of country kitchens, some steakhouse chains, and the occasional high-end steakhouse (It's Peter Luger's lunch special on Saturdays), but this is one dish that is possible to prepare very, very well, and once the luxury burger trend dies down, we're looking at chopped steak as the next target. Find a new way to love steak > Crêpe Suzette This French dessert consists of a crêpe folded with a hot mixture of butter, sugar, orange juice and zest, and Grand Marnier, then flambéed. First popularized in Paris at the turn of the twentieth century (though perhaps invented in Monte Carlo), this classic and classy dish fits perfectly into a new, non-dessert mold: brunch. Once this item starts making its way onto brunch menus, there will be no stopping it. Try crêpes suzette à la chef Patrik Jaros > Deviled Eggs Deviled eggs are the perfect finger food, and the possibilities for them are endless. They've been creeping onto more and more menus in recent years, and the reason? They're an ideal bar food, and one which allows a chef to get creative and have a little fun. You can serve smoked salmon atop them, you can add bacon , and you can even swap out the yolks for guacamole for a healthy snack. See more deviled eggs recipes > Duck à l'Orange Yes, this classic dish is ready for its moment in the spotlight. After years of languishing in obscurity, served in a cloying and gloopy sauce when served at all, it's finally starting to appear on menus again, including at the insanely popular, recently opened Dirty French in New York. Duck is a protein that every restaurant likes to have on their menu, but it's usually paired with cherries. Once chefs realize that orange works just as well (and that there's a classic dish just begging to be cooked), the tide will continue to turn. Make: Duck À l'Orange Fondue Who doesn't like a vat of hot, melted cheese? Fondue's reputation took a major hit in the 1970s when it was ruined by a few too many party hosts, but it's regained popularity in recent years at fondue-centric restaurants, like New York's Artisanal. Fondue still hasn't made its way onto too many menus of traditional restaurants as an appetizer, but the time has definitely come. Read: Why You Need To Throw a Fondue Party Right About Now Browse fondue recipes > Prime Rib There's a big difference between a steak and a prime rib: a steak is an individual piece of meat that's been cooked on both sides, and prime rib is a big slab of meat, cut from a rib roast at a perfect medium rare and doused with a flavorful jus. They're a little tricky to add to menus because they can't be cooked to order, but we predict that, as tableside service begins to rise in popularity, we'll see more restaurants like San Francisco's The Prime Rib, where whole ribs are rolled to each table and sliced to order. Watch: Roasting Prime Rib (4:42) Browse: Prime rib recipes Vichyssoise This thick puréed soup, made from leeks, potatoes, onions, chicken stock, and cream, can be served hot or cold. One of the most popular soups of the '50s and '60s (it was apparently invented by French chef Louis Diat at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in New York City, circa 1917), its popularity waned after a 1971 botulism outbreak from a can of Bon Vivant-brand vichyssoise. But that event is in the distant past, and while some French restaurants still serve it, it's time for this delicious soup to make a comeback. Choose one of these vichyssoise recipes to try this week > | 0 | 5,569 | foodanddrink |
JEREZ, Spain (AP) Lewis Hamilton hopes to have several challengers, rather than just his Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg, when he defends his Formula One title this season. Last year's fight was intense, with Hamilton and Rosberg feuding as their title scrap went down to the final race in Abu Dhabi. But everyone else was lagging way behind and Mercedes was mostly unchallenged, winning 16 out of 19 races and finishing nearly 300 points clear in the constructors' championship. Matching that, let along surpassing it, is a very tall order and Hamilton expects the competition to be sterner when the new season starts on March 15 in Melbourne. ''I always want to make sure there's a fight. The battle we had last year was really good fun. That's what I live for,'' Hamilton said. ''The more people I get to race (against) the merrier. Bring it on.'' He certainly got a fight last year, when his tussle with Rosberg was hardly fun. It grew so bitter at times that it tested a friendship dating back to their teenage years racing karts against each other. ''I'm ready. That's all I need to be,'' Hamilton replied curtly when asked Sunday if he would relish a repeat of his contest with Rosberg. Hamilton beat Rosberg by 67 points last year, although the margin was made bigger by the fact double points were on offer in Abu Dhabi. One area where the German held the edge on Hamilton was in qualifying, taking 11 pole positions to Hamilton's seven. Hamilton and Fernando Alonso, who will drive for McLaren this year after leaving Ferrari, have two titles each. Sebastian Vettel, who quit Red Bull to take Alonso's seat, won four in a row before Hamilton upstaged him. Hamilton gives himself ''five or six'' more years at the top, but is evasive as to what he hopes to achieve in that time. ''I don't set myself a goal of world titles. I'm not sitting here saying I want seven world championships,'' he said. ''I'm grateful for the two I have. Coming from where I grew up, I never thought I'd have two world titles, have as many wins as Nigel Mansell, have the most wins from any British driver.'' Hamilton is in his final year with Mercedes and talks are ongoing about a new contract. ''It would be good if we get the sticky parts out of the way early on,'' Hamilton said. ''I'm sure it will be sorted.'' | 1 | 5,570 | sports |
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Carter Hutton knows he's not Pekka Rinne, so it makes no sense to even try. Instead, the Nashville Predators' backup goaltender, thrust into a starting role while Rinne recovers from a sprained knee, figures it's better to just stick with what works for him. ''I just keep it simple, play my game and control what I can,'' Hutton said. ''The guys battle hard in front of me and try to make the first save here and try to give us a chance to win every night.'' The formula worked perfectly in a 4-0 romp over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday. Hutton stopped all 21 shots he faced for his second career shutout as the Predators won in regulation in Pittsburgh for the first time since 2004. Gabriel Bourque, Roman Josi, Eric Nystrom and Mike Fisher scored for the Central Division leaders, who ended a difficult post All-Star road trip through St. Louis, Colorado and Pittsburgh a respectable 1-1-1. ''We felt like lately we've been playing hard games, especially out of the break,'' Nashville forward Mike Ribeiro said. ''We thought we could play better in front of our goalie. Got on our forecheck, were pressing and able to create turnovers.'' Hutton improved to 3-1-2 while temporarily filling in for Rinne. The Predators ended a five-game losing streak to Pittsburgh by taking advantage of sloppy play by the Penguins, who have lost six of eight. Nystrom and Bourque pounced on Pittsburgh turnovers - one of them by captain Sidney Crosby - to give Hutton all the support he needed. Marc-Andre Fleury made 20 saves for the Penguins but received no help from Pittsburgh's sputtering offense. ''We had some mistakes that ended up in the back of our net and we're playing up hill from there,'' Crosby said. ''We still had a lot of time to get back in the game, but we have to figure out how to score goals.'' The Penguins have scored just twice in their last three games, both in an overtime win at New Jersey on Friday in which they took 43 shots. Pittsburgh kept Hutton a little busier two days later but spent most of the afternoon playing from behind as Nashville made former Penguins forward James Neal a winner in his return to the city where he became an All-Star. Neal spent three-plus seasons with the Penguins, becoming a 40-goal scorer being shipped to Nashville last June on a draft-day swap for Patric Hornqvist and Nick Spaling. While Neal's scoring is down a bit, the Predators are off to the best start in the franchise's history. He was held without a point in 15:09 of ice time but provided a nice screen in front on Fisher's 12th goal of the season that made it 4-0 midway through the third period. By then, Nashville was firmly in control thanks to more than a little help from the Penguins. Josi's slap shot through traffic zipped past Fleury's glove 4:05 into the game and Bourque doubled the lead less than three minutes later when Pittsburgh defenseman Simon Despres' attempted clearing pass from the corner instead went right into the slot and onto Bourque's stick. He slammed it past Fleury and the Predators had matched their combined goal total in their previous two visits to Consol Energy Center. ''You just can't make plays like that,'' Penguins coach Mike Johnston said. ''That wasn't a good choice by (Despres).'' Hutton rarely needed to be spectacular but made a couple of pretty saves when the Penguins were pressing in the second period. He stuffed a hard-charging Crosby at the end of a power play then turned aside a breakaway by Spaling and a wrist shot from in close by Paul Martin. Nystrom put the notion of any sort of Pittsburgh rally to rest with less than a minute to go in the second. Taylor Peck poked the puck away from Crosby as Crosby attempted to exit the Pittsburgh zone and slipped a pass to Nystrom, who was behind two Pittsburgh defensemen. Two flicks of the stick and Fleury was badly out of position. Nystrom's sixth goal of the year pushed it to 3-0 and the Predators cruised. NOTES: Fisher has 12 goals and 10 assists in 25 games since returning from an Achilles injury. ... Pittsburgh played its fifth straight game without forward Evgeni Malkin, who is out with an undisclosed injury. Malkin skated with the team on Saturday and could return at some point this week. ... The Penguins begin a three-game road swing through western Canada on Wednesday when they play at Edmonton. ... Nashville begins a three-game homestand on Tuesday against Toronto. | 1 | 5,571 | sports |
If hotel rates seemed a bit more expensive last year, it wasn't your imagination. The average U.S. hotel rate in 2014 was the highest ever - up 4.6% to $115 per night - and industry experts are predicting a 5.2% increase by the end of this year. On top of higher rates, you can also expect hotels to add more guest charges, such as early check-in fees. A new report by STR Inc., a hospitality research firm, also shows that the average revenue collected by hotels per available room rose by 8.3% to a record $74, and occupancy jumped 3.6% to 64.4%. The highest room rates in 2014 were in New York, where hotel guests paid an average of $263 a night, according to STR. The second-highest average rate was on Oahu Island in Hawaii ($221 a night), followed by San Francisco ($207) and Miami ($185). The average hotel rate in Los Angeles last year was $147, about $10 higher than the average for 2013, according to STR. That's a boost of about 7%, which outpaced the national increase. Despite the record-high room rates, hotels are not likely to give guests a break on extra fees and surcharges, said Bjorn Hanson, dean of New York University's Preston Robert Tisch Center for Hospitality, Tourism and Sports Management. With demand rising and occupancy rates at the highest levels in decades, Hanson said hotels are under no pressure to cut guest fees. "Hotels have pricing power now and they will exercise that," he said. In fact, Hanson said, hotels are even creating new fees. For example, some hotels now charge to guarantee guests that they will get a specific type of room - such as a room with a view or a room with a king-size bed. Another reason hotels are not eliminating fees and surcharges, he said, is that hotels pay taxes to local municipalities based on room rates. They don't pay such taxes on guest fees. To read more about travel, tourism and the airline industry, follow me on Twitter at @hugomartin. | 5 | 5,572 | news |
Alaska state troopers locate both crash sights and find both pilots alive | 8 | 5,573 | video |
SI's Austin Murphy joins the crew to preview Super Bowl XLIX from the Seattle Seahawks perspective. Can the Seahawks throw the ball if the Pats slow their run game? | 8 | 5,574 | video |
According to KTSP's Darren Wolfson , the Detroit Pistons are one of four teams interested in acquiring veteran Guard Mo Williams , although Motown has a "small chance" in the Williams sweepstakes, it would indicate that the potential trade initially reported by MLive's David Mayo could have fallen through. Mayo earlier reported that Stan Van Gundy offered Jonas Jerebko to the Miami Heat for a struggling Norris Cole , however, in a turn of events that has apparently plagued the Pistons, Pat Riley upped the ante and added Danny Granger to the trade discussions. Van Gundy cut off the talks, presumably due to his reluctance to take on an aging Granger who has a $2 million player option for the 2015-16 season. Since then, the Pistons have been linked to Minnesota's Mo Williams, who, although has suffered shooting the ball this season, is still averaging 12.5 Points and 6.4 Assists as the Timberwolves ' backup point guard . The 11-year veteran is on contract until the end of the year for $3.75 million, he would bring the Pistons leadership and a floor general able to distribute and, to a certain extent, be a threat from the three-point line. The Timberwolves would be ideal trade partners for the Pistons, who are looking to unload a newly redundant Jerebko and bench-warming Luigi Datome , whilst the Wolves are listening to offers for Williams, and are looking to honor Chase Budinger's trade request . Budinger, a DBB favorite, has two years, $10 million remaining on his contract, including a player option for next season. The 26 year-old former Arizona Wildcat shot 40.2% from deep during the 2011-2012 season prior to tearing his meniscus in 2013, since then, he has dealt with various injuries, which have limited him to 74 games in his first two seasons with Minnesota. Considering Van Gundy turned down Granger's $2 million option, odds are Budinger's $5 million might be too much to gamble on for the Pistons. However, Mo Williams would prove to be a valuable piece for Detroit, and ticks all of SVG's pre-requisites for the job -- barring defense. For the deal to work however, it would mean that the Pistons would have to give up a pick , or possibly Jonas Jerebko's expiring contract. That being said, a return of Mo Williams would be far more desirable than one consisting of Norris Cole and Miami's spare parts. Stan Van Gundy told Keith Langlois at Pistons.com that the Detroit would bring in their newest addition in this week, who would you rather see dress up in a Piston uniform come the end of the week? | 1 | 5,575 | sports |
Mohamed Said was roughly halfway through a potted lecture on the pillars of Islam, taking in everything from the DNA of wine grapes to Malcolm X, when he brought up the troubled history of the building in which he stood. "You can check every place," he told the 20 or so visitors in the men's prayer room of Finsbury Park mosque , north London, during an inaugural national open day for Islamic places of worship . "We haven't got any bombs. Yes, there is a bad history here, but we have changed that. Those people were not representative of Islam." By "those people", Said meant the radical cleric Abu Hamza and his supporters, who seized control of the mosque in the late 1990s and turned it into arguably the UK's foremost centre for radical Islam, a troubling period that culminated in a massive armed police raid on the building in 2003 . The mosque has since been firmly in mainstream hands, while Hamza spends life in a US prison for terrorism , but it still suffers reputational damage. So it was something of a natural fit for the Visit My Mosque day organised by the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), which aims to show off the pastoral and community efforts of mosques while also offering reassurance to locals. The MCB said one reason for the open day was to "reach out to fellow Britons following tensions around terrorism". Khalid Oumar, a trustee of Finsbury Park mosque, which attracts 2,000 people to Friday prayers, said it had received hate mail after the Islamist-inspired attacks in Paris last month. "One of the reasons we are taking part is the increase in Islamophobic attacks against Muslims," he said. "Also, specifically, this mosque has a history. We drew a line under that 10 years ago, and there's a new history of stability and community cohesion." The MCB's website listed just over 20 mosques around England taking part, a tiny proportion of the estimated 1,700-plus nationwide. Others were expected to be involved, however. Finsbury Park has for several years held its own open day for schools and local people, Oumar said, and was keen to be involved in the MCB initiative. "The object is to show that we're open, and that we continue to be open. And people are showing a tremendous interest. We're determined to be out there. We try and do this on a regular basis to make sure that our doors, and our hearts, are open to the community." While the first visitors were about one-third media, groups of local people and the curious from further afield continued arriving for guided tours lasting all day. Said took visitors first to see the women's prayer room in the basement of the nondescript 1990s building, which has a TV feed to show the imam preaching to the men upstairs. "You might say, 'Why have you put the sisters in the basement?'" Said told the visitors. It was, he insisted, not sexism, but an arrangement that gave easier access to women with young children. In his lecture, Said described his doctorate in haematology, a background that explained surprise excursions into grape DNA (to illustrate the wondrous variety of nature), and how fasting for Ramadan can help your body to process glucose properly. Elsewhere in a talk that lasted sufficiently long for the next group to have to stand quietly in a corner while he finished, Said condemned excess corporate profits and recounted Malcolm X's experiences of the Hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca. Anna Louise Oakland, an 67-year-old artist who lives a few streets away, said her first visit to the mosque had allayed some fears. "This place has had some really tricky times," she said. "I was quite scared for a while, back then. I was thinking, 'This is not what I want in the area.' But the more we understand about each other, the more commonalities we find, we can start to let go of our fear." Tony and Anna, a couple in their 70s from St John's Wood, were slightly less impressed. "We learned something, but it could have been more enlightening," Tony said. While recognising Said was a moderate, he added: "I'm not sure how good he'd be in tempting an impressionable young man away from extremism." Two hundred miles away at the Baab-ul-Ilm Islamic centre, host Mohammed Raza Bhani welcomed about 40 people on a bitterly cold afternoon. "Fox News, I hope you're listening," he said, to laughter. He explained the purpose of the day to open the mosque to the north-east Leeds community to "present a more balanced view" of Islam than is often given by the media and politicians. The centre's resident scholar, Syed Hadi Hassan, explained how ideas such as forgiveness and caring for others irrespective of creed made violent attacks completely at odds with the core principles of Islam. The mosque has held regular events open to all communities since opening more than 10 years ago, but Syed Hadi Hassan said they had becoming increasingly significant in light of extremist violence. "In this atmosphere, it is of paramount importance because there are many misconceptions going around. People of the UK are really confused about whether there is something wrong with the teachings of Islam or whether these individuals are using the name of Islam badly. "We want the world to understand that they are not a part of Muslim Ummah [community] and they are completely alien to Islam and its teachings. It is a beautiful, peaceful religion." Syed Hadi Hassan fielded questions on social media on how the concept of jihad has been warped, and when the talks were completed, the visitors were taken on guided tours of the mosque. "It's frustrating, but we need to do it and we need to do more," said Rasool Bhamani, president of the centre. "The problem we've got is that the media and politicians talk about radical Islam and Islamic terrorism. What that does is generalise a whole community. By doing that, we're actually causing divisions in the community and hence, although it's frustrating, we have to do it to ensure these negative aspects are not associated with the religion." Hassan said Baab ul-Ilm worked closely with local synagogues there is one next door and churches as part of an inter-faith forum to increase understanding of other religious communities in Leeds. Jo Hill, 58, a Roman Catholic, said she had heard about the event on the radio and had come to show solidarity with fellow people of faith who were being stigmatised. "I do feel very, very sad. When you see these tragedies happening, it's not the Muslims. It's fanatics." It was her first visit to a mosque, she said, and more events like it would help increase people's understanding of Islam. "I don't think people have any imagination of what the faith is like. I couldn't even recognise this as a mosque I went to the building across the road," she said. "It's terrifically important, said Tony Pickles, 66, also a Catholic. "There should be more of this so we can break down barriers and blind prejudice. Some people are ignorant and make judgments and that's wrong." Hill believed attacks like those in Paris increased Muslims' fear they would be targeted. "My friend says that whenever something happens, she's abused on the buses into Leeds, and that's so sad, so to open up like this is a really good idea. It's terrible because they are just ordinary, God-loving people, and God has nothing to do with the terrorism that's gone on." That sentiment was shared by Helena, who had come along to understand the core principles of Islam. "What came across today was exactly the same as what Jesus Christ taught, which is to love thy neighbour as thyself. It just seems to me that religions are being taken over for political means and the real message is being distorted." | 5 | 5,576 | news |
This squirrel gets a little to friendly with this water balloon! | 8 | 5,577 | video |
BBC Pop Up swings by the Super Bowl in Glendale, Arizona, to find out why Americans go crazy for the game. | 8 | 5,578 | video |
Markets are throwing off some very negative signals about the U.S. economy. However, with economic data remaining relatively strong, the overhanging question is whether investors will begin to take those bad signs to heart. Crude oil (@CL.14) , typically taken as a barometer of industrial and consumer demand, continues its incredible plunge. The critical commodity has lost some 60 percent of its value in the past seven months, falling to levels not seen since the depths of the financial crisis in 2009. Meanwhile, Treasury yields plumb new lows, with the 10-year yield (US10Y) falling below 1.7 percent on Friday even as the Federal Reserve looks to hike short-term rates. Across the Atlantic, German 10-year notes are yielding about 0.3 percent, and the Swiss 10-year yield is actually negative. "If Rip Van Winkle were to wake up today and see where oil is and where bond yields are...he would be very tempted to say that we must be in a recession," said Nicholas Colas, chief market strategist at Convergex. But of course, the U.S. is not in a recession. Even though Friday's gross domestic product (GDP) number showing annualized growth of 2.6 percent in the fourth quarter was a bit of a disappointment, full-year growth came in at 2.4 percent. Separately, the employment numbers have been even better, which is set to be confirmed on Friday, when the Bureau of Labor Statistics is expected to report the 12th straight month of 200,000-plus gains in nonfarm payrolls. The outlook in much of the world, however is significantly cloudier. Europe and Japan are fighting disinflation and the specter of recession, which goes a long way toward explaining why yields are so low. Meanwhile, slowing growth in China is further tamping down oil demand (though crude oil's biggest problem is overwhelming supply). Ironically, the very market moves that would cause a long-sleeping financial observer to wonder if the U.S. is in the grips of recession are actually somewhat positive for the American economy and for equities. Low yields makes it relatively more attractive to hold stocks. And low oil prices reduce energy costs for Americans and businesses, albeit punishing for energy companies. Indeed, it is no coincidence that consumption was a bright spot in Friday's GDP report, with real personal consumption spending rising by an annualized 4.3 percent in the quarter. When it comes to the more narrow issue of the next move for stocks, however, the tie-breaker between markets and data must be corporate profits. After all, tracking the state of the U.S. economy is all well and good, but stocks are ultimately valued based on their expected stream of future earnings. Even though analyst expectations for the first quarter of 2015 have come down of late (as estimates tend to do as the actual results draw nigh) FactSet reports that analysts expect S&P 500 (.SPX) companies to earn $122.05 in 2015, which would be a record high. Additionally, many market participants believe that accomodative central bank actions will continue to provide strong support to stocks while crushing bond yields. "Any metric you followed 20 years ago doesn't matter, because you're dealing with massive central bank manipulation and accommodation in an attempt to keep everything steady," said Michael Block, chief strategist at Rhino Trading Partners. "That's just the world we're in." Block continues to be bullish on stocks due to the perceived "central bank put," though he says that volatile day-to-day moves will become the norm which is causing considerable angst in the money managing community. "The right thing to do is just the stay the course, but it's very hard for asset managers to buy things and walk away from them." Unless, of course, they follow Mr. Van Winkle's lead and fall asleep for 20 years. By CNBC's Alex Rosenberg. Watch " Futures Now " Tuesdays & Thursdays 1 p.m. ET exclusively on FuturesNow.CNBC.com ! | 5 | 5,579 | news |
The fall-out from Equatorial Guinea's controversial Africa Cup of Nations win against Tunisia in Bata on Saturday threatens to cast a shadow over the rest of the competition. The hosts were heading out until Mauritian referee Rajindraparsad Seechurn awarded them a highly dubious penalty in injury time after Ivan Bolado went down under a Hamza Mathlouthi challenge. Javier Balboa converted from the spot and then netted a wonderful free-kick in extra time to take Equatorial Guinea through 2-1. Tunisian players furious with the decision which changed the match had to be beaten back by riot police as they tried to attack the referee at full time. There has been no official statement on what happened from the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and they did not respond to AFP's attempts to contact them on Sunday. Meanwhile, the angry Tunisian players demanded the resignation of CAF president Issa Hayatou. Striker Ahmed Akaichi, who opened the scoring for the Carthage Eagles against Equatorial Guinea, fumed: "It was not normal. The whole world saw this match. "It is something that the CAF and Hayatou have to think about. He can't stay in African football anymore. He has to go!" Tunisia's exit came after their stay in the town of Ebebiyin during the group stage was marred by accomodation problems. "At the beginning, in Ebebiyin, we saw the hotels that the other teams were staying in, comfortable, with big screens. We didn't have televisions, no electricity or water, ok no problem," said defender Bilel Mohsni. "We moved around in a minibus, with small seats, we had no air conditioning for three hours, but we accept that. "Then we arrive here and we play against the host country. We thought there would be lots of people, a great atmosphere, and we come up against a referee who was on their side and destroyed the whole party." - 'Africa will never progress' - Of the reaction of the Tunisian players after the game, he added: "It's only normal that, when you play a match and you are had, that everyone is angry. "We are in Africa, and it is because of matches like that and things like that that Africa will never progress. "It's a shame because, for those of us who play in Europe, we come here to help our country and Africa progress, to show that there are good players who can compete with the best in the world. "There is no point coming to the Cup of Nations if it is to be robbed like that. "If Equatorial Guinea were better I would have said they deserved to win, except we were better and the referee was even better than us, so well done to the referee. "If the referees continue like that, I think Equatorial Guinea will win the Cup. Even the best African players will never beat a referee like that." Equatorial Guinea coach Esteban Becker had a different viewpoint, although even he admitted that he would have contested such a decision had it gone against his side. He said: "A decision to give a penalty will always be contested, and this was a last-minute penalty. Who wouldn't contest it?" The hosts will point to a goal they had wrongly ruled out against them in their opening match against Congo Brazzaville as evidence that things have not always been made easy for them at this Cup of Nations. And legendary former Cameroon goalkeeper Joseph-Antoine Bell told AFP on Sunday that Tunisia's behaviour post-game was over the top. "That Equatorial Guinea won a penalty, and that it should be contested, can happen," he said. "But to go to war over it, I don't agree with that. It is one of these things that can happen in a game. "In 1986 (Diego) Maradona scored with his hand and Argentina won the World Cup with that, especially because after that he scored a goal that nobody can contest. "Yesterday Equatorial Guinea scored a free-kick that nobody can dispute." | 1 | 5,580 | sports |
An index fund is a type of mutual fund that is tied to a broad stock index like the S&P 500 or the Dow Jones Industrial Average, instead of being handpicked and managed by an investment manager. For instance, a fund that tracks the S&P 500 index would own the same stocks as those within the S&P 500. | 3 | 5,581 | finance |
NEW YORK (AP) -- Forget slapstick and sex in Super Bowl ads: This year, serious was the name of the game. Nationwide ran an ad on preventable childhood death. Carnival struck a somber note with a voiceover by John F. Kennedy speaking lyrically about the sea. And a public service announcement by coalition No More depicted a chilling 911 call from a battered woman to demonstrate the terror of domestic abuse. VIDEO: WATCH ALL THE SUPER BOWL COMMERCIALS HERE Other advertisers had positive, albeit equally serious themes: McDonald's said it would let some customers pay with acts of kindness, Coca-Cola showed online negativity and bullying turning positive and Procter & Gamble's ad for its Always feminine products brand tried to redefine what it means to do things like a girl. "It's a shame there aren't any commercials for antidepressants because these commercials make me want some," said Jon Early, who was watching the game in New York with friends. "Football is supposed to be an escape." The serious tone is an effort to win over Americans who have a lower tolerance for crass ads with an overuse of sexually explicit themes and sophomoric humor. They also have short attention spans these days, thanks to bite-sized communication of social media. The serious spots were a continuation of a trend that started last year when advertisers shied away from the tactics that had been commonplace during Super Bowl. The difference this year is that many of the serious ads had an overarching "message" to live better, think better and be better. With 30-second ads costing $4.5 million for the chance to market their brand to 110-plus million Americans, advertisers were trying to make their mark by marketing socially-conscious messages. In the process, they hoped to boost the image of their brands. "The Super Bowl reflects what's happening in the country," said Tim Calkins, a marketing professor at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. "Maybe in the country today we're a little more reflective and a little more pensive." SERIOUS TONE A Microsoft ad with a voiceover by rapper Common told the story of Braylon O'Neill, a boy who was born missing the tibia and fibula bones in both of his legs so he had to learn to live with prosthetic legs developed by Microsoft. The ad struck some similar notes with Toyota's Camry ad, which featured Paralympian Amy Purdy, who also has prosthetic legs snowboarding and dancing set to a speech by Muhammad Ali that ends "I'll show you how great I am." Some serious ads bordered on sober. Nissan returned to the Super Bowl after 18 years with an ad featuring the story line of an up-and-coming race driver and his wife struggling to balance work and raising their son. In a jarring detail that many on social media pointed out, the ad was set to "Cats in the Cradle" by Harry Chapin, who was killed in a car crash. And a Nationwide ad showed a boy riding a school bus and lamenting he'll never learn to fly, or travel the world with my best friend, or even grow up, because he died in an accident. The ad was aimed at stopping preventable childhood accidents, but Charles Taylor, marketing professor at the Villanova School of Business in Pennsylvania, said the ad received the most negative response from his ad viewing panel. "It's just playing with fire focusing on an adolescents' death in the context of the Super Bowl," he said. POSITIVE BUT SERIOUS Other advertisers tried to implore people to do positive things. In apparent commentary on how heavily food companies market to Americans, Weight Watchers' Super Bowl debut ad showed pizza, doughnuts in large portions with an ominous voiceover saying "You gotta eat, right?" A tagline said Weight Watcher can help members take control. But it didn't resonate with all viewers, many of whom were at Super Bowl parties eating snacks. "Some people are saying it made them want to eat more than anything," said Villanova's Taylor. Meanwhile, fast food chain McDonald's announced it will let random customers pay for their food with acts of goodwill, such as calling their moms and telling them they love them as part of a Valentine's Day promotion that will start Monday. HUMOR IN BETWEEN Not all ads were serious, though. Nationwide's other ad showed "Mindy Project" star Mindy Kaling walking around New York believing she is invisible and doing scandalous acts, including sitting naked in Central Park and going through a car wash. Then she tries to kiss Matt Damon but he can see her. The idea is Nationwide doesn't treat customers like they're invisible. Naomi Zikmund-Fisher, a psychotherapist watching the game in Ann Arbor, Michigan, said the ad appealed to her. "It sucked you in as a plot and then ruined it for her," she said. Another ad scored early. Chevrolet's spot before kickoff appeared to be a live game feed that turned into static and a blank screen, shocking some viewers. Chevrolet used the trick to show that its Colorado truck has 4G LTE Wi Fi, allowing for live game streaming in the truck. "That one got all of our attention," said Kirin Jessel, who watched the game with co-workers in Oakland, Calif. "We were thinking `Oh my God, what's happening.'" | 1 | 5,582 | sports |
SI's Joan Niesen joins the crew to preview the Super Bowl from the Patriot perspective. Does Tom Brady's experience help, and will LeGarrette Blount carry a heavy load for NE? | 8 | 5,583 | video |
NEW YORK (AP) -- Carmelo Anthony hears those voices saying he's getting old, that he can't jump like he once did. Hard not to, since some of them are coming from right in his locker room. Anthony answered in his own way Sunday, scoring 18 of his 31 points in the third quarter as the New York Knicks beat the Los Angeles Lakers 92-80. BOX SCORE: KNICKS 92, LAKERS 80 He stared back toward his own bench in the second quarter after rising high to slam down a lob pass from Jason Smith, revealing that his teammates were teasing the 30-year-old forward recently after seeing him dunk. "They said they haven't seen that before in a long time," Anthony said, "and we had this conversation before the game today, so it was just one of those moments where I had to look at the bench and let them know that I've still got it." With Kobe Bryant out for the season and both teams among the worst in the NBA, it was anything but a Super Sunday in New York, where the national TV audience that was originally scheduled to see it missed the Lakers shooting 35.5 percent from the field. Anthony stood out above the ugliness, turning mostly to his jumper in the third quarter to help New York pull away. He shot 13 of 25 and grabbed eight rebounds. "Melo got hot, had it going and gave them a nice cushion," Lakers forward Carlos Boozer said. "We tried to fight back a little bit but it was a little too late." Langston Galloway added 13 points for the Knicks, who have won five of seven and did it easily, building their first 20-point lead since they were up 21 in a victory over Philadelphia on Nov. 22. Boozer had 19 points and 10 rebounds for the Lakers, who lost for the 10th time in 11 games. Jordan Clarkson also scored 19 points. The Lakers had snapped their nine-game losing streak with a double-overtime victory over Chicago on Thursday but they remain lost on the road, where they fell for the seventh straight time. "We just got off to a bad start in the first quarter," Lakers coach Byron Scott said. "I thought New York's energy was a whole lot harder than ours and their effort was a lot better than ours. They just played better." The Knicks are 10-38, slightly worse than the Lakers' 13-35 mark. Missing half its star power with Bryant sidelined after shoulder surgery, the game was yanked from ESPN -- the Knicks' fourth consecutive game that was dropped from the NBA's national TV schedule. It was Derek Fisher's first time coaching against the team he helped win five championships, and now Phil Jackson, the coach of those teams, will have to figure out how to build the Knicks into contenders. Fisher said that doesn't require landing another star like the Lakers did when they got Shaquille O'Neal or Pau Gasol, but acknowledged they may not be able to build gradually as teams such as Oklahoma City and Portland have. "I think you owe it to Carmelo to do it the right way, but at the same time he just signed a contract for five years," Fisher said. "He's 30 years old. We don't have 10 years to figure this out." The Knicks led 32-19 after one and pulled away in the third, when Anthony scored 12 straight Knicks points. TIP-INS Lakers: Scott said before the game that Nick Young (sprained right ankle) was available but held him out because he hadn't seen the swingman show he could run and cut. ... Starting forward Jordan Hill strained right quad in the first quarter and didn't return. Knicks: The Knicks recalled rookie Cleanthony Early from Westchester of the NBA Development League before the game. He averaged 18.5 points and 11.0 rebounds in two games during his assignment. He didn't play Sunday. ... The Knicks' games on Jan. 24 against Charlotte (NBA TV), Wednesday against Oklahoma City (ESPN) and Thursday against Indiana (TNT) had also been taken off national TV. COURTSIDE SEAT Scott was finishing his career as a player with the Lakers when Bryant and Fisher were rookies and remembers watching them play spirited 1-on-1 games. "I used to sit on the side with ice on my knees watching. It was fun to watch because neither one was giving an inch," Scott said. UP NEXT Lakers: Visit Milwaukee on Wednesday. Knicks: Host Boston on Tuesday. | 1 | 5,584 | sports |
Lexus has a different take on RC cars, in this Super Bowl ad. | 8 | 5,585 | video |
One hundred million people across 18 states are in the path of a significant winter storm. CNN's Sara Ganim reports from New York's LaGuardia Airport. | 8 | 5,586 | video |
Fernando Alonso made a troubled start to testing McLaren's new Formula One car in Spain on Sunday while champions Mercedes pounded out the laps and Sebastian Vettel went fastest for Ferrari. Spaniard Alonso, who has moved from Ferrari at the start of a new Honda-powered era for McLaren, completed just six laps on the first day of testing at the Jerez circuit. He ended last on the timesheets and 18 seconds slower than four times champion Vettel, who completed 60 laps in his first official outing for Ferrari after joining from Red Bull. Alonso said, however, that the day had been much as expected. "Obviously it was a slow start, as we knew it would be," said the double world champion. "We saw last year how difficult it was for all the teams to complete laps especially in the first couple of days." Last year was the first season of the new V6 turbo hybrid engines that replaced the old V8s. Renault in particular struggled last year while Ferrari were also well off the performance of dominant Mercedes. Honda are returning to Formula One as an engine supplier after pulling out of the sport in 2008 and all eyes were on them to see how they performed. "Today was a challenging day, which was not surprising to us given that our car has been designed to a radical all-new size-zero philosophy," said McLaren Racing director Eric Boullier. "We're still in the process of analyzing this afternoon's technical issues, systematically and methodically, in an effort to increase our mileage in the coming days." McLaren group head Ron Dennis said the engine was still a developmental unit with improvements to be made before the season-opening Australian Grand Prix on March 15. "The car is phenomenally tightly packaged in the back end," he said. "The problems that we are experiencing today are really stemming from the tense packaging that goes on inside the engine," he added. Mercedes, winners of 16 of the 19 races last year, showed every sign of picking up where they left off as Nico Rosberg pounded out 157 laps totaling nearly 700km. "That was a great start to the winter testing," said the German. "In the beginning it's all about reliability and we managed to do a lot of mileage today. "I was able to do some good long runs on the first day and that's really amazing." (Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Justin Palmer) | 1 | 5,587 | sports |
MONTREAL Goaltender Louis Domingue's loyalty to the Canadiens wasn't unwavering during his childhood growing up east of the city in Saint-Hyacinthe. He didn't even discover the team until he was 8 years old, which was when he first started playing, and once his favorite Jeff Hackett was traded to the Bruins three years later, Domingue's support followed. Even if there was a time when he cheered for the rival Bruins, there was no denying how meaningful it was to have his first NHL start occur at the Bell Centre with no less than 30 family members and friends in attendance and Domingue delivered a performance worthy of the occasion by backstopping the Coyotes to a 3-2 win Sunday in front of 21,286 for his inaugural victory. "To be able to play my first game here, to have all those people here, it's indescribable," he said. The win was the first for the Coyotes in Montreal since Oct. 28, 1996, a date that precedes Domingue's introduction to hockey, but he was a vital piece in snapping an 0-5-2-1 skid with 18 saves. So was winger Lauri Korpikoski, who tallied a pair of power play goals, which helped erase the two-goal deficit that sprouted on the scoreboard less than five minutes after puck drop. "You kind of wonder after getting scored quickly two goals you're like, 'What's going to happen now?'" Korpikoski said. "But (Domingue) responded well, and I think the whole team responded well. Our forecheck was good. We were all over them at times." Center Alex Galchenyuk had both Montreal goals his first a sizzling wrist shot from the slot amid a two-person screen at 1:15 of the first period and then he put the Canadiens up 2-0 at 4:55 when the puck redirected off him in front. "We had bad coverage on the first goal and a bad break on the second one, but we felt good about what we were doing," coach Dave Tippett said. The Coyotes started to generate more offensive zone time and after the Canadiens had 10 first-period shots, they had only five in each of the next two periods to finish with 20 a season-low for the Coyotes, who tested Canadiens goalie Dustin Tokarski 32 times. On Arizona's first power play chance late in the second, Korpikoski redirected a Martin Erat shot at 17:43. Video reviewed was used to determine whether the shaft of Korpikoski's stick, which tipped the puck, was below the crossbar, and it was confirmed a good goal. "Guys were kind of smiling and upbeat after the second period, said, 'If we get this next one, I think we're going to win this game,'" Tippett said. Sarah McLellan writes for the Arizona Republic | 1 | 5,588 | sports |
Super Bowl 49 ticket prices are officially the most expensive ever, according to Darren Rovell of ESPN . The average price of a ticket on the second-hand market was $4,600 and $4,131, according to the top resale sites StubHub and NFL Ticket Exchange, respectively. Those numbers are actually well south of the lowest entry point for tickets at various points over the past few days. That's because most of the tickets available were sold before a massive price hike. Said price hike occurred when brokers sold tickets without actually having them in hand. So when the brokers tried to get the tickets to deliver to the customers, the prices went up dramatically. As noted in the report, it was difficult to get a ticket for any less than $4,500 around Thursday, and tickets on Saturday were in the $7,000 range. Usually, as the game gets closer, the ticket prices fluctuate but there are usually points in which you're able to take advantage of the price dropping. This year, that didn't happen, and brokers had to either take a loss on the tickets they've already promised to customers, or offering refunds. The mentioned sites -- StubHub and NFL Ticket Exchange -- had systems in place that ensured their customers all received tickets. But as mentioned by Rovell, there are those who weren't as lucky. Hopefully, if you were wanting to make it out to Sunday's game, you got your ticket and didn't have to pay too much, given the highest face value of this year's tickets was in the $1,900 range. | 1 | 5,589 | sports |
A blizzard threatening to dump up to 18 inches in the Chicago area freezes the plans of millions in the Midwest forced to scrap their Super Bowl party plans. Gavino Garay reports. | 8 | 5,590 | video |
A major winter storm swept through parts of the Midwest on Sunday, dumping more than a foot (30 cm) of snow in Chicago area before tracking toward New England, a region still reeling from a powerful blizzard that struck only days ago. The fresh snowfall and strong winds complicated the plans of millions of Americans in the Midwest planning to travel to Super Bowl parties on Sunday evening. In Chicago's two major airports, about 1,400 flights were canceled. "Now we are worried about the winds, with blizzard warnings and near white-out conditions," said Amy Seeley, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Chicago. "It's reducing visibilities and will cause problems for people traveling tonight." The storm path extends from eastern Nebraska and South Dakota to the Great Lakes states and into the northern reaches of New England, according to the National Weather Service, which forecast up to 18 inches (45 cm) of snow in the Chicago area. Bitter cold weather is forecast to follow the snow across the country. In Grand Island, Nebraska, the temperature plunged to 7 Farenheit (-14 Celsius) by mid-afternoon on Sunday. Winter storm warnings were posted from the Great Lakes states to New England through Monday. Northern and southern areas of the Midwest mostly escaped with light snow. Cathy McDonagh, bar manager at Curragh Traditional Irish Pub in northwest Chicago, said the pub was open for Super Bowl watching, but the snow could put a damper on the festivities. "Most people will have a house party, and judging from the weather we won't get much of a crowd," she added. A half-foot (15 cm) of snow was forecast for Cleveland, Ohio, and even more could pile up in New York City and the Boston area, the National Weather Service said, with winds of up to 40 mph (65 kph). Across the country, the storm was a factor in about 2,000 flight cancellations and 2,100 delays, largely in Chicago, according to the online site FlightStats. 'COZY WARM' Eight inches (20 cm) of snow in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, did not faze Jason Story, 36, who had plans to watch the big game at home with his family. "We're going to stay nice and cozy warm in the house and watch the game," he said. In Iowa, the storm forced the cancellation hundreds of church services as 3 to 10 inches (7-25 cm) of snow was falling across the state. The storm followed a blizzard last week that pummeled parts of the East Coast, especially New England states, where up to three feet (90 cm) of snow piled up. New York City had prepared for a major storm but was spared the brunt. In Massachussetts, the forecasted snow prompted officials to postpone proceedings scheduled for Monday in the murder trial of ex-New England Patriots star Aaron Hernandez. School closings were announced in several states for Monday, including many in Chicago and all public schools in Providence, Rhode Island. Slippery and snowy roads were reported in numerous states and the Ohio Turnpike banned travel on Sunday for some traffic, such as vehicles with trailers. In South Dakota, a woman died on Saturday when her car slid off an icy road, the state Department of Public Safety said on Sunday. (Reporting by Kevin Murphy in Kansas City. Additional reporting by Fiona Ortiz in Chicago, Kay Henderson in Des Moines and Todd Epp in Sioux Falls, S.D.; Editing by Andre Grenon and Frances Kerry) | 5 | 5,591 | news |
Lionel Messi spared Barcelona's blushes with the winning goal in a 3-2 win over Villarreal on Sunday to keep the pressure on leader Real Madrid at the top of La Liga. Barca twice fell behind at Camp Nou but fought back strongly to seal all three points and end Villarreal's 18-match unbeaten run in all competitions. It looked as though it might extend that sequence when on-loan Real Madrid man Denis Cheryshev put Villarreal ahead in the 30th minute, but Neymar brought the host level on the stroke of halftime. Luciano Vietto restored the visitor's lead soon after the break thanks to a Gio dos Santos assist, but goals three minutes apart from Rafinha and Messi put Barca in control. Rafinha's effort was a scrappy one, but Messi's - his 22nd goal in La Liga this season was typically anything but as he caressed the ball into the net from the edge of the box. The win moves Luis Enrique's side back to within one point of fierce rival Real Madrid at the Liga summit, after Carlo Ancelotti's side thumped Real Sociedad 4-1 on Saturday. Barca made a bright start, as Sergio Asenjo clawed away Luis Suarez's first-time effort from the edge of the box, before the Uruguayan shot narrowly wide of the right-hand post. For all Barca's pressure, Villarreal took a surprise lead on the half-hour mark with its first attack of note. A loose ball on the edge of the box fell to Mario, whose wayward shot was heading well wide of the target until Cheryshev stuck out a leg and diverted the ball goalward, wrongfooting Claudio Bravo. Just when it appeared the visitor would reach the interval unscathed, it came undone in the final minute of the half as Neymar converted after Asenjo parried Rafinha's initial effort back into danger. Far from being downhearted by that blow, Villarreal retook the lead in the 51st minute. Gerard Pique's mistake allowed dos Santos to race to the byline and cut back inside his former Barca colleague before squaring the ball for Vietto to sweep home from close range. Any worries Luis Enrique had were soon eased though as Barca roared back. First, Suarez crossed for Messi whose header was blocked in front of goal, but Rafinha nipped in to smash home his first Liga goal for Barca on the rebound. Two minutes later, Jordi Alba's pass found Suarez, who again fed Messi, only this time the Argentina star was not to be denied, curling a delightful right-foot finish into the top corner from 18 yards. In a breathless period of play later, Villarreal's Victor Ruiz had a goal ruled out for offside before Barca broke upfield at pace. Neymar's appeals for a penalty were turned away as he tumbled over Asenjo's challenge one-on-one, and Suarez inexplicably headed wide from point-blank range as play went on. That miss proved academic, however, as Barca comfortably saw out the game to record its eight successive victory in all competitions. | 1 | 5,592 | sports |
Who wins the Super Bowl MVP? The gang makes their picks. | 8 | 5,593 | video |
Jeremy Menez eased the pressure on Filippo Inzaghi after his double helped AC Milan see off Parma 3-1 at San Siro on Sunday. Inzaghi's men were facing a third straight home defeat, but their top scorer stepped up in the key moments to secure a vital three points and lift them into the top half. The Frenchman converted a first-half penalty before firing in a fantastic second 12 minutes after halftime to take his personal tally for the season to 12 goals. This restored the host's lead after ex-Milan man Antonio Nocerino had canceled out the opener, raising his hands in apparent apology to the sparse crowd inside San Siro in response. Any hopes of second equalizer were dashed late as Menez teed up Cristian Zaccardo to score a third. Parma entered the match 10 points adrift at the foot of the table and despite a promising performance slipped to a fourth straight defeat, intensifying the scrutiny on coach Roberto Donadoni as its dismal season - which has featured numerous issues on and off the pitch - continues. New Milan signings Salvatore Bocchetti and Mattia Destro were in from the start as Inzaghi sought a fast start, although the visitor held it at arms' length for most of the opening stages. That was until the host was awarded a 17th-minute penalty when Zaccardo's back-post header struck the arm of Cristian Rodriguez. After much confusion, and conversation among the officials, Menez stepped up to send Antonio Mirante the wrong way from the spot. Rodriguez soon atoned somewhat for his part in Milan's opener, winning a free kick in a dangerous position and meeting Daniele Galloppa's set piece before Nocerino reacted first to poke in the knockdown from close range. Milan responded well. Alex rattled the post with a powerful free kick and Destro almost had his debut goal when Marco van Ginkel's cross caught out Mirante, though Diego Lopez was called into action by Silvestre Varela and Nocerino as Parma exploited the space left behind. Michael Essien was introduced at the break, and when his loose pass was greeted with boos by the home crowd it appeared the match may turn against the host. But with 57 minutes on the clock, Menez was once again the man to step forward for Milan. The Frenchman linked up wonderfully with Alessio Cerci down the right before cutting in and finding the bottom corner with a crisp left-footed shot. Milan was visibly lifted by the goal with Cerci exerting greater influence over the game - and Menez's work rate, as well as his goals, was beginning to win over some of the home fans. Menez received further reward for his tireless display in the 76th minute as he cut in from the right once again, but this time he played the perfect pass for an on-rushing Zaccardo to crash into the net from eight yards and seal victory. | 1 | 5,594 | sports |
Marc-Andre Fleury gave up four goals on 24 shots, allowing the Predators to defeat the Penguins 4-0. Mike Fisher, Gabriel Bourque, Roman Josi and Eric Nystrom scored for Nashville. | 1 | 5,595 | sports |
Derrick Rose earned Eastern Conference Player of the Month honors for April 2010 and March 2011, and he won't win for January 2015. But by playing 16 of 17 games, Rose finally is starting to string games together, creating a body of work with signs both encouraging and not. In fact, with 13 of 15 appearances in December, Rose now has played 29 of 32 games, missing the two December games to illness and one in January to left knee soreness. This is no small detail for a player who logged just 10 appearances in two seasons after tearing his left ACL and his right meniscus. "This is my first year back, and I've played 40-some games 1/8actually 383/8," Rose said. "I'm getting better every game. It's a great challenge. It's coming. It's a lot of runners, layups and shots that I normally make. But as long as I'm attacking, it's all positive." Rose averaged 20.3 points in January, his highest monthly scoring average this season by two points. His 4.9 assists per game were second to his 5.1 December average. And the final game of the month, Friday's loss in Phoenix, featured just his second dunk of the season, albeit a rim-rattling one in a halfcourt setting rather than in transition. That it came in the same arena and five years and one week later than his epic dunk over Suns guard Goran Dragic offered some contrast. Rose has attacked more as this season has progressed, but he's also attempting a career-high 5.6 3-pointers per game. And his explosive dunks in traffic could be few and far between these days. "Missing two years, coming out competing, if anyone was to see me play, my goal is to make it look like I haven't missed any years or missed a game," Rose said. "I've got to continue to work and continue to put every game behind me." Overall, Rose is averaging 18.6 points on 40.8 percent shooting, including 29.9 percent on 3-pointers. He is just 5-for-24 from beyond the arc over his last six games. His 4.9 assists are down from his career-high of 7.9 set in the 2011-12 lockout season. In his MVP season in 2010-11, Rose averaged 7.7 assists. "We're seeing Derrick getting better and better as the season moves along," Joakim Noah said. "The way he's moving out there, health-wise he's into it. It's just great for our team." Rose did sink the game-winning shot in the dramatic overtime victory over the Warriors, a game in which he also committed a career-high 11 turnovers. Rose's 3.4 turnovers per game are tied with his career worst, set in his MVP season and last season's aborted, 10-game campaign before the meniscus injury. Rose has grown increasingly frustrated at not getting foul calls of late, and he has appeared to often draw contact without going to the line. His 3.7 attempts per game are down from his career-best of 6.9, set in his MVP season. Statistics don't measure the defensive attention that Rose draws, creating opportunities for others. He also will benefit from the return of Mike Dunleavy, who will provide floor spacing and lanes for Rose to drive. But with the calendar in February, the Bulls are most grateful for Rose's health. "He's building his confidence," coach Tom Thibodeau said. "The fact that he's been able to string games together has helped. Playing more has helped him. I don't think he's thinking as much. He's attacking more. And when he attacks, he's a different player." | 1 | 5,596 | sports |
Alright gentlemen, we've got a bone to pick with you. Once you've agreed to move in with your girlfriend, why does it take you SO LONG to actually cohabitate? Why drag your feet? Comedians Katlyn Carlson and Meagan Holder get the scoop. | 4 | 5,597 | lifestyle |
Asian shares got off to a downbeat start on Monday, after weekend Chinese data raised concerns about growth in the world's second-largest economy. China's factory sector unexpectedly shrank for the first time in nearly 2-1/2 years last month and firms see more gloom ahead, according to a survey released on Sunday. The official Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) fell to 49.8 in January, a low last seen in September 2012 and below the 50-point level that separates growth from contraction on a monthly basis. The Chinese report came on the heels of the fourth-quarter U.S. gross domestic product report on Friday that showed growth slowed sharply as weak business spending and a wider trade deficit offset a surge in consumer spending. Also on Sunday, Greece's new leftist government began its drive to persuade a skeptical Europe to accept a new debt agreement while it starts to roll back on austerity measures imposed under its existing bailout agreement. It seeks to end the existing arrangement with the European Union, the European Central Bank and International Monetary Fund "troika" when its aid deadline expires on Feb. 28. "The combination of softer U.S. data, the disappointing China PMI and the fact that Greece is now very much on a collision course with the rest of Europe over its budget should continue to weigh on risk sentiment in Asia," Westpac Global Strategy Group said in a note to clients. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan (.MIAPJ0000PUS) was down about 0.1 percent, while Japan's Nikkei stock average (.N225) dropped 0.7 percent in early trade. On Wall Street on Friday, major U.S. stock indexes posted losses for the week and month, driven in part by concern about weak overseas demand. The S&P 500 was down 3.1 percent for January, its biggest monthly slide in a year. The risk-averse mood weighed on the dollar, which shed about 0.3 percent to 117.22 yen, not far from a two-week low of 116.64 yen touched on Friday, as investors preferred the perennial safe-haven appeal of the Japanese currency. That also helped push the euro down about 0.1 percent to 132.45. Sagging U.S. Treasury yields also undermined the greenback's appeal, as investors fled to the safety of U.S. fixed-income assets. The benchmark 10-year yield was at 1.652 percent in Asian trading, down from its U.S. close of 1.68 percent on Friday, when it fell as low as 1.646 percent, a level not seen since May 2013. Oil prices skidded after the downbeat economic data raised concern about demand, giving back some of Friday's after a record weekly drop in U.S. oil drilling triggered a short-covering rally on the final trading day of the month. Brent (LCOc1) shed 1.6 percent to $52.13 a barrel, while U.S. crude (CLc1) slipped 1.9 percent to $47.32. (Editing by Eric Meijer) | 3 | 5,598 | finance |
Air Force One, its windows blacked out to guard against attack, touched down in Afghanistan well after dark. President Obama's war-zone visits are usually short and ceremonial. In his six hours on the ground, he appeared alongside Afghanistan's leader, pinned Purple Hearts on the wounded and spoke to a hangar full of U.S. troops. But Obama also made time for something else, something personal. Just after 2 a.m., the president slipped away for a meeting that he had deliberately kept off his public schedule. In a small, private room, 15 mortuary affairs soldiers waited to greet him. These were the soldiers who prepared the bodies of troops killed in battle for their trip home. To blunt the overpowering stench of death, they wore masks when they worked, burned their uniforms regularly and dabbed Vicks VapoRub under their noses. Now that they were about to meet Obama, members of a unit used to working in the isolation of war's grim aftermath all had the same question: Of all the soldiers in Afghanistan, why had the president asked to see them? Obama's visit came in the spring of 2012, just months before his election to a second term in which he had promised to speed America's exit from its post-9/11 wars. Since then, a new war has erupted, while an old war continues. Today, the president faces mounting pressure to send more troops to Iraq to help in the battle against Islamic State extremists. His decision will be influenced by the counsel of his generals. It will also be guided by more private moments in his wartime education at the bedside of wounded troops, on the tarmac of Dover Air Force Base , where the war dead return to American soil, and in that small room with the mortuary affairs soldiers one middle of the night in Afghanistan. Discussions of war and peace in Washington often revolve around abstract questions of policy and national interest. Rarely mentioned are the human costs of war and how they weigh on a commander in chief. "It's probably the least appreciated and most difficult part of leadership," said Michele Flournoy, who served at the top levels of Obama's Pentagon. "It's not an abstraction, and, if you have any doubt, it eats at you because the human costs are very real." Every president experiences war differently. Some become consumed with its politics and ability to unravel prized domestic agendas. Others see in war an opportunity to reshape the world, build a legacy, deter future enemies. As a wartime commander, Obama has often focused his words on war's tragedies and his actions on ratcheting down risks to troops. "We believe it is a national security objective not to be losing service members in wars," said Ben Rhodes, the president's deputy national security adviser for strategic communications. Obama has sent commandos on dangerous raids to save American hostages facing imminent death in Iraq and Syria and to disrupt active terror plots. But outside of those narrow missions, he has been unusually cautious about putting U.S. troops in harm's way especially in Iraq, where American troops are today restricted from operating as close to the front lines as their Canadian and British counterparts, according to senior U.S. officials. The president's Republican critics say that Obama's caution undermines the military's ability to fight and achieve his stated goals. "He never had the steel and fire to be a wartime president," said Eliot Cohen, who was a senior State Department official in the George W. Bush administration and is now a professor at Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies. "You have to be able to give orders to send people into harm's way. You have to have the hardness to make those decisions." Obama's closest aides counter that rather than distancing himself from and hardening himself against the costs of war, the president's impulse is to understand as intimately as possible the human consequences of his decisions. And so in the quiet of 2 a.m., he arrived for his meeting with the mortuary affairs soldiers, who had just received word that the body of a 23-year-old sergeant, killed in a Taliban ambush in southern Afghanistan, was on an inbound plane. Obama thanked them for their diligence and posed for a group picture. "He told us how important our job was," recalled Sgt. 1st Class Jorge Cruz, "and said that our work had not gone unnoticed." Twenty minutes later, Obama left to prepare for a prime-time speech to the nation in which he would outline his plan to end the U.S. involvement in the Afghan war. The mortuary affairs troops strode out to the air base's tarmac, where the body of Sgt. Nicholas Dickhut was waiting for them. They documented his wounds and searched his body for pictures, letters, a pocket Bible or other talismans that could be sent home to his family. They were still working on him when Obama, speaking to a single camera in an empty airplane hangar , delivered his address. "As president, nothing is more wrenching than signing a letter to a family of the fallen, or looking into the eyes of a child who will grow up without a mother or father," Obama said. "I will not keep Americans in harm's way a single day longer than is absolutely required for our national security. But we must finish the job we started in Afghanistan and end this war responsibly." The troops finished their work about 8:30 a.m. By then, Obama was already on his way back to Washington, having left for security reasons before the sun rose. Three weeks later, a letter from the president arrived at the Rochester, Minn., home of the dead sergeant's mother. "In life your son was a shining example of all that is best in our land," Obama wrote. "In rest, may he find the peace we all seek." From Oslo to West Point Before he had much firsthand experience with the costs of war or the burdens of being commander in chief, Obama delivered a speech about both. In December 2009, just days after he issued orders sending 30,000 new troops to Afghanistan, Obama flew to Oslo to accept the Nobel Peace Prize. To prepare for his Afghanistan decision and Nobel address, Obama visited Dover Air Force Base to witness the return of 18 Americans killed in Afghanistan. He met with families of deceased troops and asked his speechwriters to pull together a packet of writings about war by people he admired: King, Gandhi, Churchill, Saint Thomas Aquinas, Reinhold Niebuhr. "I'm responsible for the deployment of thousands of young Americans to battle in a distant land," Obama said in Oslo . "Some will kill, and some will be killed. And so I come here with an acute sense of the costs of armed conflict filled with difficult questions about the relationship between war and peace." That was war as the president imagined it to be. His real-world education in the human consequences of his decisions would take place over the next several years, and, for the most part, he would reveal little of what he was learning. Obama rarely displays strong emotions, even during discussions of war. The trait has bothered some of his most senior advisers, especially those closest to the military. "One quality I missed in Obama was passion, especially when it came to the two wars," former defense secretary Robert M. Gates wrote in his autobiography. President George W. Bush would sometimes tear up when meeting with the families of deceased soldiers. "I worked for Obama longer than Bush, and I never saw his eyes well up," Gates wrote. Obama's reserve left his top advisers guessing how he was handling the growing American losses in Afghanistan, which more than tripled from 155 deaths in 2008 to nearly 500 during 2010. Those who backed his troop surge recognized that the president had made a tough decision on Afghanistan that ran counter to his instincts and the advice of his most trusted civilian advisers. "Half his staff and the vice president were telling him that he had made a mistake," said a former senior administration official, who, like other administration officials, spoke on the condition of anonymity to talk about internal deliberations. "They were constantly hounding him." Others who were sure that the surge was a mistake wondered how the president's regular visits with the wounded and maimed in military hospitals were influencing his decisions. "It's very hard to go to Walter Reed if you think you are just sustaining the status quo or a stalemate," said another member of the president's senior staff. One glimpse into Obama's thinking came last year at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, where the president outlined his new strategy for fighting terror . Obama questioned the wisdom of large-scale military occupations that stir local resentments and carry a heavy price at home. Instead, he said, he would employ small detachments of military advisers to work with local partners away from the front lines. Just as he had in Oslo, Obama talked about the horrors and human costs of combat. This time, though, he wouldn't need to draw on the abstract the wisdom of Churchill, Niebhur or King. In a brief section that Obama wrote into his speechwriter's draft, the president noted that he had announced his Afghan surge nearly five years earlier at West Point. Four soldiers in the audience that day had been killed in Afghanistan following his orders, and many more had been maimed. "I believe America's security demanded those deployments," Obama told the crowd of soon-to-be second lieutenants, whose job was now to follow his orders. "But I am haunted by those deaths. I am haunted by those wounds." Mosul and American lives Obama had barely finished delivering his West Point speech when thousands of Islamic State extremists seized Mosul, Iraq's second largest city, sweeping aside an Iraqi army that had been the beneficiary of billions of dollars in American training and equipment over the past decade. The president has responded with more than 2,100 airstrikes in Iraq and Syria and dispatched more than 1,000 military trainers and advisers. Those troops are restricted from taking part in combat and are relegated to working with Iraqi forces at secure bases or rear-area headquarters. Obama set the limits on American military involvement to prevent rash or unnecessary escalations that might result from U.S. casualties, said White House officials. "Whenever an American is harmed, it creates pressures to do something in response," Rhodes, the deputy national security adviser, said. "You saw that even though they were not service members with the hostages that were killed by [the Islamic State]." The restrictions have led some senior military officials to ask whether the United States is approaching a zero-casualty moment, similar to the one that defined U.S. foreign policy under President Bill Clinton. Then, the pressure to eliminate combat losses was fueled by a belief that Americans would not tolerate the deaths of their sons and daughters in the Balkans, Somalia and Haiti, none of which were seen as essential to the nation's security. Some top generals at the time argued that these post-Cold War missions sapped U.S. firepower and prevented the military from focusing on more pressing threats. Today, there's a broad consensus among Republicans and Democrats that the Islamic State, whose forces span the Iraq-Syria border, must be defeated. "Our interest is in making sure Iraq is whole and not riddled with safe havens that can be used to hit us," said Denis McDonough, Obama's chief of staff. The first major battle in that campaign is expected to take place this spring or summer, when Iraqi army forces will launch an offensive to drive Islamic State rebels from Mosul. Senior U.S. officials said the credibility of the Iraqi government and its rebuilt army hinges on the offensive's success. "Mosul has an iconic meaning to the Iraqis, an iconic significance," said a senior U.S. official involved in planning for the attack. "We've got something big brewing out there . . . and it's in our interests that we win." Gen. Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has said that if he determines that the Iraqis need front-line help from U.S. combat advisers to retake Mosul, he will make that recommendation to Obama. "We're certainly considering it," he told lawmakers late last year. Front-line American combat advisers would help strengthen the resolve of untested Iraqi troops. "We call it the steel rod up the backbone," said the senior U.S. official. "It is a remarkable thing to see." Front -line combat advisers could also help improve the accuracy and effectiveness of American airstrikes as Iraqi forces surge into Mosul. The decision will fall to Obama, who his advisers say will weigh a series of questions. Some will be of a military nature: If U.S. advisers help lead the fight from the front, providing the "steel rods" up the Iraqis' spines, will the Iraqi forces be able to hold and sustain their gains when the U.S. advisers leave? Some will hinge on Iraqi politics: After the battle, will the Shiite-dominated Iraqi government be able to win the support of Sunnis in Mosul, whose disaffection from Baghdad provided the opening for the Islamic State's victories last summer? Ultimately, a war-weary Obama's decision could hinge on his answer to a single, personal question. It's a question only this commander in chief can answer: After 11 years of almost nonstop war in Iraq, is driving the Islamic State from Mosul worth any more American deaths? | 5 | 5,599 | news |
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