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Japan must work with the international community to fight terrorism and boost ways to ensure the safety of its people, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Monday, a day after Islamic State militants said they had beheaded a Japanese journalist. The militants said on Sunday they had beheaded Kenji Goto, a veteran war reporter, after international efforts to secure his release through a prisoner swap failed. They killed another Japanese hostage, Haruna Yukawa, a week before. Abe reiterated his denunciation of the militants and said Japan was firmly committed to fulfilling its responsibility as a member of the global community in fighting terrorism. "If we don't move together because we're scared of terrorists it will be just as the despicable terrorists want," Abe told reporters. In a show of defiance on Sunday, Abe vowed to boost Japan's humanitarian aid for the Middle East. The hardline Islamist group, which controls large parts of Syria and Iraq, on Sunday released a video purporting to show the beheading of Goto, 47, who was captured in late October. The video was released a week after footage was issued appearing to show the beheaded body of Yukawa, who the militants seized in August after he went to Syria to launch a security company. The killings are fanning calls to allow Japan's long-constrained military to conduct overseas rescue missions as part of Abe's push for a more muscular security posture. Abe told a parliamentary panel that Japan, whose military has long been constrained by the post-World War Two pacifist constitution, could not take part in U.S.-led air strikes on Islamic State, nor would it provide logistical support. But he said he wanted to debate the possibility of rescuing nationals overseas when they were in danger. Scope for the military to mount such missions is limited by law but the government already plans to submit revisions to parliament to ease restrictions. Abe's government had put high priority on seeking the release of Goto, who was captured when he went to Syria to try to seek Yukawa's release. Goto's wife, Rinko, who had appealed for his safe release, said she and the family were devastated. "I remain extremely proud of my husband, who reported the plight of people in conflict areas like Iraq, Somalia and Syria," she said in a statement posted on the Rory Peck Trust, a London-based organisation supporting freelance journalists. "It was his passion to highlight the effects on ordinary people, especially through the eyes of children, and to inform the rest of us of the tragedies of war." (Reporting by Antoni Slodkowski; Editing by Robert Birsel) | 5 | 5,700 | news |
Superbowl Commercial: Doritos | 5 | 5,701 | news |
A bag of Doritos becomes an enticement for the middle seat, in this Super Bowl ad. | 8 | 5,702 | video |
Head-to-toe black, or bust November 17, 2015 You can take the girl out of New York, but you can't take New York out of the girl. Or so says Swift's all-black ensemble for an evening out to dinner in L.A.. Instead of taking advantage of the West Coast's warmer temps, she opted for a toasty leather jacket, knit scarf, high-waisted jeans, and ankle boots. November 13, 2015 We don't know which detail about this photo makes us more jealous: that Taylor Swift looks *this* perfect after a 13-hour flight, or that her outfit is unavailable to anyone outside of China. The singer arrived at LAX airport wearing a piece from her clothing line, which (much to our dismay) is only available through Chinese e-tailer JD.com. You can get her Stuart Weitzman platforms and Elizabeth and James bag, but let's face it: that sporty, 'TAYLOR SWIFT'-lettered dress totally makes the look. November 4, 2015 Strutting through the airport in style, Swift dons a gray turtleneck sweater, wine-hued mini-skirt (it's only $33!), and Ann Taylor leather booties. November 2, 2015 Swift channeled the '60s in a black mini-dress boasting cut-out sleeves and abstract neck detail while celebrating a friend's birthday in L.A.. October 7, 2015 Well on her way to becoming a true New Yorker, Swift dons all black wearing a turtleneck, high-waisted denim, and suede ankle boots. May 26, 2015 July 28, 2015 July 13, 2015 June 28, 2015 June 17, 2015 June 16, 2015 June 10, 2015 May 30, 2015 May 29, 2015 May 28, 2015 May 27, 2015 May 26, 2015 May 26, 2015 May 8, 2015 May 3, 2015 April 19, 2015 April 18, 2015 March 10, 2015 March 10, 2015 March 9, 2015 February 17, 2015 February 17, 2015 January 17, 2015 January 3, 2015 January 1, 2015 December 31, 2014 December 31, 2014 December 26, 2014 December 24, 2014 December 20, 2014 December 19, 2014 December 19, 2014 December 15, 2014 December 12, 2014 December 11, 2014 December 10, 2014 December 8, 2014 November 17, 2014 November 14, 2014 November 13, 2014 November 12, 2014 October 28, 2014 September 16, 2014 September 15, 2014 August 14, 2014 August 13, 2014 August 12, 2014 August 6, 2014 August 1, 2014 July 30, 2014 July 24, 2014 July 22, 2014 July 21, 2014 July 18, 2014 July 14, 2014 July 12, 2014 July 9, 2014 July 7, 2014 July 2, 2014 July 1, 2014 June 20, 2014 June 17, 2014 June 15, 2014 May 17, 2014 April 29, 2014 April 24, 2014 April 23, 2014 April 23, 2014 April 16, 2014 April 15, 2014 April 12, 2014 April 10, 2014 April 9, 2014 April 3, 2014 April 1, 2014 March 28, 2014 March 27, 2014 | 4 | 5,703 | lifestyle |
Budweiser brings back the Clydesdales and puppies. | 1 | 5,704 | sports |
Take 30 minutes out of your day to crush it! This Get Fit 2015 Challenge workout will leave you dripping with sweat and toned all over. Plus, you keep moving throughout the 30 minutes to burn serious calories while building metabolism-boosting muscles. Grab a set of medium weights, press play, and bring it! | 7 | 5,705 | health |
Carlo Ancelotti wants Real Madrid to cut out early errors after watching his side come from behind to beat Real Sociedad 4-1. | 1 | 5,706 | sports |
See why there's nothing wrong with throwing like a girl. | 8 | 5,707 | video |
Katy Perry delivered a spectacular halftime show at the Super Bowl on Sunday assisted by special guests Missy Elliott and Lenny Kravitz. Perry entered the field astride a giant, golden, robotic lion as she sang her hit "Roar" before Kravitz brought some rock guitar to a version of "I Kissed a Girl". After Missy Elliott provided the crowd of over 70,000 with her own distinctive brand of hip-hop, including "Get Ur Freak On", Perry performed on a desert island, singing her hit "Teenage Dream" and "California Gurls". The halftime show ended with another surprise as Perry was lifted 50 feet off the ground by a mechanical contraption and as she floated above the field singing "Firework", sparkling flames emerged from the construction. | 6 | 5,708 | entertainment |
New England's Darrelle Revis has gained interest from the Jets and Bills. Will the Patriots cornerback return to New York or reunite with Rex Ryan in Buffalo? | 1 | 5,709 | sports |
Who will win the last yellow Skittle? Watch this Super Bowl ad to find out | 8 | 5,710 | video |
Whether you've booked last-minute flights because they were an absolute steal or have had a bucket-list trip planned for some time, it's all too easy to forget about the travel sting that is accommodation costs. In some countries where you canget a local meal for $2, luxury resorts have a monopoly and a night's kip can mean shelling out the big bucks. Visiting a tourist-ridden popular city? You can just kiss your shopping money goodbye. But, there are exceptions gem rooms in the rough, if you will. Ahead, we found 17 great hotels that will still leave you some cash for the road. Forty winks for under $100 never looked so good. QT Port Douglas, Australia Flights to Oz are damn pricey, but thanks to QT Port Douglas, accommodation needn't cost you a limb. This luxury boutique hotel echoes the laid-back, tropical vibes of Port Douglas with its beachy furnishings, citrus-colored highlights, and an indoor-outdoor lobby (oh, to live in tropical climes). The communal spaces have simple-but-striking wicker furniture and major sun-trap appeal. El Secreto de Pozos, Pozos, Mexico With just three unique rooms, wonderfully attentive service, and artsy vibes throughout, El Secreto masters the true meaning of "boutique hotel." Airy, rustic rooms feature terracotta-tiled floors, exposed beams, locally sourced furnishings, and doors that open onto sun-flooded patios. Well-located on the main square of Pozos, shops, galleries, and eateries are all a stone's throw away. It's also a great base camp for exploring the other nearby towns, Guanajuato and San Miguel de Allende. Mini Hotel, Hong Kong "Mini" by name, not so much by nature. Mini Hotel offers guests all you expect from a boutique hotel (relaxed atmosphere, great service, designer décor) only it has a whopping 183 rooms. The space embraces the compact-living concept, with airy rooms that are snug but efficient. It's located in the hip neighborhood of Lan Kwai Fong, where there's plenty going on locally. Still, the hotel offers its own entertainment, with regular pop-up events from wine-tasting to live music. Hub, London The home of The Beatles, Dairy Milk, and Topshop, London welcomes many international pilgrimages and its accommodations don't come cheap. At least, most of them don't. Hub is a chic, slick, and well-placed 167-room hotel located right in the center of Theatreland and in walking distance of all the key sites. The contemporary, compact rooms have 40-inch, flat-screen TVs built into their walls. A hotel app allows guests to not only check in and out, but also adjust lighting and heating from their smartphones. The Burrard, Vancouver Retro and full of attitude, The Burrard is one of Vancouver's most character-filled hotels and it's affordable. The Burrard's décor channels '70s L.A. and the downtown hotel is touted as "like Melrose Place, only there's no pool to drown in." It offers free movie channels in the guest rooms, free super-fast WiFi, free Electra Cruiser bike rentals, and even free umbrellas for rainy days. Good Hotel, San Francisco This hotel isn't just good for tourists; it's good for the environment, too. The mismatch, colorful furnishings are almost exclusively made from reclaimed and recycled materials, and the hotel's mantra is "Renew, Reuse, Relax." It hopes to inspire and excite its guests to "be good" to the environment, providing a chalkboard wall for feedback instead of note cards, and complimentary bikes for exploring the city. Buzzy nightlife and edgy galleries and shops are just outside, thanks to Good Hotel's trendy SoMa location. Il Giardino di Ballaro, Sicily Year-round, this hidden gem is just $80 a night and that's with breakfast included. Located on an unassuming backstreet in the middle of Palermo, on the beautiful island of Sicily, Il Giardino di Ballaro features just seven rooms, all of which are elegantly furnished with a mix of antique and modern furniture and contemporary décor. Our favorite bit is the sun terrace hiding out back perfect for soaking up those Sicilian rays. Santa Grand Hotel Lai Chun, Singapore Along with charm, character, and history, this hotel has a super-affordable price tag with rooms available from $80 per night a novelty in a place like Singapore. Formerly an Opera House in the heart of Chinatown, Santa Grand has been developed with its past life in mind think rich red walls, paper lanterns, and twinkling melodies playing through communal areas. In contrast to the lively streets outside, the rooms are quiet retreats with decorative linen detailing, balconies, and modern appliances. Hotel Paradis, Paris With an old-fashioned, regal feel, Hotel Paradis is the perfect place to stay and feel glamorous in Paris. Richly pattern wallpapers make for interesting feature walls in the guest rooms, vintage lamps create a warm glow, and duvets are thick and heavy. Elegance continues in the communal areas, too, with glass-paneled walls in the lobby and a lounge that's perfect for people-watching those stylish Parisians. Order a martini and feel fabulous starting at $93 a night. Room Mate Kerem, Istanbul Istanbul's Room Mate Kerum is the newest hotel in Room Mate's international portfolio and is very possibly the most striking so far. Inside a beautiful, historic building is a modern and elegant hotel in the trendy Beyoglu neighbourhood, with décor that merges Art Deco elements with native Ottoman and Byzantine-style detailing. Alcove Hotel, Vietnam A 10-minute drive from downtown Saigon, Alcove "Library" Hotel gives guests a breather from the bustle of the frantic city. Inside the French-style exterior are elegant orchids, decorative tiled floors, framed prints, and floor-to-ceiling bookshelves. The 38 guest rooms are equally chic, with modern en-suites, plush linen, and more books. Sri Bungalows, Ubud, Bali Those seeking an Eat, Pray, Love travel experience on a shoestring needn't look any further than Sri Bungalows. Surrounded by lush gardens and banana tree plantations, the bungalows all have thatched roofs, decorative ceramic tiling, and bamboo-paneled bedrooms, making for a wonderfully authentic Balinese vacation. When you're not picking up trinkets from Ubud Market (five minutes away), chill out in the hotel pool while gazing out over rice paddies. Antana Hotel, Legian, Bali Antana Hotel is a calm island retreat with spacious rooms, a giant pool in the central courtyard, and an impressive rooftop bar perfect for enjoying a Mojito with a light sea breeze. Décor is simple and naturalistic, embracing the light that floods the glass-pyramid lobby. The service is top-rated and will make you feel like royalty. It's located on Legian's buzzy main strip, so guests have boutique stores, restaurants, and beach-front bars at their doorstep. Astoria7 Hotel, San Sebastián, Spain For cinema fans, boutique hotel, Astoria7 in San Sebastián is definitely a site of pilgrimage. Each and every room is dedicated to a movie legend, with everyone from Meryl Streep to Dennis Hopper to Julie Christie represented. The plush interiors are bright and beautiful, with retro themes and black-and-white portraits on the walls. A red carpet runs through the lobby, leading through to a '70s-inspired lounge and even a movie-themed library. All this glamour for just $85 per night? The Nadler, Liverpool, UK As one of the coolest, most cultural cities in the U.K. (with a thriving nightlife to match), Liverpool is a city well worth visiting. But, in contrast to its cheap pints, accommodation costs can be steep. The Nadler, however, is a find. Located in a converted cork warehouse, its 106 rooms offer guests comfort, contemporary décor, and a good night's sleep guaranteed. Rooms start at a savvy $74 per night, varying from Super Singles to lofty Gallery Studios and the unique Secret Garden Suite. | 2 | 5,711 | travel |
Activity in China's factory sector shrank for a second month in January, a private business survey showed on Monday, as the new year got off to a rocky start for the world's second largest economy. The final HSBC/Markit Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) for January came in at 49.7 on a seasonally adjusted basis, just below the 50.0 level that separates growth from contraction. The number was slightly lower than a preliminary "flash" reading of 49.8 but a tad higher than the final 49.6 for December. A similar survey released by the government on Sunday showed China's factory sector unexpectedly shrank for the first time in nearly 2-1/2 years in January, to 49.8, and firms saw more gloom ahead. January's slack performance, including a 15th month of shrinking factory employment, will add to the debate over how and whether Beijing will accelerate policy easing. Most bank economists call for a combination of rate cuts and increased liquidity to spur productive investment. While jobs shrank again, the rate slowed, with the subindex reading at 49.5 in January compared to 49.3 in December. Regardless, the slide is keeping pressure on Beijing to increase the pace at which workers migrate from once high-paying factory jobs into services, a challenging proposition given weak investment in retraining. Output prices recovered for the first time since October, although only marginally, with muted demand keeping a lid on growth. Hurt by a sagging property market, unsteady exports and cooling domestic demand and investment, China's economic growth is expected to slow further to 7 percent this year. (Reporting by Pete Sweeney; Editing by Richard Borsuk) | 3 | 5,712 | finance |
Superbowl Commercial: Dove Men | 5 | 5,713 | news |
Pepsi launches its Super Bowl halftime show with this ad. | 8 | 5,714 | video |
New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has just set the record for touchdown passes in the Super Bowl with 12. That's 12 over the course of all of his Super Bowl appearances, breaking the record of 11 previously held by San Francisco 49ers great Joe Montana. Brady trailed Montana by three touchdowns coming into Sunday's game against the Seattle Seahawks , but with three on the day, he now owns the record. The first was an 11-yard touchdown to wide receiver Brandon LaFell at the start of the second quarter. The one that tied Montana's record was a 22-yard touchdown to tight end Rob Gronkowski . The one that set the record came in the fourth quarter, when Brady hit Danny Amendola on a 4-yard touchdown pass. The touchdown put the Patriots within three points of the Seahawks, but time is running out. Brady also threw a pair of interceptions in this game -- something Montana never did in the Super Bowl. Brady threw one touchdown against the St. Louis Rams in 2011, three in 2003 against the Carolina Panthers , two in 2004 against the Philadelphia Eagles , one in 2007 against the New York Giants and two in 2011 against the Giants. Montana threw his 11 in the four Super Bowl appearances he had (all wins). There's been plenty of Montana vs. Brady talk over the past two weeks. Montana and Terry Bradshaw are both quarterbacks who have won four Super Bowls, while Brady came into this game with three. Montana has widely been recognized as the best quarterback ever, but many are looking to this game to strengthen Brady's potential claim to that consensus title. This wasn't the only record Brady set on Sunday. It's not a huge one, but Brady's 20 first-half completions were the most ever in Super Bowl history, according to ESPN . | 1 | 5,715 | sports |
For the second season in a row, the Tampa Bay Lightning have had backup goalie problems. They tried to address this year's issue by calling up top goaltending prospect Andrei Vasilevskiy and placing Evgeni Nabokov, 39, on waivers. The Lightning had signed the former New York Islanders and San Jose Sharks goalie to a one-year, $1.55 million contract during the summer in hopes that he would provide steady play behind Ben Bishop. Instead, he went 3-6-2 with a 3.15 goals-against average and a .882 save percentage. He hadn't won since Dec. 12 and he hadn't played since Jan. 11, when he was pulled after giving up four goals in a loss to the Philadelphia Flyers. "He's a real professional," general manager Steve Yzerman told the team's website . "He's a really good guy, really liked by the players and the coaches. It's not an easy decision to make…But, ultimately, we feel this is the right move." Vasilevskiy, 20, was impressive in a callup during a Bishop injury, going 3-1 with a 1.76 goals-against average and a .937 save percentage. Last year, Anders Lindback had a sub-.900 save percentage and was swept in the playoffs with Bishop hurt. He wasn't given a qualifying offer. | 1 | 5,716 | sports |
Staten Island Chuck will see at least one shadow this Groundhog Day: the one from the 6-foot-5 Bill de Blasio. Ending days of speculation, the mayor announced he would attend the ceremony in Staten Island on Monday one year after he made headlines, and some say an obituary, by dropping Chuck's sister Charlotte during the festivities. A week later, Charlotte, who had been pressed into service because Chuck was asleep, died under mysterious circumstances. Zoo officials insisted the mayor had nothing to do with the death but Hizzoner is not expected to handle the 'hog this time around. "I trust that zoo officials will (hold) any animals," mayoral spokesman Phil Walzak told reporters on Sunday. The infamous de Blasio drop was just the most recent mayoral mishap with the groundhog. Mayor Bloomberg called Chuck a "terrorist" after the crotchety critter bit him during the ceremony in 2009. The Staten Island Zoo, which hosts the ceremony, did not comment by press time. Legend has it that if a groundhog sees his shadow on Feb. 2, we can expect six more weeks of winter. If he does not see his shadow, there will be an early spring. Cross your fingers: The forecast does indeed call for cloudy, shadow-suppressing skies on Monday. The city has been doing an annual event at the Staten Island Zoo since 1981, but the granddaddy of all Groundhog Day celebrations is in Punxsutawney, Penn. [email protected] | 5 | 5,717 | news |
The Canucks scored two goals late in the third period, but it wasn't enough as they lost to the Wild 4-2. Vancouver's Alexander Edler had a goal disallowed early in the third. | 1 | 5,718 | sports |
A man who hates surprises still finds a loud one, in this Discover ad. | 8 | 5,719 | video |
Breaking Bad's Walter White becomes a pharmacist, sort of, in the Super Bowl Ad for Esurance. | 8 | 5,720 | video |
Minions Big Game Spot | 8 | 5,721 | video |
Superbowl Commercial: Weight Watchers | 5 | 5,722 | news |
President Obama unveiled a $4 trillion budget Monday, featuring an ambitious public works program, a one-time tax on foreign profits kept overseas by corporations, tax credits for middle-class Americans, and a 1.3 percent pay raise for federal employees and troops. The massive document is a blueprint for what Obama has been calling "middle-class economics," but congressional Republicans are likely to view it merely as the president's opening bid in a contentious process designed to forge a tax and spending plan for the new fiscal year. The document will become, if not law, another defining moment for the president as he tries to carve out priorities for his remaining two years in office. Administration officials have tried to map out potential political trade-offs by offering elements such as a corporate tax revision that could appeal to Republicans, while asking for more spending on infrastructure. But the president is also seeking to fund his proposals by raising taxes on the richest Americans, an approach that has immediately drawn Republican opposition. House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), appearing on television Sunday, rejected many of Obama's ideas for raising taxes on the wealthy as "envy economics." The president's budget features a six-year, $478 billion public works program for upgrading the nation's infrastructure, including roads, railroads and ports. The package is bigger and stretched over more years than Obama's earlier unsuccessful requests for infrastructure money. The administration is proposing to pay for the ambitious program in part with revenue from a one-time mandatory 14 percent tax on about $2 trillion in profits that corporations have been keeping overseas in order to avoid corporate income taxes here. The tax would be a sizable hit on multinationals and a way of discouraging them from parking money in foreign countries. The administration also is seeking to lower the corporate federal income-tax rate to 28 percent from 35 percent by closing loopholes. And the president wants to raise pay for federal workers and troops by 1.3 percent, which would be more than the 1 percent pay bump given to them the past two fiscal years. The administration is also seeking a 6 percent increase in research and development spending, a "substantial investment" in early education, boosts in efforts on cyber-security, and resources to fight the Islamic State and other foreign threats. The Office of Management and Budget said the president's plan would produce a $474 billion deficit, or 2.5 percent of the gross domestic product, which is little changed from the current fiscal year but in line with deficits as a share of the economy over the past half-century. The budget requests exceed the spending caps established in 2010 by $74 billion spread evenly between military and non-military discretionary spending, and while the administration is proposing offsets, it also argued strongly for the elimination of the limits that trigger wide cuts known as sequestration. "We've seen bipartisan agreement that the sequestration is mindless and is not the right approach for our country," said a senior administration official. The OMB also forecasts that over the next decade, nearly $6 trillion will be added to the national debt, but that would represent a small decline as a share of the economy at 73.3 percent in 2025, said a congressional aide familiar with the plan who was not authorized to speak about it publicly. That forecast includes $1.8 trillion in deficit-reduction measures, said another person familiar with the plan. The administration said it "achieves these goals by replacing mindless austerity with smart reforms, paying for all new investments" and seeking new savings. That isn't likely to appease Republicans, however, who are expected to quickly dismiss Obama's budget request and start drafting their own blueprint that would seek to eliminate deficits entirely over the next 10 years and tackle the biggest drivers of government spending: Social Security and federal health programs. Although the president has previewed his tax and spending priorities over the past two weeks, the budget provides important and controversial details. "This is a budget that fleshes out the president's State of the Union address and puts meat on the bones of his middle-class economics agenda," said Rep. Chris Van Hollen (Md.), the ranking Democrat on the House Budget Committee. "It makes important strategic investmens to sharpen our competitive edge, including investments in infrastructure, science research and education things that have helped power the American economy in the past and we risk falling behind if we don't make those investments going forward." Van Hollen added that the administration is proposing tax changes including an increase in the capital gains tax and expanded tax credits for families with children "designed to address what is currently a tilt in the tax code in favor of those who make money off of money and against those who make money off of hard work." According to a Tax Policy Center paper , if all of the major individual income tax provisions were fully phased in, the president's package would raise taxes by an average of $164 per household in 2016. But winners would outnumber losers by more than 7 to 1, with the tax increases concentrated among the richest 1 percent of households. The vast majority of households in the bottom four quintiles would pay lower taxes or receive larger refunds as a result of the policy proposals. Those in the lowest quintile would by far save the most. "My job is to present the right ideas," Obama told NBC News in a pre-Super Bowl interview broadcast from the White House. "If the Republicans think they've got a better idea, they should present them. But my job is not to trim my sails and not tell the American people what we should be doing, pretending somehow that we don't need better roads or more affordable college." The president will also propose approximately $1.8 trillion in deficit-reducing measures over a 10-year period. Those measures, which resemble past proposals, would include about $160 billion in higher income and Social Security taxes resulting from immigration reform, $400 billion in health care savings. and $640 billion from taxes raised mostly by eliminating deductions without raising rates. Additional savings would come from lower interest costs on the federal debt. One item that will still be in the printed version of the budget: a tax on withdrawals from 529 accounts designed to promote parents' savings for college tuition. After that proposal was recently greeted with a backlash, the administration retreated from the idea, but it was too late to change the printed budget. Obama administration officials have been trying to link various tax and spending changes to build support among members of Congress who might favor only one part of those pairings. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew recently said that the windfall resulting from taxing foreign profits accumulated by corporations should go to funding the infrastructure program. The administration also paired increases in capital gains taxes and a new fee on the liabilities of big banks and insurance companies with proposals to expand middle-class tax credits and free community-college education. And the administration has also said that it wants to break through spending caps for discretionary spending by equal amounts for military and non-military programs. But making those trade-offs will prove more difficult in Congress than on paper. For example, the tax on foreign profits, regardless of whether they are brought back to the United States, is likely to face strong headwinds in Congress. Obama's plan would impose an immediate tax of up to $280 billion on U.S.-based multinationals at a time when many lawmakers are worried about pushing companies to move their headquarters overseas. The 14 percent tax would "transition" to a long-term 19 percent rate, senior administration officials said. As previously announced, the budget will include an increase in the top capital gains tax rate to 28 percent, which would fall primarily on the richest 1 percent of Americans. "What I think the president is trying to do here is to, again, exploit envy economics. This top-down redistribution doesn't work," Ryan said on NBC's "Meet the Press." "It may make for good politics; it doesn't make for good economic growth." For example, Ryan called Obama's plan to expand the amount of inherited wealth subject to the capital gains tax "a bad idea" that would make it "really hard for a family to pass on a family business to the next generation." Still, Ryan embraced some of Obama's proposals for cutting taxes, especially for the struggling middle class. Ryan has long endorsed expanding the earned-income tax credit to childless adults, for example, saying it "pulls people into the workforce." "We really believe that we should reform the entire tax code for all people individuals, families, businesses, simpler, the whole thing. But it is pretty clear to us that the president doesn't agree with that on individuals," Ryan said. "So the question is which I don't know the answer to is there common ground on aspects of tax reform that we think can help grow the economy? . . . We'll find out." [email protected] Lori Montgomery and Juliet Eilperin contributed to this report. | 5 | 5,723 | news |
Zack Greinke can opt out of his deal with the Dodgers at the end of next season. If he opts out, how much money could he end up making? | 1 | 5,724 | sports |
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) -- Ten years removed from his last Super Bowl win, Tom Brady wasn't letting this one slip away. Sure, the brilliant Brady needed a huge play by an undrafted rookie to preserve New England's 28-24 Super Bowl victory over Seattle on Sunday night. But Brady's imprint was all over the Patriots' sensational fourth-quarter rally for their fourth NFL championship of the Brady-Bill Belichick era. PHOTOS: Top images from Super Bowl Game Day "You know, whatever it takes," the record-setting Brady said after throwing for four touchdowns, including a 3-yarder to Julian Edelman with 2:02 remaining as New England rallied from a 10-point deficit. "Every team has a journey and a lot of people lost faith in us ... but we held strong, we held together, and it's a great feeling." The Patriots (15-4) had to survive a last-ditch drive by the Seahawks (14-5), who got to the 1, helped by a spectacular juggling catch by Jermaine Kearse. Then Malcolm Butler stepped in front of Ricardo Lockette to pick off Russell Wilson's pass and complete one of the wildest Super Bowl finishes. Brady leaped for joy on the Patriots sideline after Butler's first career interception. "It wasn't the way we drew it up," said Brady, who won his third Super Bowl MVP award. "It was a lot of mental toughness. Our team has had it all year. We never doubted each other, so that's what it took." Brady surpassed Joe Montana's mark of 11 Super Bowl touchdown passes with a 4-yarder to Danny Amendola to bring the Patriots within three points RELATED: Wilson falls just short second time around Seattle, seeking to become the first repeat NFL champion since New England a decade ago, was outplayed for the first half, yet tied at 14. The Seahawks scored the only 10 points of the third period, but the NFL-leading defense couldn't slow the brilliant Brady when it counted most. "He's Tom Brady," Edelman said. "He's the greatest quarterback on the planet." It didn't matter how much air was in the balls, Brady was unstoppable when the pressure was strongest. While pushing aside the controversy over air pressure in the footballs stemming from the AFC title game, the Patriots toyed with Seattle in the final 12 minutes. RELATED: Marshawn Lynch not surprised by play call on Super Bowl-sealing pick Seattle didn't quit -- it never does -- and Kearse's 33-yard catch with 1:06 remaining got it to the 5. Marshawn Lynch rushed for 4 yards, then backup cornerback Butler, who was victimized on Kearse's reception, made the biggest play of his first NFL season with 20 seconds remaining. "I just had a vision that I was going to make a big play and it came true," said Butler, an undrafted rookie from West Alabama. "I'm just blessed. I can't explain it right now. It's crazy." Seahawks linebacker Bruce Irvin was ejected in the final seconds for instigating a near-brawl, delaying the celebration for the Patriots. Soon they were mobbing one another on the same field where their 2007 unbeaten season was ruined in the Super Bowl by the Giants. They also fell to the Giants for the 2011 title. But thanks to superstar Brady and the obscure Butler, they are champions again. "Malcolm, what a play," Brady said. "I mean, for a rookie to make a play like that in a Super Bowl and win us the game, it was unbelievable." Brady has equaled Montana with four Lombardi Trophies and three Super Bowl MVPs. He stands alone with 13 Super Bowl touchdown passes. He was 37 for 50 for 328 yards against the NFL's top-ranked defense. He also was picked off twice; Brady was intercepted a total of two times in his previous five Super Bowls. Yet, he picked apart the Seahawks on fourth-quarter drives of 68 and 64 yards, solidifying his championship legacy. VIDEO: Is Brady the Best SB QB? His heroics offset those of Chris Matthews, one of Seattle's least-used players before the postseason. Matthews recovered the onside kick that helped the Seahawks beat Green Bay in overtime for the NFC crown, and had a breakout performance Sunday. Having never caught a pass in the NFL, Matthews grabbed four for 109 yards and a touchdown. Lynch ran for 102 yards, but didn't get the ball at the 1 on the decisive play -- a decision the Seahawks will rue forever. "For it to come down to a play like that, I hate that we have to live with that," coach Pete Carroll said, "because we did everything right to win the football game. The teams got down to football under the open retractable roof at University of Phoenix Stadium -- the first venue to host an indoor and an outdoor Super Bowl -- after dealing with distractions far beyond the typical Super Bowl hype. The Patriots are still being investigated for using for those under-inflated footballs the AFC championship game. RELATED: Seahawks listed as favorites in odds for Super Bowl 50 It was a game of spurts by both teams before a crowd of 70,288 that was clearly pro-Seattle. Jeremy Lane made the first big play to negate a nearly eight-minute drive by the Patriots with a leaping interception at the goal line late in the first quarter. Lane made his first pro interception, but left with a wrist injury after being tackled by Julian Edelman. His replacement, Tharold Simon, got torched by Brady the rest of the way. Wilson was getting no time to look downfield and he didn't get off a pass in the first quarter. When Brady completed his record 50th postseason TD throw, 11 yards to Brandon LaFell against Simon, it was 7-0. Seattle went to its bench to help tie it. Matthews' first career catch, a reaching 44-yarder over Kyle Arrington and by far the longest first-half play for Seattle, led to Lynch's bruising 3-yard TD run to make it 7-7. But Brady to Rob Gronkowski made it 14-7 and seemed to finish off a dominant first half for the Patriots. Except no one told the resilient Seahawks. VIDEO: Jermaine Kearse makes impossible catch A dormant offense turned dangerous in a span of 29 seconds, covering 80 yards in five plays, including a late gamble. Lockette caught a 23-yard pass and Arrington was flagged for a facemask, putting Seattle at the 10 with :06 remaining. Carroll went for it and the new Seahawks star, Matthews, grabbed Wilson's pass in the left corner of the end zone. It was the most lopsided halftime tie imaginable. Then Seattle stormed to a 24-14 lead in the third quarter on Steven Hauschka's 27-yard field goal and Doug Baldwin's 3-yard TD reception. New England was stumbling -- until Brady once again stepped up. "I've been at it for 15 years and we've had a couple of tough losses in this game," Brady said. "This one came down to the end, and this time, we made the plays." ------ Online: AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL Twitter feed: http://twitter.com/AP--NFL | 1 | 5,725 | sports |
Watch Nissan's moving Super Bowl commercial. | 8 | 5,726 | video |
It's your data. Keep it. How else will you stay up to the minute with Kim Kardashian? | 8 | 5,727 | video |
The Seahawks needed some big plays, so they've turned to...Chris Matthews? | 8 | 5,728 | video |
The Jeep Renegade takes a journey to some amazing locations. | 8 | 5,729 | video |
This isn't a pumpkin peach ale to sip on. Budweiser is beer brewed the hard way. | 8 | 5,730 | video |
Lethal autonomous weapons systems that can select and engage targets do not yet exist, but they are being developed. Are the ethical and legal problems that such "killer robots" pose so fraught that their development must be banned? Human Rights Watch thinks so. In its 2012 report Losing Humanity: The Case Against Killer Robots , the activist group demanded that the nations of the world "prohibit the development, production, and use of fully autonomous weapons through an international legally binding instrument." Similarly, the robotics and ethics specialists who founded the International Committee on Robot Arms Control want "a legally binding treaty to prohibit the development, testing, production and use of autonomous weapon systems in all circumstances." Several international organizations have launched the Campaign to Stop Killer Robots to push for such a global ban, and a multilateral meeting under the Convention on Conventional Weapons was held in Geneva, Switzerland last year to debate the technical, ethical and legal implications of autonomous weapons. The group is scheduled to meet again in April 2015. At first blush, it might seem only sensible to ban remorseless automated killing machines. Who wants to encounter the Terminator on the battlefield? Proponents of a ban offer four big arguments. The first is that it is just morally wrong to delegate life-and-death decisions to machines. The second is that it will simply be impossible to instill fundamental legal and ethical principles into machines in such a way as to comply adequately with the laws of war. The third is that autonomous weapons cannot be held morally accountable for their actions. And the fourth is that, since deploying killer robots removes human soldiers from risk and reduces harm to civilians, they make war more likely. To these objections, law professors Kenneth Anderson of American University and Matthew Waxman of Columbia respond that an outright ban "trades whatever risks autonomous weapon systems might pose in war for the real, if less visible, risk of failing to develop forms of automation that might make the use of force more precise and less harmful for civilians caught near it." Choosing whether to kill a human being is the archetype of a moral decision. When deciding whether to pull the trigger, a soldier consults his conscience and moral precepts; a robot has no conscience or moral instincts. But does that really matter? "Moral" decision-making by machines will also occur in non-lethal contexts. Self-driving cars will have to choose what courses of action to take when a collision is imminent e.g., to protect their occupants or to minimize all casualties. But deploying autonomous vehicles could reduce the carnage of traffic accidents by as much as 90 percent. That seems like a significant moral and practical benefit. "What matters morally is the ability consistently to behave in a certain way and to a specified level of performance," argue Anderson and Waxman. War robots would be no more moral agents than self-driving cars, yet they may well offer significant benefits, such as better protecting civilians stuck in and around battle zones. But can killer robots be expected to obey fundamental legal and ethical principles as well as human soldiers do? The Georgia Tech roboticist Ronald Arkin turns this issue on its head, arguing that lethal autonomous weapon systems "will potentially be capable of performing more ethically on the battlefield than are human soldiers." While human soldiers are moral agents possessed of consciences, they are also flawed people engaged in the most intense and unforgiving forms of aggression. Under the pressure of battle, fear, panic, rage and vengeance can overwhelm the moral sensibilities of soldiers. The result, all too often, is an atrocity. Now consider warbots. Since self-preservation would not be their foremost drive, they would refrain from firing in uncertain situations. Not burdened with emotions, autonomous weapons would avoid the moral snares of anger and frustration. They could objectively weigh information and avoid confirmation bias when making targeting and firing decisions. They could also evaluate information much faster and from more sources than human soldiers before responding with lethal force. And battlefield robots could impartially monitor and report the ethical behavior of all parties on the battlefield. The baseline decision-making standards instilled into war robots, Anderson and Waxman suggest, should be derived from the customary principles of distinction and proportionality. Lethal battlefield bots must be able to make distinctions between combatants and civilians and between military and civilian property at least as well as human soldiers do. And the harm to civilians must not be excessive relative to the expected military gain. Anderson and Waxman acknowledge that current robot systems are very far from being able to make such judgments reliably, but do not see any fundamental barriers that would prevent such capacities from being developed incrementally. Individual soldiers can be held responsible for war crimes they commit. But who would be accountable for the similar acts executed by robots? University of Virginia ethicist Deborah Johnson and Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences philosopher Merel Noorman make the salient point that "it is far from clear that pressures of competitive warfare will lead humans to put robots they cannot control into the battlefield without human oversight. And, if there is human oversight, there is human control and responsibility." The robots' designers would set constraints on what they could do, instill norms and rules to guide their actions and verify that they exhibit predictable and reliable behavior. "Delegation of responsibility to human and non-human components is a socio-technical design choice, not an inevitable outcome technological development," Johnson and Noorman note. "Robots for which no human actor can be held responsible are poorly designed sociotechnical systems." Rather than focus on individual responsibility for the robots' activities, Anderson and Waxman point out that traditionally each side in a conflict has been held collectively responsible for observing the laws of war. Ultimately, robots don't kill people; people kill people. Would the creation of phalanxes of war robots make the choice to go to war too easy? Anderson and Waxman tartly counter that to the extent that banning warbots potentially better at protecting civilians for that reason "morally amounts to holding those endangered humans as hostages, mere means to pressure political leaders." The roots of war are much deeper than the mere availability of more capable weapons. Instead of a comprehensive treaty, Waxman and Johnson urge countries, especially the United States, to eschew secrecy and be open about their war robot development plans and progress. Lethal autonomous weapon systems are being developed incrementally, which gives humanity time to understand better their benefits and costs. Treaties banning some extremely indiscriminate weapons poison gas, landmines, cluster bombs have had some success. But autonomous weapon systems would not necessarily be like those crude weapons; they could be far more discriminating and precise in their target selection and engagement than even human soldiers. A preemptive ban risks being a tragic moral failure rather than an ethical triumph. | 5 | 5,731 | news |
At this point, I think pretty much everyone has gotten the message that guzzling soda is bad for your waistline, but you may be surprised to learn how many other health problems have been linked to drinking "liquid candy." The latest addition to soda's growing list of health hazards is early puberty in girls . A new Harvard University study found that girls who drank more than 1.5 servings of sugary beverages per day experienced their first period about 3 months earlier than those who drank less than 2 servings per week. Sugary drinks may contribute to weight gain and obesity, a known contributor to early puberty, but the researchers found that the effect of sweetened beverages on pubertal age remained even after controlling for participants' body mass index (BMI), a common measure of body fatness. The results are concerning because starting menstruation at a young age increases a woman's risk for breast cancer later in life. This new finding joins a litany of other reasons that people of all ages should kick their soda habit once and for all, including: 1. Weight gain. Studies in adults and children have shown that people who increase their consumption of sugary drinks, including soda, gain more weight over time than people who cut back. Sugary drinks are double trouble for your waistline because they are loaded with empty calories from added sugar, and beverages calories don't fill you up the same way that calories from food do. 2. Type 2 diabetes. Individuals with the highest intake of sugary beverages have a 26 percent greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes compared to those who drink less than 1 serving per month, according to a 2010 research review . Regular soda drinkers are more likely to be obese, which puts them at higher risk for type 2 diabetes. However, sugary beverages may pose an additional risk because their concentrated sugar load spikes blood sugar and insulin levels. 3. High blood pressure. Frequent drinkers of sugary beverages are more likely to develop hypertension , and research shows that cutting back on soda, lemonade, and other sweet drinks lowers blood pressure. 4. Heart disease. A Harvard University study found that men who drank one (12-ounce) sugary beverage a day were 20 percent more likely to have a heart attack compared to men who didn't drink any sugar-sweetened drinks, and similar results have been found in women. Fructose, a sugar found in drinks sweetened with both regular sugar and high fructose corn syrup, may be especially damaging to the heart because it promotes inflammation and raises levels of blood fats called triglycerides. 5. Certain cancers. A 2013 study found that postmenopausal women who drank the most sugary beverages were 78 percent more likely to develop the most common type of endometrial cancer compared to women who rarely drank sweetened drinks. In men, drinking one can of soda daily was found to increase the risk of aggressive prostate cancer by 38 percent. 6. Kidney stones. Staying well-hydrated protects against kidney stones, but choosing sugary beverages like soda and fruit punch has actually been shown to increase the risk of stones. The fructose found in sweetened drinks increases urine levels of uric acid, oxalate, and calcium, compounds that can concentrate to form stones. 7. Gout. Sipping one sugary drink per day has been shown to raise both men's and women's risk of developing gout, a painful arthritis. Gout is caused by the buildup of uric acid in joints, and a high fructose intake from sweetened beverages is thought to promote uric acid formation. 8. Low bone density. Some research shows that regular soda drinkers have lower bone density and a higher risk of fracture. Soda may take a toll on bones because it displaces more nutritious beverages like calcium-rich milk in the diet. 9. Cavities. Let's not forget the damage that sugary beverages do to teeth. The heavy dose of sugar found in soda, lemonade, fruit drinks, and sweet tea feeds bacteria in the mouth, which ultimately leads to tooth decay. Sodas also contain acids that wear down enamel, making teeth more prone to cavities. Finding a Healthy Sub for Soda If you're still drinking soda but concerned about its health effects, chances are that you have tried to give it up in the past without success. If that's the case, I urge you to give it another shot, because it really is a change worth making. I always encourage soda lovers (regular and diet) to swap their drink for naturally fruit-flavored seltzers, because they provide the same fizzy fix but are completely free of sugar and artificial sweeteners. If you've tried seltzer in the past but find it too bitter, try drinking it daily for a week straight to see if that changes your mind. I find that it takes people about that long to adjust to the taste. You can also try experimenting with different flavors. In my experience, the tart pomegranate and cranberry flavors are most appealing to seltzer newbies. | 7 | 5,732 | health |
WASHINGTON With Russian-backed separatists pressing their attacks in Ukraine, NATO's military commander, Gen. Philip M. Breedlove, now supports providing defensive weapons and equipment to Kiev's beleaguered forces, and an array of administration and military officials appear to be edging toward that position, American officials said Sunday. President Obama has made no decisions on providing such lethal assistance. But after a series of striking reversals that Ukraine's forces have suffered in recent weeks, the Obama administration is taking a fresh look at the question of military assistance. Secretary of State John Kerry, who plans to visit Kiev on Thursday, is open to new discussions about providing lethal aid, as is Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, officials said. In recent months, Susan E. Rice, Mr. Obama's national security adviser, has resisted proposals to provide lethal assistance, several officials said. But one official said that she was now prepared to reconsider the issue. Fearing that the provision of defensive weapons might tempt President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia to raise the stakes, the White House has limited American aid to "non-lethal" items, including body armor, night-vision goggles, first aid kits and engineering equipment. But the failure of economic sanctions to dissuade Russia from sending heavy weapons and military personnel to eastern Ukraine is pushing the issue of defensive weapons back into discussion. "Although our focus remains on pursuing a solution through diplomatic means, we are always evaluating other options that will help create space for a negotiated solution to the crisis," said Bernadette Meehan, a spokeswoman for the National Security Council. Fueling the broader debate over policy is an independent report to be issued Monday by eight former senior American officials, who urge the United States to send $3 billion in defensive arms and equipment to Ukraine, including anti-armor missiles, reconnaissance drones, armored Humvees and radars that can determine the location of enemy rocket and artillery fire. Michèle A. Flournoy, a former senior Pentagon official who was among those considered to replace Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, joined in preparing the report. Others include James G. Stavridis, a retired admiral who served as the top NATO military commander, and Ivo Daalder, the United States ambassador to NATO during Mr. Obama's first term. "The West needs to bolster deterrence in Ukraine by raising the risks and costs to Russia of any renewed major offensive," the report says. "That requires providing direct military assistance in far larger amounts than provided to date and including lethal defensive arms." In his State of the Union address last month, Mr. Obama noted that the economic sanctions imposed by the United States and its allies had hurt the Russian economy. But American officials acknowledge that Russia has repeatedly violated an agreement, reached in Minsk in September. The agreement called for an immediate cease-fire in Ukraine, the removal of foreign forces and the establishment of monitoring arrangements to ensure that the border between Ukraine and Russia would be respected. In recent weeks, Russia has shipped a large number of heavy weapons to support the separatists' offensive in eastern Ukraine, including T-80 and T-72 tanks, multiple-launch rocket systems, artillery and armored personnel carriers, Western officials say. Some of the weapons are too sophisticated to be used by hastily trained separatists, said a Western official who, like others discussing the issue, declined to be identified because he was discussing intelligence reports and internal policy debates. NATO officials estimate that about 1,000 Russian military and intelligence personnel are supporting the separatist offensive while Ukrainian officials insist that the number is much higher. Supported by the Russians, the separatists have captured the airport at Donetsk and are pressing to take Debaltseve, a town that sits aside a critical rail junction. All told, the separatists have captured 500 square kilometers about 193 square miles of additional territory in the past four months, NATO says. The assessment of some senior Western officials is that the Kremlin's goal is to replace the Minsk agreement with an accord that leaves the separatists with a more economically viable enclave and would be more favorable to the Kremlin's interests. A spokesman for General Breedlove declined to comment on his view on providing defensive weapons, which was disclosed by United States officials privy to confidential discussions. "General Breedlove has repeatedly stated that he supports the pursuit of a diplomatic solution as well as considering practical means of support to the government of Ukraine in its struggle against Russian-backed separatists," the spokesman, Capt. Gregory L. Hicks of the Navy, said. But a Pentagon official who is familiar with the views of General Dempsey and Adm. James A. Winnefeld Jr., the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said they believed the issue of defensive weapons should be reconsidered. "A comprehensive approach is warranted, and we agree that defensive equipment and weapons should be part of that discussion." the Pentagon official said. Russian casualties remain a delicate political issue for Mr. Putin, who has denied that Russian troops have been ordered to fight in Ukraine. The report by Ms. Flournoy and the other former officials argues that the United States and its allies should capitalize on this fact to dissuade the Russians and the separatists from expanding their offensive. "One of the best ways to deter Russia from supporting the rebels in taking more territory and stepping up the conflict is to increase the cost that the Russians or their surrogates would incur," Ms. Flournoy said. The current stock of Ukrainian anti-armor missiles, the report notes, is at least two decades old, and most of them are out of commission. So the report recommends that the United States provide the Ukrainian military with light anti-armor missiles, which might include Javelin antitank missiles. "Providing the Ukrainians with something that can stop an armored assault and that puts at risk Russia or Russian-backed forces that are in armored vehicles, I think, is the most important aspect of this," she added. The Obama administration has provided radars that can locate the source of mortars. But the report urges the United States to also provide radars that can pinpoint the location of rocket and artillery fire. Enemy rocket and artillery attacks account for 70 percent of the Ukrainian military's casualties, the report says, citing statistics provided by a Ukrainian officer. Ukraine, the report notes, also needs reconnaissance drones, especially since the Ukrainian military has stopped all flights over eastern Ukraine because of the separatists' use of antiaircraft missiles supplied by Russia. The report also urged the United States to provide military communications equipment that cannot be intercepted by Russian intelligence and recommended the transfer of armored Humvees and field hospitals. Poland, the Baltic States, Canada and Britain, the report says, might also provide defensive weapons if the United States takes the lead. The report was issued jointly by the Atlantic Council, the Brookings Institution and the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. The other officials who prepared it are Strobe Talbott, who served as deputy secretary of State in the Clinton administration; Charles F. Wald, a retired Air Force general who served as deputy commander of the United States European Command; Jan M. Lodal, a former Pentagon official; and two former U.S. ambassadors to Ukraine, John Herbst and Steven Pifer. | 5 | 5,733 | news |
Roast chickpeas - just like crisps but more healthy! Well, maybe not exactly the same as crisps, but just as tasty and definitely healthy. | 0 | 5,734 | foodanddrink |
St. Louis defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk sustained a lower body injury on Sunday in Washington. What would be the impact of Shattenkirk's injury if he missed games? | 1 | 5,735 | sports |
Take a look at the larger and improved Fiat. | 8 | 5,736 | video |
The sound of America at work. | 8 | 5,737 | video |
Photon entanglement is one of the odder properties of quantum physics, but it promises a lot for computing -- if one photon can instantly affect another no matter how far away it is, you could make super-speedy computers and communications that aren't easily limited by physical distances. It hasn't been easy to get entanglement tech down to a manageable size, however, and that's where Italy's Università degli Studi di Pavia might just come to the rescue. Its researchers have developed a tiny emitter that could pump out entangled photons as part of an otherwise ordinary silicon chip. The device, which uses a ring shape to both rope in and emit light, measures just 20 microns across. That's hundreds of times smaller than existing devices, which are comparatively gigantic at a few millimeters wide. You probably won't see whole processors built around this technique, at least not for a while. Chip makers usually work on the nanometer scale -- Intel's new 14nm processors are far more intricate than this ring. Moreover, there's some refinement left to make sure this part produces a reliable stream of tangled photons. If everything falls into place, however, you could see entanglement rings boosting performance in certain tasks. You might also see an entanglement-based component that handles jobs which aren't otherwise possible, like spy-proof quantum cryptography. This breakthrough isn't going to change semiconductors overnight, but it could make quantum computing more of a practical reality. | 5 | 5,738 | news |
KUALA LUMPUR Malaysian state-owned investment firm 1Malaysia Development Bhd. missed another deadline to repay a $550 million loan over the weekend, although people familiar with the matter say it is edging closer to sealing a financing arrangement with local tycoon Ananda Krishnan to help pay off the debt. Creditor banks have also given the fund, better known as 1MDB, more time to make the payment. Negotiations for setting a new deadline are still under way, the people said. The company, whose advisory board is chaired by Prime Minister Najib Razak, has already twice delayed the repayment of the loan. It was first extended from an initial end-of-Nov. deadline, and then again the following month, embarrassing the Malaysian government and raising concerns 1MDB's ability to pay its other, much larger obligations as the country's currency stumbles amid a slide in oil prices. A breakthrough, however, came late last week. Mr. Krishnan, a telecoms and cable-TV magnate, agreed in principle to lend funds to 1MDB to help settle the state investment firm's debt to a group of Malaysian banks including Malayan Banking Bhd. and RHB Bank Bhd., which was due Saturday. 1MDB is still discussing the terms of the lifeline from Mr. Krishnan, people with knowledge of the talks said, blowing out the midnight Saturday deadline. The businessman's investment group initially guaranteed the $550 million loan in 2012 as part of an agreement to sell power-generation assets to 1MDB, and now Mr. Krishnan is negotiating to come in as a cornerstone investor in 1MDB's energy business ahead of a planned $3 billion initial public offering. Mr. Krishnan couldn't be immediately reached for comment, nor could representatives at the Malaysian banks. People familiar with the unfolding situation say that 1MDB has the funds to repay the $550 million, or 2 billion ringgit, loan. The delay in paying it relates instead to the negotiations for Mr. Krishnan to buy a stake in its energy business ahead of the IPO, which is tentatively planned for the second quarter this year. The loan, denominated in ringgit, is a relatively small part of 1MDB's total liabilities of 41.9 billion ringgit (US$11.5 billion) as of March 31, 2014 the latest date for which figures are available. But it is focusing attention on how 1MDB will handle its $7.4 billion in dollar-denominated debt while oil prices, and Malaysia's currency, remain weak. Malaysia is one of Asia's few oil exporters. The cost of servicing dollar obligations has risen as the ringgit has fallen, losing about 12% of its value against the dollar over the past six months, and providing ammunition for opposition politicians who allege that 1MDB is poorly run. Officials at 1MDB say its assets, valued at 51.4 billion ringgit at the end of March, or $14.1 billion in today's dollars, outweigh its liabilities. Still, the fund's financing crunch is proving to be an embarrassment for Mr. Najib's government. 1MDB was launched after he became premier in 2009. Write to Jason Ng at [email protected] and James Hookway at [email protected] | 3 | 5,739 | finance |
Marshawn Lynch is a free agent this offseason. What should the Seahawks do with their star RB? | 1 | 5,740 | sports |
Liam Neeson is not to be messed with. | 8 | 5,741 | video |
CHAMPAIGN - Through the first 15 games of the season, there was no question when the clock was ticking down with the game on the line, the ball would be in Illinois guard Rayvonte Rice's hands. It was clear in Saturday's 60-58 victory over Penn State that the final shot would be safest coming from Malcolm Hill. The 6-foot-6 sophomore guard nailed the driving layup against two defenders with 4.4 seconds left to secure the victory. "We're fortunate he's delivered," coach John Groce said. "I'm not just talking about shot-making. You have to have that type of disposition to make that type of play late in a game to make that shot." In Rice's absence of seven games, Hill has averaged 17.9 points per game. He scored 27 points against the Nittany Lions. That was just one point off the career high he set against Maryland, a victory in which Hill led the way in Rice's first game sidelined with a broken hand. Rice, along with teammate Aaron Cosby, has been indefinitely suspended for an undisclosed violation of team rules. In the past, Hill has said he would internalize issues. Now, he relishes learning from negative experiences. "It's not always perfect," Groce said. "I think he was a little disappointed in some of the plays he was involved with at the end of the Indiana game (an 80-74 loss). It hit home for him, like, 'Wow, I have to be a little more disciplined, a little more detailed.' We went into some situations (and went) right back to him again. I think he's shown more poise and composure in those situations." Hill shrugged off his ability to make a physical play to win Saturday's game. "That's what we have to do," he said. "We shouldn't be credited for playing hard. That's what we should be known for to begin with." Nunn's game: Groce said Kendrick Nunn's shooting against Penn State wasn't typical. But he contributed in other ways. Although Nunn shot 2 of 14, finishing with 10 points, he had four assists and five steals. The 6-3 guard also had a highlight-worthy block when he soared to stuff Penn State's 6-10 center Julian Moore. "He had a lot of balls go in and out," Groce said of Nunn. "I like how he defended. He had a huge, big-time, high-level block on the baseline." Offer extended: Illinois offered a scholarship for 2016 to Simeon guard Zach Norvell, who was at the Penn State game. He also has offers from Nebraska, Bradley, Memphis and Oklahoma. Though Groce can't comment on unsigned recruits under NCAA rules, he did talk about the necessity of recruiting and how this season's injury toll emphasized that. "If someone asked me today, (how often) are you recruiting? Every day," he said. "If this year isn't a microcosm of why, I don't know what is," he said. "Depth, depth, depth." [email protected] Twitter @sryantribune | 1 | 5,742 | sports |
Superbowl Commercial: Esurance Breaking Bad | 8 | 5,743 | video |
Fitting that a team from the first state to have same-sex marriage would win the Super Bowl the first time a gay publication was credentialed by the NFL with full access to the players, coaches and the game. This Super Bowl couldn't have been more special for me. As we reported last week, Outsports was the first LGBT publication to be credentialed by the NFL for the Super Bowl. I lucked out that it was me who got to use the credential; Jim and I had a deal that he would go if the Denver Broncos had been in it. Andrew Luck made me the lucky guy; Jim didn't want to be anywhere near the Super Bowl this year. Walking around Phoenix this week, from Radio Row to Roger Goodell's press conference to NFL Honors and today at the Super Bowl, many people in the media knew Outsports' presence - alongside NFL Network and ESPN, Bleacher Report and the New York Times - was another strong signal that the sports world is changing. While Michael Sam's current absence from the NFL is something many of them are taking notice of, Outsports' presence here was a breath of good news. The NFL front office, people in the media, and so many others in sports just don't care that a reporter might be gay or that someone might be asking people questions about gay athletes. We have come a long way from just five years ago. Growing up a lifelong New England Patriots fan, it was particularly special that my favorite team was here playing. All week I covered the two teams, their fans and the impending game evenly and, I believe, without bias (even if my distaste for Richard Sherman has shown through quite clearly). You can take the boy out of New England, but you can't take the Pats fan out of the boy. I would have come and enjoyed the week in Phoenix either way; Having that Patriots logo everywhere just made it that much more meaningful. The fact that the Patriots won was simply icing on the cake. And to do so in such shocking fashion made it all the more sweet. People in the press box aren't allowed to cheer. The press is supposed to maintain a fair, balanced atmosphere in which everyone can get their work done. When Malcolm Butler intercepted a last-minute pass from Russell Wilson , nearly everyone in the press box jumped out their seats in disbelief. While many Super Bowls have come down to the last minute, this was the most shocking. After the game I was in the belly of University of Phoenix Stadium, walking past Luke Wilson as he headed to the locker room, standing feet away from Bill Belichick as he "answered" questions from the media, even venturing into the New England Patriots locker room. It's that locker room where so many gay people have been told all our lives that they don't belong. Yet there I was - even if many of the players didn't know who I am, many in the media did. They didn't care. The players don't care. They don't bat an eye. There are women in there, there are straight men, there are gay men. Nobody cares. It's also fitting that the Patriots, based in the first state to have same-sex marriage and with an owner in Robert Kraft who has been so supportive of LGBT causes, would win the Super Bowl the first year Outsports is credentialed. One didn't have anything to do with the other - it's just a bit poetic. Now we head into the NFL offseason. The NFL is never out of the spotlight, as the NFL Combine is just a couple weeks away. Yet the final chapter of the 2014 season was written in shocking, exciting, historic fashion. And Outsports is proud to have been one tiny, minuscule part of that. | 1 | 5,744 | sports |
The four surviving original Magna Carta copies go on display together for the first time from Monday as Britain kicks off 800th anniversary celebrations for a contract with global significance. Considered the cornerstone of liberty, modern democracy, justice and the rule of law, the 1215 English charter forms the basis for legal systems around the world, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the US constitution. A total of 1,215 people, drawn from a ballot, have won the chance to see the unification at the British Library, which is bringing together its two originals with those of Lincoln and Salisbury cathedrals from Monday to Wednesday. The four parchments will also be on private show in parliament on Thursday, kicking off a year of celebrations for a document that still has resonance eight centuries on. "No free man shall be taken or imprisoned or disseized or outlawed or exiled or in any way ruined, nor will we go and send against him except by the lawful judgement of his peers by the law of the land," it states in Latin. "To no one will we sell, to no one will we deny or delay right or justice." - Rebel barons challenged king - In June 1215, the wayward king John agreed to the demands of rebellious barons to curb his powers and sealed the charter at Runnymede, a meadow by the River Thames west of London. Although nearly a third of the text was dropped or substantially rewritten within 10 years and almost all the 63 clauses have been repealed, Magna Carta's principles have become "a potent, international rallying cry against the arbitrary use of power", says the British Library. Anthony Clarke, one of Britain's Supreme Court judges, said it remains important as governments seek a balance between issues of security, individual rights, the rule of law and the "principles of justice that lie at the foundation of society". The principles that justice should be available to all, the law applies to all equally and leaders can only exercise power in accordance with the law continue to be fought for in many parts of the world. The Magna Carta Trust, which looks after the memorial site in Runnymede, believes the charter's importance is growing. "800 years on, Magna Carta's best days lie ahead," it said. "As an idea of freedom, democracy and the rule of law, it is lapping against the shores of despotism. "The principles set out in Magna Carta have driven the Arab Spring and the continuing protests against despotism around the world." - Charter linked to prosperity - Magna Carta's principles extend well beyond the world's common law jurisdictions such as the United States, India and Australia which inherited England's legal system. Lawyer David Wootton, a former lord mayor of London -- a role representing the city's business heartland -- said English law was the "common currency" of global business deals precisely due to the protections derived from Magna Carta. "Investors regard their money as safe here (in London) because of the protections in the legal system," he said. "There is a close relationship between economic development, societal development and the quality of a country's legal system." Events are being staged across England throughout 2015 to mark the anniversary, including a major international commemoration event at Runnymede on 15 June. Exhibitions, debates, conferences, church services, lectures, charity dinners, theatre performances, tourist trails, village fetes, and even a national peal of bells are being staged. There will also be a mock trial of the barons who forced the creation of the charter in parliament's Westminster Hall to debate whether they were guilty of treason. | 2 | 5,745 | travel |
Electric cars were all the rage five years ago. New car companies were springing up all over the place, promising a futuristic liberation from the internal-combustion engine. Gas was expensive. General Motors and Chrysler had gone bankrupt. Climate change was freaking people out. Electric vehicles provided an exciting alternative to business as usual. EVs were coming from both the established automakers and a spate of startups. There was a strong sense that consumers were finally ready to go electric in significant numbers. The lessons of GM's failed EV-1 had been learned. The electric car would not, this time, be killed. Now it's early 2015 and we have over a dozen EVs for sale in the US. Tesla's market cap is $26 billion. For comparison, Ford's is $57 billion and GM's is $53 billion, but Tesla is selling mainly one car model. Everything should be great, except that it isn't. The bestselling EV in the US is the Nissan Leaf. About 30,000 were sold in 2014. Respectable. But also a 0.18% share of the 17 million vehicles that were sold in total last year. Tesla should sell about the same number of cars 30,000 in 2014. Quite a few gas-electric hybrid vehicles are also on the US market, and plug-in hybrids have begun to pick up speed. But apart from the theoretical environmental benefits reduced or eliminated emissions are a good thing, although you have to take into account how cleanly the electric power was generated there's the obvious factor of not buying gas. In this sense, it's hard to separate the renaissance of EVs from the rising price of gas. And one other thing: The US government's insistence that automakers raise the overall fuel economy of their fleets over the next decade. The corporate average fuel economy, or CAFE, standards stipulate that major automakers achieve 55 mpg for their entire fleets cars and trucks by 2025. So if you want to keep building profitable big trucks and SUVs, you need to build some high-MPG electric cars and hybrids. But rising CAFE standards and falling gas prices, not to mention Americans' desire to replace their aging cars with new ones (the average age of a car on US roads is 11 years), and low-interest rates on auto loans, well, all these factors are colliding in increasingly unpleasant ways. The automakers want to take another look at the CAFE objectives, with the very unsurprising aim of renegotiating them so that the focus can be on selling the lower-mpg cars and trucks that Americans want to buy that is, lower-mpg cars that don't run on electricity. Tesla's stock price, which was pushing $300 a share in mid-2014, has dropped more than $100 in recent months. Cheap oil means cheap gas, which in turns means that while plenty of wealthy EV enthusiasts may ardently want Elon Musk's $100,000 Model S sedan, fewer customers may be interested in the mass-market Model 3 car that's scheduled to arrive on 2017 and that's key to Tesla not being a niche automaker. Ford CEO Mark Fields addressed these market realities on Thursday during the company's fourth-quarter earnings call. When asked about CAFE standards by Morgan Stanley's lead auto analyst, Adam Jonas, he stressed that US consumers need to adopt new technologies for them to be successful, but that consumers haven't adopted EVs in anywhere near the numbers predicted, rather hopefully, a few years ago. "We're looking forward to the midterm review," he said of raised CAFE standards. Translation: We're looking forward to putting the brakes on rising CAFE standards. It's important to note that none of this means that the electric car is over. Even though EVs have captured a very small percentage of the US market, that small percentage is bigger than zero. Tesla could be sustainable as a luxury brand, even if it doesn't achieve its mass-market goals or fulfill the save-the-planet dreams of Elon Musk. Companies such as Google, with its self-driving car experiment, could remake mobility and power the brave new world with electrons. But all the signs point toward electric cars being in for a rough 2015. The captivating startups of five years ago have mostly failed. Tesla stands alone. The SUV, threatened by the 2008-09 meltdown in Detroit and the subsequent runup in gas prices, is back. And gas prices are likely to remain pretty low for much of the year. Maybe this is the way it has to be. Electric cars were really nowhere to be seen for the first 100 years of the automobile's history. Then they staged a modest comeback in the 1990s, before fading into legend and lamentation. By the late 2000s they were back. This time around, EVs secured a tiny market foothold. That will probably be enough to keep them around, regardless of what happens with government regulations or in the global oil markets. But 2015 is going to be a challenge. NOW WATCH: Why Law School Is A Waste Of Money Unless You Get Into A Top School | 3 | 5,746 | finance |
GLENDALE, Ariz. When Tom Brady reached his locker, about an hour after victory and a series of interviews, he was done talking to the news media. But his locker spoke for him. Prominently displayed was was a four-inch bronze elephant-headed statue Ganesha, the Hindu God. Or as Brady quietly told a vistor, "The remover of obstacles.'' Two team officials shielded him from the news media with the same intensity that the New England Patriots offensive line protected him from the Seattle Seahawks. "Tom's done,'' one shouted as the MVP-winning quarterback arrived. But the locker spoke. Ganesha, remover of obstacles, almost beckoned to the curious. Brady knows obstacles better than most. A sixth-round pick out of Michigan. A season-ending injury that could have threatened his career. Two heart-breaking Super Bowl defeats, extending his Super Bowl title drought to a decade. And then the latest scandal Deflategate. Ganesha illustrates the spiritual side of his psyche developed with trainer and adviser Alex Guerrero. But the spiritual is coupled by mental commitment, evidence by more items in his locker. Lying next to Ganesha were five note cards and handwritten notes that included: "Bend knees more on drop.'' And, perhaps most important, ''Be on toes.'' He was on his toes all night, shaking off two interceptions, throwing four touchdown passes and, in what was again Brady at his best, leading the Patriots back from a 10-point rally. On his toes on a 20-yard pass to Rob Gronkowski on the game-winning drive. "Tom made some nice throws,'' Gronkowski said. "Excellent drive. Excellent execution.'' He could have been speaking of Brady's career as much as the drive. Brady, 37, can now rival Joe Montana as the greatest quarterback of all time. They are tied with Terry Bradshaw with four Super Bowl victories, and Brady has appeared in a record six Super Bowls with three MVPs. Brady also broke Montana's record for career touchdown passes in the Super Bowl on Sunday, throwing four against the Seahawks to increase his total to 16. And Brady has the highest career playoff winning percentage among quarterbacks (.724), while Montana (.696) ranks second. "He's the best quarterback to ever play this game, man,'' Patriots cornerback Darrelle Revis. "And I feel like all the hard work pays off for Tom. ... I think it's really awesome. It puts another championship under his belt." Brady celebrated with his teammates as if they were family. "LG,'' he shouted. Running back LeGarrette Blount lifted his head and looked at the quarterback. "Great game,'' Brady exulted. "Slugged it out.'' Receiver Brian Tyms passed by. "BT, way to go,'' Brady gushed, and the two clasped hands. Embracing a steady well wishers and with others posing for pictures each time, holding four fingers in the air, representing his four Super Bowl victories he looked like the proud father of a football family. But that's a significant distinction between Brady's first three Super Bowl titles and this latest football family vs. real family. On the side of his locker, someone had taped a poster with blue- and red-painted handprints and the following message: "Go Patriots. Love you Daddy.'' Clearly the work of his son, Benjamin, and daughter, Vivian. With perhaps a a little help from their mother, Brady's wife, Gisele Bündchen. But there was some vanity, too. Brady, unlike his teammates, got two lockers. In the second he had three suits and a sport coat that would match his ankle-high black boots. When the news media cleared out, he selected one of the black suits, a black and white checked shirts and, with obstacles removed, with the note cards stored and his kid's poster stored away, Brady walked into into the cool night air and toward the team bus with impeccable style. At that point, Brady could not be lured in even by talk of the remover of obstacles. "No Ganesha,'' he said with a grin. It was an obstacle one Brady's locker removed. | 1 | 5,747 | sports |
With the New England Patriots' victory in Super Bowl XLIX, Boston-born Captain America star Chris Evans won his wager with fellow super stud, Seattle Seahawks fan and Guardians of the Galaxy Star-Lord Chris Pratt. | 8 | 5,748 | video |
Separatist rockets streaked across hills in eastern Ukraine on Monday as rebels pounded the positions of Ukrainian government troops holding a strategic rail town while both sides pressed ahead with mobilizing more forces for combat. Kiev's military said five more Ukrainian soldiers were killed in clashes while municipal authorities in the big rebel-controlled city of Donetsk said 15 civilians were killed at the weekend by shelling in a surge of violence following the collapse of a new peace effort on Saturday. Talks between Ukraine, Russia and rebel officials in Minsk, Belarus, had raised hopes of a new ceasefire to stem the violence in a conflict which has claimed more than 5,000 lives. But they broke up without progress with Ukraine and the separatists accusing each other of sabotaging the meeting. Donetsk reverberated to the thud of artillery and mortar fire through the night and several homes were destroyed with at least one civilian death on Monday. But separatists kept up attacks on Debaltseve, a strategic rail hub to the northeast of Donetsk, in an attempt to dislodge government forces there. The outskirts of Yenakieve and Vuhlegirsk, both on the main highway to Debaltseve, were under heavy artillery fire as rebel multiple rocket launchers and artillery pummeled the positions of Ukrainian troops in the area. At one point, a salvo of around three dozen rockets fired from rebel positions screamed across surrounding hills towards Debaltseve. It was followed 15 minutes later by incoming fire from government forces. "The toughest situation is around Debaltseve where the illegal armed formations are continuing to storm the positions of Ukrainian military," military spokesman Andriy Lutsenko told a briefing. But he said Ukraine's forces in the town were enough to hold it and he denied government forces were encircled. GENERAL MOBILIZATION The separatists, whom the West says are armed by Russia and supported by several thousand Russian troops, defiantly announced a general mobilization plan which they said would boost their fighting forces to 100,000 men. Kiev itself is also pressing ahead with a fourth wave of military call-up aimed at raising an extra 50,000 men. The Western powers support Kiev's view that a peace deal reached last September, which included a ceasefire and a commitment for foreign fighters and military equipment to be withdrawn from Ukraine, is the only viable roadmap to ending the conflict. But the separatists, who have declared their own 'people's republics' and have notched up several military successes since then including taking Donetsk airport from government troops, now appear to want to negotiate a new blueprint. German Chancellor Angela Merkel appealed for a ceasefire to be urgently restored in Ukraine, under the terms of the Minsk peace plan, and said Germany would not support Kiev's military forces through deliveries of weapons. The New York Times reported on Sunday that President Barack Obama's administration was however taking a new look at providing Ukrainian forces with defensive weapons and equipment in the face of the rebel offensive. The separatist rebellion erupted last April after Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimea in response the ousting of a Moscow-back president by street protests in Kiev which ushered in a government committed to integration with Europe. Moscow denies it has any regular troops in Ukraine despite what the West and Kiev say is incontrovertible proof. In a street on Yenakieve outskirts, a shell landed directly onto a 3rd floor apartment of a nine-story building, instantly killing a woman and wounding her husband. "We had to climb across the balcony to evacuate the man, and we left her lying in the rubble. She was picked up later by a sanitary team," said Anatoly Pomazanov, 42, who owns a grocery shop in the building. "It is like this every day. The shelling is incessant. We keep children in cellars. We let them out only during lulls in shelling, for about 30 minutes at most. I want to ask President Poroshenko: are we also Ukrainians or simply targets?" Several residents were seen loading bags in cars and hastily leaving the neighborhood. Natalya, 68, who with her daughter lives in an apartment a floor below the one destroyed was weeping. "Tell me what do I do now? This is all I had, the soldiers are two kilometers away, there are no targets here." Dmytro Boichuk, 78, a retired miner said people were already immune to the shelling. "We are numb. We go about our businesses. Someone gets killed, someone gets wounded, but we carry on." (Additional reporting by Natalia Zinets in Kiev; Writing by Richard Balmforth; Editing by Giles Elgood) | 5 | 5,749 | news |
--Phil Mickelson's second job as an assistant coach at Arizona State, his alma mater, lasted all of two months. Mickelson was added to the staff by his brother, Tim Mickelson, the Sun Devils' men's golf coach, in November, but Lefty told reporters at the Waste Management Phoenix Open that he lost his job. "I recently got fired from that position," said Mickelson, who was contacting high school prospects and trying to convince them to attend Arizona State. "We had developed a plan to where I could call some recruits. We weren't really going to say anything, and hadn't said anything for a few weeks, until one of the players had tweeted it and it looked like there were some improprieties, which there weren't. "So we had to publicly announce I was assistant coach, otherwise, I wouldn't be able to make the phone calls I had been making. ... (But) my brother needed a real assistant to help out with a bunch of the things going on, with the traveling, so I got fired." Mickelson, who graduated from University of San Diego High in 1988, was an All-American at Arizona State, where he won the NCAA individual title three times and led the Sun Devils to the team title in 1990. --The LPGA Tour kicked off its 2015 season last week with the inaugural Coates Golf Championship at Golden Ocala Golf and Equestrian Club in Ocala, Fla., the first of 34 events around the world in a schedule announced last week. The women's tour was down to only 24 tournaments in 2010 and fan interest was waning before commissioner Michael Whan took over with a goal of getting that number back up to 30. The players were excited to start the season in Florida at Golden Ocala after the Sunshine State was without a tournament a few years ago. "The field strength alone shows how excited the tour is to be here and to play in Florida, in a place where a lot of the players live," said Morgan Pressel, noting that 19 of the top 20 players in the Rolex Women's World Golf Rankings were in the Coates field. Now Florida will bookend the season, with the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship set for Tiburon Golf Club at the Ritz Carlton Golf Resort in Naples, Fla., from Nov. 19-22. There will be three tournaments in California over a span of about a month early in the season. Anna Nordqvist of Sweden will be at Aviara Golf Club in Carlsbad to defend her title in the Kia Classic from March 26-29. Lexi Thompson will defend her title in the first LPGA major of the year, the former Nabisco Dinah Shore, which will have another new sponsor and be known as the ANA Inspiration when it again is played at Mission Hills Resort in Rancho Mirage from April 2-5. Lydia Ko of New Zealand, who became No. 1 in the Rolex Women's World Golf Rankings by tying for second in the Coates Championship, will be the defender in the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic at Lake Merced Golf Club in Daly City, on the outskirts of San Francisco, from April 23-26. The LPGA Championship will be replaced by the KPMG Women's PGA Championship, the first time the LPGA has teamed up with the PGA of America, for the second major of the year June 11-14 at famed Westchester Country Club in Rye, N.Y. The rest of the LPGA's five majors are the Women's U.S. Open at Lancaster Country Club in Lancaster, Pa., from June 9-12; the Ricoh Women's British Open on the Ailsa Course at Turnberry Resort in Scotland from July 30-Aug. 2; and the Evian Championship at Evian Resort Golf Club in Evian-les-Bains, France, from Sept. 10-13. The Solheim Cup, matching the United States against Europe, will be played Sept. 17-20 at Golf Club St. Leon-Rot in St. Leon-Rot, Germany. --A defiant Robert Allenby told reporters at TPC Scottsdale that he is not recanting any of the statements he made about being kidnapped, beaten and robbed two weeks earlier in Hawaii, although he still can't remember what happened during almost 2 1/2 hours in question on that night. Parts of Allenby's story were disputed by a homeless woman who helped him after he was found near a wine bar in Honolulu, where he spent the early part of the evening with friends, but the Aussie said he was only repeating what she had told him. "From 11:06 (p.m.) to 1:27 in the morning is a blank," said Allenby, who is playing this week in the Waste Management Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale. "No memory of that. ... There's no way in the world that what I drank could do what I had done to me." Allenby, who said he had three glasses of wine, apparently created the 2 1/2-hour timeline from surveillance video he has reviewed at the wine bar. After missing the cut in the Sony Open in Hawaii at Waialae, he was seen on the video leaving the wine bar and later said he was abducted by four or five men and left in a park about six miles away. It turns out that he was only about a block away, and it was reported that he spent nearly $4,000 at a strip club down the street. What is known is that approximately $25,000 in purchases were made on his stolen credit card, including two bottles of liquor within 20 minutes after he left the wine bar. Allenby's friends say he left their table to go to the bathroom and didn't return. "I thought I was in a place, having a nice dinner and having a nice night, and then I became the victim," Allenby said who has 22 victories as a pro, including four on the PGA Tour. "And now it's all been turned around (by the media). "I understand the way the media works. I've been around for 25 years as a professional golfer and I've endured a lot of different comments from the media. But I'm happy to take everything on the chin. I'm a strong-willed character. What's happened has happened. "The police will come out with the right story, so please let them do their job." Allenby, still bruised facially, said he took a drug test last week and expects the results soon. --Kel Nagle of Australia, who captured the 1960 Open Championship at St. Andrews, died last week in his sleep at the age of 94 in a Sydney hospital. Nagle was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2007. "It's a sad day for golf," said Brian Thorburn, chief executive officer of the PGA of Australia. "We've lost a champion of our game." Nagle, one of Australia's most popular golfers, claimed 81 titles around the world, including at least one every year between 1949 and 1975. His finest moment came when he captured the 100th Open Championship in 1960 when he was 39, beating Arnold Palmer by one stroke on the Old Course at St. Andrews. "Kel was a giant of the game," said Stephen Pitt, chief executive of Golf Australia. "He had an incredible record with wins at the Open and Australian Open that make him a legend. "But much more than that, he was an ambassador for his sport and his country, universally liked and admired by his peers. His victory in the 1960 Open Championship was one of the most memorable by any major champion. The way he did that will never be forgotten." Nagle finished second in the 1965 U.S. Open at Bellerive Country Club near St. Louis, losing in an 18-hole playoff to Gary Player, who completed the career Grand Slam with the victory. --United States Solheim Cup captain Juli Inkster selected Wendy Ward to be one of her vice captains for the matches against Europe in September. Pat Hurst previously was selected by Inkster as an assistant. "I'm thrilled that Wendy will be joining Pat and me as captains this year, and know that she will round out our staff perfectly," Inkster said. "Wendy will bring great passion for the Solheim Cup and experience for the younger teammates. "She's well-respected among our players and has invaluable knowledge when it comes to competing on the big stage. ... I think she brings a calmness and a confident attitude to the team." Said Ward: "It is an absolute privilege and honor to serve with Pat Hurst as Juli's assistant captains for the 2015 Solheim Cup. Having competed with both of them as partners, it will be equally as thrilling to plan, prepare and strategize with them as leaders." The 41-year-old Ward, who won four times on the LPGA Tour, played on U.S. Solheim Cup teams in 2002, 2003 and 2005, with the Americans winning the first and last of those three. She had a 2-8-1 record in the matches. ----------------------------------------------- | 1 | 5,750 | sports |
When you've been actively applying for jobs, it can get really frustrating when you aren't getting called for interviews. If this is happening to you, don't give up; but take a short 'time out' to analyze the reasons why you're not making it to the next round in the hiring process. First, look at how much of a 'fit' you are for the jobs to which you've been applying. Review several of the job postings for jobs to which you've applied. Read through one job posting and as you read each requirement, ask yourself the following questions: Do I meet the minimum level of experience required for the position? Do I meet the minimum level of education required for the job? Do I have most of the required skills for the job? Do I have the certifications required for the position? (if any are required) For each requirement, write down whether you meet, partially meet or don't meet that requirement. Once you've done this for the first job posting, look at what you've written. Do you meet the majority of the requirements? Then, go through this process for several other jobs for which you've applied. Do you see a pattern? The most common reason I've found when people don't get telephone or in-person interviews is that there are other candidates who are a better 'fit' (more qualified) for the job. As a hiring manager, I look for candidates who meet at least 80 percent of the job requirements. One reason you aren't making it to the interview round might be because hiring managers don't see you as qualified enough for the position. If you believe this may be your issue, look for ways you can obtain the education, certifications, skills or experience required so that you'll be a better fit in the near future. Then, before you apply for any more jobs, conduct this same exercise of analyzing yourself against the requirements listed in the next job posting. Pretend you're the hiring manager and take a critical look at your resume. If you were the hiring manager, would you hire this candidate for the job? Some people have a tendency to apply for higher-level positions than what they're qualified for, which is why they don't get called for interviews. In this situation, try looking for lower-level jobs that are the stepping-stones to get you to those higher-level jobs you'd like to have in the future and apply for those. Another issue I've seen is where someone has the relevant skills, experience or education, but forgot to include many of these on their resume. For every requirement in the job posting that you meet, somewhere on your resume, you should explain that you have that skill, experience or education. If you aren't customizing your resume to include the appropriate information, then your resume won't get the attention it deserves by recruiters and hiring managers and you won't get as many calls for interviews. ~ Lisa Quast , author of the book, Secrets of a Hiring Manager Turned Career Coach: A Foolproof Guide to Getting the Job You Want. Every Time . Join me on Twitter @careerwomaninc | 3 | 5,751 | finance |
Matt Ufford and Ryan Nanni review Super Bowl XLIX | 1 | 5,752 | sports |
A winter storm is that has disrupted travel in the central United States is now heading to the Northeast. CNN's Martin Savidge reports. | 5 | 5,753 | news |
A wine bar in place of a sex shop, luxury apartments where a cabaret once stood - fans of London's once glorious, seedy Soho district fear that it will soon be regenerated beyond recognition. "We really would like to know that this cherished golden mile is not going to resemble something that looks like Singapore airport," said Tim Arnold, a musician who has founded the "Save Soho" campaign. Soho. Just four letters describe a mythical place that for generations has been a hub of counter-culture, somewhere for musicians, actors, gay people, night owls and anyone else who fancied it to live, work and play. Karl Marx fomented his revolution here; The Who and legions of other rock groups were discovered here. For more than 100 years, the rich came here to "slum it", while the bored came because there was always something going on. But now, it is hard to keep track of the cabaret bars, music venues and sex clubs that have closed, from Madame Jojo's to the 12 Bar Club to Pink Pussycat, driven out by soaring rents as developers move in. "I do believe that Soho will lose its soul," said Kathy Martin, who runs the Enigma Ball events for transgender people. On Walkers Court, described by novelist Howard Jacobson as a "suppurating alleyway of sexual half-promises", there is only one "adult" bookshop left - and probably not for long. Even a former police station has been turned into flats, while the arrival of a new underground train line through the capital has spread the disruptive effect beyond Soho's immediate borders. Denmark Street, an alley once home to music publishers, guitar shops and performance spaces and where Led Zeppelin's Robert Plant still goes to buy his strings, is making way for a newly modernised Tottenham Court Road station. "It's sad, we need to keep Soho sexy," said Sara, one of the last sex workers who still operate in flats here, identified by a discreet "Models" sign at the door. A police raid at the end of 2013, based on what many campaigners said was a flimsy pretext, saw most of Sara's colleagues evicted. "I'm worried about the girls who now have to work on the street," she said. - Layers being 'ripped away' - There are, of course, many who argue that there is nothing romantic about the exploitation of women in the sex industry and that Soho should have been cleaned up a long time ago. Actor Stephen Fry says there is so much more to it than that. "Its Bohemian character, its identity as the gay and transgender centre of London, its association with live performance and late-night eccentricity and free expression - all these are a gift beyond price that Soho gives London and which gives London extra value," he said. In the 17th century, Soho was home to French Protestant refugees, Italians, Jews and Chinese, giving it a unique character that persisted through the ages, and made it for a long time the only place to find an espresso or an avocado. In the 19th century, it became a cesspit of deprivation, ravaged by cholera. But as living conditions improved, the area took on a bohemian vibe. Musicians, sex shops and then the gay community all followed. "Soho has always changed, but the way it changed is by adding layer to layer. What happens at the moment is that some of these layers are ripped away to replace them with something new," said Arnold. The musician rightfully says that Soho "is in my blood". He was only four when he witnessed his first Gay Pride with his mother, Polly Perkins, a prominent figure on the cabaret circuit. He has played in most of the bars and venues in the area and everywhere he goes he meets someone he knows. Arnold's main target in his bid to preserve the area's character is Soho Estates, which manages the property empire built up by the late "king of Soho" Paul Raymond. Accused of trying to fill the area with the kind of glass and steel buildings seen all over London, it insists it "recognises the rich and creative history" of Soho. The local authority, Westminster council, estimates that nearly 200,000 square metres of commercial space, much of it small businesses, has been lost in recent years. And those that remain are finding it hard to keep up with rising rents. Sam, a 73-year-old who runs "Jazz After Dark", where the late soul singer Amy Winehouse started out, said: "I'm struggling. At some point I will not be able to pay anymore." | 2 | 5,754 | travel |
Kanye West and Kim Kardashian West hired an illegal security escort in Arizona. The couple are reported to have angered officials at the Phoenix Police Department after organising a small team to ride with them through the city using flashing red and blue lights - the use of which is prohibited by nonemergency vehicles. In a video first published by X17online, the couple's convoy, consisting of around four motorcycles and two black SUVs, can be seen making its way down the highway "displaying a red or red and blue lights" which goes against state laws. A spokesperson for the Police Department, Trent Crump, denied that any of his officers were part of the convoy. According to the New York Daily News, he said: "That was not done by us, but they could hire private security or off-duty officers."He added that off-duty officers could use flashing lights "depending on department policy" although did not stipulate what the conditions of their use could be. The couple arrived in the city last week ahead of the Super Bowl XLIX and were spotted on a double date with John Legend and his supermodel wife, Chrissy Teigen, ahead of John's performance of "America the Beautiful" to kick off Super Bowl last night on 1 February. The superstar foursome enjoyed a meal at a Waffle House with Chrissy later posting on Twitter: "Every house should be a waffle house." | 6 | 5,755 | entertainment |
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- As Chad Pfeifer lay in bed in the Brooke Army Medical Center at Fort Sam Houston, his amputated left leg still heavily bandaged, his fractured right ankle in a cast, his head was full of demons and doubts. After Pfeifer was deployed to Iraq in 2006 as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom, his patrol vehicle was hit by an improvised explosive device in April 2007, ripping apart his body and life. Despite doctors' efforts, Pfeifer's left leg was amputated above the knee. The horror of war would not get out of his head, either, as he rehabbed at Fort Sam Houston. Nor would the uncertainty of his future. Always athletic, he wondered if he would play sports again. He wondered what he would do for a living. He wondered if he'd get the girl. And he wondered if he'd make it to the next week. "Emotionally, it was a roller coaster for me," Pfeifer, 33, said as he sat in the media center at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. "The medications didn't help. There were plenty of days I was extremely depressed. I know a lot of guys go through that. But I finally realized I was fortunate that I was still above the ground." Pfeifer's depressive state took a turn upward when he fell in love with, of all things, golf. Pfeifer had thought the game was for those older and richer. But fellow soldier Christian Bagge, who lost both of his legs in Iraq (one above the knee; the other below the knee), showed Pfeifer golf can be enjoyed by people of all stripes. "He came to cheer me up. He said when I get up on a prosthetic, we should get out of the hospital and do something. He said let's play golf," Pfeifer said. "At first I thought this dude was crazy. But then I thought if this guy is missing two legs and playing golf, I'm not going to tell him he's crazy." Pfeifer got his prosthetic and joined Bagge on the range. Within the first bucket of balls, Pfeifer was hooked. Ten months after the explosion in Iraq, Pfeifer played his first full round of golf. Four years later, he won the 2011 National Amputee Golf Championship. Now, he wants to become the first amputee to make it to the PGA Tour. Pfeifer is one of 12 players who will compete in the 23rd season of Golf Channel's Big Break , the reality show in which more than $120,000 in cash and prizes are up for grabs, including an exemption to the 2015 Barbasol Championship on the PGA Tour for the winner. The show premieres today. Pfeifer, who plays out of the Golf Club of Estrella in his hometown of Goodyear, Ariz., is playing golf full time. The graduate of the Golf Academy of America in Phoenix plays mini-tours in the area and will try to qualify at Tour stops this season. He also is thinking about playing in the Q School for the Web.com Tour. "Golf saved my life," Pfeifer said. "At first I tried to just beat the crap out of the ball. It was a stress reliever. And it gave me something to look forward to the next day and the next day and the next day. "I would do therapy in the mornings and then go hit balls. For me to be able to get outside, first of all, was therapy in itself. I was on different terrains, and it was good practice for me getting used to the prosthetic. "And it gave me a release." Because of his prosthetic, balance was and remains his biggest challenge on the golf course. He has to keep most of his weight on his back foot which is not the prescribed method for golfers and he tries to fall forward with his body after impact. Thus, he loses a lot of shots to the right. Giving up length for accuracy, he still can pump the driver 275 yards. And the more he plays, the more he gets used to the prosthetic and his swing, which is kind of like a reverse stack and tilt. "Just knowing I was golfing instead of being dead," Pfeifer said when asked how he dealt with the frustration golf produces. "Even to this day, even when I hit a bad shot, I know there are a lot worse alternatives. As serious as I take my game, there is still a sense that I'm happy that I'm playing golf instead of being 6 feet under." As golf helped get him back on track, Pfeifer also got the girl. Turns out, as he turned his life around, he got reacquainted with a girl he knew in junior high school named Summer. They had dated for one week back then. "She broke up with me because I was too nice," Pfeifer said, smiling. "She wanted a bad boy back then." The two were married in October 2008 and have two children Grady, 2½, and Lucien, 10 months. The three are his priority as he tries to live out his dream on the PGA Tour. During that journey, the retired Army corporal hopes to inspire others to discover the joys of golf. "A lot of guys committed suicide coming back after what they came through, and I hope a lot of guys can find something, whether it's golf or fishing or hunting or any hobby, and be passionate about and keep them looking forward to the next day. They can see my story and find something," Pfeifer said. "People with disabilities, too, not just wounded veterans. All people can find out how golf is such a great game." For Pfeifer, it was a lifesaver. | 1 | 5,756 | sports |
For Major League Soccer fans who watched Sunday's Super Bowl, the New England Patriots lifting the Lombardi Trophy may have triggered some thoughts about the MLS Cup, and whether anybody will be able to dethrone the LA Galaxy as MLS champions in 2015. With MLS preseason in full swing, and the upcoming season just a month away, it isn't too early to start taking stock about which teams have come out of the offseason looking like legitimate title contenders. It should be noted that teams could still make major moves before the season starts and in the summer to shake up the list of top contenders. The Galaxy may have lost Landon Donovan, but still carry the label of MLS Cup contenders, as do the New England Revolution. The Seattle Sounders won a pair of trophies in 2014, but are still searching for that elusive MLS Cup, which may finally come this year. As stacked as the Western Conference will be in 2015, there are a handful of Eastern Conference teams capable of winning the title, including an improving Columbus Crew side that had one of the busier offseasons of any of the top contenders. Here is a closer look at the teams shaping up to make serious bids for the MLS Cup title: 5-tie. SPORTING KANSAS CITY The 2013 champions endured an injury-plagued season in 2014, but wasted no time revamping this offseason. The return of Roger Espinoza addresses a major need in midfield, while veteran Chilean goalkeeper Luis Marin should offer a significant upgrade in goal. Replacing Aurelien Collin in central defense won't be easy, and moving over to the much tougher Western Conference will make things challenging, but don't rule out Peter Vermes' side for another title run. 5-tie. TORONTO FC When Michael Bradley and Jermain Defoe joined TFC last winter, the talk among Toronto fans was not just of making the playoffs, but challenging for a title. The 2014 season turned into another nightmare, which will temper enthusiasm after the team's latest aggressive offseason, but there is reason to believe this year could be different. The arrivals of Jozy Altidore and Sebastian Giovinco should propel TFC's attack into one of the league's best, while defender Damien Perquis and midfielder Benoit Cheyrou should make Toronto FC tougher to play against. If Bradley can play at the levels expected of him when he first arrived, TFC could absolutely be a surprise title contender. 4. COLUMBUS CREW The Crew enjoyed one of the most dramatic transformations in the league in 2014, but the team's inexperience showed in the playoffs. With a year of experience and an offseason to address some key needs, Gregg Berhalter's team is looking like it should be taken seriously. Re-signing Federico Higuain was key, and the arrivals of wingers Kei Kamara, Kristinn Steindorsson and Cedrick Mabwati should make the Crew more dynamic. There may still be a need for a true target forward, but beyond that Columbus should be New England's toughest competition for the top spot in the East. 3. LA GALAXY Replacing Landon Donovan won't be easy, and the team's decision to part ways with Marcelo Sarvas leaves a void, but the Galaxy will be counting on Steven Gerrard to make a major impact once he arrives this summer. The Galaxy still have Robbie Keane leading the attack, and Gyasi Zardes should be even better after a breakout 2014, but missing out on signing Sacha Kljestan will force the Galaxy to try and find one more impact midfielder to add to the mix. That said, the Galaxy still have arguably the best defense in MLS, which will keep Bruce Arena's team on the list of top title contenders. 2. SEATTLE SOUNDERS It is easy to forget just how close the Sounders came to winning three major trophies in 2014, and with most of the team's key figures back this year, Seattle should be a threat to win every trophy in its path again this year. DeAndre Yedlin's departure will hurt, but the arrival of English defender Tyrone Mears should help offset that. An infusion of young talent in the form of homegrown player Darwin Jones and some promising draft picks should help provide depth, but central defense is an area of need Seattle could still wind up addressing. If the Sounders acquire a quality partner for Chad Marshall in the middle of the defense, they could move up to the top of this list. 1. NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION The Revs were the hottest team in MLS at the end of the 2014 season, and could have very easily beaten the Galaxy in the MLS Cup final. With a full year of Jermaine Jones, and with Juan Agudelo making his return, the Revs will boast one of the toughest attacks in the league. The lone question mark facing the team at this point is how to replace central defender A.J. Soares. Moving Andrew Farrell to central defense seems a simple solution, but if that doesn't work out the Revs may still need to add a defender. Even with that issue still in question, the Revs have the elements of a championship team. | 1 | 5,757 | sports |
WASHINGTON Promising to help America's middle class, President Barack Obama on Monday sent Congress a record $4 trillion budget that would hammer corporate profits overseas and raise taxes on the wealthy while boosting tax credits for families and the working poor. Obama's budget also would steer hundreds of billions of dollars to the nation's crumbling infrastructure of roads and bridges, help provide two years of free community college and reverse the across-the-board, automatic budget cuts that have slammed the Pentagon and nearly every government department. In the face of certain opposition from Republicans, an optimistic Obama hailed a "breakthrough year for America" of new jobs, lower unemployment and shrinking deficits after the great recession of 2008, and he called for moving past years of "mindless austerity." The blueprint for the 2016 budget year that begins Oct. 1 represents a 6.4 percent increase over estimated spending this year, projecting that the deficit will decline to $474 billion. However, Obama's plan ignores the new balance of power in Washington, with Republicans running both the House and Senate. The GOP found plenty to criticize in his proposed tax hikes that would total about $1.5 trillion. Republicans cited the nation's $18 trillion debt and assailed what they call Obama's tax-and-spend policies for failing to address the spiraling growth of benefit programs such as Social Security and Medicare. "Today President Obama laid out a plan for more taxes, more spending, and more of the Washington gridlock that has failed middle class families," said House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio. "This plan never balances ever." Republicans aren't offering specifics yet but will respond this spring with their own plan, a balanced-budget outline promising to get rid of "Obamacare," ease the burdens of the national debt on future generations, curb the explosive growth of expensive benefit programs and reform a loophole-cluttered tax code in hopes of promoting economic growth. While Obama's plan was rejected out of hand on budget day, proposals to ease automatic cuts and boost transportation funding are likely to return later in the year and require extensive negotiation. "These proposals are practical, not partisan," Obama said of his overall plans. "They'll help working families feel more secure with paychecks that go further, help American workers upgrade their skills so they can compete for higher-paying jobs, and help create the conditions for our businesses to keep generating good new jobs for our workers to fill." Some people would pay more. Many wealthy Americans would only be able to take tax deductions at a 28 percent rate even though their incomes were taxed at 39.6 percent, and some would also see an increase in their maximum capital gains rate. However, a couple earning up to $120,000 a year would qualify for a new "second earner" tax credit of up to $500 as well as a maximum $3,000 per-child tax credit for child care for up to two children, triple the current credit of $1,000. Obama's initiatives to tax the wealthy and to welcome an influx of immigrants into the United States are going nowhere in the new GOP-run Congress. But there is a bipartisan desire to ease automatic spending cuts that are the product of Washington's failures to cut deficits beyond an initial round in 2011. Both Republicans and Democrats are howling that such broad cuts savage the Pentagon. Obama said he won't give more money to the Pentagon without receiving domestic funds he wants. "It would be bad for our security and bad for our growth," Obama said Monday at the Department of Homeland Security. The centerpiece of the president's tax plan is an increase in the capital gains rate on couples making more than $500,000 per year. The rate would climb from 24.2 percent to the Reagan-era top rate of 28 percent. Obama also wants to require estates to pay capital gains taxes that reflect the increase in value of assets like homes and stocks prior to death instead of after inheritance. And he is trying to impose a 0.07 percent fee on the roughly 100 U.S. financial companies with assets of more than $50 billion, raising $112 billion over 10 years. All told, Obama proposes higher receipts of about $2 trillion though his budget: about $1.5 trillion from tax increases and almost $500 billion from fresh revenue as immigration reform lifts the economy and provides new workers. His proposals would boost federal spending by $74 billion divided between the military and domestic programs and would result in a spending increase of $362 billion over the remaining six years the spending caps were to have been in place. The deficit would remain under $500 billion a year through 2018, but would rise to $687 billion by 2025, according to administration projections though levels of red ink could still be considered manageable when measured against the size of the economy. But the cost of financing the government's debt would spiral as the debt grows to more than $25 trillion by 2025 and interest rates rise. According to the projections. Interest costs would jump from $229 billion this year to $785 billion in 2025. A principal theme this year is infrastructure the budget books' cover photo is the deteriorating Tappan Zee bridge over the Hudson River and the plan includes a six-year, $478 billion transportation and infrastructure plan. Gasoline tax revenues would cover only half the cost, so Obama proposes a 14 percent tax on overseas corporate profits to bring in $238 billion. The combination would permit about a one-third increase in spending, with transit programs being the biggest winners. Obama's plan contains a lengthy roster of proposals that have been repeatedly rejected by lawmakers: $600 billion in additional revenue over a decade by limiting tax deductions for upper bracket earners; $95 billion from nearly doubling the cigarette tax to $1.95 a pack, and $35 billion through a minimum 30 percent tax rate on million-dollar incomes. He wants to increase the security fee paid on air travel from $5.60 to $7.50 per one-way ticket. And there's a new 10-year, $2.5 billion proposal to limit the deductibility of gifts that boosters of college teams give to earn the right to buy basketball and football tickets. The White House claims $1.8 trillion in deficit savings over 10 years but does so by taking liberties such as ignoring the cost of preventing Medicare cuts to doctors' fees and extending refundable tax credits for the working poor and couples with children that expire in 2017. ___ Associated Press writers Martin Crutsinger and Jim Kuhnhenn contributed to this report. | 5 | 5,758 | news |
Holiday is a big addition to the Bruins class and what they hope is the first domino in what could be a massive finish on signing day UCLA has a potentially massive signing day lined up if everything falls into place for the Bruins, but they already built some great momentum leading up to Wednesday with a commitment from 4 star defensive back DeChaun Holiday . What kind of player are the Bruins getting in Holiday? DeChaun Holiday - 4 star cornerback Well before Richard Sherman, teams dreamed of having a big cornerback that could match up with the monster receivers they were forced to cover on a weekly basis. UCLA has found that big corner that so many other programs wish they had in DeChaun Holiday. Holiday is built like a safety and has great length as well, but he's a fluid enough athlete to play man coverage on the outside. It's not surprising that a player his size (6'2" and around 210 pounds) can be physical and play press coverage. He does an outstanding job of using his length at the line of scrimmage and flip his hips and run with receivers. I could see him having some problems with some smaller, quicker players, but he's the perfect player to match up with the giants that a lot of teams use in jump ball situations. He attacks the football in the air and competes for the football like a receiver. His ball skills are outstanding. They may be the best out of any defensive back in this recruiting class. As well as being a press man corner, he'd be a great fit playing cover two because of the way he can be physical at the line and the great awareness he shows in zone coverage. He does a nice job of passing off receivers in coverage. Even though Holiday is so big and could certainly play safety, he needs to improve his consistency as a tackler. He doesn't wrap up all the time and gets away with only throwing a shoulder into ball carriers in run support. If he did transition to safety during his career as Bruin, that's certainly something he'll need to be better at. Holiday is talented enough to play wide receiver in college, but he has the potential to be develop into a big time cornerback in the Pac-12 at UCLA. | 1 | 5,759 | sports |
CNN's Nick Glass takes a close look at the Magna Carta as the influential document turns 800. | 8 | 5,760 | video |
WASHINGTON A bill aimed at reducing a suicide epidemic among military veterans appears headed for the president's desk. The Senate is expected to take up a bill on Monday named for Clay Hunt, a 26-year-old veteran who killed himself in 2011. The bill is in response to suicides that on average claim the lives of 22 military veterans every day. The measure, which passed the House last month, would require the Pentagon and Veterans Affairs Department to submit to independent reviews of their suicide prevention programs and make information on suicide prevention more easily available to veterans. It also would offer financial incentives to psychiatrists and other mental health professionals who agree to work for the VA and help military members as they transition from active duty to veteran status. Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., chairman of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, said he expects overwhelming approval of the bill, which passed the House unanimously and has the support of major veterans groups. "When you have 8,000 veterans a year committing suicide, then you have a serious problem," Isakson said, noting that more veterans have died by suicide in recent years than have died in battlefields in Iraq and Afghanistan. John Madigan, vice president of public policy at the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, said passage of the bill would be a major victory not just for veterans but for the larger fight against suicide. Veterans account for 1 out of every 5 suicides in the United States. The group has set a goal of reducing the nation's suicide rate by 20 percent by 2025, "and it is legislation like the Clay Hunt Act that will make it happen," Madigan said. Supporters of the bill were frustrated late last year when the measure was blocked by then-Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla. Coburn, who retired in January, said the bill duplicated existing programs. He also objected to the $22 million price tag. Isakson said the latest version of the bill orders the Veterans Affairs Department to find money for suicide-prevention programs within its $154 billion budget. | 5 | 5,761 | news |
GLENDALE, Ariz. The ring was being fitted for his finger. The plaudits were being written for his resume. The skeptical football world had finally opened its arms and was prepared to embrace. Then Pete Carroll was grabbed by ghosts. The coach of the Seattle Seahawks had a second consecutive Super Bowl championship in his back-slapping hands Sunday night, one yard from victory, football's most bruising runner in his backfield, his fun bunch only 26 seconds from defeating the New England Patriots. At which point Carroll's head swiveled, his eyes bulged, and he was suddenly transported from the University of Phoenix Stadium back to the Rose Bowl, back to the Bowl Championship Series national title game played in 2006, back into hell. Back then, with Carroll's USC Trojans leading Texas and facing a fourth and two from the Texas 45 with 2 minutes 13 seconds remaining, he approved the ball being handed to LenDale White while Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush stood on the sidelines. White failed to gain a first down, Texas drove down for the winning touchdown, and Carroll was forever blamed for costing his team a third national title in a row in what was the biggest mistake of his coaching career. Until now. Until Sunday night found him in a much deeper and darker place. With everyone in the Western world expecting Carroll to order the ball handed to Marshawn Lynch in an effort to score the winning touchdown, Carroll instead approved Russell Wilson throwing a slant pass to Ricardo Lockette. The ball was promptly intercepted by a rookie free agent from West Alabama named Malcolm Butler. The game was instantly over. The Seahawks had instantly lost, 28-24. The call was instantly dubbed the worst coaching decision in the history of American sports championships. Fans stood and shrieked in disbelief. Writers pounded press box tables in shock. Even the Seahawks, who were so frustrated they tried to delay the Patriots' championship celebration by swinging at them with bare fists in an end-zone brawl, later screamed their disapproval while walking off the field. You have three downs and one timeout to gain one yard. You have a guy in the backfield who is nicknamed Beast Mode and who has already gained 102 yards and scored a touchdown and basically carried half the desert on his back. And you pass the ball? A mournful, regretful chant of "Beeeeast" wafted up from the large Seahawks cheering section as the Seahawks finally trudged off the field. Once the players entered the interview room, receiver Doug Baldwin haltingly tried a convoluted defense of the play before he finally threw up his hands and stopped trying. "I don't know man, I'm just trying to make up an explanation," he said. "I really don't know." The headlines of history will be that New England's Bill Belichick and Tom Brady each won their fourth Super Bowl championship, tying records for coaches and quarterbacks and perhaps cementing their legacy as the best such combo in NFL history. But just under those headlines will be the bold-faced reminder that Carroll might have handed it to them, just as he handed that title to Texas, this decisively successful champion to be forever haunted by two bad decisions. Call them the Ghosts of Ego Present, Carroll always thinking that he is smarter and trickier than everyone else, always walking that fine line, setting himself up for the inevitable fall. If the Seahawks had won, Carroll would have been the only coach in history to win two Super Bowl and two college football Associated Press national championships. Instead, he will be forever known as the only guy to give two titles away. "I told the guys in the locker room ... they are on (the) precipice of winning another championship and unfortunately, the play goes the other way," Carroll said in the interview room. "There's really nobody to blame but me, and I told them that clearly, and I don't want them to think any other than that." For only the second time in his charmed life, the impossibly young Carroll looked old. His silver hair was gray and askew. His bright eyes were full. "A very, very hard lesson," he said. "I hate to learn the hard way, but there's no other way to look at it right now." Carroll explained, again and again, that when the Seahawks took the field for the second-down play from the one-yard line with 26 seconds remaining, they were planning on giving the ball to Lynch, but the Patriots were in a goal-line defense. He said he agreed that they would throw a pass, then run on each of the next two plays if necessary to score and win. "It's not the right matchup for us to run the football, so on second down we throw the ball really to kind of waste that play," Carroll said. Waste a play? With a Super Bowl title on the line? "If we score we do, if we don't, then we'll run it in on third and fourth down," he said. "Unfortunately, with the play that we tried to execute, the guy makes a great play and jumps in front of the route and makes an incredible play that nobody would ever think he could do." Carroll may have been shocked that the pass didn't work, but it's clear, his players never thought the ball should have left the ground. "I'm a little bit surprised," cornerback Richard Sherman said. USC fans are sadly not surprised, given that Carroll's strengths have always been more emotional than strategic. No, Carroll didn't make the actual pass call, that was offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell, but Carroll could have overruled the call, as he was wearing a headset, which he tossed to the ground after their interception. As Wilson walked to the sideline, the coach and quarterback stared at each other in shock. Said Carroll: "We looked at each other and tried to realize the gravity of what we just did." Said Wilson: "I put the blame on me, I'm the one who threw it." The interception ruined some moments that could have made this the most memorable of Seahawks victories. There was receiver Jermaine Kearse and the amazing catch he made on his back in the final two minutes to put the Seahawks in scoring position. There was receiver Chris Matthews, a journeyman pro who had never caught an NFL pass and wound up with four catches for 109 yards and a touchdown. There were two interceptions of Brady passes and the resilience of an injured defense. None of which were a match for the ghosts who grabbed the coach. | 1 | 5,762 | sports |
Hyundai Motor Co said it will lower the price of its Tucson fuel cell electric vehicle by 43 percent in South Korea and consider cutting prices of the car overseas to compete with models from the likes of Toyota Motor Corp. The South Korean automaker - the world's fifth-biggest when paired with sister Kia Motors Corp - hopes to popularize fuel cell cars in its home market by cutting the price of the Tucson ix to 85 million won ($77,189). In developing more environmentally friendly technology, Hyundai has long trumpeted fuel cell electric vehicles over battery-powered alternatives, but the high price tag and a lack of refueling stations have been roadblocks to adoption. South Korea has only one hydrogen fuelling station, with another to be opened in the first half of this year and a government goal to increase the number to 200 by 2025. The carmaker said it had sold only 200 electric vehicles so far, including in the United States and to European governments. "A significant price cut in the fuel-cell driven Tucson line of vehicles will allow higher supply volume for fuel-cell vehicles in general by making them more affordable for consumers," Hyundai said in a statement on Monday. In December, Japanese rival Toyota launched its Mirai fuel cell sedan with a pre-tax price tag of 6.7 million yen ($56,934). Toyota said on Jan. 15 that it planned to sell at least 3,000 Mirai fuel cell sedans at least in the United States by the end of 2017. Hyundai Motor Group has said it would invest 11 trillion won in eco-friendly car development by 2020 and launch its second fuel cell model by 2020. ($1 = 1,101.2000 won) ($1 = 117.6800 yen) (Editing by Tony Munroe and Christopher Cushing) | 9 | 5,763 | autos |
It's a few hours after the Super Bowl finished and, for the neutrals at least, heartbeats should have mostly returned to their usual resting pace. That won't be the case for flight control staff at Phoenix Sky Harbor airport in Arizona, however through the magic of FlightAware 's real-time tracking, you can check out the crazy volume of small private aircraft jetting out in all directions. And, although you've probably never felt sorry for the kind of person that flies to the Super Bowl on their own jet, try to spare a thought for those on board the "Execjet" on its way back to Seattle. What were the Seahawks thinking with that last play? | 5 | 5,764 | news |
Oil workers in the U.S. began the largest national strike since 1980 on Sunday, after failing to agree on new labor contracts. The United Steelworkers Union (USW) called for about 3,800 employees to strike in nine sites across the country, affecting plants that account for 10% of the total U.S. refining capacity, reports Bloomberg. USW failed to agree on five contracts offered by lead negotiators Royal Dutch Shell PLC on behalf of several major oil companies including Chevron Corp. and Exxon Mobil Corp. When the current contract expired on Sunday, USW said it "had no choice" but to call the walkout after no further deal was reached. If a full strike of union workers is called, USW says it could disrupt as much as 64% of U.S. fuel production. Shell said it remained committed to reaching a deal with the union. But USW, which has been in talks since Jan. 21, feels the oil companies can afford to make the changes it is demanding, which include substantial pay raises and improved safety measures. "The problem is that oil companies are too greedy to make a positive change in the workplace," said Tom Conway, USW international vice president of administration. "They continue to value production and profit over health and safety, workers and the community." The strike comes at a difficult time in the market as companies cut costs amid a collapse in crude oil prices. Bloomberg says more refineries are standing by to join the industrial action. [ Bloomberg ] | 3 | 5,765 | finance |
Big waves were too much to ignore for some surfers off Montuak, NY. Never mind that it was in the middle of Winter Storm Juno. | 8 | 5,766 | video |
Singer Katy Perry dazzled at Sunday's Super Bowl halftime show in a spectacular performance featuring dancing sharks, a prowling metallic lion and a levitating star that shot fireworks into the night sky. Perry stalked into the University of Phoenix Stadium field in Glendale, Arizona riding the huge, fiery-eyed lion as she sang her megahit "Roar" while wearing a flame-festooned dress. The 30-year-old star performed a brief duet with rock legend Lenny Kravitz, and the pair sung "I Kissed A Girl," one of Perry's first big hits in 2008, during a brief but raunchy performance. The crowd cheered during the next segment that saw Perry perform on a desert island set -- complete with palm trees, dancers dressed up to look like goofy sharks and beach balls, as the star sang "California Gurls." The Super Bowl's halftime show has become a must-see event in the middle of the NFL's championship extravaganza. Halftime performances generate massive ratings and, sometimes, unexpected controversy such as when Janet Jackson inadvertently suffered a "wardrobe malfunction" that saw much of her breast exposed in 2004, or Prince's 2007 show that featured a strangely shaped guitar that cast a phallus-shaped shadow. Perry's 12.5-minute performance did not generate any such controversy and the reaction on social media appeared overwhelmingly positive, with many users praising her live singing, her dancers and her three quick costume changes. Actress Anna Kendrick hailed the pop star's performance, sending her compliments via Twitter. "It's official. Katy Perry is magic," she wrote. "All jokes aside, @katyperry your voice tonight was actually unreal." Rapper Snoop Dogg chimed in too, tweeting: "If you were wondering that was me in tha Shark costume!!" Missy Elliott was the star guest of the performance, making a foggy entrance to sing hits including "Get Ur Freak On" and "Work It." The newly-svelte rap diva's high-energy number "Lose Control" was a crowd pleaser. Perry's grand finale was a spectacular rendition of her huge hit "Firework." She climbed onto a star-shaped platform and elevated above the football field, cruising around the stadium as fireworks burst around her, to enthusiastic cheers and applause from the crowd. The New England Patriots defeated Seattle 28-24 at this year's Super Bowl 49, denying the Seahawks a second consecutive title in the NFL championship spectacular. The Super Bowl was expected to draw a whopping 15 million viewers -- or about one third of all Americans -- many of whom look forward to the highly-anticipated half-time show and much-buzzed about commercials. | 6 | 5,767 | entertainment |
SALEM, Ore. Any tourist guide to Portland will tell you about the strip clubs. There are dozens of them, something for any taste or any neighborhood, helped to ubiquity by Oregon's fierce protection of free speech. Tired of watching well-meaning strangers impose their own visions for improving the plight of the dancer, some of Portland's seasoned strippers are working directly with state lawmakers and professional lobbyists. Around the country, strippers have stepped up their fight for better working conditions. Some are suing. Others have filed complaints with state regulators. A handful have unionized. But the effort in Oregon to work directly with the Legislature with the support of lobbyists is unique. "The hardest part about being a stripper is battling the stigma that we are victims that need help from outsiders," said Elle Stanger, a stripper who's been active in the movement. "It doesn't matter if you work in education, clergy, any kind of blue collar work the people who do the work know what the work environment needs." Stanger has worked her entire five-year career at the Lucky Devil Lounge. She's pleased with the management, she said, and isn't concerned she'll face retaliation for speaking publicly. But as the assistant editor of Exotic Magazine, a local publication for the sex industry, she's seen plenty of clubs. They're not all as great as hers. "Some of the buildings are literally dilapidated and not maintained," Stanger said. "You have entertainers that could injure themselves from broken glass on the stage, poor wiring with the sound system. We just want to get these workplaces up to a minimum safety standard at least." There may be a few bad apples, but most club owners take dancers' safety seriously and are appalled when strippers are mistreated, said Claude DaCorsi, a club operator and president of the Oregon chapter of the Association of Club Executives, an industry association. "We're here to protect and make safe environments for entertainers," DaCorsi said. "They're the reason we exist." The dancers and lobbyists have settled on a handful of improvements they'd like to pursue. Ideally, they want to see strip clubs comply with mandatory health and safety standards clean stages, structurally sound poles, adequate security. But that could be a tough sell in the Legislature. More realistically, they plan to push for a mandate that clubs display a poster outlining dancers' rights with a hotline they can call to ask questions or report abuses. They want the hotline to be staffed by people with experience in the industry, not bureaucrats or law enforcement. Strippers generally work as independent contractors rather than employees. They pay a stage fee or a portion of their earnings to the management, bartenders, bouncers, DJs and other support staff. The contractor status means clubs don't have to pay payroll taxes or provide health insurance. It also means that dancers can't be managed like employees. Many young women get into the business without much work experience and are exploited, some strippers say. Not knowing their rights as independent contractors, dancers may not realize when a management demand is illegal or inappropriate, they say. The association helps keep them from being on their own. The group, which has met about once a month with anywhere from four to 30 dancers, was convened by the Oregon chapter of the National Association of Social Workers. Wanting to help people with no political representation, the group tasked two contract lobbyists with figuring out how they could contribute. "Social workers have always fought for people who want to fight for themselves," said Delmar Stone, director of the Oregon and Idaho chapter. "We're in solidarity with them in achieving human rights, basic protections, not being exploited." Dancers warned the group not to require strippers to get licenses or make it harder for them to work as independent contractors. They like the anonymity and flexibility they have when they're truly treated as contractors. The lobbyists brought their own news: Oregon's free speech protections, which are more robust than the federal First Amendment, severely limit the regulations that can be imposed. Rules that apply exclusively to strip clubs won't fly, so they'll have to be imposed on all "live entertainment" venues, bringing a whole host of fully-clothed entertainers into the mix. Three times between 1994 and 2000, voters rejected constitutional amendments that would have allowed strip club crackdowns. That means the government can't say where clubs can go, how much clothing dancers must wear or how close they're allowed to get to customers. Strip clubs can't be treated any differently than other places that serve food or alcohol. A poster in the dressing room isn't necessarily a problem, said DaCorsi of the industry group, but he worries club owners would have to pay for a hotline. If regulations were needed, the industry should police itself, he said. The dancers' work with lawmakers has surprised and confused DaCorsi and his colleagues, he said. "How did it get to this point where entertainers got fed up to the point where they felt we need to enact a law or do some legislation around this?" ___ Follow AP writer Jonathan J. Cooper at http://twitter.com/jjcooper. | 5 | 5,768 | news |
The daughter of the boss of Korean Air, on trial in a case popularly known as "nut rage", treated flight crew like "feudal slaves", a chief steward said in court on Monday. Heather Cho, daughter of Korean Air Lines chairman Cho Yang-ho and the former head of in-flight service, is on trial for breaking aviation laws and conspiring with other company executives to force crew members lie about the Dec. 5 incident. Cho had demanded the chief steward, Park Chang-jin, be removed from a flight at New York's John F. Kennedy airport after a first class flight attendant served her macadamia nuts in a bag, not on a dish. The plane, already taxiing towards the runway, returned to the gate. Park said Cho "was like a beast that found its prey gritting its teeth as she became abusive, not listening to what I had to say at all". "I don't think Cho showed an ounce of conscience, treating powerless people like myself like feudal slaves, forcing us to sacrifice and treating it as if it was the natural thing to do," Park said, fighting back tears. Cho resigned from her posts at the airline, including vice-president, in the face of public anger and ridicule over her behavior, which raised questions about the power of the country's "chaebol" conglomerates. Park appeared in court in his uniform after returning to work over the weekend after a leave of absence. Cho's father apologized in court on Friday to Park and promised he would not face any reprimand. Cho's lawyers previously told the court that she was sorry for her actions, but that they did not merit punishment. They also denied that she used violence. Park and prosecutors had said he was forced to kneel down and Cho poked his palm several times with a folder. Heather is the oldest of Cho Yang-ho's three children. Her siblings are also executives with the airline. (Editing by Jack Kim and Nick Macfie) | 5 | 5,769 | news |
The four surviving original Magna Carta copies go on display together for the first time from Monday as Britain kicks off 800th anniversary celebrations for a contract with global significance. Considered the cornerstone of liberty, modern democracy, justice and the rule of law, the 1215 English charter forms the basis for legal systems around the world, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the US constitution. A total of 1,215 people, drawn from a ballot, have won the chance to see the unification at the British Library, which is bringing together its two originals with those of Lincoln and Salisbury cathedrals from Monday to Wednesday. The four parchments will also be on private show in parliament on Thursday, kicking off a year of celebrations for a document that still has resonance eight centuries on. "No free man shall be taken or imprisoned or disseized or outlawed or exiled or in any way ruined, nor will we go and send against him except by the lawful judgement of his peers by the law of the land," it states in Latin. "To no one will we sell, to no one will we deny or delay right or justice." - Rebel barons challenged king - In June 1215, the wayward king John agreed to the demands of rebellious barons to curb his powers and sealed the charter at Runnymede, a meadow by the River Thames west of London. Although nearly a third of the text was dropped or substantially rewritten within 10 years and almost all the 63 clauses have been repealed, Magna Carta's principles have become "a potent, international rallying cry against the arbitrary use of power", says the British Library. Anthony Clarke, one of Britain's Supreme Court judges, said it remains important as governments seek a balance between issues of security, individual rights, the rule of law and the "principles of justice that lie at the foundation of society". The principles that justice should be available to all, the law applies to all equally and leaders can only exercise power in accordance with the law continue to be fought for in many parts of the world. The Magna Carta Trust, which looks after the memorial site in Runnymede, believes the charter's importance is growing. "800 years on, Magna Carta's best days lie ahead," it said. "As an idea of freedom, democracy and the rule of law, it is lapping against the shores of despotism. "The principles set out in Magna Carta have driven the Arab Spring and the continuing protests against despotism around the world." - Charter linked to prosperity - Magna Carta's principles extend well beyond the world's common law jurisdictions such as the United States, India and Australia which inherited England's legal system. Lawyer David Wootton, a former lord mayor of London -- a role representing the city's business heartland -- said English law was the "common currency" of global business deals precisely due to the protections derived from Magna Carta. "Investors regard their money as safe here (in London) because of the protections in the legal system," he said. "There is a close relationship between economic development, societal development and the quality of a country's legal system." Events are being staged across England throughout 2015 to mark the anniversary, including a major international commemoration event at Runnymede on June 15. Exhibitions, debates, conferences, church services, lectures, charity dinners, theatre performances, tourist trails, village fetes, and even a national peal of bells are being staged. There will also be a mock trial of the barons who forced the creation of the charter in parliament's Westminster Hall to debate whether they were guilty of treason. | 5 | 5,770 | news |
Japan-based messaging app company Line Corp is launching an online grocery delivery service, its first ever, in Thailand and plans to expand it to other Southeast Asian nations to tap booming growth in the region's mobile phone transactions. The unit of top South Korean Internet portal operator Naver Corp said on Monday its "Cheap Sure Sure" online grocery service will begin on Feb. 4 in Thailand, Line's second-biggest market after Japan, with more than 33 million active users of the app. A successful launch of the service in the region can help alleviate pressure on Naver, which last week announced a disappointing quarterly profit. "Thailand is one of our top priority markets. We are continuously exploring ways to boost m-commerce in the region," Sedong Nam, head of the service department of Line unit Line Plus Corp, said in a statement. Line did not give any financial details of the project nor a time frame about the planned launch of the grocery service in other Southeast Asian countries. Consumers across Southeast Asia, a region of 600 million, are increasingly going online to research and purchase products and services, particularly with the rapid uptake of mobile devices and smartphones. But growth is hampered by poor mobile payment options and unfriendly user interfaces, Line said. Line's service in Thailand will face competition from similar online services being offered by leading retailers in the country, including by Tesco Lotus, a Thai operation of Tesco Plc, Charoen Pokphand Foods' CP Fresh Mart and Central Group's Tops Supermarket. And while digital consumers across Southeast Asia enjoy going online to shop, those in the Philippines, Vietnam and Singapore are most inclined to purchase items online, while in Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand, consumers are more likely to go online to browse, according to market researcher Nielsen. Line's service will be offering products such as water, coffee and instant noodles at up to 50 percent discounts and free delivery for Thai shoppers, the statement said. It has tied up with aCommerce, a Thai e-commerce service provider in the region, which will handle product sourcing, warehousing, fulfillment and deliveries. ($1 = 32.5600 Thai Baht) (Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman) | 5 | 5,771 | news |
Unless you count incidents in Star Trek episodes, Möbius strips don't really occur in nature -- you have to create that freaky one-sided shape yourself. However, a worldwide team of scientists may have produced the next best thing. They've created a Möbius strip of light by manipulating the polarization of the light's inherent electromagnetic field. The trick involves firing a highly focused laser beam through a liquid crystal lens to give it a very specific polarization. When the light scatters at the focal point with the help of a nanoparticle, that polarization creates tiny, twisted loops. While these strips were made in a lab, of course, the experiment shows that they're at least possible in nature. This demonstration might have some practical implications, as well. The technique should help researchers understand more about how polarization works, and could even help them create nanoscale light structures that serve specific purposes. You could see more metamaterials with unusual optical properties -- think surfaces that reflect light in specific ways, or give off certain colors. It'll be a long while before you see (or in some cases, don't see) a product emerge from this discovery, but it's already clear that this oddball behavior should work to your advantage. University of Rochester | 5 | 5,772 | news |
Here's a story of a man named Jimmy... and pretty much every music superstar ever. In honor of Super Bowl XLIX , Jimmy Fallon brought in an all-star cast of musicians to help him sing an a cappella version of Queen's " We Are The Champions ." In fact, there was so much star power that the only way to fit them all on screen was to go all "Brady Bunch"-style. We're talking about Carrie Underwood, Sam Smith, Ariana Grande, Blake Shelton, Usher, Meghan Trainor, One Direction and even Christina Aguilera. Fallon also brought in Will Ferrell and Kevin Hart for a lip sync battle later in the show, but the way the night started was nothing less than Aca-mazing. "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" airs weeknights at 11:35 p.m. ET on NBC. | 6 | 5,773 | entertainment |
A father and daughter who belonged to a Chinese cult have been executed for killing a woman in a McDonald's outlet. Zhang Lidong and his daughter, Zhang Fan, who were members of the illegal Quannengshen (Church of the Almighty God) group, were executed Monday morning, the BBC reported . The pair was part of a group of five who were convicted of attacking the woman. They had been sentenced to death in October 2014. Three others were given jail sentences ranging from seven years to life. The group reportedly tried to recruit the 35-year old victim, Wu Shuoyan, in the restaurant in the town of Zhaoyuan, Shandong District, in eastern China. And, when she refused, they beat her to death. "I beat her with all my might and stamped on her too. She was a demon. We had to destroy her," the father told the BBC, in a phone interview. In its statement, the court said Zhang Fan asked Wu for her phone number twice. When she refused, the group accused her of being "possessed by an evil spirit," and Zhang Fan attacked her with a chair. The rest of the group also began to beat her, thrashing her with mops and stamping on her head. She died of her injuries inside the restaurant. The cult, which refers to the Communist Party as "the Great Red Dragon," believes that Jesus has been reincarnated as a Chinese woman to bring about the end of the world. They are led by a former physics teacher who has fled to the United States, the New Straits Times reported . Since the killing, the Chinese government has detained hundreds of members of the cult, which on its website, reportedly claims to have millions of followers. The Chinese government has cracked down on the group since 2012, when it began distributing literature prophesying the end of the world, the Los Angeles Times reported . It is the largest such operation in China since the persecution of the Falun Gong (Law Wheel Practice) since 1999 , which the country's government regards as a cult. Chinese activists have accused the government of using anti-cult activities as a cover for persecuting Christians, the Telegraph reported . The list of permitted religions in China includes Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, and Catholic and Protestant Christianity. However, tens of millions of Chinese are members of illegal underground churches. Several uprisings have sprung up from Christian sects in the past. In the 1800s, the Taiping Rebellion, which ended dynastic rule in China, was launched by a man claiming to be Jesus Christ's brother. | 5 | 5,774 | news |
CNN's Andy Scholes looks at the key moments that led to the New England Patriots' Super Bowl win over the Seattle Seahawks. | 8 | 5,775 | video |
From exorcism ceremonies to spirit houses and amulets claiming to make wearers bullet-proof, Thailand is a culture soaked in superstition -- an obsession critics say is holding the nation back. On a popular episode of "Humans defy ghosts" -- a weekly Thai TV programme that delves into the supernatural -- a two-year-old girl who survived three days next to the dead body of her mother was asked a series of questions by one of the show's panellists. "Who prepared your milk?" Kapol Thongplab enquired. "Who played with you? Who opened the door?" "Mummy," the little girl replied, as genuinely convinced as her adult interlocutors that her mother's ghost continued to sustain her in those harrowing days. In Thailand, a show like this is more than just entertainment. "In all countries, people believe in the afterlife," Kapol, one of Thailand's most famous ghost experts, tells AFP. "Westerners may believe in Satan. In the nations of Southeast Asia, we believe in ghosts. This kind of belief helps people refrain from doing bad things. Mr A may think 'If I kill Mr B, he may become a ghost and come back to haunt me'." The spirit world is everywhere in Thailand where animism and folk beliefs are deeply infused with Buddhism. Most buildings boast a 'spirit house' -- a shrine placed in an auspicious corner of a property where offerings can be made to appease ghosts lest they turn malevolent. From time to time Thailand's notoriously fractious politics also draw on the occult. Competing camps have openly used black magic curses against each other while protesters often deck themselves out in amulets that they believe make them impervious to bullets or harm. - Misplaced faith - But some Thais say they are fed up with what they describe as naive superstitions that lead their countrymen to make poor decisions or leave them vulnerable to exploitation. AFP met one man, who wished to remain anonymous, leading an Internet campaign against Thai beliefs in ghosts. The man, who goes by the pseudonym "FuckGhosts" and runs a popular Facebook page with the same name, recently caused uproar when he posted a photograph of himself stepping on a row of zebra figurines at a busy road junction in Bangkok known for fatal crashes. Zebra statues are a common sight at accident spots due to the belief that their stripes -- which remind people of pedestrian crossings -- will fend off the unhappy ghosts of previous traffic victims that many believe cause new crashes. "I thought about destroying them, but there is CCTV. I am afraid society would not accept it," he told AFP. The man's main gripe -- which has received significant support on his Facebook page -- is that Thais would rather put their faith in statues and amulets than take concrete steps to reduce personal risk, such as driving more safely. "These kind of beliefs keep Thailand an underdeveloped country," he fumes. Thailand has the second-highest traffic fatality rate in the world, with 44 deaths per 100,000 population, according to a 2014 study based on World Health Organization figures. But while drivers cover their cars with protective trinkets to keep safe, many still speed and drink-drive. Mototaxis are laden with amulets but those at the wheel rarely use helmets, and often overload passengers. The "FuckGhosts" campaign appears to be having a partial effect, with authorities in January removing hundreds of statues that had built up around the accident black spot -- known locally as "Kong Roi Sop", the curve that claims 100 lives. But the removal could only go ahead once a Buddhist monk had initiated a ceremony making sure any evil spirits would leave the area. "At the beginning, the workers were quite concerned," admitted Supit Kraimak, head of the local sanitation department. "But after the monk chanted, they felt more comfortable about the job." - Lucrative business - For much of Thailand's soothsayers, astrologers and its huge monastic network, belief in the superstitious is also undoubtedly lucrative. Exorcisms, protective spells and trinkets are all readily available at a price, while books and films about haunting spirits are hugely popular. Businesses often pay monks to make annual visits to chase away evil spirits. Thais believe a violent or unexpected death is more likely to result in the creation of an angry ghost when a soul departs. And few ghosts are more famous than "Nak", a woman who Thais believe lived in Bangkok in the nineteenth century and died during childbirth while her husband was away fighting a war. There are many versions of the story, but in general they all describe how the husband returned to find his wife seemingly still alive. Nak was so devoted to him that she had remained as a ghost, but became a malevolent spirit when her husband discovered the truth and ran away. "On the eve of a lottery, this temple is open all night," reads the sign on a shrine dedicated to Nak in Bangkok where locals make offerings to the ghost asking for cures, good luck and exemption from military service. Fortune-tellers ply their trade outside the shrine and devotees also release fish, turtles and frogs into a nearby canal to earn "merit". According to the merchants selling the animals, the release of an eel will bring professional success and a frog can reduce sins. The head of the temple declined to be questioned by AFP. But those visiting were convinced their offerings to Nak would be rewarded. "I believe in her and I believe in ghosts," said Netnaran Janvanu, a young mother at the temple, before adding matter-of-factly: "My friends believe in ghosts too." | 2 | 5,776 | travel |
CNN's Rachel Nichols talks to members of the New England Patriots about their Super Bowl win and the fallout from "deflate-gate" controversy. | 8 | 5,777 | video |
A tough road ahead for Ronald McDonald & Friends | 3 | 5,778 | finance |
If Three's owner Hutchison Whampoa successfully buys O2, the pair could wield even greater power in the UK than we thought. Less than a week after Sky announced plans for an O2-powered mobile network, Dixons Carphone is doing the same -- but this time it's struck a deal with Three. According to the FT, the merged retailers are hoping to stand out with tariffs that allow customers to easily switch their minutes and data mid-contract. The idea being that if you have unlimited texts, but find that you're only using half of your allowance each month, you won't have to wait two years before downsizing your contract. But that's not all. To give it some firepower against the major networks, Dixons and Carphone Warehouse will bolster their contracts with bundled connectivity for smart home appliances. We're still awaiting details on how this will work, but the broader picture is clear: Dixons Carphone wants to avoid the same fate as Phones4U, and it's hoping a pseudo-network of its own will ease its reliance on the major carriers. EE recently signed a new multi-year deal with the company, but with so many of the major players teaming up or launching new networks, Dixons Carphone is clearly erring on the safe side. FT | 3 | 5,779 | finance |
WASHINGTON The challenge ahead for Hillary Rodham Clinton is one faced by few White House hopefuls: running a primary campaign in which she faces little competition, if any at all. Still not officially a candidate, the former New York senator, secretary of state and first lady sits far atop early polls against a small field of potential rivals for the Democratic nomination. None of them seems to be in any hurry to move into the race. Few Democrats see an insurgent candidate in the mold of Barack Obama on the horizon. That raises the potential of a pedestrian Democratic primary season with few televised debates and little of the drama expected from a crowded and likely combative race on the Republican side. "No one wants a complete coronation, but it's hard to see who a credible challenger will be," said Steve Westly, a California-based fundraiser for Obama's campaigns who is supporting Clinton. Clinton has been meeting in New York with a group of advisers that includes longtime loyalists and veterans of Obama's races. But the work of campaign planning involves trying to figure out when to get into the race, how to avoid giving off a sense of inevitability and how to generate enthusiasm among the party's base for the general election without the benefit of a spirited fight for the nomination. "All indications are that she's casting a wide net, talking to smart people, and being methodical about thinking through her next steps," said Donna Brazile, a Democratic strategist and Clinton ally. "And having run a presidential campaign, this is how you go about making this decision and next steps." The first step? Deciding when to get into the race. Clinton's timeline for announcing her candidacy remains a subject of debate inside her team, according to Democrats familiar with the discussions. Some advisers are pushing the possibility of a springtime announcement. Others suggest she could wait until the summer, giving her team more time to get ready. Some insiders note that her husband, Bill Clinton, did not launch his first presidential campaign until October 1991, a few months before the first primaries of the 1992 race. In the already competitive Republican field, the aggressive moves of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush appear to have chased Mitt Romney into and out of the race. But the potential Democratic competition is not putting any pressure on Clinton to move quickly. Vice President Joe Biden has said he will not make a decision until the spring or the summer. Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a liberal favorite, insists she's not running. Others, such as ex-Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, former Virginia Sen. Jim Webb and independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders are relatively unknown nationally and are not expected to decide until later in the spring. Clinton appears in no rush. She has a limited number of public appearances in the coming months, leaving outside groups to fill the void. Ready for Hillary, a pro-Clinton super political action committee, has a number of low-dollar fundraisers on the calendar, including an event in New York next month with former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean. "The question is what advantage is the Clinton campaign giving up by not being active in Iowa as a candidate today? And I can't think of any," said Jerry Crawford, a Des Moines lawyer who served as Clinton's Midwest co-chairman in 2008. Clinton has suggested one the potential for voters to see her as entitled to the nomination. She was hurt by sky-high expectations in her last campaign and finished a disappointing third in Iowa's caucuses, sparking Obama's ascent. "If I were to decide to pursue it, I would be working as hard as any underdog or any newcomer because I don't want to take anything for granted if I decide to do it," Clinton said in a June interview. Clinton's main obstacles during a quiet primary campaign could come from Republicans and GOP-leaning outside groups, which already are trying to discredit her record at the State Department and tie her to Obama's policies. Several Republicans took swipes at Clinton at an Iowa forum last weekend, as did Romney in a speech in Mississippi this past week. "Hillary Clinton clearly feels she's entitled to the presidency and is taking the race for granted like she did in 2008," said Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus, reflecting the GOP's intense focus on Clinton. Such GOP criticism could rile her supporters. But a low-key primary could limit her campaign's ability to test its organizational strength and its opportunities to seize on important moments a primary night, debate, major address that often fuel online fundraising and list-building. During the last contested Democratic campaign, the party's first presidential debate was held in South Carolina in April 2007 and the field went on to take part in more than two dozen such events. With no announced candidates, a springtime debate already appears unlikely. Still, there are benefits to the lack of a challenge. Even with Republicans as the main foil, a relatively uncontested primary would give Clinton a clear path to raise millions of dollars and build a campaign organization, a benefit normally bestowed to an incumbent president, and perhaps keep her above the political fray. "I'm really excited for these next two years," said Neera Tanden, a former Clinton policy adviser who spoke at a Ready for Hillary event in Washington last week. "You know with any Clinton adventure, it's a roller coaster. It will be very exciting. And she's really going to need all of us to step up." ___ Follow Ken Thomas on Twitter: http://twitter.com/KThomasDC | 5 | 5,780 | news |
Novak Djokovic is now 3,800 points clear at the top of the ATP world rankings following his Australian Open triumph on Sunday. The Serb is in clear water well ahead of second-placed Roger Federer, who lost ground with a third-round exit in Melbourne. Big movers in the top 10 were Andy Murray whose run to the Australian Open final saw him move up two places to fourth with Milos Raonic also climbing two spots to sixth. They both moved past Stan Wawrinka, who failed to defend his title in Australia and dropped five places to ninth. ATP top 20 1. Novak Djokovic (SRB) 13,045 points 2. Roger Federer (SUI) 9,245 3. Rafael Nadal (ESP) 5,745 4. Andy Murray (GBR) 5,515 (+2) 5. Kei Nishikori (JPN) 5,205 6. Milos Raonic (CAN) 4,845 (+2) 7. Tomas Berdych (CZE) 4,660 8. Marin Cilic (CRO) 4,105 (+1) 9. Stan Wawrinka (SUI) 4,090 (-5) 10. David Ferrer (ESP) 3,965 11. Grigor Dimitrov (BUL) 3,645 12. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA) 2,560 13. Ernests Gulbis (LAT) 2,420 14. Feliciano Lopez (ESP) 2,220 15. Kevin Anderson (RSA) 2,125 16. Roberto Bautista (ESP) 1,975 17. Tommy Robredo (ESP) 1,845 18. John Isner (USA) 1,765 (+3) 19. Gilles Simon (FRA) 1,730 (+1) 20. Gaël Monfils (FRA) 1,725 (-1) | 1 | 5,781 | sports |
Having a stash of your favorite essential oils is so worth it when making your own homemade cleaning products and other awesomeness. From soothing sore noses to creating a signature scent, these DIYs put essential oils front and center. Found in most health food stores or online, essential oils are all natural, often antibacterial and antifungal, and always smell fantastic. Fix Stuffy Noses It's as simple as dripping a few drops of eucalyptus essential oil on the inside of tissue boxes to fix stuffy noses. Bathroom Fresh Use essential oils to scent your bathroom by dripping a few drops on the inside of a tissue roll. Fresh Breath This breath spray only has three ingredients: water, essential oil, and honey! Homemade Dryer Sheets Your clothes will be wonderfully soft and filled with a great scent, thanks to essential oils, after making these DIY dryer sheets . Sweet Dreams Drift off to dreamland with the help of a combination of essential oils melted together with coconut oil and beeswax, creating a soothing salve. Man Spray Mix together the perfect cologne for your guy with an essential oil blend that leaves the right lingering scent. Fresh Sheets You're going to love this linen spray that leaves your sheets smelling heavenly. Air Freshener Make any space smell better with the help of this DIY air freshener . Vapor Rub Clear stuffy noses and tight chests with this DIY vapor rub that puts essential oils to good use. Upgrade Your Dish Soap Transform store-bought dish soap into a lovely cleaner with the help of essential oils. You'll wonder why you never combined the two before! Lovely Lotion Head to the dollar store and pick up nourishing lotion along with a cute dispenser. At home, mix together essential oils and the lotion for a spa-tastic moisturizer. Scented Cleaner You only need three ingredients to DIY this knockoff of a favorite household helper. You'll love that this pine cleaner leaves your space smelling so fresh. Room Deodorizer Make any space smell better with this long-lasting room deodorizer . Personalize each room with its own little container! | 4 | 5,782 | lifestyle |
FORT WORTH, Texas Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) is already angling for a share of the 153 Republican delegates in Texas who will be up for grabs in early 2016. Most of the media's attention is focused on Iowa and New Hampshire, the first two contests of the Republican presidential primary. But Texas, the biggest Republican state in the nation, holds more delegates than four key states ahead of it on the calendar. The other so-called carve-out states that precede Texas are South Carolina and Nevada. The early map is favorable for Paul, who is near the top of a crowded field of possible GOP contenders. He has a natural advantage in New Hampshire and Nevada, two states with libertarian leanings that mirror his views. And a new Bloomberg Politics/ Des Moines Register poll shows the Kentucky senator running in second place in Iowa, only a point behind the frontrunner, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker. The Texas primary, which is scheduled for March 1, 2016, will have a major impact on the delegate count. Paul's allies think it could be a difference-maker in the race. Only California has more delegates, 172, but its primary isn't until early June, when the nominee will likely have already been decided. "We will be the second biggest," said Steve Munisteri, the Texas Republican Party chairman who will step down from his post to serve as a senior advisor to Paul's expected presidential campaign. "We're the fifth primary. You're going to have the four carve-outs and then Texas." Iowa and New Hampshire have 28 and 21 delegates, respectively. Nevada has 40 delegates and South Carolina has 48 delegates. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) is considered the favorite to win the Texas primary if he does well enough in the earliest states to retain a sense of viability. Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) would also be formidable. If Paul performs strongly in Texas, however, he could grab a good chunk of delegates and perhaps take the bulk of those that go to Cruz and Perry should they falter later in the campaign. "Rand Paul can win two ways. He can run high enough in the finishing order where he gets delegates or, if a candidate who is conservative runs high in the pecking order and drops out before the state convention, then Paul presumably could pick up the delegates that might be an alternative to, say, Jeb Bush," said Munisteri. He argued that delegates who are initially bound to Cruz are more likely to vote for Paul over Bush if either or both drop out of the campaign after March. Paul has strong ties in Texas thanks to his father, former Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas), who built a strong following by running for president in 1988, 2008 and 2012. Rand grew up in the state, and attended high school and college there. The younger Paul spent the weekend meeting donors and activists in Dallas and Fort Worth, where he spoke at the Dallas County GOP Reagan Day dinner and the Tarrant County Lincoln Day dinner. "Did you know that Sen. Paul is a true native Texan? A true Texan, he grew up in Lake Jackson southwest of Houston," boomed GOP state Sen. Don Huffines, introducing Paul to a cavernous ballroom of donors at the Renaissance Dallas hotel on Friday. Ron Paul finished second in the 2012 Texas GOP presidential primary but lagged badly behind winner Mitt Romney. The contest was held on May 29 that year, when Romney was on the cusp of clinching the nomination. Signing Munisteri, who helped raise $22 million for the state party, to his political team is a major coup for Paul and a sign of his connection to the state. The outgoing party chairman has known the Paul family for 40 years and recruited Sen. Paul to serve as president of the Baylor chapter of the Young Conservatives of Texas in the early 1980s. He was planning to help Paul run for the Senate in 2010 when he unexpectedly won a bid to chair the Texas GOP. He said three other presidential candidates or their staffs contacted him about backing them. "I had excellent relations with them up until Wednesday. I haven't talked to them since. I presume it won't be as warm a greeting next time I see them," he quipped. | 5 | 5,783 | news |
By Larry Brown. Richard Sherman doesn't waste any opportunities to talk smack. He will pounce at any chance, and he got an opportunity to do so during Super Bowl XLIX on Sunday. The Seahawks scored on a touchdown pass from Russell Wilson to a wide open Doug Baldwin to go up 24-14 in the third quarter. Baldwin got wide open despite being covered by Darrelle Revis, who is considered to be one of the best if not the best cornerback in the league. Sherman was quick to point out that it was Revis who blew the coverage on the play . He pointed at the camera and did a two and four with his hands to represent Revis' No. 24 jersey. Recall that the two had beef all offseason in 2013 before finally squashing things last year . Or was he just showing us how many points the Seahawks scored? We have to give it to Sherman we haven't seen him get beat for touchdowns in big games like that. | 1 | 5,784 | sports |
Introducing the all-new 2016 Kia Sorento. | 8 | 5,785 | video |
Jublia wants to help tackle toenail fungus. | 8 | 5,786 | video |
A cute little boy doesn't want his mother to go into the basement and see his mess he made with markers. | 8 | 5,787 | video |
Superbowl Commercial: Nationwide | 3 | 5,788 | finance |
The video game Madden NFL 15 correctly predicted the winner and score of Super Bowl XLIX. | 1 | 5,789 | sports |
The guys discuss the future of the Patriots and Seahawks. What will both teams do going forward before the 2015 season? | 1 | 5,790 | sports |
It's a difficult question cops ask themselves almost daily. Ex-NYPD officers take us inside a high-tech law enforcement training facility. | 5 | 5,791 | news |
Super Bowl Commercial: Loctite | 8 | 5,792 | video |
Superbowl Commercial: Lexus Let's Play | 8 | 5,793 | video |
Super Bowl Commercial: Geico #pushit | 8 | 5,794 | video |
The 2014-15 NFL season is officially over, as the New England Patriots defeated the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX 28-24 in an instant classic. Previously, we knew the order of 30 of the 32 NFL teams for the upcoming NFL Draft , but the order is now officially finalized with tonight's result. This year's NFL Draft will be held April 30-May 2 from Chicago, Illinois. Here's the full first round draft order ( per Mocking the Draft) , with the Colts slated to pick 29th overall. 1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2. Tennessee Titans 3. Jacksonville Jaguars 4. Oakland Raiders 5. Washington 6. New York Jets 7. Chicago Bears 8. Atlanta Falcons 9. New York Giants 10. St. Louis Rams 11. Minnesota Vikings 12. Cleveland Browns 13. New Orleans Saints 14. Miami Dolphins 15. San Francisco 49ers 16. Houston Texans 17. San Diego Chargers 18. Kansas City Chiefs 19. Cleveland Browns (from Buffalo) 20. Philadelphia Eagles 21. Cincinnati Bengals 22. Pittsburgh Steelers 23. Detroit Lions 24. Arizona Cardinals 25. Carolina Panthers 26. Baltimore Ravens 27. Dallas Cowboys 28. Denver Broncos 29. Indianapolis Colts 30. Green Bay Packers 31. Seattle Seahawks 32. New England Patriots | 1 | 5,795 | sports |
The close of Super Bowl 49 means we have early odds for Super Bowl 50. Plenty of casinos have either released them, or will do very shortly. One casino is the Westgate Las vegas Superbook. They were the hosts of my pick 'em contest this year, and it just so happens they are the first ones I found . The San Francisco 49ers have been installed at 25-to-1 odds to play the Super Bowl in their own stadium. Levi's Stadium will be the host site, with the official hand-over ceremony taking place over the weekend. The Westgate has a Super Bowl rematch as the most likely potential matchup at Levi's Stadium. The Seattle Seahawks are 5-to-1 favorites, while the New England Patriots are right behind them at 6-to-1. The longest odds belong to the Tennessee Titans, Jacksonville Jaguars and Oakland Raiders. The Arizona Cardinals and St. Louis Rams join the 49ers at 25-to-1. All three teams have numerous question marks surrounding them heading into 2015. We already know there will be teams that come out of nowhere next year, and other teams that go in the tank. Plenty of people are predicting doom and gloom for the 49ers, but we'll see what craziness the NFL has in store for the 2015 season. Here are the full Westgate Super Bowl 50 odds. We'll update them at least once or twice this offseason. Seahawks: 5-1 Patriots: 6-1 Packers: 7-1 Broncos: 8-1 Cowboys: 12-1 Eagles: 16-1 Colts: 16-1 Lions: 25-1 Saints: 25-1 Rams: 25-1 49ers: 25-1 Cardinals: 25-1 Steelers: 25-1 Ravens: 25-1 Bengals: 25-1 Texans: 30-1 Chargers: 30-1 Chiefs: 30-1 Giants: 30-1 Panthers: 30-1 Falcons: 30-1 Dolphins: 30-1 Bears: 50-1 Vikings: 50-1 Bills: 50-1 Browns: 50-1 Washington: 100-1 Jets: 100-1 Buccaneers: 200-1 Titans: 300-1 Jaguars: 300-1 Raiders: 300-1 | 1 | 5,796 | sports |
HONG KONG Stocks in Australia jumped and its currency slumped on Tuesday after the central bank cut rates to shore up economic growth while other Asian benchmarks were subdued as concerns about the world economy weighed on sentiment. KEEPING SCORE: Australia's S&P/ASX 200 jumped 1.3 percent to 5,698.80 after the central bank's decision was announced at midafternoon Sydney time. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 dipped 0.9 percent to 17,397.24 and South Korea's Kospi edged 0.1 percent lower to 1,950.02. Hong Kong's Hang Seng lost 0.3 percent to 24,406.92 while the Shanghai Composite Index in mainland China rose 0.4 percent to 3,153.43, rebounding a day after poor factory data dragged down shares. DECISION DOWN UNDER: The Reserve Bank of Australia decided to cut its benchmark interest rate to a record low of 2.25 percent in an attempt to revive the economy, which is weighed down by falling commodity prices. Like other countries that have taken similar action recently, Australian policymakers felt that with inflation easing as oil prices slump, they have more space to maneuver to bolster economic growth by cutting rates. THE QUOTE: "In Australia the available information suggests that growth is continuing at a below-trend pace, with domestic demand growth overall quite weak," Reserve Bank of Australia Governor Glenn Stevens said in a statement explaining the reasoning behind the rate cut. The Australian dollar "remains above most estimates of its fundamental value, particularly given the significant declines in key commodity prices," he said. "A lower exchange rate is likely to be needed to achieve balanced growth in the economy." CURRENCIES: The rate decision pushed the Australian dollar 1.8 cent lower to 76.6 cents from 78 cents Monday. In other currencies, the dollar slipped to 117.12 yen from 117.45. The euro fell to $1.1329 from $1.1341. WALL STREET: U.S. stock indexes ended higher Monday after a late rally by energy companies as oil prices rebounded for a third day. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 1.1 percent to 17,361.04 while the S&P 500 rose 1.3 percent to 2,020.85. The Nasdaq composite rose 0.9 percent to 4,676.69. ENERGY: U.S. benchmark crude oil gained 42 cents to $49.99 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract rose $1.33 to close at $49.57 on Monday, its highest level in nearly a month, but is down 38 percent in the past three months. Brent crude, a benchmark for international oils, rose 40 cents to $55.15 a barrel in London. | 3 | 5,797 | finance |
CHICAGO (AP) A new study says many packaged meals and snacks for toddlers contain worrisome amounts of salt and sugar. That's a concern because it could potentially give kids an early preference for foods that may contribute to obesity and high blood pressure. Researchers at the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that about seven in 10 toddler dinners contained too much salt. And there was extra sugar in most cereal bars, breakfast pastries and snacks for infants and toddlers. The researchers analyzed package information and labels for more than 1,000 foods marketed for infants and toddlers in 2012. Results appear in the journal Pediatrics on Monday. | 7 | 5,798 | health |
With the New England Patriots ' 28-24 win over the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday night, Bill Belichick has joined Chuck Noll as the only NFL head coaches to win four Super Bowls in a career. Both men won all of their championships with the same franchise. Noll coached the Pittsburgh Steelers for 23 seasons, but all four of his Super Bowl wins came during a five-year span between 1974 and 1979. Those Pittsburgh teams, which included legends like Terry Bradshaw, Franco Harris, Joe Greene and Lynn Swann, are considered one of the all-time great NFL dynasties. Belichick and the Patriots looked to be nearing that level of consistent dominance after winning three titles in a four-year span beginning in 2001. But the fourth proved elusive. Twice in the last decade the Patriots made it back to the Super Bowl, but twice they were beaten by the New York Giants . With Seattle inside the five-yard line late on Sunday, it looked as though New England was headed for yet another dramatic loss. But a late interception on the goal line preserved the win and put Belichick into the record books. Of course Belichick will always be tied to Tom Brady , who has quarterbacked all four of his championship teams and picked up the MVP award after a 328-yard, four-touchdown performance against the Seahawks. The pair's legacy will be in part defined by the upcoming DeflateGate investigation, but for now, they are arguably the best coach/quarterback duo in league history. | 1 | 5,799 | sports |
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